Takes Notes

13 hours ago, Kynana said:

All I can report is what I was told today. If it's true, this may be a blessing in disguise. My husband and I, who have been totally loyal to HAL so as to attain the 4-Star Mariner status, will likely branch out to experience other cruise lines. We have been very disappointed to hear that our favorite area on the ship, the Crow's Nest, is being taken over by the Excursion group, disappointed that the libraries seem to be in the process of being eliminated, disappointed in the HAL website and other areas that have experienced changes. Now the wine packages, which we have greatly appreciated and made our dinners every evening a special occasion. I hope that the 21 day cruise we are beginning this Sunday will not be our last. 

I am on the Oosterdam for 14 days starting on Saturday. If there is no discount for 4-5* on the Sommelier Suite wine packages, I will be very disappointed. Thank you for doing the research on this. I'm not surprised about the conflicting information. Holland America can't even build a good website, let alone inform its best customers about changes in policy.

I agree with many of these posts, especially RocketMan. If you like more upscale wines, buying them offshore and paying the corkage is a better deal. There is the issue of hauling a case (or more) onboard. For less expensive options, the Mariner discount makes the mainstream wines a bit more affordable. There almost always are substitutions on the "Cellars Packages". Sometimes it is for a better wine, and sometimes a weaker one. The best advice I can give is to "roll" with the unexpected on the lists. The wine staff are uniformly excellent in getting your wine if you are on the open seating plan. They like to know a day in advance if you are going to one of the specialty restaurants and will send whatever wines you specify to that restaurant.

Thank you, Hank, Roses, and Lady Chew. I have not quite mate it into the 21st century, so I guess about 4 good sized paperbacks will do it for me.  Look forward to meeting you, Roses. I love the Shaw Festival and like biking on the Niagara Parkway even more. I'm from Cleveland, OH.

Has anyone been on the Oosterdam recently? It has been a few years for me. I'm on the TA crossing next week and I wanted to know what the condition of the library is. Are there still a lot of books there? Is the library still maintained? I'm trying to figure out how many books to bring with me.

The single cabins, Liz, are one way to avoid the high surcharges for a single. I have been booked in those "OO" Cabins and have always been upgraded to a larger cabin at no charge.

Also, there are many sailings where the single suppliment is 35%-50%. Try looking at the crossings (atlantic and pacific) and the early and late sailings to Caribbean or Alaska.

I haven't been on the Oosterdam in several years. Can anyone who has been on recently tell me the status of the library? How much of it remains? I'm doing the TA Crossing next week and I'm trying to figure out how many books to take. Thanks!!!

I'm a big fan of the HAL/BBC relationship. I enjoyed "Frozen Planet" and I'm looking forward to the new show on the Kdam later this month. I'm sure it is tough for the sound technician to mix the live (and amplified) musicians with the recorded tracks to blend the sound properly. That is the reason the total sound level might be a bit too loud for some guests.

If you don't take your books on a tablet, I recommend you bring enough paperback books for the cruise and the flight home. Do not rely on the "book exchange area" as it may be very thin on availability.

I had an inside cabin (6171) on the Eurodam last week. As inside cabins so, it was fairly spacious. I liked the layout of the bath. There was more sink countertop space, more room for the toilet, and the shower without a tub was the best. I suspect your cabin will be very similar. Have a good time!!!!

For another minority point of view........

I never purchase Travel Insurance. I do about 12-14 trips a year (4-5 of these are cruises), and if the cost of the insurance is about 8% of the trip value, I would have to make a claim once a year to "break even".

I know that there is a "peace of mind" factor. Also, a medical emergency abroad can be a huge cost. Having said that, I do use my Chase Sapphire Card for cruise payments because of the coverage they offer. Remember, Insurance Companies thrive by taking in more in premiums than they pay out in claims. If you purchase insurance, you are "betting" that you will use it and the insurance company is "betting" that you won't. And whoever wins.....you lose.

My attitude may change as I age and trips become more of a challenge. Of course I am open to change.

I too was on the Eurodam for this sailing. I agree 100% with all that has been said. HAL really seems to have "nailed" the music issues with BB Kings, Billboard and Lincoln Center. The only complaint I have heard is from the "shrinking" number of passengers who like more formal ballroom dancing. They are limited to 2 short "tea dances" on most 7 day itineraries. Again, the number of ballroom dancers seems to be shrinking.

When you consider that these Caribbean sailings are deeply discounted, I think HAL is really good value. Not the fanciest ships, but great product for what we pay!

I agree a lot with what has been said already in this thread. Another thought.....on the Caribbean sailings, HAL needs to rely on onboard revenue to make the sailings profitable. So, the dollars spent on liquor, casino, and shore excursions help to keep the base price of the sailings lower than those for other parts of the world, including port-heavy itineraries in Europe and South America. Also, the novelty of Cuba can't be underestimated, and those sailings tend to be at least $100 pp higher. Just my two cents.

I was on the Eurodam two weeks ago, the second week for the new "Cellars" packages. I was just fine with Cellar I. I live in Ohio where wine taxes are really high. For us, the wines in Cellars I & II are priced about the same. They range from $8-$17 per bottle. So from a value standpoint, Cellar II is really not so good. But, you're on a cruise and should enjoy the wines that you prefer. Happy sailing all!

My two cents. I'm on Oosterdam Nov. 5 and Eurodam Dec. 11. Both are affected with the loss of St. Maartin, St. Thomas, and San Juan. Be aware....Amber Cove is a Carnival created port. Before Carnival developed it, there was little there. Still, the Dominican Republic boasts beautiful beaches and resorts which will appeal to some. I suspect that we will be offered "rain forest tours" which will appeal to others. Personally, I prefer the ports that have been damaged and dropped from the itineraries. Still....the creative cruiser with the right mindset will find something in each port. Try to be creative. Or....some veteran cruisers may not leave the ship at all. As they say, "it's all good". Enjoy your cruises wherever they may take you.

The Dominican Republic has beautiful beaches and resorts, especially in the Punta Cana area. Amber Cove is a Carnival-developed port which will cater to the needs of a lot of passengers with shops, tours, etc. I suspect that you will be offered rain forest tours which will appeal to some. In short......you should be able to find something that satisfies you, remembering that people cruise for a lot of different reasons. Some veteran cruisers may not leave the ship at all. Have fun!

I had an odd thing happen. I requested Carnival shareholder cabin credits for two 7 day sailings. The World Cruise Department only posted $50 per sailing, when the minimum is $100. A second fax got this fixed. So, happy ending.

I believe that the "Adagio Strings" (piano and violin) in the Explorers' Lounge has been upgraded on the Oosterdam to "Lincoln Center Live". This is a 4 person string quartet, specially scored music, and a variety of 30 minute concerts that are true performances and not background music. I LOVED this on the Kdam and am looking forward to it on the Oosterdam later this month.

We will be traveling for the fist time on the Koningsdam and with HAL, so both the ship and cruise company will be new to us.

 

We saw a copy of the breakfast menu in the Lido Market on http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lido-Breakfast-Menu.pdf . We noticed certain "standard" breakfast buffet offerings (which one would see in many other cruise lines) seemed to be missing.

 

Although their "Breadboard" section offers breads/cakes like croissants, bagels, raisin breads , muffins, etc (which are relatively higher in calories), they did not seem to list any breakfast bread rolls (white or wholemeal) - apart for some toasted breads (toasted bread , we found , were not always fresh). Can anyone who have experience on the Koningsdam inform us if they have something as fresh, soft bread rolls or untoasted fresh breads rather than just those ones listed?

 

On the same note, does the Lido Market have muesli, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, and mushrooms in their breakfast offerings? They also seem to be missing from that menu.

Hello Gnoelj,

I did a 13 day crossing, Ft. Lauderdale/Rome last month on the Koningsdam. Breads are baked daily and there is a wide variety of wholegrain and refined flour rolls and breads. they can't list everything, but it is safe to say that you'll have a choice of 12-15 different breads/rolls each morning. "Yes" to muesli and all of your other favorite breakfast foods. I had a sensational time on the Koningsdam and it is now my favorite HAL ship.

I did a two-week crossing last month. I believe it was $299 for one and $499 for a couple. Again, it may have been priced differently because of the large number of days at sea.

Getting back to the question presented by the OP.......wouldn't it be great if HAL published on the website the SF of each of the cabins? It is a dream.

I was intrigued by the poster who said that the brochure/website layouts seem to reflect the reality....if a cabin looks larger, it probably is larger. So on the Koningsdam, for example, the 12 single "OO" cabins probably vary a lot in size, since they are small to begin with. I'm doing a crossing next month in one of four "Spa outside" cabins (CQ). The two in the middle seem significantly larger than the two on the end. We'll see, and I'll report.

I agree with all previous posters. It seems the biggest advantage is "dirt cheap" fares. The one way expensive flight is a good use for airline miles. You have to like days at sea and 13+ cruise total.

I've done seven crossings all Atlantic, all traveling east. I don't mind losing an hour a day. Sometimes the change happens at noon, which is sorta bizarre. It's 11:50 am and one minute later is is 1:00 pm. (Somehow, no one starves in the shorter lunch time).

If you really need more ports, the canal crossings linking Caribbean with Alaska might be a good choice, but.....a bit more expensive. Remember too that the Panama adds about $200+ pp to the usual port taxes.

I think I'll try an Atlantic crossing in Oct. I suppose the best way is to travel a day or two earlier to let your body adjust to the time zones, and crash in a hotel.

I am also on this cruise. The inside guarantee cabins were being sold at a great price for solo occupancy so I grabbed it hoping to get an upsell offer to an outside. When upsells were being offered to people on my roll-call, I quickly called my TA to see what was available. I was told by my TA that there were no upsells being offered at this time by HAL to guarantee cabins and I could get an outside cabin at double the current price. I found this unusual since only the insides are currently sold out. Oh well, maybe something will turn up in the next 2 weeks and if not, maybe the upgrade fairy will be good to me.

 

Question: If you book with HAL directly, are you more likely to be offered an upsell by direct email from HAL than going through a TA and waiting for her to contact you when receives an email HAL?

 

Whatever cabin I end up with on the K-Dam, I will still be a happy cruiser as I didn't expect to have a second K-Dam cruise in less than 4 months.:D I usually end up spending 90% of my awake hours out of my cabin.[/quot

 

My experience is that the upsell offers are not "regular" but based on how well the sailing is sold in various categories. On my upcoming spring crossing on the Koningsdam I had an odd situation. I was booked in a single "OO". When the price dropped a bit, they would not let me get the new price, even though it was before final. But I did get upgraded to the Spa Outside on the Panorama Deck. We'll see if an upsell offer comes in the next few weeks.

I've done 5 crossings, all Spring FLL to Europe. I "splurge" on a business or first class ticket home (using mileage points) to enjoy the long day and pampering on the plane. The 23 hour days on board tend to be sea days and don't bother me at all. I like being a bit "antsy" for the ports after the sea days. I suspect that the night flight and jet lag would make the Fall crossings a bit less fun for me. But......each of us has our preferences.

By the way, on my last crossing, the time change happened at NOON. It made for some wacky, short lunch service. It's 11:50 am and one minute later, it is 1:00 pm. The reason given for this is that it makes things easier for the service crew. Again, didn't bother me.

I'm on the Koningsdam crossing in April. just like the Original poster!

I've been shopping around a lot. It seems that the more "automated" sites are coming up with higher fares for the "OO" cabins. I suspect that the sites are not equipped yet to find the correct (and lowest) fares for single travelers on this ship. I got a good price on the April 2017 crossing, and I had no qualms about making it a guarantee. I guess I'm a gambler--counting on a upgrade to a larger outside. Soon we'll know if that is happening with others booked in "OO".