Ryten

Not sure if it has made it to the Konigsdam. but on the N. Statendam there is a small bar right outside the Club orange called the half Moon Bar. Only six seats at the bar and one lowered areal for a scooter as well. their claim to fame are specialty cocktails. Usually friendly bartender and assistant makes it a great stop.

We have tipped at the end of the cruise as well. however. We have also discovered that a bag or two of Doritos from any port, makes the stewards extremely happy. particularly when they can't go ashore.

And just to throw a wrinkle into the conversation, On the last T/A of the Prinsendam, the clock was changed 1/2 hour each evening for the six day crossing to Madeira. we were told that it was for the benefit of the crew who work at varied hours. We enjoyed the small time increases and since we were on Sip time anyway, there was no real downside.

Yes. We have usually upgraded on board in order to give the Bartender/waiter the sale which goes towards his internal review or required number of sales, although I'm not sure this is still in effect. Be certain however that you upgrade before you order your first drink or it may case problems with subsequent orders. One caveat however, on our last November cruise the conversion created a ridiculous mess on your billing statement and you really had to keep an eye out that you were getting the proper discount particularly when ordered a drink in one of the specialty restaurants.

11 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

This wouldn't be the first time that a hotel room, airline seat or cabana got double booked.   The ship can book cabanas, and so can Seattle.    If the ship was not connected to wifi for a few days - that does happen, and a guest on the ship said they wanted a Cabana - the ship may have booked it.  Then, later, when the systems synch - no one notices the little FLAG that popped up - "Please check double booking"   Then a few days before the cruise - when Seattle sends on the bookings to the ship - the ships notices - Hey Seattle - you double booked the Cabana - Then Seattle looks at the dates and cancels the newest reservation.

 

OR

Some VIP demands the Family Cabana and after being told its full - they contact some executive to override the system and cancel a confirmed guest a few days prior to sailing. Unlikely IMHO

 

No one has any evidence for either scenario that I have seen - many have jumped to the conclusion that some VIP pulled strings to get the cabana - I have seen no one offer any evidence of that scenario.   Some assume that HAL IT systems are PERFECT  (LOL)  do we really think that HAL IT is incapable of causing a double booking?  

 

My vote is that the Cabana was double booked due to a system synchronization error.   HAL made it worse by the casual way it was cancelled without explanation or compensation.  HAL failed to recognize how big a deal this was and acted like they were cancelling someone from a double booked shore excursion.   Has HAL ever overbooked - double booked shore excursions?  You bet.   

 

When someone gets bounced due a double booking - this should result in immediate over compensation - since I hope it would be so rare - I suggested a comped pair of Cabana's and a HIA package - or an upgrade to a much better cabin.   

We unfortunately have had the experience of being bumped from a Family Cabana, which I had booked over a year out from the cruise. About 30 prior to sailing, I received a call from our PCC apologizing for having to bump us to a regular cabana because someone (very important) with a lot of time with HAL (read lots of money over the years) demanded it. My reaction was disappointment as we were traveling with friends and the larger cabana would have been convenient. In the grand scheme of things however it had little impact on our cruise. All four of us were permitted to use the cabana and we had access to all the perks afforded, especially the amazing stewards.  I'm not sure there was any substantial compensation, possibly some OBC. The experience left me with the knowledge that notwithstanding our 26 cruises with HAL, our value to them is less than those of others. I refuse to stress over that and merely take it into account as part of my cruising experience.

We love the cabanas and will continue to take advantage of them.

As to the original post, you truly have my sympathy because you should not have been treated in that manner.  I hope you receive acceptable answers and compensation, and are able to enjoy your cruise. We really have so little time to enjoy ourselves these days.  Best of luck.

We had been waitlisted for tour a month ago and received notice of a opening 3 days before the cruise. Per HAL policy all tour reservations closed 4 days prior to the cruise and I wasn't allowed to confirm the reservation online. I called ship services and advised of the problem and was told they would take care of it onboard. On the first day onboard I went to reserve the tour ( a 5 hour cooking extravaganza limited to 12 people) and was advised that they did not have any record of our reservation. I produced the reservation email form documenting the offer and was immediately placed on the priority waiting list. We heard nothing until 7:45 AM, the morning of the tour, when we were told there was an opening if we could make it by 8:30. Have asleep, we agreed and had the best tour we have ever had sponsored by HAL. I guess my point is, if you really want to go, miracles happen.

Of course. I believe it was five years ago. I guess my point is that HAL actually does try to help and I was a lucky beneficiary of that assistance. Has HAL's service changed. maybe, but i am likely to give them the benefit of the doubt given my experience.

Here is my experience missing the ship on a repositioning cruise from Sydney to Honolulu. We originally booked flight ease arriving in Sydney 3 days early. For some reason Flight Ease canceled our reservation at the last minute and then rebooked us on a flight that would get us to the ship the same day. A storm on the East Coast delayed our initial flight so we couldn't make the connecting flight to get to the ship on time for departure. We were on a flight the following day (not business class we had originally booked) but got us to Sydney a half day late. We were put up in a very nice hotel by HAL while they tried to figure out how to get us to the next port. The problem however was that a typhoon had developed in the Pacific and the Noordam was sailing around it and the scheduled NEXT port was cancelled. For two days HAL paid for our Sydney Holiday and contacted us to be ready to fly next day to Vanuatu on AIR VANUATU. We are not the rookies cruising but I had no idea what or where Vanuatu was and we had visions of helping the airplane by flapping our wings to get to some remote island. We arrived and flew the next day on a two month old Airbus 320 that was gorgeous and arrived an hour early in Vanuatu. We were taken to the local Holiday Inn the was incredibly beautiful on a lagoon with all amenities paid by HAL. It is still one of the most spectacular evenings of our lives with the full moon rising between two palm trees framing a raised veranda while the Southern Cross rose in the sky. A courtesy van picked us up in the morning and drove us to the ship where a Hal representative  escorted us to our room and chilled bottle of Champagne, while apologizing for our troubles. I digress. MY POINT IS HAL WILL GET YOU THERE, and if you are really lucky you will also get an adventure that you will remember for the rest of your life.

There is a supposed press release scheduled for September 6, announcing the details of the purchase and the now renamed Rennaisance.

Welcome to HAL. We started cruising with them when we in our thirties and are now well into our third decade. I believe you find HAL to be lower key than most of the other lines. 

With your HIA package you should familiarize your self with the different specialty restaurants and use your freebie at this time to schedule it on a day that suits your needs. Many people try the Pinnacle Grill since it is the most expensive. As to trying the others, you may want to wait until you board to make a reservation because you will be required to pay in advance if schedule before boarding. There is usually a special desk set up outside the Pinnacle Grill on embarkation day to schedule dinner reservation at all the specialty restaurants. I'm not sure if it is being offered at this time but for a time there was a discount of 25% offered for the Pinnacle Grill on the first night. You should also be aware that the Gala nights or whatever they are now being called will likely be on the second and next to last evening of the cruise.

As previously indicate, WiFi is hit or miss but if you are only checking in, the service should be more than adequate.

As to excursions, just do your homework on the trips offered and make your reservation early since availability will likely be limited due to most people having credit to use for the excursions.

Good luck and happy sailing.

We have not run into this problem with HAL but are dealing with it now on a River cruise leaving form Amsterdam the first week of July. The River cruise test daily. My wife contracted COVID two weeks ago and as you indicated you can get a positive finding for up to 90 days after infection. The River cruises are permitting the use of a "Letter of Recovery" attested to by a medical care facility/doctor. There are a ton of form Letters if you Google it. The Letter essentially says you have contracted COVID but are medically cleared and are in good health otherwise and the positive findings are the result of the lingering infection. I looked at HAL's COVID policy but do not see whether the accept a Letter of Recovery although monetarily it would make sense for them to do so. I guess you need to contact HAL directly for clarification and obtain written confirmation as to their policy. Good luck and hope you will be able cruise.

We've always hoped to receive one of these promo offers and wondered what it would take to get one. We  usually play a few nights of a cruise which would appear to be longer than some of the reports previously posted. Finally today we received an offer......On PRINCESS. Ironically we haven't cruised on Princess since 2013, so clearly the offer isn't related to our level of play there. So my question to you all who regularly receive casino offers, have you noticed any cross brand casino offers once you are included on one brand? Thanks in advance.

Did a 12/1 and 3/13 Rotterdam cruise with assigned times of 1:00.  we checked out of our hotel at 11:30, arrived at 11:40 and were immediately permitted to check and board by 12:00. I guess sailing at 50-60% capacity permits everyone to essentially walk on the ship. Have a great cruise.

Miss the real teak promenades and really hate the new plastic fake version that comes unglued from the deck and leaves an airpocket that you bounce on. Let alone burn you feet on when you walk barefoot.

as to the new, really enjoy the Tamarind and the Retreat Cabanas.

I truly appreciate all the information. It looks like there really isn't a bad tome to visit the southernmost continent. Thank you for all the input and look forward to the penguins!

An Antarctic crise has been on my bucket list for a while and there have been some great threads with information that have provided a lot of guidance. The one thing that I haven't been able to determine is whether there is any significant difference in cruising in January as opposed to February, Presumably the January cruises are favored because it would be the high summer month. I am just curious whether any of the seasoned CCers can provide any insight as to the difference in sailing in February. Thanks in advance.

In general, if you wish to book a specialty restaurant prior to the cruise, it can only be reserved by prepaying for the reservation, notwithstanding your complimentary meal.

That being said, we just returned form the 12/1 Rotterdam cruise with the same package you have. One of our first stops was to the restaurant reservation desk which is located just outside the Pinnacle Grill, deck 3 midships. We were assigned a date for the Pinnacle but easily able to change and book additional dinners, once on board. Just about any day and time was available. Availability may have influenced by a half full ship, so you might take that into consideration. We actually got lucky with our assigned day, as they added the Pinnacle Gala to the day we were assigned and they actually accepted the reservation as paid in full! (Cost was about $120 per person).

Hope this helps, have a great cruise.

We have in the past gone to the front desk and requested a new deck and they have been provided. Maybe still an option.

Just for further assurance. My cards showed zero balance when I checked them after I thought I had applied them. When I was able to speak to the representative, she was immediately able to see that it had not been properly applied to an account, it was an easy fix. Good luck and enjoy the est of your planning for the cruise.

I had a similar situation. I had a couple of gift cards and one was properly applied. The second showed a zero balance but the the cost of cruise did not change. I waited overnight and called the phone number  on the gift card email. I immediately spoke to a very nice women who saw what the problem and agreed that the gift card had not been properly applied. She applied the balance of the card and I then paid the balance of payment for the cruise. I was easy and completed within 3 minutes. If you haven't already, try the phone number on the gift card email. Good luck

3 hours ago, shiner6 said:

I bought $2000card and have not received my gift card--trying to contact someone at HAL but no answer.

We bought a $2000 card and it showed up in our email about 5 hours later. The bonus card however was sent about 5 days later. I had called HAL when the bonus wasn't included on the receipt of the first one and was advised that the bonus was separate and would be sent later. And they were correct.

For what it's worth, we did the westbound TA on the Nieuw Amsterdam a few years ago and had a cabin on deck  11 which is analogous to your 10024, because of it's proximity to the Retreat Cabanas. We had very few motion problems and the roughest area was between Spain and the Azores. The stretch between the Azores and Ft. Lauderdale was like sailing on a lake for 4 days with temperatures in the mid 70's. I see that you will actually be sailing further to the south to Madeira which should make the chances of it being warmer and flatter, that much better. Enjoy your TA, we've done 4 and loved each one.

14 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Right again; this is Pier 40, which opened in March 1962 with, besides Nieuw Amsterdam, Westerdam I at the outer berth and Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN) (Steamship Company Netherlands) aka Nederland Lijn (Netherlands Line)'s "Oranje" (orange) on the top

The New York Harbor Ferry and Ventilation Structure for the Lincoln Tunnel helped.

New York Harbor, Not sure which pier but around 40th Street

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

Where is Nieuw Amsterdam II?