SilvertoGold

Westerdam balcony cabins are smaller than those of the Zaandam. Look up HALFacts website, Vista Class # 5162 and 6044 and you can see good photos of the wardrobes and the rest of the cabin. Have a wonderful North Pacific cruise. Absolutely love that one!

What about generics OTC like aspirin, tylenol? Those little ziplock bags are great, but with generics how would one "prove" what they are as with prescription pills and Rx labels? Thanks for any help with this.

This is really interesting to read about. So different from what we read from other' experiences. Could I ask what stateroom category you booked?

APP will have everything a few days before you sail. Daily program handed out the night before outlines all this info

Last year HAL had two dressy nights per 7 day cruise. Wear what you wish. The Orange Party will be listed in your Navigator APP's day-by-day listing of events (as will which nights are Casual or Dressy). You could phone Ship Services and ask about both these questions, but they might not know in advance.

Thank you for all the info and well-thought-out points! Sounds a little different from our 99 days on HAL last year. I understand your disappointment with the service in the bars - not acceptable at all. What are they thinking!? I would use the APP to let them know you find the bar service poor and why. The differences HAL presents to you, as a first time HAL cruiser, are very obvious to you considering what you experience on other lines, possibly on much larger ships. When I read your excellent, informative points I find some of it is standard HAL (not the bar service!) :) You also point out some positives which are typical of HAL, though! Many thanks for this post. If you have the time and/or inclination, any further posts and opinions would be much appreciated. Enjoy your cruise!!

How is the Noordam? Any comments would be appreciated!

I think for the Vista and R-class ships the change of venue to the World Stage will save Lincoln Center on those ships. So, better than nothing. I wait to see what actually happens and will be happy with some limited Lincoln Centre (not clear on what is really meant by a "travelling ensemble"). BTW: for those ships I think the Explorers Lounge does not work well. Too crowded, SRO almost all the time, complaints about noise from people walking along the hallway, very little in the way of bar service. The World Stage could be an improvement. I hope the music is not amplified, though.

First day at sea and last port day in 2022 and this is normal.

You are very likely correct. Except for one cruise I mentioned the ship was not full.

Unfortunately not all Pinnacle class ships serve the Breakfast menu at the NY Deli. The Koningsdam never had the area open until 11:30 am in 62 days we were on board last year.

In Canada a while ago, one of the main suppliers has a huge network outage. You had to have cash as credit cards and debit cards were not working. Many at the grocery store where I was shopping had to leave empty handed as they had no cash. Obviously these systems are now being rethought, but it was quite a wake-up call for what can happen!

Several ships open the Dutch Cafe at 7:30 am. A heads-up for those who like the "snacks" that are supposed to be available in the evening (4:30 - 8 pm). On the Koningsdam, at least, these were "not available" over two cruises, a total of 34 days. Supply problems or just phasing these out and not changing the menu board?

Absolutely!

Should be. We had an umbrella in the closet in all our staterooms on the Koningsdam last year. If not, ask your room steward.

HAL did have some currency of the ports they visited, pre-pandemic, especially for Europe. The exchange is high and a 3% service charge is added. Now, you could contact HAL and ask.

In all our South Pacific cruises we could never use CND. A lot wouldn't take anything but USD or their own currency. This also goes for Australia and N Zealand.

On other HAL ships the Rolling Stone venue is combining its regular offerings with much of what the BBKings were offering. A two for one, in fact, with a lot of the previous BBKing's vocalists and musicians.

This is amazing! Very informative and helpful. Thanks!

I did just that in Australia several years ago. I had no honey-containing cough candies at that time an certainly no food. The Quarantine Officer said the same to me then as to you. Thanks!

That experience would have made me weep! 1. OK, I looked up the NZ Passenger Arrival Card. Two categories I think would be relevant: 1. Animal or animal product (but honey cooked into the candies?) and 2. Medicines (are these candies medicines because they have "Medicinal ingredients?) See my post 32. Declaring is the best idea for sure. 2. Is it OK to put to non-prescription items like aspirin, tylenol, gravol (seasickness med) in labelled tiny plastic bags to save room? The original pill bottles are huge and take up so much room in luggage!

This is great info! Thank you. I have cough candies with medicinal ingredients of menthol and eucalyptus essential oil; non medicinal ingredients including honey and corn syrup. Standard and generic brands, OTC. These should be declared?

Could someone comment on how similar New Zealand is to Australia about bring in food, medications, etc.?

I am sorry to say we saw this type of behaviour a bit on HAL this past April to June. No consideration is right! No brains either.

Thanks, Sharon, that is a plus for the WC! BTW: love your Blog and want to thank you for the editing :)