SilvertoGold

Yes, it just takes several days for HAL to update the new info.

Only one per booking number for us. When we sail multiple cruises (with multiple booking numbers, not just one), we get multiple Welcome Back emails.

Agree about Renzo. Really one of the best restaurant managers on HAL! Will you be posting the Tamarind menu? Changes? Thanks for this info-dense thread. A very enjoyable read, as well as being informative.

Form Canada, a healthy and happy New Year to you :)

Excellent cruise, excellent blogger! Have a great cruise and enjoy the KODM. Happy New Year to you!

Sometimes you do get extra OBC or extras for booking onboard. Julie will find out for sure about any promos.

Most HAL ships (Vista, yes) have a special line-up for CO in the MDR.

Be aware that HAL ship do things inconsistently. Some Happy Hours are in one or two bars only. Some are 2 for 1, others are buy one get second 50% off. It is all over the board and it rarely says on the daily program how it works. I am glad to hear about how the Westerdam does it, but that could change.

You should have got both! It is good to know that some ships are making this cocktail this way! I would love HAL to be more consistent and/or train their bartenders more consistently.

The birthday song on HAL is in Bahasa Indonesian. I think it is called Gelan Gelan.

Thanks, Julie. Appreciate the time you take on your cruise answering questions and giving advice, in addition to your cruise blog posts.

Thanks. Any info on the Noordam (or other HAL ships in NZ/Australia) is helpful for our specific planning.

Do you have a website address for these VLOGers? Might be interesting.

Julie and everyone: which would you recommend: Dunedin or Christchurch? Not sure we want to do two long days with shuttles in a row. Also to consider are the port towns. Would appreciate your opinions.

Assistant to the Hotel General Manager picks up the contents of the box. I have seen this happen on 3 ships this year. No idea what actually happens then. I would like to know how the Navigator APP contact form is handled.

On the rainy west coast YVR was a disaster after the two major dumps of snow! Cancellations, delays, people waiting days, international flights cancelled for 2 days outright. Roads were impassable and bridges shut down at times because of so many accidents plugging them up. In the east Toronto had problems and it is snow county!

Oh! The Zaandam is an R class, built in 2000, small and very elegant. It is a really lovely ship but a different experience if you are used to large, newer ships. Personally I love it, but many do not because of the limitations of its size and the not-too-new staterooms, although they are larger than on the newer ships. The Noordam is a Vista Class, built in 2006, and fairly recently renovated. We enjoyed Alaska on it for 2 weeks this September and several cruises in the past decade. A medium size so there are fewer limitations and it is a more elegant and comfortable ship than HAL's larger ships. Enjoy your Canada/NE cruise, it is a winner!

Very possible :) We have an eggnog stollen that is really good!

And to you from Canada the best of holidays and a happy New Year.

Those three ports in April, but NZ first. You have had a good taste of Canada! And your girls have really been immersed in some of our iconic tourist areas! Come back and see the west coast!

Sail the Zuiderdam in June and the Queens Lounge was the Rolling Rock Room. The bands seem to be hybrids, playing both rock and the styles the BBKings played. In September the Noordam had the same reno as the Zuiderdam. To me this is a smart move as we really enjoyed the BBKings. Merry Christmas, John!

Hi! Canada is pretty much Brit when it comes to Christmas. Also a big deal is Boxing Day, which is foreign to Americans. In Quebec the culture is very French and they love their Pere Noel and all the French food like tourtiere and anything maple. At Christmas we love trifle and mince tarts (what is it about your "meat pies" ? - I need to know before we return to Australia). We do turkey more than goose or duck. Canada is very multicultural and many (no matter what their heritage) go out for dinner at the Chinese restaurants, which are some of the few open on Christmas Day. We live on the west coast and do not usually have a white Christmas. This year is different, three big dumps of snow, YVR was a disaster with 2 days of cancelled international flights, cancellations and delays. Since you have been to the east, you know it is a really snowy, cold area! Their Christmas is even more overboard with skating on frozen rivers very popular. In Ottawa the civil servants all skate to work in the Parliament Buildings on the Rideau Canal! Love Banff and the lovely Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (fairy tale castle style), which is always superbly decorated. Glad you have seen some of Canada! Feel welcome to return! We'll be seeing Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney in April, but have been to Cairns and Darwin (hottest place we have ever been!!). You have a lovely, friendly country! Have a Merry Christmas!

Greetings from Canada, fellow-commonwealth CC member.