willow949

Last cruise was at Christmas for 10 days on Princess  before that Holland ( we are 4 star ) and on both cruises did not have service fees for room service. 

Just read that Celebrity is going to charge over $9.00 plus 18% for room service. We eat dinner in our room almost every evening and I think this is just wrong!! BTW we tip the room service person very well, but not if we are charged… this is the first time hearing of charges. 

Going on Diamond Princess in about a week and was wondering if any updates were made during the shut down? Also, we just got our medallions in the mail, but no paperwork telling us when to board. What’s up with that?

We will be on the Diamond Princess on Dec 17 for a 10 day cruise. I am hearing rumors that the ship is at anchor in Long Beach and can’t get enough crew to sail. Anyone have any info on this? Also hear about the ship being in bad shape. This was from Japan cruises from several months ago.  There is also the Discovery and Crown going at about the same time. 

I thought I was told you may not have a room number until sail. Just like a guaranteed room. I want a room with the location I know ahead of time. Can you cancel the bid if you don’t like where they put you?

This is new for me. We got a email about bidding for a upgrade. We are now in a regular unobstructed balcony. The bidding for a larger veranda starts at $45.00 and a mini suite is $390.00 to start. Are either of those offers worth it?  If you bid, when will you know you got the upgrade? And will they tell you what room #?  Also, does the bidding ever go down?

Thank you in advance for information. 

I noticed that Princess is part of Carnival. We are 4star Holland cruisers and have gotten the OBC after sending the info to Carnival. Anyone have an address or fax number for the credit?

How many shares do you need to have for credit? What kind and amount do you get? OBC?

😊 

We like taking the smaller Holland ships, and can’t find any Alaska cruises using them. Anyone know if they were taken out of service or where they might be going in 2022?

We are scheduled to have a signature suite and it does not seem as it has as much room as the older ships. The dressing room looks to take up a lot of space. Also, no coffee table or chairs?  What are your thoughts? Thanks. 4* mariner

On 11/17/2021 at 4:32 PM, oaktreerb said:

The 4* perks aren’t that great.  Without 4* cruisers HAL would not be able to continue to sail.  They are giving free rooms to casino players so who knows what their business model is going forward.   Maybe supervisors in the office need some customer service training.  A lot of staff are probably working from home.  The staff onboard are well trained in customer service but the land based support staff seem a bit apathetic.  A good  travel agent who books a lot of HAL cruises should be able to get your issue resolved to your satisfaction.  

We are 4* also, and my TA was on the phone on hold for over 4 hours on one of her calls. I also called Hal. directly asking a question, saying I needed a answer to a question. I got a very nice Indian lady on the phone, but I could not understand her. Please stop outsourcing!

We live in California and had booked a Baltic cruise in May, 2021. We cancelled it mainly because we are not going to fly anywhere in the foreseeable future. We also have a 12 day Sea of Cortez booked for October this year, but no flying involved and the ports are mostly small. 
We shall wait until final payment or see what Holland and Mexico does in the meantime. 

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have bought the Rick Steve’s book and it should be delivered tonight. The video sounds good too!

Are the walls metal? Could we use magnets on the extra wall space for hanging things? We always need extra hangers for jackets and hats. 

We have never been to Europe, but are 4 star mariners and cruise mainly to areas like South America, Alaska and Mexico. Recently booked a 12 night Baltic Sea Cruise In 2021, and would like to know any information on ports and what to do. Where to look for information? Etc. It’s going to be a completely different experience for us. And very expensive. Thanks!

On 2/5/2020 at 5:19 AM, DC1979 said:

I’m looking at two different itineraries for 2021 and wanted to get the advice of the experts.  I’m looking at either:

 

Jewels  of the Baltic on the Nieuw Statendam in June, going from Copenhagen to Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Berlin and Hamburg 

 

or

 

Mediterranean Dream on the Nieuw Statendam in October, going from Rome to Monte Carlo, Provence, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Pisa

 

Both are for 10 days.  In May 2019 we did the Eastern Mediterranean on the Koningsdam for 12 days.  Loved the ship and loved the cruise but now am torn on doing the Western Mediterranean or seeing a new area altogether and doing the Baltics.  Any help on my conundrum? Thanks!! 

We were on the Oosterdam in Jan. They had a big promotion going on for certain Europe sailings in 2021. I think it goes to the end of February. $800 pp air credit, OBC credit, signature drink package, free gratuities and suites get free internet and more OBC. 
We booked it and I got a bump out veranda cabin. The trip is 14 days Jewels of the Baltic starting and ending in Amsterdam on May 9, 2021. 
I wanted to go up the Amazon, but couldn’t pass this up. We have never been to Europe, but are 4 star mariners. 

Thank you for posting pictures of the room. It was very helpful. We spend a lot of time in the room and the extra room and balcony will be a plus for us. 

As of Jan 11, they were still all over the Oosterdam. 

On 1/15/2020 at 1:34 PM, catl331 said:

The cabin should look just like 6169 right below:

https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/6169-koningsdam/

(click pics to enlarge)

Thank you for the pictures. I didn’t know what to expect with the angled walls. Looks like nice extra room. Plus the veranda looks bigger. 

We were on the same ship the cruise before you. The interior of the ship was so cold that everyone wore jackets. The Crows Nest was so cold that you could only stay there about 30 minutes, and that is my favorite place on the ship. I hope they turned on the heat👍😎

On 1/5/2020 at 7:59 AM, Nymich said:

I am really surprised that it has taken this long for so many HAL loyalists to see.  BB Kings has been open since 2013.

I knew when BB opened and the first time I saw an All Star Band that it was a Game Changer for HAL and would create an almost complete turnover of the client base.  Those people who were attracted to the ballroom dancing were not going to stay for this.  What was sad was watching some of them trying desperately to ballroom dance to the blues and Motown being played in BB Kings.  They were desperately trying to hang on to the experience they had enjoyed for so many years and it looked awkward...…..at best.

 

Yes BB Kings is fairly loud but the RS Rock Room was much louder.  

We are 68 and 71. We love the new boardwalk of music. Online thing is they start too late for us now. They still have the Lincoln Stage for those who like classical music. 

The Maasdam is now considered a EXC ship. Meaning it is smaller, doesn’t have regular entertainment but more lectures and sea related things going on.  A smaller quiet ship more interested in the real experience instead of bells and whistles. You will find more lectures from naturalist. Please note! It will cost more than the larger ships as it goes to destinations other ships don’t. 

A few years ago, we went from Buenos Aires to Santiago Chile, but went on a Celebrity ship. We are 4 stars on Holland. We love South America! The Straits of Magellan are nothing like you see in Alaska. Much more dramatic landscape. We have cruised to South America for a total of over 70 days on 3 cruises. I love SA

I was told if you want seats, you had to prepay your air. That would not be the cruise final payment. Now I’m confused? Can I get seats and upgrade just by booking? Not making payment until cruise final payment time?

Booked a bump out room and would like any information on these. The room will be bigger 230sq. Ft. Anyone have a picture? I can’t find any. Thanks