senorjim

This was a few years ago but during rough seas on a Transatlantic crossing Guest Relations had a bowl full of packets of Meclazine sitting on the counter. I think it was 2 to a packet. You could help yourself. No charge at that time. I even recall a Pacific crossing from Vancouver to Hawaii that didn't seem rough but the spacing of the waves and the pitching of the ship caused many people to feel unwell. They also provided free Meclazine then. 

Wonder if its still available at Guest Relations without charge?

Jim

I met 2 Gentlemen onboard at a Mariner medal presentation a few years ago. They were recognized for over 3500 days on board.(That's almost 10 years!). We had a really nice visit. They both seemed kind and humble to me. I asked what kind of perks Presidents Club provided them and I was only told with a big smile that they were very well looked after.  I forget what ship we were on but when I asked which was their favourite ship they said Maasdam. They had a corner table reserved for them in the Lido on our sailing and that's where they preferred to dine. 

With that kind of loyalty I believe they deserve special treatment although to me they didn't seem like they were special. Just 2 nice guys.

You can call the upsell department directly and ask. 1-888-628-8107 or 1-206-626-7381

Jim

I call the upsell department directly and ask. The last time was for our October 2022 51 day cruise aboard Westerdam. I started calling about 6 weeks before sailing about once a week. About 2 weeks before sailing when I called I was told my timing was good as the offers just became available and hadn't been sent out yet. I upgraded from a VA verandah to a Signature Suite. We were very happy with the price and the extra room for that cruise!  The direct numbers I have for the upsell department are 1-888-628-8107 or 1-206-626-7381.  

Jim

Good Morning!

It's interesting to see according to Cruise Timetables that the Zaandam is spending the night here in Puerto Vallarta. Departing tomorrow 17:00 local time.We've been here for the last 3 months with a view of the entrance to the harbour and have not seen many overnight calls. Most mornings we walk over to Puerto Magico to see the ships and all the action around them.

You can use this link to look up the requirements for your cruise.

https://book2.hollandamerica.com/protocols/

Jim

May I suggest that you use this tool from HAL to make sure.

https://book2.hollandamerica.com/protocols/

Jim

We spent 51 days recently on her. Seattle to Sydney. Found the ship to be in good shape and the crew overall to be outstanding! We received our 5 star pins part way through the cruise.

I hope you enjoy sailing on Westerdam as much as we did!

Jim

13 hours ago, aprilsp88 said:

Can you share your experience on the quality of Coffee in Buffet and MDR during breakfast? Is it brewed (not from syrup)? Is it comparable to Starbucks. Thanks.

Best description is what a waiter at breakfast in the MDR once asked. "Coffee from the engine room?"

Jacket and/or tie are not required. for men. A shirt with a collar and pants that aren't jeans.

I'm not qualified to comment on dresses and shoes! Enjoy your cruise.

Jim

On 11/21/2022 at 7:14 PM, FLcruiser2011 said:

We are currently aboard Zuiderdam, en route from San Diego to Port Everglades.  This may be the worst cruise we have had in 100+ cruises on pretty near every cruise line.in

 

It started on a strange note.  A day before the cruise, we got an email telling us our exact embarkation time had been moved slightly to 1:05 pm.  OK.  If that kind of precision is needed to avert long lines, fine with us.  So we arrived at precisely 1:05 and joined several hundred people standing in a slow-moving line under the sun.  Not a very auspicious start.

 

From that point, it would be hard to find things that have gone well.  One of the planned Central American stops had been cancelled in favor of a sea day weeks before the cruise, and a few days before the cruise, we were told the Nicaragua stop had also been cancelled and we would have another sea day. 

 

Then this morning came the latest medical emergency (the ship has been having one or more daily) and we sat off the Mexican coast for a half dozen hours waiting for the passenger to be taken ashore. The result of that is yet another stop cancelled this one, Huatulco, Mexico, in favor of (guess what) yet another sea day.

 

We understand the need to make changes, but when a total of three ports have been cancelled in favor of sea days, we might expect to be told we will get free internet perhaps, or free drinks, or something to make up for it.  Not a word.

 

So we will see what happens from here, but we sure are wishing we had not taken this cruise.

 

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles. We recently completed a 51 day Seattle to Sydney cruise on Westerdam. This was our first cruise since November 2019. We had several itinerary changes before departing and we went into the cruise with the attitude that we would "go with the flow". We then had a few medical evacuations which caused some delays and we had more itinerary changes, most of which were beyond HAL's control. We were one of the first ships returning to some of these ports since COVID.We received a $250 OBC per person and 10% of our base cruise fare in future cruise credits which were unexpected but appreciated because of the changes. Port fees were also refunded. We found the captain was very transparent about every change we made. For us it felt good to be back cruising again! I expect there will be more hiccups in the post COVID cruising world for the foreseeable future and we will continue to go with the flow.

Please let us know if they do something for you to make up for the lost ports! I hope they do!

Jim

14 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I don’t understand how fax is more secure than email.  I don’t even have a landline at work anymore, never mind a fax.  It’s a hassle to drive to a place to fax it.  I can email from home.

I scan my letter to them along with the redacted brokerage statement and use this free faxing website to send it. I always ask for an email confirmation. They have been a little slow lately with email replies but they eventually arrive.

https://faxzero.com

Jim

1 hour ago, gubby said:

I am not questioning the fee-I just wonder where you found it. These are fees that many would like to know. Is the 50K in US or Can dollars. What country is the pickup?

We did a behind the scenes tour on a Princess ship and the Medical Doctor suggested to check our travel health insurance to see if we are covered for evacuation from sea. HE is the one that quoted the $50,000 for a helicopter evacuation. Likely just a ballpark and I have no idea what currency. At the time we used Blue Cross Travel Health and our policy at that time there was an exclusion.

Jim

On 9/13/2022 at 4:24 AM, GeriatricNurse said:

If I were to choose one of three insurance companies, as follows, for Medical Travel Insurance, what would be your advice for me, based upon your experiences related to cost & claims?

 

1.   Allianze

 

2.   CAA

 

3.   Manulife

Whoever you choose I suggest you read the fine print and especially the exclusions. Some insurance providers may exclude medical evacuation from sea. A helicopter lift from the ship could cost you +- $50,000

Jim

20 hours ago, jeffandbethmiller said:

Hello All,

We have been unable to use the HAL website for over a week now. We can log in but that's about it. As soon as we try to book shore excursions or dinner times, the website freezes or spins and Safari warns that the website is using excessive resources. Chrome won't work either and we've tried multiple computers and IOS devices.

 

Is anyone else having this issue? 

Ive had constant issues with Safari (MacBook) and when I switch to the Chrome browser - no issues at all.

Jim

14 hours ago, mexico8 said:

Jim, I was encouraged to pursue my credit with Visa  because of your post.   Thank you.

Really happy it worked out for. you!

Jim

It has always said that after uploading our VAX certificate. Funny, even have to upload it again for our return flight on the same locator number. You'll get a confirmation email.

Jim

22 hours ago, mexico8 said:

We were pressured by a web site travel agency to make a hasty deposit because there was only one cabin left to book on a cruise we wanted to take.   A day or two later we found out that the cabin was not big enough to accommodate my mobility scooter so we cancelled.   The deposit was refunded to our credit card within a week or two and we ended up losing $163 because of the difference in the US and Cdn. exchange rates.   The web agency won't do anything about it.   Any recourse that we have to get that money back?

On a couple of occasions we have had a similar problem. Both times a polite call to our credit card company (TD Aeroplan Infinity Privilege Card) resulted in the differences being credited back. We were told it was goodwill and exchange rates are beyond their control. Don't think the amount was as high as yours though. You may have to ask the phone rep to escalate your concern.

Jim

12 hours ago, canadarocks said:

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and all the Like & Thank You clicks. 🙂

I'm very happy that you received a satisfactory resolution. I hope you and your spouse enjoy the cruise!

I'm also curious who finally got it resolved? Was it you or your TA?

All the Best!

Jim

You now have 2 threads running about this topic. You must be very frustrated but your TA should be able to handle things for you and escalate as required. Does your TA know that you are reaching out directly to the office of the president? That's not usually the best first option.

Maybe your TA can get you a full refund if a satisfactory resolution can't otherwise be reached.

Wish you all the success in this matter.

Jim

I believe I found your comment with the details on HAL's social media page. I think the first question that should be asked to your TA is if your bookings were marked to accept an upgrade. If that was the case and the TA didn't discuss it with you then it's on the TA to make it good.

Also the TA owns the booking and should be the one dealing with HAL and escalating to the appropriate management as needed.

Wishing you the best of luck and hope you come to a satisfactory resolution!

Jim

Will they sail on the west side of Vancouver Island to avoid sailing in Canadian waters?

Hi!

We've been booked for some time September 12-26 Amsterdam to Amsterdam and Sept 26 to Oct 24 Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale. Both cruises had the Have it All  Promotion. Yesterday I called and was able to add the free wifi included in the Black Friday promo.

On the transatlantic portion they were not able to add it directly to the booking but a resolution specialist added a note to the file that it will be included when the new itinerary is announced.

So, in case free wifi interests you and you're already on the have it all promotion, you have some time to call HAL!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Jim

20 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Fro Canadian travellers looking for COVID-19 medical coverage try:

 

Medipac

Tour+Med

Blue Cross

Manulife

 

I have only looked at Medipac's wording. They offer only $500,000 coverage for covid. I wonder  many days would that last in ICU in the USA?

Jim

16 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Certainly!  Ushuaia is not a favorite port for me.  I did not have Argentinian Peso's.  Not interested in US dollars.  Recall that I could use a credit card to buy post cards with the intention of mailing them from Argentina.  The postage cost to do so was outrageous.  I sent those cards from Montevideo at a fraction of the cost it would have been in Argentina.

 

Scenic port?  Interesting port?  Yes and Yes. 

And I'm sure if an Argentinian went to The United States of America, even in a tourist spot that they wouldn't be interested in taking their Pesos!  I overpaid for a postcard and postage at that port as well, and I had Pesos! Live and learn!