GatorMomInNC

I don't normally even go into the casino on a cruise, but I am seeing all these posts about these great cruise deals that are offered if you have played in the casino.  How much do you think I need play in the casino to get an offer on a reduced cruise??

Wow, so I normally do not gamble on cruises at ALL since my first or 2nd cruise. and never on HAL.  Not a moral issue, just consider it boring and a waste of time.  I have played Bingo once or twice, on Disney, which is technically gambling, I guess, but mainly because they make a lot of jokes and it is kind of entertaining.  But, I am sailing on HAL next week.  If I play bingo or spend $10 on the slot machines, does that mean I might get offered one of these cruise deals?? That is a gamble I might want to take...

Are they in all rooms or just suites and verandahs?  now I am wondering if I have to worry about this next week.  I bought my own binocs just for the trip so would be especially galling to be charged. 

Thank you for posting!! Doing the Northbound (only, unfortunately) next week.  Will try and see Whittier, but I disembark there and will be catching train to Anchorage so not sure how much I will be able to do, especially if we have to transport our own luggage...But very excited to try your food and beverage suggestions. 

• Thanks to OP and everyone.  I am flying in the night before, will probably get to my hotel at 1am, and I will shuttle back over to bag claim at 8:30am....

2 minutes ago, Roz said:

@Mary229, I paid $89 each way.  

Huh....maybe different because I am only doing one way?  I am taking train at end of cruise from Whittier to Anchorage. 

I don't know if it is always the same, but I am paying $79 next week.  My flight to Seattle was  about the same price as the one to Vancouver, but I could get upgraded to first class. 

The big difference, for me, was the hotel. I get in at midnight and the hotels in Vancouver were super expensive, even the traditionally cheaper ones by the airport.   I cringed at the thought of spending $500 for, literally, 9 hours in a hotel.  I know it is a 3 hour bus ride but I'm hoping I will get a chance to meet some fellow cruisers (I am solo) or just catch up on my sleep since I will be a little jetlagged. 

I looked it up on the map.  I think what they said was "by the orange elevators in the parking garage"

https://www.portseattle.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/Web-Terminal-Map-Overview_3-28-22.pdf

But, I feel SOOOO uncomfortable not having written, confirmed info.  If I miss the bus because there was a communication, whose fault will that be?  I asked if they could send me the instructions and they said no. ?????

I am supposed to be doing this one week from today.  I have gotten no written or email info from HAL. I had to call and ask.  And even then it was contradictory.  I did find out it is in the orange section of the parking garage.  At first I was told between 8-10am.  Then no later than 9am.  I still am not really sure to be honest.  If you decide to call HAL and ask, please post back here what response you get. 

On 8/22/2023 at 12:45 PM, RD64 said:

The Goat Cheese and assorted berries that I had on the Noordam last Saturday was one of the best things I have ever had - recommended by my exceptional waiter Arta. The halibut sandwich was very good as well.

This looks so good! I want one of everything.  I will be on Noordam in 10 days.  Is this only on the last day?  Is it just for a couple hours?  Wondering if I can go early and then again late😀

I was on Noordam for 2 weeks earlier this year and am booked for another cruise in 10 days.  I thought it was a great ship, but yes, the color scheme, esp. in the cabins, seems a little dated.   IIRC, there were books in the crows nest and games and books and crafts, by the coffee shop.  

2 minutes ago, urqu3 said:

Just to be more specific maintenance was in our cabin every day they took the toilet apart multiple times and they claim they replaced everything there was to replace! When that did not resolve the problem they went outside to the balcony and accessed some piping out there and carried many buckets of waste water through our cabin. That also did not resolve the issue. For those of you that claim I am ranting We were patient for 10 days of the cruise all the while being promised they would compensate us for the problem. When that compensation turned out to be an insult that's when I started to really complain and when Holland America just decided to ignore me completely that when I started to "rant" if you want to call it that. For all of you that don't believe this happened or keep defending HAL just think if it happened to you! we are not new cruisers. MY wife and I have been on over a dozen cruises (and yes we know how to use a cruise ship toilet) most with Celebrity where we enjoy Elite status! We took an Alaskan cruise with HAL in 2022 and loved it, that's why we decided to forgo our perks with Celebrity and cruise with HAL again. That turned out to be a big mistake. 

Ugh, gross!!  I don't blame you for being upset.  It sounds as if HAL dropped the ball.  I would have preferred to be in an inside cabin with a working toilet than in a suite with raw sewage issues....

49 minutes ago, SirTomster said:

I was watching a YouTube couple who sailed to Alaska on the Koningsdam last month.  They were able to rent a Caban for the day and sit and watch Glacier Bay.   

 

That looked interesting to me.  The weather was not great, so they had glass partitions on the bottom half and the top half that was hard to see out of when wet.  There was a small gap in the middle to look through though.

 

So that could be an option.  I am considering on my cruise next year on the Noordam.

 

 

I consider this, but from what I can tell that’s not available on Noordam anymore, even though it used to be.

I had this same thing yesterday trying to cancel and book excursions!!! Drove me nuts.  Finally called HAL and they did it for me over the phone, but the HAL rep asked me about what browser I was using and cookies.  I am the LEAST tech savvy person in the world, but I do know how to use "incognito" window (because otherwise every time I look at a cruise on the NCL website they call me!) and I used that and was able to book online - so maybe it doesn't use cookies?   My husband then cleared all my cookies for me so I haven't tried since then....

On 8/16/2023 at 12:31 PM, disneyochem said:

 

 

I only had one beef with the HIA package.  I ordered a Cosmo at the Sea View Bar on the first day.  Bartender told me it was not covered by my package—cost $1 more.  So I paid the $1.18 for my Cosmo.  I was on the Westerdam in July and the drink was covered by the HIA package.  Guest Services told me the new price went into effect August 1.  What irked me was that my Lemon Drops were covered but not cosmos! 
 

Okay, thanks for this- now I am officially getting a lemon drop in 2 weeks when I am on HAL.  I haven't had one in a while, perfect drink for a cruise!

On 8/16/2023 at 9:50 PM, terrydtx said:

In my last 3 HAL cruises I think the closest I got to 15 was 12, when it was hot, and we drank a lot of can water and a couple espressos. If I drank 15 martinis in one day I might fall overboard.

Yes, even ordering coffees and bottled club soda I didn't hit the 15 on my last cruise and I took it as a challenge to try!

Ha!  just today before I saw this thread I noticed the app on my phone and thought, don't need that anymore and deleted it!

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

HAL no longer has classical musicians regularly aboard ships, unfortunately.

Oh too bad.  There was some sort of venue on the Noordam with classical music on my cruise in February.  Is it just on longer cruises (this was 2 weeks)? I am going again in a couple weeks and I was going to actually try and go this time but my next cruise is only 7 nights. 

1 hour ago, TSUmom said:

I told my friends they might look for another consultant because when questioned she did not even check just kept saying they fly into Seward.  They even asked about the train transfer from anchorage to Seward and they were told not needed.  

Wow!

A few weeks ago I booked a one way cruise from Vancouver to Whittier.  I had seen a fantastic fare for a late season (in September) Alaska Cruise on NCL and I had a credit and I went to book with NCL and somehow I had not realized it ended in Seward.  I said, well I have no way to get home from Seward, so is there any option to get to a major airport and the NCL rep was like, nope, sorry, can't help you.  So I didn't book it.  😒 

Then I found similar cruise on HAL that ended in Whittier.  I called HAL.  He was like, yep, you can go by bus or train, you can use our transfers, this is how much it costs, this is how long it takes, this is the earliest you should book your flight, etc.  This was even after I told him that I would likely call a TA and have them callback to book to get an OBC.  He was like, no problem, let me know if you need anything else!  When I called my TA I was told you could have done the same thing on the NCL cruise from Seward, and the NCL cruise was cheaper, but I was so happy with the customer service on HAL (and annoyed with NCL) that I booked the HAL cruise. 

7 hours ago, vicd1969 said:

The ships were the Celebrity Eclipse, RC Brilliance of the Seas and the Nieuw Amsterdam - so about 2K passengers each

that is very close to what I will be up against in a couple weeks. 

This sounds like a nightmare to me.  I don't mind waiting - I can read a book - but I have bad ankle, back and knees that are aggravated by standing (even more so than walking).  Is there anywhere to sit during all of this?? I will be traveling alone so no one can hold my spot...

I wonder if I can just sit for a couple hours until closer to embarkation and the line goes down....

I will say I don't like the entertainment on EITHER however I also don't think I have found a show on either line - or RCCL or NCL or Carnival for that matter- that I can sit through the whole thing.  Personally, other than Disney, they all pretty much are the same stuff.     Having said that, I did find the glass blowing interesting on Celebrity; the port talks interesting on HAL (not just telling you where to shop to get a kickback).  Also, HAL has some classical music venues that I didn't go to but looked interesting.

From the limited experience I have on Celebrity and HAL, I found the Celebrity ships are newer/more modern; HAL is a little more traditional.   I really like the laid back feeling of HAL - less party time, more relax time.   

That Flora and Fauna walk looks pretty great!  I'm not in the best of shape but I think I could do it. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm following this thread as I have about 6 or 7 hours in Anchorage following a cruise on September 10.  I disembark in Whittier, taking HAL train transfer to Anchorage airport, and should arrive a noon.  But my flight isn't until 9:50pm.   It looks like somethings (such as aforementioned free shuttle to the zoo) ends before I arrive in Anchorage as I will be on the tail end of tourist season...

I really wish I could get away from civilization and into more wild part of Alaska, but I don't see a way to do that with just a few hours in Anchorage....At first I booked a Viator tour that goes to a nature center, but I don't think that is really what I am looking for, so I am thinking of just hanging out downtown Anchorage, maybe taking a trolley tour that I saw? 

So any recommendations highly appreciated

9 hours ago, CgnEg said:

Following, we will be on the same cruise and wanted to know the answer as well.  The Wildlife walk is cheaper and offers a credit if you don’t see bears but I think the Neets Bear encounter might be a better choice?

Yes, that was my thought.  I believe I found some reviews of the wildlife walk on you tube (so hard to sort out which excursion they are talking about) and it seemed to go to someplace a little less wild...I was hoping the Neets excursion might be a little more wild, off the beaten path.  BUT, based on some responses, I think it goes to a salmon hatchery, which I think I have also seen some you tube videos of....not exactly the wilds, but possibly a little more out in nature than the wildlife walk (I am hoping). 

I cruise a lot on Disney and they offer this excursion so I posted this question on a board just for Disney cruisers and got this response. 

Just finished sailing and did the excursion. Sea part was kinda boring since it was foggy and you're cruising fast to the area. But land portion was amazing. There are not that many bears there but we saw 2. They came out roaming and they were grabbing and eating salmon. It was kinda cool to see all of that. They also have a salmon hatchery which was jumping more there than I saw at Creek st. There were bald eagles there too.

I was on the Noordam a few months ago (and will be again in a few weeks).   The Dive In had burgers and hotdogs; there was a taco bar in the Lido (that was great).   There are pastries and such at the coffee bar.   The buffet is open late (midnightish) with some limited food (sandwiches, pre made salads, IIRC).  

Also, I think you can then add the remaining $20 to the next booking, but I am not sure.  You should click through to see, you can always not complete the booking.