RuthC

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I don’t get this. How hard is it to find a glacier in Alaska? That is like guaranteeing snow and ice in Greenland 

There are times that the entrances to the glacier areas are so blocked by ice that the ship can't safely enter. 
Also, there are days where the fog is so thick that the ship either shouldn't enter, or you can't see a thing if the ship does. 

There was a time, several decades ago, where the entrance to Yakutat Bay was so clogged with ice that there were whales stranded in the bay, and were in danger of dying. Fortunately, the ice dam broke in time for them to escape. 
My first time at College Fjord, I really couldn't see a thing, due to the fog. On one visit to Sawyer Glacier up Tracy Arm, we couldn't even get close to the glacier. Nice enough day, but so much ice that the glacier was around a corner, and there was no sighting. 

You can see plenty of ice and snow in Alaska, but it doesn't necessarily have to be in glacier form.  

Well, it's been a nice ride. Thanks for all the posts about the many, many places you have gone to. It's got to be the trip of a lifetime. 

14 hours ago, mr. godfredo said:

Anyone have any information on the front to back facing inside cabins on Oosterdam? We have cabin 4158 and was curious about the layout and space.

Can you say 'tiny'?

sorry. duplicate. 

1 hour ago, cccole said:

RuthC, If you do not get a pass for the entire cruise can just one in the cabin purchase a day pass? 

As far as I know, yes. This isn't like any of the beverage packages where one person in the cabin commits everyone in the cabin to the same purchase. 
IIRC, I have had the pass when I have shared a cabin, but my roomie didn't. But then we weren't on the same booking number either. 

9 minutes ago, kirkc said:

How can a company that has such a wonderful product put forth such a sophomoric presence in IT?

Experience. HAL's IT has been awful for years. 

2 hours ago, Music Man290 said:

This is not correct information, T-Mobile does offer coverage in some parts of Alaska.

Perhaps it was correct info at the time it was posted? You bumped up a very old thread, you know. 

7 hours ago, ricka47 said:

We have an upcoming cruise with many sea days, and I may get the pass. However, my wife and I will probably never go simultaneously. Do we need two passes?

If your wife wants to go, she needs her own pass. No sharing of cabin keys to get a spa pass. 

If your wife won't go, you can go without her. 

Suggestions? Best burger I have ever had was in a Pinnacle Grill. You can order it without the bun, if you don't want the carbs from that. 

12 hours ago, peachycruise said:

For HAL (is the Departure time listed really the departure time or is it actually the all abord time?):

As you disembark to go ashore, HAL will have a board listing the 'all aboard' time; it is clearly marked for what it is. 
Many people who tour privately plan to return with at least an hour to spare. 

Remember, too, that HAL normally ALWAYS changes time on the clock as the ship changes time zones. There is no 'ship's time' vs. 'clock time'. 
There will be a note on your pillow the night before, as well as a notice in the Daily Program. And a mention at the show the night before. 

3 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

We did a "turnaround" in Athens - we treated it as a port day,

That's exactly how they are treated in Europe, in my experience. Just another port day. The only time I can recall having an 'in-transit card' was in Sidney, Australia. 
In Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rotterdam---more ports than I can count, it was just like any other port stop. 

Although I haven't been on the Noordam in several years, I have been on late fixed dining on many other ships in that time. I know that late fixed was never at 8:30, except for a brief period many years ago (as in 20, or so, years), when it went to four fixed seatings. 
Since that short experiment HAL has gone to a mix of fixed and open seating, at earlier and earlier hours. Last I knew, late seating was at 7:30 pretty much across the fleet, while early seating moved, in increments, from 6:00 PM to 5:30 (I think sometimes even earlier). 

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Our doctor friend once entertained our large dinner tables with tales of Transdermal Scop side effects.  The most amusing tale involved an elderly women found wandering a corridor, stark naked and hallucinating.

A confused woman is wandering around, stark naked, and hallucinating, and your word for that is 'amusing'? 

16 hours ago, nannygoatjunction said:

 

Seriously. Fried onion rings and mashed spud with steak? Not my idea of fine dining thats for sure.  😂

Seriously? I would kill right now for that exact Pinnacle dinner, along with a veggie. Oh, and dessert, too, of course. 
Can't wait until my next cruise for that exact meal. Add the clothesline bacon as an appetizer, please. 

Can't get a meal anywhere near that fine in my own home! 

54 minutes ago, Moriah said:

I did a back to back last month - and the port was FLL, so it may be different in other places, especially a European port,

It is. I have never done a 'turn around' procedure in any European port, where I have done several turn arounds, in several ports. 
The only place I have ever had to do a turn around procedure, that was not the US, was in Japan. 

14 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I've heard that when a car is delivered to a Boston dealership, the wires to the turn signals are cut. DH drove in Boston once and swore never again!

I had to drive to Logan Airport on a Monday morning, back in (I think) 1976. It was four lanes of solid traffic, bumper to bumper, all doing about 65 MPH. 
I picked up my sister at the airport, got out of town, and vowed I would never drive in Boston again. I have been back many times, but never driven there since. 

I can't believe the traffic, or the drivers have gotten any better in the intervening years. 

As far as I know, it's still 330 days. If the flight is open for booking on the airline's site, then it should be open for booking on Flight Ease. 

She may be my favorite all time ship (neck and neck with Rotterdam V for the title). 
I wish HAL had her back. 

Thanks for the pic. 

Always sad when something like that happens. Happy there was no significant damage to either the pier or the ship. 
Loved that ship as the Ryndam. Spent a lot of very fun nights on her. 

Thanks for the link. 

You are looking at the smallest vs the largest class of ships in the fleet. 
For Alaska, I would pick the smaller of the two. The Zaandam can fit into the docks, especially the docks closer in to the towns visited. 
There is plenty of viewing area along the Lower Promenade Deck, with comfortable seating available. This deck is somewhat covered by the lifeboats overhead, which can be important in inclement weather. 
The passenger load doesn't overwhelm the small towns, either, like the Koningsdam would. 

8 hours ago, cruiserdotcom said:

What do folks suggest for optimum viewing of Glacier Bay if you are solo and cannot afford a balcony or suite cabin. 

I've been to Glacier Bay many times over the years, and was only rained off an open outside deck once. Not that there wasn't poor weather other times, but not bad enough to stop me. Even had one day I was comfortable in a sundress, and got sunburn on my face! 

You will have plenty of time before Glacier Bay day to walk around the ship and determine what outdoor and indoor places will be good. Find several, and be ready to move around when the big day comes. 

On THE DAY, bundle up as needed, and head outdoors. Except for the Pinnacle class ships, I highly recommend the promenade deck (by whatever name is used on your particular ship) as there are places to sit, and there is some coverage from the lifeboats overhead. 

22 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Good luck with Oceania.

I agree. Restaurant and lounge service was poor, at best. 

I have great difficulty, and pain, walking (and did when I sailed Oceania). 
When returning to the ship, I scraped my hand, tore the skin off, and was bleeding profusely. I headed straight to the Front Desk, which was on the same deck as the gangway, to ask for a bandage. This has been a frequent request on HAL, who has always helped, so was the first thing I thought to do. They refused to help, trying to send me to the Medical Office, on another deck, to get the bandage. As I said, walking wasn't easy, and I didn't want to be dripping blood while panicking on a long, painful, walk. 

I did finally get them to help, but they should have done it willingly! 
Needless to say, though, I am not a fan of the 'service' on board Oceania. 

Are you saying the price increased more than the additional cost of Club Orange? 
Very strange.
I have not read of this happening before, and believe there is a mistake somewhere. 
Have your TA get to the bottom of this. It's how they earn their commission. 

7 hours ago, swin26 said:

I am assuming you can also book this on board, as we want to use OBC.  

You can. 

Define 'long'. I wouldn't have tried to walk it even when I could walk well. Other people wouldn't have trouble doing the distance. 

I don't remember whether or not there were taxies when I left the ship.