lisiamc

Many of the mixed drinks fit well into the package, but we could see that we would prefer several of the wines above the limit. That was part of our decision to upgrade. We also took into account that paying a little bit extra even after upgrading would be worth it for us too. I like the Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, at $16/glass, and it’s more satisfying to pay $1.18 per glass to upgrade, instead of $4.72 

Hi, we are currently on Rotterdam, on our first ever Holland America cruise, and having a great time. However, the drinks package has been giving us serious headaches. I’ve learned a lot today that I wish I had known earlier in the cruise, and I’m happy to share, in case anyone else has the questions we’ve had. We bought the Have it All package before we got on board, and that includes drinks up to $11 per drink, which doesn’t go quite as far as it did before the drink prices incresed recently. On our second day, we decided to upgrade to the Elite package. I asked if the limit was still fifteen drinks, and it is. What no one explained, and I didn’t know to ask, is that the fifteen drinks limit doesn’t include non-alcoholic drinks like cappuccino, Perrier, cans of water, soft drinks, etc. (still not sure if that applies to the Signature package as well) so we’ve been carefully counting total drinks and wondering why items were unexpectedly appearing on our bill, getting upset when two drinks were charged to one card instead of one to each, etc. Well, today I went to the Customer Service desk over some charges that I didn’t understand, and discovered that only alcoholic drinks count, so we don’t need to worry as much. I don’t think we will ever come close to 15 alcoholic drinks in one day! We had some mysterious charges where a server hit the wrong key, and an extra tip that went on as a different charge, and the wrong package level was used for calculating the excess (two glasses of more expensive wine went on the card as an extra charge of $5.90 instead of $2.36) That was easily straightened out, so all is well now.

If I can save anyone from the confusion we’ve had, that’s my good deed for the day. Keep an eye on your account, and if you have the Elite package, you don’t have to worry about about the non-alcoholic drinks total! 

On 12/15/2023 at 5:31 PM, Mosaic said:

Hey, as a male, "wear" does that leave me!???

Well, I guess you could wear a Borat-style mankini. If you’ve never seen one, Google will find one for you, but I’ll warn you that it’s not a pretty sight! 🤣

6 hours ago, Chadr135 said:

I'm looking at a Pacsafe bag for Europe this summer. Is this the crossbody you have? Do you like it? Thanks!

I have a Pacsafe that I take everywhere. It’s my handbag at home too. They have a distinctive look, so I am sure that pickpockets can identify one at 50 paces. I’d like to hope that they’d decide I was too much trouble, and choose another mark. 

I notice you mentioned that you’re understandably keen to visit Pompeii. I’m guessing that your port list must also include Naples? Pompeii is a somewhat strenuous excursion, in my view, generally hot, with lots of uneven paving stones and lots of stepping up and down to cross streets. You might want to research private guides to take you around the highlights in a way that’s more accessible than the standard tour, so that you can get the most enjoyment out of it without totally wearing yourself out. You might also plan a more restful day for the following port, which sounds like it will be Messina.

We’ve been on several cruises with cancellations and significant itinerary changes. Most of them were on Celebrity ships (one letting us know that our Australia cruise was being changed to an East Coast USA itinerary including Baltimore!) some years ago, and two were on Azamara when it was under the Royal Caribbean umbrella. These things can and do happen on all cruise lines. At least in this case, they were able to give plenty of notice. 

7 hours ago, POA1 said:

When you log in to the the website, take note of your Mariner #. Then, when you log in with the booking number, check to see if the Mariner # matches.

Thank you! I’ll go do that now and see if that’s the problem.  

18 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

The app never provides any real information until onboard.  The website is far better, if you can call it better - HAL is technologically challenged.  Login on the website , manage my cruise then click itinerary. The itinerary will include anything you booked. It is easily downloaded as a pdf.  Your original invoice and your boarding pass have a host of information if you scroll.

Thank you! So far the website (when I log in with our cruise booking number - not my account) has shown all the important stuff, but I felt as though I should be trying to use the app. I’ll wait until we get on board, and then see how the app goes. 

We are sailing on Rotterdam on 15 December. I’ve made a booking for the Pinnacle restaurant, we know our cabin number, have boarding passes, etc. But when I log in to the website or the Navigator app with my email and password,neither one feels that we have a cruise booked. From the very first time that I logged into the website, it’s told me that it takes 48 hours for a newly booked cruise to show on my account. We booked about two weeks ago, so it should show by now. The Navigator app shows me sample menus on random ships, but knows nothing about our booking, doesn’t want to know our booking number, or really anything else, either. I’m sure I’m going wrong somewhere. What should I do to join everything up? All advice gratefully received! 

42 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Just asked our bartender. We are on Rotterdam.  Yes they serve sugar free tonic. Here's a picture

 

Thank you, that’s very good news!

Hi, I did do a search, but didn’t come up with much. DH and I like a G&T, but we need sugar-free tonic. Some cruise lines have FeverTree Light, but that is still too much sugar for me. Can anyone advise me whether sugar-free tonic is offered on HAL, and which brand it might be? Or if it’s allowed, can we bring our own on board, please? All info gratefully received! 😊 (We are sailing on board Rotterdam on 15 December, if that helps.)

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I believe we're on the same trip. Left Rome Nov 26, arriving FLL Dec 10.

There doesn't seem to be an excessive number of sick people out in Gen Pop, but in any given spot, I do see/hear people coughing and sneezing. The excursion buses were especially "coughy." With that said, I try to do my part to protect myself and others and hope for others to reciprocate; it's really all we can do.

Thanks, @euro cruiserfor being among those and sorry you are not able to fully enjoy the cruise. Hope you feel better soon.

I don’t like hearing people coughing around me, but that might just be because it sounds so awful. (And because no one seems to cover their mouths anymore!) But I wouldn’t necessarily characterise a cough as a prime symptom of Covid. FWIW, the one time I’ve had Covid, I didn’t cough at all. Nor did my DH.  I had a sore throat for a day, then a bad headache for a few days, and I was really, really tired. DH had no symptoms, but did test positive. We were at home, so just stayed in until we tested negative. 

I’m sorry you’ve got Covid, but I’m glad you’re doing the right thing by staying in. We were recently on MSC, and they didn’t seem to be isolating Covid sufferers either. Maybe it’s a sign of the times?

2 hours ago, BuddyR said:

We just arrived at Port Everglades to board the Onward.  Check in began at 11:00; however, we are waiting in a holding area until approximately 1:15 to actually board the ship.  Everything has been organized so far.

This is often the way it goes when a ship makes their first arrival of the season into the USA after being in Europe or another region. There is a lot of paperwork and inspections to take care of in that circumstance. When the passengers embark on the next Onward cruise after yours, it should go a bit more smoothly, I hope. 

We are booked on our fifth Panama Canal cruise in December. It was meant to be a Christmas cruise with friends, but due to a health emergency, they won’t be on board. Our previous two Panama Canal cruises were also meant to be with the same friends, who are evidently not meant to go through the canal, since they had to cancel both of those two as well. Our most recent trip prior to this was in March of 2020, and the Panama Canal authorities didn’t even want us to be on the outside decks as we went through, since they were worried that we would spread Covid as we went through! (although there was no Covid on our ship, luckily) At least this time, we will be able to be on the decks and balconies, fore and aft. Fingers crossed, anyway. 

On 11/26/2023 at 2:16 AM, SoloAlaska said:

Red or green lights don’t matter so much from what I remember of Rome last time I was there. The trick is no one would dare hit Nona so follow close to anyone that looks like grandma and you won’t be run over. 
 

Next week I’ll be in Rome for one night so I picked a hotel near Termini since I’ll just drop my luggage off after arriving and quickly freshen up before heading towards the more touristy area of Rome. In the evening I’ll take a taxi back to my hotel and crash for the night. In the morning I’ll wake up, have breakfast either at my hotel or a nearby cafe and at check out head to Termini again for my train to Civi. Staying closer to attractions didn’t make sense and I would have had to haul my luggage further etc. if your staying multiple nights however it would be more convenient to be more centrally located.

Crossing the street with a group of nuns is even better than Nonna! On my first visit to Rome, our guide gave us lessons on how to cross the street without getting run over. The lessons were so good that we used the advice in Phnom Penh, and lived to tell the tale. 

Some of my best souvenirs are shopping bags that I bought in supermarkets in port!

44 minutes ago, mj_holiday said:

So now there is a way to book specialty restaurant reservations on line before you board?

I believe there is only the ability to book the packages themselves, not the actual dates. 

I never have any trouble getting a booking on the first night for Prime C or Aqualina. I think they like to do that for packages because those two nights are pretty quiet. 

We just had to move three cruises, due to the first leg being cancelled. Our TA was able to tell us which cabins were available on the replacement cruises. 

10 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

On a cruise ship, undercooked poultry is very risky.

In very clean places, like Japan, raw chicken (Chicken Sashimi) is a delicacy and a favorite of mine

I love food very much, and I’ve learned to go with rosy duck breast, seared tuna, medium rare salmon, pink pork, and fish sashimi, but raw chicken might defeat me! 

48 minutes ago, yerdua said:

 

if you like the Pinnacle you might also consider booking lunch there on a sea day. Lunches can only be booked once on board, but it’s a wonderful way to spend a sea day. I think its now $19 + 18% pp. 

Thanks, that’s a great idea! There is a lot that we don’t know yet about HA, and it’s going to be fun to learn. 

11 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Welcome!!

As others have said, there is a "complimentary dining" box to check so ypur HIA credits get used. If you don't see that box, you're likely trying to book a restaurant that dies not qualify. 

Also, you might want to take a closer look - the $100 is most likely for excursions, which you can also use to book before boarding. 

Thank you to everyone for explaining the complimentary tick box and where to find it! That was indeed where I was going wrong, and I’ve been able to book us in for a Pinnacle dinner on the first night of the cruise. That way if it’s wonderful, we can think about another one.

We have booked for our very first Holland .America cruise, on the Rotterdam, on 15 December. We bought the have it all package, but I am now confused. I have a $100 credit to use for speciality dining through the HIA package, and so does my DH, but if I try to book a dinner for two, the website wants to know a credit card number to charge it to. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong. Is there a tutorial I can watch? 

5 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I saw pieces from the line on the Noordam in October.  They are displayed in the general merchandise shop not a separate boutique.

Thank you, that’s good to know! I’m looking for a particular set of earrings, so I will be visiting the shops on Rotterdam.