VMax1700

In that case just crunch the numbers and go for it. (Wish we got offered deposits like that!)

For our September cruise (in Europe) we are still unable to book Specialty Dining. Excursions are available.

If you pre paid grats with your own credit card (as different from getting 'included free grats') you should get these refunded if there is still a credit balance at the end of the cruise.

I always understood that Australia was much the same as UK/Ireland for booking conditions and once you had paid your deposit you were locked in. All this talk about 're-faring' and 'cancelling and rebooking' is North American booking conditions. The rest of the world is screwed. 🙄

Extra charge in Pinnacle, not sure about Tamarind. Best place to ask HAL questions is on the HAL board here> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/103-holland-america-line/

A medium good wine purchased ashore and taken onboard is still good value, even with the $20 per bottle corkage, compared to the price of a medium good wine onboard.

Sorry, I have no idea since they increased the price of the RoV's. We have done it twice and really enjoyed it both times. There was enough hors d'oeuvres and bits available that made it almost unnecessary to have dinner afterwards. and Prosecco. The price includes dinner for the couple at Pinnacle Grill, but you can schedule the dinner for a different night. On both occasions we had the Pinnacle Grill dinner earlier in the cruise. The last time we did RoV we received the photo print (our choice) and 5 or 6 other images on a usb stick.

You sign a charge slip and it is charged to your onboard account.

Train or https://www.staxi.nl/en/ Train is inexpensive but you need to be able to handle your own luggage. There is nowhere to store luggage except by standing at the carriage doors. We used Staxi last September from Amsterdam Schiphol to Rotterdam and also at the end of the cruise from Rotterdam to AMS. Good service, punctual, clean cars.

Do the Renewal of Vows package. It really is memorable.

There is no 'Celebrity terminal', there is one Cruise Terminal Rotterdam, which is used by all cruise lines. It is located at Wilhelminakade 699, Rotterdam.

I don't know about a potato shortage but over here there is a general shortage of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers etc and Spain and Italy have had an unusual cold snap which has retarded the plant growth.

Vista is listed on the Dun Laoghaire website as being 'At Anchor' so it is tender.

Some of the smaller ships can dock e.g. Star Legend, Ocean Explorer

The Leap visitor card is not an eticket and it is delivered to a postal address by snail mail. The price for 1 day is €8. The leap card cannot be purchased at Dun Laoghaire station nor anywhere in the vicinity, so for 1 day cruise visit I doubt it is worth the risk/effort.

@zingaro Welcome to Cruise Critic and Holland America Line (HAL). Just going to give you a heads up on a few things, viewed from a non North American perspective. The onboard currency is US Dollars. Everything is priced in US Dollars and your onboard account will be charged in US Dollars. You can, if you wish, deposit cash dollars against your account, but I and many others have found it simpler to leave it all up to the Credit Card company. During the Online checkin you will be asked to give credit card details for the card you wish to use for the cruise. The Total of 15 drinks a day is inclusive of Coke/Lattes/water in cans etc. Make sure to rotate the cards if one of your party is not a big drinker. I have never hit 15, but still keep a mental note of the count and sometimes use the wife's card to get waters etc. There is water on tap in the Lido, also ice and you can help yourself. Or use a refillable water bottle. There is also coffee and tea available 24/7 in the Lido (PG Tips + others). One thing we do is on the first day we get extra waters and diet coke/7 up etc as it is a short day and there is no way we would hit next or near 15 drinks each, so it is nice to have a 'cushion' for another 'thirsty' day. Please leave the tips/Crew Appreciation in place. That way ALL who look after you so well will be rewarded and there is no need to go looking for people. If you wish to tip someone a bit extra it will be gratefully received. The tips are charged to your onboard account so there is no need to worry about anything. We have not sailed Alaska but have done North Cape (Norway) and Iceland, which I think would be similar. We used waterproof runners/joggers with good grippy outdoor soles and a windproof/waterproof jacket. Both are very light. Perhaps somewhere like Millets or similar. Layering is the important bit. A good quality base layer (we use M&S long sleeve thermal vests) is important. Much as I am ashamed to admit it, I also wear a hoodie as the fleece is nice and warm. The laundry service is very good. You can do it by the bag, or unlimited during your cruise. If it is a 7 day cruise then it will cost you about $63 for unlimited laundry for the week and it is per cabin and not per person. If you are feeling a bit homesick then the Lido has all the ingredients for an English Breakfast. Proper back bacon, baked beans, mushroom, fried bread, Grilled tomato etc. It may not be immediately obvious where it is available and it is necessary to go to another station to get eggs, but it makes a good breakfast! When you are onboard the ship and trying to find your bearings remember that even numbered cabins are on the Port side and if the even numbered cabins are on your left side, then you are facing forwards and if the even numbered cabins are on your right side then you are facing aft. 4 days in Vancouver - nice. Expensive to eat and drink out, but a beautiful city. Don't forget your ESTA and eTA Have a great cruise.

Here is a map showing the location of the DART station and where you come ashore (it is a tender port). A day return ticket is €5 (euro). There are machines at the entrance to the station. Please remember that this is the local commuter system, so it will be exceptionally busy in the mornings and late afternoon/evening. Do allow extra time to return for your tender back to the ship.

I am going to be the exception here as I did not enjoy the Indonesian Rijsttafel on Koningsdam. We love Tamarind, but found that the Indonesian meal lacked flavour. It was medium hot and spicy but the flavours did not come through, only the heat.

Martinique. After being looked after so politely and pleasantly by the crew onboard, it is refreshing to encounter some real French attitude. 😁

Good to hear! There is a slight problem on the website as they are showing two panels for 7 day Norse Legends on May 20/27. One has an itinerary attached and one does not. Last week there was a problem with the Norse Legends and the Viking Saga cruises as they had the wrong dates on some of the cruises.

Here is the latest 'Ships at a glance' chart which shows the facilities on each ship. hal-ships-at-a-glance-12-27-22.pdf

There is no BB King or Lincoln Center on Zaandam.

Sorry for delayed reply, but the clock struck midnight and it was time for my beauty sleep (major fail! 🤫) Drinks did not appear on the account. A few times they appeared in error, but were credited out (without requesting). Shorex using the HIA were posted to the account, after ticketing, with zero value. Speciality restaurants, using the free HIA promo, were also posted with zero value the day after eating there. As we pre paid crew incentive (not HIA, but pre paid by us) this credit was posted to the account in full on embarkation day along with the other sundry credits (stockholder etc) and the Crew Incentive was posted daily to the account. There were also a few 'sundry purchases' as DW calls her forays to the ship's shops on a sea day 🙄). Neither the additional purchases nor the crew incentive gained any additional cruise day credits.

We have been on 3 cruises since the restart and had HIA on all 3. Two were part of the cruise fare and one was purchased just before sailing date. In all 3 cases we received full credit for spending based on 1 day for each day of HIA. So, a 12 day cruise gave 12 Sailing Days, 12 Suite bonus and 12 Spending. ie a total of 36