schusterj

I recently called about an upgrade from OV to balcony after final payment when the balcony price went down and it is possible. And I could upgrade. However, i would lose free gratuities which was a special when I first booked.

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When we went east to west the stop in Cartagena was 7 to 12pm and west to east it was a full day. But otherwise I like to have the shortest flight at the end of my trip. It’s more relaxing.

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I would like to also hear about Cap Cana as we will be there in November. There is not much info about this port as a cruise stop.

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The ships are so different but the zuiderdam itinerary is so much better. I love RCI and Holland America both but this is December. Unless you need slides and a wild New Years Eve party then go do the Zuiderdam. The ports are better, it will be warm the whole time and during holidays there will be many more families and young people. Also for an extra fee is the wonderful hydro pool and heated ceramic loungers. Let us know what you choose.

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Thank you for the responses about the two ships. I especially enjoyed the review and pictures by ronbe65. You have a great talent for writing. I'm still interested to know if anyone is familiar with the two kids clubs on these ships. Also, our family loves to hang out at the tables on the lido deck and I was concerned that the lido cabanas on Nieuw Amsterdam would limit the non cabana table seating.

We are planning a multi generational cruise in December and will have a 5 year old. We are trying to decide between Oosterdam and Niew Amsterdam (similar itineraries) and would like to know which ship would be better or any differences for the Club Hal. I am familiar with other Vista class ships and some of the smaller Hal ships but have never been on these two, Thanks.

Park n Go for us also. We make a reservation and pay in advance for a small discount.

I like Riviera deck. It's usually quiet and you never have crowds waiting on an elevator. It's also easy to get back to your cabin when you go ashore when crowds of people are trying to get on an elevator. Save your money to spend on drinks or doing something at one of the ports. Also walking up the stairs for exercise can give you an excuse for some extra calories.

Our granddaughter liked sleeping on one of the drop down beds better than on the sofa. She said it was a regular twin size mattress (according to her). Some balcony rooms offer a third person drop down bed that may be more comfortable.

It depends on what is important to you: the ship or the port stops. We have done a five day with two stops and loved the cruise but we were interested to see more of Canada and so we have followed up with several 7 day cruises to Canada which we like better. The seven day cruises took us down the Saint Lawrence River and we got to visit Montreal as well as Quebec. I would not do a five day Canadian cruise again even though it gave us a good introduction to Canada

We just got off a Montreal to Boston Veendam cruise on June 11. There were not many kids on board but the 8 to 10 elementary aged kids who were on board took over the main pool and hot tubs and were extremely loud. There was really no where else for them to go. On this size ship there is no adult pool area and on the Canadian itinerary the aft open deck was too cold. So I think there could be some children on board. However, we did not see those children in the Crows Nest or other lounges.

In Bar Harbor the National Park Service has a nice bus tour with 3 stops and goes through Acadia and into Cadillac Mountain. You reserve a space on this tour by going to their website. It cost 30.00 each and you don't pay until you get there so in case of bad weather or missing the port you don't have to pay. When you get off the ship you walk 1 1/2 blocks to Teslas Restaurant to get the ticket. We have done this tour twice and it's half the price of the same tour from Holland America.

http://mobile.dudamobile.com/site/acadiatours?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acadiatours.com%2F&utm_referrer=#2549

Lots of Veendam passengers were in this tour with us and we just did the tour last week.

Just got off Canadian Veendam cruise today June 11 and did not see any tuxes. No one was turned away from the MDR even those in polo shirts on Gala night. Not giving my opinion but just what I saw. Maybe there were a few tuxes somewhere but not many.

Just got off the Veendam that had Barry from Boston. I don't understand what it is that people like about him. I think he is terrible and there were not many people who sat around in the piano bar.

I called the genetic 800 number on the HA website and asked for a cabin change after getting assigned my guarantee cabin. The person who answered changed my cabin to another location that I requested in the same category. It took about 5 minutes. I had already looked to see what was available so I knew what to ask for. I tried email to my HA cruise consultant before I called and never got a response. I think she was too busy making new bookings to bother with my request. This was on the Westerdam last March.

This cruise is very port intensive so you will spend a lot of time off the ship. I have done this cruise twice and am leaving on June 4 to go again on the Veendam. . Last time we went in July there were some teens on board but not a lot like on carnival. The teens seemed to enjoy themselves but it really is different from a carnival cruise. I might be able to answer some questions after we get back.

We are in our 70's and never go to bed before midnight or 1am. Love the late dining but do notice that the Hal ships we have been on are really quiet after 10pm. We cruise with different cruise companies - including Carnival, RCI, and Princess etc. Each cruise offers something unique and different that we enjoy.

I thought the omelets and scrambled eggs during our Hal cruise on the Westerdam in March tasted terrible. I tried them twice and finally gave up. I would like to know if you can actually ask for an omelet or scrambled eggs made from real eggs and where is the best place to ask. Would you ask at the buffet where they make fried eggs or at the omelet station and then someone runs to get real eggs?

We had the best wait staff ever on our journey cruise during January in the Glory. Also the food was excellent.

I have done a Canada cruise on both the Veendam and the Maasdam. I liked both ships and think that they are similiar enough so you can select the itinerary and cruise date you like rather than trying to decide which ship is better. Both have a covered main lido pool which is nice in Canada if it's raining or cool. Also we saw more families with children (not over run) since it was summer. I agree that Holland has the best Canada /New England itineraries.

Cruise line took our passport on the LA to Santiago, Chile cruise. It was the most wonderful cruise and I would love to go on the same cruise again.

I loved our Lamanai excursion. The boat ride is wonderful and you really feel like you are in the jungle. And you can climb on some of the ruins -- you don't have to go to the top. Tulum is beautiful but the tours are very controlled and when we were there you could not go up or into the ruins. It seemed like a more commercial tour.

We used EZ Air for our cruise to SouthAmerica and saved over 1000.00 for the two of us from the same itinerary on Delta for the same route. I would definitely select EZ Air if the price was better than booking on my own. We had no issues at all.

I would rather get on the ship early even if the cabins are not ready. Sitting in the checkin area is much worse than sitting on the lido deck having lunch or a drink. I've gotten on before when the doors were closed or staff were directing passengers to the lido deck for lunch.

Really nice pictures. Do you know when the Christmas decorations were put up.