7 hours ago, Moriah said:

 

Oh, I agree -- that's why it's one of the best perks of an NS to be able to ask the concierge to arrange a private meeting for you with the future cruise staff in the Neptune Lounge or in your suite. No waiting in line and they are "all yours".  Any perks offered when you book onboard will remain on your booking when you transfer it to the big box consultant, and likely they will also add their own.  You have 60 days after your cruise to transfer, and it's a painless process. 

Hopefully you will have a better experience than we did. She changed the meeting times on short notice a total of 4 times before we actually met.

Not sure I'll be buying any clothing in the shops anymore.....

Good to know the current policy. Two years ago I asked on the Rotterdam and they accepted a bag of freshly laundered  slightly used pants and tops, along with a pair of shoes so I was planning to do the same thing on a cruise next month. On the other hand, I can see where this could get to be a storage problem quickly.

24 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

The answer is No. There is not a supply of "loaner" clothes stored on board for that purpose. HAL usually assists with loaner clothing from the shops under those circumstances until the pax is reunited with their lost luggage

PS> What do the shops do with the "loaner clothing from the shops" once the missing luggage shows up??

29 minutes ago, LAgator said:

Having said that, is this acceptable?  This is a very normal way to dress in today's time for many occasions.... 

Having lived in many parts of the US and visiting many parts of the world, what is "very normal" in one place is out-of-place somewhere else even in the US. I think HAL is trying to set a consistent tone. 

I understand from other posters on the HAL board that you have the hotel-ship transfer  included if you purchased the Movenpick as a pre-cruise stay through HAL--they will pick up your luggage at your hotel room door around 8AM (or earlier or later?) and transfer it to the ship. You will have to carry your own carry-on bags with you. I'll try to remember to report back in three weeks....

Ditto Ruth C. second post above. The credit card company you used to purchase the future cruise deposits did not accept the refund to that credit card--probably because it no longer exists--so you received a check instead of the credit card refund.

I am a wimp.  With your option of a 75 minute train ride plus a taxi as opposed to waiting at the airport for 2ish hours, I would opt for the HAL transfer since they have responsibility for getting you to the ship before it leaves. The train/taxi combo makes it your responsibility to get to the ship before it leaves. Again, I am a wimp and want to get to the ship with the least stress to me....

Perhaps this conversation now needs to move to the Cruise Air forum or over to FlyerTalk forums, a cousin of Cruise Critic.

1 hour ago, BEAV said:

 

I very recently helped a friend book air via HAL Flight Ease. The ticket was on United. I looked up the booking on the UA website and saw where I could request the ticket receipt to be emailed to me. Upon receipt of the email, the fare breakdown said BULK instead of dollar amounts. 

 

And I just got a Delta ticket receipt that had the dollar amounts all listed including the base ticket price plus a multitude of taxes and fees.

3 hours ago, gjb2019 said:

 

What dates did you go?  We live in Vancouver, so, variable weather is not new to us. Not afraid of a little damp and cool. I guess our main concern is whether or not here's a significant chance of it being so socked in with fog or heavy rain that we wouldn't see anything from the balcony except a wall of white or a wall of water. 

Never the last cruise of the season so usually mid-September like the 8th to the 22th timeframe. We were never in a wall of white or a wall of water, but it could be cool and damp. Liked that we could get closer to glaciers and even went places you couldn't go earlier in the season due to too much ice or wildlife nesting/babies.

Or the weather is sometimes dry and warmish. Or coolish and a little damp. The times we've gone late, it might be cloudy and a little drizzle but it's also been among the best trips. It kind of depends on what kind of weather you're used to.

This usually depends on the airline involved. And it is the airline being flown, not the one that ticketed the flight that controls the seats. (Example--Delta ticket for a Westjet flight)

We were able to choose seats via the airline website using the airline confirmation number given to us on the FlightEase confirmation page at that time (10 months out). A ticket number showed up on the United site about 40 days before the flights, and the Delta ticket numbers showed up about 35 days before the flight to Europe.

I suspect some/much of this is port management, not HAL, as well as changes in procedures at different times. HAL has information on how things are supposed to be done, the port/CBP may be more lenient than the rules says at random times.

Customs and Border Control (on both sides of the border) like to shake things up once in a while not to cause us inconvenience but to catch those trying to do something they shouldn't.

7 hours ago, dockman said:

I have never understood why most cruise ships sailing in/out of Kauai can't seem to take an extra hour or so to cruise offshore along the Na Pali coast line, one of the most scenic spots on the planet....my experience is that it seems they are in such a hurry to continue to the next port that they deprive the passengers of a very scenic experience.  Seeing the coastline from the ocean is a very special experience.

There may be HI state restrictions on how close ships, particularly large cruise ships, can be to the coastline.

Yes, likely not a HAL "distinctive voyage" but a TA group cruise with special events for those who book with that Travel Agent, similar to a *** (auto club) concierge cruise where a block of rooms and events are organized/reserved for those booking with that TA.

Your TA OBC shows up on your confirmation from the big box store. It will not show up on the HAL website.

8 hours ago, scotslizzy said:

Dining package question ;

 

Do you have to go to each restaurant suggested or can you double book for example Tamarind ?

 

Still undecided about whether to pre purchase the package or just decide when we get on the Ship Nieuw Statendam .

 

Scotslizzy 

If you have purchased the Signature Dining package, which varies from ship-to-ship depending on what specialty restaurants are on that ship, you are buying the specialty restaurant reservations at a slight discount. Since each specialty restaurant has a different price, it is unlikely you could substitute a second Tamarind or PG for a Canaletto, for example. The description of the package is specific. Sample package:

Thanking them in person is wonderful and I do it often. But the written note that goes through the front desk or on-line means much more as the supervisors are more likely to see it.

We didn't have the water feature on the desk on the NS at Christmas but did have three bottles of Vitamin Water. No information about spa discounts.

Just got the following in an email from HAL which indicates you can buy the Premium plan before boarding and save $20%. That would be the $199.99 price you received, crystalspin, which is also the price offered on our 14-day cruise if purchased on the HAL website.

1 hour ago, Palm Bay Cruise Couple said:

Hello...We did the Christmas cruise on the Nieuw Statendam last Christmas (2018) and did enjoy the experience immensely.

Ditto Palm Bay Cruise Couple's experiences. The ship was crowded but manageable. Best gift we gave our family was two adjoining Retreat cabanas--well worth the price--for privacy, quiet, fantastic service, relaxing. Great cruise but wouldn't do it without the cabanas. We ended up staying on-board at Half Moon Cay since tendering was taking so long.

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It is possible that not all options on the cruise activities page have been loaded for your cruise since you are almost 10 months out.

We have been upgraded 10 days before a cruise from Neptune guarantee to an SA and then three days before the cruise to an SQ.

The Maasdam is doing the 14 day Great Alaskan Explorer in 2020. We are booked on the September 2020 one. On the HAL website, under Find A Cruise, select months, then under Other Options select Maasdam. The Early Booking Bonus promo applies.