Bill S

We had cabin 8038 on the Oosterdam's sister ship, the Noordam and it was great. I specifically chose it because it was the most forward SS cabin and at the Ping-Pong corner of the Lido pool area. As I recall, we heard noise one morning when the ping pong table was being moved, but that was it. I would not hesitate to book the same cabin on any Vista Class ship. We really liked that cabin. I hope you will, too! I hope this helps you! Have a great cruise!

Great information, as we will be sailing on her soon for the first time!

Well, you know I keep seeing and experiencing all the same things as Mr Fizzer, and even after a slew of HAL cruises, I keep thinking those things would have changed, but they haven't! :eek: Maybe on the next HAL cruise, everything will be OK! ;)

While on the Maasdam last October, one of our table mates had to have gluten-free items. She had notified ship services in advance of the cruise, and once on board the ship, she received a menu for the following night's dinner. She did not dine with us the first night, though, so I don't know how she managed that night. But, every night thereafter, our table steward would show her the menu for the next night and she would make her selection then for the next night. So, it seems that HAL has a system in place for guests who require gluten-free items. Have a great cruise!

We usually have received our guaranteed category assignment anywhere from a week to 3 days before embarkation.

However, we have been upgraded several times using cabin guarantee bookings. Once was at check-in and another was the night before embarkation, but most have been about 5 to 2 days ahead of embarkation.

Have a great time!

We have stayed onboard ship several times due to repeat visits to some ports which do not hold any attraction for us. We really like such days: sleeping late; no push to attend any onboard events; have the ship largely to ourselves and save a few bucks in the process. We bing our iPads with Kindle apps for reading, and just relaxing. Hope you have a great cruise!

Sail,

I have been absent from the boards for quite some time and just read your post. I am so sorry to learn of your loss. My sincere condolences go out to you. Bill

We were upgraded to one of those cabins on the Oosterdam a few years ago. It was simply awesome. Stated another way, I almost had to call security to get my dear wife out of the cabin at the end of the cruise!

To put it mildly, it was a mess. Everyone, regardless of cabin category or Mariner status, was directed to the waiting area and given a group number. We were waiting with everyone else and for our number to be called. Then, we saw a HAL rep enter from the check-in area who asked the Rep in-charge of the waiting area if she had called for passengers who had Neptune Suites and 4 & 5 Star Mariners. The waiting area Rep looked to be clueless, and said "No". Only then was a call made for those passengers. I guess it depends on the experience and/or training of the HAL reps in the terminal. Even then, it was a long wait in line once we got to the check-in area. That was one of the few times that we arrived at the terminal before 1:30 or 2 pm. It is usually a breeze checking in later rather than earlier. Oh well, we just rolled with it, as at least we were going on a HAL cruise! :)

The first time I insured through USAA for travel insurance, I had to use it. My claim for 2 visits to the ship infirmary was for about $550. I received a check for full reimbursement within a couple of weeks. We never cruise without trip insurance now. It is with Travel Insured International via the USAA web site portal.

Thanks to all! Yes, John we are hoping to sail with you, and Maria, again some time! Looking forward to being on the Veendam for the first time and hope to see Ine & Ton in PV, too!

Hi Kazu,

Please add us (me and DW) to the March list.

Thanks!

I have used TII for most our cruises. I had to file a claim once and received full reimbursement a couple of weeks after submitting the papers, with no hassle. Hope this helps.

The strangest thing I ever saw was a Russian submarine along side our ship couple of hours after leaving St. Petersburg. Pretty cool! :cool:

Where is your cruise going?

IMO, $25k is not a lot of coverage for medical expense coverage. It's fine if you just have to visit the ship's doctor a time or two, or if you have to visit the ER for a few hours. But, if you have to be hospitalized for more than a day or two, and/or need surgery, I don't know of $25k is sufficient.

Depending on where you might have to be medevac'd from, $500k might or might not be enough. I may be way off base, but I have read that med evac flights are horribly expensive. Just one opinion. I'm sure you will get others.

I usually opt for more med coverage, and the med evac amount I select will depend on where we are cruising.

DW and I have been retired for several years and that gives us a lot of freedom cruise when we want to do so.

Prior to that, DW was an adminstrator with the school district, so she was not tied to the school schedule. I was a partner in my firm, putting in 50+ hours per week, also working on many weekends, so taking time off was not an issue with my other partners.

Yes, I delegated my responsibilities amongst several employees in my absence--good training opportunity for them, yet they always were happy to see me return an assume those duties again. ;)

I went to a military-related organization's TFL publication, and basically, TRICARE Standard would be your primary coverage for overseas healthcare; however, you would have to pay for any medical care yourself and then submit a claim for any TRICARE-covered benefits reimbursement, but you would be reimbursed only for allowed-charges less the TRICARE Standard deductibles. The maximum out-of-pocket expense to you is capped at $3,000 (per family, per fiscal year). The article ends with the following statement: "For those traveling overseas we recommend travel insurance to cover these additional fees and cost-shares."

We are TFL-covered, but always purchase travel insurance as our primary insurer. If you are USAA members, they offer very good travel insurance through their website using a company which specializes in travel insurance. Hope this helps you a bit! Have a great cruise! :)

I am neither an employee nor have any family members employed by USAA or their subcontracter insurer. I have used services from both companies and have been very satisfied.

ditto what bbwex said.

Actually, many nations are signatories to the Hague Convention dealing with prevention of parental kidnapping. However, from what I read, enforcement is spotty.

Are immigration personnel in nations which are parties to the Agreement supposed to verify that any minor child travelling internationally with only one parent or guardian is doing so with the permission of the other parent? In a perfect world, probably so. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way all the time. More often than not, I read that the parents are not asked to provide such proof. Sometimes airlines and cruise ship lines may ask for proof.

It is difficult to predict when a parent is going to be challenged, so it is probably best if he or she has written permission by the other parent (if at all possible) to take their child out of the country, and as stated above, with the specifics for the trip as well. Not all nations have signed on this particular Hague Convention.

Just because one parent has been given primary physical custody, doesn't mean that the other parent's parental rights have been terminated, so that is why a court order or decree merely addressing custody rights may not always work. Not an easy problem to resolve when the other parent won't cooperate.

Here is a picture of the current MS Noordam and the MS Albatros taken on Oct 7, 2006 at Horta, Azore Islands:

Here is a picture of the current MS Noordam and the MS Albatros taken on Oct 7, 2006 at Horta, Azore Islands:

Ah yes, I remember it well! HAL, The Ryndam, 1998, Vancouver to Seward, followed by a land tour ending in Fairbanks. We were hooked the first day! :)

Ah yes, I remember it well! HAL, The Ryndam, 1998, Vancouver to Seward, followed by a land tour ending in Fairbanks. We were hooked the first day! :)

Here is the Zaandam docking at Canada Place in Vancouver on May 9, 2007. I took this from our hotel room at the Pan Pacific.

Mary Ann and Bill: Bon Voyage to you both! What a wonderful experience you are about to share! We love the Amsterdam and hope you will enjoy cruising on her as much as we have. I am looking forward to reading about your adventures! Thank you both for allowing us to have a vicarious experience, too!