oakridger

My cabin attendant on my last Crystal cruise in 2019 told me she was going to school to get her accounting qualifications (South Africa calls it a name I forgot). I later learned that before the shutdown she did end up in the Crystal Accounting Department! I was very happy to hear that as she was an intelligent, hardworking and personable woman. Hopefully New Crystal will have good advancement opportunities as well. ~Nancy

How thoughtful of your bar buddy! He stepped up where HAL should have. I'll bet the bartenders are somewhat embarrassed by it all and tired of having to explain the shortages to everyone. Their job would be much easier if everything was in stock. ~Nancy

I got the upgraded HIA for my May 2024 Trans Atlantic. It was called "Early Booking Bonus" From HAL: LIMITED AVAILABILITY HAVE IT ALL - EARLY BOOKING BONUS $2,199 * PER PERSON SELECT Overall Savings: 65% OFF Our most popular amenities PLUS prepaid crew appreciation, low fare guarantee, and free amenity upgrades in one refundable cruise package. Included with this fare: 2 Shore Excursions - up to US$200 per guest 2 Specialty Dinners at a fine dining restaurant FREE UPGRADE - Elite: wine, beer, cocktails, specialty coffee and soda. Plus, service charges are on us. All drinks up to $15. FREE WiFi UPGRADE - Premium Package FREE Crew Appreciation - Included FREE - Low Price Guarantee Included DINING, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND ENTERTAINMENT SHORE EXCURSIONS SPECIALTY DINING BEVERAGE PACKAGE WI-FI CREW APPRECIATION GRATUITY LOW PRICE GUARANTEE SEE DETAILS LIMITED TIME: US$200 Onboard Credit Included per stateroom $150 Deposit

It sounds like you are enjoying Alaska so far even with the rainy weather. Travelers do learn to go with the flow, as you are! ~Nancy

On the Carnival Line board I was shocked hear it reported that they are now charging about $1000 for the villas!!! 😲 (Not the Cabanas, they are less but still way too expensive in my opinion!) If a cabana had a bathroom I might consider it, but probably not!! ~Nancy

Wow! I wonder if that embarkation holds a world record for speed!!! Excellent news. Thanks for the preemptive strike on many of the common questions @Crew News. You are on top of everything! Have fun! ~Nancy

Congratulations! Thank you for letting us know what the experience was like onboard Oosterdam. ~Nancy

San Francisco! 😉 ~Nancy

@Crew News I appreciate all your efforts, photos, menus and, well everything! I'll be watching to see if the Volendam might be in my future considerations for cruises. I have a hard time getting past her not offering regular veranda cabins/prices. Thanks, ~Nancy

Thanks for this nice review! I love the pictures too. What did your new to cruising/HAL friends think of it? ~Nancy

@Roz Welcome home and thank you so much for your concise and balanced review. I also met you on Oosterdam on a Mexican Riviera cruise at the beginning of 2018. I was originally from the other end of Tennessee, hence the CC handle, and I have noted your postings. It would be fun to run into you again sometime! Congratulations on your retirement!! We talked about it at the time in 2018 and I also have since retired and just love it! (Other than that nasty couple of years of pandemic anyway) A couple people have mentioned the 2025 cruise you will be on, and I have started to consider it. We'll see....... ~Nancy

Welcome to Cruise Critic @MadamedelaMer! I have very specific criteria for the location I want so always choose my own. The only time I did a guarantee on HAL we actually got a cabin I would have chosen so that worked out well for us but after that I decided to select my own. Depending on the category you are looking at there could be some real "Oh Hell No" cabins for me. Anything above or below the galleys, music venues or Main Stage would drive me crazy, day or night!! No one would want to be around sleep deprived Nancy!!! 😬 As others mentioned, study your deck plans and read cabin reviews. The website "Cruise Deck Plans" has a couple of tools that are really helpful called Cabin Guru and Cabin Check Tool. You can overlay decks to easily check what is above or below. I use it often. Zuiderdam Main Deck Plans (cruisedeckplans.com) Happy cruising, ~Nancy

@wilycoyote76make sure onboard that the Elite does still have unlimited non alcoholic beverages. Reports have said that the Elite now has a 15 drink TOTAL just like the Signature does. HALs website gives conflicting information! These were from today. Under "Purchase Beverages" section for a booked cruise: "Includes any beverage priced at $15.00 or lower (up to 15 beverages per day). Prices are per day at $49.95 if pre-booked online compared to $59.95 if purchased on board. A 18% service charge will be automatically applied to your purchase." Under another FAQ section it states unlimited drinks for Elite. I dunno. 🤷‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions | Holland America "The Elite package has a daily limit of 15 alcoholic beverages with a menu price of $15 or less. Unlimited non-alcoholic beverage."

My last few cruises since 2019 have a hole already in them. ~Nancy

If I posted my favorite one, all my other cruises will get jealous! 😉 ~Nancy

Don't do it. I would be fine just flying into or out of OAK though. Airport hotels and gas stations in Oakland are currently having huge security and break in issues for drivers. Some cars have gotten broken into when the driver is still in them! Go to SFO and stay at an airport hotel. There are lots of good options and price ranges. I never take BART anymore after riding it to work for many years. For me it is scary, dirty and unsafe. It makes me sad because I used to even ride it for fun sometimes for a change of scenery. 😪 On that happy note, have a great cruise!! ~Nancy

I have also never seen an "à la minute" grill on HAL other than the eggs station. It would be great if it is something new for lunch and dinner since I was last on in the fall. ~Nancy

When does the Covid isolation FCC credit program end? ~Nancy

In my experiences on HAL in Alaska, all on the Nieuw Amsterdam, the Lido (covered) pool was not what I would call crowded. With the cover, it really makes the ship feel more spacious because people have all that space to hang out even when it's raining and/or cold. I consider the covered pool in any climate to be a big plus! ~Nancy

I have seen the special surcharges mentioned on menus around the area but can't guarantee that all restaurants will show it. They should be upfront with people but probably aren't always. ~Nancy

That is good news, thanks for sharing the article. With no concrete information on when the "financing process" will be complete, I still feel anxious for Havila as a company and the employees that have been waiting to board and start their jobs. I sure hope the final steps to ship delivery are speedy!! I am so looking forward to my trip to Norway and Havila Castor in the summer of 2024. 🙂 ~Nancy

When I cruise with a friend occasionally, we get the Signature Suites for more room. My girlfriends all seem to travel with way more "stuff" than I do also!! 😉 I do think the beds as a twin were still comfortable though. I usually sail solo so keep the bed as a queen configuration. Thanks for sharing your pictures on Halfacts.com @canadianbear. It would be nice to run into you and Mr. Bear on a ship again. I'm glad you are going cruising again before too long! ~Nancy

I'm so glad your trip north along the coast was smooth sailing. All of my northbound and a couple of the southbound coastals have been pretty bumpy! 🤢 I really enjoy your posts! ~Nancy

Kindly provided by Cruise Critic member ‘Canadianbear’. Photos taken in January 2019. 6203 – Koningsdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

Kindly contributed by Cruise Critic member ‘MekesMom’. Photos taken in March 2018. 6053 – Koningsdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)