oakridger

You didn't really drink the distilled water, did you? On board it's meant for cpap machines. No minerals, no taste! The tap water is fine and tastes fine, especially when cold. ~Nancy

I had a couple beers delivered with room service and they were charged even though I had the beverage package. This was Rotterdam in November 2022. From HAL website: "The packages exclude purchases made in the Mini Bar, Honor Bar, Chocolate Seduction, Room Service Dining, beverages purchased on Half Moon Cay and any self-service draft beer. Freestyle Coca-Cola is only available on Rotterdam, Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam." ~Nancy

I would call it "included" rather than "free". 😉 ~Nancy

The SBP is still any drink $11 or less, correct? If one only drinks >$11 drinks, then consider upgrading to Elite Beverage Package immediately upon boarding. ~Nancy

Tussen takk (thank you) everyone for all the suggestions! I'm not going until June 2024 but am having fun gathering information. I'll be taking Havila coastal ferry for part of my trip to Norway then explore on land. ~Nancy

@kaisatsu that's a good question! I found out that our cards still don't have PIN but we have Tap and Pay which is contactless. I'm going to contact Mastercard and Visa and see if they offer the PIN cards. Thanks for mentioning this! ~Nancy

Thanks @*Miss G*. That's what I thought I had read several years ago. Fortunately, I don't have any reason to be concerned about it! ~Nancy

Have fun Rich. What is the excursion? ~Nancy

See the post above for "the small print" on this offer. It's OBC for the friend and future cruise credit for you. You will get the FCC posted in "My Account" after the friend pays the final payment for their cruise. That's fine with me. Unfortunately for US and Canada only.

The small print. It's a future cruise credit, but that's OK with me. How It Works For every friend you refer who books a cruise, you'll get a $50 Future Cruise Credit! Once your friend completes the final payment on their upcoming cruise, a Future Cruise Credit will appear in My Account. Offer available for new Holland America Line guests in US and Canada only. Need more details? Terms and Conditions.

Well, well.....there it is at the very lower right of the screen AFTER I logged into my account! The banner was tiny, and I would never have noticed it. Thanks @Taters for the info!!!! ~Nancy Give $50, Get $50 Give Your Friends $50 Onboard Credit And Get $50 Future Cruise Credit For Each Valid Referral! Enter Your Name And Email Associated With My Account To Get Your Share Link. Your name Your last name whoever@testing.com Your email ENTER PENDING ERROR SUCCESS By clicking on “Enter” and providing contact details Holland America Line will use the information provided to contact me with marketing and promotional messages. You can opt out at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Notice and Website Terms of Service. How It Works| Terms and Conditions| Powered by Extole

What a great and concise review! I'm glad to hear you both had a wonderful birthday cruise. Regarding the club sandwiches......I love a good club and have had some on HAL, but the last time I ordered one from room service it was on barely toasted bread and only had one thin slice of ham and one thin slice of turkey and one piece of bacon with the three pieces of bread! 😲 I took out the middle bread and ate it but didn't order again. Next time I'm on HAL I will know to ask for double/triple meat and well toasted bread. I'm sure they will accommodate that like most requests are! 🙂 Thanks, ~Nancy

Yep!!!

On HAL? I wasn't aware of any such program. Can you post a link to the information please? ~Nancy

They were on Nieuw Amsterdam last October. The art auctions must be making money, or they wouldn't still be on board. I don't understand why anyone would buy their product, especially since the facts about the "art" are so well known online. Go figure!! 🤷‍♀️ ~Nancy

Plus, the bathrooms are much larger in a SS!! Two sinks. A jacuzzi tub with shower over it and a stand-alone shower stall!! After you look at the pictures on HALFacts.com you will really see the difference. The SS balcony is large enough for 5 people (you will need to move an extra seat out there if you want to sit, but there are two chairs and two footstools so seats for 4 already). The table can hold 5 drinks but isn't large enough to eat a meal from for more than two at a time IMO. Good current pics in this link below. 6080 – Eurodam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com) I've been on the Nieuw Amsterdam several times in a SS and it's my favorite cabin of any ship so far!!! I say go for it and don't wait to book your choice!!! Deck 6 is my choice also. ~Nancy

delete

I'm glad to see the drink receipts go away again! Good riddance. They really annoyed me when they started them on October 30th on the Rotterdam. I sent a message to the "Tell Us" on the app right away that the signing when one has a drink package or even when it's charged to your cabin is a lot of wasted time for everyone! ~Nancy

@kaisatsu I really appreciate you taking time to give all of us so much detailed information! I'm now planning a trip to Norway in June 2024 (long wait!) so will be checking this forum regularly. Great restaurant information above. Tussen takk, ~Nancy

@cruznoob57Just an FYI, we do use chip and tap and pay cards here in the USA! Have a wonderful trip to the land of my peeps also! ~Nancy

From what I have read here on CC, it's on all the ships now. ~Nancy

November 2022 Rotterdam

The Victoria stop will let passengers off if it docks at 9pm or any other time. Question: If a passenger has some legal reason they will not be permitted to enter Canada will that passenger even be allowed to board the ship in Seattle (or any other port)? Doesn't the Canadian Boarder Services see the manifest before the ship leaves the home port? ~Nancy