POA1

True. SOLAS lifeboat requirements call for lifeboat capacity to be quite a bit higher than the # of pax & crew. IIRC from my good old outdoor lifeboat drills, HAL exceeds the SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) requirements. More than you want to know about lifeboats here: https://www.shmgroup.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-lifeboats/

What's the itinerary? @mcrcruiser

A lot of cruises that look like back to back or are also sold in "pieces" as well as "whole" are Collector's cruises. A lot of time the voyage code ends in an A. If you have one booking confirmation # and not two, you fall into that magical space where the Club Orange for 14 days is less than for 10 days. If you really booked it as 2 separate cruises, you probably paid more than the Collector's would have cost and you will have to (a) hope you can get CO for both cruises, and (b) pay 14 x $25 or $350 vs. 14 x $15 or $140.

I want to know how I can see my old statements in the app not not on the website. It's like there's a meeting and someone says, "Freature X would be really useful. Whatever you do, don't make it available everywhere!" Then another person says, "Good idea! How about if Feature X is is only available in the app?" Everyone goes, "Oooh, good one!" Then a third person, who's leaning back in his (or her) chair says, "Hold my beer. Let's make it so that Feature X is only available - in the app - while on the ship - if using an iPhone 12 or newer." Congratulations and huzzahs are heard all around. Bonuses are granted. People are promoted and a catered lunch is provided.

Do they still have the kiosk where you can print out your folio? I don't want to print anything. I'm just curious. BTW - I'm fascinated that I can see my statements from 10 years ago in the HAL app.

There are promo codes & campaign codes. From what I can tell, and bear in mind that we don't receive casino offers, only Mariner ones, campaign codes start with HEP for email and HAL for postal mail. When you go to the website, you're lucky to see one or two rates. Promo codes are usually 3 characters. I've tried to put the codes in the website, but 9 times out of 10 we simply had our TA do the work for us. If you have a good TA or PCC, I'd let them do the work. It costs the same and we didn't have to worry about learning how to use all the various systems. Of course, you have to find someone good first.

You'll have an advantage. They'll be looking at their screens and bumping into things. 😉

Tiny clarification: AIRPLANE MODE ON, which turns off the cellular & the WiFi radios. THEN WiFi On.

The app lets you see daily programs & menus, but you can find them on paper on board. Other than the messaging, which we've always managed with Post-Its* or that psychic connection you get from being married for decades, the only thing I can think of that you'll miss out on is online food ordering. You'll probably be fine and those of us who can do it will be fatter. Because if I'm being honest, being able to have some food meet me after a night at the B.B. King Lounge or the Rolling Stone Rock Room is probably going to seem more appealing than it should.

The Note 8 shipped with Android 7.1 (Nougat) and stopped getting updates at Android 9, which came out in 2018. The current version of Navigator requires Android 10 at a minimum. You should be able to access most of the functionality via your web browser on the ship, but some things won't work. I'd guess device-to-device messaging would be one of them. I think you'll be fine without the app. We've been cruising since before cell phones and always managed. 😀

We haven't cruised since 2018, and I don't think I've seen him since 2012.... But I wonder if Tuxedo T-Shirt Guy is still around? He had a magical gray ponytail, and that, "Drink packages? I don't need no stinking drink packages!" attitude. ('Cause there's no way "the man" is telling me to stop at 15.) If you see him and his long-suffering wife, "Lord, I wish I were invisible lady," tell them I said, "Hi."

You can use the general line or the PCC 800#, or do it yourself on the website. Like any HAL promo, there's a code associated with your Mariner ID that triggers the rate.

I know what you're thinking, @colbe - What helpful people these are!

Here's a link to an old thread discussing the topic. People who have been around for a while will remember some of the posters' names.

That could be it. We're on the Nieuw Statendam on in December and we have orange tags. I don't recall having orange tags in the past, but then again this is our first time on the NS. I'm pretty sure the color is for baggage handling. If you are in a busy turnaround port you can have several Holland America ships calling on a given day.

They used to use different colors to signify the ship, if I recall correctly. What ship are you on with orange tags?

My pet peeve (on any site) is when a top level menu item has no function and only serves to trigger the fly out / menu expansion. For example, the first link (Plan a Cruise) ought to go somewhere when you click it. When I was a boy and we were building the internet with hand tools and duct tape, User Interface Design standards required a landing page for each menu item. If we failed to create the page, they'd lock us in the root cellar with nothing but hard tack and cold coffee until we learned our lesson.

The schnitzel is a main dining room item. The Dover Sole is on the Sel de Mer menu. (And all the cool kids are ordering it.)

I'll give you an alternative take based on our experience. We had cabanas on five different sailings when my wife's father traveled with us. (In his own stateroom.) He would pop in to the Retreat area to say hello, see what we were doing for lunch, what our plans for the day were, etc. Our cabana stewards never really said anything other than asking my wife, "Where papa was." Her dad dropped by for short visits. We didn't make additional demands on the staff. (Also, we're nice. 😊) If he was in the area for more than 10 minutes a day, I'd be surprised. I really think the staff can tell the difference between an occasional brief visit and trying to cram extra guests into the cabana area. They will definitely know if you are trying to have more than 2 guests taking advantage of the services. So will other people in the area. I'm guessing Alaska will have less cabana demand, but I could be wrong.

Not you. I just had a long day and was worried I offended you.

There is an add on for extra devices. I think Roger posted about it. It's targeted for passengers 3 & 4, but I suppose you could but it til be super connected. @Crew News

Feeding fermented cabbage products to people in a meeting is pretty brave.

Not aimed at anyone at all. It was more of an observation about how things sometimes go here. I was initially worried that I was going to find out the the schnitzel was kaput because no one but me liked it.

Just weighing in to tell you that I am definitely going to steal this phrase. 😁

You didn't mention the ship, but a Signature Suite is a decent compromise, spacewise. It's roughly halfway between a verandah & a Neptune.