Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

islandblue

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    124

  • Joined

 Content Type 

Posts posted by islandblue

    Connecting Doors on Koningsdam - noisy?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Hi folks - 

    Looking to book a category VB cabin on deck 4, on the Koningsdam. These cabins are in the aft and several have connecting doors. Has anyone experienced excessive noise through these doors? The larger balconies attract us but not sure about the adjoining door. This is an 18 day cruise so we want to get it right. 
    Thanks for any advice - 

    Cheers from BC - 

    Nan

    Best things to do as a solo cruiser

    in Solo Cruisers

    Posted

    Hi folks - 

    I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and ideas re solo cruising. I’ve booked a solo cabin on the Koningsdam on her transatlantic this April. So looking forward to it! I’ve never cruised solo and look on it as an adventure. My DH will be meeting me in Rome. That, too, will be an adventure. 

    I can’t quite picture how this will go, but reading of your experiences helps me visualize it - thanks. 

    Have any of you tried one of these solo cabins? They get great reviews. 

     

     

    Can you have lunch in dining room on embarkation day?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    New to Hal just wondering if I can have lunch in dining room on embarkation day. Thanks for any info

     

     

     

    We were on the Volendam last month, and ate in the MDR at noon, just after boarding. We did hear them turn people away who were not Mariners (had not sailed with HAL yet).

     

    It makes a lovely, quiet spot to eat lunch on that first day. There were very few of us in there. Excellent food and service. Sorry that first-timers couldn’t enjoy it too.

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Bon Voyage to islandblue May23, 2018

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Thanks so much for posting this, Roy!

    To make it even happier, I just said yes to an upsell offer for a Neptune Suite. [emoji4]

    This is my third time to Alaska, my hubby’s second. Never tire of it. All on HAL, which I also never tire of!

     

    Cheers,

    Nan (and Dave)

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Live from Volendam! May 9-16 Alaska Inside Passage from Vancouver

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    So happy you are documenting your trip, Kesstral! Enjoy every minute! We will be on the same cruise two weeks from now, May 23. Can’t wait! DH and are are celebrating our 45th anniversary onboard.

     

    Two years ago a friend and I were upgraded to a Neptune Suite on the Nieuw Amsterdam, doing the same route. We certainly loved the space and all the Neptune perks. Enjoy!

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Upsell Came Earlier Than Expected

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Hope you enjoy it - I'm sure you will! We received the same upsell offer today but decided not to take it. We have a supposedly great Signature Suite booked, 6108, and I'm so curious to see it. If you look at the deck plans it's larger than normal as it is in the part of the ship that juts out. I've read a number of good things about those cabins so I'm sure my friend and I will enjoy. DH is staying home and my friend is a first time cruiser. I think we'll be so busy out and about the ship that we wouldn't be in the Neptune Lounge very much. My cruise buddy will be overwhelmed and amazed by all the offerings. The NA is a new ship to me too - and this is the first of two cruises I have booked on her. I'll be doing a recce of all the great spots on her, for when DH and I board for our Panama cruise next April.

     

    Also, the cost difference in Canadian dollars wasn't a great deal - they were asking $324 pp for the upsell. On the web, the price differential is $400 CND. If I were truly interested, I would have made a counter-offer! But no, I'm happy with what we have.

     

    I'll be interested to read your Neptune impressions, Heartgrove. Enjoy!

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Help needed choosing the Voldendam or Nieuw Amsterdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    A friend and I are going to Alaska this May, and we were faced with a similar decision. I would have tended towards a smaller ship too, but the calendar dictated otherwise. So we'll be sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam on May 28, which happens to be my friend's birthday. Can't imagine a better birthday for her! I've googled so much about the Nieuw Amsterdam and read so many positive reviews that I'm sure it will be terrific. And then my DH and I were looking for a Panama cruise in 2017...and there again was the Nieuw Amsterdam. So my next two cruises are on the NA - after which I should know definitively whether a bigger ship appeals to me. I did like the Zuiderdam very much, and also the Maasdam (smaller). I think that with HAL you can't go wrong :-)

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Cost and how to book retreat cabanas

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Thanks to CruiserBruce and cruz chic for the advice. I appreciate it! I did go to the HAL Facebook site and posed a question so will be interesting to see if they reply. Bruce, how do you monitor a cruise to see if cabanas can be booked? Is there a simple way of seeing it that I'm missing? Thanks!

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Cost and how to book retreat cabanas

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Can anyone advise how far in advance you can book a cabana? I did phone HAL services last week to inquire about April 2017 - Panama cruise - but they aren't taking bookings that far out. She suggested calling again in August or so. I'm just afraid of missing it - any recommendations from you folks who have rented them? Thanks :)

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Maasdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We were on the Maasdam for 13 days last October - Montréal to Fort Lauderdale. Can't say enough about that wonderful ship and crew! Enjoyed every minute. We had cabin 171, a Vista suite. Great cabin, excellent location. I'd book that again in a heartbeat. Exceptional stewards, Anwar and Budha. Friends we met onboard showed us their lanai cabin. They didn't like it, as they felt the interior space quite small. I do like the idea of those cabins though, fun to try out. Our relatives had an OV cabin and I was impressed with the space in that. We will try one someday! We like smaller ships but our next two bookings happen to be on the Nieuw Amsterdam - thanks to timing and itineraries. Will be fun to get to know that dam ship too :-) And I am partial to verandahs....heading to Alaska and Panama, so yes a verandah is in the plans :-)

    Enjoy your time on the Maasdam.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    White Pass via train, bus, or both?

    in Alaska

    Posted

    On my first cruise to Alaska, we took the train/bus combo and loved it. I'm going back there at the end of May (with a first-time cruiser friend, DH staying home!) and I found a "Luxury Parlour Car" tour - train up and back. Sounds wonderful and I have fond memories of parlour car train travel in the 50s and 60s with my parents. Leather seats, small number of people in the car, beverages and snacks served, good commentary - and that fabulous scenery. Should be a real treat!

×
×
  • Create New...