jeh10641

It sounds as if we are mostly in agreement about HAL's music venues. Does anybody from HAL read these comments? If not, we should send our comments directly to HAL. If they get a lot of complaints/suggestions, they might actually listen to us.

Jim

I have not been on HAL since 2021 but I always enjoyed the 2 piano concept (duel or dual is immaterial).

Jim 

I have not been on HAL since 2021 but I always enjoyed the 2 piano concept (duel or dual is immaterial).

Jim 

3 minutes ago, DB2VA said:

Thanks for the help. 

My pleasure.

Jim 

I gave up coats and ties years ago when it became a packing issue for airlines. Nice shirt, sweater and long pants is as formal as I will get. Thus no Cunard cruises for me.

Jim 

2 hours ago, DB2VA said:

I am new to Holland America , but not new to cruising. I have the Any time dining. Do I need to make reservations for the main dining room?

Hello DB2VA,

I spoke to HAL a couple of weeks ago about this same issue. We have Any Time dining for a January cruise. HAL told me that on embarkation day asap go the dining room and speak the host/hostess to request a time and/or table if you know them. You can find table locations at halfactsdotcom.

Jim

2 hours ago, srsurman said:

Want to make a bet?  $5 you post something similar soon...

Do not be nasty because you do not like a post

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

While this is an unfortunate situation. I suspect that at this late date it wouldn't matter how many accessable cabins the ship had, they would all be booked. It is a simple fact that there are only so many accomodations that can be made and after a given point we all miss the boat. We just booked a cruise tour yesterday (ironically on Koningsdam) and there were no cabins in the class we wanted in the location we wanted so we had to go up a class to get the location. Even as relatively able bodied individuals we were faced with a choice; pay for the more expensive cabin or don't. Others are faced with the fact there are no special cabins left for them, and suggesting that HAL or any cruise line for that matter needs to accomodate them seems pretty entitled to many.

I agree in principle but extenuating circumstances sometimes alter reality. I book our cruises 18 months or two years in advance. Once I had to cancel for back surgery. Once I  had to cancel because of THE COVID pandemic (not my choice!).

Jim

18 hours ago, shiner6 said:

Well, if this is indeed the case, then it looks like she should have planned in advance and not expect accommodations based on her handicap.  Maybe she could try another cruise where ADA rooms are available.  It was quite uncomfortable on the Zuiderdam cruise in August, trying to navigate the hallways with scooters left parked there.  Some of us have mobility issues that do not require a scooter, but still need an unencumbered hallway to navigate.

I know the OP and he was on the cruise in question but health issues required a cancelation. Now he is trying to rebook it.

Jim

23 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Widening the doorway of a standard cabin won't help. In most cabins, you enter through a little hallway with closets to one side and the bathroom to the other. That hallway is the width of the existing doorway. If you widen the doorway, the closets would have to be removed, and then storage would have to go somewhere else, which would limit movement somewhere else in the cabin. 

I of course forgot the hallway inside the cabin!

Jim

My wife has curly hair. On newer ships like Rotterdam or Anthem OTS, the hairdryers are have been fine. Not hardwired on either ship. Rotterdam was an inside on deck 1, Anthem was a forward facing Oceanview on deck 7.

Jim

3 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

 We are having a very hard time to  be able to get a handicap stateroom  on Koningsdm for the Hawaii cruise Jan 28 ,2025 as it seems they are all sold out . However , wht can't we book a standars Neranda & the cabin attendant take our electric scooter in the evening to charge it & bring it back in the morning ? Seems to us then  the cruise line could sell more cabins . We do not need completely accessable bathrooms   ?

 

Thanks in advance for replies 

Aloha, Cliff,

Here are my two cents.

Ship cabins are built as containers and are installed as a finished unit. Therefore, I do not think doorways can be widened after construction unless the whole cabin is extracted. I am not sure that can be done. Perhaps on new ships, door ways should be made wider.

Storing scooters, wheelchairs and walkers in the hallways adds a risk in case of an emergency by limiting access of passengers rushing to their muster stations. It also may limit the crew while doing their routine work of cleaning cabins and the hall carpets.

If a mobility device is stored somewhere outside of the cabin (storage room?), in an emergency that device would not be readily available for its owner.

I hope you are able to resolve your issue with HAL so you can sail with us in January

Jim

On 9/13/2024 at 2:20 PM, Aew0431 said:

Hi Jim,

 

We live in Groningen, also in the Netherlands. Way up north. But now we are on the Nieuw Statendam! And you?

 

Erika

Hi, Erika,

We are near Seattle in the Northwest part of mainland U.S. We are about 1500 miles north of Los Angeles. It is the home of HAL in the U.S. Our next cruise is on Koningsdam in January 2025 round-trip to Hawaii from San Diego. 

Jim

21 hours ago, Aew0431 said:

I'm sorry. Read the part about laundry and reacted to that. It's the laundry form (HAL) I'm talking about. Do I keep one before doing it in the laundry bag or complete. 

Hi, Aew0431,

We always keep a copy. I do not remember which color. We have never had a problem but I would rather be safe than sorry.

We spent a week in Amsterdam a year ago. Loved the city, the people and the food. Where do you live?

Jim

50 minutes ago, Aew0431 said:

One question about the form. Do I keep one of the three layers of the form, or do I put it in complete?

Which form are you talking about?

Jim

I, too, just put my card in a shirt pocket. I never buy a shirt without a pocket. I spent most of my working years as a sales rep so needed a place for pens, business cards, etc. Even in retirement I still need a pen for writing and sometimes business cards.

Jim

9 hours ago, Crew News said:

Thanks for posting your views of your cruise.  It helps others in their planning. 

 

On many HAL ships, Specialty coffees are available from 7:00 - 9:00 AM in the Pinnacle Bar on Deck2.  Check the back page of your Daily Program to see what time the Pinnacle Bar opens.

 

Finding tables in the Lido works best by tag teaming:  leaving one person to hold the table and then take turns getting food.  You can always take food back to your stateroom.

 

The Lido also has several 8-top community (sharing) tables near the exit to the outdoor pool.  Feel free to ask if you can join those seated there.  It is an opportunity to meet fellow passengers. 

 

It is my experience that there are always open tables by the indoor pool at breakfast time.  As a solo, I eat there several times each cruise. 

 

Have you tried the Taco Bar next to the indoor pool?  A big plate of nachos for afternoon snacks in your stateroom is a real treat.

 

Have you seen the new Pinnacle Grill Menu (blue decor) on your Navigator app?

Hello, Crew News,

Great tips. My wife and I tag team in the Lido Buffet once we find a table. I am not a coffee drinker (even though I live in Starbucks home area) but the Pinnacle Bar sounds intriguing for my wife. We have dined outside near the Lido, weather permitting. Indoor poolside not so much. Too noisy. Except when dining at NY Pizza/Deli (not really NY pizza or deli).

Jim

31 minutes ago, simonaitch said:

I have 2 complimentary meals in Pinnacle and Canaletto, whats the policy regarding tipping ?

I know if you purchase a meal in Pinnacle or Canaletto, an extra 18% is included for the gratuity. I do not know how it works if you have a complimentary meal. It is possible, you could be charged extra for the gratuity.

Jim

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

They do not allow unopened plastic disposable bottles of water onboard.  This refers to typical bottled water you buy by the case at the supermarket.  If you bring them you do so at your own risk.  They can be much more strict at embarkation than at visited ports 

 

they do allow canned water or boxed water

As usual, you cut right to the chase with great information.

Jim

I have not sailed on HAL since 2021. What I think they mean, no plastic bottles but it is okay to bring water in cans or paper containers. Never a problem for us since I drink Iced Tea on board. I do not bring water. When I do drink water on board, it is water from the ship in their provided glasses. No containers of water used by us.

22 hours ago, jonyboy said:

It was a few years since we did the Alaska cruise but at that time they had an unlimited option.  Do they still have that?

Hi, jonyboy,

The price I mentioned was the cost per day for the unlimited package for our Koningsdam cruise coming in January 2025.

Jim

On 8/10/2024 at 5:39 PM, Steerpike58 said:

Well that's interesting, and I think contradicts what I've read previously (but can't be sure at this point). Being able to order a latte in the Lido with breakfast would be perfect! I will have the HIA package so it should be covered.  So - in the Lido, I understand it's self-service for the food, but are there roaming waiters ready to take drinks orders at breakfast? That would be great! 

On past HAL cruises (last 12/21), there were servers in the buffet for drink orders as well as self-service options.

Jim

On 8/9/2024 at 11:03 AM, Steerpike58 said:

A mundane question ... does HA have a laundry room for self-service laundry, and more to the point - do they have ironing boards and irons for passenger use? We just got back from a Viking cruise and while I didn't use their self-serve laundry, I did touch up all my shirts with their iron and it was very convenient. We're on the Oosterdam - Vista class. 

The HAL laundry package amounts to about $8.50/day. You can send out stuff every day. We use it. Pack less. Helps at airports with less weight. 

Jim

Here is more pennies' worth of my thoughts. Never been on Princess so will not offer any comments other than this. I just spoke to a person at HAL viz-a-viz my upcoming cruise. She had worked for 25 years at Princess in Onboard Events for their corporate office in SoCal. The pandemic cost her her job. When cruising restarted, Princess did not take her back saying she did not have enough experience! Really? 25 years? On the other hand, she said HAL is a much better employer in that they are told that "Yes" is more important than "We cannot do that" (Princess philosophy). She sounded happy.

On our last cruise on Anthem OTS in October, our boarding time in Southampton (around 11 AM) was less than 10 minutes from baggage drop to on board.

Disembarkation in New Jersey took 2 hours with the line extending all around the ship. There was no reason given. My thought it was either a police or a medical issue. We experienced no lines for any activity onboard. 

There were over 4,000 passengers on board but because there was SO MUCH to do, I did not get to many of the activities I wanted even though we were onboard for 15 nights. Some activities we did more than once because we enjoyed them so much (mainly music shows).

Each to his or her or their own.

Jim

I looked at Club Orange as an option (suites are way beyond my budget) and the only benefit I see for me is embarkation and tendering priority. Neither of those are worth the fees. For Club Orange dining on Pinnacle Class ships, there is a private dining room with one or two daily specials not available in the MDR. However, we like to add specialty dining venues to our trips as they are "special". That means paying extra for meals twice as often as I care to do. We are not drinkers and my internet needs are simple.

HAL offers us the type of cruising we like, quiet with enough entertainment options. We are in our 80s with no grandkids. Our son has grand pets. If the opposite was true and we were younger, perhaps the bells and whistles of larger ships might be attractive to us. The so-called premium lines also might be more attractive to us if our budget could afford them as well.

Jim