regnig

Roy, thank you for taking all of us along on your cruise. Your pictures were wonderful. Get plenty of rest and have a safe journey home.

53 minutes ago, Funsun60 said:

Just a question: if the card is inside a plastic cover, does this allow a tap to open the cabin door or pay for drinks? Or do you just use the card alone attached to the lanyard? What happens if there is no hole punched on the card and you use a plastic cover for the card on your lanyard?

I have a lanyard with a plastic sleeve that hold the card and it works just fine to open the stateroom door and when i order something from the bar i just hand it over lanyard and all and they do not remove the card from the sleeve to scan it.

Now there's a captain who knows how to blow his own horn!

Our turn!

I don't know about Jan & Feb but the 12 day 17March sailing had the Panama Canal cancelled about 2 months ago. The entire itinerary was changed to the Eastern Caribbean Wayfarer itinerary with an additional stop in San Juan.  Real Bummer!😞

Sailing in March leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. I'm traveling with my daughter in the same stateroom and a very good friend in the stateroom next to ours. I am 4 Star and know I and my daughter will have priority boarding passes.  Can my good friend who is a 3 Star accompany us and board as priority?  Or, should I and my daughter will just hang back and board when she does? 

TIA

i guess I'm one of the very few who don't care about pins and medallions or ceremonies as they are just "things".  Along with the wonderful memories of my cruises I'm just excited about the new perks moving up in Stars gets you. Having moved to 4 Star on my B2B in March and earning free laundry was celebration enough. 😁

guy+doll - interior staterooms on the Rotterdam have the same outlets as a veranda does. 

Thank you for the rapid response.  Continue to enjoy your adventure. 

Barbara

Mary Ann - Bill,

I've got a question I know you can answer. Is the walk from Port Everglade to the Publix at the Harbor Shops on the B2B day in Ft Lauderdale a safe one? Single woman (old and gray) walking by myself. TIA!

On 10/18/2023 at 4:55 PM, Djptcp said:

My husband said the last time we were on the Rotterdam the library was gone. We are sailing on her this Sunday and wonder if anyone lately has seen a library on the Rotterdam again? We will bring our own paperbacks and my Kindle has new books downloaded, so we will be set. Just curious about the Rotterdam.

 

As a retired Librarian I am happy to see support for our libraries. They are for everyone and free.

As you can see from the other responses that YES there is a Library on the Rotterdam - a very nice one. It does take looking at the ships diagram at the elevators to find.  Must admit it took me 3 times to fine it in March. !st time wrong deck🙄, 2nd time didn't go walk far enough down the passage way 😕, but 3rd time it was a charm 😀!  Selection was great, even had several copies of the latest Patterson book and even though I had a couple of paperback books I had brought from home I spent 21 days reading selections from the library. 

The Lido used to have "Snickers Cake" that was to die for. Haven't seen it in at least 5 years.😞

Be aware that this service does not require that you set it up prior to your cruise. Once on board and a few days prior to disembarkation HAL will send paperwork to your stateroom for you to use to sign up for the service. I've done it both ways without problems. 

Wishing you a wonderful cruise. 

10 hours ago, Gigi1977 said:

We were on N Statendam in August and we had a choice of once per day or twice per day. We chose once per day  because our cabin stewards had so many more rooms than they did prior to shutdown.  We also requested ice in the evenings - just ice but they always checked our towels and took any dirty dishes.   Not a ‘full turn down’ but they took very good care of us.  

That was the same service I received on the Rotterdam in March and I was in an inside room as a single.  Additionally, when i encountered my steward in the hallway he always asked me if there was anything I needed. I can't say enough good things about the service I have always received on HAL!

Thanks for such a positive note!

Not new to HAL but have a question and didn't want to start a new thread. What is the web site that shows what cruise ships are scheduled to be in a port on a given day? The search function did not provide me with an answer. Thanks

On 8/25/2023 at 6:28 PM, BLH613 said:

We are booked on the 3/17/24 departure. The itinerary hasn’t changed yet on the website booking but the email states the call to Gatun Lake on 3/24 has been canceled.  I’m still waiting to see what the replacement might be and if there is a significant price adjustment. 

We are also on the 3/17 sailing. We had booked excursions in Cartagena and Costa Rica. Received two emails about an "itinerary change" and cancelation of those excursions. Looking at my itinerary on-line there is no change. Even started a dummy booking and it let me book the same cruise with the same itinerary.  Both of my emails said excursions were available on-line to book replacements. Went to HAL's site and was able to book the same excursions again, same dates same times. 

Leaves me wondering just where the Rotterdam is going and when HAL is going to tell us. And yes, if she is no longer doing the canal there should be a reduction in price. 

Is there a way to cancel a future booking made by my TA?  She is currently dealing with a death in the family and I hate to bother her.  If "yes" what happens with the deposit? Do I have to call HAL as I see nothing on my booking page that allows that change. Other than the deposit nothing else has been paid to HAL.

Many thanks!

8 hours ago, KSW78 said:

..................Has anyone continued to feel as if you’re on a boat after you disembark? It’s been two days (and a couple of long flights) and I still feel a gentle lolling as if I’m still on the ship............. 

Oh yes, that is very common. Without getting into medical details understand that parts of your inner ear and brain work as a gyroscope to keep your body in balance. Prior to going on a cruise those parts are set to function on land.  While you are on a cruise they slowly readjust themselves helping you keep your balance while onboard. Once the cruise is over they again need to readjust themselves and until they do you may continue that feeling of gentle rolling.  This too will pass!

Welcome to CC's Holland America board. Thank you for your detailed and positive write up about your 1st cruise. Since you enjoyed your cruise so much I'd recommend you explore the variety of "sea sick" elimination methods and products. I've sailed with many who recommend the Motion Sickness Patches which are a 100% natural product.  Any body of water can be effected by the weather and limiting your cruising would be a shame.

On my cruise(s) this Spring onboard the Rotterdam I booked my 21 days as a Back to Back (two separate booking - same stateroom). The first leg gave me enough sea days to become a 4 star.  Although the Mariner Society rep I talked with told me to go to the Customer Service desk the day before turn around day it was not necessary. The evening prior to turn around day my new stateroom card with 4 stars on it was delivered to my stateroom without me having to take any action.  Perhaps this was something only the Rotterdam does but I doubt that.  Were I you, I'd book your trip in the 2 legs. 

Is anyone else having problems with the HAL website or is it just me?  Can't sign in nor can i bring up up current booking using the Booking Number.

Okay, just to make sure I understand the answer I was looking for all she needs is HAL's Surf Plan, is that correct?

As far as Verizon's costs we are aware of those.   

I’ll admit I’m probably the least tec-savvy person on this board.  My question is about the WIFI packages and doing a search on the board has not provided me an answer.  My adult daughter will be joining me on the Rotterdam March 2024 and needs to be able to use her iphone for texting and making/receiving phone calls – no streaming or searching the internet. She has service with Version that includes “international” services. My question is what WiFi plan with HAL do I need to book for her.

TIA for your help.

I attempted to leave positive feedback on the Navigator for several members of the cruise staff on my spring 21 day cruise. I never received any acknowledgement for any of them, not even a Thank You for letting us know.  The only time I knew my praise was passed along was when stopped in the hallway one evening by the uniformed head officer (sorry don't remember his title) over Hotel services and he asked how are things going and if I was pleased with the service. I verbally praised my room steward as he was wonderful and probably the best I've ever had. The next day my steward told me he was notified of my praise and awarded - now hold on to your chair - a whopping $11. 😵 Oh well, guess better than nothing!  I certainly attempted to make up it at the end of the cruise.