OlsSalt

Long black skirt and one pair of black silk pants, with numerous dressy but packable tops. And one pair comfortable black shoes to be semi-hidden under both the pants or long skirt pretty much eliminates concerns about dresses and heels (and shapers!). So you get both dress up and comfort. Someone wisely said here long ago, when sitting down at dinner only the top half of you even shows anyway.

Depending on how close you are, you might want to take an extra shorter cruise before your upcoming long one and build up those final points to 4 star. In the past, the Marina 4 star benefits in the past do not accrue mid-cruise only after completion of the qualifying cruise. (unless it is a World Cruise, from what I heard.) We pushed ourselves over the top on a prior cruise to get to 4 star before a pending 50 day cruise ourselves. All to get "free laundry". Took a Neptune Suite and a lot of shore excursions on the prior cruise to get to our four star status ahead of the big cruise, and we never looked back. Don't look too closely at the math, just the fun of the game getting to "free laundry". Hope you find a way to get to 4 star before your 50 day cruise. But even if you don't, the HAL laundry packages are still a very good deal.

1. Silk underwear layer 2. Second fleece/Patagonia-type layer 3. Regular outer clothes - that can be worn with or without the extra layers - wool, cashmere good 4. One windproof longer parka with a hood - I like Uniqlo catalog for this - seamless construction 5. Hat, scarf, gloves, earmuffs - I like cashmere

You will find you do not need to over-pack cold weather gear. It actually was not that cold (see other post), nor will you be out in raw elements with no ability to retreat for that long either - just normal cold weather stuff. The glass domed Lido pool area acts like a sun room, and allows for a lot of scenic viewing too. The forward deck four, when it is open, is the coldest and windiest spot so you do need to pack one outfit for those experiences.

We always swear we will never do another holiday cruise again, but some how we have gone back for a few more. But we always have the same feeling - never again. Until the next time. ....... They are not typical HAL cruises at all. They are something else. Just know that up front. Things are more festive, people are noisier, and less likely to observe the quieter HAL traditions - constantly yelling in groups in the pool, that sort of thing. People travel in larger groups as well, take up more tables and elevators, and even paraded about in matching Pajamas on Christmas morning. We did a Christmas segment and a New Years segment last year and the two segments were quite different - far more kids on the Christmas segment (500?). But felt more like regular HAL passengers (older) on the New Years segment. If you have a choice, pick the New Year segment if you want it a little more low key except for NYEve. People did get very glamorous on New Years Eve. Lots of sparkle. Hardest thing for us was finding any place on board (Konigdam) on either segment where it was quiet, and had no annoying piped-in music Even the extra-cost Retreat Cabana, which we chose upfront in order to get away from the expected crowds and noise, allowed a family of eight to occupy a two-person cabana - two adults and 6 kids! Staff/management chose not to do anything about this, so know before you sign up during this holiday time.

Antarctica was surprisingly "warm". (Relative term here.) It is their summer. The sun shines nearly 24 hours a day and reflects off a lot of white snow. The wind is cold but when it is not windy, it is only cold; not freezing.

Silk underwear can also stretch out packing the dressy items - layering light weight, easily packed sparkle tops over the silk underwear layer, that gets one through an often chilly MDR.

Head and ear coverings are also must when outdoors in Antarctica. I find earmuffs/earpops are my own life saver. Silk underwear also makes good back up PJ's, if the laundry does not come back in a day. Plus they can be washed out in the sink and easy dry on the bathtub clothes line. So they go on every trip, even in the tropics. You never know when a surprise cold snap can come.

Post-covid, expect nothing more than a tap on both shoulders with a dress sword. But you must fall to your knees first.

For some reason in 2009 we got invited to a Medallion ceremony in the MDR on our very first 11 day HAL cruise. We were no-star.Maybe they did it that way back then. But when they handed out the 100 day bronze medallions, it was beyond my wildest imagination that anyone could ever accumulate that many days on board a cruise ship. A week here, a week there maybe but 100 total whole days. Unreal. It seemed like such a far fetched and out of touch goal. But it happened anyway. Almost 700 days now. Wow, we just say to ourselves, just wow. Thanks HAL for the always enticing new itineraries. Thanks HAL for the memories. And thanks to DH for the stacks of hard copy photo albums he still puts together after each cruise.

There were already five medical evacuations on that same Konigsdam holiday cruise. I suspect the key personnel had a greater stress load than on other cruises. Who knows what they need to do in response to those unplanned impacts. With as many kids also on board, it was not the most 'restful" cruise by long shot. Assume the staff was taking a lot of wear and tear too.

When you sailed HAL in 2005, it was mainly very small ship and indeed was glorious. Today the larger ships lose much of that former HAL small ship comfort, so be prepared. You will have a very different HAL experience this time on the ship you chose. But it may still be in good competition with Celebrity.

The Christmas Konigsdam Medallion ceremony was the briefest we had experienced as well. And limited to only higher Medallion members. But this last one on the Noordam was a bit more extended as they took time to also recognize the various medallion levels of the guests, as well as high Mariner point holders. I think it is fun to get to know who is sailing amongst us in those higher categories. It is a nice ice-breaker. But it did not include any bronze medallions; just the higher level ones. I don;'t know when or where the Bronze medallions got their well-earned recognition.

Wear what makes you happy. You will not feel out of place. Keep in mind many people still dress up because they want special photos taken that night. Others just like to have an occasion to dress up regardless. Other chose not to bother. So it is a pretty much general mix. Nothing is now "out of place".

Loved reading the prior reports of happy "sail by" Antarctica passengers. Me too. We did not feel we missed anything not landing either. Other than not actually landing, boots on the ground. It was just extraordinary anyway, as so many others have described so well. I am so glad HAL gave those of us the option to see this continent even as a sail-by, when the other options that provide landings can be so pricey. Thank you HAL, for continuing to get us down there too. We had an easy Drake passage too. But if not, I assume I would just take to bed, take my Bonine and order in chicken soup, crackers and green apples.

I have never seen scuba offered as a shore excursion. PADI myself. Plenty of snorkeling, but now even that that is age restricted.You will need to connect to a local certified scuba operator in each port. Easy to do online today. They can make arrangements for you to get from the port to their locale. Or it might be walkable.

No question in my mind - add Antartica if you are already that far down the South American continent. We loved doing this route both ways, but the addition of Antartica was the best one of all. Be very aware of the limitations now placed on "Antartica" offerings. However, it remains a very, very special bonus.

That could explain the changes we saw. Glad there was the recognition. Ours was a very small affair. Thanks.

What exactly do I do now that I am home with my Bronze, Silver and Gold HAL Medallions? Too big to hang on the Christmas tree. But too precious and full of memories to discard. (We keep them hanging on our travel bulletin board in a hallway - paper work and maps from pre and planned cruises.)

This is the Medallion Ceremony for actual days cruised; not the Mariner recognition for points accumulated. And it was 2019 - pre "covid" so the bronze medallions for 100 days were still awarded at that event. Last two Medallion ceremonies we attended post-"covid" no bronze recognitions and very trimmed down invite list. Though they did a special recognition of those with high Mariner point status - 1000 Mariner points plus even though this does not offer any additional Mariner perks.

The most Dutch food I remember from my first visit to Amsterdam in the 1960s was ..rollmops (pickled herring) and pommes frites - sold from stands all over the city. But with mayonnaise, not ketchup. Zut alors! So go to the Dive-Inn for their yummy french fries and get some mayonnaise for dipping - instant Dutch Food. I know they also offer pickled herring at the Lido and as a MDR breakfast options We did have the very good HAL Dutch pea soup on the day we visited Glacier Bay on a Noordam Alaska cruise. So if this Dutch Cafe favorite is not available every day on the Volendam, it just might be depending on the itinerary.

The medallions are for numbers of days actually onboard. Not to be confused with Mariner point system, which you just achieved. Congratulations. The four star perks will come, but do they register only after your last cruise that qualified you for the 4-star perks. There is no recognition ceremony for Mariner status -but maybe a special luncheon for all Mariners. Medallion ceremonies invitees for actual numbers of cruise days sailed tend to be now limited to the higher actual cruise days medallion qualifiers usually at least silver (350), gold (500 days), platinum (750) etc plus President Club members, depending on the threshold decided for each cruise even though 100- bronze medallions are still awarded. But I think they just get dropped off in the cabin (??) Some cruises we have been on hadover 800 "4 star" cruisers, which makes a very unwieldy amount for both perks and parties. They often held these events in double shifts. Probably one of the current and necessary onboard cost- cutting casualties - cocktail parties for a least 800 Mariner guests. Celebrate your 4 star status the way most of us do - sending out that first bag of "free laundry".

My final word on formal night:

Correction: It was not Steak Diane, but Tournedos Rossini that uses what looks like tinned Paté au foie gras. One cooks version of this dish where she admits she too uses the paté instead of whole piece foie gras, with good cause: Firstly fois gras is super expensive and a lot of it raises questions about animal welfare. So I just use a standard pâté from the supermarket. Pick one you love and go with that, although I would avoid anything with orange as I think it makes the red wine sauce taste strange. My personal favourite is Maggie Beer's Pheasant Farm pâté.

Last time I saw older boomers, War Babies and even older people get out of their seats and rock was during a live stage performance of The Buddy Holly Story. So many familiar songs. You could not help but get on your feet and go with the music.