New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"

That's pretty much it. Makes it very difficult for those of us with mobility problems.

 

The trick is to pick something easy, like a glass of juice or water, on the way by, then find a place. Leave some things to save your place, and head off for the main meal.

Many of the ships use a large platter type plate, so you can mix several things on it, which reduces the number of trips back and forth.

I use a cane and find wait staff very helpful in offering to carry my plate to the table.

I use a cane and find wait staff very helpful in offering to carry my plate to the table.

You do realize that the post you quoted is going on three years old. Some things have changed a bit in that time, including more help during peak hours, at least on some classes of ship.

However, if you use the Lido during off-peak hours, there can still be a difficulty getting assistance when you need it. Staffing levels are reduced in the Lido after 2:00 PM, so assistance then is not as likely as it is when the full service line is open.

You do realize that the post you quoted is going on three years old. Some things have changed a bit in that time, including more help during peak hours, at least on some classes of ship.

 

However, if you use the Lido during off-peak hours, there can still be a difficulty getting assistance when you need it. Staffing levels are reduced in the Lido after 2:00 PM, so assistance then is not as likely as it is when the full service line is open.

We have been on 2 HAL cruises within the last year and have had no trouble.

I am new here. Have not done any cruise before. Have booked a HAL to Alaska from Vancouver for 7 nights on the Noordam. Paid for a signature suite (without the drink package as we do not drink) as we do not want to be claustrophobic. I have a couple of questions:

1. I understand we will be allowed to bring some water bottles on board. Is this correct? People said it is safe to drink tap water on the ship but we prefer bottled water. Am thinking of taking 6 x 1 litre bottles when getting on the ship - and buy extra at various ports.

2. Is there a kettle in the signature suite to boil water for making cups of tea? Or, tea is only served in the dining area? Another reason for asking is that we don't drink black tea, but prefer herbal teas. Are herbal teas available free of charge? Or, extra? We prefer to bring our own herbal tea bags - if there is a kettle in the suite (like in a hotel).

3. I have read that the bathroom amenities are supplied on the ship such as shampoo & conditioner - so we don't need to bring these, other than our own toothbrush & toothpaste.

4. There will be over 2,000 pax on the ship so the queues for boarding will be long (like hours?). Is there a special queue for pax in suites? Like for a plane, first & business pax board first, then economy pax. Or, do we just turn up and wait in the queues?

5. Does disembarking work the same way? - ie everyone gets off the ship at the same time? Or, do suite pax get off first?

Thanks in advance. Please feel free to add extra things which we should be aware of. We are not interested in eating buffet food.

I am new here. Have not done any cruise before. Have booked a HAL to Alaska from Vancouver for 7 nights on the Noordam. Paid for a signature suite (without the drink package as we do not drink) as we do not want to be claustrophobic. I have a couple of questions:

1. I understand we will be allowed to bring some water bottles on board. Is this correct? People said it is safe to drink tap water on the ship but we prefer bottled water. Am thinking of taking 6 x 1 litre bottles when getting on the ship - and buy extra at various ports.

2. Is there a kettle in the signature suite to boil water for making cups of tea? Or, tea is only served in the dining area? Another reason for asking is that we don't drink black tea, but prefer herbal teas. Are herbal teas available free of charge? Or, extra? We prefer to bring our own herbal tea bags - if there is a kettle in the suite (like in a hotel).

3. I have read that the bathroom amenities are supplied on the ship such as shampoo & conditioner - so we don't need to bring these, other than our own toothbrush & toothpaste.

4. There will be over 2,000 pax on the ship so the queues for boarding will be long (like hours?). Is there a special queue for pax in suites? Like for a plane, first & business pax board first, then economy pax. Or, do we just turn up and wait in the queues?

5. Does disembarking work the same way? - ie everyone gets off the ship at the same time? Or, do suite pax get off first?

Thanks in advance. Please feel free to add extra things which we should be aware of. We are not interested in eating buffet food.

2. No kettle in the cabins. There are different kinds of teas, which you will find in the Lido. I usually take my favourite teabags with me. You can get hot water in the Lido at any time of the day or night (the teabags are right by the hot water urn)

3. Shampoo and conditioner is provided. There is a hair blower as well.

I am new here. Have not done any cruise before. Have booked a HAL to Alaska from Vancouver for 7 nights on the Noordam. Paid for a signature suite (without the drink package as we do not drink) as we do not want to be claustrophobic. I have a couple of questions:

1. I understand we will be allowed to bring some water bottles on board. Is this correct? People said it is safe to drink tap water on the ship but we prefer bottled water. Am thinking of taking 6 x 1 litre bottles when getting on the ship - and buy extra at various ports.

2. Is there a kettle in the signature suite to boil water for making cups of tea? Or, tea is only served in the dining area? Another reason for asking is that we don't drink black tea, but prefer herbal teas. Are herbal teas available free of charge? Or, extra? We prefer to bring our own herbal tea bags - if there is a kettle in the suite (like in a hotel).

3. I have read that the bathroom amenities are supplied on the ship such as shampoo & conditioner - so we don't need to bring these, other than our own toothbrush & toothpaste.

4. There will be over 2,000 pax on the ship so the queues for boarding will be long (like hours?). Is there a special queue for pax in suites? Like for a plane, first & business pax board first, then economy pax. Or, do we just turn up and wait in the queues?

5. Does disembarking work the same way? - ie everyone gets off the ship at the same time? Or, do suite pax get off first?

Thanks in advance. Please feel free to add extra things which we should be aware of. We are not interested in eating buffet food.

Welcome!

I took my first cruise ever this past September: 14-days to Alaska (roundtrip out of Seattle), on the Amsterdam, so I kind of understand what you're going through. I had dozens of questions and the folks here are very patient.

Dismomx5 has given you some good info, and I think I can help with a couple of other questions:

1. Yes, you can bring bottled water onboard. Shouldn't be a problem at all. I saw some folks bringing a case or more on my cruise.

4. When I boarded, I recall seeing a separate line for Neptune/Pinnacle Suite + Four- and Five-Star Mariner passengers. There may have been other lines, but everything moved so quickly that I really didn't have time to take note of everything. This was in Seattle on a day when the Amsterdam was the only cruise ship at the terminal, so it may have been an unusual situation, but I was amazed at how fast everything moved.

5. Disembarkation is organized. The day before disembarkation, you'll get a packet with instructions and a set of color-coded luggage tags. Folks with early flights will usually have priority for early disembarkation. Usually, they'll announce over the speakers which color/code is called for disembarkation, so you wait until you hear your color/code. But they can also change that "on the fly" -- on my trip, they just dispensed with calling the codes, and let everyone off at the same time. It still was very orderly and not at all crowded when I went down, but I waited awhile before I left. It may have been really crowded earlier.

Regarding dining: I travel solo, and I chose "anytime dining" since I felt like changing things up meal-to-meal would work best for me and I'm not always consistent in my meal schedule. I ate most of the time in the Main Dining Room-- twice in Canaletto, didn't do the buffet at all. I'm a bit of a "foodie" -- collect cookbooks, love to cook, etc. - and I found the meals in the main dining room far exceeded my expectations. Granted, some dishes were a little better than others, but overall, the food and service were outstanding.

I enjoyed the experience so much that I now have two more Holland America cruises booked (one a 38-day North Atlantic roundtrip "Voyage of the Vikings" this summer; the other a 28-day South Pacific cruise around Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Marquesas in early 2019).

Enjoy your trip!

Lana in Bellingham, WA

Lana we're doing the 28 day South Pacific in Mar 2019 on the Eurodam . Is that the one you;re on?

Allan

Lana we're doing the 28 day South Pacific in Mar 2019 on the Eurodam . Is that the one you;re on?

Allan

Yes, it is! Hawaii-Tahiti-Marquesas, roundtrip out of San Diego.

My husband and I cruised on the HAL Amsterdam 60 day (half) World Grand Adventure Jan-March 2015. My sister and I took a 7 day Alaska cruise aboard Amsterdam from Seattle in June 2015 and she just returned from the 80 day Pacific Ocean cruised on the Amsterdam. We love this ship - approx. 1200 passengers, and on the looong cruises we become a "family"; the staff(primarily Indonesian) is exceptional, lots of Galas and special events and lectures and specialty classes and a new movie every day in the theater, then shown on the ship TV station. There was an Asian soup cart an all sea days, serving variations daily and dished up with ingredients exactly as you want! Always a line, but moves fast! Had a Super Bowl and Oscar Party, broadcast live in the main theater but because we were halfway around the world the Oscars were in the AM, and similarly the game! There are many special touches on these longer cruises that can't happen on a 7-day, ie a special "tour" aboard ship with the florist couple who handle ALL the wonderful continually changing arrangements, and how and where this happens....a wonderful extra. A group of new terrific entertainers would board at various ports so there was always new shows, and reps from the various cultural groups at ports (ie Polynesian, Maori, Aboriginal, etc) would come aboard to teach art, music, dance of their culture. If you are ever able to make the time, do try an extended cruise...it's a unique adventure.

On 1/24 we board the Island Princess for a 60 day cruise circumnavigating S. America, so it will quite interesting to see how it compares with HAL Grand Voyages!

Will be going to Alaska on the Noordam in July. Can anyone tell me some great spots, really anything you could tell me. This is our first HAL cruise. We have cruise many times before. Can we bring water and soda on board?

Will be going to Alaska on the Noordam in July. Can anyone tell me some great spots, really anything you could tell me. This is our first HAL cruise. We have cruise many times before. Can we bring water and soda on board?

You can bring as much non-alcoholic beverages that you wish in your carry-on luggage. FWIW there is no limit on the number of carry-on bags that you can bring.

Yes, it is! Hawaii-Tahiti-Marquesas, roundtrip out of San Diego.

Looking forward to meeting you. There is no roll call as yet, it's a bit early and if one isn't started by Mar, I'll get the ball rolling.

Allan

Thank you to everyone who has replied so quickly to my questions - much appreciated - particularly to Lana (Artsy Craftsy) for the comprehensive reply. Your helpful replies have put our mind at ease. We are not so much into cruising because I have problems with seasickness. However, hubby wanted to do the Alaska cruise for the sceneries and wildlife. We will have an extra week after arriving in Seward to do a few things in Alaska including Denali.

We would have preferred to do the Alaska on a smaller ship but were limited in choice due to hubby's work commitment dates and HAL ship was the only one suited his dates. Fingers crossed for a good experience.

Looking forward to meeting you. There is no roll call as yet, it's a bit early and if one isn't started by Mar, I'll get the ball rolling.

 

Allan

There actually is a roll call that was started some time ago. You might have to scroll down a ways to find it because people haven’t been posting on it much, yet. Some are already organizing tours.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Looking forward to meeting you. There is no roll call as yet, it's a bit early and if one isn't started by Mar, I'll get the ball rolling.

 

Allan

Actually, there is a roll call:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2492280

It’s not terribly active yet (12 pages); there have been a few excursions discussed, but as you say, it’s early.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Actually, there is a roll call:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2492280

 

It’s not terribly active yet (12 pages); there have been a few excursions discussed, but as you say, it’s early.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks, I found it & have posted. It took awhile to read all 12 pages.

Allan

Great Video! Can't wait for my cruise!!

I got a not available message folks. sorry.

HI, we are new to HAL and have a question about the Nieuw Amsterdam. We are traveling with 4 young adults (3 men 1 woman) in a large ocean view. My husband and I are in cabin 6158, a balcony cabin. My question: our daughter would prefer to stay with us, are there rollaway beds available? She's 5'2 and 110 pounds so she doesn't need a lot of room. We often travel with a twin size inflatable mattress, would there be room for that in our cabin? We would just deflate it during the day. Any help would be appreciated!

HI, we are new to HAL and have a question about the Nieuw Amsterdam. We are traveling with 4 young adults (3 men 1 woman) in a large ocean view. My husband and I are in cabin 6158, a balcony cabin. My question: our daughter would prefer to stay with us, are there rollaway beds available? She's 5'2 and 110 pounds so she doesn't need a lot of room. We often travel with a twin size inflatable mattress, would there be room for that in our cabin? We would just deflate it during the day. Any help would be appreciated!

If your balcony cabin holds 3, there is a sofa bed (convertible to a bed) in the room.

Due to life boat assignments you can only have her stay in your cabin if it is designated for 3. Check your cabin and if it not designated for 3 people, see if there is availability in a balcony suitable for 3. You can then have your daughter registered in that cabin with you.

Give your TA/HAL/PCC a call (whomever you booked with).

VD6158 is neither a triple nor a quad. Perhaps you can call your travel agent or the cruise line to switch you into a different cabin.

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

Ohhh I never thought about the lifeboats. The kids are all paying their own fares, I'm not sure what it would do to their cost if we moved her out of their cabin and into ours. I'll have to call our TA and ask. Thank you for the tips!

Hi! I will be sailing on the Koningsdam on 1/24 out of Miami. Have cruised before but this my first on HAL.

Was wondering if there is anywhere on the ship that has an ice and water dispenser or will I have to go to Lido or something?

I know I can ask the steward to bring me ice to my room but I just prefer to get it on my own whenever I need it instead of having to ask someone else for it.

Thanks!

Ice and water dispensers may be found in the Lido market. They are located on both ends of the Market along with hot water, tea, and coffee urns. Please don't refill bottles directly from the dispensers, use a glass to transfer ice to your bottle. I do this at least once a day after breakfast with no problem.

Hi! I will be sailing on the Koningsdam on 1/24 out of Miami. Have cruised before but this my first on HAL.

Fort Lauderdale?

Sorry, that's what I meant. Was reading something else prior about Miami...