New to HAL - some ???

[GatorMomInNC]

Just booked our first cruise on HAL - on the Veendam going from Boston to Quebec City in late June/early July. I had some questions I was hoping veteran cruisers could help me out:

 

1) What is the earliest we can disembark? Usually I try and stay on the cruise as long as possible, but we are renting a car and driving all day to Boston to catch a flight, so we want to get off ASAP. We are docked overnight in Quebec City, so I don't have to worry about when we get into port. We can carry our own luggage off if we need to.

 

2) Can anyone tell me about the kids clubs on the Veendam? My 2 boys, ages 6 and 9 will be with us. I asked when I booked and they told me that the kids clubs are very strict, and won't let one of my kids move up or down so they can be together, but on other cruise lines I have found that the booking people aren't as familiar with the rules as the former cruisers here on Cruise Critic, so thought I would confirm. ;)

 

3) How is HAL with gluten free, in general?

 

4) Finally, the HAL booking people told me that we can start boarding at 1pm (for a 4pm departure out of Boston), but that sounds kind of late to me. We have to check out of the hotel by noon - would it be unrealistic to get there at noon? Anyone familiar with the terminal in Boston, as far as hanging out there for an hour with kids?

 

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the board would find...

 

1) disembarking can start as early as around 7:15, but expect to definitely start by 8am.

 

2) Kids programs really depend on the number of children on board. How long is your cruise? Over 7 days, the number of kids will decrease.

 

3) HAL has some gluten free options. Contact them directly now to make sure it is reflected in your booking, and get whatever info you can get from them.

 

4) Fleetwide, boarding starts at around 11:30, unless some special or rare event limits this.

[KirkNC]

We choose self disembarkation which makes us the first ones off the ship. You carry off your own luggage which also saves some time.

[RuthC]

Expect self-disembarkation to start around 7:30. It could start earlier, since the ship will have already been cleared the previous day.

Over the years, there have been postings about Club HAL which indicate the younger child can't move up to the older group, but the older child will be permitted to move down. If staying together is important, that's a possibility.

Realize this is a port-intensive cruise, so they will be ashore much of the daytime. Check the hours of operation for Club HAL on port days. If your kids plan to go during the day, sometimes Club HAL has to be notified the day before so they can open.

Expect check-in to start around 11:00 AM in Boston, and boarding about 11:30, under normal circumstances.

[Barkevko]

Just booked our first cruise on HAL - on the Veendam going from Boston to Quebec City in late June/early July. I had some questions I was hoping veteran cruisers could help me out:

 

3) How is HAL with gluten free, in general?

 

On one of our previous cruises, a tablemate had a gluten intolerance. Each night the dining steward would give her the next night's menu...she could pick what she wanted and a gluten-free version would be prepared for her.

 

As suggested, though, make sure that your TA has advised HAL of the situation. It is probably also a good idea to confirm with the dining room staff that it is in your record...there are dining staff available to answer questions upon embarkation - check out the daily program that should be in your cabin when you board. We've usually seen them in the Explorer's Lounge on our cruises.

 

Barb

[sandthrush]

Just booked our first cruise on HAL - on the Veendam going from Boston to Quebec City in late June/early July. I had some questions I was hoping veteran cruisers could help me out:

 

1) What is the earliest we can disembark? Usually I try and stay on the cruise as long as possible, but we are renting a car and driving all day to Boston to catch a flight, so we want to get off ASAP. We are docked overnight in Quebec City, so I don't have to worry about when we get into port. We can carry our own luggage off if we need to.

 

 

We did a similar cruise on Princess in October 2009. The ship arrived in Quebec City the night before.

 

I don't know the exact time we left the ship, but we did indeed disembark very early (we got up at 4am) and were on the train to Montreal before 6am. Nobody else was leaving the ship that early.

 

When we got on the ship we asked the front desk if it would be a problem to catch such an early train. If it had been, we would have taken a later train. We did self disembarkation.

[NYteacher]

We did Boston to Montreal in August of 2011 (sailed out with Hurricane Irene). Our son was nine at the time. There were very few kids aboard, so few that most of the rules of kids club were very relaxed. My guess is that your boys will be able to spend time together at Club Hal.

[sail7seas]

How sgtrict they will be about children's ages will likely depend how many children are on your cruise.

 

I think that is information you may be able to get by calling a rep. I remember reading here where guests have been told total number of children booked for a given cruise.

 

[goodroe]

Ask your TA to request the form from HAL that specifies the various gluten-free food items. It states on the form that it should be sent in about 90 days before sailing, but I have done it later than that. I usually complete it and fax it to Ship's Services. The dining room will give you a menu the evening before that you can complete for the next day. You can also request some gluten-free items when you go the Lido. Both the dining room stewards and the Lido staff have always been very accommodating. They did run out of bread toward the end of our last cruise (68 days is a long time) but always had muffins or another substitute. Hope this helps.

[GatorMomInNC]

Thank you everyone for all your replies. I didn't think anyone had replied because I didn't get any emails and I thought for sure I had subscribed, but apparently not!!

 

I did contact HAL and got the form for GF and sent that in, but the form said it needed 90 days notice to guarantee, and we booked less than 90 days out, so we'll see. I'm sure it will be fine, I'm used to not having GF bread at restaurants.

 

I am cautiously optimistic that my kids can be in the same club after reading your posts. But it is a port intensive cruise, so if they don't like the clubs I'm sure they will still find plenty to do.

 

And looks like we will be able to get off and get going early - good to know. Still not sure about the embarkation time - 11:30, as noted by a pp, does sound reasonable, but the HAL rep told me 1pm... so, I'll just call when it gets closer and see if I get a different answer.

 

I have cruised on Celebrity, RCCL, Carnival and Disney, but I haven't cruised on anything but Disney in 2 years, and only Disney and Carnival in the last 10 years, so it is strange for me to be on a new cruise line. I really don't know what to expect from HAL or the Veendam - usually I research the @#$% out of a cruise before I book it but this was all decided in a matter of hours. I love the ship and the relaxing cruise experience as much as the ports if not more so.

 

I'm going to start lurking on the HAL boards here to get a sense for what I can expect from HAL. Thanks again for all the advice!

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL has for years had check-in at the cruise terminals (in all embarking ports) start around 11 AM.

If there have been no problems, the Pinnacle Suite people embark first followed by the wheelchair people. Numbers for all other passengers are called usually starting around 11:30.

All started a new program where most of the time the cabins are ready at 11:30 and you can drop off your carry-ons in your cabin. Then you can do whatever you want -- have lunch in the Lido -- explore the ship.