Hopefully, Live From the MS Amsterdam May 17 - June 1, 2014

[Alberta Quilter]

Yes they did. I'll look it up when I get home tonight with the details. I was going to mention that to you guys when I got around to my wrap-up.

 

We purchased the unlimited laundry but found it would have been cheaper, for us, to go by the bag. The pricing hasn't changed from recent years in Alaska. $98 for unlimited, $20 by the bag. A few days before the cruise ended, we got a notice of a price reduction on the "by the bag" laundry - I just can't remember what the reduced price was.

 

For us, we sent out laundry 4 times in total which would have cost $80 at full "by the bag" pricing. For that, we paid $98. We were unable to change it, even though we inquired about it (they hadn't yet charged our account for the unlimited laundry).

 

It would be different for you if you were to send out laundry every day, or had more than two people in your cabin. We will either have to take less clothing (not a bad thing, anyway), or really figure out how much we would use the laundry service.

 

The special was $12, instead of $20, for a laundry bag (40% off). The offer was good from the last Wednesday to the last Friday of the cruise. The last bag had to be sent by 9:00 am on the Friday.

[erewhon]

Thanks for such a great live thread, and helpful information.

[Omega1]

Hi AQ and Mum. We really enjoyed meeting you both - on our Kodiak tour as well as the multi national (and multi talented :eek:) trivia team. Not to mention the 'name that tune' successes.

We're down on the Oregon coast at the moment before we head across to the Cascades (remember that trivia question?). We fly back to the UK on Monday.

Enjoy your cruise win.

Best wishes, Val & Roger

[rajkr74]

Hi AQ and Mum. We really enjoyed meeting you both - on our Kodiak tour as well as the multi national (and multi talented :eek:) trivia team. Not to mention the 'name that tune' successes.

We're down on the Oregon coast at the moment before we head across to the Cascades (remember that trivia question?). We fly back to the UK on Monday.

Enjoy your cruise win.

Best wishes, Val & Roger

 

We have been reading AQ's thread and your comments on the Oregon Coast. We are from OR and are on the coast right now--Newport OR. Hope you are enjoying the nice weather today 6-4-14.

[utahtea]

The special was $12, instead of $20, for a laundry bag (40% off). The offer was good from the last Wednesday to the last Friday of the cruise. The last bag had to be sent by 9:00 am on the Friday.

 

Thanks for the heads up! I'll remember to look for the special. It will be great to go home with clean clothes since we are on water rationing in California.

 

Utahtea

Edited June 5, 2014 by utahtea

[Alberta Quilter]

Hi AQ and Mum. We really enjoyed meeting you both - on our Kodiak tour as well as the multi national (and multi talented :eek:) trivia team. Not to mention the 'name that tune' successes.

We're down on the Oregon coast at the moment before we head across to the Cascades (remember that trivia question?). We fly back to the UK on Monday.

Enjoy your cruise win.

Best wishes, Val & Roger

 

Hi to you both!

 

We really enjoyed meeting you and being on our various teams! I hope you're enjoying your land tour. I will never forget the Cascades (as people who ought to know, we were humiliated!). Thanks for bringing THAT up!!:D

 

I hope your travels home go well!

[Alberta Quilter]

Good thought.

I'm taking the trolley tour, and I'm pretty sure it's an afternoon tour (doesn't the ship arrive very late morning?). Maybe I can't get both in.

 

Thanks for the head's up on this. I will check.

 

Hey Ruth, I was just reviewing the shore excursions for our cruise, in preparation for forwarding it to halfacts.com, when I noticed that there is a tour to Abkhazi Gardens provided by HAL. It is called the Secret Garden & Teahouse. I assume that the same tour is available for your cruise. Just wanted to bring that to your attention in case you wanted to cancel your trolley tour and do the garden tour.

 

You may be able to do both if your trolley tour is early enough and if you do the garden privately, taking a cab as soon as you're done with the trolley. According to the info for my cruise, the horese drawn trolley is at 1:30 and takes an hour. If that is true for your cruise, you could be at the garden by 3:00, well before the last entry at 4:00. Even if the trolley has a slightly later start, then it still can be done.

 

I personally wouldn't do it if it's more than half an hour later. Too rushed for me.

[Alberta Quilter]

An update on the cruise win:

 

I spoke with HAL yesterday and a very nice man gave me the details on the cruise win.

• Yes, it can be used for any itinerary, any length of cruise, not just a 7 day Caribbean or Mexico as stated on the certificate.
  
• No, it cannot be used for a Holiday cruise (Christmas & New Year's). That is stated right on the form but I had to ask anyway. Christmas is a good time for me to take vacation.
  
• The value of the certificate is $450/person or $900/stateroom. I assume that is in US$. I forgot to mention that I was Canadian.
  
• Taxes, port fees and non-commissionable fares are not included. These total approx. $600 on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean/Mexico in a minimum category interior stateroom.
  
• There are other terms & conditions that may apply. That means that no other OBC/amenity offer, such as a free beverage card or Explore4 promo, will be allowed if using the cruise certificate. One cannot use an FCD to apply to the tax portion, either, because the FCD has an OBC component to it. One can, however, still get their shareholder benefit.
  
• One last thing is that if one was to book a certain category, the certificate would be applied only if the same promotion of the cabin was the same in all cabin levels within that category. One, for example, couldn't use it on a flash sale pricing because that is typically available to only one or two levels within a category.
  
• One could still get upgraded to another category. I did not specifically ask about upsells but I assume that those would still be options, if available.
  
• A TA would not get any commission on the certificate portion of the cruise fare. If one takes a longer cruise or a higher category, or both, then the TA receives a commission on the price differential.
  

We have not yet decided where we will go. We couldn't really agree on a future cruise before the win, other than a European river cruise. Good thing there is no expiry date on this cruise certificate! Maybe we'll go back to Alaska in a couple of years since it's a nice easy flight to Vancouver for us.

[SunLakesBob]

The special was $12, instead of $20, for a laundry bag (40% off). The offer was good from the last Wednesday to the last Friday of the cruise. The last bag had to be sent by 9:00 am on the Friday.

 

AQ, thank you for the information. Makes it tougher to decide on the 98 special or per bag? Definitely can pack for 1 week, thus saving luggage charge at airport. :p

[Alberta Quilter]

AQ, thank you for the information. Makes it tougher to decide on the 98 special or per bag? Definitely can pack for 1 week, thus saving luggage charge at airport. :p

 

Yes, it can be hard to choose. In hindsight, we should have done the bag route. As I said earlier, it depends on if there are only two in the cabin or more, and how often you will send out laundry.

 

And the turn around time on the laundry was about 48 hours. I know that's what they normally say but usually one got it back in ~24 hours, at least that's been my experience. This time it really was 36 - 48 hours.

[SunLakesBob]

Yes, it can be hard to choose. In hindsight, we should have done the bag route. As I said earlier, it depends on if there are only two in the cabin or more, and how often you will send out laundry.

 

And the turn around time on the laundry was about 48 hours. I know that's what they normally say but usually one got it back in ~24 hours, at least that's been my experience. This time it really was 36 - 48 hours.

 

Thank you, As usual you have been extremely helpful. We are still wait listed for a suite, then we won't have to make the decision. Alaska is my wife's favorite cruise destination. This is our 9th time to Alaska. I have not been well this past year and she has the extra burden of putting up with me. She deserves a suite, but I was slow in making that decision. We will still enjoy the trip on HAL.

[RuthC]

Hey Ruth, I was just reviewing the shore excursions for our cruise, in preparation for forwarding it to halfacts.com, when I noticed that there is a tour to Abkhazi Gardens provided by HAL. It is called the Secret Garden & Teahouse. I assume that the same tour is available for your cruise. Just wanted to bring that to your attention in case you wanted to cancel your trolley tour and do the garden tour.

How kind of you to check on that and post. :) It is much appreciated; please accept my thanks.

 

I know I want to take the trolley tour. In the several times I've been to Victoria, I have never actually taken a real tour of the city itself, especially the inner harbor area. So my plan is what you suggested---take the trolley tour, then head to the gardens as a private, DIY tour. I know I would love to stop for the tea & scones. I do hope they serve it with real clotted cream, and not the whipped cream served on the ship.

[Alberta Quilter]

How kind of you to check on that and post. :) It is much appreciated; please accept my thanks.

 

I know I want to take the trolley tour. In the several times I've been to Victoria, I have never actually taken a real tour of the city itself, especially the inner harbor area. So my plan is what you suggested---take the trolley tour, then head to the gardens as a private, DIY tour. I know I would love to stop for the tea & scones. I do hope they serve it with real clotted cream, and not the whipped cream served on the ship.

 

I will check with DM and will let you know if it is real clotted cream. One would think it would be the real stuff in Victoria.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you sometimes use a scooter. If so, please know that the garden is built on existing rocky terrain. There are paved pathways but there are some spots, around the teahouse, where there are steps. You can access the teahouse easily from the back but getting around to the other part of the garden takes a bit of a windy route to avoid the steps.

 

I hope you enjoy your stay in Victoria!

[RuthC]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you sometimes use a scooter. If so, please know that the garden is built on existing rocky terrain. There are paved pathways but there are some spots, around the teahouse, where there are steps. You can access the teahouse easily from the back but getting around to the other part of the garden takes a bit of a windy route to avoid the steps.

You're right; I started using a scooter on my last cruise. I never took it off the ship, though, so am thinking about the logistics for next time.

 

So long as I can get the scooter to the garden (that's the first step), then I can work from there. If I can park it outside something, and there's only a couple of steps, or a ramp, I can work around that. I don't mind going around the long way as I've had to do that a lot to use a ramp.

Funny all the great things you discover when you do have to take the long way around! :D

[travelinjones]

AQ,

Just got to catch up on and finish your review (was out cruising on a different line last week.)

 

Loved the review, and so glad to hear that you won a free cruise.

[Alberta Quilter]

You're right; I started using a scooter on my last cruise. I never took it off the ship, though, so am thinking about the logistics for next time.

 

So long as I can get the scooter to the garden (that's the first step), then I can work from there. If I can park it outside something, and there's only a couple of steps, or a ramp, I can work around that. I don't mind going around the long way as I've had to do that a lot to use a ramp.

Funny all the great things you discover when you do have to take the long way around! :D

 

You might want to post on the Canada forum to inquire about accessible taxis in Victoria. Or does your scooter somehow fold up and fit into a car trunk? I'm not familiar with scooters (obviously).

 

I'm sure Victoria has accessible taxis but I have no idea about their availability. I know here, one must book them in advance, and even then, there is the chance of pickup delay. Not likely an issue on your return to the ship, given that all aboard is late in the evening but a delay may impact you in getting to the garden in the first place.

[SunLakesBob]

You might want to post on the Canada forum to inquire about accessible taxis in Victoria. Or does your scooter somehow fold up and fit into a car trunk? I'm not familiar with scooters (obviously).

 

I'm sure Victoria has accessible taxis but I have no idea about their availability. I know here, one must book them in advance, and even then, there is the chance of pickup delay. Not likely an issue on your return to the ship, given that all aboard is late in the evening but a delay may impact you in getting to the garden in the first place.

 

Carol and I are discussing going to the garden for high tea. If we go, maybe share a cab?

[RuthC]

You might want to post on the Canada forum to inquire about accessible taxis in Victoria. Or does your scooter somehow fold up and fit into a car trunk? I'm not familiar with scooters (obviously).

I don't own one; I rent from Special Needs at Sea. The scooter is very heavy, so would need a van with a lift. Or a couple of cute, strong guys to lift it. ;)

 

I found the Shore Excursion Office on the Oosterdam to be of great assistance in this regard. They had a wealth of information about accessibility, and even said that given enough time they would be able to arrange transportation for the scooter on my shore excursions. I hope all the Shore Excursion personnel are as knowledgeable and kind in going about making it easier to be independent.

[Alberta Quilter]

Alberta Quilter,

Thanks for the great reviews and info. Looking forward to the info on the rest of the cruise.

One request, please. We are bringing our 12 year old and 14 year old grandsons on the 14 day June 22, 14 cruise and any info on the kids programs would be a big help if it not to much of a bother (Don't let gathering that info interfere with the SBP).

Thanks in advance.

Sightcrr

 

I'm sorry that I didn't previously respond to your request. There were only two children on our sailing so ClubHal was not really utilized, if it was utilized at all. The ClubHal staff member was helping out the entertainment staff in other ways, like at Bingo.

 

End result, is that I didn't get you your information. I'm very sorry. Keep asking other cruisers as I did hear that the cruise that is currently sailing had 90 children scheduled for this week. There is also sample information on the halfacts.com website that may help to answer your questions.

[SightCRR]

AQ,

Thank you for all of your reviews and info. I completely understand about the lack of info on Club Hal.

sightcrr

[Alberta Quilter]

I know I would love to stop for the tea & scones. I do hope they serve it with real clotted cream, and not the whipped cream served on the ship.

 

Spoke with DM; she said it's NOT real clotted cream. :( She said it was more like whipped cream and could be similar to what is served on the ship. Sorry to disappoint you.

[Alberta Quilter]

I don't own one; I rent from Special Needs at Sea. The scooter is very heavy, so would need a van with a lift. Or a couple of cute, strong guys to lift it. ;)

 

I found the Shore Excursion Office on the Oosterdam to be of great assistance in this regard. They had a wealth of information about accessibility, and even said that given enough time they would be able to arrange transportation for the scooter on my shore excursions. I hope all the Shore Excursion personnel are as knowledgeable and kind in going about making it easier to be independent.

 

I really hope it works out for you, on your cruise. Of course, the beefy young men sounds really good to me! I think every woman needs a cabana boy or two around her to attend to her every need! D'ya think that's why I'm still single?!:D

[NextOne]

Clipper - you are TOO funny! Thanks for all the info!

Edi

[Alberta Quilter]

My first time uploading pictures from my phone...

 

The first picture is the Alaska King Crab for an extra $20. It was very good, and yes, you need two gravy boats of melted butter. Yes, you do!

 

The second picture is the after picture. I think it is self explanatory!:D

[Alberta Quilter]

I couldn't resist taking this picture at the PG...