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

[RuthC]

Yes, most cocktails will be covered with the SBP, since the $9 and under price is the prevalent cost. Non-alcoholic drinks, like specialty coffees and water, are also covered.

[49erteacher]

Thank you for the info regarding sets on board...still wondering if there is a place to post to find other players on board? LuAnn

 

LuAnn, The best place to find players is on the Roll Call for your cruise. There are usually others who would enjoy games.

Sue

[Crew News]

I have a liquor package question. This our first time on HAL and our first time to consider purchasing a liquor package. We're looking at pre-buying the $45 package - they have just updated the cost of drinks covered to $9 each. Question, will this cover the majority of drinks ( alcohol & fancy coffees) Don't want to purchase and then find out the drinks we like are not covered. Did see a drink menu posted and it looked like the majority would be covered but don't know what date the menu was from. We could wait and buy on board but the package is $5.00 more per day x 16 days x 2 people so extra $180.

thanks for any help that will help me make my decision. Don't usually drink 15 drinks a day but would like to not think about it.

 

My beverage menus are from June 2017:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/hal-beverage-menus/

[retired arizona]

My beverage menus are from June 2017:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/hal-beverage-menus/

 

thank you - I saw your menus but wasn't aware they were from June of this year. So now I feel comfortable purchasing the package.

[jaceyar]

HAL is most definitely part of Carnival group,

You can submit your stockholder credit request now .

 

 

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Good luck with that - my request was refused due to tbe price I paid!

 

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[richstowe]

Good luck with that - my request was refused due to tbe price I paid!

 

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Huh . Was yours a special rate like a casino or interline rate ?

[LuAnn]

LuAnn, The best place to find players is on the Roll Call for your cruise. There are usually others who would enjoy games.

Sue

 

Thanks Sue!!..that is what I always do on Celebrity but the R/C for the 7 night holiday cruise on the Oosterdam is about 3 people!! LuAnn

[jaceyar]

Huh . Was yours a special rate like a casino or interline rate ?

No I booked with an online cruise travel agent because I needed flights and hotel stays before the cruise. Didn't seem dirt cheap to me!

 

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[FlatFooted Freda]

Hi All. Thanks so much for this helpful thread.

 

Will be sailng on our first HAL cruise on Sept 10, Noordam, Vancouver to Seward. I've read all 125 pages but ,amazingly, I still have a few questions.

 

I read somewhere that there is no Movie popcorn available on the Noordam. Is there any popcorn, anywhere?

 

We fly out of Anchorage at 8:30 pm the day Noordam docks at 6 am. There is a Kenai Fords cruise and transfer to Anchorage available on that day ( a HAL excursion). It states it is suitable for flights leaving Anchorage by 7:30 pm. That's making me nervous. Does that mean they arrive at the airport by 7:30, or by 5:30 for that 2 hr early check-in?

 

Another option for transfer to Anchorage is taking a bus. It too is listed on the HAL website. It stops at the Downtown Hospitality Center and the airport. Has anyone taken this? It is suitable for flights at noon or later, so we would have a lot of time to kill. Any suggestions? I'm not crazy about walking around Anchorage w/ our luggage. Should we go to airport first, check luggage, then go back to Anchorage? If hanging in Anchorage, what would you advise?

 

Any other advice for a transport to Anchorage? Are there excursion outfits hanging around Seward waiting for departing passengers?

 

That was more than a few questions. Thanks again.

[49erteacher]

Thanks Sue!!..that is what I always do on Celebrity but the R/C for the 7 night holiday cruise on the Oosterdam is about 3 people!! LuAnn

The HAL Roll Calls can vary widely in participation. I am on a B2B Sept - Nov 2017, the first is very slow (12 people, 5 added in the last two days) the 2nd RC has been very active.

[Crew News]

Hi All. Thanks so much for this helpful thread.

 

Will be sailng on our first HAL cruise on Sept 10, Noordam, Vancouver to Seward. I've read all 125 pages but ,amazingly, I still have a few questions.

 

I read somewhere that there is no Movie popcorn available on the Noordam. Is there any popcorn, anywhere?

 

That was more than a few questions. Thanks again.

 

Welcome to CC and to the HAL Forum.

 

The missing popcorn on the Noordam was reported by me in my live thread in June 2017. The complaint I registered with the Front Desk worked and there was popcorn reported on the following Noordam cruise.

 

Popcorn is also available through Room Service at no charge but you can snatch a bag or two from the back of the Culinary Arts Center at movie time. Note that the popcorn bags hold about two handfuls of popcorn

[jaceyar]

Does anybody have experience of how HAL handle gluten-free diets?

[Happily@Sea]

Does anybody have experience of how HAL handle gluten-free diets?

 

 

In the MDR, they give a meal each evening for the next night. you mark your choices. The menu is marked with your name and room #, table # if you have a regular table and a large written notification - gluten free. We had a lady at our table for the 30 night Haw-So Pac on Westerdam in 2016. This was her ritual - I have food allergies - so mine was the same set-up - just marked with my food allergies. It worked very well.

 

In the Lido - pasta bar - they have gluten-free pasta - just ask for it. The types available are displayed at that location.

[dmcfad2]

No I booked with an online cruise travel agent because I needed flights and hotel stays before the cruise. Didn't seem dirt cheap to me!

 

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This just doesn't seem right to me. Did the travel agency submit the stock info to HAL for you? Or were you able to do it yourself? I would call HAL and talk to someone about this. Something is wrong. The OBC is a perk of owning Carnival stock. The price of the cruise has nothing to do with it. Follow up with HAL. Maybe call the World Cruise Reservation department and see what they have to say.

 

 

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[richwmn]

Good luck with that - my request was refused due to tbe price I paid!

 

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This just doesn't seem right to me. Did the travel agency submit the stock info to HAL for you? Or were you able to do it yourself? I would call HAL and talk to someone about this. Something is wrong. The OBC is a perk of owning Carnival stock. The price of the cruise has nothing to do with it. Follow up with HAL. Maybe call the World Cruise Reservation department and see what they have to say.

 

 

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The price you pay does have something to do with getting the benefit.

From the description on the Carnival Corp site:

Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, tour conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary basis are excluded from this offer.

All bolding mine.

[rim140]

Someone may have already asked this question, but here it goes.

We've been printing our cruise documents online (boarding pass, itinerary, luggage tags etc), but how do we get one mailed by HAL? It would be good to have an official printed document for the Grand Voyage to S America and Antarctica coming up in January 2018.

 

 

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[RuthC]

We've been printing our cruise documents online (boarding pass, itinerary, luggage tags etc), but how do we get one mailed by HAL? It would be good to have an official printed document for the Grand Voyage to S America and Antarctica coming up in January 2018

You don't. Get documents mailed to you from HAL, that is. HAL stopped mailing documents to passengers years ago. The ones you print out are the 'official' documents.

 

BTW---the documents I printed myself have worked just fine for South America/Antarctica cruises that started/ended in South America. The start/end ports listed on them have also served as proof that I was returning to the United States when I was flying out on a one-way ticket.

[dmcfad2]

The price you pay does have something to do with getting the benefit.

From the description on the Carnival Corp site:

All bolding mine.

 

 

 

Well, I learned something new today. Thanks for setting me straight. [emoji106]

 

 

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[Dismomx5]

We fly out of Anchorage at 8:30 pm the day Noordam docks at 6 am. There is a Kenai Fords cruise and transfer to Anchorage available on that day ( a HAL excursion). It states it is suitable for flights leaving Anchorage by 7:30 pm. That's making me nervous. Does that mean they arrive at the airport by 7:30, or by 5:30 for that 2 hr early check-in?

I have done 2 HAL airport transfers with excursions-one in Vancouver and one in Fort Lauderdale. Both got me to the airport in lots of time for checkin. They are very careful to say what the window is both for domestic and international flights. Sadly, on my next cruise, our window is just shy, so we won't be able to do the excursion....just the airport transfer (and we'll get to sit there for a few hours.)

[dpump]

I'm sorry, I know this has been asked and answered, but here goes again......

 

In the dining room are jeans allowed? I know on Gala nights it's no, but on other nights nice, black jeans, with a shirt, of course.

 

Thanks you and sorry for being so stupid.

[RuthC]

In the dining room are jeans allowed? I know on Gala nights it's no, but on other nights nice, black jeans, with a shirt, of course.

Yes, as you said on smart casual nights. Not frayed jeans, or those with holes, though.

[dpump]

Thanks. Wonder how zillions of times this has been asked

[jsnyder748]

On the Koningsdam HAL, are the balcony rooms view obstructed by the life boats?

[Happily@Sea]

Down - yes, because they project from the ship - and are not above the deck. Height requirement from the water.

[KroozNut]

Thanks. Wonder how zillions of times this has been asked

 

I would estimate between 5-10 zillion (give or take a couple billion).. ;p