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

[FlaMariner]

On 10/19/2021 at 7:20 PM, kazu said:

 

The Catholic priests were still there last time we were on board.  It’s the other religions that were discontinued in many cases except for some high holidays.

 

Saw the priest on our NA cruise in December 2021. 

 

For us Protestants, there will sometimes be a Sunday service (or sometimes other times) "led by the congregation" listed on the calendar.  Attended that on our TA in October (2021) and we had a full house....special service. Glad we went.  

 

 

[ottahand7]

What happens on Fat Tuesday on the ships.  Any King Cake - not looking for a big bash?

[Quilting Queen]

We will be taking out first cruise with HAL .  I have have a question.

Do all cruise ships have a casino..?. 

 

My husband is a casino devotee.  I go to the shows and he gambles.

 

Norine

[terrydtx]

3 minutes ago, Quilting Queen said:

We will be taking out first cruise with HAL .  I have have a question.

Do all cruise ships have a casino..?. 

 

My husband is a casino devotee.  I go to the shows and he gambles.

 

Norine

Yes they all have casinos.

[nancynana9950]

This may have been answered before but this is a long thread and I just jumped in. Our first Holland cruise is in October. How far out from sailing date can you make specialty dinner reservations on Navigator?  Also ship tours? And if you receive these as booking bonus do you have to use a credit card? Thanks for any information. 

[KrausHaus]

I'm not sure how far out you can go but you don't have to do it in Navigator. I just made dinner reservations for our July cruise on HALs website under Manage My Booking and then to Cruise Activities. You can also do Shore Excursions there.

I just tried to do it on our April 2023 booking and it simply told me that it wasn't available yet. So just go to your booking and see if it will let you book something.

[KroozNut]

And if you have an excursion credit, you book it the same way via your online account, except that you'll receive an invoice of the transaction without a charge (zero balance). At least that was our experience.

[Cruise Suzy]

3 hours ago, nancynana9950 said:

How far out from sailing date can you make specialty dinner reservations on Navigator?  Also ship tours? And if you receive these as booking bonus do you have to use a credit card?

 

My answers are for the Website, but I assume the same applies to the Navigator app. Shore excursions can be made as soon as you book the cruise. Dining reservations open about 4-5 months before you sail. Just check every so often around then.

 

If you have included excursions or dining, they will show as "Complimentary Credits" when you go to "Already Booked" on the HAL Website. When making reservations, be sure to select "Complementary Dining" AND then select the names from the drop-down list. If you do this, the dining charge goes to zero. If not, you will be asked for a credit card. When booking shore excursions, be sure to book the most expensive ones in your first session. Your $100 credit(s) will be automatically deducted from the most expensive one(s) made during a session untiol all are used.

[KrausHaus]

A thing that surprised me was that I could book reservations in the Main Dining Room out this far. We normally just show up downstairs in the DR and get a buzzer to tell us that they have a table for us. Trying to book while onboard has always been dicey so that's why we normally just show up and hope for the best. And we usually dine with other strangers which is fun.

[WeLoveOurVacations]

We will be on Alaska Nieuw Amsterdam in June 2022.  Looking for information on entertainment times each evening - are there one or two shows and times?  Thanks! 

[nancynana9950]

I booked with the Black Friday have it all promo. The Signature Beverage Package. Including Crew Appreciation. If we get drinks in a bar am I correct that gratuity is not included? What about drinks in the dining room or Specialty?  If a drink is more than $11 are you charged the difference or the full amount?  

[RuthC]

21 minutes ago, nancynana9950 said:

I booked with the Black Friday have it all promo. The Signature Beverage Package. Including Crew Appreciation. If we get drinks in a bar am I correct that gratuity is not included? What about drinks in the dining room or Specialty?  If a drink is more than $11 are you charged the difference or the full amount?  

With the Signature Beverage Package, you may purchase a drink that costs up to $11. You will not pay anything additional on that drink, including the service charge. 
Unless you have upgraded to the Elite Beverage Package, you will have to pay for the drink in full if you want something costing in excess of $11. 

[LUVCROOZERS]

Hello Everyone. My wife and I are new to HAL. We typically cruise on Princess, Celebrity and Azamara. We're scheduled for the 14 night cruise on the Rotterdam on April 3rd, and looking forward to this new experience. From all the pictures I have seen, the ship looks spectacular.  Has anyone gone to Pillory Beach in Turks and Caicos? Are there chairs and facilities there? Thank you for any tips or information that you can offer. Sooo excited!

[*Miss G*]

17 hours ago, LUVCROOZERS said:

Hello Everyone. My wife and I are new to HAL. We typically cruise on Princess, Celebrity and Azamara. We're scheduled for the 14 night cruise on the Rotterdam on April 3rd, and looking forward to this new experience. From all the pictures I have seen, the ship looks spectacular.  Has anyone gone to Pillory Beach in Turks and Caicos? Are there chairs and facilities there? Thank you for any tips or information that you can offer. Sooo excited!

 

Welcome to HAL!  I love the Pinnacle-class ships and hope you do too.  You might want to post your question in the Grand Turk Board, as a new topic, to get a response to your port-specific questions.  Have a wonderful cruise!

[LUVCROOZERS]

Thank you for the guidance  Miss G. I'm sure we will have a great time.

[HenryKisor]

My wife, my service dog, and I will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam heading to Alaska out of Vancouver on June 19. I have not been able to book dining room times on the HAL web site. How is this done, please?

[Cruise Suzy]

14 minutes ago, HenryKisor said:

My wife, my service dog, and I will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam heading to Alaska out of Vancouver on June 19. I have not been able to book dining room times on the HAL web site. How is this done, please?

 

 

Look under Already Booked, Cruise Activities, Specialty Dining. Then select the venue you want to book.

 

If you have Complimentary Dining from Have It All, be sure to check that AND select names from the drop-down list. (The number of Complimentary Dining credits will show on your Itinerary, also available in Already Booked.) If you do this, the screen will indicate a $0.00 charge. You can combine Complimentary Dining and reservations you pay for in the same cart. Just be sure the charges are correct.

 

If you have AnyTime Dining, you can select days/times for the Main Dining Room (no charge). No need to select a time if you have Fixed Dining.

[victory2020]

Haven't been on HAL for a while - can you use OBC for tips? I know you cannot use it in the casino. If I put a gift card on my account will I be able to use that in the casino?

[HenryKisor]

7 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

 

Look under Already Booked, Cruise Activities, Specialty Dining. Then select the venue you want to book.

 

If you have Complimentary Dining from Have It All, be sure to check that AND select names from the drop-down list. (The number of Complimentary Dining credits will show on your Itinerary, also available in Already Booked.) If you do this, the screen will indicate a $0.00 charge. You can combine Complimentary Dining and reservations you pay for in the same cart. Just be sure the charges are correct.

 

If you have AnyTime Dining, you can select days/times for the Main Dining Room (no charge). No need to select a time if you have Fixed Dining.

Sadly, when I do this (I do have Have It All), it doesn't work properly. I'm trying to book dinner for myself and my wife in the Pinnacle, but it keeps showing up in the cart with a $96 charge and a request for a credit card number. Maybe I should wait until we're aboard ship to do this. Meanwhile, we want to dine in the regular dining room the other nights but I am not given a choice for AnyTime Dining. This is annoying.

[MTAK]

14 minutes ago, HenryKisor said:

Sadly, when I do this (I do have Have It All), it doesn't work properly. I'm trying to book dinner for myself and my wife in the Pinnacle, but it keeps showing up in the cart with a $96 charge and a request for a credit card number. Maybe I should wait until we're aboard ship to do this. Meanwhile, we want to dine in the regular dining room the other nights but I am not given a choice for AnyTime Dining. This is annoying.

Here's a post with the specific instructions, including a screen shot showing the boxes that need to be checked:

 

 

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, victory2020 said:

Haven't been on HAL for a while - can you use OBC for tips?

I always have. It's deducted as the charges accrue. 

[hvbaskey]

On 2/11/2022 at 12:36 PM, RuthC said:

With the Signature Beverage Package, you may purchase a drink that costs up to $11. You will not pay anything additional on that drink, including the service charge. 
Unless you have upgraded to the Elite Beverage Package, you will have to pay for the drink in full if you want something costing in excess of $11. 

 

Can one upgrade to the Elite Package (from Signature) once on board?

[Cruise Suzy]

Yes - but do it before you order your first drink. And everyone in the stateroom that's over 21 must also upgrade.

[KroozNut]

On 2/17/2022 at 5:21 AM, Cruise Suzy said:

Yes - but do it before you order your first drink. And everyone in the stateroom that's over 21 must also upgrade.

 

Wow, that's pretty quick for me... as usually I have my first drink in hand as soon as I step onto the ship from the gangplank. Sort of a longstanding tradition if you will. 😁

[HenryKisor]

Another question: We're doing back-to-back Alaska voyages on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Vancouver to Whittier and return. Will we have to be covid tested at Whittier between deboarding and reboarding? If so, does Whittier have someplace for rapid covid testing?