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

[Kathyfromstl]

Was wondering if you can mix colors and whites in the bag. Do they separate clothes in the bag or wash all together?

[dakrewser]

All laundry, whether by the piece by the bag or unlimited is handled the same way. Mixing colors and whites is not a problem.

[Kathyfromstl]

Good to hear. Thanks for your reply.

[benatasha1]

Thank you Lissie, that sounds good.

[kb4683]

there is indeed a liquor store on board. You simply go, place your order and the bottles are delivered to you on the last night of the cruise to take of the ship.

 

I don't recall seeing a list in the cabin.

 

There were several varieties available on the ships we were on but the inventory probably varies by ship (due to size) and possibly even the cruise.

 

I recall seeing a Russian vodka & Grey Goose there though if that is of some help along with some top brands of scotch/whiskey.

 

Thanks for the reply. Tried another search and found a list from March, 2015. Guess we will see what they carry when we board. Doing the TA on Oosterdam in March followed by 2 days to get from Civitavecchia to Venice to catch the Pacific Princess back to Fort Lauderdale. Figure the stock might be low on Oosterdam since she is going immediately into dry dock.

[Crew News]

As requested list of available liquor at the Duty Free Shop from Nov 2015:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/HAL-Shops-Liquor-Prices.pdf

[lahlah57]

New to Hal and looking into booking on Koningsdam. Would book a verandah so no special perts.

How much and which restaurants have a surcharge?

Does room service have a surcharge?

How much are the drink packages for 2 weeks? What does it consist of?

How is laundry charged.....per bag or item?

All these items can hike up that OBC:eek::confused:

Thanks all from a newbie!!

[lahlah57]

Forgot one last question:

We love sea days on most cruises but the cruise we are looking at has 6 sea days in a row. What is there to do besides eat:p?

[Crew News]

New to Hal and looking into booking on Koningsdam. Would book a verandah so no special perts.

How much and which restaurants have a surcharge?

Does room service have a surcharge?

How much are the drink packages for 2 weeks? What does it consist of?

How is laundry charged.....per bag or item?

All these items can hike up that OBC:eek::confused:

Thanks all from a newbie!!

I don't know all of the answers but:

 

Not sure of the prices for the Konigsdam but on other ships, the Pinnacle Grill is $29, Canaletto is $10, and Tamarind (on Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) is $20.

Room service is free.

Laundry is charged either per bag, cruise, or per item. It is your choice.

Her is the current drink packages:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Beverage-Packages-for-Stateroom.pdf

 

Here is a typical sea day activities (On Location) brochure for the Caribbean:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/OL-Oosteerdam-2015-Sailing-to-St-Maarten-First-Day.pdf

Edited January 18, 2016 by Crew News

[Lizzie68]

New to Hal and looking into booking on Koningsdam. Would book a verandah so no special perts.

How much and which restaurants have a surcharge?

Does room service have a surcharge?

How much are the drink packages for 2 weeks? What does it consist of?

How is laundry charged.....per bag or item?

All these items can hike up that OBC:eek::confused:

Thanks all from a newbie!!

 

Canaletto is $10 pp.

Pinnacle Grill is $29 pp. Lunch is $10 pp.

If you are a 3* mariner or above, you get a discount on those prices.

 

You can get a package for laundry by the cruise. The cost depends on the length of the cruise. By the bag is either $20 or $29 per bag depending on where the cruise is. It is a great deal as you can get a heck of a lot in a bag.;)

 

The drink packages vary, depending on what promotion HAL has on at any given time, if any.

 

There is no surcharge for room service. We always tip the steward that brings the tray, but that is a personal choice.

 

A tip: we usually book our cruises quite a bit in advance, and I purchase OBC (Onboard Credit) online, always enough to cover these incidentals. I also purchase a beverage card, which you choose in $50/$100/$200 amounts. That way, much of the cost is covered before I cruise. Also, a Travel Agent will often give OBC for a booking.

 

Hope that helps. Also, you may find it useful to google Hal + cabins and you will come up with a site with tons of invaluable information compiled by Cruise Critic members here.

[lahlah57]

I don't know all of the answers but:

 

Not sure of the prices for the Konigsdam but on other ships, the Pinnacle Grill is $29, Canaletto is $10, and Tamarind (on Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) is $20.

Room service is free.

Laundry is charged either per bag, cruise, or per item. It is your choice.

Her is the current drink packages:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Beverage-Packages-for-Stateroom.pdf

 

Here is a typical sea day activities (On Location) brochure for the Caribbean:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/OL-Oosteerdam-2015-Sailing-to-St-Maarten-First-Day.pdf

 

This was such a great help to visualize what we will be paying for!

As well as what there is to do......the possibilities are endless!!!!

Thankyou so much for that post....greatly appreciated!

[lahlah57]

Canaletto is $10 pp.

Pinnacle Grill is $29 pp. Lunch is $10 pp.

If you are a 3* mariner or above, you get a discount on those prices.

 

You can get a package for laundry by the cruise. The cost depends on the length of the cruise. By the bag is either $20 or $29 per bag depending on where the cruise is. It is a great deal as you can get a heck of a lot in a bag.;)

 

The drink packages vary, depending on what promotion HAL has on at any given time, if any.

 

There is no surcharge for room service. We always tip the steward that brings the tray, but that is a personal choice.

 

A tip: we usually book our cruises quite a bit in advance, and I purchase OBC (Onboard Credit) online, always enough to cover these incidentals. I also purchase a beverage card, which you choose in $50/$100/$200 amounts. That way, much of the cost is covered before I cruise. Also, a Travel Agent will often give OBC for a booking.

 

Hope that helps. Also, you may find it useful to google Hal + cabins and you will come up with a site with tons of invaluable information compiled by Cruise Critic members here.

 

A great OBC is what I am counting on. If you were me what would you purchase for a 16 day cruise? Like cocktails before dinner....wine with dinner...sodas very rarely and juices for breakfast.....coffee and espresso a must for afternoon pick me up. What does a $100 card get you?

I am so sorry....we have always cruised all inclusive cruiselines but I just need to try something different! Thank You so much:p

[Lizzie68]

A great OBC is what I am counting on. If you were me what would you purchase for a 16 day cruise? Like cocktails before dinner....wine with dinner...sodas very rarely and juices for breakfast.....coffee and espresso a must for afternoon pick me up. What does a $100 card get you?

I am so sorry....we have always cruised all inclusive cruiselines but I just need to try something different! Thank You so much:p

 

For one or two people? $100 wouldn't go too far. We are not big drinkers but for a 20 day cruise I purchased $300 in beverage cards for DH and I. The unused portion was credited back to us. Juices are available free at breakfast. I bought a mocha every day, DH does not bother with special coffees. And I always calculate the daily HSC (I think it is currently about $12/day, there was a recent increase) and purchase at least enough OBC to cover that.

[pmcubed]

 

So, I usually buy enough OBC to cover at least two massages.

 

DH may get three. . . he loves to be pampered!

[Crew News]

A great OBC is what I am counting on. If you were me what would you purchase for a 16 day cruise? Like cocktails before dinner....wine with dinner...sodas very rarely and juices for breakfast.....coffee and espresso a must for afternoon pick me up. What does a $100 card get you?

I am so sorry....we have always cruised all inclusive cruiselines but I just need to try something different! Thank You so much:p

 

You can bring all of the sodas with you in your carry-on or checked luggage and keep them in your minibar. Juices have no charge in the Lido Restaurant but there is a charge if you get them from a bar.

 

Here is our Bar Menu from November 2015 to give you an idea of the beverage prices (New menu is in the works):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Bar-Menu.pdf

 

There is no need to prepay for a Beverage Card since it gets no discount on prices. No need to buy OBC. All of your charges will go on the credit card that you have pre-authorized. You will be able to check your bill during the cruise to see how your spending is progressing.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Crew News

[Lizzie68]

I believe we were discussing cutting down paying a bill at the end of the cruise - therefore a beverage card is an excellent idea. An additional benefit is the fact that you will not have reams of charges on your account to reconcile either when you get a printout during the cruise or at the end of the cruise, for every time you buy a drink, whether alcohol of special coffee or whatever, or have to keep piles of bits of paper. Many long time cruisers find that the beverage card makes life much simpler.;)

[Tangocherie]

Another thing to remember to keep your bar bill lower are the daily happy hours. Usually you get the second drink for one dollar. The venue will vary depending on the ship. Check out the daily bulletin to find out where it will be held.

[RuthC]

Many long time cruisers find that the beverage card makes life much simpler.;)

Oh, absolutely! I love it when, on that last morning when I am trying to get dressed, finish packing my carry-on, eat breakfast, AND proof out my final bill, that I don't have to tally all those little slips from every single drink I had all cruise.

One charge for the beverage card, and I am done with that aspect!

 

One time, at the start of a cruise, the lounge steward tried to talk me out of buying the beverage card, not seeing the value since there was no discount.

But I knew better. ;)

[lahlah57]

All of you guys are so smart and so savvy!!! Your tips are invaluable.

$100pp for a 2 week cruise sounds good for us as long as we aren't raging alcoholics throughout this trip.

I also read someone purchased their OBC? Is there a benefit to that or is it to keep yourself within that budget you purchased? Any info on wifi too?

Wow...when you think about the details of cruise expenditures it could get away from you.

I hope they do not charge with how many times you flush the toilet or we will need to take a 2nd out on the house:p;):rolleyes:

[Lizzie68]

All of you guys are so smart and so savvy!!! Your tips are invaluable.

$100pp for a 2 week cruise sounds good for us as long as we aren't raging alcoholics throughout this trip.

I also read someone purchased their OBC? Is there a benefit to that or is it to keep yourself within that budget you purchased? Any info on wifi too?

Wow...when you think about the details of cruise expenditures it could get away from you.

I hope they do not charge with how many times you flush the toilet or we will need to take a 2nd out on the house:p;):rolleyes:

 

The benefit of purchasing OBC before your cruise lies in having it credited to your onboard account, so it offsets your daily charges, like the HSC. Any OBC, no matter from what source, is credited to your account on the first or second day, then any charges are deducted as you go along. I think after our last cruise I had total onboard account of just over $7 to pay at the end of the cruise.

[Av8tor]

I believe we were discussing cutting down paying a bill at the end of the cruise - therefore a beverage card is an excellent idea. An additional benefit is the fact that you will not have reams of charges on your account to reconcile either when you get a printout during the cruise or at the end of the cruise, for every time you buy a drink, whether alcohol of special coffee or whatever, or have to keep piles of bits of paper. Many long time cruisers find that the beverage card makes life much simpler.;)

 

What happens if you lose the beverage card? Is it "tied" to you cruise card that must be showed in conjunction with the beverage card in order to be used?

Edited January 19, 2016 by Av8tor

[RuthC]

What happens if you lose the beverage card? Is it "tied" to you cruise card that must be showed in conjunction with the beverage card in order to be used?

The beverage card stands alone; you do not use your cabin card with it, except the first time to activate it.

[Btimmer]

What happens if you lose the beverage card? Is it "tied" to you cruise card that must be showed in conjunction with the beverage card in order to be used?

 

Beverage cards can be replaced at the Front Desk on the ship. We've had ours damaged or lost and replacements were no problem.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Btimmer

[OVgirl]

I think it might not be easy to replace a Beverage Card because whoever finds it can use it without having to show a room card. There would be no way for the staff to cancel the lost card.

[dakrewser]

I think it might not be easy to replace a Beverage Card because whoever finds it can use it without having to show a room card. There would be no way for the staff to cancel the lost card.

 

When you go to the front desk (or the concierge) to report the lost card, a new one is issued and the old one is cancelled.