JMB1969 Posted Sunday at 06:53 PM #1 Share Posted Sunday at 06:53 PM Hi all! We have an upcoming cruise on HAL in a few months, and one of us will be celebrating a birthday while on board. Does HAL do anything to recognize birthdays on their own, or will se somehow have to notify them in advance? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted Sunday at 07:21 PM #2 Share Posted Sunday at 07:21 PM Just let your TA or PCC know about your celebration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB1969 Posted Sunday at 07:22 PM Author #3 Share Posted Sunday at 07:22 PM Just now, POA1 said: Just let your TA or PCC know about your celebration. Booked directly through HAL so don't have a TA or PCC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lido deck main Posted Sunday at 07:28 PM #4 Share Posted Sunday at 07:28 PM 2 minutes ago, JMB1969 said: Booked directly through HAL so don't have a TA or PCC. You can notify the evening before the location where you will dine I.e. MDR or Pinnacle and you can order a free small birthday cake to be delivered to your table at the end of your meal. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvertoGold Posted Sunday at 07:48 PM #5 Share Posted Sunday at 07:48 PM 19 minutes ago, Lido deck main said: You can notify the evening before the location where you will dine I.e. MDR or Pinnacle and you can order a free small birthday cake to be delivered to your table at the end of your meal. This is a good idea since it can be hit or miss when just telling your TA. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted Sunday at 07:51 PM #6 Share Posted Sunday at 07:51 PM We celebrated my birthday on embarkation day last year. We pre-booked Pinnacle for dinner, I'm not sure if we mentioned my birthday (of course the ship has this information). After dinner we returned to our cabin to find a Happy Birthday card and a little cake. It was a nice surprise. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlaMariner Posted Sunday at 08:07 PM #7 Share Posted Sunday at 08:07 PM We seem to always cruise during Her Majesty's birthday...... When she is not looking, I ask the MDR waiter or the maitre 'de at least the evening before her birthday for help celebrating.....Then, during dessert on the big day, the waiter brings a very tasty small birthday cake and it is accompanied by several waiters joining in singing the Indonesian version of "Happy Birthday". It's fun. No surcharge. Similar situation for celebrating our anniversary. Also, the captain has also a dispatched a birthday card to Her Majesty on her birthday. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loretta Posted Sunday at 08:53 PM #8 Share Posted Sunday at 08:53 PM I booked on the HAL website the past two years, traveling solo on my birthday. Both years, I received a "Happy Birthday" cupcake,and a card signed by the captain delivered to my cabin. It was funny, in 2023, it was announced at the "Ask the Captain" show that the captain had the same birthday as me. The entire theater got up to sing him Happy Birthday and I did too (but replaced my name with his!). 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNSJ Posted Sunday at 08:57 PM #9 Share Posted Sunday at 08:57 PM If your birthday is during a cruise you get two things.... 1. A year older 2. Cupcake and note from the Captain. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ready2go11 Posted Sunday at 09:08 PM #10 Share Posted Sunday at 09:08 PM I often book a trip over my birthday. We have celebrated at Rudis and Pinnacle. On all occasions I received a good size chocolate mousse cake (it is shaped like a fish at Rudis) with menu desserts ordered. Usually when we book my PCC has asked if we are celebrating anything on board or has noticed it was my birthday during the booking process and made a note I guess on the booking. Last October they gave me one mousse cake at Rudis and another at Pinnacle for lunch the next day. You can indeed have too much chocolate mousse cake! i have never received a cupcake, nor a note from the Captain however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkc Posted Sunday at 09:35 PM #11 Share Posted Sunday at 09:35 PM Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlaMariner Posted Sunday at 09:37 PM #12 Share Posted Sunday at 09:37 PM (edited) 4 minutes ago, kirkc said: Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song. Thanks for clarifying.... LOL.....Seemed Indonesian and was being sung by the Indonesian waiters.....and it was all Greek to me! A nice touch though and we enjoyed it...whatever they were singing in whatever language. Edited Sunday at 09:39 PM by FlaMariner 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Haljo1935 Posted Sunday at 09:50 PM #13 Share Posted Sunday at 09:50 PM You can also call in and ask them to add a note to your booking. They will generally ask what day you will be celebrating. Then, with no other mention of it, the birthday or anniversary cake will show up at dessert time. We used to also get a bottle of champagne in our cabin, but now it's just the cake and, depending on the ship, the cupcake and note from the captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare whogo Posted Sunday at 11:56 PM #14 Share Posted Sunday at 11:56 PM Holland America is also willing to sell you birthday or anniversary cabin decorations or flowers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobiemom Posted yesterday at 12:02 AM #15 Share Posted yesterday at 12:02 AM (edited) Served in NS Club Orange dining room last Dec. Edited yesterday at 12:04 AM by dobiemom 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happytotravel Posted yesterday at 01:45 AM #16 Share Posted yesterday at 01:45 AM The cupcake looks delicious! happytotravel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Chris Posted yesterday at 11:35 AM #17 Share Posted yesterday at 11:35 AM 13 hours ago, kirkc said: Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song. Whatever language it is, I’ve always enjoyed the high energy with which it is delivered. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cbr663 Posted yesterday at 11:50 AM #18 Share Posted yesterday at 11:50 AM Ah, Birthday celebrations. Some years ago we were sailing on HAL for my birthday and DH arranged for a birthday cake to be delivered to our suite as a surprise for our own private celebrations. It didn't arrive and we were so disappointed. The next year we decided to sail on Celebrity for my DW's birthday. I tried again, ordered a birthday cake for our suite for a private celebration and again, no cake arrived. On both lines instead of a private celebration in our suites we spent the time in Guest Services trying to find out why we experienced such poor service. Now, we never rely on cruise lines for special occasions. Fool me once.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted yesterday at 02:35 PM #19 Share Posted yesterday at 02:35 PM 19 hours ago, JMB1969 said: Booked directly through HAL so don't have a TA or PCC. Call in to HAL general reservations. Ask them to add the birthday celebration special services item on the correct day. It's the free item. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted yesterday at 02:59 PM #20 Share Posted yesterday at 02:59 PM 14 hours ago, dobiemom said: Served in NS Club Orange dining room last Dec. Very Nice touch for that persons birthday 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happytotravel Posted yesterday at 03:27 PM #21 Share Posted yesterday at 03:27 PM Many years ago while at dinner on NCL my husband mentioned that we were celebrating our dog's birthday that day. The maitre'd brought out a cake and she and the waiters sang happy birthday to our Teddy Bear. It was very sweet of them. happytotravel 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted yesterday at 04:08 PM #22 Share Posted yesterday at 04:08 PM I would tell them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatmad Posted yesterday at 04:31 PM #23 Share Posted yesterday at 04:31 PM We embarked on DH birthday last month. Card from captain already in cabin and cake w song in mdr. Was impressed with all the other things going on that day. We didn’t inform anyone ahead of time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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