HAL secrets

[1cruiselvr]

I fell in love with their chocolate covered strawberries a long time ago. During our cruise on the Ryndam last yr, my husband commented on how much we loved them to a DR steward and he returned with a tray full to take back to our cabin. NOW THAT'S SERVICE!!! 73 more days until 15 days of heaven onboard the Statendam to Hawaii!!! Chocolate strawberries here I come! Happy Sailing!

[dukie91]

Revneal,

 

Thank you for your help. So can you arrange with the front desk that you will pay at the end with cash?

 

Jodi

[1cruiselvr]

I wasn't aware you can pay your shipboard credit with cash (green stuff). I thought you had to give them something, a Credit or Debit card, or money order/cashier's check. Otherwise, couldn't somebody say they don't have the money at the end of the cruise and then what? OVERBOARD? :D Happy Sailing!

[RevNeal]

So can you arrange with the front desk that you will pay at the end with cash?

 

You will need to make a cash-deposit to your account. If you don't want to register a credit card, you can deposit an amount that becomes your "credit limit" aboard ship. If you reach that amount, they'll contact you to let you know you need to deposit more.

 

For my Zaandam cruise I have, over the past few months, made deposits to my shipboard account in the amount of $850. This will reduce the amount of money I will have to deposit with the front office to cover all my expenses. :D

 

I will be boarding the Zaandam in about 24 hours. :)

[RevNeal]

I thought you had to give them something, a Credit or Debit card, or money order/cashier's check. Otherwise, couldn't somebody say they don't have the money at the end of the cruise and then what? OVERBOARD?

 

You have to PRE-deposit the cash into your account. You can do that before the cruise by calling ships services, OR by going to the front desk and making the cash deposit.

[1cruiselvr]

Well I got it 1/2 right:D You must give them SOMETHING prior to the start of the cruise which makes sense. HAPPY SAILING!

[marybeach]

I just re-read this to not forget some of the great ideas! Thanks everybody!

[catlib55]

When we were on the Statendam, at least one of the bars had 2 for one drinks. They also have daily specials that are significantly less expensive than the other drinks.

Also, make sure you find the lower promenade deck. Most of the newer ships don't have a deck that goes all around the ship any more. They are taken up by balcony suites and cabins. One of the nice things about most of the HAL ships is that on the lower promenade deck, you can walk all the way around the ship. It's like the old ocean liners used to be.

Enjoy your cruise!!

[kygal]

I just wanted to thank everyone who has contributed to this post...this is my FIRST ever cruise..leaving Dec 6 on the Statendam for 15 sun-filled (hopefully) days to Hawaii..and the tips in this thread are awesome...OK now I am starved!

1cruiselvr...save some strawberries for ME!:)

~kygal

[sail7seas]

kygal....

 

 

Hope you have a fantastic First Cruise.

 

Also hope that when you come home, you will share some comments with us. I think most of us would really like to hear your impressions and reactions.

[Arubalisa]

Hope this is not a stupid question...

 

Do you have to pre-order the chocolate covered strawberries from ship's services before boarding?

[Golfgrl1911]

I happened to be in the Lido pool on BBQ night when I was offered to participate in the all you can drink Pina Colada's served in an actual hollowed out pineapple! They were $11.95 and the most delicous Pina Colada's I have ever had! I didn't recollect reading about this offer so it was a wonderful suprise! Can't wait until I get to drink them again in September! Nancy:D

[KenM]

The staff is vey service oriented. Do NOT be afraid to ASK for something, anything that you need.

IF something is not correct, don't be shy or timid to speak up..

HAL wants you to be happy and return, so ASK- your cabin steward, your waiter, the front desk- anyone that you come in contact with.

I have sailed many times and have always enjoyed our trips. DO things come up- absolutely...BUT I have never had an issue that was not addressed.

It is sad to read about people who return from a trip disappointed in some maner and they never asked while on the ship.....

So have a great time........and as a first time cruiser - do it all....

[marybeach]

Ken,

 

You are absolutely correct. If there is a problem, let them know, i.e., the beds not together, a used robe, etc. They can't fix what they don't know about. Be assertive if the cabin steward doesn't "understand" English. He understands more than you know. Call the front desk or the Hotel Manager. From reading these boards, you know our expectations. You should have the same. From what I can see from these boards, we have HIGH expectations. Some things are easily corrected, some take a little more "assertiveness". Within reason, they will be very accommodating, especially, if you have a smile in your voice with the request.

[lissa6626]

WOW...what great info. I will be on my 1st HAL 12/11 on Veendam. I can't wait to experience HAL....I hope it compares well to Celebrity. :rolleyes:

[louiskam]

I don't know if this is just on our 05/19/2004 Westerdam Europe sailing or not...... but we had the 30-min. flaming dessert free servings at the Explorer lounge nightly before the show times. And we can find out more ahead from our dining room waiter. Quite impressed.

[Lokalona]

I don't know if this is just on our 05/19/2004 Westerdam Europe sailing or not...... but we had the 30-min. flaming dessert free servings at the Explorer lounge nightly before the show times. And we can find out more ahead from our dining room waiter. Quite impressed.

 

 

Flambe' drinks are not free, but so cool to watch being concocted, the dessert is free, they also have a tray of chocolates setting out in the back corner near the corner booth...the officers sneak through and know exactly where this tray is and get some tidbits off of it. The chocolate covered strawberries are on this tray. We opted for this dessert several nights because these desserts were more fun, except I will say I did get the souffle' in the dining room because it is my favorite dessert. This Flambe' service begins at 9:00pm and is a perk I've only seen on HAL.

[louiskam]

We love souffle but found the chocolate souffle a bit sweet. Fortunately we had them for only two nights out of twelve.

[ualtim]

If you are going to drink soda, get a soda card on the first day and you can drink unlimited fountain soda for the whole cruise. Can't recall the price, but it was around $35 for a 7 day cruise. On the Zuiderdam, they actually provided you with a large logo bubble glass that you could go to any bar and have filled all week and then take home as a souveneir.

 

Free Cruise Lottery. Available at the front desk and not heavily advertised sometimes. $10 a chance or $20 for 3 chances. Someone will win. We won it aboard the Ryndam a few years ago and it made the next cruise a whole lot nicer when we did not have to pay the cruise fare.

 

Crow's Nest for before dinner cocktails. It is usually not too crowded on most evenings as it is fairly far away from the dining room, but the view and service are outstanding. Free hors d'ourves (OK, so I can't spell) and very little competition for the waiters time makes it very relaxing and seconds are easy to come by. Catch the forward elevators down to the dining level and walk through the public areas to work up an appetite for dinner.

 

On your 2nd and subsequent HAL cruise, the Mariner's party. Free hors d'voures (Yes, I still can not spell it) and cocktails are served, and if you find the right location or get to know some of the bar staff you could have more cocktails or champagne than you can handle. Additionally, the Captain and Hotel Manager will each have a short speech outlining some of the future ships or improvements that HAL is preparing for. Some find it boring, but we always have a good time at the Mariner reception.

 

Free ice cream in the Lido! Familiar to all those who have sailed on HAL, but a feature most other cruise lines do not offer.

 

Aft veranda rooms on the Zuiderdam and her sisters. The aft verandas on the Vista ships are 3 to 4 times larger than the side verandas and offer a superb view. We will be booking these rooms if we can on all of our subsequent Vista class sailings.

 

Thats all that I can think of at the moment.

[jima53]

Don't believe any HAL advertising about the length of your stay in HMC. For a long time they have been cutting the day to a half day or less but don't tell you until the day before. So if you rent a cabana it can get pretty expensive.

 

Jim

[BCEagle78]

The actual contents of the meatloaf served on board... it is a mystery what it contains... :eek:

[mythreehearts]

Thanks for the information. We were trying to figure which cabana to rent for the day. Have you heard from others also that they are cutting HM's day short?? Your right, if its a short day it is a lot of $$$ to put out to rent it.

 

Thanks!

[Sigtau21]

Going to be new to HAL in May on the Veendam in Alaska. This thread is great! Anymore insights?:)

[smoosh21]

I haven't seen an answer to Vista class ship Bow Access. Is it possible? The pictures I have seen have always shown it empty, so I am not sure if anyone can go out there.

 

 

Has anyone been able to get access, and if so, from which deck do you access it?

 

Thanks

[lidorose]

Don't think I saw this one: the salmon bake at the lido poolside on our Alaska cruise. Best, freshest salmon I ever had. The only problem is, the bake is too close to dinner so I couldn't eat as much of it as I'd have liked to! Yummy.