Help! I have questions!

[Disnyfan83]

I have been put in charge of the family (eleven of us) vacation. I have booked four Balcony cabins on the Westerdam 3/27 thru Cruise Value Center. CC boards have been soooo helpful, but I still have some questions.
- We have booked four balcony cabins together, is it true that the balcony partitions can be moved making one large balcony for us?
- At HMC, would booking two cabanas (and paying the extra persons fees) be good for eleven of us? The HA website says to book 60 days in advance but so many of you at CC seem to book them waaaay earlier than that - how do you do that?
-Has anyone used the tuxedo rental at HAL? What does it cost?
-The largest table size in the dining room is ten. If we have two tables of six, will we be able to mix it up and sit anywhere within those two tables throughout the trip?
Sorry for all the questions, but this is the first cruise for most of the family, and I want to be able to answer all of their questions correctly. THANKS!!

[doone]

Welcome to the boards.

My dad has used the tux rental through HAL and have found it to be very good. Any problems, which were small ones, were taken care of quickly. He rented through this web site: www.cruiselineformal.com all your information will be there.

We did a family vacation a few years back and each family basically had their own table. Some nights the older kids all would gather at one table then the adults would go to the other table, so the answer to your question would be yes, you can mix and match within those tables.

[user8]

We just got off the Statendam where we had a cabin with a balcony. It did not appear to me that the partitions between balconies could be easily removed if at all. Of course since we had no reason to want to remove them, I did not look too closely. The crew did acid wash the balconies on our side of the ship one day and they came through our cabin to get to our balcony. When they went to wash off the acid, someone working next door reached around the partition with a hose and sprayed our balcony leading me to believe the partitions are not easily removed.

As for sharing tables, we frequently travel with a group of 20 - 30 people and often have as many as five tables for our group. We always swap among the group and have never had any trouble. The only trouble is that some waiters are faster than others and everyone wants to sit at those tables but it is really no problem.

[bkreader]

We used Cruise Value Center also for our upcoming January cruise. About the cabanas - they are for up to four persons only. After that you are supposed to pay a surcharge for an extra person, according to HAL web site.
To book, go to the Holland America website here: https://www.hollandamerica.com/shorex/shorex.do;jsessionid=qcnevtmlVBLi4tmjr_drJuK
and fill in the form. Your Cruise Value Center confirmation number is the same as your HAL booking number. - Jane :cool:

[RuthC]

When you request two tables of six you might also want to request that they have the same steward. That way he can more easily make the adjustments when people switch off each night.

[Disnyfan83]

We used Cruise Value Center also for our upcoming January cruise. About the cabanas - they are for up to four persons only. After that you are supposed to pay a surcharge for an extra person, according to HAL web site.
To book, go to the Holland America website here: https://www.hollandamerica.com/shorex/shorex.do;jsessionid=qcnevtmlVBLi4tmjr_drJuK
and fill in the form. Your Cruise Value Center confirmation number is the same as your HAL booking number. - Jane :cool:Jane - I assumed that my confirmation number was my booking number, but when I used it on the Holland site, they said it was invalid because it was not at least seven digits long. My confirmation # is five digits long - now what?

[jdrblue]

Disnyfan83

We were on the Westerdam last May. I am sure the balcony partitions in the two cabins adjacent to ours and the two below ours were opened. I don't know about four together but it looked like you could share at least two.

Jim

[bkreader]

[QUOTE=Disnyfan83]Jane - I assumed that my confirmation number was my booking number, but when I used it on the Holland site, they said it was invalid because it was not at least seven digits long. My confirmation # is five digits long - now what?[/QUOT

Hmmm - Mine is 7 digits. On one of my CVC documents it is also known as the "Reservation Code." If this is not it, call CVC at 800-231-7447. They have been good about answering my questions. Good luck! - Jane

[Charliesmom]

Call CVC and ask them to give you the Booking number. They will give it to you. It does not show on their invoice.

Roberta

[lknick]

Except on the stern of Vista class ships, all verandahs can be opened so there is continued access. The partitions do not go away, but there is a door about half the patrician size that can be opened. All you need do is ask your steward.

You should have received from your TA a confirmation, sometimes by email, which includes your booking number on the upper right hand side.