Honeymoons on Holland America

[ksbug]

Has anyone been on HAL for their honeymoon? My fiance and I are sailing on the Oosterdam in October and were wondering if they do anything special for you? Just curious.....thanks!

[grenouille]

We sailed on the Zuiderdam in August, 03, for our honeymoon.
We had a guarantee room, and ended up with an upgrage, although we're not sure if it was because we were on our honeymoon!
We also had a table for two (which we requested).

They had a "honeymooners party+ renewal of vows " in the Queen's Lounge one night, complete with champagne, hors d'oeuvres, cake, and a photo op with the captain. A honeymoon certificate, along with the photo, was delivered to our room a few days later!

That's about it! It's a wonderful way to spend a honeymoon! You'll love it!

[jhannah]

HAL can make it as special as you want. Here's a link (http://www.hollandamerica.com/onboard/gifts.do) to the HAL website that shows the special packages you can purchase (or that friends can purchase for you) to commemorate this special event. Congratulations, and have a great cruise!

[cactuslady]

We honeymooned on the Statendam a year ago and were treated to a nice little champagne reception for honeymooners and vow renewal couples with cake and a photo with the Captain and hotel manager. Tell them when you book that you are honeymooners, and keep mentioning it to the staff once you board.

Most important -- be SURE your passport/ID contains the SAME name as the one you booked under! The staff learns your new name right away if you just tell them it changed. If you are in a category where you get personalized stationery (suites), and you booked under your old name, they will be happy to print new joint stationery with your new names.

We also shared with everyone the story of how we met on the Ryndam and were honeymooning on the Statendam. That may or may not have had anything to do with our invitation to dine at the Captain's table on the second formal night, but it turned out the Captain was also a newlywed. :D :D :D Who knows--if you have a charming romance story you may find that someone is charmed and will reward you for it.

Have fun!

[Randyk47]

We honeymooned on the Ryndam and had a wonderful cruise. We also were given a bottle of champaign and invited to the newly weds/renewal of vows reception. Also got the free picture with the captain. That was pretty much all the ship did on their own for us, the rest was on our own dime. Still was a great honeymoon and was especially exciting for my bride as it was her first cruise.