Help with booking my cruise to Alaska...

Hello there!

Thanks to this wonderful site, I was able to narrow down and ultimately chose a cruise line for our journey from Vancouver to Alaska! We ended up choosing Holland America! We will be departing in September.

Several questions still have me a little baffled. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

1. HAL has several lines (boats) that travel to Alaska during this month. We'd like the one with the most updated state rooms. Do we choose the ship that was most recently *built*? Or the one that was most recently *refurbished*?

2. After looking at the verandah state room, we noticed undear it were the words, "ready, set sail". Upon clicking it, we saw this information (see below). The third paragraph refers to something called "on board spending money". (Third paragraph). Exactly what does this mean? Is this common to encounter when you book a cruise? What would we be able to spend it on? I've never heard of this. Can it be spent on wine? Spa treatments?

Is this a "good package"?

3. Doesn't our package price already include all meals and non alcoholic beverages? Why would we want/need the extra "on board spending money"? Perhaps it's to spend on alcohol?

Any help would be great appreciated!

I'm quite confused!

Thanks,

MB

Onboard Spending Money Per Person*VOYAGE LENGTHINSOVLANVERSTE6 to 13 Days (and L+S Journeys)$50$50$100$100$15014+ Days$100$100$200$200$250Ready Set Sail Terms & Conditions

 

*Fares and Ready Set Sail offers are based on Promo(s) RF/RG/PJ. Featured fares and are per person based on double occupancy, cruise or Land+Sea Journeys only. Fares are in U.S. dollars. Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses are additional and range from $80.00-$1,580.00. Subject to availability. Offers are per stateroom based on double occupancy, for 1st and 2nd guests sharing a stateroom and excludes 3rd/4th guests, except as provided herein. Offers are available for new bookings only, apply only to the cruise portion of Alaska Land+Sea Journeys, are not combinable with any other discounts and are not transferable or refundable. Offers are applicable on select 2017 & 2018 departures.

Prepaid gratuities (hotel service charges): Holland America Line pre-pays room gratuities on behalf of guests. Gratuities for bar, dining room wine accounts, or spa/salon services are not included.

Onboard spending money is offered in the following amounts: cruises 6-13 days: interior and ocean-view staterooms receive US$50 per person (US$100 per stateroom); lanai and verandah staterooms receive US$100 per person (US$200 per stateroom), and suites receive US$150 per person (US$300 per stateroom); cruises 14 plus days: interior and ocean-view staterooms receive US$100 per person (US$200 per stateroom); lanai and verandah staterooms receive US$200 per person (US$400 per stateroom), and suites receive US$250 per person (US$500 per stateroom.) US$100 internet credit per stateroom (US$50 per person): Holland America Line cannot guarantee the availability of Internet connection or speed.

For full terms and conditions applicable to your cruise, please refer to hollandamerica.com or the appropriate Holland America brochure. Offers are capacity controlled, and may be modified or withdrawn without prior notice. Other restrictions may apply. Ready Set Sail ends July 10, 2017. Ships' Registry: The Netherlands.

A great source of info for you will be the portion of Cruise Critic devoted to HAL, located here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=171

 

#1- I would take the ship that goes the days and route(s) that interest you. Newest vs. recently refurbished would not worry me.

 

#2- "Ready set sail" is a promotion. You will be able to spend it on any spending on board.

 

#3- No, not all non-alcoholic beverages are included- for example soft drinks are an extra charge. There are extra charge restaurants. You aren't required to spend extra money, you can eat and drink all cruise without extra charge if you wish.

You can also use the onboard credit to pay tips if you're doing the auto tips. You may want to buy something in the ships or get a manicure or play bingo.

 

Roz

Thank you so much Roz.

 

Many of the itineraries for the cruises are identical. However some of the rooms on a few of the ships look a bit "dated", while others look a tad more modern.

 

Thank you the link to HAL information within this site. I will certainly check it out. I had no idea it even existed here!

 

Thank you again,

MB

HAL ships have a more classic feel to them than some other lines, so what you see as out of date could be fairly new. Alaska is more about the destination rather than the ship, so you may not spend that much time in your cabin.

 

Roz

First things first - congratulations! You are going to have an awesome time! Just about any Alaskan cruise is break-taking, and HAL does a good job up there. Enjoy!

 

1. HAL has several lines (boats) that travel to Alaska during this month. We'd like the one with the most updated state rooms. Do we choose the ship that was most recently *built*? Or the one that was most recently *refurbished*?

 

It depends. Not all refurbishings (is that a word???) redo the room. With HAL, you should get a good room either way (they provide nice staterooms), so I wouldn't worry too much about this.

 

2. After looking at the verandah state room, we noticed undear it were the words, "ready, set sail". Upon clicking it, we saw this information (see below). The third paragraph refers to something called "on board spending money". (Third paragraph). Exactly what does this mean? Is this common to encounter when you book a cruise? What would we be able to spend it on? I've never heard of this. Can it be spent on wine? Spa treatments?

Is this a "good package"?

 

Cruise lines offer a lot of promotions like this, but this one seems to be above average. The "prepaid gratuities" is also a thing, as you would otherwise need to pay another $100 or so for gratuities.

 

Yes - this is on board credit, or OBC. A surprise of many first-time cruisers is that the cruise company will indeed attempt to separate you from more money while on board. :) This can be everything from art auctions to a gym class. You can use OBC for just about anything, except the casino in some instances.

 

3. Doesn't our package price already include all meals and non alcoholic beverages? Why would we want/need the extra "on board spending money"? Perhaps it's to spend on alcohol?

 

For most cruise lines (I'm not sure about HAL) a few non alcoholic beverages are free, but most are not. The thing that surprised me on my first cruise was that soda was not included.

Jeremiah,

Thank you so much for your kind and well-written reply.

 

It truly surprised us that soda is generally not included in a cruise price package.

 

Please do not laugh at this question:

 

But my husband and I are used to tipping, and leaving gratuities. But from what I'm reading, these are pre-paid on cruise lines? So, (in theory) you could get on the ship without your wallet and not have to spend anything? Even for room service?

 

I still cannot wrap my head around that, lol!

 

Please verify!

Thanks again.

MB

Nieuw Amsterdam is probably the newest ship on the route. The rest are older and smaller but preferred by some, or many.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to HAL.

 

You indeed can cruise without a wallet as additional purchases are charged to your credit card on file. It is customary to bring some dollar bills to tip the person who delivers your free, 24/7 Room Service (some items have an additional charge). Other tips are at the end of your cruise to your Room Steward if they far exceeded your expectations, at the end of your cruise to Dining Room waiter if they are especially attentive, and excursions folks if they gave you a truly special experience. Any On Board Credit (OBC) will reduce your credit card balance.

 

I just returned last week from my HAL cruise to Alaska. Here is a link to the information that I collected (includes 7-day cruise menus for this Alaska season):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/

 

Here is a link to my photo review of the Nieuw Amsterdam from last year, newest HAL ship sailing to Alaska (includes stateroom photos):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-nieuw-amsterdam-on-board-images/

 

I hope this helps in your cruise planning.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Crew News

Crew News:

 

Thank you so much for your informative reply! It was amazing. As were your photographs! I loved them. They clearly showed the dining options as well as the cabins.

I appreciate your help.

 

Crew News:

 

Again, (because I'm a cruising neophyte) exactly how and whom do we tip?

For example, at the end of a hotel stay, we leave an envelope fro house keeping. Is that included in our cruise price? What about for our daily meals? Also, if we do not see a bill for our meal, then how can we calculate the 20% gratuity?

 

I will try to read up on this on the HAL thread too.

Thank you again!

MB

No, gratuities or tip are not included unless the cruiseco specifically throws that in as part of the package.

 

You don't have to leave a cash tip for every service. The hotel, room or passenger service charge (or whatever it is called) of $13 per person per day (or probably more accurate, night) is the default tipping system allocated among the "hotel" crew (so not the ship officers and sailors), some of who you don't see as they are behind the scenes. You don't have to tip anymore for baggage delivery, housekeeping, dining and drinks. Really just room service. On our HAL cruise, we tipped the cabin attendants and our dining room stewards (we had the same two pairs for the whole cruise for 2 cruises) an extra amount on top of this.

 

If you choose to tip directly, you have to inform the ship guest office. The crew you tip are supposed to turn over the monies received.

 

As for HAL, the only beverages included are tap water, coffee (normal "brewed" - really diluted syrup) and tea, and whatever else on offer in the buffet ("Lido"). Everything else is extra.

 

Food in the MDR (Main DIning Room), buffet and venues such as the pool side grill are included. The specialty restaurants (including the Pinnacle Grill, Caneletto, coffee and snack bars, something called the Tamarind on the NA and Eurodam and other new ships) are extra.

Crushing cockroach:

 

Wow, thank you for all that you wrote.

Okay, I think I understood what you explained to me. But just to reiterate, would you mind answering one or two more questions? Sorry...

1.If you eat at the MDR, you leave your table and do not leave a tip?

2. At the end of the cruise, do you leave a tip for your sever? What if we got different severs every night?

3. What are "cabin attendants"? What exactly is their function? How do you know which is/are yours? Do they greet you on the first day? So we should leave a gratuity for them? It seems like you think that this is the proper etiquette.

4. So it seems like tipping for room service is a good idea? Good. That part I understood.

 

Cruise, should I bring *cash* for these tips? Can they break hundreds or twenties on the ship?

 

If these are too many questions, I can call HAL and ask them too.

 

Thank you again.

MB

Crushing cockroach:

1.If you eat at the MDR, you leave your table and do not leave a tip?

 

Yes, no additional tip if you stay with the Hotel Service Charge

 

2. At the end of the cruise, do you leave a tip for your sever? What if we got different severs every night?

See above.

 

3. What are "cabin attendants"? What exactly is their function? How do you know which is/are yours? Do they greet you on the first day? So we should leave a gratuity for them? It seems like you think that this is the proper etiquette.

They are the team (usually a pair) that cleans and tidy up your room (possibly twice a day or more - that was usual the last time I cruised on HAL). They'll usually introduce themselves to you when you board. They go about their job discreetly but you'll see them.

 

We tip them extra because they are really nice and seem that'd they'd go the extra mile (we've had very nice, positive experiences with the Indonesian and FIlipino hotel crew on HAL).

 

4. So it seems like tipping for room service is a good idea? Good. That part I understood.

I've just heard that it isn't a paid service as such, so $1 or 2 is appreciated. We rarely used it at any rate (only once per cruise - usually a breakfast).

 

Cruise, should I bring *cash* for these tips? Can they break hundreds or twenties on the ship?

[/qoute]

 

 

If you pay the HSC, it goes on your credit card at the end of the cruise, You can bring a wad of $1 for extra tips.

 

 

FWIW, there are some passengers who opt out the HSC and prefer to tip directly. If they tip more than the HSC, I am fine with but some, I think, may tip less to save their expenses.

Crew News:

 

Thank you so much for your informative reply! It was amazing. As were your photographs! I loved them. They clearly showed the dining options as well as the cabins.

I appreciate your help.

 

Crew News:

 

Again, (because I'm a cruising neophyte) exactly how and whom do we tip?

For example, at the end of a hotel stay, we leave an envelope fro house keeping. Is that included in our cruise price? What about for our daily meals? Also, if we do not see a bill for our meal, then how can we calculate the 20% gratuity?

 

I will try to read up on this on the HAL thread too.

Thank you again!

MB

 

Since others have answered your questions, I will just add my two cents.

 

The Hotel Service Charge (HSC) is per person/room/day. There will be a posting on your account each day. The two major portions of your HSC go to those who provide you personal service every day. On third of the amount goes to your Room Steward, one third goes to your Main Dining Room (MDR) waiter, and the balance goes to those on the ship that are never seen: plumbers, laundry staff, etc. You may voluntarily have the HSC removed from you account and the crew is notified of your withdrawal. If you remove the HSC, all of the tips from you received by any member of the crew must be surrendered to the Crew Fund. In effect, your tips for deserving folks will not thank those who gave you great service.

 

All sodas and alcoholic beverages have a 15% tip added so no need to tip the bar staff.

 

It is customary to leave any tip for your Room Steward on the desk when you disembark, if you do not see them that day. Your Room Steward can accomplish almost anything or know who to contact that can. Room Steward teams usually have about 20 staterooms to clean twice a day. They often choose to divide them into ten each rather than work as a team.

 

Many passengers avoid eating breakfast in the Lido Market (buffet) and opt for Room Service which is a nice way to start the day if you have a veranda. I bring an envelope of $1 bills to cover a daily Room Service breakfast.

 

The ship has plenty of cash on board as the crew deposits their tips into their personal accounts on board.

 

If you have a fixed dining time, early or late, you will have an assigned table and have the same two waiters for the duration of your cruise. If you choose, "Anytime Dining," you will have a different table and different waiters in the Main Dining Room each evening. There are options to get a reservation that you can discuss when you are on board.

 

The Room Stewards and MDR waiters are Indonesian and attend the HAL Training School in Jakarta. All of these are top notch because those who disappoint are sent home immediately. The bar staff are from the Phillipines and attend the HAL Training School in the Philippines. If the latter mess up, they too are immediately sent home.

 

FWIW there is no limit to what you order in the MDR. If you want five soups, you will get it. If you want two lobster tails instead of surf n turf, just ask. If you don't want to go to the MDR, you can order the same meal through Room Service as long as you order during the early part of the dinner serving times. Be warned that overeating on a cruise is a definite possibility. I commit myself to just eating half what is served and skip the potatoes. Of course I keep a plate of chocolate chip cookies from the Dessert Station on my stateroom coffee table for visitors.

 

When I took my first HAL cruise, I didn't know what I didn't know and actively worked on learning as much as possible on each subsequent cruise.

 

If we here on CC can give you a jump start on your cruise planning, we are glad to do so. It never hurts to ask.

 

Good luck in your cruise planning.

You're making tipping a lot more complicated than it needs to be. :D You've been given good information about the easiest and most sensible ways to handle this. Relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

If you're familiar with hotel maids, your room attendant does the same job - making beds, cleaning bathrooms and bedrooms, replacing towels, emptying trash can, etc. and then some.

 

Also, don't ask about tipping on the HAL board. You will receive a lot of hate filled diatribe and will be sorry you asked, even as a newbie.

 

Roz

Thanks Roz.

(If anyone is nasty of me on the HAL board, or on any board, I will report it to the moderators.)

 

 

Have a good day! :)

Have you made the actual reservation with Holland America? Or have you just decided that is the cruise line and September is the month? I called Holland American to get some information and right now, if you BOOK by 7/10/17 (and you CAN travel in September), your gratuities are part of the cruise price and you do not have to pay any additional. UNLESS, as others have mentioned, you want to give your steward a little extra or dining staff, etc.

Roz,

How incredibly kind of you. I'm a little taken aback, you didn't have to go to all that trouble. But again thanks!

 

My husband works in the ED and requests for Sept. were due last week. We are trying to make arrangements for this trip ASAP. I've got my mariner's number so we should be all set.

 

I will call tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks again.

MB

@Molecular

 

I would call the HAL phone number and ask to be connected to a PCC (Personal Cruise Consultant). I didn't used to "believe" in using a PCC (I would book by myself on the website), but just having one assigned to me saved me $2400 when I had to cancel a two-stateroom booking on Christmas Eve. That was worth more than any OBC I have ever heard of anyone getting from an independent travel agent!

 

Looking at the Alaska cruises available under the ReadySetSail -- two are on the newer ships, Nieuw Amsterdam and its sister ship Eurodam... the N.A. sails from Vancouver and hence has a more scenic first and last day. The Eurodam sails the roundtrip from Seattle and does not sail the full "Inside Passage" between Vancouver Island and British Columbia... however it finishes with a stop at Victoria ON Vancouver Island, offering a chance to visit Butchart Gardens if that appeals.

 

The flights will probably be cheaper to Seattle IF you are flying from elsewhere in the USA. If not, you will have to research.

CrystalSpin:

 

Good grief *thank you* so much for looking into the cruises that HAL offers for Alaska in September. My husband and I live on an island equidistant from Seattle and Vancouver. So I am lucky in that I can choose to leave from Vancouver or Seattle.

 

I think I will take your advice and speak to a HAL PCC. I feel that if I speak to a PPC they can help me tailor the type if package that would work best for my husband and myself. My husband works nights in the ER and so the first day or two he might just be in bed ordering room service.

 

I am truly so grateful for your help. I have been looking as the cruise itineraries over and over, and now, from your post, I didnt realize that the Eurodam left exclusively from Seattle and the NA leaves from Vancouver exclusively.

Honestly, I feel like the most clueless person on this site.

Thank you again,

MB

MB:

Just to mix it up a little -- The Eurodam has had upgrades to social/public spaces in a DryDock (when they take a ship out of use for maintenance and/or changes) in 2015, that Nieuw Amsterdam won't get until this coming Nov/Dec. These include Lincoln Center Stage and Dueling Pianos in a lounge named Billboard Onboard.

 

OTOH the route on the outside of V.Island is said to be prone to rougher seas. The route on the continent side is very calm and very pretty! We did it with six of my family members last year on the Volendam, a smaller HAL ship that still had enough "venues" to keep everyone happy.

 

On your third hand: I just noticed that Eurodam visits Sitka instead of Skagway. We all really like Skagway where we took the train up the pass and bus down, seeing twice the scenery. People do like Sitka as more like "old Alaska" due to not as many ships stopping there.

 

Dr'spin and I spent 26 days on the Nieuw Amsterdam -- but we are old fogies and might not miss upgraded nightclubs! This was a TransAtlantic followed by 15 ports in the Mediterranean, and we never felt a bit of motion.

 

The dates for the Eurodam/Seattle sailings are Sep 9 and 16.

The dates for the Nieuw Amsterdam/Vancouver sailings are Sep 9 and 16 and 23.

The earliest dates you might see [the last of the] salmon running along Creek Street in Ketchikan, with sealions catching them! The run is supposed to be mid-July to mid-Sept (but with the warmer weather, will it be earlier? or later?).

 

Some of these things a PCC might not be aware of. So the more you can decide the better. They will ask you what type of cabin you want, and if you have one in mind (you can do a "dummy" booking on the website to see what is available), and if you want Cancellation Protection. You can read up on what that costs and covers on the website too, by taking your "dummy booking" all the way to Payment and near the bottom there are costs and links to the coverages for Standard and Platinum Plans.

Crystal,

 

Wow! Thank you so much for this information! I just printed out your last two replies. My husband and I are tremendously grateful. Everything that you wrote was so helpful...

 

Yes, I had heard that the seas on the outer passage were slightly rougher than going via the inner (continent) passage.

 

My husband and I are in our late forties. We are nerds and enjoy reading and eating out. I don't think we would want to go to a disco/nightclub. That said, one of the things that sort of interested us was, (and I might be wrong about this) was that they might have a classical music night or even a cooking demonstration. But we could also spend a night at the casino, to do something a little fun and mindless. I understand what you mean about the one vessel, (Eurodam) being drydocked for the "social/public" upgrades. That was so informative, thank you for telling us this. (Good grief how do you know all of this information?!) But that is good to know. I had no idea that the common spaces could undergo specific refurbishing.

 

My husband normally likes to indulge on vacation, but the difference in the price point between a balcony and the suite seems quite a lot just for a few additional square feet. But perhaps we should? I'm sure it's personal preference.

 

Thank you so much Crystal! Your post means a great deal to me. It is so nice to have this source of help.

 

I hope this doesn't sound odd. But my husband and I were in school for a long time. And I always worked very hard for my grades, and I feel like on this site that all of you good people are doing my "homework" for me. I don't like to get help, I do reasrch for a living. But I truly appreciate all of the reasrach you've done for me!

Thank you!

MB

Cruisenews:

 

I wanted to let you you know that I really appreciated this reply (below). I printed it out to keep in my notes. Thank you so much for taking the time to write a long and informative reply.

 

I had meant to write this earlier but I got side tracked by anther post that rubbed me the wrong way, (a bit).

 

Again, thanks for your post!:)

MB

 

 

Since others have answered your questions, I will just add my two cents.

 

The Hotel Service Charge (HSC) is per person/room/day. There will be a posting on your account each day. The two major portions of your HSC go to those who provide you personal service every day. On third of the amount goes to your Room Steward, one third goes to your Main Dining Room (MDR) waiter, and the balance goes to those on the ship that are never seen: plumbers, laundry staff, etc. You may voluntarily have the HSC removed from you account and the crew is notified of your withdrawal. If you remove the HSC, all of the tips from you received by any member of the crew must be surrendered to the Crew Fund. In effect, your tips for deserving folks will not thank those who gave you great service.

 

All sodas and alcoholic beverages have a 15% tip added so no need to tip the bar staff.

 

It is customary to leave any tip for your Room Steward on the desk when you disembark, if you do not see them that day. Your Room Steward can accomplish almost anything or know who to contact that can. Room Steward teams usually have about 20 staterooms to clean twice a day. They often choose to divide them into ten each rather than work as a team.

 

Many passengers avoid eating breakfast in the Lido Market (buffet) and opt for Room Service which is a nice way to start the day if you have a veranda. I bring an envelope of $1 bills to cover a daily Room Service breakfast.

 

The ship has plenty of cash on board as the crew deposits their tips into their personal accounts on board.

 

If you have a fixed dining time, early or late, you will have an assigned table and have the same two waiters for the duration of your cruise. If you choose, "Anytime Dining," you will have a different table and different waiters in the Main Dining Room each evening. There are options to get a reservation that you can discuss when you are on board.

 

The Room Stewards and MDR waiters are Indonesian and attend the HAL Training School in Jakarta. All of these are top notch because those who disappoint are sent home immediately. The bar staff are from the Phillipines and attend the HAL Training School in the Philippines. If the latter mess up, they too are immediately sent home.

 

FWIW there is no limit to what you order in the MDR. If you want five soups, you will get it. If you want two lobster tails instead of surf n turf, just ask. If you don't want to go to the MDR, you can order the same meal through Room Service as long as you order during the early part of the dinner serving times. Be warned that overeating on a cruise is a definite possibility. I commit myself to just eating half what is served and skip the potatoes. Of course I keep a plate of chocolate chip cookies from the Dessert Station on my stateroom coffee table for visitors.

 

When I took my first HAL cruise, I didn't know what I didn't know and actively worked on learning as much as possible on each subsequent cruise.

 

If we here on CC can give you a jump start on your cruise planning, we are glad to do so. It never hurts to ask.

 

Good luck in your cruise planning.

Cruisegal:

 

OMG!

I gave credit to the wrong person for this post. I'm so terribly sorry! It was *you* who called HAL.

Thank you SO MUCH for doing this! It was so kind of you! I greatly appreciate it. It was so sweet.

:)

MB

Thank you again Cruisegal!

 

 

Have you made the actual reservation with Holland America? Or have you just decided that is the cruise line and September is the month? I called Holland American to get some information and right now, if you BOOK by 7/10/17 (and you CAN travel in September), your gratuities are part of the cruise price and you do not have to pay any additional. UNLESS, as others have mentioned, you want to give your steward a little extra or dining staff, etc.

OK, I'll throw a bit more "homework" out there! (I practically do this "for a living" as I no longer work outside the home so planning vacations for my physician husband is one of the things I DO do.)

 

I believe that all HAL ships (the Prinsendam may be an exception IDK, but think all) have a classical duet (piano and violin) that plays once a night for about an hour, or perhaps two with a break. They are called Adagio... on every ship! although obviously they are different people! Our last three cruises had an older man with a younger woman, two young women, and a man-woman couple (apparently romantically so as well). They were all very good, trained in western Europe. Now here's the thing. If you go to HAL's website and click OnBoard in the top tabs, then click any ship's DeckPlan and select Eurodam's PDF All Decks. Open another browser tab and do the same thing for Nieuw Amsterdam. In both PDFs, scroll to the 2nd Deck (Lower Promenade Deck) and at the back of the ship (bottom of the page) is the lower level of the dining room. Above (forward) of that on the right (starboard) side for the Nieuw Amsterdam is the Explorer's Lounge, a nice area of comfy chair and sofas, with a bar (with servers). This is where Adagio plays. (They may also have a night on the main stage -- watch your daily program.)

 

On the Eurodam's Lower Promenade you will see the area is divided into the Lincoln Center Stage of which I spoke earlier, and a space still labeled Explorer's Lounge, but less than half as big. I read that Adagio plays in the LCS, where the seats are arranged as a theatre or ARE theatre seats.

 

Therefore, the scales are tipping back toward the Nieuw Amsterdam! Prettier route, chance to take the WhitePass Railroad at Skagway, and a nicer venue for the classical music.

 

We probably should have taken this to the HAL forum! I can share more about the choice of staterooms but let me know what you are thinking... or open a thread on the HAL forum, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=171