calteacher

aa7yy, When did you sail? What ship? Thanks.

Again, thank you so much. I think we will bring several of our "California winter" outfits, with the ability to do some layering, and then go with "summery" clothing for the Islands.

Wondering if the westerndam is the same as the oosterdam, or like the nordam regarding prices.

Can you give me an idea of the cost? We will be on the Westerdam San Diego to Hawaii cruise in February. Because of the cost, I'm not interested in a veranda, but am interested in the cost of a cabana. Can you reserve it for just a few days? Or do I need to reserve for the entire 18 day?

Thanks.

Thanks. That is what I sort of thought, but didn't want to find myself all "summery" when others were dressed for winter in the northeast.

I realize this is a strange question, but what "season" of clothing do passengers usually wear on a Hawaii-bound ship. I know that once in the Islands, it is summery, tropical wear. But, when on the ship, is it also the tropical wear?

On Alaska cruises, we have gone with the idea of the layered look. In Europe, we followed the season, (summer), but am confused about this trip. It is February, so it is "winter". As a Californian, in winter we tend to do the "light-weight" but winter colors.

So, here's my crazy question: Do I take two types of clothing? One for the ship and another for Hawaii?

Thanks.

We were on the Veendam July 1 from Montreal to Boston. Our grandkids were 7, 9, and 11 and went to Club Hal daily. Our 11 year old, a girl, wasn't as thrilled with Club Hal as our grandsons, but there were only a couple of girls who regularly went to Club Hal. However, she did like it. Our grandsons would want to get through dinner in a hurry in order to get to Club Hal, even though it wouldn't be open until nearly 30 minutes after we usually finished dining.

However, our waiter wasn't very "kid friendly" until the last day or two (in anticipation of tips???). On a previous HAL cruise in 2014, the waiter was very kid friendly, would "high five" the youngest, had special tricks, etc., but the one on Veendam was just a little surly a lot of the time--even to adults. We chalked it up to either not feeling well, being homesick, or just plain tired. It didn't affect our pleasure on the cruise.

We did think that no matter how you ordered a steak, it was going to come the way the chef felt like preparing it. Again, no big problem, we just traded among ourselves.

Does the Connie have a self-service laundry? Do they have a plan for a "bag" of laundry as some of the HAL ships have?

Thanks for any info.

After probably 15 cruises, we are booked on a February cruise and find that fixed dining is already booked (8 months away!). So, we are faced with open dining. Are we going to find that on this 18-day cruise we will need to stand in lines waiting for a table? Also, we have enjoyed having the same table as our stewards rapidly learn our preferences and the thought of needing to have a different steward daily is not something we are looking forward to.

I've been reading about Mariner fares. Is there a magic number of mariner days required before one can quality? We have 190 mariner days and I have never been able to get a mariner fare. When I try a "fictional" booking, I get the same price if I indicate that I have a mariner number and give the number as when I say I do not have a mariner number.

Just wondering when that fare actually manifests itself. Thanks.

Except that the ship sails at 4!

Just received an e-mail from HAL that the embarkation will take place at a different location than previously given for the Veendam on Saturday, July 1.

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION: For guests embarking ms Veendam in Montreal, Canada, guests will embark at Berths 34-35, located East of Pont Jacques-Cartier Bridge, approximately 7km east of Old Montreal. Access to the terminal by vehicle is via the Pie-IX entrance to the Port of Montreal located at the intersection of Notre-Dame East and Pie-IX Blvd. Once at this Pie-IX entrance take the Port road on the right to the temporary cruise terminal 34-35, which is fully equipped with waiting area, tourist info, restrooms, telephones, Wifi, vending machines, taxis, shuttle service to Old Montreal, and free long-term parking. The Montreal Port will provide a free shuttle between Old Town and Pier 34-35 starting at 8:30am. The last shuttle will leave from Old Town 2 hours before the ship's departure time. We regret any inconvenience and thank you for your attention.

I called HAL and received the location of the shuttle in Old Town. Location is corner of Rue Notre Dame Ouest and Boulevard St. Laurent.

Hopefully everyone concerned has this information. However, when we sailed on Uniworld in April, we were given wrong information and had a very difficult time locating the correct location.

Thanks. I had not realized that taxis were at a premium in Montreal. We are a party of eight, so we will just stand in line and wait for our taxis.

Murray Hill Linousine service must have recently raised their rates. It is not $55 flat rate, but I was quoted $165. Two taxis is much less.

Is it possible to reserve a taxi?

Unfortunately they do not offer the Hawaii circle trip in March from San Diego. That would have been our preference, too. Now, need to decide if it is worth it to fly to Vancouver and increased cost (plus shorter cruise) or take a chance on San Diego in January/February.

Sorry. I couldn't find it and thought I forgot to post it (I've done that a few times.)

thx

I hope I am not flamed for asking this question. I know you cannot predict the "roughness" of the ocean. But, I am wondering if anyone who has done the circle Hawaii trip can give any info on the probability of a cruise from San Diego being smoother (since it is begins further south) than a cruise from Vancouver (which begins further north).

Thanks.

I know this is something over which we have no control, but does anyone have any idea of whether sailing to Hawaii from San Diego (more southern route) would provide a less rough ride than sailing from Vancouver (more north to south?) I know I may be flamed for this as there is no always answer, just wondering what some of your experiences have been.

Since we live in Southern California, it would be more advantageous to go from San Diego, but those cruises are really full. Thanks.

I'm confused as to reserving a guarantee. From most times I look at the website, there is no decrease in price for booking a guarantee. What am I missing?

Thanks for the responses. I know that everything is in the "eye of the beholder", but this family cruise celebrating our 50th anniversary is all about family togetherness and enjoying our cruise. We hope for working toilets, etc., but a few paint chips, etc. isn't going to spoil our vacation.

Please don't tell me it is so bad that you will not sail on her. We leave in three weeks and are excited about the cruise. And, we will enjoy the cruise even if the ship is so bad that you will not sail her again.

My problem is that I don't know how to determine the cost of the cruise without the "specials". I have checked a number of on-line sites, along with the HAL site, and the cabin price is the same on all sites. Is there something that I am missing?

Thanks.

I'm confused about the "specials" and cannot determine if they are really special. We are considering an 18-day cruise. Right now the "Ready, Set, Sail" would pay the daily service charge--almost $500 for the two of us and would give $200 on-board credit. Perhaps I am naive, but that seems like a no-brainer since we do not consume much alcohol and a dinner in the Pinnacle Grill doesn't compare to the daily service charge, and we will only have two in our cabin, and probably book with a future cruise credit.

Am I interpreting this correctly? Thanks.

Thanks for the responses. I, too, had recalled when children under 12 were free. However, it seemed that this was probably no longer true hence the question. Since we are taking our family of 8 to celebrate our 50th, the $$$ so far has been sufficient that we can skip the elegant dinner.

The last cruise we were on, the meal was not up to par. My "medium" steak was so underdone I wondered how long it had been on the grill. By the time the waiter came to see if my meal was "OK", I had nearly finished the other items and chose to not have my steak cooked further. By the end of the meal, the manager came to see it and agreed the chefs had done a lousy job. In fact, he gave us a free lunch the next day. So, I doubt we will attempt the Pinnacle this trip.