GlennG

Thanks Crew News. You provided a good explanation of "naughty room." It's interesting how terms get used on Cruise Critic. This is really a place near the front desk, and is used for storage of items that need to be opened by the owner. I appreciate your explanation and patience in dealing with people like me who are not familiar with all of the Cruise Critic nuanced language.

What's the naughty room?

We are currently onboard the Eurodam, and are scheduled to visit Jamaica in the next few days. Thanks to those posters offering advice about the current level of safety in Jamaica. My wife and I will remain onboard. This kind of up-to-date advice is really appreciated.

Thank you, Kazu, for your report.

Richard, First of all, please don't be discouraged by the response of some of the HAL cheerleaders. Some people will never accept that others find disappointment with HAL and its services. However, I must tell you that I agree with many of the people who have posted here. Removing tips will likely be perceived as being ineffective. As other have said, you might consider writing a formal letter to the President (or some other person in the hierarchy) and register your disappointment. Given you dissatisfaction, you should emphasize that you will not patronize Holland America Line again. There are lots of other sailing alternatives out there. Finally, mean what you say. Don't sail with HAL again.

I notice a difference in taste between the coffees brewed in the Lido and the Dining Room. Dining room coffee tastes better. Consequently, I rarely drink coffee in the Lido.

I don't really follow "The Fleet Report and Daily", but I noted that Kazu has started today's thread. I follow Kazu, as I find her contributions to this Board to be relevant and useful in my personal circumstances. Thank you, Kazu, for being a wonderful source of relevant information. Please know that your contributions are really appreciated.

If I were to describe my experiences on the Holland America Line website today, I would describe it as a "botch up." Let me explain some of the reasons for my frustration. My PCC encouraged me to pay for the entire cruise as the deadline for final payment is on July 3, 2023. I am unable to access the "payment" part of the HAL website. Furthermore, my personal information has been distorted, and the site tells me that I'm scheduled to sail on the Rotterdam, rather than on the Noordam as I had booked months ago. Even the "home page" is not recognizable. Accessing the main menu is nearly impossible. There are other issues, but I won't take the time to explain as it will only increase my personal anger and disappointment with the current state of the website.

I can certainly empathize with seibert3. We have been cruising with Holland America Line for over 15 years. Most of the time, we have used the services of a PCC, and most of the time, we have received good and timely service. Since the end of the COVID pandemic, however, we note that it takes 3 to 4 working days to get a response to an email request. Sometimes the information requested is incomplete or irrelevant to our personal needs. I can only surmise that PCCs, like all HAL employees, are overworked and cannot provide the services that we need and expect. I intend on writing a detailed letter to senior administrators in hopes of a return to minimum standards of service which we expect. Can anyone provide me with the address and phone number of HAL's chief executive officer?

It's embarrassing, and not surprising, given the number of comments which express the frustration of so many Holland America travelers. For many people, the Navigator App is not a reliable source of information or a reliable tool for task implementation.

Mickey P: I'm sorry to hear of your unsatisfactory experience at the Vancouver Cruise Port. We were recently on the Noordam and debarked in Vancouver on May 14th. Our experience was very different than yours. We were able to clear Canadian customs by 9:15 AM and were "on the road" by 9:30 AM. From past experience, I know that debarkation is really dependent on the number of ships that are in port. Unlike Port Everglades and other cruise ports, Vancouver is quite small and congested. Regardless of the challenges in Vancouver, HAL should not have treated you and others like immature school children.

Hank, While I'm not a big participant in the day-to-day commentary in Cruise Critic, I'm an individual who has developed a respect for your observations and experiences with the travel industry. I particularly value your opinions and reviews of Holland America Line. Like many people, I've become a little skeptical and disappointed with cruising, particularly after the dark days of Covid. I'm hoping that you will find time, in your busy schedule, to comment, specifically on HAL's Westerdam ship. For me, it would be nice if you good share both the "good and the bad" of your upcoming vacation.

I paid the entire amount of money for our cruise by VISA credit card. When I cancelled the cruise, our credit card was credited with 90% of the money that we spent in paying for the cruise. My bank was able to transfer the positive credit reserve to our joint bank account. In short, I was quite pleased with the process.

Approximately 15 years ago, I encountered a similar problem while sailing on the Oosterdam. The residents of that particular stateroom liked to entertain on their balcony. I should also mention that several of the invited guests were continually smoking. The combination of loud "music" and cigarette smoke did not fit with our ideals of pleasant traveling. We reported the problem to guest services. To make a long story short, our neighbour agreed to turn down the volume of the "music." Smoking was still permitted. Needless to say, we were not able to enjoy our balcony while these inconsiderate people were partying. Thankfully, today's cruising does not tolerate smoking. Loud music persists, however. You're right. It sucks!

Thanks for your very detailed comparison of similar cruise lines. Like many travelers, we are searching for possible alternatives in cruising. More specifically, we are seriously considering to book a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity. Your review provides us with additional and relevant information. Maybe Holland America Line has not declined to the degree of other cruise lines.

A big thank you to Jeh10641 and RedneckBob for sharing their experiences in the Pinnacle Grill while sailing on the new Rotterdam. It is reassuring that some of the Pinnacle Grills on some ships still provide excellent food and service for their customers.

I understand that experiences in the Pinnacle Grill vary from Ship to Ship. It would appear that a positive experience is greatly dependent on those people who manage the Pinnacle Grill. My wife and I have not cruised for approximately 3 years, but at that time, we held very favourable opinions of the Pinnacle Grill. We are scheduled to cruise on the Rotterdam in January 2023. Can any of our members share recent experiences, that they had, in the Rotterdam Pinnacle Grill?

Using my personal computer, I, like others, cannot book complimentary dining. Even using the suggestions offered above, I am unable to complete this task. The process requires that I charge my dining to my personal credit card. I can understand why some people get frustrated with the Holland America Line website.

What's HIA?

I agree with your comments. CCL stock is now trading below $9.00 and given the current challenges in the market, it is not unrealistic to assume that the stock will continue to decline. It's the perfect storm for Carnival Cruise Lines and the cruising industry. COVID and "out-of-control" inflation have made things incredibly difficult for the current leadership of Holland America Line and CCL.

Thanks Kazu (and CruiserBruce) for your responses. We appreciate the collective knowledge and wisdom of the folks who contribute to this forum. I just cancelled our cruise. While I can go into a lot of detail for our cancellation, suffice to say we are senior citizens and are at greater risk of contracting COVID. While disappointing, we will still be able to book our Fall vacation on land. Thank you, again.

Thank you, CruiserBruce for your reply. It's really appreciated. You are right. In four months time, things can really change. In about three weeks, we must make full payment for this cruise. This is the main reason for "reaching out" to Cruise Critic participants. Thanks for reminding us that a number of cabins are being held for quarantine purposes. That might keep the number of passengers down, although the impact would not be that significant.

We care currently booked on a Holland America cruise to Hawaii during the month of October 2022. Given the relationship between COVID risk and crowding (Lack of Social Distancing), we thought that the risk could be reduced with fewer passengers on board. The crowded environment, particularly in the Dining Room and Theatre, would appear to increase the risks of contracting the COVID virus. I have asked my cruise consultant if it was possible to get an approximate numbers of people who have been booked for our specific cruise. She was very vague in her response and emphasized that there could be up to 2600 people on board (Maximum passenger capacity). Here's the question. Is there a way of obtaining an approximate number of booked passengers prior to the actual cruise? Any of your suggestions or recommendations will be really appreciated.

Don't buy Carnival stock.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I can appreciate the challenging times that you and your wife are experiencing. Your recent experiences do not inspire a great deal of confidence in Holland America's response to Covid infection. We have a cruise booked for October of this year, but it would appear that cruising is still a very high risk activity for folks like us. We are senior citizens. Could you please keep us updated, and please know that we are thinking about you?