jadona48

I am fairly certain that I gained 10 pounds just looking at your pictures. Thank You (I think).

I too have given school supplies when I was on a safari in Africa. The pure joy in the faces of the children created a lasting memory. Why not consider "matching" funds for children in your local school district when you return from your cruise? The smile of a child is universal.

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I just got off the Westerdam last week. I had received the same letter from Club 21 and it is legit. I even received a pier side upgrade to a balcony

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Thanks to all. I am sure that the Captain will send us off with a typical Westerdam farewell.

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Thanks to all of you for your thoughts

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Has anyone stayed at the courtyard Fort Lauderdale & Cruise port? Site says it is minutes from the Port and provides shuttle service. Not really concerned about amenities as I get there late the night before the cruise. Any thoughts?

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Directly with HAL.

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Thank you. Not sure if it was for just the Westerdam or not. Once I got the good news, I hung up fast in case they changed their minds.

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Overnight I received my cabin assignment for my 11/29 Westerdam cruise. I was not happy about it so I called first thing this morning. In a discussion with the HAL agent I was advised about a Balcony flash sale. After being put on hold for a few minutes, the agent told me that I was now in a balcony at no additional cost (I had been in a F guarantee). Cabin has not been assigned yet. I did receive a revised confirmation showing the change. May be worth a call...

What is frustrating to me is that I am booked on the 11/29 Westerdam sailing in a M class cabin. I had paid more than what they are selling a veranda for now but when I called to see if I could be assigned a verandah cabin at no additional cost, the answer was no. I would be required to pay $99 per passenger. As I am a solo, it would have been another$198 according to HAL. I will be a tad put off if I do not end up with a complimentary upgrade. The very good news is that once I have my first martini on board, all will be forgiven no matter where I sleep. After all it is a cruise...

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I pledge to do my part to make the Holland America Cruise Line forum a kinder, gentler place.

 

soccer

I'm in.

I have never been on a "final" cruise. I am considering sailing on the Ryndam's final HAL cruise. Does anyone have any idea about what to expect other than the higher price?

Thanks

Sadly, I have found that a few passengers focus on the smallest issues to complain about. It is almost as if they are looking for a negative. It would not surprise me at all if they are the same people who are looking for justification to eliminate the daily tip, which they were probably going to do anyway.

Yes we will continue to sail HAL if smoking continues to be permitted on balconies. Or not permitted - makes no difference to us - but if balcony smoking becomes more prevalent than on our past cruises, then we will tend more toward booking OVs.

I will continue to sail HAL no matter what the smoking policy is.

Sorry some of you did not get the sarcasm of my previous posts. I was merely trying to point out that smoking threads get ridiculous, by saying things like ban smoking, ban perfume, ban kids, ban fat people, ban old people etc. etc. I really did just find it curios that among the things being banned by some posters, no one suggested banning alcohol.

 

Frankly, I really have never been bothered by smoke on my balcony in many cruises, and truly I do not get too worried about what others do. I just love to cruise. These threads so often deteriorate to such a level as to become almost amusing, but often annoying.

 

Can we all just be grateful for the opportunity to cruise and just go have fun?

Thank you Toad - I echo your thoughts.

I joined cruise critic in March, primarily to get some tips/ideas about cruising. I will say that I have found many useful suggestions. I also enjoy living my life vicariously through cruisers who are nice enough to post from on board the ship. It has been wonderful and I thank all that have made it possible.

On my 21 cruises, I have "survived" missed ports of call, awful weather and even a broken air conditioning unit that was not fixed until the 5th day of a 7 day cruise. Through it all, I have never lost sight of the fact that I am very lucky to be on a cruise ship. I have seen sites all over the world that I doubt I could have seen any other way. God willing, I will be able to continue my love affair.

My love affair with Cruise Critic forum however has come to an end. The negativity is overwhelming and as I might have said in the 70's "it is a real drag, man." I now see OP's being blamed for missing luggage, smokers/non-smokers who have dug their heels in so deep that they cannot move an inch. There was even one post I saw that insinuated that women being groped by a drunk was somehow the fault of the women. Enough - too much negativity for me.

Take care and enjoy your cruising...

I hope I don't jinx myself but I am a solo cruiser and have had great luck on upgrades. For Caribbean cruises, I always book an inside guarantee and have been upgraded every time. In March, I was actually upgraded 2 levels.

Good luck.

I had an issue on a cruise earlier this year. I wrote a letter to the president to advise him of my displeasure. I received a satisfactory response from Nancy Katt. Here letterhead describes her position as Special Advisor, Office of the President. Her email is guestrelations@hollandamerica.com

Good Luck.

Is he still working for Holland America? And, if so, which ship???

I was on the Ryndam in March. A Hunky Dory was pushing a coffee cart at breakfast on the Lido deck. Not sure if he is the original though.

Here we go again with the go elsewhere line. Should non smokers be telling smokers to go elsewhere? I begged people to stop saying this. See how long it lasted. No one ever answers me when I ask this question. If all the non smokers left Hal would the smokers be ok with paying 5 times as much so they could smoke to their delight? Who would pay for the open cabins otherwise?

No one answers you because you pose a highly unlikely scenario. But I will play. I am a non-smoking mariner who has been on 17 cruises with HAL. I typically get a veranda cabin and spend a good deal of time in the casino. I really do not have a dog in this fight as I am fine with the HAL policy the way it is.

Let's reverse your question to look for an answer. I suspect (hope) your major issue is with veranda smoking. Other than that issue, HAL's policy is in line with the majority of the other cruise lines. It seems fairly obvious that a totally smoking ship would struggle for passengers just as a totally non-smoking ship would. If that were not the case, a cruise line would try it. It's economics pure and simple.

I do agree that the solution is not to say "take it or leave it". To me the solution is to adjust to the circumstances just as we do in our everyday lives as we interact with others. As I have said before in the forum, I refuse to give my power away to anyone. Nothing that I cannot control will get in my way of enjoying my cruise.

Maybe HAL would consider full size flags at both entrances to the MDR on International night and eliminate individual table sized flags. I have many private and public dates that I honor privately. How any international company could keep track of the significant dates of every country is beyond me. In any event, I refuse to allow things that are out of my control upset me. It is my vacation - not HAL's. Now if they ran out of Ketel One vodka...

It seems to me that all ships have different smoking policies even within the same cruise line. Does anyone know the current policy on the Rotterdam? Especially on the Lanai stateroom deck i.e. lower promenade.

I would like to add my welcome to the HAL forum on Cruise Critic. I think you will find that the information you will receive from this board will provide you with many valuable tips to enhance your cruise experience.

I am not sure that you have received an answer to your question. I do not really have anything to add to what has already been said. My desire to you and other "newbies" who may be lurking is to tell you that from my experience, this is really not that big of an issue. There are far more non-smoking areas on the ship and it is relatively simple to avoid the smoking areas. I realize there is an issue about the verandas and I do not have a solution. For my part, I simply retreat to my room or go to one of the many common areas if need be.

You have selected one of the best cruise lines there is. HAL has so much to offer and I hope you and other newcomers on the forum can take this issue off the table as you prepare for your cruise. Spend your time and effort on reviewing the shore excursion options, deciding what nights to eat in the specialty restaurants and shining up your dancing shoes for your "dancing with the stars" debut rather than worrying about something that may become a non issue.

Again, welcome and Bon Voyage...

The title of your post "coexisting with smokers" implies that I and the majority of the rest of the people who hate the smell of cigarette smoke must figure out how to coexist with people who feel that they have a right to foul the air that we breath.

 

Rubbish!!

 

Regardless of whether smoking is legal or allowed, nobody has the right to force me to breath foul smelling air laden with carcinogens that makes me and my clothes stink and my lungs black.

 

Remember the days when airports had designated ventilated smoking enclosures so that the smokers contaminated only themselves. They should install these things on ships and require that smokers only smoke in these enclosed areas. Of course this would require that the ships give up some area that might make them money and would also impose on the supposed rights of smokers so it is hardly likely to happen. We can hope however.

 

I recognize that many smokers started when they were young and when smoking was cool and I also recognize that smoking is extremely addictive and very hard to give up. I also recognize that many smokers would love to give up the habit and have tried but were not capable of doing it. However, this is not my problem but it is theirs. I am slightly sympathetic with their problem but only very slightly. Regardless, I do not have to be forced to coexist with them.

 

DON

I too am not a big fan of the smell of smoke, likewise I am as concerned about my health as you are but to refer to "supposed rights" is wrong. They have just as much right to enjoy a cruise as we do. I don't feel sorry for smokers nor do I think they want me to. They have made their choice. Operative word is their - not mine. I refuse to allow smokers nor anyone else to do anything to upset me on my cruise. They are not responsible for my happiness - I am. I avoid the areas where smoking is allowed (except the casino - I love losing money to HAL) and if my balcony neighbor(s) smoke, I adjust - again - I am not going to give my power for enjoyment away.

I do not mean to be disrespectful nor flippant when I suggest to you that for your enjoyment, you may want to consider another cruise line so long as HAL maintains its current smoking policy.

I wonder if HAL has considered implementing a policy whereby anyone who books a room that has a balcony must declare if they would like to smoke on their balcony. It may mean that as HAL assigns rooms, they could attempt to put the smokers in the same general area. If a non-smoker has a specific room request it would be HAL's responsibility to notify that non-smoking traveler that the room they have requested will be in the middle of a group of cabins that have smokers around them. That cruiser would then have the option(s) of staying with that room, moving to a non-smoking area or cancel the trip with no penalty. I get that this is not a perfect solution but I think it might be a better approach than what is in place.

Cruising is and should be a pleasure trip. There is enough angst before the cruise - will my flight be late?, What is the weather going to be like? etc. The reality is that there will always be a conflict between smokers and non-smokers but each group has the right to enjoy their cruise.

Just some thoughts...

You may use cash and you can also charge it to your room for I believe a 3% fee. I think the daily limit for a room charge is $1000 (you better verify that as I am not entirely sure).

I really do get a kick out of reading about HAL's smoking policy. I am a non-smoker who does not like the smell of smoke, but I love Holland America and will continue to add to my 17 cruises with them. I am also a gambler and enjoy playing the table games while onboard. Finally, I traditionally get a veranda suite as I do enjoy sitting on my deck, especially with a cup of coffee in the morning.

My point is, I am well aware of the policy as I book my cruise. I look for ports that I have either not visited or have visited and want to return. For me, part of the joy of cruising is the anticipation. A quiet dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, laying out on a cloudless warm day, the food and yes even trying the drink of the day. I avoid areas where smoking is allowed (except the casino of course) and take my morning coffee inside my cabin if my neighbor wishes to enjoy his cigarette at the same time I want to enjoy my coffee. So long as HAL maintains their policy, my rights are no greater than a fellow cruiser. I absolutely refuse to allow someone or something to upset me on my cruise. They are not responsible for my happiness - I am.