intandemNV

Sounds like it pays to have a travel agent! Enjoy !

I will be on the Zuiderdam leaving August 26th from Boston. This is a first time cruising from the northeast coast and we are excited to see this part of our beautiful country as well as new Canadian ports! We are 3 star mariners and love cruising with Holland America. I did a few things differently this time and have learned a few lessons. First, this was the first time that I booked a guarantee cabin. A verandah. It was making me anxious not knowing where my cabin would be , so 2 months out I called to ask about upgrading. We booked thru Holland America so I called them directly. The woman I spoke to talked me out of upgrading, stating that there were no verandah cabins left and we would most likely be getting an upgrade. I anxiously awaited for a cabin assignment and exactly 2 weeks out we got a verandah cabin (VC). That is great, but for me the waiting isn't worth saving a few dollars and not knowing where you will end up. Lesson learned! A week before the cruise I received an E Mail stating our boarding time is at 2:40. Yikes. I have always loved that first lunch after boarding the ship. I have read on here that some people arrive early but I am a rule follower and would be afraid to do that. So, I sent an Email to guest relations asking if it might be possible to board any earlier. The only response was receiving an Email that changed my time to 3pm! When I got the Email I had a good laugh. They schooled me! I'm sure there are many with real problems that need guest relations help and I shouldn't have bothered them with my silly request. We are changing hotels the night before departure to a Hotel that is walking distance to the ship with an 11am checkout. I'm thinking we will check out, drag our bags to the port, hand them off, and then go look for a restaurant nearby to have lunch. I'm not familiar with this port but hope that this might work out. So, no more guarantee cabins for me - too much stress waiting to find out where I'll be, and secondly, don't bug guest relations - you will be punished. I can't wait for this cruise and hopefully I will find time to do a few short reports on our cruise while we are on the ship.