sailorbill34

Hi Keelann...

Not heard from you for a day or two so hopefully you may have had a resolution.

Rick

SanJam...

Thanks for the prompt reply, quite reassuring.

Hi folks...

I am looking at booking a cruise on Azura, probably one of the larger delux (?) balcony cabins. Chances are it will be on a guarantee basis which might mean one of the aft cabins on E Deck which I see are situated over the Manhattan bar/club. Although I have been on Azura quite a few times we have never had a cabin over or near any of the entertainment venues.

Does anyone have experience of these particular cabins (including the Ventura cabins which are, I believe, the same) and if so, was there much noise "leaking" from Manhattan and if so, how intrusive was it?

Many thanks in anticipation

Hi again... still haven't figured out how to send a PM but I did get your e-mail thanks ;)

Daft as it seems ...I don't know...how dim is that:eek:..

I was just trying to find out!!! You could e-mail me ... Sailorbill (at) Hotmail dot com

Hi...like you I didn't like the idea of having to fork out to select our seats on our last Caribbean fly cruise and also came up with the bright idea of only booking them on the outward leg and hoping we would keep the same seats for the return.... all the best laid plans!?! ... the flight seat booker does not let you book one way only....it automatically does it for both legs.

Discretion being the better part of valour and not wanting to incur the wrath of Mrs SB by getting the holiday off to a bad start I gave in and booked our seats.... I soon got over it !!!!!;)

Hi ...

Sorry to hear of your predicament...

Just to compound your woe, I'm guessing that if you have paid the 'select' price for your cruise then you have possibly paid full fare. I am thinking of doing this cruise and watching the prices. The 'late saver' prices appear to be much cheaper than the select fare so you may have difficulty in recouping your original outlay thus making the insurance route more viable. Once, when I had to cancel due to close family issues, a quick call to the insurance company for advice was very beneficial and helpful...they basically assured me I would be able to cancel... it's worth asking.

If you wish you can PM me with details of what's on offer....

Hi... we have just come off the Volendam Far East cruise.

When we joined the ship in Hong Kong we filled in a form at the check in desk to show we wanted the ship to provide the visas on arrival for Vietnam and Cambodia. We visited four ports in Vietnam and if you were only going ashore for the day in each port you only needed the one visa and it cost approx. $63. If you were staying off the ship overnight (for example visiting Hanoi overnight and rejoining the ship at the next port) you ticked another box and the visa was $100. The ship did all the paperwork and photo's etc although you did have a few forms to fill in for them.

You also needed a visa for Cambodia (whether you planned to go ashore or not!!) and again the ship provided this at a cost of approx. $65 per person.

You could of course have got your own visas prior to the cruise but doing it on the ship was pretty much trouble free and possibly cheaper in the long run.

Hope this helps....

Fantastic cruise by the way....great ports and the ship was in great condition after the refit.

Ruth

No...we already have the J inside (midships)...no brainer at that price to stay where we are!

Hi Ruth..

Thanks for the quick reply and information.

They have kind of made my mind up for me because they are asking for £150 ($275) each person for the change...don't think it's worth it really...especially only 4 days before sailing!

This is my first time with HAL so unsure of some of the ship layouts although I have looked at the deck plans etc. I wil be sailing on the Volendam and I currently have a J Grade inside cabin midships on Main Deck. I have been offered an FF Ocean View cabin on Dolphin Deck which is about as far aft as you can go. Both are classed as 'Large' cabins and I believe the FF cabin is unobstructed view (window). Just slightly concerned about the possibility of engine/mooring/thruster noise for the new cabin..has anyone got any views or experience of these cabins (nothing on HAL facts, I've had a look). Also..whilst the itinerary is good (Far East) I don't think there will be much of a view out the window at any of the ports as we mainly dock in industrial ports.

Many thanks in advance...

The Jones.... now that's what I call good service....thanks very much for the prompt and reassuring reply...

Rick

Hi...thanks for all the information and updates ...very interesting.

We join the Volendam shortly after you leave and have just been allocated our cabin number. By the looks of it, it is next door to what is marked as the laundry on Main Deck (deck 2) but you said earlier this had now been removed....do you have any idea what has replaced the laundry....just in case I need to get on to HAL to see about a possible cabin change.

Many thanks

Rick

Hi.... we are new to HAL having previously sailed with P&O a number of times to the Caribbean.

We will be a group of 10 friends (couples) sailing on the Volendam in January 2015 on the Hong Kong/ Vietnam/ Cambodia/ Thailand/ Singapore voyage. I've done a fair bit of research but a few quick questions....

Are the formal nights normally on the sea days or are they pretty random?

We generally like to wear our finery on formal nights when with P&O but not sure with HAL..would long dresses be in the minority or quite the norm. Similarly...would a dinner suit/tux be out of the ordinary or would a dark suit and tie be more appropriate?

From those that have experienced them.. are the Pinnacle Grill and/or the Canalleto worth trying.

We are all UK cruisers and are looking forward to the itinerary/mix of nationalities/personalities on board. We will miss the in cabin fridge and kettle but hope some of the other benefits will compensate.

Any other words of wisdom/advice/do's and do not's relating to HAL/Volendam and the cruise itinerary would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation...

Hi... it can appear confusing because some of the generic advice is written regarding embarkation at Southampton. For the fly cruise to Barbados you are allowed 23kg which can be all in one case. You are of course also allowed your 5kg hand luggage. The advice regarding one case not exceeding 20kg is for joining at Southampton where some people arrive with a lot more baggage and they ask you to limit each case to 20kg to make it easier for their local baggage handlers.

A word of caution though... we have done several Caribbean fly cruises and the last few they have been very strict with the weights of the cases and we have seen several people having to move stuff around....others might say they have never seen a problem but I would rather not take the chance!!