Boatdrill

I understand your frustration. Shoreside operations employees in San Diego don't work directly for HAL. They're employees of a manning company that contracts with different cruise lines to provide shoreside operations (directional, check-in, embark, debark, etc.) around the world. Many years ago, when Stein Kruse was head of HAL, HAL used their own shoreside employees. HAL trained them and signed their paychecks. This lasted a long time, and ensured that the terminal check in experience was similar to the HAL experience onboard. Then, without warning, HAL signed with the manning agency after a cruise season was finished, effectively terminating the shoreside employees who had worked for them. Those former employees could apply with the new company if they wanted. A few did, but most did not. As for the HAL name tags, if the manning agency is working a Carnival ship. the name tags will say Carnival. If they're working a Princess ship, the tags say Princess.

Interesting, I thought Alaska was very careful about maintaining sustainable seafood ?

Your comment made me laugh. I saw the Time Bandit docked in Homer while I was on a HAL cruise. Aside from the feeling of seeing a celebrity in person, the small size of that boat was surprising. It looks bigger on TV. It's only about 100' long. As a comparison, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were about 50'-60' in length respectively. I'm so glad you were on the NA and not the Time Bandit. 🙂

What kind of maintenance ?

Just curious why HAL was doing check-ins onboard, and not in the terminal ?

Thanks. I found the info from HAL Shore Ex. It's listed as 2 hours, which is probably an approximate time. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/shore-excursions/ANC/44918.html

The original Crow's Nest, which was a perfect late night bar, is very missed on the mid size to larger ships. Remember when they had a DJ there for late night dancing ? Those were the days....

What is "silence disco" ?

How long is the train ride between Anchorage and Whittier ?

It'll help when it's time to board the ship. 🙂 Pack your patience, keep your sense of humor ready, and enjoy the spectacular sailaway from Vancouver.

The recent review about a Vancouver embarkation sounded awful, but also unusual. Last summer I boarded the Zuiderdam in Vancouver for an Alaska cruise over the 4th of July. We were the only ship in port that day, and embarkation went very smoothly. The Z's capacity is 1,964 guests, and the terminal handled it well. On the other hand, the Koningsdam (which is on the Vancouver/Alaska run this summer) has a capacity of 2,650 guests. If the K is the only ship in that day, it may be a strain on the terminal. If it's a double ship day, with the K and perhaps a large Princess ship, it will be very crowded, and shoreside operations staff will do the best they can. Check Vancouver's cruise ship schedule so you'll know what to expect. https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Schedule-as-of-February-12-1.pdf

Here are the details from last year. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/shore-excursions/JNU/230022.html Don't know if it's the same but IIRC, the fish is packed in ice for you and you take it back to the ship. Chef prepares it, and serves it in MDR. We saw a one or two coolers coming onboard.

Some of HAL's special promotions/fare codes are for new bookings only, so there's no going back and adding it later. The options are to wait it out (there will be more promos) or cancel the original booking and rebook under the promo you couldn't get before.

Simple fix: Call HAL and ask if they can do it for you.

I hope your wife has a speedy and full recovery. Although she caught the virus on the ship, there's no telling how and when it came aboard. If you can verify that HAL was negligent about hygiene, you may have a case to ask for a discounted medical bill. Has anyone else onboard been affected ?

Sometimes you see the HM walking around, as well as the Food & Bev manager. Sightings have occurred in the Lido, BB Kings Bar for a few minutes, and Mariner Luncheons.

When you mentioned your concerns to the Hotel Manager, what was his response ?

Interesting article from Travel Weekly about cruise booking trends. https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Cruising-booking-curve-still-unpredictable?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eltrdb&oly_enc_id=0784C2292756F9E

When deciding if the Have It All perks are a good deal, you can figure that you'd need to drink 6-14 alcohol beverages a day to make economic sense. If the itinerary is port-intensive, you may not have time to drink that much onboard. Also, the total fare of $3198 divided by 7 days = $456 per day, or $228 per person. Does the per day price equal the value you'll receive ? Only you can answer that.

I was curious about the deposit requirement you were quoted by HAL, so I looked up the March 23, 2024 Koningsdam cruise on HAL's res system. These fares are for the VH's and include $135 tax. Club Orange not included. No extra charge for handicap room. Refundable deposit. $1669 per person with Have It All $1319 per person without Have It All Deposit: $700 total ($350 per person) Why was your deposit nearly $3000 ? .

Interesting. That could be a story to help them save time from having to re-arrange the beds as requested. No matter what it says on the booking, they don't change the beds unless personally asked. If guests don't say anything, they saved some time. The stewards have to know what linens will be needed on embark day, so it's odd that he says they don't get a list of bed requests.

No feathers in the pillows. or comforters. You can bring your own bedding - sheets and pillows - if you'd be more comfortable.

IMHO, HAL focuses on affluent travelers as a demographic, rather than seniors. Affluent travelers have the money, the time, and desire to cruise. They tend to be experienced and knowledgeable travelers, and have reasonable expectations because of it. They appreciate personal service and recognition, and look for quality and value for the price they pay. Sound familiar ? If you need an age, that demographic generally starts at 45 yrs old.

It's not. Adults and children bring their at home habits and personalities on a ship.

Or it could have been a message from the afterlilfe....their partners were sending a message to get back on Crystal and start cruising again. 🙂