yerdua

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

Caviar in Club Orange?  Since when?  It certainly wasn’t there in December & January when I was on - or did you ask for it?

I think they were referring to the fresh squeezed OJ.

1 hour ago, five. said:

On my recent (March) Nieuw Statendam cruise at the end of the cruise we did not get a refund from unspent beverage card funds. Just as FYI. We lost any unspent funds that remained on the card.

What was the source of the beverage card that you did not receive unused funds? I've had beverage cards gifted from HAL that were non refundable (received as a good will gesture for post final payment drop in cruise fare). If you purchase your beverage card personally, I believe unused funds are refunded.

6 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

The problem we always face is that deck 4 only had 4 CH full handicap  balcony staterooms  to book into to use Club Orange for a upgrade .The VA & V are much higher entry prices. So better to enter into a VH .  We do not have that same problem with Celebrity ,Still they are low on Handicap balcony 

 

Dpesa any one know how any ship decides rhe nymber of Handicap balcony staterooms ?

 

 Cliff

I'm no expert, but if you were planning on upgrading your cabin through club orange anyway, couldn't you book a non accessible VH and upgrade to an accessible veranda in the higher category?

We were on the Sky for its inaugural TA back in 2019. Though not as large as some ships out there (approx 3500 to 3600 pax) it is considerably larger than the NA. Also, it's VERY noisy. We walked out of one of.their restaurants that opened onto their atrium a couple of the decks below because we couldn't hear each other or order. My other issue was there was next to nowhere to quietly sit and watch the ocean go by. Never again going on a ship larger than HALs pinnacle class (and preferably smaller). One other consideration.. if you want a loveseat in your cabin don't book anything below a deluxe veranda. You'll only get a single desk chair.

7 hours ago, crystalspin said:

While I agree in theory with @Florida_gal_50 that coating bacon with sweetness seems wrong, I guess we will have to try it, finally, on our next cruise!

It's that combo of salty and sweet that's so delicious! Think of a Reeses peanut butter/chocolate cup.

Yes. I've ordered PG cocktails in the MDR. My waiter said as long as its in the computer they can make it.

I was on the NS in May and had open seating. The only reservation times available to book on the navigator app were.5:00 and 5:15. I don't know if you went to the MDR on embarcation if they would be willing to do another time.

58 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Also - 😥 no to milkshakes and smoothies 

We were not charged for a milkshake from Gelato on the NS this past May. So, maybe yes, maybe no.

Thr water that's included is in the pop top cans only. HIA will be printed pn the upper corner of your key card. You need to keep track of your drink count yourself. If you order a drink priced higher than the $11 limit you will be charged the difference plus the 18% gratuity on that difference. Below $11, the gratuity is included in the package.

Does anyone have recent photos of any of the Vista Suites on the Volendam? I've checked Halfacts and they all seem to be from 2014-15. Also, when was its last dry dock? Thanks.

11 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

I think the Mariners Cocktail is a nice refreshing cocktail to have upon embarkation. Light, somewhat sweet but not too much. If you don’t have a drink package you will get a coupon to use as a HAL Mariner. 

I can't find the mariners cocktail listed on any of the bar menus. Can you tell me what's in it? And is it available from all the bars?

20 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Last year on the Oosterdam in Italy, we had the standard or surf Wi-Fi and it was only good for web surfing and was almost impossible to post to CC and would not allow FaceTime or Zoom calls. I upgraded to the Premium service and was able stream, FT, post on CC and more importantly use Wi-Fi calling on my cell phone.

Were you able to send and receive texts with the premium service? I hate being limited to Facebook messenger to keep in contact with family and our dog sitter.

I just do screenshots of the boarding passes. That way I don't have to rely on having access to internet to access them. Plus I print them out. I know. Overkill!

Could this have something to do with the implementation of starlink?

You can use it all on one. Whatever is left over can be used on another excursion.

Have you used the record locator from the flight ease reservation to go onto the airlines website and look up your info?

Don't forget to factor in the 18% automatic gratuity on every drink, coffee, soda and canned water, plus the same 18% added to specialty dining that will be incurred without HIA (which includes the 18%).

Just fyi, there may be a black out period of a few days where you can't buy the beverage cards on line just before embarkation. Not positive but I know specialty restaurant on line reservations cannot be make close to sailing. My point is, don't wait till the last-minute if you want to go the beverage card route.

28 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes, I’m sure there are people more schooled in this than I am but I’m pretty sure I either bought a $50 or $100 card on a cruise where I didn’t hia. That way you can use that card for water, coffee etc and save the hia for the liquor. It doesn’t run through you cruise card if that makes sense.  It’s a separate card.

Beverage cards may not be available for sale on board (not sure), but they are definitely available for purchase on line prior to boarding, though there may be a black out period of a few days immediately prior to embarkation.

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

It's been ages since I got a drink card as part of a booking promo. Does buying the drink card save any money? Or is it just convenience of not haveing lots of small charges on your bill?

Convenience and a drink limit work around only. No cash savings.

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

does HAL still do the beverage card?

I don't know if you can still buy them on board, but I do know you can buy them on line prior to the cruise. 

Why don't you just buy a beverage card to use for the less pricey drinks if you think you might go over your 15 drink limit? Coffee, water soda go on the beverage card. Any money left over gets refunded to your cc

Umm, would you care to expand your statement here? I have no idea what you're referring to with "deal or no deal". And, whatever it is, how is it a rip off?

If you think you'll be approaching the 15 drink max with expensive drinks, you may want to buy a beverage card for the inexpensive ones. All drinks that go through your cruise card (your room card) will automatically be charged to your beverage package. You cannot say 'I want to pay for this one seperately'. Better to pull out a prepaid beverage card for those. Any money left on it at the end of the cruise will be refunded to you.

There is no self serve laundry on HAL. But they have an excellent laundry service. You can purchase unlimited laundry that includes everyone in the cabin for $7/day, or send out a cloth bag (HAL provides) stuffed with clothes for $20. The bags look small but you can fit a lot of clothes in there! They generally are returned within 24 hours, pressed and either on hangers or nicely folded. I wouldn't recommend sending anything delicate or that may shrink (ie, wool sweaters).

6 hours ago, Chefaleslie said:

Has anyone ever seen the Rudi’s Sel de Mer popup on the Zaandam?

There are no more pop up rudi's, from what I understand. They were eliminated last november.