Molecularblonde

Hooray!

I finally got my itinerary printed and set!

Thank you all so much.

Not sure about this upgrade, but if you guys think it's a good deal, maybe we should hop on it?

It's "mid" ship and not "aft". We have been on whale watching boats and don't get seasick, so not certain if that matters.

I just know you all helped me pick my room of 7114 and I don't want a bigger room that is like by the restaurant or elevator....I'd love bigger but comparable.

Thanks Boards and Alberta!

Thank you for the advice.

I'm on the phone with HAL.

He's saying the veranda room is on the seventh deck and aft. This suite is mid and mostly likely deck 6 and 5. (SS and SZ)

Whoops!

I'm sorry. It was a PDF, duh.

So this is the promotion:

"PREFERRED LIMITED UPGRADE SPECIAL!!

To take advantage of this special offer, please call 888-628-8107

Upgrade for select bookings from your Verandah (Category VQ to VH)

to the following best available:

Signature Suite (Category SS to SZ) for an additional $299pp USD/$389pp CAD"

Would this be one time fee? Or a per night fee? Are they offering this to us because this suite is in an undesirable location? Like near the elevator?

Sorry, so many questions as always.

Thanks my friends!

MB

PS. I still have found no evidence of my OBC in writting. Can't wait to get home and call HAL

Boards:

Thank you for the clarification. So that data is not on the boarding pass info. I will look at the old emails I received from HAL. I'm at work but hope to call them as soon as I get home.

To my friends out there....

I recieved and email today that said this:

"

A special upgrade offer just for you!Open the attachment for more details on this Preferred Limited Upgrade SpecialRelax into a world of comfort and easy elegance aboard the luxurious ships of Holland America Line.

Enhance your cruise and reward yourself by taking advantage of a reduced rate to upgrade your accommodations. Call 1.888.628.8107 or 206.626.7381 to confirm today!

Hurry! Offers are first come, first serve — and space is limited!

We look forward to welcoming you aboard Nieuw Amsterdam on Sep 16, 2017. "

It was from HAL.

When I tried to click on it, I ended up in the iTunes Store. So, perhaps it's just a gimmick?

Thanks!

MB

Crystalspin:

I'm starting to get a bit nervous. I'll call HAL tomorrow and ask for that email. And you're right, a person should always ask for the name of who they're speaking with.

Thank you for your time and all the help you've given to me! So grateful. :)

MB

NC

You wrote:

"Just had a look at my Guest Booking Confirmation.

On Page 1 under Guest Information, the last line is Onboard Credit $50

On Page 2 below the Cancellation Fees Schedule is Special Services and shows Pre-Paid Hotel Svc Charge Promo. No dollar value (not sure how much HAL's is these days) as it depends on the length of the cruise.

The Signature Beverage Package is NOT part of my Ready, Set, Sail booking. I wish! "

I'm sorry that the SBP is not part of your package. Ugh. But still we both got a good deal.

However, I'm looking at my eleven page "boarding pass" I read all even pages and there is nothing about a special services schedule. There stuff about arrivals, cancellations, "guest drills", shipboard life, itinerary, and one page of contract but nothing about even my svc promo. I was at work all day so I will call the HAL rep tomorrow. You'd think it would be in the boarding pass.

Thanks for your help and your reply.

Dee:

Thanks for the heads up about the mini bar! That really helped!!! No beverage cards for us...

OVGirl

Thank you so much for your detailed reply! It was amazing! We appreciate it!:D

Crystalspin....

Thank you for all of your amazing help! So grateful!

So I just showed my husband your great posts. We are so grateful for all of your help. We decided to opt with the seven bottle of wine package.

Last question...

1. So let's say my husband and are going to have dinner and we decide to go to the bar before hand and have a drink. Let's say we want a mixed drink. Should we prepurchase a beverage card? Will you save money by purchasing a beverage card? Or should we just "put it on the room"?

2.Also, do we share a beverage card? Or do we each purchase our own card?

3. My husband will want to drink in the room. Can we drink one of the seven bottles in the room?

4. People have said we can bring a bottle on board, as long as we don't put it in checked bags. So should I bring it in my purse or backpack? And I forget, that one does or doesn't not incur the courage fee?

5. Lastly, if we did order the SBP, I know the cap on the price of a drink is nine dollars. What if you are at the restaurant and there is no "wine by the glass" at that price?

Thanks.

Crystalspin,

Thank you for such a detailed reply!

XO

MB

Kazu,

Thank you for your replies. You have given me so much great information and I appreciate it. No worries about anything. We are all distracted by this incomprehensible force that is Irma. All my thoughts are with the people in FL now. It's going to be some ride. :o

Alberta, CrystalSpin and Nang,

By George I think I've got it! Thank you so much! I truly get it now, I don't know why I made it more confusing than it was. I truly thought it would be difcult for the staff to keep track of every guest's bottle of wine, but these individuals are great at what they do.

I will be certain to tip RS.

Thank you all again for the detail in your replies. It means so much to me. Truly!

MB

Kazu and Ovgirl:

I misspoke. I do not have a TA. I bought the package over the phone with a HAL rep. I will call tomorrow to make certain I have all the facts but today the rep said, (as you said OVgirl),

We only have unlimited water, coffee/tea and lemonade and iced tea. Juice in the morning. So I think perhaps a wine package would be good for us. OV girl thank you for writing back so clearly and in blue. I appreciate it.

Does anyone know how the wine package works? If you get the bottles in your room? What if you don't finish it all in one evening? Or want two bottles? I can ask Guest Services on Monday.

Dee:

Until today I thought we had a $135 per person per day credit! Didn't realize it was that amount but for the entire week. Thank you for making it clear and again. We have a veranda room.

What does "OP" mean? Sorry. Is it a synonym of OBC?

What is the explore 4 promo?

Also, if purchase the seven bottles of wine package, do we bring the bottle to dinner? That feels awkward. I see that you wrote we can get them all at once. Or one by one.

Also, the HAL rep said that RS, (room service) was free. And that you could order also meals from the MDR if you wanted too?

I'm sorry if I'm making it more complicated than it is. But at least we straightened out that the ready set sail doesn't include the SBP.

Everything will fall into place, I know. Either I buy the SBP or opt for the basic with an upgrade on wines. Just feels odd to bring wine to a meal.

Thanks

OVGirl

Thank you so much for this reply. I think I get it.

Question: if you do get the speciality bev package, the one with glasses of wine under nine dollars, is that unlimited for the entire duration of the trip?

Also, is that type of wine available on the RS menu?

I think it might be more economical for us to just get a five or seven bottle package as you said. I cannot drink $50 a day. I mean if it's excellent wine, I can, but in top of everything esle, it doesn't seem economical to have better coffees when we only want to up grade in the wine department.

Thanks!

Kazu,

I read about the "seven day signature bevarge package". It seems it's $360 per person. That feels Iike a lot on top of the cruise price, esp since my husband an I don't drink much except coffee and water. I wonder if we should do a wine package? I asked the HAL rep if you can ask for only white wines for the seven bottle wine package, but, again, she was uncertain.

Also, my husband is on a night schedule. I wonder if you can get any bevages off the room service menu *unless* you upgrade to one of the upgrades?

Thanks.

MB

Kazu,

Thank you for your reply. And please pardon my typos, I'm embarrassed but was rushing.

I will call HAL tomorrow and get that PDF printout. As I said, I got a link to the HAL site, and that wasn't what I asked for. I will keep the representative on the phone while I opene the email just to make certain I have the real PDF.

Gosh, you are going to think I'm such a dummy, but when you wrote:

"If you are happy with the house wine, no need to order a wine package. Your beverage package should cover you. If you are not thrilled with the house wine (anything $9 or under I believe) then you may wish to do so."

I thought that only juice, water and lemonade tea/coffee were covered under our tickets? So, (please excuse my ignorance) but you can get any house wine for free provided it's under $9.00? The rep didn't know this, this is why she instructed me to call guest services.

Does this mean you can order unlimited wine every night provided it's under nine dollars a glass?

Again sorry to be confused, but for what it's worth, the particular HAL rep wasn't certain about this either.

Maybe I don't know what you mean by "beverage package". Does that come with the ticket? I saw beverage packages in the HAL site....both for non-aocholic and wine/spirits. Perhaps that's what you mean? Perhaps everyone buys a basic beverage package and that includes house wine?

BTW...

You are absolutely right, the $60 is just a hold. Nothing to refund.

And:"Gratuities/ aka HSC is charged on board. That's when it will be charged just like that's when you will use your OBC.. You can't use your OBC in advance as no one knows if you will be on board or not . It's meant to be used on board."

I can't switch to black type, sorry. But:

I totally understand! Thank you, it makes sense that they won't let you pay for the gratuity up front.

Thank you all again for your help.

Crystal spin,

As if I haven't asked you enough questions....my husband and I drink coffee, water and juice, all of which the TA said are included. We drink wine at dinner. Should I opt for a wine package? We can easily drink a bottle a night between us on vacation. Also, do you get all the wine at once? Where do they store it? What if we want to drink a bottl one night, but not the he next? I asked the TA but she wasn't certain....

Kazu,

Thank you so much for your reply too. Thank you for the red writing, it helped a lot!!!!

I just got off the phone with a TA from HAL.

You were right, they charged us a "hold fee" of $60.00 as they would at a hotel JIC we make any incidental charges. She said it will be refunded if we don't use it.

She said:

-The OBC cannot be used to prepay for any type of beverage package, dinner package, etc...

-However I can use it to pay for the $13.50/day gratuity fee in advance if I go to "guest services" whenever I check in on the ship. So I guess this means that my husband and I should book a wine package as we tend to drink wine in vacation? Why can't I use the OBC to pay for the gratuities now?

I'm getting the idea that HAL wants you to use the OBC for gift items and other things...

Also, I still cannot find my OBC. I asked her to email me the confirmation, as others suggested. She did, but it's just a link to the HAL site. I logged in, and still cannot find it. But she knew it was there, so I supposed it's okay.

I also learned that if I book dinner packages, I save money. But I cannot pick what nights I choose to eat at those speciality restaurants, until I get onto the boat. Apparently they will be assigned to me? Hoejstlyl the TA wasn't exactly sure about this, and she told me to call Guest Services on Monday. I feel like you are all better help. If I book dinners just one night at a time, then I can pick which night we will eat at them, but I won't save money by booking multiple dinners...

JBecker-

Thank you for your help. I'm so sad about Irma, it's devastating.

You wrote:

"I am on the same sailing as NCTribeFan. The OBC is shown on the Guest Booking Confirmation from HAL. The Pre-Paid Hotel SVC Charge Promo is listed under "Special Services" on the next page. If you booked with a TA, they should have sent you a copy of the HAL Guest Booking Confirmation with all the details."

I cannot find this. I can't even find special services. Is this in the website? I'm so sorry I guess it's enough that the TA said we had paid for it.

Thank you all in advance. You ache no idea how helpful you've been.

MB

I just read through our eleven page booking documents. There is nothing about the ready, set sail promo. I will call HAL.

Thank you all so much....

I printed our all of our boarding documents but didn't truly read them. I will do that today. Hopefully that will give me the value of our OBC.

1. Another question: can I use my OBC to purchase a beverage package or dinner packages in advance?

2. Is there a movie theater on board? If so, do we need to purchase tickets in advance?

3. Lastly, when I entered all of our information on the site last month they had us each enter our credit cards to prepaid for something. I called HAL and the TA said it was some type of in advance fee in the event we charged up some fees and didn't pay them. Ugh, I'm not explaining it correctly I know. But you could either pay them in advance or in cash on board...

I'm sorry I'm just so confused!

Thank you all so much.

MB

We leave for HAL's Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver on 9/16. I'm sorry to ask a silly question but we booked a promo called, "ready, set, sail" package. It gave you a per person daily on board credit. I know that I bought it because the representative on the phone to,d me about it when I booked. However looking over my itinerary I see no mention of it. I will call HAL tomorrow but I'm getting a little anxious about this. Perhaps I'm not familiar with how their site lists on board credits? I'm asking because I'd rather not purchase a beverage or dining package if I have an on board credit. (And as I recall, it was something like over $150 per day. How can my husband and I drink that much?)

Thanks in advance....

Yes, I meant to write 9/16! Wow, I need bifocals!

I love, (love!) Asian fushion food. I can't wait to check Out Tamarind.

The PCC asked if we wanted to have a set dinner at eight every evening, or to do a more "free style" option. I wasn't certain, so I chose the latter. Is this what you opted for? It might be nice to dine with the same people every evening....not sure if I made the right call....:confused:

What are Gala evenings?

My husband and I enjoy dressing up. He wears scrubs to work, so wearing a jacket and a tie is a welcome event. It sounds like that type of attire isn't common on HAL. This reminds me of Seattle, very laid back! Well, we will dress up, why not, lol!

Cheers!

MB

Crystalspin:

I swear, you're as knowledgeable the PCC I spoke with today!

Thank you for this reply!

You're 100% the "Vista" suite is essentially a Verandah room. The square footage is the same. I really wanted to book on the Zaandam, simply because it was a smaller ship, but I got a better room location on the NA. And, as you said, she's a newer ship. It's so exciting.

We're thrilled!

We booked for 6/16-6/23, and chose a Verandah room. I actually read your specs to the PCC over the phone. It was smart to help me to chose a room that wasn't underneath the restaurant and one that wasn't too high up!

The PCC said that I can go to the HAL site and now register and print my boarding passes. Actually I don't think I can do that until we are fifty days out.

I can't imagine what things you can do in the boat. Helpfully my husband will be awake enough to enjoy the activities. But we are fine with just sitting on the balcony.

I had to laugh though: apparently there is a price differential between a steel balcony and a plexiglass one. I had no idea. I chose the plexiglass one.

Thank you, (and everyone here) for your help! It was priceless!

Please keep any tips coming.

MB

We are booking today! Seven days leaving from and returning to Vacnouver.

Hooray!

There are two options left....

Nieum Amsterdam....

What's left:

veranda for $1999

Or a signature suite for $2,599

Zaandam...

What's left:

Ocean view $999

Vista Suite: $1899

Why is it that the veranda is almost identical to the price of the Vista suite?

We cannot sail during the first four days in Sept, so this is why our options are limited...

Thanks Crystal spin for those room numbers...

Sorry, what boat dot hose correspond to? The NA?

JVilleGal....

Loved the photos, what an amazing suite. And the Zaandam looks exactly our speed.

MB

Crystal,

Oh gosh, I have to laugh! My husband is a physician as well. So I tend to plan all of our trips! He just shows up. No, seriously, he's very interested. But at the end of the day, he's too busy too look into every little detail...

That Adagio, (the duo of piano and violin) sounds just lovely! And it would occur every evening? How nice. From what you gave described it seems the seating for the Adagio is more sumptuous and the space is somewhat larger on the NA compared to that of the Eurodam. (How are you so good at this?) That's something to consider.

So that would be another vote for NA. Plus it sails the more scenic route compared to the Eurodam. However, you mentioned that the NA wouldn't be refurbished in drydock until the holidays. And Eurodam visits Sitka instead of Skagway. Not sure which would appeal to us.

But I'm certain that whichever vessel I choose, our trip will be great!

And it's nice to know that the Adagio will be playing. How lovely.

I cannot believe you were on a HAL cruise for 26 days! How incredible!

Thank you again for all of your fantastic help!

MB

Cruisegal:

OMG!

I gave credit to the wrong person for this post. I'm so terribly sorry! It was *you* who called HAL.

Thank you SO MUCH for doing this! It was so kind of you! I greatly appreciate it. It was so sweet.

:)

MB

Thank you again Cruisegal!

Have you made the actual reservation with Holland America? Or have you just decided that is the cruise line and September is the month? I called Holland American to get some information and right now, if you BOOK by 7/10/17 (and you CAN travel in September), your gratuities are part of the cruise price and you do not have to pay any additional. UNLESS, as others have mentioned, you want to give your steward a little extra or dining staff, etc.

Cruisenews:

I wanted to let you you know that I really appreciated this reply (below). I printed it out to keep in my notes. Thank you so much for taking the time to write a long and informative reply.

I had meant to write this earlier but I got side tracked by anther post that rubbed me the wrong way, (a bit).

Again, thanks for your post!:)

MB

Since others have answered your questions, I will just add my two cents.

 

The Hotel Service Charge (HSC) is per person/room/day. There will be a posting on your account each day. The two major portions of your HSC go to those who provide you personal service every day. On third of the amount goes to your Room Steward, one third goes to your Main Dining Room (MDR) waiter, and the balance goes to those on the ship that are never seen: plumbers, laundry staff, etc. You may voluntarily have the HSC removed from you account and the crew is notified of your withdrawal. If you remove the HSC, all of the tips from you received by any member of the crew must be surrendered to the Crew Fund. In effect, your tips for deserving folks will not thank those who gave you great service.

 

All sodas and alcoholic beverages have a 15% tip added so no need to tip the bar staff.

 

It is customary to leave any tip for your Room Steward on the desk when you disembark, if you do not see them that day. Your Room Steward can accomplish almost anything or know who to contact that can. Room Steward teams usually have about 20 staterooms to clean twice a day. They often choose to divide them into ten each rather than work as a team.

 

Many passengers avoid eating breakfast in the Lido Market (buffet) and opt for Room Service which is a nice way to start the day if you have a veranda. I bring an envelope of $1 bills to cover a daily Room Service breakfast.

 

The ship has plenty of cash on board as the crew deposits their tips into their personal accounts on board.

 

If you have a fixed dining time, early or late, you will have an assigned table and have the same two waiters for the duration of your cruise. If you choose, "Anytime Dining," you will have a different table and different waiters in the Main Dining Room each evening. There are options to get a reservation that you can discuss when you are on board.

 

The Room Stewards and MDR waiters are Indonesian and attend the HAL Training School in Jakarta. All of these are top notch because those who disappoint are sent home immediately. The bar staff are from the Phillipines and attend the HAL Training School in the Philippines. If the latter mess up, they too are immediately sent home.

 

FWIW there is no limit to what you order in the MDR. If you want five soups, you will get it. If you want two lobster tails instead of surf n turf, just ask. If you don't want to go to the MDR, you can order the same meal through Room Service as long as you order during the early part of the dinner serving times. Be warned that overeating on a cruise is a definite possibility. I commit myself to just eating half what is served and skip the potatoes. Of course I keep a plate of chocolate chip cookies from the Dessert Station on my stateroom coffee table for visitors.

 

When I took my first HAL cruise, I didn't know what I didn't know and actively worked on learning as much as possible on each subsequent cruise.

 

If we here on CC can give you a jump start on your cruise planning, we are glad to do so. It never hurts to ask.

 

Good luck in your cruise planning.

Crystal,

Wow! Thank you so much for this information! I just printed out your last two replies. My husband and I are tremendously grateful. Everything that you wrote was so helpful...

Yes, I had heard that the seas on the outer passage were slightly rougher than going via the inner (continent) passage.

My husband and I are in our late forties. We are nerds and enjoy reading and eating out. I don't think we would want to go to a disco/nightclub. That said, one of the things that sort of interested us was, (and I might be wrong about this) was that they might have a classical music night or even a cooking demonstration. But we could also spend a night at the casino, to do something a little fun and mindless. I understand what you mean about the one vessel, (Eurodam) being drydocked for the "social/public" upgrades. That was so informative, thank you for telling us this. (Good grief how do you know all of this information?!) But that is good to know. I had no idea that the common spaces could undergo specific refurbishing.

My husband normally likes to indulge on vacation, but the difference in the price point between a balcony and the suite seems quite a lot just for a few additional square feet. But perhaps we should? I'm sure it's personal preference.

Thank you so much Crystal! Your post means a great deal to me. It is so nice to have this source of help.

I hope this doesn't sound odd. But my husband and I were in school for a long time. And I always worked very hard for my grades, and I feel like on this site that all of you good people are doing my "homework" for me. I don't like to get help, I do reasrch for a living. But I truly appreciate all of the reasrach you've done for me!

Thank you!

MB