firsttimer1971

1 hour ago, teeeej said:

Oh ok, they listed those out separately in addition to that line item, so I wasn't sure. 

I believe the "11-Day Dining Hia Promo" is just HAL's way of saying that the food in the MDR and Lido are included. They started listing that separately last year. As you said, the specialty dinners are listed separately. 

Our cruise in 2023 listed only the included specialty dinners, our upcoming cruise in 2025 lists both the specialty dinner and a "7 day Dining HIA Promo" as it is a 7 day cruise.

Currently on the Oosterdam but I have nog seen HAL provide any masks. There are some handgel distribution station but that's it. Whatever you do, don't trust on  others to keep you safe. Bring your own mask (we did).

My DW and I have been in isolation for 5 days after (self-)testing positive. Never saw anybody from Medical, they just took our word for it that we were positive. Thanked us multiple times for our honesty. We got full room service and will get FCC for the days we spend in isolation. There were only 6 people in isolation on the whole ship, but I truly believe that there are many, many more with covid that either don't test or don't tell.

There is a FB group specifically for HAL Cruising Ducks:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HollandAmericaCruisingDucks

If you want to pronounce it like we do in The Netherlands:

2 minutes ago, Btimmer said:

We haven't filled out any sort of health questionnaire or declaration so far. I've also not heard of any Covid on board and there's not much coughing as well. 

Thank you for the swift response, good to know!

Great reading your stories and seeing your photos!
I have a quick question: did you have to fill out the Traveller Health Declaration before going to Manta? Will be going on the 31-day South America cruise in November and the CIBTVisas site says that you have to fill out a Health Declarartion form online before entering Ecuador but was wondering if that is also applicable for cruises.

16 minutes ago, jules815 said:

Never even dawned on me that I can log into our Hulu live (which is how we stream tv here at home) and watch it there if we wanted to. Doh! 

HAL states explicitly on their site that Netflix, Prime Video & Hulu is not supported on any plan. Maybe that is outdated information but it is currently listed on their WiFi Page:
https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-packages/cruise-ship-wifi.html

21 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Thanks for this information.

 

There was someone here on CC insisting that the Rotterdam had starlink a year ago.

 

Is there an official place/link that shows which ships have starlink and/or the schedule to install starlink? That would help clear up these misconceptions. 

I think they issued a press release, multiple sources (like the one from @Mikeyto) share the same story. Did try to find the press release on the HAL website but it isn't there (yet).

But this page says that HAL is one of the sources: https://isp.page/news/holland-america-line-expands-starlink-internet-service-on-six-ships/

The Koningsdam, Oosterdam, Volendam, Westerdam, Zaandam and the Zuiderdam all have Starlink now. The rest is scheduled to have Starlink-internet installed by mid-december. 

[Quote]

Holland America Line has completed SpaceX’s Starlink onboard half of its fleet of 11 ships.

The first ship to receive Starlink internet was the Koningsdam. Now, the Oosterdam, Volendam, Westerdam, Zaandam and the Zuiderdam all have this high-speed connectivity onboard.

“Our goal is to continue keeping all guests connected to the internet to share their memorable experiences, and to allow our team members to stay in touch with their loved ones back home,” said Kathleen Erickson, vice president of technology for Holland America Line. “It’s important we stay up to date with evolving technology to ensure the best experience for everyone stepping foot on our ships.”

The remaining Holland America Line ships are scheduled to have Starlink internet installed by mid-December 2023.

[/quote]

Source:
https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/10/holland-america-completes-starlink-installation-on-half-its-fleet/

9 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Excellent, thank you.  I think that I can extrapolate from that to it costing under $100 for a 17 day cruise.  My main reason for wanting to upgrade to Stream is that I'm a YouTube junkie, and I've seen that YouTube is accessible.

It might even be less than $100. I e-mailed Ship Services this week regarding an upcoming 31-day cruise in November and asked how much it would be to upgrade from (the HIA included) Surf to Premium and received a reply that it would be $100 per person for the entire cruise. 

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

The good thing is that for Hulu & Prime Video (and maybe Netflix but I didn't check since I don't have it) is that you can download stuff so you can watch it offline.  Similarly with most streaming services.

The same goes for Netflix & HBO Max. However, the issue is that the downloads "expire" after some time and depending on how long your cruise is, they might expire before the cruise is done.

According to a passenger on the Oosterdam the captain said during dinner in August that the Oosterdam would have Starlink by the end of September. 

If I check the Wi-Fi & Internet Plans on the (Dutch) HAL website it also says:

1 hour ago, Cruise NH said:

We actually decided to stay a couple of nights, probably in Amsterdam or at the airport because I think there's pretty good transportation to downtown.

During the day there will be around 8 trains each hour between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Central Station, and it only takes 14 minutes or so. There are a couple of hotels directly at Schiphol Airport (in walking distance of the trains) which are the Sheraton, Hilton and citizenM. And the rest of the "Schiphol" hotels will provide a shuttle bus to the Airport. But there are also lots of hotels in the center of Amsterdam itself. 
Whatever you do, have a great cruise, and enjoy your stay in The Netherlands!

I totally agree with @cruiseaholic78: either get a later flight or enjoy an extra day in either Amsterdam or Rotterdam (both great cities). Driving from the cruise terminal to Schiphol Airport is a minimum of one hour. If you arrive in Rotterdam at 7 am it will leave you no room for any delay whatsoever. 

9 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Another thing I do when I have HIA, is on the embarkation day.  I order a lot of water and soda cans to have a 'stock' in the room.  No way will we hit 15 drinks on embarkation day, so it is better to stock the water and soda than to let the daily limit not be used.

We will not be embarking at the departure port (Fort Lauderdale) but at the first port of call (Oranjestad, Aruba) and that is on day 4. Do you think they will give me and my wife the 45 drinks we missed out on the first 3 days (but did pay for) 😉 

But all kidding aside, it is a great idea. Will stock up on some water and soda on the first day we get on the ship. 

6 minutes ago, Nodakboiler said:

If you are a 4 star and not on the HIA package you can ask your steward to fill the minibar with the beverages of your choice and get them 50% off!

I am still a zero star at the moment  (first cruise in 76 days) but we have the HIA package so I will just get the cans from the bar and keep them in our room. 

17 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

"Nieuw" is a bit of a tongue twister for the uninitiated. But easy as pie once one learns it is pronounced "New". (Or is it, in Dutch?) Could pie really be  pi-ee?

"Nieuw" and "New" are pronounced very similarly but not completely the same.
You can hear some pronunciations here (I prefer the 2nd, the 4th one is too exaggerated

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

Oh, that 2 drink comment is interesting.  Does that mean I can order a double and it will just count as 2 drinks towards my 15 drink limit?

I haven't sailed before, but I have read multiple threads of people who order a double and it counts as 2 drinks toward the 15 drink limit. However, do check your daily statement to see if they did not charge you full price for the second shot as I have also seen people talk about that.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2470955-another-drinks-question/?do=findComment&comment=53275678

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2896608-drink-limit-question/?do=findComment&comment=64376004

Among the many tips I have read is to ask your cabin steward to empty the mini fridge in your room als the drinks in them are not covered by the HIA/Beverage package. But I was wondering: can you get soda cans at the bars and ask them to not open them so you can keep them in your room?

4 hours ago, crystalspin said:

There is no more Social Plan, at least on ships with the new system (which name escapes me).

It's Starlink

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/hal-prepares-for-fleet-wide-starlink-internet-after-koningsdam-installation

This is going to be a stupid question, but I see people talking about lobster at the PG and I have never eaten that before at a restaurant so here is the question: will I have to crack the lobster or is it served in a way that I can just eat it without making a fool of myself? Thinking about trying the Surf n' Turf. 

10 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Here's a strange suggestion: if a country has a larger population, they could fund the department that issues passports so that they can employ enough people to get the work done!

I know, this sounds like something from another world. Or maybe just another country.

We always love Amsterdam!

That is a strange suggestion indeed: it would also mean that you would a strong IRS to ensure that enough tax is being paid so that federal institutions can be financed. Truly an out-of-world suggestion!

Glad to hear that you love Amsterdam! We live less than 15 miles from Amsterdam and both work there. I think that when you live somewhere you forget to see the beauty of that place. My wife and I visited New York twice and absolutely loved it. Had the most perfect day of our lives there: a stroll through Central Park, a visit to the Met and finished the day with a musical on Broadway. 

2 hours ago, RoundGuy2771 said:

 

Yes, if only the US had the population of The Netherlands, that would be great.

 

  
I think how smaller the country is, how bigger the need for fast passport processing.  My country is smaller than any one of the states in the Midwest so if we drive a couple of hundred kilometers we are at the border of either Germany or Belgium. And every citizen above 14 years old needs to be able to identify themselves with either a passport, (European) ID-card or driver's license. So fast issuance of passport/ID-cards is a real necessity. Almost all adults in The Netherlands have either a passport or  European ID-card. 

(Completely off-topic: there is a great website (https://www.thetruesize.com/) where you can select any country in the world (or state in the USA) and drag it across the map and see what its true size is compared to other places instead of the distorted size on our maps)

2 hours ago, RoundGuy2771 said:

We're 100% Dutch ancestry and can't wait for our cruise in 2024. We're coming home....

Oh, that's great, hope you enjoy your stay in The Netherlands.