islandwoman

13 minutes ago, Jensue9 said:

Thank you everyone for your replies. This has helped greatly relieve some stress! 

No need to be stressed about using your scooter on a Holland America cruise.  Many people do.  HAL knows very well how to meet their needs.

2 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

I watched some of the seminar and left in running in the back ground. Found it unwatchable. I wish they would spend less time 'gossiping'. Do I really want to know about their backgrounds and how they met! Galapagos and Flora look great though.

After I got past the part about how wonderful all of the presenters were, I found the rest of the webinar interesting.

1 hour ago, jonyboy said:

As much as we like HAL, we did a cruise on Celebrity Edge and when it comes to dining the Edge is much better than any HAL ship we've been on.

In what way?

2 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

Did you have Orange Club? That's supposed to improve matters with MDR, is it not? 

We had Orange Club on the Koningsdam.  It did improve matters, somewhat.  We still had to wait for a table 10-15 minutes on many nights, but we were able to get a table for two if we requested one.  On the one morning when we agreed to a shared table at breakfast, service was very slow because they waited for the table to be filled before taking our orders. Club Orange was much quieter and less frantic than the MDR and, except for that one morning, the service was faster and friendlier.  After a few days, the host and the waiters recognized us.

The best Celebrity webinar ever.  Probably because it brought back memories of my April, 2019 Galapagos cruise on the Celebrity Xperience (southern loop and northern loop).  I want to go again !

I'm reading positive comments about Azamara's world cruise.  If I were to book it, I'd want to do so well in advance and at my age, there's always a possibility that I might have to cancel.  I looked up Azamara's payment and cancellation penalties

https://www.azamara.com/booked-guests/before-you-board/payment-cancellation

but can't see whether they are different for the world cruise, as they are on some lines.  Can anyone answer that question or direct me to that information, please?

3 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

In some ports (Sydney, I'm looking at you), bigger is better, as the big ships dock by Circular Quay because they can't get under the Harbour Bridge. The Zuiderdam is sent to White Bay and you bus in.

I didn't realize that.  Thanks for the information.

I am also considering a cruise on the Zuiderdam.  Having recently sailed on the Koningsdam, and finding it to be crowded (insufficient seating for the World Stage, insufficient seating and competition for service in the Lido, long waits to get into the MDR), I am wondering whether the Zuiderdam will be the same.  I see that it is a smaller ship, but not HAL's smallest. 

Also, can the Zuiderdam dock in-town or is it large enough that it must dock further away or tender at ports where smaller ships can dock in-town?

Going off on a tangent here:  How are HAL's mid-sized ships for crowding and port access? 

The Vista class and the Signature class ships? 

We're currently booked on the Zuiderdam.

ShipClassYear       Launched  Tonnage    Passenger Count

ms VolendamRotterdam1999  61,214      1,432

ms ZaandamRotterdam2000   61,396      1,432

ms ZuiderdamVista2002          82,820      1,970

ms OosterdamVista2003         82,820       2,024

ms WesterdamVista2004        82,862       1,968

ms NoordamVista2006           82,897        1,972

ms EurodamSignature2008    86,23          2,104

ms Nieuw AmsterdamSignature2010  86,273   2,106

ms KoningsdamPinnacle   2016  99,863           2,650

ms Nieuw StatendamPinnacle2018  99,863     2,666

ms RotterdamPinnacle  2021      99,863           2,668

4 hours ago, crystalspin said:

The Pinnacle Class including the K'dam, are not "new monsters". We did a 16-day B2B and promptly booked (and subsequently re-booked) a 35-day on the Koningsdam. She has the perfect selection of venues so that rarely does anyplace seem crowded.

It's a matter of opinion.  To me, the Koningsdam felt crowded in the MDR, World Stage, Lido, and the pool deck. When I have to wait to get into the MDR, it's noisy, and the service is slow; when there are no seats available in the World Stage 10 minutes before the show starts; when there are no tables available in the Lido; when there are no seats available on the pool deck; it's crowded.

1 hour ago, Steerpike58 said:

One advantage Viking Ocean has is their smaller ship size; one example - we were able to dock in Kotor, spitting distance from the center of town, while another cruise ship had to 'tender'. Obviously, coming and going was a piece of cake for us.  Our upcoming HA cruise is on a ship with about 1900 passengers, which is more than double the Viking number. I simply cannot conceive of being on a 'big' ship - these new monsters they are building now. 

 

I agree.  I recently took a 22 day cruise on the Koningsdam.  Never again!

4 hours ago, Steerpike58 said:

So this is another way HA is charging for something that Viking 'build in' to their (much higher) price. So far, we've run up an 'excursion' cost of about $2,200 ($1,100 each), minus $400 (200 each) HIA credit so $1,800 so far. Viking guarantee at least 1 free excursion per port, so our excursion costs tend to be lower on Viking. The HA approach would seem to favor those who prefer to organize their own excursions, since you aren't already paying (indirectly) for the 'included' ones with Viking. 

 

At the end of the day, it will be interesting to see just how much cheaper these HA cruises are going to be! 

 

 

Are these Viking included shore excursions the ones that you would choose if you were to book them yourself or do you feel that since you've already paid for them, you ought to take advantage?

When I went on my one and only Viking cruise (it was a river cruise), I signed up for every one of the included shore excursions just because they were already paid for.  By the end of the cruise, I was SO tired of riding on busses and wished that I had done something different in many of the ports. But then again, I would have had to pay double for shore excursions. 

Also, when comparing Viking and Holland America, don't forget to compare their cancellation policies.

How long after a cruise does HAL add those mariner points to the passenger's online account?  We disembarked from the Koningsdam on April 26.  While we were still onboard, we received a note saying that we had earned the next Mariner level, but my online account is still showing the same points and star level that I had before the cruise.

There have been several questions about laundry on this thread.  The answers, as I read them, amounted to "If the laundry is put in by 9 AM, it will come back the following day."  Indeed, that is what the laundry slip says.  But, that is not what is happening onboard the Koningsdam's 22 day cruise.  At the beginning, laundry came back over night.  But now, on the second half of this cruise it is taking 2-3 days to get laundry back. 

On 4/23/2024 at 4:47 PM, Steerpike58 said:

My travelling companions are HA veterans but they've been doing Neptune for so long I don't think they remember what it was like to be in the lower grade rooms!  But they did suggest I get Club Orange, making it sound like I would need to do that to be able to hang out with them easily. 

 

Thanks again for your help! 

 

Edit to add (since no replies yet!)

This description says (about the Lido Restaurant, at night)  "A casual dinner with waiter service, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., incorporates a couple of entrees from the dining-room menu and other options, along with multiple appetizers, soups, salads and desserts." So does that mean, Lido switches from Buffet (breakfast and lunch) to 'waiter service' for dinner, and if so, does that mean there's no full-blown 'buffet' for dinner?

My reply is based on my experience on the Koningsdam.  If someone who has sailed the Noordam disagrees, please post. 

First, if your traveling companions are in a Neptune suite and you are not and you do not have Club Orange, you will not be able to eat with them if they choose to eat in Club Orange.  But they could eat with you in the MDR if they want. 

Second, the Lido does not have table service, except for water and other drinks.  It is a buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

On 4/17/2024 at 10:32 AM, terrydtx said:

Last November on the Koingsdam we booked CO, fortunately for us, as the lines ever night to enter the MDR were down the hallways past the CO dining room. The most we ever waited to be seated in the CO dining room as 10 minutes. The cruise was 100% booked and there were crowds everywhere. We would never sail on a Pinnacle class ship now without CO for that reason. We will be on the Volendam in August, and we booked CO for the cabin upgrade, but we may enjoy the special lines for CO to enter the MDR.

We have CO on the Koningsdam..  We still have to wait to get into the CO dining room if we happen to arrive at the wrong time.

2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

The Pinnacle ships have good design features. Unfortunately, my actual experiences were unfortunate.

 

Sorry to hear that you've had such bad experiences.  I hope your next cruise will be better.  Thanks for sharing.

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

It looks like your current cruise DID get sold as 3rd and 4th sail free.

 

No.  I am on the 22 day Eclipse and Hawaii cruise, starting in San Diego and ending in Vancouver.

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

It looks like your Volendam cruise is not on that special. Is this it?

 

Yes.

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

"Crowded" is a purely personal and subjective position. 

 

Just got off the Zaandam (sister to Volendam) 14 day Eclipse sailing. It was filled to the gills. Only a couple of times did we feel crowded. 

By "crowded", I mean too many passengers for the public spaces.  And I could add, too many passengers per crew.

Some ships can be "filled to the gills" and still not seem crowded if they have sufficient public spaces and crew.  Glad to hear about your positive experience on the Zaandam.

2 hours ago, julia said:

We did the K'dam 35 night SoPac last year, and felt there were areas that were often crowded and noisy.  We gave up on dinners in the MDR (after a few attempts and long waits) but did try it for some breakfasts & lunches.  Service was hit or miss. The Lido hours were too short in the evening, so we needed to plan ahead.  Port talks and shows were way overcrowded.  Obnoxious canned music played in every venue... even at 7am in the Lido. We enjoyed our trip, our cabin, and the crew, but not sure that we'd do this ship again.

Our experience, too. 

3 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Is your cruise on of the many that were sold as “free 3rd and 4th guests sail free”?

I don't remember. We booked a long time ago.

I am currently on the Koningsdam.  I was unpleasantly surprised to find it crowded (like Carnival)  Anytime dining usually requires waiting or a reservation and when you get into the dining room, it's noisy and frantic with slow service.  It is difficult or impossible to find a seat at the pool deck, in the Lido, or at the World Stage.  At lunch times, it's difficult to make yourself understood to the servers behind the food counters, probably because of the noise. 

I am booked on the Volendam for a 42 day cruise in November.  Should I expect to find the same crowding on that ship? 

Just now, Ileneilene123 said:

I would like to use HAL gift cards to purchase OBC for our cruise. 

I think that you can use HAL gift cards to pay your bill onboard, but I haven't done that myself.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/plan-a-cruise/giftcard   :

"Gift card funds are in US Dollars and can be applied to bookings in US Dollars and any pre-cruise or onboard purchase."

I know that you can use them to pay for your cruise if your TA is willing to deal with them. I have done that.

21 minutes ago, Ileneilene123 said:

I am looking for a link to purchase shipboard credit (OBC). I have been having a lot of trouble with the HAL website so a direct link would be greatly appreciated. 

Sorry, I can't help you with that as I don't have such a link.  But I would like to ask you a question:  Why would you want to purchase OBC?  Do you get a discount or what?