djhsolara

45 minutes ago, Muushka said:

We were new to HAL and cruised on NS over the holidays with a $50 soda card (paid $25).  We were told it would be fountain only but on our cruises (we did B2B) they used cans.  But....some places would load the glass with ice and basically give you only half a can of soda (we started asking for it without ice) and not let you take the rest.  Then other places some worked hard to give you most of the can.  And one place actually handed over the can.  I never saw such foolishness.  I know we were paying half price, but that is still $1.25 for a can of soda (which they rarely gave us a whole can).

 

At the Dutch Cafe they did not know how to deal with the card.  They asked me for our room key, insisting that was how it worked (even though this was day 14 of our cruise and we knew how it worked).  I told them it was going to charge us on our account and not the card.  So they repeated the transaction.  Yup, 2 charges ($5.00 plus tax for 2 lousy cans of soda).  So I had to go straighten it out even though they promised they would fix it (I could see the charges on my phone while still there).

 

Bottom line, I think it is a pretty good deal but they way they won't give you the can and don't properly train people how to use it, it is almost not worth it.

The $25 for $50 soda card is for fountain soda by the glass. Many of the venues do not have fountain soda, so they pour it from a can, but they are under no obligation to give you the can because it is by the glass. 

That being said, after the first night, we’ve always gotten a full can in the MDR (waiting for us when we get to our table). Also, sometimes we’ve found the fountain soda is a bit watered-down. My partner drinks Coke Zero, which is rarely in a fountain gun on a ship, so it is always poured from a can. 

Juices and iced tea are free in the Lido and MDR. 

18 hours ago, Crew News said:

The Konigsdam had the new Tamarind Menu in December:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Tamarind.pdf

Wow. Seems a little “dumbed-down” to me. Tamarind is our favorite...hope it stays that way. 

We read that there is a new menu in Tamarind and going to be a new menu in Pinnacle Grill in February. Any truth to this?  Is it a complete change or just additions/deletions?

Are there any issues using Lyft or Uber to get to the ship in Port Everglades?  

Thank you!!

Thank you all. We’ve passed on the information. 

I’m checking for a friend who is considering booking a cruise. How does medical marijuana work on a Holland America ship?  

Sorry to hear about this. 

After reading the descriptive post above (thank you for all of that good info), it has me wondering. If you need to be air or water lifted off of the ship, does your spouse go with you?

Thank you. 

We’ve purchased prior before and then the price was less when we got onboard. We had to speak to the spa manager and it was a hassle, so now we just book onboard. 

Wow. Didn’t they just switch vendors a year or so ago?

Have all of the suites on NA been updated with the new soft goods?  If so, is this all suite levels?  

We’re in a Neptune Guarantee the end of February and a Signature the end of October and just wondering if they’ve all been updated. 

Thank you. 

If you are 3-star or up, your Mariner discount is the better way to go. We booked the package but then once we got onboard, we cancelled the plan and booked them all separately with our discount. 

Is there still a suite guest cocktail party onboard?  It’s been a few sailings since we’ve done a suite, so we didn’t know if things have changed. We’re sailing on NA. 

Thank you!!

Is there a hot tub in the Retreat area on Nieuw Statendam?

5 hours ago, Sonora5 said:

There was a lot of discussion about the missing staircase

While it is a little inconvenient, those staircases were always so dangerous. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen almost fall on them on any of the ships. 

How is the Oosterdam? I believe there was a dry dock last year. I know it is a different class of ship, but is she similar to Nieuw Amsterdam now with the recent updates? Is it true that she also has a Retreat?

We are currently booked for NS, but weren’t 100% thrilled with K-dam, so we’re considering switching to Oosterdam or NA. We love NA but are thinking Oosterdam would give us a new experience. It is significantly less $$. Are the prices less because it is a lesser experience?  I’ve read some things about old furniture, etc in public areas, but I’m hoping that is no longer since the dry dock. 

Are there current photos out there?

Thank you!!

I would put it in a glass if you're going to bring it to the MDR. A can really wouldn't look very nice on the table.

While I totally get the premise of what you’re saying, if you buy a soda in the dining room (that is not part of the beverage package that gives you fountain soda), you get a can that is poured into a glass. The issue is that it doesn’t all fit in one glass, so the can sits on the table until the rest is poured into the glass.

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I miss Crown Bay. I know I’m in the minority, but we were not impressed with Havensight. We much prefer CB. Either way we’re taking a taxi to downtown, so that’s not a selling point for us.

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Wow. White-gloved stewards took you to your stateroom? That’s impressive.

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We did a 5-day coastal on NA last fall and liked it so much that we are doing a 4-day coastal on Eurodam this fall. We started with a balcony guarantee that we booked onboard last year with the FCC, but ended up that we now have a SB guarantee. We’re very happy with that.

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This is the same thing we were experiencing with NA. We were on her pre-dry-dock and were scheduled to sail post-dry-dock but wanted to see pictures. We couldn’t find anything. Actually, I was the one to post pictures from our sailing.

It is my understanding that many of the same changes were being made to Eurodam as were on NA. To us, NA was beautiful before dry-dock and even better afterward. We loved the improvements.

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We were on the Nieuw Statendam after dry dock in Dec 2017 and will be going on the Eurodam next week. I believe the EXP was for the execusion, where you do your booking and any questions. They did have a few presentations. The new Crows Nest on the Nieuw Statendam is very horrible and uninviting. Basically no one is around majority of the time. Just the Café (coffee) and the other half is the EXP with some of the library. They have these hugh maps/table that show you the maps of your cruise and some information on the exercusion. EXP staff were rude an impatient with the guest and they have very limited hours. They made such a waste out of the Crows Nest, it was nice during the day to go for the views and at night for the drinks/dancing. Not anymore....

I’m guessing you mean Nieuw Amsterdam since Nieuw Statendam is still being built.

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We liked SDM in its own dedicated space on Koningsdam. We did not enjoy the pop-up that we experienced on NA.

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Since we have a late afternoon flight vom Miami in December I am curious to know if HAL offers a longer stay on board possibilty? Say- with a nice luncheon in the Lido- and at what price does it come? Thank you so much for you help

Sorry to say no. Everyone must be off so that the new passengers are afforded the same privileges that you were afforded at the beginning of your sailing (lunch, etc).

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When we were on a month ago the Pinnacle was $35/pp, Canaletto was$15/pp, I think Tamarind was $25. America’s TK started out as al la carte but a few days In switched to $15/pp. The Sel de Met was al la carte. We did get Mariners discount on all the above. They also had a package you could buy but no Mariners discount so we were better off doing individual reservations.

That’s what we did last year. Actually, we had the package booked prior to boarding but we cancelled once onboard to rebook individually with the discount. Not to mention, that at that time, the CAC was complimentary for suite guests on the first night.

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