luv2travel06

If you have recently sailed on the Noordam, what were the early/late fixed dining times. I was told that the late dining time is 8:30pm, which seems very late, later than we have ever experienced on our dozen or so HAL cruises.

We have never done As You Wish (or whatever it's called) dining. My sister is joining us for her first ever cruise, and we hoped she could experience the traditional fixed dining, but 5:30 is too early, and if 8:30 is correct, that is too late for us.

On our March Princess cruise, we were unable to make reservations for fixed dining until we convinced a dining room manager to accommodate us at the same table at each evening, sometime between 7:00-7:30. He offered 7:20, which worked perfectly for us.

Any additional information/suggestions for arranging a suitable dining time would be appreciated.

On 1/26/2024 at 12:42 AM, ScottishMaid said:

We did the 14 day Statendam cruise including Homer in 2015. That cruise was running all summer and we did a 14 day cruise in 2017,   I believe on the Amsterdam. From Cruise Mapper I see Oceania, Seabourn and Hanseatic have small ships going a few times. I think there are very few possible shore excursions and that would greatly annoy guests and give negative feedback. The bigger Westerdam has a 28 day cruise and so will have more guests used to doing their own thing in the many ports on that cruise.

Homer is a very pretty town if the weather is good but there would be little to do if a windy or very rainy day, especially given the very exposed pier and Spit area.

 

We docked in Homer on our 14 day cruise on the Amsterdam in 2018 and enjoyed it so much we were looking forward to going again in September when my sister joins us for her first ever cruise, but then they changed the itinerary.  Nevertheless, we are still planning to have a great cruise.

On 6/22/2023 at 4:53 PM, shipgeeks said:

When our ships always docked at Hamilton, it was very pleasant to walk off the ship and be right there for the parade.  We had our Dark and Stormys on the ship at leisure.  Those were the days!

We were on the Veendam for HAL's last summer of regular cruises that docked in Hamilton--we booked the cruise for that reason. It was so nice to walk right off the ship so close to all the activities, including the Bermuda Day parade. One of my favorite souvenirs is a painting of that ship docked in Hamilton, done by a local artist, that we purchased at Harbour Nights.

When we went to Bermuda a number of years ago, the library in Hamilton offered free wi-fi. For those that need it, is that still available?

Back in the day, we needed it, but our current T-Mobile plan offers free unlimited international cellular data.

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

I have had several very good omelets on Princess ships. I've had excellent omelets for breakfast in Sabatini's.

When I'm not in a suite, I don't order omelets in the MDR. Instead, I search for the made-to-order omelet station in the buffet. The omelets there are very good and contain exactly the ingredients you request. I haven't tried the made-to-order omelet station post-COVID, so someone else needs to say whether or not it's still there.

I think there was an omelet station at the back of the ship when we were on the Emerald Princess in 2021 and 2022. This time, when I asked there for an omelet, I was sent to the main serving lines. I do not recall what the setup was on the Caribbean Princess in 2020 and 2022. On this cruise on the Ruby, someone would write your omelet request on a piece of paper at the main serving lines and tell you it would take 10-15 minutes to receive your order, and you would be given another piece of paper to give to a server in the buffet so they could pick it up and deliver it to you. (Instead, I would just wait nearby.) The omelets were made in a preparation area between the port and starboard serving areas of the buffet.

Having been on four prior Princess cruises in the recent past, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered having been previously served an omelet of the quality depicted in the photos. Other than the omelets, we found the food on the cruise to be quite satisfactory.

Returned from our 14 day Circle Caribbean cruise aboard Ruby Princess about a week ago. Overall, we were very happy with the cruise, once we were able to convince a dining room manager to arrange a fixed dining time and table for us at dinner.

One thing we found quite peculiar was the omelet situation. The procedure was not the most convenient, and the omelet was pathetic--like something from a box of 12 at your supermarket that you would microwave for 3 minutes, not the big fluffy omelet I got used to seeing on our prior cruises.

I commented about it on a survey we completed on the ship. I should think that if the Captain or CEO was served one of these omelets, they would say, "We need to fix this."

Thinking that maybe the first one I was served was an anomaly, I ordered another later in the cruise. These are photos of that omelet. You be the judge.

On Ruby Princess now. Just received disembarkation information that says self disembarkation is only for passengers that have no more than one piece of luggage each. 
 

When did that start? 
 

On our last cruise, they initially wouldn’t let people with more than one bag use the escalators, but the line for the elevator got too long because it included people with wheelchairs and scooters needing assistance, who were not supposed to participate in the self disembarkation. 
 

What has been your recent experience with self-disembarkation?

On 1/30/2024 at 5:28 PM, CruizerBill said:

How I received my SOBC with minimal personal info release.

• In the Stockperks app, create an account by providing only your Name and Email address. My profile is still at 10% completion, but that is enough information to proceed. 
• For validation without providing brokerage account info, choose the Fidelity or Alinea option. This will allow you to upload a redacted shareholder statement for validation. Do Not select the Plaid option, which prompts for more info than necessary.
• After shareholder validation is completed (within a few days), go back to the app and "Redeem" the perk. OBC was in my account within a couple of days. Note: A recent glitch caused the Redeem button to be greyed out, but Stockperks resolved that issue a few days ago.

Refer to the StockPerks YT video.

I, too, followed the process above. While I received an email saying I would receive a response within 2 days after submitting the requested information, it was 5 days before I received the confirmation and was able to redeem the perk. Still waiting for confirmation that the OBC has been applied to my booking.

My first thought about the new process has been that, as is often the case, customer service and convenience are not enhanced by adding a middleman.

Duplicate 

Did the transit this morning, turned right around and exited without delay. They had said there may be a delay due to protests at the Canal this morning. On the way in, a boat pulled up with maybe a dozen and a half boxes, which were souvenirs from Panama that were sold by the Lido pool. 
 

The cruise director told an interesting story… He was on the Zaandam when everything shut down for Covid. No countries would allow them to dock and they were running out of supplies. The Rotterdam VI brought them supplies. The Captain of the Rotterdam at that time is the current Captain of the Rotterdam VII, and this is his first time back to the Canal since Covid, and his cruise director was on the Zaandam that he brought the emergency supplies to. You can hear the rest of the story once you are aboard. 🙂

On Rotterdam Panama Canal cruise now. We received notice last evening that due to unrest in Panama, we will be entering the Canal, turning around, and leaving. There will be no docking and no excursions. 

8 minutes ago, PointsNerd said:

That's great information! What is a TA? Travel Agent? 

 

I'm also trying to understand what the cellular connection is like. I use Google Fi and I'm trying to understand if I can use the data from my phone instead of paying for WiFi. 

Yes, TA = travel agent.

As far as cellular data, we have TMobile and free cellular data in most ports, but not at sea.

On 9/23/2023 at 5:09 PM, PointsNerd said:

Hi folks,

 

I'm a first time HAL cruiser and we are booked on the 12-Day Panama Canal Sunfarer on December 3, 2023 on the Rotterdam.  We've booked an Inside Cabin on the aft of the ship and it seems to be pretty small (156 sq ft).  Wondering if you folks might be able to provide a bit of advice and tips for a first timer.

 

Does HAL offer cheaper upgrades closer in to the sail date?  And if so, how does it work?  I've seen mention of email offers but as a seasoned cruiser of Disney Cruise Lines, I'm more used to having to inquire about upgrades at embarkation day - does that happen at HAL as well?

 

We are doing the same itinerary in October. We booked an inside cabin after what would have been the final payment date. Ten days later we received an upsell to an oceanview cabin through our TA. This past Tuesday I checked out an emailed promotion and contacted my TA, who was able to get us upgraded to an obstructed view verandah for only $129pp.

If you booked through a TA, any changes have to go through the TA. Just this week our TA (who has booked 30+ cruises for us) helped us get a verandah instead of the oceanview we booked based on a new promotion after final payment. He has previously done this for us as well. But in the past, we have lost certain benefits of a prior promotion if we wanted the benefits of a new promotion, so it is necessary to do the math sometimes to see if you come out ahead.

So it is likely they are currently in the process of doing upsells and cabin assignments. Assuming guarantee cabins are assigned last, you are essentially asking them to move you to the front of the line instead of assign the cabin based on their schedule/process. Maybe your travel agent can make that happen, but if not, you will get a cabin assigned eventually.

Best wishes for getting a great cabin!

If you went with Bonaire Vista Tours, they no longer appear to be in operation.

We have an 8am flight to the U.S. on Delta on Monday and need to get to Schipol from Movenpick 5am-6am we think(?). At that time in the morning, is a taxi our best option?

Thanks in advance for your advice. 

On 4/30/2023 at 10:50 AM, Cruise Suzy said:

The most recent price posted here is $10 per day. It can only be done once onboard and before any beverage is ordered. And everyone in the stateroom must upgrade.

 

With the change to being charged only the difference above $11 plus 18%, many cruisers find they don't need to upgrade. But each person needs to do the math.

Watch for a promotion that includes a free upgrade from Signature to Elite. It was offered on the September 2024 Alaska cruise we just booked. With gratuities, OBC, excursion credit, wifi, dining credits (we would never pay to go to those restaurants otherwise) included in promo, it was cost effective for us.

On 1/4/2023 at 1:43 PM, REOVA said:

Not necessarily. We are particular about location (noise, access, view from balcony) so would never work for us but you definitely want to avoid below or above common areas where noise may be a factor, vents on the ship where wind may blow smell of unwanted air to your balcony, near noisy kitchen or mechanical sections, etc if you want to enjoy the vacation. Some folks are light sleepers or more susceptible to noise so also depends on what you and yours thresholds would be. And since you have the opportunity of choice of cabin for this ship (unlike your past ships 😁) why not take advantage. 

HAL contacted our TA with several upsell offers in the last couple months before our upcoming cruise. We accepted one for a little more that we really wanted to pay and they assigned us to a cabin below B.B. King's.🙄 So we agree with OP above.

We are packing for our 14 day Baltic Sea cruise on the Rotterdam, embarkation is Saturday!!

Should we pack our orange shirts for an Orange Party, or do they not have that on every cruise?

Have also asked this question on the Baltic Sea cruise board, where they suggested I ask the same question here.

The description of THE BEST OF TALLINN & EXCLUSIVE CONCERT excursion on Holland America includes:

"A special visit to the Holy Spirit Church is accompanied by a concert of medieval music."

If you have taken this excursion, is the "concert" a string quartet, an orchestra, an organ, a couple of flute players...?

Thanks in advance.

The description of THE BEST OF TALLINN & EXCLUSIVE CONCERT excursion on Holland America includes:

"A special visit to the Holy Spirit Church is accompanied by a concert of medieval music."

If you have taken this excursion, is the "concert" a string quartet, an orchestra, an organ, a couple of flute players...?

Thanks in advance.

On 3/10/2023 at 11:09 AM, Love2cruise77 said:

 

There are two Princess cruises in 2024 that will visit Guadeloupe:

Emerald Princess - 2/21/24

Ruby Princess - 3/9/24

We enjoy the Princess Circle Caribbean cruises, have enjoyed the Emerald Princess 3 or 4 times, and will be doing a Panama Canal transit on that ship next year. Our first time on the ship we kind of connected with our dining room steward and he made sure we got a better table on that cruise and the next one a couple of months later. Between the cruises he was promoted but came back to the dining room every night of the second cruise to see us and bring us a treat. 🙂

On 4/12/2023 at 4:39 PM, VermeulT said:

 But like everyone has said - you have to do the math...  I look at the per person cost for the package - depending on what's included in that package ... excursions, dining, gratuities (sometimes), wifi for me is a nice to have but could live without so I take something off but certainly not what HAL values it to be... and then divide that total by the number of days.  If it's $25-30 per person per day for the drinks - then I think it's worth it.

For the first time in 36 cruises on various lines, we purchased the beverage/HAI package for our 14 day Baltic cruise. HAI was discounted 50%, so when we did the math, it made sense. With all gratuities, wifi, dining, excursion credits included, it was a decent value for us. Normally, we never eat at the surcharge dining venues. On cruises leaving from the U.S., we would normally carry on the allowable wine (for DW) and soda allowances. Normally we would only buy alcoholic drinks at happy hour prices. Now we don't have to worry about any of that and we can have our favorite coffee beverages with no additional charge and DW can have wine with dinner if she likes. But now we have over $500 OBC including shareholder benefit we have to figure out how to spend.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. We greatly appreciate your assistance and information.