3rdGenCunarder

I just tried calling HAL. If you say you want to book a cruise, they put you through to an agent asap. Two different agents, same answer "We have no sailings for Zaandam in February 2024." Clueless.

That's 2025. The 2024 cruise doesn't exist. There's a HAL page all about the legendary cruises. Every one has a link (underlined blue text) except the 2024 Amazon. If I just go to the "Legendary cruise" link, there are 16 shown, and 2024 isn't among them.

I don't know what's going on. The only cruises that appear for Zaandam are two trans canal. The first is westbound, and the second arrives at FLL on Feb 3. The Feb 3 cruise doesn't appear. The Amazon doesn't appear (although there is a version planned for 2025). It's a mess. Hard to believe they've been in business for 150 years...

The first of those two is so much easier to market. I think (opinion) that more people travel for the lively experience--fun ships!!!--than for a specific itinerary. This board self-selects with people who cruise a lot. And for those with a long history of sailing with HAL, the experience of going to a variety of ports. But I suspect (opinion again) that we aren't in the majority. A lot of people just want to "take a cruise." I know people who tell me they have booked a cruise. Oh, what ship? I don't remember is often the answer. The second is nearly impossible to market. "Sedate" is not a good marketing word, as people will think passengers are sedated. Self-contained means "just entertain yourself," or "sit in your cabin all day."

About 15 years ago, we took our first and only Princess cruise. There was piped-in music everywhere. The chair hogs grabbed all the loungers at the aft adult pool (which had piped in music and a few kids) before sunrise. We did manage to find somewhere to sit at the midship pool, but only in the morning. At noon, the movie screen lit up and they showed kiddie movies with LOUD volume. We retreated to our teeny tiny balcony. After that, I had my Scarlett O'Hara moment--as God is my witness, I'll never go without a balcony again! Having a balcony means I'll always have that quiet space where I won't have to fight to get a place to site. I've been lucky in not having noisy or smoky neighbors. Just peace, quiet, and the sea. I don't necessarily spend all my time there, but I like knowing I have a refuge if I need it.

I'd love to know if they track new vs return passengers. A hotel or cruise line has one chance to impress a new customer and turn them into a repeater. Maybe someone who is disappointed will give them a second chance. But a lot of people tend to be one and done if they don't like a product. If HAL is getting a lot of one and done bookings, they need to figure out a way to fix that.

Seriously, they asked if we want attendants to apply our sunscreen?????????? I suppose, as a solo, I should find that helpful. But some how I, no, just don't.

I agree that some of the older less-able passengers show that travel is possible in advancing years. I've often said that HAL isn't God's waiting room, but a place for people who point to the heavens and say "Not yet!" But lately, HAL is going from sedate to boring. Not all of the retirement-age passengers have to go to their cabins for a nap every afternoon. Give us something interesting to do! There will be increased enrichment for the legendary cruises. Great! But what about the other cruises. Will they get enrichment programs? And no, rooms set up with scrabble boards, mahjong tiles, or playing cards is not my idea of entertainment or enrichment. I love to relax, read, look at the sea. But not all day long. Every entertainment change makes HAL worse. Yes, there's lively music. Billboard, BBKing, Rolling Stone. Good, that makes the fans of loud pop music happy. What about variety? There's no more classical, unless you happen to be on a cruise with a few LC performances in the main showroom (if that really ever happens). No jazz combo. No dancing. No piano bar. Pitiful showroom choices. No guest entertainers. One BBC nature film is a nice change from other types of entertainment, but that's enough. On a 10 day cruise, there were four Step One shows. They're all pretty much the same with different videos and music. They need more variety, more guest entertainers. Bing back the guy who played the turkey baster!!! (don't roll your eyes, he was hysterical). When I book a HAL cruise, it's for the itinerary more than entertainment. Most of my HAL cruises have been winter getaways. Mostly, I want warmth, sea, and sunshine. Sadly, I don't expect much in the way of enrichment or entertainment. But I would like a little something to my taste for the evening. Failing that, I'm bored, so I'll just go to my cabin and hope for a good movie or just read. Pathetic to spend money to do something I do most evenings at home. No wonder I'm never up and about at midnight. HAL gives me no reason to stay up late.

New carpet often sheds for a while. I remember going to a conference in a hotel that had just opened a new wing. I saw lots of men in very nice business suits with lint on the bottom few inches of their trousers.

Yes, my TA gets a confirmation from HAL with the details and then that info goes into the confirmation/invoice I get from the TA.

The Eurodam "library" looks like a bookstore. I can Recommend "The Bullet that Missed Twice," But you should read the one before it in the series, "Thursday Murder Club." But that won't be there because all HAL did was buy recent best-sellers--Hey Amazon, send me a bunch of books. No "curation" (a word that is overused, but it applies here). There probably isn't more than one title for any given author. How many books has Grisham written? I see one title. THIS is a library!

The cruise has been replaced by a new Amazon "Legendary Cruise." But not for me! I feel bad for those whose cruises were cancelled, but mine isn't. HAL has not contacted me directly. HAL has not contacted my TA. I just logged in to the website, and it says my cruise is 331 days away. There are reminders about dining reservations and shore excursions. Maybe HAL is going to charter a yacht just for me???????

It was 5:30 on Eurodam, and that's the opening time listed on the daily program. But I think people showed up at 5:15. I usually got to my table around 5:30 and there were people already seated and looking at their menus.

There is an entrance on each floor. The dining room hours are usually 5:30-9:00. Early fixed dining is 5:30. I'm not sure what late is. Open dining is any time the MDR is open.

I don't recall a screening room on Eurodam from my January cruise. Movies about the Panama Canal were shown on the World Stage. Was it where the Tasman room is now? Across from the small meeting rooms where they had bridge and other games (Hudson, Half Moon rooms)? That's the spot where the screening room is (was?) on Zuiderdam. That room was always closed when I was on Eurodam. I recall that the screening room on Zuiderdam had comfy seats, but it was too small.

Yes, SA and SB are the same. I had one of the forward Neptunes on Maasdam and had no problem with the location. I was under the Lido on Amsterdam and had no noise issues. Under the pool has a risk of noise because of loungers being dragged around on the hard floor.

Lots of cruises had the midnight buffet. And I recall a chocolate themed buffet around the pool on Veendam, back around 2010 or so. I haven't been on NCL in 20 years, but I remember a fabulous chocolate extravaganza. DH, SIL, Niece were all seasick. Ex-navy BIL and I chowed down on the chocolate.

I booked HIA directly through HAL for my last cruise and forgot to tell my TA. When I called to do final payment, she looked at the invoice and at first she thought it was a mistake. You probably should let your TA know.

Oh, yes. DH and I did a Caribbean cruise on K'dam when the ship was new. I chose the cruise because Guadeloupe was on the itinerary. I found a company that did a Death in Paradise tour. So I have been to Honore! I embarrassed myself when the guide stopped at an outlook point with beautiful views of the sea. I looked to my left and saw a hotel and said, "Oh! That's the hotel where the bride went off the balcony!" And the guide said, "You really do know that show, don't you?" I did a search for Guadeloupe because it was the first island I could think of that isn't on most cruises. And even without counting Death in Paradise, it's beautiful.

Where did they post the pictures?

Those are all part of the Lincoln Center repertoire, but LC isn't on the current cruise. I'm afraid HAL hasn't updated their entertainment schedule.

I'm so pissed at HAL right now, I'm looking at other options for next winter. I'm trying to check out the smaller ships on other lines, and so far nothing good. Princess had the same boring itineraries as HAL but on bigger ships. I started searching whatsinport by starting with islands I'm interested in. I found a few that go to Guadaloupe, but they would mean flying to one of the islands, which I don't want to do.

Thank you for starting it. It has been good to learn how others are managing "the new normal."

Don't look for specials on the thermal suite. The spa is run by an outside company and the price is the price.

My whole cruise just went poof! 21 day Zaandam "Ultimate Caribbean" with a lot of new (to me) ports has been cancelled. In its place is one of the new Legendary cruises, 28 days to the Amazon. And the "offer" given to passengers on the Caribbean is insulting. They will honor the existing per diem, but only for cruises up to 21 days, the original length. So I can't substitute the cruise that has replaced my cruise at my original per diem. The new per diem for the same cabin is 25% more. And they won't carry over any OBC from the previous cruise. Oh, wait, it's okay. They're giving me $100.