NCTribeFan

I filed a claim with Allianz a few years back. Cruise from Charleston to Bermuda. Had to turn around on our way home for a medical emergency which made us 12 hours late arriving back in Charleston. I have poor night vision so spent the night at the hotel where my car was parked from my pre-cruise stay. I was reimbursed for the hotel costs within days. Not a big claim, but absolutely no problems with them. Didn't have to submit anything except the hotel charge. I just renewed my plan (it includes Covid coverage) for $280. I'm a 70-year-old female with no major medical issues. I really buy it for the emergency evac coverage.

If you book the flexible, the price isn't locked in until you pay. It's like you have a "hold" on the fare but it can change. I've only used the airline booking once in recent years, through Carnival (same booking engine) for my flight to Rome last October. I booked the flexible fare and, thankfully, it did not increase between booking and making final payment. Fare was less than half the going rate through the airlines. If you book the other, you pay when you book and, obviously, price is locked in at that point. Am I missing something?

I didn't know 3*s were included in a reception. On Zuidy this past June in Alaska, pretty sure I wasn't invited to one. On our upcoming TA in April, I imagine the vast majority of pax will be 4 & 5*. That's what I've found on TAs on other lines - packed with the upper level loyalty folks. But I'll go if invited!

I have added CO after initial booking but before final payment, and had to pay for it when added. I've added CO at the time of booking a casino fare, which had to be paid-in-full when booked, so had to also pay for CO when added. I haven't yet added CO at the time of booking a "regular" fare, but imagine I'll do so before too much longer. And I imagine I'll have to pay for it when I book. I use a PCC so, we'll see.

I've gotten them each time. Gave one to cruise buddy on the 2nd leg on NA Dec 2021. Told the steward I didn't need another one on the 2nd leg of my Alaska B2B this past June on Zuidy. Most definitely do not need three when I take my B2B2B on Rotterdam this coming April! Being white, they get a bit grubby after several times being used to haul my stuff around the ship and in ports.

As Ruth says, it's $200 for the cabin plus taxes and port fees for one when solo, just as it is when you book a "regular" fare as a solo. $200 OBC for spending.

I asked to use "extra" NR OBC as extra gratuities (on Eurodam 11/2021) and was told I could not. I spent it elsewhere.

I've done three of these since November 2021, and I've added 2 more at the end of the upcoming Rotterdam TA in April. I could've stayed on Rotterdam for the entire summer but "free" isn't really free, you know. I'd still be eating, drinking, taking excursions, gambling, etc. 😁 As long as HAL send me these offers, I'll continue to book them!

There is a recent thread where someone linked to a YouTube video. If you just search for Volendam in the thread titles, you should find it. She looks wonderful. I'll be on her in November to Hawaii. My first HAL cruise was on Zaandam to Hawaii in 2010. Loved the ship. The smaller size and fewer venues/amenities isn't a concern for me in the least.

That's good to know. I'm leaning toward keeping 3401. I think I'd rather risk the possibility of "some" movement that far aft than risk having all-night noise above me for 18 nights! I have plenty of time to obsess about whether to change. 😄

I was going to suggest searching for reviews of that "other" 150th Anniversary sailing. I hadn't thought about looking at the original Roll Call. Good idea. Since our sailing is the reverse (FLL-NY-Rotterdam), I'm guessing we'll have some historical presentations about Rotterdam during those sea days. Really looking forward to it!

Enjoying your posts. I'll be on the ship for 26 nights beginning with the Anniversary TA on 4/3. Really looking forward to it. I added Club Orange and am looking forward to being able to eat in that dining room. I sailed Koningsdam and loved the ship. Being in the North Atlantic for 9 sea days in early April I'm pretty sure I won't get to spend time out at the aft pool, so I'll need to be up early and grab a lounger on the deck above the main pool, overlooking the sea.

I enjoy LCS. I'd so much prefer the horrid piano bar go away. I'd love to avoid it but when it's right across from the Roulette wheel (which is typically my evening entertainment), it's hard to do that. For the life of me, I can't understand why people enjoy listening to bad vocals being shouted out while two people are pounding as hard as they possibly can on the keyboards. Ugh. Looking forward to Rotterdam in April for 26 nights. Hope we at least have BB Kings, Rolling Stones, & LCS for those 26 nights. And at least the piano bar isn't immediately next to the casino!

I've only ever added it on after booking and got it for $50/night, which makes it well worth it. I'm not a huge drinker (and when there are lots of port days, getting your "money's worth" is sometimes not easy to do, drink-wise). But I do appreciate the included specialty dining. Don't typically take ship excursions, but I do if there's something I'm interested in and HAL is paying for it! And social wi-fi is all I need. I just like to be able to post pics on FB to show my friends I'm on a cruise in interesting places and they're at home working. LOL. I'm so mean! 😁 But I don't HAVE to have HIA. I tacked on 2 5-night sailings after my upcoming Rotterdam TA in April. It's not available on those short sailings. The good news is I booked casino offers so get drinks while gambling, so I'll just use my 3* Mariner discount and get a wine package at the start of those 10 nights and grab a drink in the casino when I can. I'll pay for the other things I want (hello, Tamarind!).

Their website should have the latest (or current) requirements.

Yes, I'm thinking I should just keep 3401 although I'd prefer more midship. I don't really need the "partially-obstructed" as opposed to the "fully obstructed" since I actually prefer inside cabins (I want it totally dark despite waking fairly early. I don't have the motion sickness issues I had when I first started sailing. I swear Ginger Root cured me. Either that or I sailed enough that my inner ear finally realized that there was nothing to get too worked up about after all. Still, I don't really want to spend all those sea days feeling queasy. Not really sure whether moving forward a bit on the same deck on a ship this size will make that much difference anyway.

Yes, I do want it all! 😁 I'm a huge fan of the J cabins on the Vista and Signature class. IF I can get one starboard side away from BB Kings and not so far forward that's close to the piano bar. So, ideally, lower & midship to avoid motion issues AND quiet. I'm not a nice person if I'm sleep deprived. Ear plugs don't work well for me. Just amplifies my "internal" noises!

I booked 3401 on Volendam for Hawaii next fall. It was a "free upgrade" from an interior (which I almost always book). I'd prefer to be more midship and see now that I can have a partially-obstructed (rather than "fully obstructed") for the same fare. My concern is that the midship cabins appear to be under the galley. I'm pretty much an early-to-bed, early-to-rise person although I do stay up later when I'm cruising but rarely sleep later than 6:30 in the morning despite the later nights. I'm a fairly light sleeper and noise will wake me. I use a white noise machine. I've read that people have had problems with noise from rolling carts and banging pots and pans very early. I know I absolutely will not book under a pool area because of dragging deck chairs, but will the galley be as much of an issue? I'm mildly concerned with the aft location in a smaller ship out in the Pacific but I don't want to move cabins and then not be able to sleep due to noise. Thanks all!

Looking forward to Hawaii on her next November.

There's an entire board here on Cruise Critic dedicated to Travel Insurance. I used to purchase coverage per trip via insuremytrip dot com. Once I got to the point where I was sailing more than twice a year &/or taking road trips, I started buying an annual policy from Allianz.

There are no deck chairs on the exterior promenade deck!?!? I sailed K'dam 5 years ago. I don't recall that being the case on that ship. But that was one of the rare times I booked a balcony, so maybe I sat out there to read. I just spent 32 nights on Carnival Pride and I thought that was the first cruise (probably close to 50 total) that there were no loungers out there. I was not happy. Try finding anywhere even remotely quiet on a Carnival ship! Even empty lounges & other areas have awful pop music blasting 24/7. I do wish this class ship had the wonderful large interior cabins like the Vista and Signature class ships have. Love them. So roomy. Anyway, I most definitely will check out Rotterdam's library. I'm just happy they actually have one!

Yes, would be nice if there was more seating. I'll be on the ship for 26 nights beginning 4/3/23 with the TA. As someone who sails in inside cabins, it is nice to be able to find somewhere quiet to sit and read and not have to retreat to the cabin to get away from horrible background music and people who think they must bellow at full volume at all times. I expect it will be too cold in the north Atlantic to sit out on the Promenade deck, which is typically where I park myself. I'll make sure to visit the library early on and get some reading material.

I have 2 or 3 somewhere. Will find them and pack for my Rotterdam sailing. Have HIA on the TA but the 2 5-night cruises following are casino offers, so have free drinks while gambling. I can use these for pre-dinner drinks a few nights on those legs. Just have to find them! 😄

Yep, as much as hate the paper and ink waste, I print out every confirmation of everything that I pre-purchase and take it with me so I have proof of purchase. Have never pre-purchased casino funds. I may consider doing that before my Rotterdam sailing in the spring. So far, the pre-booked specialty dinners have never been correctly booked. I tend to go straight to the podium on boarding day to check. Some times I've been able to get them to straighten it out. Others, I've had to get my CO maitre d to help. Others, at GS while there about other issues. They encourage people to book those early, but then they don't get them right and then tell you the time YOU ALREADY BOOKED is full. That's annoying. I recently booked Volendam for Hawaii next fall. My first HAL cruise was to Hawaii on Zaandam. I'm looking forward to that class ship again.

The perks are use-it-or-lose-it. All of them. I don't come close to drinking 15 drinks a day. I don't particularly like ship excursions. I do enjoy the specialty dining. When I can add HIA at $50/day, it's "worth" it for me. Once I hit 4* and start getting some real discounts, that may change. Hey, I'm an accountant. I do a "cost benefit analysis" for every single thing I do in life. Can't help myself! 😄