Crew News

Rudi's and finished with a huge, cloud-like, souffle.

Was the surcharge printed on the menu? Did you report your displeasure via the "Let us know" tab on Navigator?

No mention of a surcharge for additional appetizers on my Rotterdam PG menu for December or for Volendam next May.

Based on booking number so each segment seperately.

Absolutely. Onboard credit is added to your account on the first day of the cruise. As you make charges to your account, including the daily crew appreciation charge, your account balance updates. In most cases, your credit balance will become a balance owed to HAL the closer you come to the end of your cruise.

CCL OBC is applied for each booking number. On Embarkation Day of the second leg, the CCL OBC for that booking # will be added to your continuing account.

Soy milk is available on the Room Service breakfast card as well as in the Lido Market Buffet during breakfast. If it is available for breakfast, it should be available the rest of the day if you ask. Room Service Breakfast Card

A few more items available for purchase: cookbooks and towel folding books in the Exploration Cafe, Photo Gallery onboard and Gala Night photos, internet upgrades, add more internet devices, souvenir bathrobes, Behind the Scenes ship tours (when they restart), chocolate-covered strawberries, extra charge Room Service items, gelato, flowers, blinking LED mugs from bars, gift cards, etc.

I have cancelled many excursions just a few weeks before boarding and always received 100% refund within a few days.

When deciding on a balcony, one must decide how far you want to walk and the time to get to a location where you can take a photo. Do you want to be able to step out on your balcony to search for wildlife while you are still in your pajamas? Do you want to use your own bathroom while photographing Alaska or share a public bathroom with hundreds of your fellow passengers? Would you like to eat a Room Service breakfast while sailing into a new port on a private balcony? Can you hold your camera above all of the heads that may be in front of you in the public areas? Does giving up your public area front row railing position in Glacier Bay for restroom/food visits? As a photographer, I will always book a balcony, enjoy eating meals on my balcony, enjoy scanning for wildlife, taking photos on a whim or when the TV shows passing whales, my minibar with snacks a few feet away, private bathroom, no heads or cameras blocking my photo opportunities, etc. Everyone has their own opinion and budget to consider when making stateroom and balcony choices.

Indeed, it is merely a name change but the activities of the Crow's Nest continue.

Here is a link to a porcelain version: Angled Bowls

Yes. Pea soup and a ham sandwich is a good start for a cruise. Also, a chance to pick up your first huge chocolate chip cookie. Grand Dutch Cafe Menu

Just paid $25 p/p/day Club Orange for 11-day cruise. My HAL PCC stated that cruises over 13 days have a Club Orange charge of $15 p/p/day. Club Orange updated my lowest verandah category (VH) to highest category (VS) that saved $270 (Cost difference $820 less Club Orange $550). Add in a few free mimosas each day for additional savings.

Nieuw Statendam V5225 balcony. Add three more feet for the doorway not included in the photo. FWIW here is a photo of the left group of outlets at the desk. There is an identical group on the right side of the desk.

Each ship publishes their own When & Where activities that can be changed anytime during the cruise if conditions warrant (missed ports and unforeseen onboard issues). HAL Seattle only has a brief version. The best source for When & Where is from someone on a previous cruise on the same ship/season. Note that it may be a few hours on Embarkation Day before your excursions/dining reservations are fully uploaded to the shipboard Navigator app.

There was a USB outlet above the night stands on each side of the bed on the Zuiderdam stateroom 5185 in April 2022. There were US and European outlets above the desk where you can plug in adapters to charge devices.

As noted in above posts, the little ice buckets in the rooms are just too small. For several years, I asked my Room Steward to bring a champagne bucket with ice and wrap the bucket in a towel to control any sweating. A dinner plate under the bucket and one on top kept the ice cold for a long time. In 2021, I began cruising with a collapsible, insulated, cooler that only needs filling every two days. It does not sweat or require daily refilling. Canned warm sodas can be quickly chilled in the cooler ice. Canned beverages stay a lot colder when surrounded by ice. Using Ziploc bags, one may keep refrigerated foods chilled on larger plates than will fit in the minibar. Some medications require colder temperatures than the minibar can provide but an ice-filled cooler can. Lots of available ice enhances entertaining friends on your balcony. FWIW several years ago, I used an infrared thermometer to measure the temp of sodas stored in my minibar. 38-degrees in the back of the minibar and 43-degrees in the door. Items in an ice-filled, collapsible cooler should be just a bit above 32 degrees.

if you wish to have Specialty Restaurant meals on two different nights, you do not have to use both complimentary dinners on the same night with HIA. Book and pay in one person's name for the first night (only one diner) and in the other person's name for the second night (only one diner). When you both arrive for the dinners, just tell the Maitre'd that you are being joined by another person who has a complimentary dining credit to use. All of the tables will accommodate two persons so adding another person is not an issue. This method works well also for the two complimentary dinners for five-star Mariners. Book for one person and the second person joins with their first complimentary meal. Repeat by paying for alternating names for the remaining Specialty Restaurant nights. This method means you do not have to wait until you are onboard to book. The above methods work for me as long as I am not a solo.

Feel free to bring your own empty plastic water bottles. Fill them with purchased water or free tap water.

My HAL PCC told me that all staterooms are returned to HAL control from other booking agencies about 30 days prior to sailing date.

Putting up the holiday decorations usually starts the week after Thanksgiving

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Specialty restaurants have their own special drinks but you can order off of the regular bar menu as well. You will still pay full price for any drink that costs more than $11 or $15, depending on what beverage package you have purchased.

Big brother/sister?

My stateroom TV had been disconnected by someone using their own DVD player on the preceding cruise. After several engineers tried to troubleshoot my TV, my Room Steward appeared at 6:30 and connected the cable in the back of the TV. I watched the safety video long after the ship departed San Diego and shortly thereafter, a letter from the Captain about my failure to watch the video appeared in my mail box.