Crew News

A few Room Service items are not included in your basic fare. Here is the Room Service menu: Room Service Pinnacle-class Ships

Alaskan cruises should have draft beers from the Alaska Brewing Company. The Nieuw Statendam has Beer On Tap in the Crows Nest.

Changing rooms is easy and will be facilitated by your Room Stewards. Often they just change drawers with the new stateroom as soon as the previous occupants leave. All of your belongings will be locked in your new stateroom and you will pick up your new key at the time given in your instruction letter from Guest Services. You will be escorted from the ship as part of the "zeroing out" process and be allowed to return usually within an hour.

On the HAL website, select your cruise, "Cruise Activities", "Beverages", and then "Wines & Champagnes". Complete the purchase screen.

I can't answer the shower question but the Nieuw Amsterdam now has the interactive TV's.

Here is the bar menu that i verified in April so you can see the prices: Bar Menu

After noting that you will be going to Alaska, I have to temper my earlier response. Internet speed at sea so far north of the equator is terribly slow and spotty. Upgrading to the Premium package will help some with speed but void areas cannot be overcome. There should be a few computers for use while onboard but they will not permit the use of any USB devices. They will not be any faster than the slow internet speeds in Alaska. I suggest that you do payroll using your laptop while in port and use your cell phone as a hotspot. Cell phone connections in Alaska ports are excellent as soon as most of passengers disperse away from the cell towers near the dock. You can use the slow ship internet with less bandwidth competition (most passengers will be ashore) while in port and the signal should not be spotty.

The Surf package in the HIA is fine unless you need the extra speed for streaming that is available in the Premium package. The upgrade price for a seven day cruise is $40 once you are onboard. Anyone who knows the password can share the internet connection. Each internet account can have only one device connected at a time. If any device tries to connect while another device is already connected, it will kick off the connected device. You can add three additional devices for $10/day on each account once onboard the ship. You cannot just add a single device to an account. Price may vary on each ship. This means that an account can have four devices connected at any one time. With two accounts (one with a single device at a time) and one account with four devices at a time, everyone should be happy.

Best Alaska wildlife excursion is Crab Fishing in Ketchikan where the boat stops to feed eagles for about 30 minutes. I counted at least 50 on my last visit taking turns swooping down from the trees to snatch fish in their talons. Even if you close your eyes and just press the button on your camera, you will get some good photos. If you have high speed and tracking set on your camera, you will get amazing photos. Here are more photos of what you will experience: Crab Fishing Link

In my many B2B cruises, Fort Lauderdale was the only port where Immigration processing took place onboard. My last two cruises in Fort Lauderdale, everyone was required to disembark the ship. If you will not be staying in the same stateroom for the second leg, your Room Stewards will help move all of your belongings to your new stateroom before you disembark in Sand Diego. They will bring a trolley for all of your hanging clothing, often just swapping your drawers with those in your new stateroom, and packing all of your suitcases will not need to repacked. Your time ashore depends on the speed of processing through Immigration while ashore. If you are staying on the same ship, your account balance will just be rolled over to your new cruise and the OBC for your second leg will be added your account.

With the exception of pastries, food service does not begin until 11:30 AM.

The Explorations Cafe in the Crows Nest on the NS serves the same items as on other HAL ships.

Fortunately, the Grand Dutch Cafe has at least two baristas working at any one time with three during peak times and the line moves quickly. There is also staff working back in the kitchen preparing food and those great cookies/pastries.

Definitely, on your second day try Fly Denali with a landing way up high in the snow. The scenery, the incredibly fresh air, crunchy snow under your feet, and the tranquility are not to be missed. Link to other Fly Denali photos: Fly Denali Photos

As noted earlier, the HAL Room Stewards know the disembarkation time of all of their supported passengers and start on those rooms as soon as they are vacated. Many passengers who have chosen later disembarkation times will allow the Room Stewards to strip bedding while they are still in the staterooms. It is my experience that "not yet ready" means just a few finishing touches like brochures, notes, ballpoint pens by the phone, or a final inspection may yet to be done. Even if your stateroom is not ready, you can drop off your carry-on luggage in the room and head to lunch.

Yes. If you book within 60 days of returning from a HAL cruise, use a Future Cruise Deposit, add a Shareholder Benefit, and this First Responder/Vet benefit, you can build a good amount of OBC for every cruise.

If a bar is near a location where coffee is brewed, it never hurts to ask. The Explorations Cafe in the Crows Nest specializes in iced coffee beverages. Here is the menu: Explorations Cafe Menu

Thanks for visiting my website. Feel free to ask lots of questions to help in your planning. That is why so many of us contribute to this forum. The Explorations shares the same space as the Crows Nest bar and caters to the specialty coffee passengers. FWIW their free cookies can be addicting. I have not seen Matcha tea on any of my cruises so bring your own. Make your Matcha tea at the Lido Market beverage station just before going to bed and pour it into a thermos to have your hot Matcha tea in the morning. If you wish to make Specialty Restaurant reservations and to avoid the line across from the Pinnacle Grill, there will be a podium near the Deck 9 Spa entrance on Embarkation Day. Visit the Taco Bar by the indoor pool to make yourself a plate of nachos (put a little melted cheese on the plate before the chips to keep things from sliding off the plate). Ask the salad bar for an empty big green salad bowl and then take the bowl to the sandwich station for lots of potato chips for snacking in your room. If a crew member gives you great service, ask their name, and give them a compliment on the Navigator app (at the bottom Connect-> Let us Know-> Comment). They will thank you by name every day for the duration of your cruise. Take a photo of their name tag so you get the spelling correct. The beverage station (ice cream station during the day) has almond and soy milk available. Make sure you let your Main Dining Room waiter know that you have dairy issues and they will help you avoid items made with milk. Room Service Breakfast has soy milk available: Room Service Breakfast Card Enjoy your planning and your cruise.

The huge (8-inch diameter) chocolate chip cookies that are so soft you cannot hold them in with your fingers without them falling apart. Almond cookies with a soft almond paste filling are so yummy:

I watched a passenger take a big bite out of one these and their face took three napkins to clean.

During my Nieuw Statendam Club Orange kitchen tour in 2019, the Environmental Officer told us that HAL was eliminating individually packaged items to save packaging materials polluting the oceans. He then told us that the ship does not release non-biodegradable stuff into the ocean but recycles all packaging materials. I just scratched my head. The most important thing I learned from the Environmental Officer was that all recycled stuff was sold and the income went into the Crew Fund. I was not shocked when I returned to cruising in 2021and found that, with the exception of artificial sweeteners, HAL stuck to it's goals.

Either port or starboard staterooms are better than the aft staterooms. Avoid the aft staterooms so the aft aficionados can have them along with included private bathroom, minibar a few feet away, no waiting lines for food, overhead shade, small table for nachos, camera gear poised at the railing for use, no fear of tripods being kicked over, and nobody blocking amazing photos.

Received approval for two cruises but denied for Pacific Coastal. Took five hours from time of submission. Thanks again for the reminder.

Thanks for the reminder to resubmit for my upcoming cruises. I received this OBC a few years ago and did not realize this was ongoing. Retired Army.

The sewer system is shared by a number of rooms so if one room does not follow the rules by putting forbidden items in their toilets it will affect everyone. Use your Navigator to report the issue and all of the ship's management will be notified. Go to the Connect tab -> Let Us Know -> Comments.