PASSENGERES

PASSENGERES please take good care of the Elegant Explorer for me. Have a great cruise and a wonderful time![/size][/font][/b]

Roy (for Jacqui)

Hi Roy,

Thanks for your message. It's our first time on the Elegant Explorer and we can't wait to see if she lives up to our hopes and expectations. We're pretty sure she will. We promise to look after her for you and wish you a great cruise too - the itinerary is very interesting - we've done a large part of it on the Eurodam (I think it was).

Adele

PRINSENDAM - 6 May, 2015 - 14 night Iberian and Gallic Explorer

We booked a cruise departing 6 May, 2015 on Prinsendam, and discovered that it has this promotion. The shore excursions don't look too enticing on this cruise, and somewhat expensive even with the discount, but we like the free Navigator Package...

"ReadySetSail! Enjoy a FREE Upgrade to Ocean-view, up to 10% off select shore excursions, FREE or reduced cruise fares for 3rd/4th guests and 50% reduced deposit! Plus, book a Suite and receive an additional $300 onboard spending credit, FREE Wine Navigator Package and 2 FREE soda cards! (learn more)"

It is available via the HAL website. I was able to purchase it from Europe.

 

Thanks for that piece of information. Happy to say that we have now received an email from our TA telling us that we will be receiving credit for most of what we paid for our cruise. Our CPP and a certificate from my doctor, verifying that I had pneumonia and was unable to travel for some weeks, helped to achieve this great result.

We are from Israel and it seems absurd that only US and Canadian citizens can buy the premium insurance. Surely, anyone who is willing to pay for the premium insurance (and most older pax are, I believe) should be eligible? Meantime, we paid in full many thousands of $$$$.

Glad it was sorted out for you quickly. What I like about HAL insurance is that you don't have to commit until final payment. When we've purchased Cancel for any Reason independently, we've had to pay upfront.

We asked for Cancel for any Reason insurance (Premium) for our June Med cruise but were told by our TA that this is only available to U.S. and Canadian citizens. Can anyone confirm that this is really the case - we were willing to pay up front but could only get CPP, and unfortunately had to cancel shortly before sailing for health reasons.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate a special birthday than to begin a cruise in the fascinating city of Venice and end it in the wonderful city of Barcelona!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage to Nieuw Amsterdam - 12 day Mediterranean Romance:

PASSENGERES - enjoy your special Birthday celebration!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage PASSENGERES!

Have a great time and a wonderful cruise!

Today is the first time I have opened the computer in the last 14 days and what a lovely surprise to see your lovely Bon Voyage message (and all the others too). Very, very unfortunately, I came down with left lobe pneumonia and we had to cancel our cruise some days ago, so goodness knows where and how we will be celebrating my special birthday - heartbreakingly not on the NA in Barcelona. Good health is so important, and we hope to be able to travel and enjoy a similar cruise in the not too distant future. Sincere apologies for not informing you of our need to cancel this fab cruise on 5 June.

Ditto. 1997, I believe.:)

Statendam was our first HAL cruise ship and we did the Millennium Cruise on her, San Diego-Hawaai-San Diego - 16 days - and loved every moment. What a way to start the 2000's! She was much younger then (as were we!)

As you mentioned a Transatlantic phone call I assume you in Europe? If yes maybe HAL's UK office can help you? Contact details from the website :

 

For General Enquiries and Reservations:

Phone: 0843 374 2300

Email: enquiries@hollandamerica.co.uk

Thanks for your helpful suggestion, but we prefer to wait until we've boarded to cancel our reservation. In the meantime, we have made an additional on-line reservation at the Tamarind for a time that we like to dine and feel sure that everything will work out fine with the cancellation credit.

One other note: Since you are planning to replace the Le Circque reservation with another specialty dining reservation, you should probably make the new reservation online before you cruise. That way, you can reserve your desired time. We've found that the "good" reservation times are usually booked by the time we get on the ship. Of course, that's a function of what you think the best time to eat might be.

 

You can use the credit for the cancellation and apply it to your other onboard expenses or daily hotel charge.

Yes, we will indeed make the new reservations online for the times we prefer. I guess it will have to be the Tamarind for the same date as Le Cirque, since the PG dining room is used for Le Cirque, but we love Tamarind too, so no problem. We already have other bookings for PG.

Thank you POA1 and Krazy Kruizers for your replies. We will wait until we're on board to cancel our reservations and get credits.

Have just been checking our online Custom Itinerary for our upcoming cruise and notice that there is an option to cancel a shore excursion booked on line, but there is no such option for cancelling specialised restaurant reservations. We would like to add another Tamarind and/or Pinnacle reservation instead. Is there a way to do this with HAL online, or does one really have to make a transatlantic phone call to cancel a Le Cirque reservation? Would it be enough to wait till we board the NA to do this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am wondering if there are safety bars in the tubs on the Noordam? I have had knee and hip replacement and climbing in and out of a tub is a problem for me. If there are bars how many are there?

 

Thanks for any info you can give me. I have cruised 30 times but have always had a shower instead of a tub in my cabin.

Yes, there are grabrails in all HAL bathtubs. You may not be aware that HAL ships also have a limited number of regular cabins with shower only. My husband has problems getting in and out of a tub and we now book verandah cabins with shower only - not available midship, but not in a bad location, towards the stern of the ship.

Where was the chocolate bar. In the Explorations Cafe? I was just on the Westerdam and did not see this

Is this Chocolate Bar only on the Westerdam? Does anyone know if it's also on the Nieuw Amsterdam - we're on that ship in June and would just love to find one there! Maybe it's fleetwide??? The menus sound great!

No such thing as a stupid question. Ca Doge' and Santa Chiara are both right in the square, so a land taxi right to the door would be possible. I think the fare from the airport is around 45 EURO. I fell in love with Ca Doge', but once there, Santa Chiara was across the square and right on the canal, so wished I had checked them out. Plus Santa Chiara has an elevator whereas Ca Doge' DID NOT!

 

Have a great trip!

My husband and I are booked at the Santa Chiara for 2 nights pre-cruise in June this year. Have booked a superior double with canal view and shower only, and, as my husband has mobility problems, an elevator, which will be extremely useful. Also, no walking with baggage up steps, over bridges, or on uneven roads. I believe the price is in the region of Euro 200+ per night.

Thanks - we will book online for the aquarium to save time. We have been to Barcelona a few times and have done most of the tours and sightseeing, hence our query re the aquarium. It is a great city and always a pleasure to return.

Many thanks for your quick and extremely helpful reply. Those websites give lots of detail. Is it a good idea to book tickets in advance to avoid spending time in a queue?

We have a full day and overnight in Barcelona during our June cruise and have heard great reports about the aquarium there. Has anyone visited it? Would love to hear your comments and advice as to where about the aquarium is situated in Barcelona. Is it anywhere near the port? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

PASSENGERES - Nieuw Amsterdam, 5-17 June, 2014, 12 night Mediterranean Romance

(Special Birthday celebration)

I think you are correct on the Standard plan, but the Platinum one covers it.

 

DaveOKC

We were told that HAL's Platinum Insurance is only available to US and Canadian citizens. Great pity.

We stayed at the Santa Chiara Hotel right at the Piazzale Roma after getting off of the NA in Sept. No bridges to cross from the People mover. Right on the canal. Ask for the main building, not the annex.

We're booked for one night at the Santa Chiara precruise prior to boarding the NA on 5th June. Love the idea of no bridges to cross or stairs to climb.

We booked our cruise through HAL directly. I phoned the other day to ask if she could make a note that we would like to be considered if an upsale would come up.

 

She said "you mean an upgrade?", I said "no, an upsale".

 

She said "I don't know what you are talking about, you mean an upgrade?"

 

So I informed here an upgrade was free and an upsale would be if a cabin has not been sold in the higher category, cruise lines would sometimes offer these passengers an upsale which is usually below the regular selling price closer to the cruise.

 

She then put me on hold as she spoke to her supervisor. Well, she came back and said: "Yes, we can tell you the upsale would be £££".

 

The upsale "offer" was exactly what was advertised on the website!! I left it as that as I had the feeling I am not getting through to her and to make her understand the difference between upsale and upgrade.

 

Are upsale offers for UK customers not happening? Or why was she totally (and the supervisor) unaware of this term?

 

I have sent an email out again today and will see what the response is this time.

You are referring to an upsell offer (not upsale). I am amazed that your question was not easily understood by the HAL staff, particularly after explaining what it was you were interested in. Hope you manage to get what you are looking for.:o

That is the strangest food I have ever seen! And, pardon me for saying this, but if I had that foam served to me, I'd get up and leave...

I couldn't agree with you more. Yuck! It seems to me that this would be money well saved, or certainly better spent at the Pinnacle.

It is so interesting....and fun....to see where everybody's screen name came from!!:)

I couldn't think of anything more imaginative than PASSENGERS, then I made a typo and put in an extra E by mistake, and decided to leave it !!

Thank you all for responding to my enquiry, particuly to posters 9, 10, 11 and 12, who have now totally convinced us to do a fly-cruise vacation and stay well away from the B of B!!! I know it's possible we could be lucky and have no problems, but we just don't want to take that chance. I believe there may be a change in itinerary as well - we're checking out all possibilities.