rhinomike

10 hours ago, Gigi1977 said:

That is their best package and it worked well for me this summer in July on board Zuiderdam.  

Great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. 

How do the WiFi plans on HAL work?  I couldn’t find info on their website. With our package they include free premium WiFi...is that their best package or can I pay to upgrade to a faster package?  Thank you n

Will the dress code in the club orange dinner restaurant be the same as in the MDR or more relaxed?  Will the menu be the same?  We love dining in the MDR and not sure what to spect in the CO restaurant. Thank you. 

39 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Here’s A more recent post saying the same thing:

 

 

Perfect. Thank you. I also found it on the HAL website. 😃

We called in to purchase the club orange program. It was $35 per day or $500 for our 14 day cruise. So a total of $2500 for our group of 5. Much more than I thought. We went ahead and bought it because it is fully refundable. Does the price ever go down?  Does that sound correct?  I thought I read somewhere that you don’t have to pay for the third or fourth person in your cabin. Is that not correct?  

Great. Thank you to everyone.  The help and friendliness was much appreciated... 

We just called HAL and reserved two side by side Verrandah cabins. Numbers are on the Gershwin Deck 5035 and 5037. Any opinions on the cabins?  I can switch anytime. My only thought was looking at a picture of the ship it looks as if there might be a deck right below us that protrudes and might block our view downward. Should we try to go up higher or is this not an issue?

12 minutes ago, doublebzz said:

If this was a Caribbean or Mexico cruise, I would tend to agree with you.  OP's children are 21+ and I'm sure they would be more attracted to the interesting ports this itinerary provides than entertainment that may be offered by other lines.  Also, a 14 day European cruise does not attract the demographics of their age group on any line.

Yes. I agree. My kids don’t drink or party either. We do stuff as a group. We love all of the ports. 

2 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

I am a bigger guy than you & had no problem with  these new showers  .They are excellently designed using  non spot plexi glass  . Think that you will find the gym very adequate unless you are  a body builder going into a major competition  ,LOL

Great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate t. 

What are the two dining option times?

Does anybody’s know how the showers are on the Nieuw Statendam?  How small are they?  I’m a big guy. 6 feet 1 inch and 250 pounds. I hate small showers. Most ships are ok but we had one shower on the NCL Sky that was horrible. 

What about the gym?  I can’t find much info on that either. 

Thank you. 

10 minutes ago, doublebzz said:

If you are talking about the Aug 2, 2020 Nieuw Statendam cruise, I see it sailing out of Amsterdam to UK and Iceland.  Like most European cruises, this cruise is port intensive with only 3 sea days.  In my opinion and because you will be in port most of the time,  cabin type is less important. Unless money is no object,  I wouldn't splurge on any cabin category above veranda. 

  Yes. That is the one. Departing from Amsterdam. In my original post I said UK. I was not correct. You are correct. It departs from Amsterdam. Thank you. And I agree. I am thinking Verandah and the CO package will be great. 

Have you been on this ship?  I know nothing about it. We chose it b abuse of a good itinerary. Our other option is a similar itinerary on the NCL Star. We narrowed it down to those two. We think the HAL ship might be a little nicer and service might be better. . 

2 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Imo you are too young for HAL . Better to go Celebrity  or Princess not just for you but your children 's ages .I think they could get bored on a HAL ship .Certainly the entertainment on both Celebrity & Princess is better 

 

That was also one of my worries.

We went on RC this last summer out of the UK and we seemed to like the elderly crowd. We are kind of boring. We don’t drink or party.  But still like some of the activities. 

Thank you for that info. I think we will do club orange. Is that a good option on this ship?  What do there think of this ship?  We are 45 years old and our kids are 20, 21 and 22.  Any tips on booking?  We are thinking a Verandah cabin.  Thank you. 

We are not first time cruisers but we are going to be first time Holland America Cruisers. We are going to book a 14 day European cruise on Nieuw Statendam. It sails out of the UK on August 2nd. We will be booking 2 cabins. One for me and my wife and one for our 3 adult children. Any tips on cabin selection or any other booking tips?  We are thinking balcony cabins but is an upgrade to a suite worth the money?  We did a similar cruise this last year on Royal Caribbean. We had balcony cabins and purchased their Key program which gave us priority/VIP access to activities and boarding/debarking the ship plus free premium unlimited WiFi access. Does HAL have a similar program on this ship?  Is it worth it or is it better to get a suite?  Is this a good ship choice?  I know it will be much smaller than some of the larger ships we have been on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.  

10 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

Shorts are not allowed in the dining room.  They enforce that.

 

Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool/ beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in fine dining restaurants.

 

For those who will inevitably post to report seeing otherwise once, it is not the typical situation.

 

You can wear shorts if you want to eat in the buffet, though.

Perfect. That helps. Thank you. I really appreciate that. 

I will plan on wearing nice jeans in the MDR for dinner. 

On Gala nights I will wear slacks, dress shoes and a collared shirt. 

48 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Please read the suggested dress code on the HAL website. It will tell you what is expected as far as dress.

 

Remember, when one leaves home to travel, one should be aware of the cultural practices (for lack of a better why to put it) of the locale to which you are traveling and respect those practices.

Yes. I understand. I live in a very warm area in So Cal. It is not uncommon at all to wear dress shorts, deck shoes or nice sandals and a polo to a 5 star restaurant. That is why I ask. I have dressed that way in the MDR in Carnival, NCL and RC. Never had a problem. Sometimes the dress codes are vague so I like to check here and see what is real. If I dress like that will I be turned away for dinner at the MDR?  

For Gala night I will do slacks and a collared shirt.  

Thank you for the responses. We primarily Cruise NCL, Carnival and RC. We are hoping HOlland America is similar. In the main dining room for dinner we wear nice shorts and a T-shirt. On formal night we wear slacks and a polo. Will We be ok doing the same on Holland America?  I don’t want to be turned away. Thank you. 

Defiantly not first time cruisers but first time on Holland America. We are thinking about booking a cruise in August sailing out of Amsterdam. Curious about the dress code and how strictly enforced it is. Thank you. 

19 minutes ago, Mura said:

Shorts (probably not short-shorts!) are okay in the GDR for breakfast and lunch and always in Terrace.

 

You shouldn't worry.  The dress code is not stringent.  No formal nights, but if you *want* to dress more formally no one will stare.  But in the dinner restaurants you should think of what you would wear to a nice restaurant in your home town.

 

Most gents just wear a nice shirt with or without tie (usually without).  Pants are di rigeur I suppose. 🙂  In the specialties (and La Reserve if you are on Marina or Riviera) more gents wear a sports jacket ... but not all do.

 

Mura

 

 

Thank you. That was helpful. 😃

Hello,

We are frequent cruisers on Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean. We are wanting to try a cruise line with a little better service and a little more luxurious. However we are not into dressing up too much. We enjoy the finer things in life but are normally very casual. I have read there are dress codes on this cruise line the are different from others. We are looking at departing out of Rome next June on the Sirena. My question is how strict are they on the dress code?  Are shorts really not allowed even if they are dress shorts with sandals or deck shoes?  Please enlighten me on the dress code and let me know what is real and what is not. Thank you. 

10 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

So you'll already know why the next time VIPF benefits get cut and you get demoted to Gold.

We were told by our Carnival rep (that we have been working with for 15 years) that it is within the rules if the other cabin is on your account and utilizing your credit card for their sail and sign account. So yeah we do it and have never had an issue. 

Yes. I have done it with my adult kids for the last ten years. I have never been told no. 

3 hours ago, Michelle66 said:

We booked in March of 2018 🤣🤣I always want a specific room just booked for New Years 2021 on the Mardi Gras wanted the corner excel suite it has its own jacuzzi!! We do an every other New Years Cruise with friends because it is so much fun to be on a boat on New Years 🎉🍾🥂they price match if the price goes down so why not book early 😀

Good for you. That’s great. I wish we planned that good. I would of saved some money. I paid for 3 cabins so my adult kids could go too.  It was pretty expensive booking this late. 

Good question. We just booked the same cruise about 10 minutes ago. And yes there are not many cabins left. 

32 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I understand but the thing is that the cost of the connecting balcony stateroom is the same as a non-connected balcony stateroom. NCL isn't going to guarantee Haven access for that stateroom without a price increase. IF NCL gave a price for that stateroom with access and a price without Haven access, it would be more clear. I've suggested that before but NCL doesn't care what I or anyone else thinks is a good idea. 

 

 

That could work against your plan. In the past, getting minors in a connecting room made it easier for those minors to have Haven access. 2 adults in suite, 2 minors in connecting wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, what would happen is that a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) and their family friends (2 adults, 2 kids) would book the 4 adults in the Haven and the 4 kids in the connecting. All 8 would get Haven access for much less than booking 2 suites. NCL has done different things to prevent/lessen that from happening. Things aren't consistent with NCL and different concierges will give different results. 

 

 

The phone reps are (mostly) useless. They could tell you "yes" and the concierge on the ship can tell you "no". They could tell you "no" and the concierge on the ship can tell you "yes".

 

If NCL did institute a different price for connecting with access, I'd support that. Give people the option. However, if total strangers are in the connecting, they might knock on your door and ask for you to "hook them up" and even offer you $$ to ask the concierge. It's just messy. 

Yes. That all makes sense. Thank you so much for all of that info. It really helps.