oaktreerb

@laisHolland America needs to add Neptune Suites to the sign. I’ll be checking it on Nov 4…..!

Neptune Suite has some of the Club Orange amenities. The amenities like dining room/line and priority Guest Services line were added with Club Orange. NS previously had priority boarding and tendering. Neptune Suite should be added to the Welcome sign at the port. Holland America needs to fix the sign.

I agree with you but there are so many 4* and above mariners that if they were included in Club Orange perks CO would be worthless. HAL developed the CO concept as an upcharge. In the beginning it was not very popular and CO has only become a sought after program since cruising has resumed. I think HAL originally included Neptune Suites in the program in order to have enough people to fill the CO dining room. As you said, it takes a lot to become 5*. I’m 9 cruise days away and hope to be there after my next cruise. Most people feel like they have received the best perk when they qualify for the free laundry package at the 4* level!

Roger, Congrats on the Meet and Greet attendance. You are obviously known and respected by HAL staff! There has again been a lot of discussion about Club Orange recently and how it is handled on different ships. On the Signature ships the Club Orange sales would be limited by the size of the dedicated dining room. How does HAL determine how many Club Orange memberships are offered for ships like the Nieuw Amsterdam where CO is seated in the MDR? on the NA does CO have a dedicated seating area? I look forward to your reports. Have a wonderful cruise.

One of the selling points of Club Orange is the Dedicated Priority Line at Guest Services. Just one more “perk” to enhance this Club Orange add-on. Neptune Suites are automatically added to some CO perks.

The reason that no one is in the CO line most of the time is because the service rep in the window next to CO moves into the CO line when someone walks up. It makes the guest in the CO line…first in line.

It happened to us. The HAL agent at the desk who looks at your boarding pass can print one with the bar code on it. The boarding process has been simplified recently and the passengers don’t always keep up with the changes. I have also heard of passengers being sent to another location to have the bar code printed.

I think it depends on the port employee and their understanding of the HAL boarding process.

Thank you for such a thorough report. Who is the Captain of the Westerdam on this sailing?

The person who looks at your boarding pass is a port employee. I print my boarding pass because it is easier for me to show the reps that I am entitled to priority boarding. I may go through the entire boarding process and for some reason find the need to explain to staff that if the ship has begun boarding, I am entitled to board as a priority (4*) cruiser. You can have everything on your phone if you want but for me the printed boarding pass is my handy backup documentation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if HAL transferred some of the booking tasks to the Philippines. Once the reps are trained, the reps should be competent, as long as they speak clear and concise English it shouldn’t be a problem. HAL would save on wages and commissions. My very competent PCC is still available but I suspect he works from home in the Seattle area. These days people work from home in a lot of different industries.

@RiciRicardo@Hobar Sometimes you have to tell the crew checking you in that you have priority because you are 4*or above or because you have priority boarding because you have a Neptune Suite or Club Orange. They may not see it on your paperwork. You will still have to go through the line for check in and security. Watch for a sign along the way that indicates a special track for priority boarding. If you arrive at the same time as the busses from the hotels and airport you will be part of the crowd. Have your paperwork and ID readily available.

see post #8

The format on the dailies has changed so maybe you just didn’t see the main stage entertainment listed. Singers, dancers, comedians, on the main stage and sometimes a movie (you have a pretty good movie selection in your stateroom, too). Then there’s the music walk and sometimes a comedian in the music venues in the evening.

Holland America has a 14 day cruise in September that goes to many more ports. They also have the same itinerary in May. Both “shoulder season” cruises that cruise round trip Vancouver. Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway are standard Alaska ports for most cruise lines. You didn’t say what cruise line you are considering.

1) Book a return cruise to Vancouver. You will have earned it. 2) We loved the Taku Glacier flight with lunch. Pricey but worth it.

Sometimes HAL and Princess working together in Alaska is a good thing but I was disappointed with our HAL cruise tour in 2022. We had previously traveled in the HAL rail cars and busses (many times over the years) and in 2022 we were transported in the Princess rail cars and busses on our HAL cruise tour. The Holland America rail cars and busses are much nicer than the Princess transportation. The seats are more luxurious. Otherwise the experience was the same. It was probably our last cruise tour unless HAL finds something new to see and do in the Yukon territories. i read your reports of traveling with your grandchildren. What a wonderful way to create lasting memories!

If you are not docking in Skagway I second the recommendation to take the ferry from Haines to Skagway. Skagway is a national park and has a very nice museum but the whole town has places that are like a museum, like Soapy Smith’s Parlor. You will probably see an excursion to Skagway for the White Pass Railroad into the Yukon. You could just spend the day in Skagway visiting the museum and looking at the historical displays that the National Park offers. The Hammer Museum in Haines is really interesting and if you actually read the text alongside the tools it will take you at least 30-60 minutes.

Call HAL and ask for a Booking Confirmation. Each time you make a payment or get OBC added the Booking Confirmation will be updated. HAL and Princess have totally different processes, they are different cruise lines. Your cruise activities will show up online, not on the Booking Confirmation.

FYI, the Yukon trips are amazing. Double Denali will give you 2 nights and one full day, Triple will give you 3 nights and two full days. There is plenty to see and do for a Triple Denali especially if this is your first trip to Denali.

We got it, too. HAL made an offer during the Covid shut down (I think it was a 10% discount on our cruise fare if we paid our booked cruise in full). Our June cruise is really expensive and $100 OBC doesn’t interest me this time. I think HAL needs cash, again.

As this question on the “Daily” they know everything!

The bus from the ship will drop you off at the visitor’s center in town. In the past there was another hop on hop off bus that makes the loop out to the Fortress of the Bears and Raptor center. The size of your group might be an issue (getting everybody on the same bus). The price was reasonable. As @Coral said, you can walk to the Raptor Center. The Fortress of the Bears is further out but worth a visit!

Rebook at the current published fare without the drinks package and you should save $50 per day. That seems to be the drinks package add on rate. You can always refare prior to final payment. (unless you have a nonrefundable situation).