oaktreerb

In CO You will have one more dinner choice that the servers will tell you about. It will not be on the menu, so ask the server if you don’t remember what the manager told you it is. If you can arrive at or before opening you should not have to wait. Expect the doors to open early. The first group of diners will be finished in about an hour, tables are refreshed with clean tablecloths and dinnerware, and the tables will be available again. If you have to wait, sit at the corridor window tables or tell the hostess that you will be in the Ocean Bar nearby. She will come to get you.

Food on the Koningsdam was very good in February 2023.

The 2024 Alaska 28 day cruise for June is almost sold out already. HAL posts new itineraries with (supposedly) special offers for Mariners as soon as they are published.

My theory on this is that if most people have the Have it All package, and HAL is definitely promoting HIA in their cruise promotions, HAL is not motivated to “sell” drinks onboard. They’ve already received their drink money. I checked the daily program for the Koningsdam in February. The bars were scheduled to close at 11:30 every night. Not an issue for me, but I also found that there were fewer stewards taking orders in the bars and entertainment venues, as well as the showroom.

I said to order two drinks at closing and sit at the bar/venue and visit with your friends. In no way would I expect or suggest that someone have a party in their room after Midnight. I hope you are kidding or being sarcastic.🤔

There is a minibar in your room. You can keep beer in your cooler/fridge. You can order two drinks at a time. Do the bartenders actually make you leave the area? Order your two drinks and sit there and visit with your fellow travelers until you are ready to call it a day. Some of the forward staterooms are within the sound range of the bands in BBKIng and Rolling Stone. Those people are probably glad that the party ends at Midnight.

You want to choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. It is a national park and rangers will come onboard to narrate. A 7 day cruise from Vancouver to Whittier or the reverse will have longer times in port. If you start or end in Whittier you may want to rent a car and add a few more days to see more of Alaska on your own. You can also cruise from Seattle or Vancouver round trip. All of the Holland ships are built for scenic viewing with lots of windows and a walk around promenade deck. They will let you out on the bow in Glacier Bay. If you see that the ship has a service call at Tracy Arm, it will stop so people who signed up for the small ship excursion can transfer to the smaller vessel. It’s a great excursion but will take up your Juneau day. Much better than viewing Mendenhall glacier. Juneau gets really crowded. Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway or Haines, Sitka are most common. Sitka is beautiful, Skagway is gold Rush history, Haines is non-touristy and has less activities but interesting, Ketchikan is old time Alaska and fishing. It’s all good. HAL has great docking locations in all Alaska ports. Late May through June still has plenty of snow in the mountains, beautifully scenic. Daylight hours are almost endless. July and August are prime tourist season and by September the days are getting shorter and the seas may be rougher. Cruises out of Vancouver go through the Canadian inside passage and will be smoother sailing for the most part. They all go up the Alaska inside passage.

I thought it was explained pretty well in Post #3. I’ve seen a similar game show on TV. On TV it doesn’t cost you anything to play. It sounds like a lot of money was collected for a very small payout.

I have asked and been told that OBC can not be used for bingo! It can’t be used in the casino either. But…..in this new game you can win $30 free play in the casino. Maybe the game is run by the casino???

Maybe the replies are to post #1. You described the game as a rip off. I appreciate you letting us know about the game and how it works. I will not participate. I don’t play bingo on the ship because I’m pretty sure I would lose! For some people this will be “fun”. If I could spend OBC I might try it!

There were a lot of activities on our Koningsdam 18 day cruise. The Crow’s Nest/Library/Explorations Cafe area was very busy with ship sponsored games including bridge lessons. The passenger supported lending library was very active with some great books including best sellers. So many of the activities overlapped with the morning lectures and “coffee with the staff” that it was impossible to choose and couples would split up so that they could attend and share information. The afternoon was much less active. Time for a nap, maybe, or 3 pm tea in the dining room. or wine tasting. Our Hawaii cultural ambassadors had some excellent craft and exercise activities planned for us on the way to Hawaii. On the way back home we had several outstanding lectures about Polynesia and the geology and populations of the islands. HAL has brought EXC back.

Your mother is 83 and active and has been to Denali 20 years ago. The Denali experience is not what it was 20 years ago. The tour into the park is shortened due to the road reconstruction. There are so,so many more tourists in the hotel area now. McKinley Chalets has expanded their footprint and does have an upgrade/upsell hotel offering. We have visited Denali many times over the past 15 years and three years ago I decided not to go back. We did go back this past year and I did not enjoy the visit. Too many people, too many changes. Best for the younger crowd now, I think. The train ride from Denali to Fairbanks is long and not very scenic. I prefer the bus on that leg of the trip, shorter and just as scenic, and the HAL bus is very comfortable with a comfort stop along the way. Holland America has a wonderful 14 day cruise in shoulder seasons. Before Covid it was offered several times a year with a few changes every year and we have taken it 3-4 times. That cruise was so great I would gladly take it every year. Now it is offered only in shoulder season (May and Sept). That May itinerary would be an excellent choice for you. Seas in September might be rougher. The ship even goes into the port of Anchorage for a day. Check it out.

HAL is really pushing the Have it All pricing which includes the Surf package. The early booking HIA for our Alaska 2024 cruise included the Premium internet package. I may be glad I went with the HIA on that cruise!

@CurlingwhizOur points show up today. We got 18 days for the VB stateroom and 18 days for spending. Grand total of 36 for the cruise which leaves us 9 short of 5*. All we have to do is book and complete a 7 day cruise in a suite and we’ll be 5*. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Only Neptune and Pinnacle Suites residents can use Neptune Lounge.

Don’t take a tour because you got a good deal. Take the tour you want to take.

At Taku Glacier Lodge there is no guarantee of seeing a bear. The bears will sometimes appear to lick the grill and when they do everyone is cautioned to stay away. These are wild bears doing what wild bears do. As far as I know, they are the only two bears on the island.

Very few meals are included. You can purchase a meal plan but it will limit your dining choices to the hotels where you are staying. We pack a suitcase for the land portion and another with items/clothing for the cruise only. You may have to take all luggage through points of entry (Canada/US) due to border security issues. The HAL land crew will handle all your luggage from point to point. You will find it in your room at each destination. You will also carry with you a backpack size bag with your personal papers (passport),meds, valuables (i-pad, camera, etc) anything you might need to access during the day. We have enjoyed several Yukon adventures with HAL. You will have a journey host with you and you’ll have a great time!

Steve Kroschel’s wild life sanctuary. Look it up online. You can’t just drop in, maybe the ship will have an excursion. You’d need transportation to get there. Not sure about what’s available on July 4. I think in Alaska the fireworks are late July 3rd and/or Early July 4th.

Taku Glacier flight with lunch gives you two float plane take-offs and landings, a chance to walk around the lodge grounds/ a small trail, maybe see a bear or two, and enjoy a great salmon lunch. It also includes flying over the glaciers with headsets for narration. I wouldn’t do the flight without the lunch/lodge option. Bering Sea Fisherman’s tour is also fun but a totally different experience.

Club Orange will also get you priority embarkation and disembarkation. So will Neptune Suite.

On the older ships Club Orange will provide a separate line for the open dining option so if there is a line at the MDR, you will have priority in being seated, You will have a separate line for the Guest Services and Excursions desk onboard. You will have an enhanced in-room dining menu for breakfast with fresh orange juice complimentary. The Neptune Suite booking will allow you to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill on the non-Pinnacle class ships (unless things have changed) and all other Club Orange privileges.

Yes, sodas and canned water count. Larger bottles are not included. Tell them you want the water that’s included on HIA. They did let us “buy” multiples, like 2 cans of soda or water or two Americanos. We have wine and/or a mixed drink most days but most of our allotment went on water and specialty coffees. You can ask your stateroom attendant to remove the “honor bar” items in the fridge. I remove everything myself and store it in one of the cabinets and put it back before we disembark. I am not aware of a muster app. You will find your key card at your room and you will have to present yourself at your muster station sometime on the first day (ours was the MDR). You will listen to a short briefing, have your key card scanned, and then watch the safety information on your in-room TV. Only after you have watched the in-room safety info can you tune your TV to other programs.

You may be able to pick up a deck plan from customer service but the wall map by the elevators is probably all you need. If you want to use your excursion credit you may have to waitlist, pay for it, and visit the excursions desk for the credit and refund. There are not a lot of excursion options for Hawaii and the cheaper ones sell out first. HIA also includes non-alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees and teas, sodas, canned water and Perrier. The Grand Dutch Cafe on Deck 3 is a mid-ship source for coffees, teas, sodas, beer, etc as well as light snacks. Use your HIA for the drinks, the pastries, etc in the window are free. Upstairs in the Crows Nest is another busy non-alcoholic drink source for coffee, water, sodas, etc. You can take soft drinks, etc.to your room unopened in the cans for later. Early dining in the MDR whether breakfast or dinner can be a crowded mess when people are waiting to be seated. Second seating will be much easier. People are given buzzers to let them know when their table is available. Make reservations for specialty dining in the Pinnacle, Tamarind, or Sel de Mer. We just returned from our Hawaii cruise on the Koningsdam. I hope you enjoy your time onboard and in the islands.

Were you able to get some pics for Halfacts? We have had a handicap (guarantee) SS cabin on the front of the ship and agree that the forward view is great but there is not enough room for a decent balcony. You have pointed out the exact reasons I would not chance taking a Neptune Suite guarantee on some ships. Thanks for your review.