oaktreerb

You can look at the deck plans online. It looks like a lot of the SS (Signature Suite) staterooms are under the Lido. It would be worth the $ to choose your stateroom in a quieter location. When you refer to SS do you mean Signature Suite or the actual SS classification?

Be aware of driving distances. Your MICA Guides Matanuska Glacier adventure may determine where in the Anchorage area you stay overnight. You could start in Seward with two nights and take the Kenai Fjords cruise and other activities in the area, and then drive north to do two nights in the Matanuska Glacier area, then return the car to the rental agency and catch a bus or train to Whittier to board the ship. Go online to the Anchorage Visitor’s Bureau for more information about the area.

Club Orange has become quite popular recently. On our last two cruises, one to Hawaii and a Pacific Coast cruise we thought HAL had sold too many CO “memberships”. In November’s Pacific Coast cruise we thought the CO dining room staff was very efficient. Maybe they have had staffing changes. We have learned that if your meal is served on an orange plate it comes from the CO kitchen. Otherwise the plated meals come from the MDR kitchen, maybe the reason for the temperature variations.

I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in San Diego The first night outside the MDR open dining is always a mess. I’m surprised that you would have had to wait 90 minutes for a table in CO. You handled that issue perfectly. I would not have thought to go to the CO line at Guest Services. We’ve had CO on our last 5 cruises and never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a table in CO,

The Hawaii round trip cruises might be a good deal. The entertainment is a step up from the 7 day round trips out of SD. There are a lot of enrichment activities prior to the circumnavigation of the islands. The return trip is a bit more laid back. People within driving distance of SD should take advantage of this one.

Heads in beds. HAL wants to sail full ships. An empty stateroom is costly to the bottom line. Two weeks prior to my last cruise (Pacific Coast) there seemed to be a lot of empty cabins. By the time we sailed the ship was close to capacity. I think this is a good marketing plan. People who are free to sail at any time will enjoy taking advantage of this promo. They will still pay gratuities (I hope), port fees, and spend for onboard items. The cruise will probably cost more than they expect. People who have purchased inside staterooms will be upgraded (upsold) to make room for the standbys. I hope everyone on standby has their passport ready to go! Those who have only birth certificates can really slow down the immigration process for everyone.

Look on HAL’s website for all of the Community Appreciation Offers. See the Site Map if you can’t find it. University of Washington Athletics season ticket holders take note. There are many, many ways to qualify for nonrefundable OBC at this time.

The notice from the ship that I had unspent nonrefundable OBC surprised me. Without that notice I would have left it on the account unspent. Maybe the transfer paperwork was easier for me because my daily gratuities had already been paid as a perk. In the past HAL has automatically assessed my nonrefundable OBC for the daily gratuity. No form needed. Maybe the answer to your question is that all non-refundable OBC is not equal (depending on the source). Every HAL ship should have the same accounting system.

The form i was given by Guest Relations on the Koningsdam was a very simple 8-1/2 form. Our gratuities were covered as part of HIA. The rep looked online at my account, told me what OBC was left, and I wrote the amount in, indicated that it was to be given to crew gratuity fund, and signed with my name and room #. My statement listed it as Crew Appreciation. Maybe @Crew News will see this and offer some information on this procedure.

Save your Bounty. Enjoy Caviar in the Surf on Seabourn. Actually enjoy caviar every day on Seabourn.

Was there advance notice of the cake extravaganza? I try to stay out of the Lido so I hope this is announced in the Daily Planner so I don’t miss it. I just got off the Koningsdam and as far as I know it didn’t happen there.

There are so many ways to gain OBC with shareholder credit, military, teacher, medical worker, AARP, locations, booking, etc. I already had HIA including gratuities on my 7 day cruise and more than $500 OBC to spend in one week. Excursions are expensive but we had been to these ports and had no desire to board a bus to a remote location. Jewelry is always good, but is it worth it? Trinkets for the relatives? Booze to take home? Spa? Tommy Bahama clothing? So many choices. I spent it all until I noticed that I was overcharged for my pedicure. A trip to the Spa desk got me a refund for the overcharge on the final day before disembarkation so I had nonrefundable OBC unspent. The guest relations desk kindly sent me a notice that I had unspent nonrefundable OBC. I was “shopped out” but it was more than $10 so I remembered something I had read on CC. I could go to the guest relations desk and fill out a simple form to donate the excess nonrefundable OBC to the crew gratuity fund. The amount was confirmed, I signed the form and I had spent the overage on a good cause. My cruise was completed. Time to pack! I just got my final statement and the last item shows my final donation to the crew fund. A small donation but if others did the same it could have a significant impact for those hard working crew members.

The CD on the K described the above musical group as replacing the Lincoln Center Stage classical musicians. I hope each ship will eventually host these musical groups onboard, not just on a rotating basis.

Recently on a 7 day Koningsdam cruise. Classical music will not be on 7 day itineraries. The standard music walk musicians (BBKing, Billboard, pianists) staggered their performance times. No music in Ocean Bar. BBC Earth is gone (yea) so that connection with classical performers is over. The Step One Dancers were uninspired and missing one performer (this has become common). I wonder when that contract will end. Movies on demand in our stateroom were plentiful. There were a couple of movies (Barbie) on the big screen TV in the Lido pool area. Movies were shown in the Main Showroom during the day and the spilled popcorn/wrappers were still littering the floor when the evening entertainment began. Change is in the air. HAL is concentrating on the longer itineraries.

If you booked through CC you need to call them to answer that question. Their final payment date may be prior to HAL’s final payment, and they would be more likely to adjust their requirements than the cruise company.

The lifeboat configuration is likely to be different on the Koningsdam from the other Pinnacle ships. The Koningsdam was the first of the Pinnacle class ships and the lifeboat configuration does not allow passage through the Panama Canal (except with special permission during the Covid shutdown). The Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam will have a somewhat different placement from the Koningsdam.

yes, no problem going through customs when disembarking in SD. After Hawaii in February we sailed from Ensenada to San Diego, walked off the ship and with facial recognition immigration didn’t even ask to see our passport. They just said “Welcome Home”. Easy.

We have had CLub Orange several times on the Koningsdam. This is a 7 day cruise and for sea days everybody seems to be up early….we also experienced the end of daylight savings time. On our Hawaii cruise in February, the manager opened about 10 minutes early if people were lined up. Today CO opened 5 minutes early for breakfast. The food is good and the service is good. It is convenient for us to come early. We are West Coast early diners, as I think a lot of the passengers are!

When we booked this cruise Ensenada was our last stop, as typical for a Pacific Coast cruise out of San Diego. I am curious about why they made the change. There were already 2 ships ported in Ensenada so we were last ship in after dark! What a mess this turned out to be for both time in port and immigration! We scheduled a San Francisco excursion for 10 a.m. which was changed to 9 a.m. with a meet time of 8:30 so we will have to do room service for breakfast. At least we may be among the first through immigration. I was told that the excursion time was changed to 9-12 by the vendor. It sound like you were able to make a great plan for dinner in the MDR. Club Orange has had lines at the door before opening and fills up quickly with the two large tables for 6 at the front used for sharing. People who come later may have to wait for a table to clear.

@LAFFNVEGAS I hope you don’t mind my comments above. I was hoping to meet you and Terry at the informal Meet and Greet this a.m. I was totally surprised by the changes in the Crow’s Nest!

On Koningsdam now. I guess I won’t spend my OBC on eating in Rudi’s. Last night we had our complimentary HIA dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. We ordered the King Salmon and it was excellent, as were the crab cakes, and the clothes line bacon. I always separate the bacon and eat only the lean along with the dill pickle. We had a lovely two top with an ocean view and the service was great!

Currently onboard the Koningsdam! We were last on the Koningsdam in February. It was in dry dock in April. An informal Meet and Greet was scheduled for the Crows Nest for 11:00 this morning in a room that no longer exists. Who would have thought those rooms would go away, along with the big screen in the center forward viewing area. OK, I was happy to see that huge screen go away. During dry dock in April the smaller, quiet rooms on the port side of the Crow’s Nest were converted with large tables into the “art studio” for coloring projects. The “Coloring for Adults” participants filled the room and spilled out into the Crow’s Nest. The Crow’s Nest was packed so I bought two canned waters and a Bloody Mary with my HIA and headed back to my wonderful balcony. DH is happily watching the NFL on TV in our stateroom. I enjoyed the Story of Mexican Art which was the EXC type program for the morning. Catching Waves is this afternoon, both in the showroom. The Holland America story is still the first night entertainment! This cruise sold out very quickly within the last month. Casino deals? Maybe. Time to settle in and try to find the quiet places!

We arrived just after 10:30 and the signs were out for priority boarding. The busses from the hotels got there just before we did so we had to follow those people into the terminal. The check in process was easy and then we had to wait, seated with the high priority group until about 11:45. We were delayed in boarding because of the changeover from the charter cruise to our itinerary. We were sitting near some President’s Club people and the staff was keeping them updated on the delay. After the President’s Club was escorted aboard we followed! Staterooms were ready, we went to the MDR for lunch at Noon and our bags were in our room when we returned.

There are more daylight hours in July. Traditionally the weather might be better in July, but it rains a lot in Alaska. You can go online to TravelAlaska and other tourist sites that will tell you what wildlife is most likely to be active and fishing opportunities during the tourist season. Since you are starting in Vancouver is it one way or round trip? If you end your cruise in the Anchorage area, you should plan a land itinerary for the Seward area or to Denali.

Sitka is an amazingly beautiful port with inexpensive activities like the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bears and a walk through the totem park. There is a Russian Cathedral in the center of town and a lot of history to be learned as well as Alaskan cultural exhibits and activities. There will also be some very worthwhile excursions like the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. The kids are the perfect age to enjoy it all. Victoria is also beautiful but the activities would be more enjoyable for adults. In the evening you could walk to the inner harbor and see the houseboats along the way. With a full day in Victoria you could enjoy a whale watching excursion. Juneau is a better whale watching area.