Alberta Quilter

Was this last summer?! I, too, could not stand the piano singer and had to pick up the pace when walking by while he was "entertaining"! I agree with the term "caterwauling"! It was awful.

I had one of those large balconies on a different class of ship and, honestly, I wasn't that keen on it. Yes, the extended balcony was great but it wasn't fully covered by the deck above. So sometimes it was too hot to be close to the railing and when it rained, it was unprotected. As I recall, the cabin had a small shower stall only (no tub) so that also dampened the experience. I won't book those rooms again. I would book a VS in a heartbeat!

No noise on Deck 1 that we heard. We were midship though. I wouldn't be surprised if there was noise in the aft when arriving/departing.

I was in a Deck 1, midship cabin on Volendam, last summer and had no noise issues at all. Easy access when returning from tender ports, too. I was also very happy to be on Deck 1 when we hit rough seas between Greenland and Iceland! Definitely would not recommend Deck 3 OVs due to smaller cabin, unless you need easy access to Promenade.

You might be able to check further on your actual TA's website to see if there is a reference to Distinctive Voyages. DV may have their own website.

I wonder if Distinctive Voyages might be a company to which your TA belongs. I’m not sure of the correct terminology, maybe a consortium? Years ago, we got a free excursion because the consortium was hosting a group onboard. We got a better fare, and the free tour, and an invitation to a cocktail party. Tour was pretty good, as I recall.

There should be a box to tick that applies the credit to the "purchase", reducing the bill to zero. I can't check that right now as I've already "spent" my credits. I'm going by memory.

I believe that all OVs on Deck 1 and 2 are more spacious (longer) than the ones on the LP deck. On Decks 1 & 2, there can be as many as four cabins across the width of the ship. On the LP, there are only two, sometimes, three because of the width of the promenade. So I think all OVs on the LP deck are shorter (by a few feet) than the ones below. And, yes, @SEA58, our OV on Deck 1 had the walk in shower with the glass door.

If your itinerary has lots of tender ports, you might want to consider Deck 1 as there is only one set of stairs to Deck A for tender operations. Easy on the return to the ship. Not quite as easy leaving the ship since one has to go up to get a tender ticket and then down to Deck A to board the tender.

OV! I have not been in a lanai room but I have been on that deck on the Amsterdam. I found the rooms to be shorter in length due to the exterior promenade. I found that lack of room to be noticeable. I expect it to be even more noticeable in a lanai room because of the exterior door to the promenade. I also found the room to be darker because of the promenade deck being covered. For those reasons, I won’t book a lanai room or any room on that deck. We were on the Volendam last July/August, in an OV, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Only thing to consider is motion, or other, sickness and if you need fresh air.

Only if originally booked in a suite. Upsells (paid upgrades) do not get double mariner points.

Just wanted to add that the shareholder credit has only ever applied to one booking number so if your cruise is two 7 day segments under one booking number for a 14 day cruise, you only get one shareholder credit. On the bright side, two 7 day cruises would garner $200 in OBC, whereas one 14 day cruise garners $250 in OBC. if your cruise has a return to your embarkation port in the middle of your cruise (assuming two segments), it is highly likely it’s a Collector cruise comprising of two smaller cruises. Then you need to do the math to see if the savings of booking two segments together is better than getting multiple SHC by booking each segment separately.

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Collector cruise (two shorter cruises combined into one) so things may have changed. I would go to Guest Services to confirm that the account will be settled after the first segment. It used to carry over to the second segment and be settled at the end of the last segment. Maybe they can override their system to carry over, upon your request. If not, then try to spend your non refundable credits or donate them to the crew fund. Please keep us posted.

Honestly, I would reconsider going to the Hvalsey Church ruins. We were in Qaqortoq in early August. We did a culinary experience which I posted about elsewhere in this forum. After our day in Qaqortoq, the Captain sailed down the fjord where the church ruins are and pointed them out. I remember saying to my sister that I was glad we didn't pay to go there! Here are some pics from the ship so you can judge for yourself. IMG_7151.HEIC IMG_7146.HEIC IMG_7147.HEIC Hmm, let me know if the pics show for you. They are in Apple (HEIC) format. If not, I'll try to figure something out.

I'm sure your TA is correct about skipping SOME parts of the tour but I would definitely confirm with HAL about missing the initial transfer to Denali (and the return to Anchorage). These cruise tours are handled very ably by HAL and any deviation from it might throw things off course, like, as you say, inadvertently cancel your hotel reservations. There could be delays for the others in the tour group while they wait for you to show for your departure, when you have every intention of being a no-show for that particular event/transfer. Honestly, the best suggestion above, IMO, is to DIY once you get to Alaska. I would seriously consider changing your booking to a cruise only but only you can decide that since you know what your deal is and what your budget allows. Best of luck with your plans! Enjoy Alaska!

Okay, now I understand better. I would post this same question on the Alaska forum (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/) to see if your plan is even feasible. As someone already noted, there is the one way tunnel between Whittier and Anchorage to consider. I also wonder if this type of request would throw HAL into a tizzy because there will be two empty seats on the bus/train to/from Denali (I'm assuming there are two of you). I think you would need special permission (in writing) from HAL if you proceed with this plan. The other thing I would note is that one way of your transit to/from Denali should be on the train. This is a very long day and I would seriously reconsider driving it yourself but since I've never done it, please take my comments for the 2 cents they're worth! The train ride is quite stunning. Also note that the driver of the car will not be able to enjoy the scenery because they're driving and watching for animals. Did you consider a different cruise tour? HAL does have one that goes to the Yukon, and then to Fairbanks, Denali and then the seven day cruise. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/ca/find-a-cruise/a5s07by1l/i543. Hopefully the link will work for you in Europe; if not, it's the Y1L tour. It's 18 days total. I did the older version of this, with only buses, no planes. We did go to Tok and Eagle then but with the plane rides now, they miss those two towns. The other thing I could suggest is, taking the HAL tour as planned all the way to Denali. Arrange for a bus to take you to Fairbanks and rent the car there and do your six days of touring. According to the Denali National Park website (https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/directions.htm#6/63.421/-148.491), there are private companies that offer transportation to/from Fairbanks (or Anchorage) so that may be an option. Again, the locals and experts who post on the Alaska forum would be better to help you. Just a cautious note that driving in Alaska is very different than driving in Europe. The distances are far greater than you may imagine, with few resources in between towns, and lots of beasties you may encounter. If you're going in May, you may still experience snow conditions in central Alaska. I don't know if rental cars there will have winter tires (I keep mine on until mid May here and rental cars here don't usually have winter tires!). Good Luck with your planning! Please come back and let us know what you decided to do. I hope you enjoy your Alaska adventure.

30 days? It used to be 60 days. When did that change?

Can you please clarify your plans? The way I read your OP, you're doing a cruise tour with HAL but you want to get to Anchorage airport, immediately after the cruise portion, to pick up a rental car instead of taking the included bus to Denali? You'll drive yourself to Denali? Because your cruise tour should include a transfer back to either Fairbanks or Anchorage airport for the flight home. Why not rent the car for the end of the cruise tour and do your six day tour then? Or did I totally misunderstand your OP?

It’s been a while since I’ve done a hotel package but,as I recall,we were able to get an earlier check in with the HAL package. Hopefully, those with more recent experiences will chime in.

I thought that if one cruised on another cruise line, that was part of Carnival Corporation, then when cruising for the first time on HAL, one was automatically a one star mariner with HAL. Not sure if it works in the reverse, though.

Yeah, what you were served was pathetic. Even the one I was served on the Volendam had a bit of the topping, and I was disappointed with that one. Most of the flavour is in the topping. It’s what makes it so yummy.

@Rubyfisch this is what a bee sting cake should look like (one version anyway): https://www.thekitchn.com/bee-sting-cake-recipe-23657388

It didn’t look like a traditional beesting (bienenstich). It should have had a sweetish topping on it made of sliced almonds, honey, and butter. I didn’t see any topping on the one in your picture. It looks very sad. Do try it again but at a German bakery.

It’s been a while but I think it’s at the bottom of the screen on the bow camera channel.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Banks Mansion in Amsterdam. https://www.banksmansion.nl/en?_gl=1*1mm03qm*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTUwMTc5MTA2OS4xNzM0ODE3Mjg5*_ga_2VG4NMQGDT*MTczNDgxNzI4Ny4xLjAuMTczNDgxNzI4Ny4wLjAuMTU4NDU3MjE3Nw..*_ga_1059W4ZLGN*MTczNDgxNzI4Ny4xLjAuMTczNDgxNzI4Ny4wLjAuMA..