colbe

We have not received ours from August 8th.

On 10/3/2023 at 3:25 PM, Canadaclyde said:

I purchased onboard credit prior to our 2023 world cruise. When I needed some cash, I was able to get it from the front desk. There was no service charge.

What currencies were you able to get from the front desk?

6 minutes ago, Murray's Pop said:

Didn't book through a TA, booked directly with HAL.

If you have not received an email with your booking information, check in your spam box first, then ring HAL to send it to you.

Twice a day in Neptune Suite on HAL. Enjoy your cruise.

4 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

The issue in New Zealand is removing marine contaminants, such as grass, barnacles, etc. This work is completed by divers, it does not require drydocking.

Eg: Coral Princess was found to have sea snails in discharge pipes. 

45 minutes ago, kansas2018 said:

The Noordam is sailing to Australia and New Zealand this October. Does anyone know if Holland has plans for cleaning the hull in order to avoid entry deninal

to New Zealand waters. This would really ruin a cruise for many passengers including myself.

Cruise companies know exactly what is required of them. If they wish to sail into a pristine natural area such as Fiordland National Park then ofcourse they need to ensure that they do not damage the environment. I don't ever remember HAL having any problem with complying with the requirement to have the hull inspected and cleaned.

I hope that you enjoy your wonderful cruise.

26 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

I don't think that any freighter will have to go through this.

That would be because freighters do not sail into Fiordland National Park.

11 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Hey @colbe what is this arrangement called, do you remember? It's very pretty.

These are from a market stall in Hilo Hawaii. They were a replacement for my HAL flowers that had reached the throw out stage.

35 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I pre-ordered the Catherine (carnations) bouquet last winter for our B2B; it lasted well into the second leg. It did have a spreading "footprint", but there was room in the Vista Suite (tried it in three places!). I plan to pre-order the Charlotte bouquet for the next 35-day cruise, then get more flowers half way through. Charlotte is also carnations, but more upright arrangement. I have heard of people getting tropical flowers ashore and bring them on!

I use incognito mode on Chrome. Solved the problem immediately. 

You should also be able to see the Grand Australia and Aotearoa/NZ departing Jan 3 2024.

I would grab 6170. Quiet position, good size balcony.

5 minutes ago, Gunther1 said:

What is (are) the site(s) where one can look at a particular stateroom on a particular ship ?

 

Thanks in advance…..I can’t remember what the site(s) are.

Hal facts

7 hours ago, sahara1 said:

We were not able to use the app on our old phone. We never new if we were booked on an excursion, where to meet, when or if it was changed or cancelled. They just kept saying they were paperless!

The information is also on your TV.

No. Taxis and public transport is available. Check the cruise port schedule for each port to see where you will be docked.

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/copenhagen-denmark-cruise-ship-schedule.html

26 minutes ago, gonron42 said:

I have called the Grand Cruise office for Holland and was told that I could get my necessary visas while on board the Zuiderdam for the necessary countries for our segment of the African Grand Cruise starting November 25. Yet the next day I get a general email that says we must have all necessary visas before getting on the ship.  Does anybody know that actual answer???Thanks,   Rpn

This was a generic message covering all nationalities who will be on board. If you follow the provided link you will see that if you are a USA citizen then you do not need visas before you board. Some of us will need to pre-apply for visas and we will have to show them before boarding. This is nothing new, if we are cruising to any USA port we have to show our ESTA before we can board.

1 hour ago, Sidekick32 said:

Hi All,

 

Let me preface this rather scaring review with some context. I've been on over 30+ cruises in my life. With, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Windstar, Celebrity, Norwegian and of course; HAL.

 

Of the HAL ships, I've been on the Rotterdam 2x (both the old one & new one), Zuiderdam, Koningsdam, and just recently disembarked the Eurodam on an Alaska trip on July 22nd. My previous cruises with HAL were pre-pandemic and were absolutely wonderful, except for some plumbing issues on the old Rotterdam ship. The (new) Rotterdam and Koningsdam stay in my mind as top five cruises I've ever been on (beating out Sebourn when you consider value for $). However, I don't know what happened on the Eurodam and I do hope that this is not fleet wide, but I seemingly has whip lash after the very, very poor experience I just recently had on the Eurodam:

 

In succinct: atrocious staff attitude, poor dining experience, poor ship cleanliness, poor live music choices.

 

Usually on a cruise, if a staff member is rude, that one rude experience sticks with me; however, on the Eurodam the opposite was true. There was only a few experiences the entire 7-day voyage where a staff member was actually polite and courteous that stuck me with me. Instead, I was met with a standoffish attitude from nearly every single member of the vessel. The absolute worst offenders were those at the Explorations Cafe; how nice would it be to at least be acknowledge or greeted at 7am in the morning while ordering a specialty coffee? Well, not on the Eurodam. When I got to the front of the line the staff taking the order would just look at me, and I would proceed to order - what an odd occurrence I thought to myself, perhaps it was just because of the turn day weariness. No, this cavalier attitude continued throughout the entire voyage. A specific example, when I asked if they had skim milk I was greeted with a "No", there was no substitution offered, when I asked if there was whole milk, again "No" at lease this time though they said they had 2%. Okay, got it, they call themselves a "Coffee Bar" but literally only have one (1) type of milk - this lasted for the entire voyage. Even McDonald's will give you skim milk if you ask for it. 

This staff "attitude" just continued throughout the whole voyage, it was quite bizarre. I don't know if they were frazzled out, nearing the end of their contracts, or missed home the poor attitude of the staff was just beyond me. They were just genuinely unhappy folks. The only positive experience I have is of the server up in the Tamarind bar - he gave recommendations on cocktails and actually seemed happy - cool!

 

I will make the other disappointing items quick (no order of importance):

 

1.) No pastry selection in Main Dining Room Breakfast - the bread plate was there, but no one ever came around to offer pastries
2.) Pinnacle Grill experience was awful. Fayth (server) did her best, but the steak I had "Medium" was tough as leather, I had trouble cutting it even with those huge Pinnacle grill knives - what? Also the Key Lime pie dessert was awful, and the sides absolutely pitiful, the side of "beets and bleu cheese" was literally 2 slices of beets, quartered and sprinkled with blue cheese. The "Wedge Salad" had dirty lettuce (not wash) and an uninspired dressing
3.) Filthy buffet, tables were bussed quite promptly I will say; however the carpet, tables, chairs, and window ledges were filthy. So many crumbs underneath the table, even at breakfast! That made me wonder, was it even cleaned at night?
4.) Dining Room Food for dinner portions were absolutely laughably small. I realize the "Petite Fillet" would be small, but four tiny (overcooked) slices of beef is an insult. Another example: the "Roasted Cauliflower" at lunch, was you guys, literally a stalk of Cauliflower, one stalk about 1.5 inches tall, cut in half and served roasted - what (this was served on a large plate too, and it really was quite a funny photo)
5.) Ocean Bar had the same soundtrack 4 songs, that repeated, over, and over, and over. The poor staff working there, like change up the music.
6.) The pools were filthy. I have photos of rust, calcium or other "mysterious" build up around the edge of the water in the pool. This was especially bad in the seaview aft pool. 

7.) No more Lincoln Center Stage, that area was absolutly dormant except for the the "Art" Auctions, of over-priced giclee's. There was a Piano on the stage there, that was covered the entire time - how sad. 

 

I loved HAL for its yummy food, upbeat and friendly staff, and great live music - but none of these expectations were met. I don't know if this is indictive of the entire fleet (someone please tell me I am wrong), but I cannot recommend HAL to really anyone after this experience.

 

P.S: The Wifi was actually fantastic, download speeds were awful. But for facetiming, texting, web browsing and streaming everything was A-OK. 
 

The pastry selection is on the breakfast menu. You simply ask for what you want when you order.

1 hour ago, DTtravelers said:

Did you book this with Flight Ease?

 

I booked a flight to Auckland to pick up the Noordam next spring using Air New Zealand, and Flight Ease let me select the seats.  It was an excellent fare. 

 

But I have a fear that if we wait to pay until December, maybe the seats will be taken away and given to someone willing to pay more?  When you are over 6'6" tall, economy seat spacing on a long flight is not an option.  For me, that would be torture and the idea gives me nightmares (literally, not figuratively).

 

Has this sort of thing happened to anyone else when using Flight Ease and delaying the payment?

 

Have you gone onto the Air NZ site and checked prices there? If you book direct you have complete control of your booking. Do check prices for Premium Economy. 

Also check where the seats are that Flight Ease have assigned to you. If it is a bulkhead bassinet (baby) row then you could get moved if a family book between now and departure.

3 minutes ago, ctrinco said:

I read the updated carry on beverage policy and it notes that wine brought on board is subject to a $20 corkage fee.  Royal Caribbean only charges this if you bring the wine to dinner, not if you consume in your stateroom.  Does Holland America charge this regardless at the time of boarding?

Yes

9 hours ago, Dobby36 said:

My fav is the bread pudding, but the one they make in MDR for breakfast, with orange zest and pomegranate seeds if I recall. I think it’s supposed to be only for Club Orange, but I’m guessing if you know about it you can just order it off menu?

 

also the Thai Beef Salad in Tamarind. Mmm. Could eat there everyday!

It is on the MDR menu for anyone to order.

CROISSANT AND BREAD PUDDING 
pomegranate seeds, candied citrus

3 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

So I'm back online.😀

*

#1 With booking.com do I have to pay in advance?

#2 My thought was since we will be staying in Copenhagen's Best Western Astoria on Sunday July 30th, Monday, July 31st and Tues. August 1st I would make a taxi pick up appointment (for August 9th's disembarking) with the recommendation and the help of the hotel staff.

Your feedback on #1 and your thoughts on #2 would be greatly appreciated 🙂

Steve

Hi Steve,

I could not find a way of pre-booking a cab more than a couple of days ahead (we are on for 21 days). As we have a 12 noon flight and there is talk about how difficult it is to get a taxi from the port I chose to go with Booking.com. I have used this method before.

1. You do pay immediately but it is fully refundable up to 24 hours before travel.

2. It would certainly be worth asking the hotel reception. If they can not help you, there will still be time to book elsewhere.

Kind regards

@SSBrickNJ You can book a driver to collect you from the terminal and take you to the airport. You will be docked at C332 which is terminal 2. I booked through Booking.com very easily. We are walking off with our luggage and meeting the driver at 8am.

12 minutes ago, cabinluvn said:

$67 for up to 3 people, so about the same

Yes, that is what I booked.

3 minutes ago, cabinluvn said:

We probably would have ridden with you if the price was right for 4 people and a bag each=4 suitcases plus carry ons

 

A six seater with room for six bags is $US111.46

1 minute ago, cabinluvn said:

We are on the same cruise, apparently!  What time did you tell them to pick you up?  Might be on the same flight,even!

8am. We are on Singapore Air heading down under to AotearoaNZ .I almost booked a bigger vehicle with a view to finding someone to share with us.