Bluwater7

I have really appreciated the information in the first post of this thread. I have only done one HAL cruise in the past, but thoroughly enjoyed it. I now have two more HAL cruises in the near future, so I updated the basic schedule for myself to keep the ships straight. I have to refer back to it regularly, since the names are easily confused, at least by me. Perhaps after I have cruised on each one, I won't have that problem anymore. :D I thought that others new to HAL might appreciate seeing my schedule. Enjoy!

 

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Excellent thank you

What a wonderful momento of a wonderful world cruise. Sure enjoyed following you around the world. We had plans for 2017 but sadly lost my DH on the 13th of Jan. I feel that I have been on the cruise with you two. Thanks for the time and effort you put into the recording of your experiences. Happy Cruising.:)

The leaves for my table are in a closet - taking up much needed closet space ... after reading this I am moving them under the bed. Thanks for the idea.:):)

Can it be in a wheeled luggage bag or does it need to be carried out in the open?

We have a duffle type bag with wheels that we use to shop with at a port ... have brought soda and water on board Hal with no problems. :)

We had a very good 25 days on the Noordam last - Christmas, New Years and early Jan. Beautiful ship and great crew. Would book her again in a heart beat. :) Hope you enjoy your cruise. Come back and let us know.

Don't worry about finding a cab driver that speaks English. You will arrive at the bus terminal and they are used to tourists. They may not be fluently bilingual but almost everyone in Montreal knows basic English. However, be sure to look on google map the way to the hotel so that he does not take you on a ride like some cab drivers do with tourists!

 

I know that I am biased since I live in Montreal but you should come even 2 days before if you have another free nights. We have a beautiful city with great restaurants and you will be downtown and be able to walk almost everywhere before you leave for the cruiseship.

 

Have a great cruise!

Great advice .... google the route ... print it out ... circle the hotel and the port .... make sure the driver sees it and you should not have any problem ... we have found most speak English. This advice would work in any city where English is not the mother tongue. ... Love the Maasdam ... enjoy your cruise.

Thanks for posting your report on our favourite HAL ship. :)

Hi guys.....I may be going on another cruise, Maasdam from Mtl to Boston, and the prices are a bit too high for my favorite cabin, which is a Lanai. I love the Lower Promenade deck because it only has cabins for 2 people. Because of that, it is more quiet than other decks. The lowest price on that deck is for HH obstructed view. I never had problem with people talking and walking on the deck when in a lanai because the bed is located not directly next to the door. However, the head of the bed, I think, is located just underneath the window for the HH. I am wondering if you can hear people if they decide to stay underneath your window or if you hear the thumping from people jogging, even if they are not allowed to....some do it in spite of the big signs!

 

Thanks in advance for your answer!

We spent 70 days in room 398 ... from mid Jan to end of March .2013 ..loved it ... nice and quiet and still a bit of view ... would book that vicinity again in a heart beat... no deck chairs under our window so no problem with people holding a conversation .. only once did someone move a deck chair.... and he slept. easy access to the back elevator ... go for it ...:)

I think the price for the HAL CPP increases in steps, not as a fixed %, so it may be possible to do an upgrade and not have to pay any more. Ask your TA to be sure.

yes you are correct ... it depend where you are in the price range ... sometimes there is not an increase ... if you are lucky....

A recent topic got me to thinking about something I heard somewhere about taking an upsell from HAL and how it affects the insurance you purchased from them, due to the increased cost of your cruise. Same question if you later decide to just pay for an upgrade.

 

Is there anything we should do/be aware of in this situation?

 

DaveOKC

on a recent cruise - we had booked an inside cabin and decided to upgrade to an HH outside - we paid for the upgrade and at the same time paid an additional amount for the higher insurance cost. This was for Hal CPP. insurance. which is based on fare paid. Now if HAL did the upgrade .... I do not have an answer for that.????

We were on the Baltic Cruise Last Year on the Eurodam and are now thinking of the ms Noordam 11-night Mediterranean Cruise. We love Tamarindo and the cabanas on at the pool. Will those be offered on this this ship? What else is different (better or worse). We really liked the Eurodam.

No Tamarinds but yes to Cabanas ... have not been on the Eurodam.

We did 25 days starting just before Christmas in an HH obstructed view cabin ... liked it a lot.... staff was great... food and service was good. The 3 elevators made getting around really easy. We do like the smaller ships like the Maasdam but would not hesitate to sail the Noordam again. :)

go to startpage.com ... great way to browse without leaving cookies. :)

Do the self tour of Alcatraz ... go early ... so much to see ... we did not have enough time. The crooked street.... the cable cars... to name a couple.

Why wouldn't you take it to the Captain's table if it's fine at your own table?

It might upset the others at the table ... and I would not want to do that...

the Captain might not mind but the others diners probably would.

Soda from the bars come in a can if you order them that way ...ice and glass on the side. If you are drinking the fountain soda it comes in a glass with ice. I certainly would not take a can to a Captains dinner table but to my own table for 2 I would.

If you are a non drinker ...of .. wine or booze why is it wrong to bring a can of soda with you to the MDR... the can of soda could have come from any of the bars. That was paid for. If one drinks and has a pre dinner drink at the bar and does not finish it ... takes it to the MDR ... partner brings his unfinished can of soda. Same idea IMO.

on the Maasdam from Jan 17 to Mar 28 we had fresh squeezed orange juice ... we also had regular orange juice ... had to be careful as they did not put it out in the same place each day. signage was good ... at the Lido. The few times we ordered room service for breakfast we got the fresh squeezed juice.

Princess has dropped Greenland because the last three years they couldn't get into Greenland due to ice and weather . For the difference in cost I would Princess and use the saving for exciursions.

Our stops and cruising in Greenland - the highlight of our voyage of the vikings a few years ago ... the fjords fantastic. for that reason alone I would go with HAL

Wonderful review of a fabulous area... I want to go back again... we did Alaska before I bought my digital camera.... trying to convince my DH ... time will tell.

No matter how long the wait ... the burgers where worth waiting for. Fries you can get with very little wait time... each burger is cooked when ordered .. no pre cooked ones. The beeper system worked well. This was the Maasdam Feb 7 2014. cruise. Dive in came along a few days after we set sail. Good burgers and fries ... an improvement in my opinion.

Thanks for posting the beautiful Maasdam .... we sure enjoyed our 70 days on her. Jan 17,2014 thru Mar 28.2014 ...

Thanks so much for all of your posts. We have 339. Last time we sailed on Hal we had a huge corner suite, but this is a last minute trip for us that we squeezed into our schedule, so we would be happy with most anything. Hope we get a door that functions properly, because we love to walk. Happy cruising everyone :)

Just off the Maasdam 70 days...we had a cabin on the promenade deck ... not a lanai .... there was no smoking allowed on that deck so that should not be a problem for you. The lounges are all marked with the cabin #'s and lots of others for those not in lanai cabins. Friends in a lanai cabin did not have a problem with others using the lounges. Enjoy your cruise ... go in with a positive attitude. :)

On the Maasdam we had both an internet Manager and a Librarian until three weeks before the cruise ended when the Librarian became both ... Still had a wonderful Microsoft tech. The librarian did not seem to mind having both responsibilities. She was always very helpful and pleasant. Very knowledgeable individual.

We sailed from the 17 Jan to Mar 28. 2014.

in the gift shop? I have a small collection of the ships I have sailed on and would like to continue the tradition, but nowhere can seem to find out if HAL even sells them.

Just off the Noordam and the Maasdam and the gift shop had magnets of the ships. Also have one of the Rotterdam when we sailed on her. Would imagine all the gift shops have them. The price was about $5.00.