Banditswife

Just to add another option: this cruise might be sold out now, but we are booked on Zaandam from 12/19-1/4 of this year-16 days-Holland America. Not sure this is what you consider small either

The math doesn't work for us, so we just pay as we go. I was just wondering about DaveOKC's post.

Something isn't right, it seems the web site is wonky, you might have to call your TA or HAL.

We are also on the 2025 Amazon Explorer cruise & our booking does have the crew appreciation too. But like you say, we booked under a certain promotion. Crew appreciation is not usually included in HIA.

I have had bookings where the web page says "not available for this sailing," or something to that affect. But are you sailing solo DaveOKC? The normal cost of HIA for 7 days is $700 - double occupancy. If there are 2 people in your cabin, both have to get the pkg.

Do the tour operators also have your name & cabin #? I remember them having trouble reading our tickets from our phones, wonder if they've gotten this corrected. And if the app doesn't work on our phones, how do the tour operators know we have a paid tour ticket?

that looks interesting.

I have read on here that the Zaandam insides are larger than the newer ship inside cabins, hope this is true because we have an inside guarantee for Dec 2023

For years we were Carnival cruisers, then took a HAL cruise for the itinerary. Back then I would have preferred Carnival food over HAL. Over the past couple of years we have sailed mostly HAL with a couple Carnival cruises thrown in, I would still say Carnival has comparable food to HAL, sometimes better but not always.

This is just a side note: but since you are new to cruising & Holland America, I thought I'd add it. If you pre pay your auto gratuities, it will show up on your onboard spending account as a credit, then each day the appropriate amount will be deducted from that credit daily. My son got really confused about this, so it helps to know up front.

I always make my hubby pack a sports coat, slacks & tie-- but he hates to wear them, so the coat & tie usually remain in the closet. I wish he would have the attitude of another poster on this thread-"to please my wife." It seems that women like getting dressed up, while most men prefer not to. I usually wear dresses to dinner with a light weight jacket/sweater over them- I feel dressed up, while he is comfortable in his slacks & collared shirt.

I've read that some people leave a little thank you note on the last day. As horseymike says, a snack or candy type gift is good. Just remember they don't have much room in their cabin/living quarters, so nothing large.

Yes, we bring extra cash to tip with. But honestly we only tip above the auto gratuities when we have gotten service above & beyond the normal service. The $16 or $17.50 per day, per person is all we usually tip.

I am of the group who say keep the auto gratuities in place. It just makes it easier for us to consider that expense as part of our cruise fare. There is a way to recognize servers, cabin stewards & other cruise workers on the navigator app: at the bottom of the screen there is an icon that says "connect," when you tap on that another screen comes up with the "let us know" option, tap that & it allows you to make a comment. We have recognized crew members through this app many times, & they absolutely get the feed back. Personal experience: we had an awesome bar server on lido deck for a cruise in 2021. Several people recognized him on the app & in the after cruise survey. He & I became friends on a social media site. He has gotten several promotions since that cruise & now he trains new servers.

oops, thought your cruise was this year, HAL won't have tours listed for 2024 yet, but you could look for a 2023 cruise that ports in Cabo, our Koningsdam cruise, leaving 11/25/2023 does have a tender stop in Cabo.

Have you looked at the HAL website for whale watching excursions?

Wow, That is a long list, don't want to go to that much expense. We are driving too, so luggage tags not as important. And I gave them a list of things they might need: Pain meds, band-aids, tumbler, poncho or umbrella. I bought telescoping reusable straws, room deodorizers, have a couple of CCL lanyards, will add candy & I have some pins from Previous CCL cruises. Chap stick & towel clips are great suggestions. Thanks for your ideas.

Enjoying your take on your cruise. And enjoying the wandering posts.

I always thought it was about gratuities, but maybe not. I do know that once they know your cabin #, then they know your name & address you by name. "mr & mrs__" Or "Mr/Miss 1st name." I believe it shows respect.

I get these offers occasionally. They are usually $100-$200 pp, but you also have to pay port fees & taxes & full payment must be paid at time of booking. Adding in the port fees & taxes makes them roughly $700-$900+, depending on length of cruise for 2 people. They are also usually guarantee insides & sometimes guarantee OVs. And they sell out fast. My personal experience: I called immediately upon getting an email, I told the rep 2-3 of the itineraries I would be interested in & was told they were sold out. Another thing to note on these is that you can use your own PCC or travel agent, they don't have to be booked with the agent listed on them.

The longer, the better in my opinion. We've done the 15 day Hawaii, 17 day Panama canal on Carnival. We have sorta switched to Holland America line due to their longer & more unusual itineraries. We have a 27 day Amazon Explorer booked for 2025. Hoping to do a world cruise some day if the budget could handle it. Carnival will have more activities on longer cruises. Dance classes, crafts, special speakers, & more. The Dream has that big screen out by the pool, which we enjoyed. I just like not having to unpack for a couple of weeks, plus you get to know your fellow passengers better on a longer cruise. Yes, there will be more scooters & walkers. But they are usually a fun bunch.

Yes, I could add that or the toiletry bag to their gifts bags too. Hubby & are are both platinum, so we both get the gift. Only trouble is we have 4 newbies- 3 female, 1 male.

Reusable straws is a great idea, thanks.

It has been about a year since we have sailed Carnival, have been exploring other brands. But we will be cruising Carnival Breeze in Oct, 2023 with some newbies. I am making up gift bags for the newbies & was planning to add lanyards & other things, but if lanyards are still the gift, I will just add those to their bags. As a side question: What type of things would be appealing to 1st time cruisers? I have enough of the drink cozies to give each (4) of them, cruising ducks, I have 2/4 CCL lanyards. Just gathering ideas. These newbies are all 30ish.

It doesn't work for lower star mariners either, if you don't really drink much. Adding an extra $700 to a 7 day cruise, just doesn't work for us- we are 3*.