teeeej

13 hours ago, Aquahound said:

Unfortunately, main dining room food quality is not a priority on the mainstream lines.  But of them, I'd rate Celebrity and Holland America best.  Very subjective and just my opinion, of course.  

My dad has been on the "expensive" lines, Seabourn, Regent etc, but when we cruised Carnival last fall, he mentioned he was surprised by how good the quality of food was in the dining room, though he was disappointed by the steakhouse that cost extra.

On 2/26/2024 at 2:52 PM, MCC retired said:

Carnival offers special Casino rates to those with lots of Casino activity on previous cruises. 

My dad doesn't utilize the casino, so he got targeted with "almost free" for some other reason.

When we were on the Panorama last fall, the casino was extremely smokey the entire time that it was open,  he didn't even bother to use his $5 of free play or whatever his tier gave him for free. 

10 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

At what point do they start to sell segments?

is it any cheaper to buy them as segments?

On 9/7/2023 at 3:47 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

Most cruise line offers are the same old discounts offered in different ways.  But there are better discounts out there, sometimes... here's my story.

 

Last year I got offers for various weeklong sailings to Alaska from June to August for $50-$100 for each cruise.  With the offer OBC and the shareholder bennies, they would have been very close to free.  No, this wasn't a casino offer - I'm not actually sure why I was the lucky one, but it was hooked to the cruise line and my status there.  I had to decline them all because I'm a wage slave with limited time off and Alaska wasn't enough to move me off it.  I haven't seen any offers quite like it since. ☹️

 

 

Out of curiosity, what cruise line? 

I thought maybe people would get targeted based on how much they spend when on a cruise. My dad gets "almost free" offers on Carnival, but I don't. I don't know if it's because he is older, has higher status with them, tends to spend more onboard, or none of the above. 😄 

1 minute ago, CDNPolar said:

 

The transfer to a travel agency is only for the incentives - for onboard credit, rebates, etc.

 

I tried to email the email address in your signature, but it says "The email account that you tried to reach is inactive."

On 1/16/2024 at 3:39 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Time for a different agent. 
Do the extensive research to identify a well-respected agent who specializes in your preferred cruise line and who is a high volume seller of those cruises. Many of these TAs (e.g., the “elite” tier of Oceania’s Connoisseurs Club TAs) have access to occasional “quiet sales,” incentive pass through funds for customers AND are willing to share commissions at anywhere from 5 to 10% of the. commissionable fare (unless, of course, you require a ton of hand holding).

Any basic tips on how to do the research to identify who these people are?

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

We book direct with the cruise line - always - and then transfer the booking to an Agent.

What is the benefit of doing it this way?

How does the "Best Price Guarantee" work on shore excursions with the $200 Shore Ex credit?

HAL applies the coupon to the highest value tour.

So, for example, it's obvious when HAL is just marking up a "Cabo Adventures" tour or "Vallarta Adventures" tour.

If I supply the Cabo Adventures price on the best price guarantee will that give me any sort of benefit, or is it pointless because the ShorEx coupon has discounted the whole thing?

2 hours ago, Susanmaz said:

Plastic bottles are not allowed onboard 

I assume this means the single use pre-packaged bottles that you can buy, and that Camelbak or Nalgene plastic botltes are okay, or are they also not allowed?

Just now, islandwoman said:

I have used AARP HAL gift cards for two different cruises.  Two different TA's have accepted them in payment for the cruises and for payment for cruise deposits.

 

With Princess, it is possible to book a cruise onboard and then transfer the booking to your TA.  Perhaps you could transfer your HAL  booking to your TA.  It wouldn't hurt to ask, although it might be a bit confusing.. 

Actually someone I know on Facebook posted about taking a cruise and she has a TA friend, and I'm like well who is it? Should I have this person quote it? Had her quote and she was able to offer me $100 additional OBC plus crew appreciation....so I'll just cancel the direct booking when HAl opens in the morning. There are two booking confirmations for the same cruise attached to my Mariner ID currently. I guess it doesn't matter. 😅 

16 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I think Bill just meant the total value. HAL's OBC can be applied to crew incentive, but the amount of OBC they tend to offer rarely touches the amount of your gratuities. Also OBC is not always a part of HIA. HIA with Early Booking Bonus is hard to beat, so much so that I tend to cut way back on dummy bookings for the purpose of seeking re-faring benefits!

That makes sense. I'll need to pay attention to the early booking deals next time around and see how much better they can be.

6 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Although we don't drink much, any way that I've looked at the HIA it's a close call. Many said they don't need wifi; we don't "need" it, but it's nice to have it at whatever time we want to use it conveniently. We're on a cruise and don't want to worry about not having it. When gratuities are included, it's definitely an easy choice.

But the bottom line has often been what some others have said: once we've booked, we don't have to (or want to) think about it.

Why does it matter if gratuities are specifically included vs them just offering OBC ? Can't the OBC be used towards the gratuities?

53 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Those sources would be 'use it or lose it'. 

That money, assuming you didn't use the service, would be refundable. 

It all depends on the source of the OBC whether it is refunded or not. 
If HAL/Carnival Corp is the source of the credit, then you must use it or lose it. If you purchase an on board service, or just place some OBC on your account (of are gifted some by others, such as your TA), then that is refundable (there's a couple of exceptions on TA OBC being refundable or not). 

BTW---should you have some leftover OBC that is not refundable, you can always sign it over to the crew fund. 

Thank for the info! I definitely won't be pre-buying stuff.

I probably should have with inquired with CC on who the generous and/or good TA's are for HAL.

I ended up booking directly because the HAL gift cards at AARP are 10% off, and the TA OBC that I was seeing from TA's on CruseCompete was no better or worse than the savings from just buying gift cards, which also is less of an outflow upfront. Of course the gift card promotion might change by the time the bulk of my cruise payment is due in September, and maybe you can still pay with gift cards even when you use TAs.

I can't imagine the cruise line would be too thrilled if i cancel my booking and then re-book a similar cabin or even a different category of cabin with a TA, if that's even allowed.

Here's an HAL question for the frequent cruisers:

Is OBC always "use or lose" or is it any of it refundable?

I'll be getting $300 OBC on the HIA promo, I believe $100 AARP credit and $100 shareholder credit.

What happens if I pre-book stuff such as massage on my credit card (or with HAL gift card if that's an option since the gift cards are 10% off), does spending actual money pre-cruise change the refundability of an OBC?

I know that I'll want to book things such as a massage, but I don't want to book it ahead of time if it will cost me actual money vs. just using up OBC, but also sometimes the massages are discounted when pre-booked or more availability in the time slots.  

When I took a cruise on Royal Caribbean, somehow I ended up with a small refund on my credit card after the end of the cruise which I definitely wasn't expecting.

9 hours ago, Mary229 said:

@teeeej  I have sailed both and am currently on the Koningsdam. I prefer the Zaandam.  It is in fine condition, has spacious rooms and excellent, refined service.  The Koningsdam certainly has more dining and entertainment options but it is hit or miss in service.  My experience in the MDR this very evening was so poor I walked out - something I have never done before on any cruise ship.  The service overall in all details is less personal but that is to be expected from a larger ship.  Otherwise the food is good, the entertainment is good.  Some departments do shine unexpectedly like photography and the casino staff. The rooms are small on the Koningsdam but are very efficiently designed. 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. 😞  That is something I noticed, the Zaandam cabins do seem quite large with many rooms including a sofa in addition to the bed!. I booked a partial sea view, and based on reviews, the "obstruction" is not much, and it is basically the same cost as an inside cabin. They don't build them like that anymore. 🙂

48 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

@teeejh

Our first HAL cruise was on the Zaandam in 2002 and we've been hooked ever since.  We were in our early 30's.  Our kids were pre-teens and with us and they are now 3 star Mariners in their 30's. On their own now and they prefer HAL. 

 

We have also sailed on the Koningsdam (and her sister ships).

 

If all things were equal with date and ports......

 

.......we'd sail on the Koningsdam.  

 

Why?

 

• More venues.....Dutch Cafe, NY PIzza, Lido deck with an upper tier balcony area, movies on deck, larger music walk theaters....much nicer thermal suite spa if you are into that. 
• Opportunity for a balcony stateroom at a reasonable price (major reason for us based on itinerary)
• Still a "small" ship.....a nice "mid sized" ship and not one of those dreadful "condo of the seas" ships on other lines.

Both ships are fantastic.  We would be happy on either one.....Welcome back to Holland America Line and have a great time no matter the ship....as long as it is a 'dam ship.....as our dining room waiter tells us. 

Looks like somebody else got tagged, but I'm glad I saw this! Thanks for your feedback!

So My first HAL cruise was a Panama Canal cruise way back in 1994 on the Maasdam.  I was 9 years old. There was exactly one other child on the entire cruise in addition to me and my sister. That's kind of crazy to think about.

I definitely do tend to like music when it comes to the entertainment. When I was on Carnival Panorama last year - which for me, seemed like a really large ship compared to what I remember from my cruising past- ...and looking up the stats, that ship has capacity for over 4000 passengers, so the Koningsdam is comparatively much smaller than that. Even with 4000 passengers, we never had a problem finding a seat in the food venues, there were a couple times we couldn't find a seat in a small lounge, but even that wasn't typically an issue.

They did have live music going on frequently throughout the day and night, which was fun.

I do enjoy the Thermal beds, and I had read in comments here that the thermal suite on Zaandam is not a good buy.

Hi all,

It looks like I have the option for a similar itinerary (11 day Mexican Riviera and Sea of Cortez) that is a few days apart between the Zaandam and the Koningsdam in December. I haven't been on HAL in almost 20 years, and I'm definitely not the target demographic as I am in my late 30s. 

How would I decide which one is a better option? I'm assuming the smaller older ship means that getting on and off the ship at the ports are going to be easier and that there might be less crowds in the public areas in general, but that might not be true if the bigger ship has more public spaces, bigger buffet, and more staff.

The Zaandam is a little bit cheaper, but the Koningsdam appears to have way more food and entertainment options.

The Zaandam is maybe similar to some of the HAL ships that I was on decades ago with my parents - so maybe it would be more fun to get to explore the newer class of ships, but I don't know?

2 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

When "choose a room" comes up blank on hollandamerica.com, does it mean that the category is sold out or is it a glitch on the website?  I have tried searching cruises with two different browsers for the past few days and on all my searches except one I got through "Choose Your Stateroom Type", "Choose a ship section", and "Choose a deck".  But when I got to "Choose a room", there is no deck plan and no room choices.   

Glitch. It wasn't working for me earlier but then did work later in the day.

11 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

That's your two specialty dinners.

Oh ok, they listed those out separately in addition to that line item, so I wasn't sure. 

1 minute ago, oakridger said:

 

HIA also includes the Signature Beverage Package.  Doesn't yours? 

SBP costs $53.04/day X 11 = $583.44  

 

It's a deal!

 

~Nancy

It sure does.. It also includes a "11-Day Dining Hia Promo", though I have no idea what that is.

Heck, I just booked one solo and even to me this seemed like a good deal, but if I was bringing someone, it would be even more of a no brainer.

The main reason I chose this is because the deposit is significantly lower with more time for me to decide if I will change my mind, but this is the math:

HIA Fare for 11 day Mexico on Zaandam, H category cabin. $2124

Fare without the HIA: $1321. 

Net difference in fare: $803.

HIA Includes:

$300 OBC

$200 Shore excursion credit

1 dinner at Pinnacle

1 dinner at Canaletto

Wifi.

Now, the No HIA option did include a $100 OBC, so the credits + wifi unfortunately don't break even completely on their own, but it's like a $100 difference...but shoot, if they have trouble selling the cabins late summer / early fall, right before the rest of the fare becomes due, and prices do drop considerably, and it doesn't seem like as good a deal, I can just cancel the HIA and book the regular option or whatever different promo they have at the time.

Would I choose to pay for all of this stuff if it wasn't included? Absolutely not, but I guess that is good marketing, I guess I'm okay with it because I know I will have a better experience knowing that I have all this money to spend vs just being my natural frugal self.

6 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Basically, just the SBP for two people (in a room) is 11x15x2= $330. You don't have to spend anything else!

Do you get the full benefit of that regardless of if you drink 1 or 15 drinks per day? 😄

I'm thinking about the one On Jan 30. We'll see if I can get the time off work. I've been wanting to do this the last few years, but a lot of $$$ and a lot of time to take off.

The GOES card is the best thing ever.

We flew back from London to LA and easily bypassed 3 hours + of waiting time at immigration.

I don't even do that much international travel, but its good for the duration fo my password (a few more years...I'm very happy with it.