Euby

I emailed my PCC and they sent me a breakdown of what my OBC was derived from and how much.

HAL gift cards (whether purchased via AARP or not) cannot be used online to pay down the cost of your cruise or pre-paid crew gratuities. You will need to contact your travel agent or HAL directly to have them applied. You CAN use them online to purchase Shore Excursions, Spa, Dining, etc. up to 3-days prior to sailing. I think the cut-off is 3 days. After that I just take them Guest Services once on board to be applied as needed. I keep a spreadsheet that has a breakdown of each card that shows: Date of purchase Where I purchased them Amount then track each time that I use it Date Item/Experience Amount Used Amount Remaining I also print off the email receipt and write on them what they were used for. Between the two, this makes it easier to track and work with HAL if any issues come up.

I usually buy the Unlimited Laundry package before hand. I ask my cabin steward for an additional bag (and form) when I meet them upon embarkation. My first bit of laundry is from my pre-cruise stay. Then I send out the next bag when I get my clean clothes back and repeat the process throughout the cruise. The laundry service allows me to pack fewer outfits. I'm only packing 4-5 outfits (plus 1 dressy) for my upcoming 15-day cruise. Plus I come home with less laundry to do when I get home. I also keep the cards that sometimes come back with the clean laundry. It helps me to include the laundry staff by name on the post-cruise survey.

While it does show as "Limited Capacity" for the 11-day part, when you click on it to book it has the "Add to Cart" greyed out. Close the window and then it shows as Sold Out. So, no, it's not all a marketing ploy.

I've run into this same scenario. I booked a 15-day cruise (which is a 4-day + 11-day). For the longest time, the only Thermal Suite pass showing was for the 11-day. When I tried to book it, it was sold out. A few months later, they finally had the 4-day pass as an option. I jumped on it. Thermal passes usually sell-out before the cruise departure. I plan on going to the Spa as soon as I get on the ship. Hopefully, I can get it for my full time on the cruise.

On my first cruises, my Mom and I had a cabin on the Dolphin Deck. It was the first level of passenger decks. I'm not sure what part of the ship was below us, but there was always banging and clanging early in the morning. Since then, I won't get a cabin that isn't "surrounded" by other passenger cabins. Cabins above, below, either side and across the hall if possible.

I'm curious... It mentions that it opens to families at night. Does that mean only the families of the registered Club Hal child or teen? Or can anyone use it, an adult solo cruisier, for example? Asking for a friend, ya know... 😉

I agree with @0bnxshs. This is the 21st century and HAL's website should be able to show a client what they have for an upcoming cruise. I have noticed that the graphics on the site have been updated in some areas. Call me old-school, but sometimes I'd rather just see the data in a "green screen" format (IBM) than have to deal with graphical interfaces that are just "pretty" but have no real substance to them. On a side note, I emailed my HAL PCC and she replied with a breakdown of my OBC for my upcoming cruise. That's been printed off and added to my cruise binder. I keep hard copies of everything that I book pre-cruise, just in case.

I just checked and there are about 20 excursions now showing for Nassau. So if you were wanting to get off the ship there, better grab them fast.

My iPhone 11 updated to 4.40. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which phones will update or won't.

@Fishwife2016 Are you part of the roll call for this cruise? We've been discussing things over there specific to that itinerary. The 4-day and 11-day cruises are part of the roll call. Some people only booked the 4-day, some the 11-day, and others (like me) the 15-day.

While there were several comments on this so far, no one has answered my original questions.

I'm a member in a couple of HAL groups on Facebook. Recently, I've seen a few tips on some of the groups that has me curious regarding soft drinks. I'd ask for further details on FB, but the posts that I read were becoming troll ridden and combative. So I thought I'd come over to CC and see what others may have experienced. You know..."Trust but Verify." HAL has a partnership with Coke and serves their soft drinks. Per the "Know Before You Go" page on the HAL website, "Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form." and "All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages will be removed, confiscated, and discarded." However, according to the tip, if you contact Guest Services prior to the cruise, you can purchase other brands through them to be delivered to your stateroom for use on the ship. The examples given from the tip posts were Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper. So now I have several questions: 1) Has anyone actually done this? 2) Was the request made through Guest Services or another department? 3) What drinks were you able to get? 4) Did you have to provide a reason for the request? (i.e., allergy or dietary) 5) Was there a limit to the number requested? I'm really asking more from a curiosity stand-point than anything else. I've not seen this discussed on the HAL boards before.

The unlimited drinks would have me worried. I'm just waiting for a news story about someone harming themselves or others because they could get unlimited alcohol. Personally, while I do have an occasional adult beverage while on a cruise, I seldom ever drink enough overall to come close to the 15-drink limit from the HAL HIA.

I bring my own non-surge protected extension cord. I don't want to run into the chance that the ship won't have any available.

Thank you for sharing this. Now if only they would send me those offers again. I took advantage of them with the post-COVID start-up to book 3 cruises at a great rate (especially for a solo).

I recently bought an Apple Watch. If I have this and an Iphone on my cruise, would I need the multi-device package?

On my past few cruises, the card had a slit at the top rather than a hole. I pulled this image from the internet as an example.

If only they had sweet tea...

I suggest sending an email to Ship Services beforehand. Explain your situation and emphasize that you cannot use ice for that purpose. Also include your booking number. They should get back to you within a few days. Their email address is HAL_Ship_Services@hollandamerica.com

As the OP, I just wanted to update with my experiences. In order to pay for the cruise, I called my PCC and had her apply the gift card. Paying for Crew Gratuities and Post-Cruise Hotel and Transfer = Paid with credit card via the website. They do not allow a gift card for those types of charges. Paying for everything else (Laundry, Excursions, Internet, etc) = Paid with HAL gift cards via website. I keep a spreadsheet of all of my gift card numbers and what they were used for in case anything needs to be refunded.

I have visited Half Moon Cay in the past using a rollator. There are paths around the island area that are either paved or cobblestone. It's nearly impossible to push a rollator in the sand. I'm not much of a beach person, but I do like to wander a little bit while at HMC. If I remember correctly, they have "beach wheelchairs" available for rental on the island. However, I can't remember what the cost was. They might allow your sister to leave it at their stand. I'm assuming that you'll be cruising with Holland America. If so, she can email the Guest Accessibility department (GuestAccessibility@HollandAmerica.com) with any questions.

Not quite a 4* just yet, but I always buy the Laundry Package. On my most recent cruises, I've requested a 2nd laundry bag from my cabin steward on embarkation day. This way I'm sending it out each day without having to wait until it returns for a new bag.

The number is your deck (Deck 6) and the letter will be either F (Forward), M (Midship), or A (Aft) depending on where your cabin is located.

Thanks for posting this. I'll be on her in November.