Hobcat

On the Zaandam Aug and Sep 2023 New England Canada b2b, IOU for tiles and no Mariner lunch 😒 

Just got off the Zaandam on 9/13 after 21 days. We thought the ship was in fine shape. Others may have a different opinion of course. 

22 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We just got back from the trolley tour in Saint John. It was a nice excursion although the trolley had wooden bench seats as trolleys do. The tour guide was excellent and we drove through historic Saint John. There is a short (15 minute) stop at the reversing falls which everyone should be aware they may not be "reversing" while you're there, it all depends on tge tides. 

We were also on that trolley tour. Almost slid off the seat when I sat down however the tour guide was entertaining and informative so compensated for the slick seat. 😀

18 hours ago, Kate45 said:

Here's a question for past Zaandam cruisers or any on the ship now.....does anyone actually play the organ in the atrium? Or is it just piped in music? I play....used to play at church and for weddings and I'd love to see someone actually playing it.

Another question....is there somewhere in my docs that give me a complete itinerary of my cruise including the shore excursions and dinner reservations we have.  I saw it once a month or so ago but can't seem to find it now. 

The organ plays automagically. 😀

Two good websites for information on ports Tom’s Port Guides & What’s in Port. Port Specific information on port location & transportation etc. 

3 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

The people aging into this demographic are not like the previous demographic. This is what killed Oldsmobile. Their customers died off and people in the next generation weren't interested in buying an Oldsmobile. 

Oldsmobile, really?  Yes, there were other choices just as there are other choices for cruising. 
oh btw, my DH had an Olds when he was in his 20’s. 

4 hours ago, Laminator said:

Let me ask you this? Would you like to have a client for 20 to 30 years or have that client for 50 to 60 years? HAL's demographic at present is the 20 to 30 year client. They need to develop younger clientele and maintain them for 50 to 60 years
I brought my son and his GF who are both in their early 30's on my last cruise last month. There would not have been a chance in hell that they would have booked a HAL cruise on their own. I was worried that they would be bored to death. They had a great time and now are coming with us on our Nov Rotterdam cruise. Those 2 will be 50 year HAL clients. I will most assuredly fall into that 30 year range. 

My wife's nephews wifes parents are in their mid 50's. They cruise 4 times a year. Always Carnival. Why? Because they started on Carnival 30 years ago and see no reason to change. They are a very conservative quiet couple.

Maybe someday there will be enough cruisers on HAL interested in partying till the wee hours to make it worthwhile for marketing to specifically target those 50 - 60 year clients.  What I hear now is people don't like it when everything shuts down at 11 PM so those aren't the HAL demo anyway.  We are in the less than 20 year group & most likely won't make it to the 30 years.  What attracts us to HAL is the few remaining smaller ships & the longer itineraries that aren't always something working people can do.  People do move around to different cruise companies when they seek a different experience.  

On 3/19/2023 at 1:19 PM, Laminator said:

That philosophy has gotten them in the predicament they are in today as their older demographic is dying off. Many also do not have the disposable income that the younger generations have at their disposal.  

So are you saying that as the "older demographic" is dying off, there is no one aging into said demographic.  What's going on?  Are people just dropping dead at age 50 now???  😳 

Denise, It sounds like you have a fun plan in the works.  Alaska is a great cruise, so much scenery.  If you are interested in seeing whales, I suggest booking a tour from Juneau.  I recommend Harv & Marv tour company, however they are a small company & may already be booked up.  There are others that will be fine as well.  As someone else suggested the White Pass Rail trip from Skagway is a worthwhile excursion & will get you into the countryside.  

We have been on 3 Alaska cruises with HAL.  I'll be following your "live from".

On 3/7/2023 at 6:21 AM, richwmn said:

In truth, I don't think so. Several years ago I purchased one and I have mostly kept it charged, but I think I only used it once and that was to try it out not because I needed to.

Many people will find it useful.

Wait till your power goes out at home. We used ours to keep phones charged when power was out for several days last year. As you say only needed it once but it saved us. 

5 hours ago, trtog7 said:

Problem is it was only one item on a larger bill. Credit card does not have the information of all the items on the bil. I call Media relations yesterday and left a message. Got a call back today so will leave it for a fe.w days and see if that does anything

How long ago did you talk to HAL about the refund?  We had a similar situation with a credit back to a previous credit card, it may take several weeks for the credit to show up on your new card.  However, in our case it did show up.   Keep in mind that refund will have to be processed through HAL's accounting dept.  

5 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

They are involved with building infrastructure all over the world. We saw this in Namibia a few years ago. They did not hire local workers, but brought a Chinese work force with them.

And when these poor countries can’t pay the Chinese back they take over. 

19 hours ago, AncientWanderer said:

The coolest thing I’ve seen in awhile….

Some ladies had inflatable noodles to use in the pool.  They ordered them online. Awesome.  Also somebody had a regular noodle and cut it in half to put in.a suitcase and bring along.   Fun!
As for a float like the OP wants to bring….sorry, notsomuch 😟

I’ve also packed a cut in half foam noodle to take on snorkeling excursion. 

1 hour ago, Wakepatrol said:

There’s always the guy in a Speedo when they used to have the cookouts by the pool

Lol, Oh Yes!

How many posting here have used the pool on a HAL ship?  Show of hands. 🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏼I’ve rarely seen anyone in the pool during the day except kids & that’s rare because most of the cruises we take have few or any kids onboard. Can’t remember ever seeing anyone in the pool in the evening. 
Maybe someone onboard now could post a photo of the pool rules that are posted on the wall near the pool area. That may provide some info on this question. 

Thank you Mister Matthew for taking us along on your first cruise. Love your writing style. DH and I enjoyed this itinerary a number of years ago & were looking at doing it again when the pandemic hit. Still on our list. 

Keep in mind the southern US border is now open. Less than 200 people have have tested positive by local agencies so far. No one knows how many people have COVID that are slipping through unnoticed. As immigrants move to the interior of the country it’s likely medical services will be overwhelmed again providing more opportunity to keep the states shut down. IMO a really bad time to open the border. 

13 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

??  Here in the Seattle area test results are back within 24 hours.  Not where you live?

Here an acquaintance had the test done. It was a 7 day wait for results. I saw a demonstration months ago on TV of a compact test machine. It took 15 minutes for results. I wonder what happened to that?  

It would be good if HAL would fix the glitch on their tours listings so that updated reviews can be written.  I have tried several times in the last few years & it's still not working.  I have also called HAL about it (more than once) & of course they are "working on it".  Not!  

As previously stated the reviews on TripAdvisor can be useful for specifics & it is possible to post a question if the info you are looking for is not there.  

As a response to MayasWay. I would definitely book the Maasdam for the EXC in Alaska. We had a fantastic 21 days on the Maasdam in June/July 2019. The Zodiacs were not yet certified by the USCG for use in US waters but we were told they should be good to go by this coming season. They were on the bow deck ready to go last year. 

As a previous poster said, HAL does Alaska very well. Last year was our 3rd time there on a HAL ship. 

• All of the above. 😁.  Tried cruising because DH’s coworkers talked about their  cruises. Eased into it — Mex Riviera, Alaska, Panama Canal. At some point I realized I could cruise to lots of “exotic” places without flying. I HATE to fly. Last flight was pre TSA craziness. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, this fall Africa. Woo hoo!!!  
• We still do road trips. DH likes to drive. I like to sightsee & take photos. It works well especially now that we’re retired.  

• If I remember correctly we had a box snack(?) going out on the train & also on the way back to port. The midday meal was served at the destination/turn around point. I’m not a 3AM breakfast eater so probably didn’t pay much attention. 😏

3 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

We were on this cruise and I am surprised that you had so many issues.  Glacier Bay was not on the itinerary.  Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord were.  During glacier days the pea soup and seafood chowder were served in the atrium rather than the traditional “on deck” location which I prefer.  It did give us a chance to meet the officers for a short chat which was nice,

 

The cultural and other shipboard discussion  programs were outstanding and we found that we were so busy we missed some that we would like to have attended.  A lot of people enjoy the view from the Crows Nest.  We like to be out and about.

 

The food was fine.  We prefer the dining room to the Lido and it helps if you can arrange to have the same waitstaff so that they can help you choose if you are finding the options less than exciting.  I always take some cookies from the Lido back  to the room for a quick snack.  The young man who scooped the ice cream and did his best to keep the cookies available was very charming, always smiling.  I consider that the most challenging job in the Lido!

 

As far as your dirty carpet goes, you should  have written it up on a comment form and submitted it to housekeeping.  I’m sure they would have shampooed it.  My major issue was the lack of blackout drapes in my stateroom.  I put up with waking up at   4:00 a.m. for about 6 days and finally wrote a rather angry note to the hotel director that every hotel in Alaska and every other ship I had been on had blackout drapes.  That evening our stewards showed me the dark sheer that the ships seamstress had made to go behind the drape.  It worked. I wondered if ours was the only cabin without blackout drapes!

 

I was concerned that the Maasdam was doing such a long cruise in Australia.  The ship is not for those who are looking for a luxury experience.  We just got off a 7 day Eurodam cruise to the Mexican Riviera....a totally different experience (loved it)!

 

 

We were also on this cruise & I guess fortunate to not have any issues.  

Have never had black out curtains on any ship that I remember, however, I enjoy the "midnight sun".  Something we don't get to experience way down here in southern California.  I did get up early in the AM & overlapped the curtains to keep the sun off my DH who is an early riser anyway.  Just a tip.  We carry small clothes pins for hanging clothes on the line over the tub but could be used to pin the curtains closed.  

Loud music seems to be everywhere now days.  Quiet in the Crow's Nest would be nice during the day.  We like to sit there to enjoy the views.  

@englert52 re:  the pork belly.  I seem to recall seeing a lot of it mentioned on cooking shows etc & high end restaurants.  I think it must be a trend.  Kind of like bacon.  Too much fat for me but lots of flavor.  

Btw we were in cabin 624 & did not experience the odor you encountered.  😧 

I just booked through a .com  few days ago. My first time as we have used a local TA or I book direct with HAL. I called HAL to compare pricing & the base was the same just more perks with the.com. Within a few minutes of completing the booking I received an email confirmation from both the .com & HAL. This is a well known .com as we have encountered other cruisers who use this company. 

On our Alaska cruise in June 2019 on the Maasdam there were 6 Alaskan brand beers available -- Amber, White, Freeride, Kolsch, Blonde, & Husky IPA.  It may be cruise destination specific though.  

GO PACK GO!!!!  😀