jljcruise

14 minutes ago, Duane S. said:

 

we have fixed early seating on our trip to Alaska next may. 

If we are late for our seating time can we still use the assigned table?

I am trying to determine if there is any time leeway to get to our scheduled mdr dining time and if so how much??

 

Usually 15-20 minutes leeway. Best thing is to let your server know if you will be late. Mention it the day before or call dining services to inform them so it will be held a bit longer.

6 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

No other information offered.  Such as, how do we know when we are in Spanish waters? Twelve nautical miles is hard to judge with the naked eye. What happens with HIA and other packages?

Not complaining about the tax, but the lack of clarity.

 

We were on a Med cruise last fall. When in Spanish waters, signs were put up on the bars stating the VAT tax was being charged. When we left those waters, the signs disappeared. I can't remember if the signs were on the tables too or not. 

27 minutes ago, Toad said:

Is this ever served in any restaurant on HAL anymore. It is Dh birthday when we are cruising and that is his favorite.

IIRC, the king crab is not available anywhere due to a decimation of their numbers. The crab season was closed last year, not sure how they're doing this year. Other varieties of crab may be available, though. 

18 hours ago, singleflyer said:

I'm curious why Oosterdam is in last.  I have a sailing on the Oosterdam coming up... is it really the worst ship?

We were on the Oosterdam for a month last fall and totally enjoyed being on her. As Miss G said, this is a very limited polling group. Enjoy your cruise!

17 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

I have always wondered myself why laundry on European cruises has the $10 per bag or 40% higher cost than other regions.  Does anyone know why the high upcharge for that region?

 

~Nancy

I don't know the answer to that, but I'm guessing European countries may have an environmental fee (??). We did a Med cruise and TA this past fall -- all I can say is that it was higher and that I will very gladly pay it. I don't go on vacation to waste time doing my own laundry. And, best of all, HAL's laundry service is absolutely tops!

3 hours ago, syesmar said:

 

For those who have experienced a cruise that uses a “ship’s time” that differs from that on land, do you find more passengers get left behind on such sailings?

I think that ships tend to be on local time usually and any problems come from passengers who ignore the notices of time zone changes or just don't pay attention to time when they're on land. 

2 hours ago, cruiser man 60 said:

Do people really get dressed up these days, many cruise lines now tend to allow a very informal dress code for all meals with shorts common on every occasion?

Actually, HAL will usually deny you entrance to the MDR at dinner time if you wear shorts or torn jeans, but you can go in with nice jeans. Majority of men at dinner time wear either basic slacks or nice jeans with a collared shirt (Hawaiian shirts work, or a polo shirt). Formal wear on dressy nights is seen but not worn by many, again basic slacks and a collared shirt seem to be most popular. Or just eat at the Lido.

Hi! We will be on the Westerdam, 9 June 2024, 28-day Alaska Arctic Solstice.

Thanks for all the work you do on these posts!

HAL has singers, instrumentalists,  comedians, dance ensembles, magicians, and a few other miscellaneous type entertainment,  not big production shows. However, HAL does emphasize the great  itineraries much more than other cruise lines. Ask yourself if the entertainment is your goal or seeing ports and scenery. 

I think they have trivia every day ... and often more than once a day. We don't attend, but it seems to be listed constantly on the daily program. 

Can't answer the other 2 questions at all.

We were on the Oosterdam last fall for 4 weeks. Had a great time. Enjoy your cruise!!

I bought a cheap analog watch that I wear on cruises. I set it on ship's time (verified each time we disembark) and then don't have to worry if some satellite changes our phone or tablet's time to local. I just find it an easy fix to the problem of worry about getting back at the correct time.

We did this last fall. Flew in to Athens 4 days early. The fly-in day we just got our bearings around our hotel area, stayed up as long as we could (6 pm), but that took care of most of our jet-lag. 2 days seeing Athens (Rick Steves walks mostly), and day 4 was another morning walk around the Acropolis area and then a taxi ride (Welcome Taxi) to port. If I could redo it, I'd take a few more days to see places out of the city.

5 hours ago, JoieNsk said:

 

Can I use it for gratuities? As we are not big spenders, not big drinkers, and I am kind of struggling what we can use it for...

We always use our OBC for gratuities if we don't have them on a free promotion. The gratuities are deducted daily on your bill. You can watch your bill deductions/additions on your stateroom TV (we check it once a day to watch for errors). OBC can also be used for shore excursions, drinks (alcoholic and non), specialty restaurants, ....

7 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Second this.  Without the app you will need to go down to the shore excursions desk and take notes on when and where to meet and to keep up with any changes. 

They fixed this. On our October cruise, this info was on the stateroom tv.

24 minutes ago, whynotme said:

     How essential is a cell phone on the ship?      Can a tecnophobe function and participate without being wired,or wireless? 

Not essential or needed at all. The daily schedule will be delivered to your room in paper format. The menus for everywhere and dining hours are on your TV. Your room card key can be scanned for tours. Your bill can be accessed on your TV. 

We were on the Oosterdam in November 2023 and had the Lincoln Center musicians, just a different format. It was held on Main Stage and had an enthusiastic packed crowd each night they played. We were told that it is not gone, just less frequent as the group moves from ship to ship. 

6 minutes ago, lawk said:

First time considering Holland America - can I get a table for 2 for dinner every evening?

Yes, at both the set times and for anytime. We always do table for 2.

3 hours ago, regnig said:

Two more questions then:

1-What happens if one doesn't have a have a smart phone with them? 

2-Does this mean one has to take their phone on tour with them?

We always use the tickets on our phone, but on a cruise this fall I decided ("just because") to see if my room card would work. It did. They just scan your card the same way as they scan the app ticket. 

We've been on 4 HAL cruises since Covid and have not had masks required on any of them. I have seen signs one time that said masks were recommended,  but that was in '22 (?). Our latest cruise was this past autumn. That being said, there have been a lot of coughers on each cruise, and with flu, covid, RSV, and who-knows-what-else going around, it's probably smart to wear them at times at indoor venues on the ship or expect to possibly catch something. 

Regarding late people at tour stops ... This fall on the Oosterdam for both our Rome and Florence tours, the tour guides had us sign a clipboard list with names and phone numbers so they could contact us if needed. While that was happening, the guide went up the aisle with a business card or handwritten note with their name and phone number and asked us all to take a quick photo of it (or write the info down) so that we could contact them if lost or late. Those without phones could find another guide or a local to call for them. It seemed to work as we had no unaccounted-for late people on those tours (unlike some other tours). 

21 minutes ago, Bill B said:

 

After three cruises I'm still waiting for any of the below:

"Mariner Cocktail" voucher to be used anytime during the cruise

We always find the cocktail vouchers on the desk with several other papers. It's a small card. If you just shuffle all that stuff together, you probably won't see it.

We were on the Oosterdam this past October/November, Athens to Ft Lauderdale.  The weather was lovely in Greece and Turkey and continued to Spain (high 70's, low 80's). But we did have a problem with WIND and docking at times. We missed 6 ports total (Kotor first with 65 knot winds coming down the valley the port sits on) then some others after we got to Spain. At Gibralter, the Captain rerouted us south so instead of heading north to Lisbon we had two stops in the Canary Islands. So, as always, be flexible about ports! We had a great trip, it was just a bit different than we expected.

-- I'll add, we had a smooth, sunny Atlantic crossing!

11 hours ago, Mary229 said:

We are packing lighter these days and want to pack only 2 pair of shoes for the upcoming outdoorsy cruise.  My plan is to wear hiking sneakers and one pair of semi-dressy flats.  On days when I send shoes out to polish are sneakers allowed in the MDR?  Thanks.

Yes.  It's much more comfortable for me on some days. DH does the same. Never had anyone comment.

We were on the Oosterdam from Mid-October to mid-November this year, in cabin 6008. I'll add to the above comments that you do lose some veranda privacy as you are directly (very directly) below the glass floor on the  bridge.  You can turn your head up and watch the officers working when they're there, like when docking.

Thanks for posting this! I hadn't heard about it. As a retired couple that live 2 hours from a port, it sure is an enticing idea to us.

4 hours ago, JAVERZ said:

Maybe there's some hope they will bring back some classical music although the "old" Lincoln Center will be missed.  It's good to hear they are working on the entertainment overall -- but I think it's time for Step One to go away.  The same old shows are getting old.

We just got off the Oosterdam from Athens to Ft Lauderdale. The new Lincoln Center programs were wonderful (as mentioned above). Step One also did a debut of their new show and the CD said one of the old shows was being dropped (don't remember which one was named). Third Avenue West was very good too, they play at the Ocean Bar.