Stratheden

You use the HAL Navigator app.   We haven't bothered with it - it doesn't notify you with a sound.  I don't need to carry my phone around peering at it all the time.  DH and I just tell each other where we are going or leave a note in the cabin.  I haven't lost him yet. 🤣

We tried to book for 7.00pm and were not allowed.  It was 5.30 - 6.00pm or 7.45 - 8.00pm. 

We just turn up at whatever time we want and have had no trouble getting a table.  It helps if you are happy to share a table.  Although we have Anytime Dining we have so far been taken upstairs 3 times on this cruise.  Most people we have spoken with have had the same experience. 

Have never tried bribing the Dining Room Host.  🙄

We are currently on the Noordam and our food is also very salty.  I think it is fleet wide. 

I am interested to know if the cheese boards are all served with 2 cellophane packets of saltine crackers (mostly broken).  Saltine crackers are,  as the name implies "salty".  Crackers that you serve with cheese have no salt.   Apart from that,  at a supposed Gala evening, serving crackers in a cellophane packet looks terrible.  They have boxes of them the Lido - i expected a bit more upmarket in the MDR. 

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

Holiday Cocktail #3: Have Yourself a Berry Little Cocktail

 

I was skeptical of this one because I had a dismal experience with the "Maker's Marktini" at Blue Martini in the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. I have since avoided all pun-based drinks. They were ruining perfectly good whiskey with a bunch of unneeded ingredients. I got away with ordering the drink as "hold everything but the Maker's" for a while, until they realized that I was just ordering a big glass or chilled bourbon. The bartenders would simply double up on the Maker's Mark to compensate and get enough liquid to fill the enormous Blue Martini glasses. It was a glorious time, but I digress.

 

This cocktail isn't as sweet as you'd expect, It's very refreshing. It's the number two choice of my sweet babboo*.

 

 

Cold. Pouring. Action!

 

 

 

I had that cocktail on the Noordam on Christmas Day. It was really enjoyable. Not too sweet. 

Copper, we are boarding the Noordam on Saturday.  Any idea who the CD will be.  Thanking you in advance. 

Thank you to all the Nieuw Statendam posters.  I have enjoyed your cruise very much and the information you have provided so helpfully to everyone is to be applauded. 

Have a safe trip home everyone and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

3 minutes ago, kazu said:

The hot dog and fries?

 

Yes, I'm sure they are.  We had it available on our cruise in May and prior 😉. I never eat hot dogs except on a cruise when I splurge 😉 

I am not a hot dog person either but they did look tasty.  I may try one next week on the Noordam. 

Are they from the Dive -In?

Our TA prints ours and puts them in luggage tags and prints out our boatding pass.  I just go pick them up from her. 

Thanks everyone. We're nearly packed - getting very excited. 

We like Signature Suites also.  We usually choose around mid-ship on Deck 6. 

Would someone who has used the gym please let me know if there is a requirement for specific footwear in the gym.  I will have my slip on sketchers that I walk everywhere in.  Would I be able to wear them on the treadmill. I am trying to cut down on the number of pair of shoes that I pack. Any advice would be most helpful. 

Thank you Maureen for your great report.  I really appreciate it.

i wish you and your family a wonderful Holiday Season and hope your have some great cruises booked for the New Year. 

Thank you for your report. I think it will be a long time before I cruise on these new ships with such small cabins.   As I age I find that I need a comfy chair in my room and decent bed.  And I do like to swing a cat. 😂

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

I use to do the same until I brought a bag of various bottle of shampoos, conditioners, and lotions to our local women's shelter here in Florida.

 

They were refused and I was informed the policy had changed and that that only full size bottles of brand name goods were accepted because it "made the women feel better about themselves." 

I wonder if the women who use the shelter were part of the policy makers. 😡

8 hours ago, travelholics said:

Please can I ask you where you found this, it is just what we need to put our minds at rest and relax before boarding. Thank you everyone for helping, it is great to have the experience of fellow travellers.

Go to. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.cruise-preparation.do-i-need-a-visa.html

the selsect the live link

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/HAL_Visa_Guidance_ADA_v3.pdf

It is a .pdf document that you can save and take with you. 

4 hours ago, travelholics said:

We are on the same cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong and our only Chinese port of call is Sanya. A number of us have spoken with HAL documentation department and have been told that if we book a HAL tour we do not require visas. The case we have all read about is now making us uneasy as we are not sure how to proceed. It would be helpful to have some guidance in writing from HAL clarifying that their tours do not require a visa.

I cannot understand why you say Hal won't put it in writing. It is on their website. 

Sanya, China • USA Nationals 

o 26 nationalities are allowed to enter visa-free if participating on a Holland America Line 

shore excursion: Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, 

Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, 

Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, 

USA. 

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Perhaps HAL could be more clear on which countries require Visas.  I have received the generic "visas may be required on this sailing" and when I tired looking into it on the HAL website I could not find clear information (maybe it is just me).

I don't think HAL should have more than generic info about Visa requirements on their website. 

It would be an enormous job to try to cover the requirements of all countries and also to also cover the requirements of all passengers for all countries.  

I haven't checked but they should direct passengers to check the requirements of the countries they are visiting in relation to each of our home countries. 

We have been to the Pinnacle Grill twice.  On the first occasion our medium rare steak was overdone at one end and blue at the other end.  By the time someone came back to see if we were enjoying our meal I had finished my main course and DH had eaten the middle of his steak and it was 9.30pm.

We stupidly decided to give them another try on our next cruise.  The air of indifference and rudeness of the waiters had not improved so I doubt we will ever try them again.  

If we ever do try them again, we can't complain as we know what to expect, but I guess we can always hope.

So no, we have not tipped them extra as we haven't enjoyed the experience. 

3 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

Here's the first rule you should learn before your first cruise.

Don't opt out of the gratuities.

If you can't afford the gratuities, you can't afford to cruise.

If you live in the US that may be true.  

If you live in the rest of the world, and have never cruised before,  "what are gratuities?"

The Australian Consultant does not have to tell them about the HSC nor is it added to the advertised price unless it is part of a HAL promotion.  We have one cruise coming up without the HSC included and one with it included so it really is the same as in the US.

Some TA's may inform a new cruiser about the HSC and may tell them that it can be removed as it is something that is completely unknown over here.  We simply do not tip and we do not have HSC's nor Resort Fees.  Here it is illegal to advertise a product that is not fully inclusive of everything, including tax.  

I guess as we are purchasing a US product from a US company it is different as far as cruising is concerned, although our prices are different from yours. 

PS.  We never remove the HSC and we tip extra because we have travelled a lot and know that it is the accepted thing to do in the US.

PPS. Please stop telling Australians that they are "stiffing" the crew.  New cruisers assume that the crew are paid a decent wage like everyone in Australia is paid and unless they read Cruise Critic they wouldn't know any better. 

17 hours ago, SeaBands said:

No dining area should allow hats . Especially ball caps with messages or worn backwards. Just shows how low class people are.

Some people have wounds or scars on their heads that they like to keep covered. 

POA1 posted about this a few days ago.  If you are just patient it will log you in. 

19 hours ago, notladjr said:

November 25th my first wife and myself will be sailing on our first HAL cruise. Some weeks ago I had mailed in my Carnival share holder info to obtain the shareholder cabin credit. I didn't hear anything back and cannot find anywhere on the HAL website where you can see any cabin credits you might have (we usually cruise with RCCL and cabin credits show up on their site and can be used ahead of the cruise to purchase things). 

 

I placed a call to HAL customer service and was helped by a wonderful woman named Brenda. She was smart, responsive, looked up and confirmed my cabin credits, and was a joy to talk to. I have read that customer service with HAL can be hit or miss but I certainly was pleased with my experience.

What about your second wife -are you leaving her at home. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Love the breakfasts and brunches at the Danieli.