HAL Secrets they usually don't tell you about

Hi! Are there any behind-the-scenes secrets they often don't tell you about... or you wish you knew beforehand?:)

:confused: Like what?

Like booking your next HAL cruise while on a HAL cruise and getting extra shipboard credit???

Frankly, I don't think there are any secrets at Holland America. If anyone of us here on the boards knew something, we wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone everthing good or bad.

Like booking your next HAL cruise while on a HAL cruise and getting extra shipboard credit???

That isn't a secret. :confused:

From day one, we are introduced to Future Cruise Consultant. (S)he is usually on the stage for Captain to introduce at Captain's Welcome Aboard Toast.

 

Frankly, I don't think there are any secrets at Holland America. If anyone of us here on the boards knew something, we wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone everthing good or bad.

I agree.

If we told you, they wouldn't be secrets anymore.

Like booking your next HAL cruise while on a HAL cruise and getting extra shipboard credit???

And then going online to bid it out to TAs willing to "compete" for the cruise thus saving you hundreds of dollars on the cruise.

There was a thread with this title on the Celebrity Forum that went on forever and there really weren't any secrets.

I know how to get a bridge tour in Quebec. Get off the ship, find a bus and go over the old span, returning on the new span.

Simple.

I know how to get a bridge tour in Quebec. Get off the ship, find a bus and go over the old span, returning on the new span.

 

Simple.

Works the same way in London ...

Walk across Westminster Bridge; do the "Eye"; wander down the embankment; then stroll back over the river to St Pauls via the Millenium Bridge. ;) :D

TANSTAAFL! (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!)

You pay for it all, one way or another.;)

And then going online to bid it out to TAs willing to "compete" for the cruise thus saving you hundreds of dollars on the cruise.

Please tell me; how does one do this? We booked our next cruise but I have no clue as to how to "bid it out".

Thanks!

Sorry.....

It's against CC Board rules to name cruise booking sites.

. . . . . the real truth is ……. That the desserts have no calories on HAL, you can eat all you want and never gain a pound….. I swear I heard this from one of the waiters on my last cruise. I also heard that heard you could bring wine and soda onboard; now that has to be a lie.

The only other secret I know of is that there is a belly flop contest after the first formal night…….same waiter told me this and the dessert secret.

Go to the top right of this page. Click on "Cruise Agencies". Pick a few of them. Tell them that you have booked already with HAL and are looking for a deal and ask them to quote the cruise and stateroom you are booked for. When you have chosen the agency, ask them how to transfer the booking. Things to insist on: 1) Your credit card is charged through HAL, not the agency. You get a copy of the booking from HAL outlining the price and the cruise credits you are supposed to be getting.

Also sign up the the Free E-letter. You will get lots of information that way. You will find out who is selling what cruise for a bargain. You will find out about new ships coming out. You will find the button to click right in the middle of the banner two inches below the top of the page. This free E-letter will also introduce you to more cruise agencies so you can get a feel for the ones that suit you best.

I found this thread on Carnival the other day and it's been going since 2004 with over 3,000 replies. Just thought I would like to know more about HAL. On Carnival ships they have a "behind the fun tour" which I found on this board. A paid 4 hour tour of the ships. From below the water line to the bridge with a Q/A with the captain.:)

From below the water line...

Scuba tanks extra.

That isn't a secret. :confused:

From day one, we are introduced to Future Cruise Consultant. (S)he is usually on the stage for Captain to introduce at Captain's Welcome Aboard Toast.

 

 

 

 

We haven't been to the Captain's Welcome Aboard Toast in years -- so have no idea if it is mentioned there.

In Oct /Nov we didn't even get a Cruise Planner -- ship had none for 2010.

And several of the ships that we have been on the FCC never sent to any cabins anything about booking future cruises. So not everyone finds out about this.

I know how to get a bridge tour in Quebec. Get off the ship, find a bus and go over the old span, returning on the new span.

 

Simple.

Love it!!

If your laundry is lost on the Noordam and it is the last full day of the cruise -- you are invited down to the laundry to identify your clothes -- happen to us -- DH was missing a sports shirt -- one of several that had been sent to the laundry 4 days before the end of the cruise.

It is quite hot down there!! Lots of racks with clothes.

Thanks "Charliesmom"! I will try it.

.....how the cruise line decides who gets a free cabin upgrade.

Go out a purchase 100 shares of Carnival Cruises stock. When you are a stockholder, you get anywhere from $50 - $250 room credit depending on the length of your cruise. You must notify your TA and give your stock certificate number at booking.

This room credit is available on ALL Carnival cruise lines (Carnival, Princess, HAL, Costa, etc).

Since we only take long cruises, we have gotten $1,250 worth of room credits on our various cruises.

So, it doesn't matter whether the stock goes up or down, I have now gotten a huge return on my investment of approximately $3,000.

We haven't been to the Captain's Welcome Aboard Toast in years -- so have no idea if it is mentioned there.

 

In Oct /Nov we didn't even get a Cruise Planner -- ship had none for 2010.

 

And several of the ships that we have been on the FCC never sent to any cabins anything about booking future cruises. So not everyone finds out about this.

I agree. And I think sometimes we tend to forget that because we are a little more experienced than others, we know a lot more about what is available but forget that the only way we know some of these things is because - we have the experience.

There are many things that repeat cruisers take for granted, without realizing beginning cruisers have not been exposed to them before. How about things like the ship's coin, the story behind it, and where to find it? Unless you spend hours pouring through old posts and happen upon the rare thread that covers this gem, you wouldn't know about it.

"Secret doors" that are alluded to sometimes are tidbits that this poster may be interested in.

That you can buy a beer at the bar for full price, or buy a bucket at 5 for the price of 4, or you can go to your stateroom and order a bucket through room service and get 6 beer. Then put a few in your room ice bucket that your room steward will fill with ice and take the rest of them upstairs with you to the pool or lounger and be able to enjoy your day at a bit of a cost savings.

I feel the poster has as much right to know these things as me, and I wish, when I first started cruising HAL, that I had known lots of the "tidbits" you only learn through experience . I love to let newbies know about how great HAL cruising can be, and one of the best ways for them to be able to fully enjoy the HAL experience, is to tell them about the hidden treasures we have found. I'm sure if we put our thinking caps on we can offer up a few intriguing facts that will encourage them to actively seek out some of the neat things that make HAL so enjoyable. We can do this without committing any CC Board rule infractions. There are lots of them out there. And I know that even though I have a few HAL cruises under my belt, I keep finding new things I was unaware of on each cruise.

I sure wish someone had pointed out the room service beer gem for us - we discovered this piece of info on day 28 of a 30 day cruise - on our third cruise with HAL. It would have been a great piece of info to have earlier, as we have gone through a lot of beer buckets in our time. Oh well - I hope livingnow1 and any other cruisers out there will be able to benefit from this unadvertised secret. It exists, but just isn't shouted out to all.

What other "secrets" have you discovered? I'd love to have something new to explore when we board again in March. Now I'm all excited again! Enjoy! :)

That isn't a secret. :confused:

From day one, we are introduced to Future Cruise Consultant. (S)he is usually on the stage for Captain to introduce at Captain's Welcome Aboard Toast

 

 

 

 

 

I agree.

This is True!! I met the Captain too!! The Welcome Aboard Toast was really nice and wine and Champaign were flowing!! It was great, they even had orderves and nuts. Loved it! Look forward to the next one!!