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Holland America secrets they don't tell you about - 2013 edition

Ship's Wake

By Ship's Wake,
in Holland America Line

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serendipity1499

serendipity1499

Posted
Posted
I'm sorry you are getting so many cranky replies. You could hit the red triangle in the right hand corner and ask the moderators if they can delete it. I don't see the big deal having two threads. There has been many times when there has been multiple threads about something. No biggie.

 

Requested that this be deleted as apparently I have stirred up bad feelings.:(

 

Agree there is no reason for you or anyone to have bad feelings at all.. As cruise chic mentioned there are often duplicate threads going at once & no problem..

 

Just ignore the obtuse grumbling posts!;)

 

Cheers..:)Betty

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comcox

comcox

Posted
Posted
If you want to know something specific, you have to ask. Other than that, how are we to know what kind of "secrets" you mean?

 

Everything I know about HAL shops was either first-hand experience or learned by reading the threads here. Poke around a bit or ask for specifics.

 

I will say the hot cocoa in the Explorations Cafe is far better than the cocoa in the Lido, but you have to pay for the good cocoa.

 

I found the cocoa in Explorations too sugary for my taste. My secret for great cocoa is to bring my own (Trader Joe's European Sipping Chocolate).

 

At breakfast in the Lido take your mug with cocoa already in to the staff at the entrée counter where they keep a pan of hot milk on the grill--it's free. Or later the in the day you can get a mug of hot milk in Explorations but they will charge you for it at the lowest rate of any drink on their menu.

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theloo

theloo

Posted
Posted
You can stop in the Explorer's Lounge after dinner. They have a rolling cart with exquisite chocolate treats, which you can enjoy while listening to the Strings trio.

 

Is this still happening? About what time? I've heard after dinner, but with two dinner seatings and Anytime dining, I couldn't narrow down the time.

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  • 2 months later...
LuckyLoon

LuckyLoon

Posted
Posted

A mariner is anyone who's gone on one cruise with HAL. That's usually 90% of the ship. I don't think they check anything but don't really know as we don't go to lunch the first day or usually any day. Breakfast, a small snack, and dinner are plenty for us.

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  • 10 months later...
ithaca gal

ithaca gal

Posted
Posted
Highly recommend you look elsewhere for your cruising. Simply not worth the money and that all of these secrets are secrets and hid.

 

We definitely won't be back!![/quote

 

Sounds like you made the right decision for you. But a lot of us don't agree and will have happy sailing!

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JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

Posted
Posted (edited)
Highly recommend you look elsewhere for your cruising. Simply not worth the money and that all of these secrets are secrets and hid.

 

We definitely won't be back!!

rallydave,

 

The HAL itineraries are very appealing. Pricewise, in your opinion, how does HAL compare to Azamara or Oceania?

Edited by JimAOk1945
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rallydave

rallydave

Posted
Posted

rallydave,

 

The HAL itineraries are very appealing. Pricewise, in your opinion, how does HAL compare to Azamara or Oceania?

 

While the itineraries may be appealing, there is no comparison. Kind of like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari. We were 4 Star Mariners and would never go back. So many things went wrong and nobody on staff cared. Don't have time to describe all of the issues but, the last thing at disembarkation sealed the deal to never go back.

 

We were asked when we wanted to get off and chose 9 to 9:30 since our flight out of Fort Lauderdale wasn't until 1:40 and we were taking a taxi compared to the $50/person HAL wanted for a 10 minute ride. We waited in our cabin while the colors were or weren't called. And we waited, steward wanted to come in and ready the cabin for the next cruise but we had been told we could wait in our cabin so we did and watched TV. TV went on and off and because of the delay, we tried calling the operator or front desk to ask about% better and worth the extra money. HAL doesn't compare as a mainstream line let alone compare to Oceania or Azamara.

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OVgirl

OVgirl

Posted
Posted

rallydave,

 

The HAL itineraries are very appealing. Pricewise, in your opinion, how does HAL compare to Azamara or Oceania?

 

While the itineraries may be appealing, there is no comparison. Kind of like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari. We were 4 Star Mariners and would never go back. So many things went wrong and nobody on staff cared. Don't have time to describe all of the issues but, the last thing at disembarkation sealed the deal to never go back.

 

We were asked when we wanted to get off and chose 9 to 9:30 since our flight out of Fort Lauderdale wasn't until 1:40 and we were taking a taxi compared to the $50/person HAL wanted for a 10 minute ride. We waited in our cabin while the colors were or weren't called. And we waited, steward wanted to come in and ready the cabin for the next cruise but we had been told we could wait in our cabin so we did and watched TV. TV went on and off and because of the delay, we tried calling the operator or front desk to ask about% better and worth the extra money. HAL doesn't compare as a mainstream line let alone compare to Oceania or Azamara.

 

 

So, if I understand correctly, you are saying that the HAL cruise is priced like a tricycle and Azamara/Oceania are priced like the Ferrari. If that's true, then it's no wonder you would get a better product on the more expensive cruiseline.

 

Just one point I would have to disagree with, the transfer to FLL from PE has never been even close to $50. That is roughly the price if you want to include a post-cruise excursion.

 

It's nice to see that you know where you should spend your $$$$ in the future. Best take your own advice and never book with HAL again. You'd only be asking for a huge disappointment.

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galensgrl

galensgrl

Posted
Posted
So if one does not order before 7, the dining room meal is not available for delivery? Can you ask for it to be delivered at a later time, or does it have to be delivered before 7?

 

I have heard this before as well, but I had the understanding you had to order the first hour the dining room was open and that is between 5:30pm and 6:30pm. But it will be easy to figure out once on the ship when we see the hours for the dining room, or by asking the Maitre' D.

 

Lorie

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MacBraces

MacBraces

Posted
Posted
I have heard this before as well, but I had the understanding you had to order

the first hour the dining room was open and that is between 5:30pm and 6:30pm. But it

will be easy to figure out once on the ship when we see the hours for the dining room,

or by asking the Maitre' D.

 

Lorie

 

Lorie,

 

Lori here, DH and I were on the Rotterdam last fall and we

always ordered our room service for dinner in the afternoon.

We had no problem getting it delivered around 6:00.

And no we were not in a Neptune or Penthouse. :(

 

This was my experience and I'll probably be "corrected" by someone who didn't.

 

Lori

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VTcruisenut

VTcruisenut

Posted
Posted
While the itineraries may be appealing, there is no comparison. Kind of like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari. We were 4 Star Mariners and would never go back. So many things went wrong and nobody on staff cared. Don't have time to describe all of the issues but, the last thing at disembarkation sealed the deal to never go back.

 

We were asked when we wanted to get off and chose 9 to 9:30 since our flight out of Fort Lauderdale wasn't until 1:40 and we were taking a taxi compared to the $50/person HAL wanted for a 10 minute ride. We waited in our cabin while the colors were or weren't called. And we waited, steward wanted to come in and ready the cabin for the next cruise but we had been told we could wait in our cabin so we did and watched TV. TV went on and off and because of the delay, we tried calling the operator or front desk to ask about% better and worth the extra money. HAL doesn't compare as a mainstream line let alone compare to Oceania or Azamara.

 

 

Curious why someone who is a 4 Star Mariner would never go back on HAL again.............can you share your experience?

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