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New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"


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Can anyone tell me what drinks are avilable for free at the lido?

Can you self serve?

Do they have unsweetened iced tea avilable?

 

When you get your food at the lido, does a waitperson ask you what you want to drink, or do you serve yourself?

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Can anyone tell me what drinks are avilable for free at the lido?

Can you self serve?

Do they have unsweetened iced tea avilable?

 

When you get your food at the lido, does a waitperson ask you what you want to drink, or do you serve yourself?

 

It depends upon what time you go to the Lido. And the ship, sometimes.

 

In the morning there are juices, water, coffee, tea, etc.

 

In the afternoon, there is water, iced tea, coffee, tea, etc.

 

Yes, unsweetened iced tea has been available on the cruises I have been on. If it isn't just ask, but HAL's iced tea is decent.

 

You can self serve the drinks but once you are sitting they will come around to see what you might want drink wise. In the mornings, quite often someone might be there and pass you the glasses. it seems to depend. Mornings there is usually a waiter going by with coffee, tea, etc. to freshen or pour.

 

The Lido is self serve for things like salads, cheeses, desserts.

 

For the hot food, it is passed to you and you take it to the table. Same for the made to order sandwiches.

 

Not sure I addressed your questions, but I tried. If I'm not clear just ask away and we will try to answer.

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Lordy, kind of hard to describe. Small pillow case size, maybe. But you can stuff a heck of lot into it by rolling everything up. It's a great deal.

Hi does this apply to all cruises on Hal and what is " the drink package"

Cheers

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Hi does this apply to all cruises on Hal and what is " the drink package"

Cheers

 

Yes, it does apply to all HAL cruises. The drink package is called the signature beverage package. You can also buy beverage cards which can be used for drinks. Or just have them charged individually to your on board account.

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What a great thread...

 

We are sailing from Tampa on the Ryndam this Feb 8th for a quick 7 day cruise. This will be our 3rd cruise (all on HAL), but our first without our 5 star expert to "hold our hands" so to speak.

 

My question is about beverages - specifically club soda. I am drinking a lot of club soda as an alternative to regular or diet colas. Am I correct to assume that club soda is available on board and charged the same as soft drinks? Can I guy club soda in Key West (our first port) and bring it on board so I don't have to worry about it while traveling? Would I be better off buying a beverage card for club soda?

 

Thanks all.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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What a great thread...

 

We are sailing from Tampa on the Ryndam this Feb 8th for a quick 7 day cruise. This will be our 3rd cruise (all on HAL), but our first without our 5 star expert to "hold our hands" so to speak.

 

My question is about beverages - specifically club soda. I am drinking a lot of club soda as an alternative to regular or diet colas. Am I correct to assume that club soda is available on board and charged the same as soft drinks? Can I guy club soda in Key West (our first port) and bring it on board so I don't have to worry about it while traveling? Would I be better off buying a beverage card for club soda?

 

Thanks all.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Club soda is indeed available on board and is charged the same as soft drinks.

 

You are allowed to bring soda on board so you can bring club soda on board at embarkation and any of your ports of call.

 

There is a soda card available which is basically half price ($25 for $50 worth), but from all reports, it is soda from the fountain and not a can.

 

You can also buy a regular beverage card which can be used for cans of soda and any other type of beverage you might want to use it for.

 

hope this helps :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's been 2 years since our last HAL cruise, have there been any big changes that I should know about?

 

A couple of specific questions ...

 

On the 10 day Caribbean routing on the Noordam, is it most likely going to be 2 or 3 formals? I think I read HAL was reducing the number of formals slightly.

 

Is body lotion provided in the cabin still? (I think the shower gel, shampoo & conditioner are in dispensers, but not sure about the lotion)

 

Thanks :)

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It's been 2 years since our last HAL cruise, have there been any big changes that I should know about?

 

A couple of specific questions ...

 

On the 10 day Caribbean routing on the Noordam, is it most likely going to be 2 or 3 formals? I think I read HAL was reducing the number of formals slightly.

 

Is body lotion provided in the cabin still? (I think the shower gel, shampoo & conditioner are in dispensers, but not sure about the lotion)

 

Thanks :)

 

there was body lotion in our cabin last time we were on (October & November/2014)

 

Have you checked your express docs? Not that they are written in stone as they can be subject to change on board. I am thinking it will still be 3 but I have been wrong before :)

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I'm another who isn't new to cruising but new to HAL. My question is about the food on the ship. How does it compare to other cruise lines?

 

Have sailed on Celebrity, Princess and Norwegian and have to say, we find the food on HAL to be the better of these lines. We like the diversity of food that HAL offers.

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We have the option of moving from an N (inside) cabin to an HH (fully obstructed ocean view) cabin or getting $50 cabin credit. Is the light coming in from the window worth more than $50? The upgrade from N to HH is "valued" at $200-300 total looking at the prices of each of the cabins on the site. Are we more likely to get an opportunity to move up another level if we take the move to HH?

Edited by TeamPez
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We have the option of moving from an N (inside) cabin to an HH (fully obstructed ocean view) cabin or getting $50 cabin credit. Is the light coming in from the window worth more than $50? The upgrade from N to HH is "valued" at $200-300 total looking at the prices of each of the cabins on the site. Are we more likely to get an opportunity to move up another level if we take the move to HH?

 

You are more likely to move up one category than moving up two categories. My advice would be to move up to the HH and hope for an upgrade to a full verandah. Getting a two-category jump from your current N is not as good as being moved up from an HH to a verandah.

Edited by Crew News
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You are more likely to move up one category than moving up two categories. My advice would be to move up to the HH and hope for an upgrade to a full verandah. Getting a two-category jump from your current N is not as good as being moved up from an HH to a verandah.

 

Thanks for the reply Crew News! That was my thought as well. From your experience, is it worth the FO over the I rather than the credit?

 

Btw, I love your site. Thanks for the time you put into it for everyone.

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We have the option of moving from an N (inside) cabin to an HH (fully obstructed ocean view) cabin or getting $50 cabin credit. Is the light coming in from the window worth more than $50? The upgrade from N to HH is "valued" at $200-300 total looking at the prices of each of the cabins on the site. Are we more likely to get an opportunity to move up another level if we take the move to HH?

What ship, or at least what class of ship, are you talking about? That could make a big difference in the decision as to which cabin is better.

 

Size of cabin, and location, both matter, and can be different in different classes. Realize that there is never a guarantee of an upgrade, and there are many times when the N-category cabin could be considered preferable to the HH-cabin.

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What ship, or at least what class of ship, are you talking about? That could make a big difference in the decision as to which cabin is better.

 

Size of cabin, and location, both matter, and can be different in different classes. Realize that there is never a guarantee of an upgrade, and there are many times when the N-category cabin could be considered preferable to the HH-cabin.

 

We're on the Noordam on an 11 day cruise.

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Thanks for the reply Crew News! That was my thought as well. From your experience, is it worth the FO over the I rather than the credit?

 

Btw, I love your site. Thanks for the time you put into it for everyone.

 

Thank you for the website compliment. When I looked back at my first HAL cruise and what I wish that I had known beforehand, I set about to gather info for others.

 

I was remiss in not welcoming you to CC and to sailing on Holland America Line.

 

It is almost always worth moving to a higher category. A $50 credit is a small loss when moving to a higher category.

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The last time I sailed HAL, the wine rules were different. Now I note it is limited to 1 bottle per adult.

 

What about water and soda? Last time I checked a 12 pack of soda and water with luggage tags on the outside. They were delivered to the room with our luggage. Is that still possible?

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The last time I sailed HAL, the wine rules were different. Now I note it is limited to 1 bottle per adult.

 

What about water and soda? Last time I checked a 12 pack of soda and water with luggage tags on the outside. They were delivered to the room with our luggage. Is that still possible?

 

Yes, but putting sodas/water cases into an over-pack, like a dufflebag, might be a good idea in case one of the bottles gets loose.

Edited by Crew News
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