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


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Walt, this is an awesome thread.

 

This will be both my first HAL cruise and my first Alaska cruise on the Volendam in August. I have wanted to take at least one HAL cruise for years. I am closing in on three months and getting more excited every time I plan something.

 

Call me weird if you want, but I hate the taste of water. Can I carry apple juice, the only drink I like without a refrigerator, off the ship?

 

Is there a specific day during each cruise that the Pinnacle Grill becomes a very expensive French restaurant called Le Cirque?

 

Also, because of luggage weight restrictions to fly to Victoria on a seaplane, the suitcase and backpack combined can't weigh more than 25 pounds. To do this I have to leave some things behind on debarkation day. What will the steward do with them when he/she cleans my cabin? Should I leave a note saying they are abandoned on purpose and I don't want them back?

 

I want to eat at Pinnacle Grill one night and Camaletto another. Does it make a difference what times I reserve those two meals for? When should I make those reservations?

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Walt, this is an awesome thread.

 

This will be both my first HAL cruise and my first Alaska cruise on the Volendam in August. I have wanted to take at least one HAL cruise for years. I am closing in on three months and getting more excited every time I plan something.

 

Call me weird if you want, but I hate the taste of water. Can I carry apple juice, the only drink I like without a refrigerator, off the ship?

 

Is there a specific day during each cruise that the Pinnacle Grill becomes a very expensive French restaurant called Le Cirque?

 

Also, because of luggage weight restrictions to fly to Victoria on a seaplane, the suitcase and backpack combined can't weigh more than 25 pounds. To do this I have to leave some things behind on debarkation day. What will the steward do with them when he/she cleans my cabin? Should I leave a note saying they are abandoned on purpose and I don't want them back?

 

I want to eat at Pinnacle Grill one night and Camaletto another. Does it make a difference what times I reserve those two meals for? When should I make those reservations?

 

Good questions.

 

Never thought about carrying a juice off the hsip to be honest, but as long as it is sealed, I would think it would be no different than carrying a pop or a bottle of water off.

 

If the things you want to leave behind are useable, ask your steward in advance if he/she would like them. If it is clothing the ship does take donations for people who have missing luggage etc and you might want to inquire at the front desk in that regard. Depending on the answer just leave the note for the steward or turn them into the front desk.

 

Pinnacle becomes Le Cirque on most cruises. To see the date of your Le Cirque, just sign in and go to book PG dinners. When you see the dates, you will see which one is Le Cirque.

 

For specialty dining, there is no difference at what time you dine. If you prefer certain times though, you are wise to book in advance. You can do it on line and see the availability and book the dinners right away. If you do that your credit card will be charged immediately. You can wait until you board the ship to book, but depending upon the sailing the PG can book up quickly and the times or days you want may not be available.

 

hope this helps :)

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Thanks, I've been wondering the same thing about black slacks. What about dressy palazzo type capris?

 

I think they would be fine. It depends what you pair them with. Add a bit of bling and you're all set.:)

Edited by Lizzie68
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I think they would be fine. It depends what you pair them with. Add a bit of bling and you're all set.:)

 

Thanks so much. I have a black pair and a black/white/grey print. Thought I would do silvery sandals and a glitzy top.

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There are sanitizer dispensers all over the ship, and when you enter the dining room or buffet there is a crew member with one too.

 

Our last HAL cruise not only did you get a squirt of hand sanitizer before entering the dining rooms but also as you were leaving the ship and reboarding. There were crew members with spray bottles wiping down hand rails and surfaces everywhere, all the time. When we commented on it the crew member told us that was why they only had 2 people get Norovirus and the other cruise line had 200.

 

My husband worked for Todd Shipyard, now Vigor, and he said that of all the cruise lines, HAL also had the cleanest engine rooms.

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Neptune and Pinnacle suites get complimentary laundry service. If you are not in one of those, the unlimited laundry is a good deal IMHO. $7/day/cabin in North America for each day of the cruise. So for a 7 day cruise $49, a 10 day cruise $70.... There is also "stuff a bag" where you can send out a bag of laundry for $20 (N. America, not sure about the cost in other areas).

 

Can you get an iron and ironing board brought to your cabin?

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Can you get an iron and ironing board brought to your cabin?

 

No. On some of the ships there are self-serve laundries, with an ironing board and iron. Otherwise you can send clothes out for pressing. If you use the "stuff a bag" service, everything comes back nicely laundered and ironed as well. Or there is an option for pressing only.

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Can you get an iron and ironing board brought to your cabin?

 

No - fire hazard (the iron that is).

 

If you are on a ship with self serve laundry you can use that, otherwise just send it out to be laundered or pressed.

 

oops sorry - looks like Lizzie and I posted at the same time.

Edited by kazu
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The closer to the top of the alphabet of the second character, the better the cabin (supposedly).

 

This second letter assignment is often based on location on the ship even though the cabin interiors may be the same.

 

What I don't get is there are M and MM inside cabins. What makes MM different from my M cabin if both categories are insides? I assume the same happens on other decks with different letters.

 

Speaking of cabin locations, will I hear noise from the aft elevator area on Deck 1? My cabin is one door away from it on the starboard side.

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What I don't get is there are M and MM inside cabins. What makes MM different from my M cabin if both categories are insides? I assume the same happens on other decks with different letters.

 

 

 

Speaking of cabin locations, will I hear noise from the aft elevator area on Deck 1? My cabin is one door away from it on the starboard side.

 

 

Most people who have been close to the elevator have reported not being bothered by noise. You might hear someone talking or laughing as they get out if they are boisterous or the occasional ding, but that is about it according to reports here.

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I read jeans are allowed in the MDR, but my mom insisted on not wearing them unless a lot of passengers do. What do most passengers wear on casual nights?

 

you know, that really depends upon the ship and the sailing. Certainly we've seen jeans on embarkation day and disembarkation day. The rest varies from week to week.

 

I think the best rule of thumb is to wear what you feel good in, what makes you feel like you look good and not worry about the other stuff. (and I don't wear jeans in the MDR - but that's my choice ;):D)

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you know, that really depends upon the ship and the sailing. Certainly we've seen jeans on embarkation day and disembarkation day. The rest varies from week to week.

 

I think the best rule of thumb is to wear what you feel good in, what makes you feel like you look good and not worry about the other stuff (and I don't wear jeans in the MDR - but that's my choice).

 

I am not worried about walking around the ship in jeans. Of course comfort is a priority before supper. I just want to know we can go straight from one place to the MDR without going back to the cabin just to change clothes.

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I am not worried about walking around the ship in jeans. Of course comfort is a priority before supper. I just want to know we can go straight from one place to the MDR without going back to the cabin just to change clothes.

 

It is really going to depend on who else is on the ship, as to how many will be wearing jeans to the MDR on non-formal nights. Since you are going to Alaska, you will definitely see jeans in the MDR. Whether there will be enough that your mother will be comfortable wearing jeans? That is impossible to predict.

 

I expect that my DH and I will wear jeans to the dining room one or two evenings but likely not any more than that.

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I am on the Zuiderdam in August. This is my first HA cruise. I will have my iPad with me. How much is wifi access on board? I believe there are packages for 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 minutes. What is the speed of wifi access on board? If I buy a package can I access it in my stateroom or where do I access the wifi?

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I am on the Zuiderdam in August. This is my first HA cruise. I will have my iPad with me. How much is wifi access on board? I believe there are packages for 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 minutes. What is the speed of wifi access on board? If I buy a package can I access it in my stateroom or where do I access the wifi?

 

I can't remember the cost of those packages on the Zuiderdam, I just got off the Westerdam where it cost around $229 for the full voyage package, (16 days, "enhanced" so we could skype, there was one for a lesser cost) unlimited minutes. That was great, I hope they roll it out to all the ships. It certainly is not high speed though, but was way better than I remember from the my previous cruise. Yes you can access in your cabin.

 

Hopefully someone will post the cost of the packages you quoted.

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Hello. I have made a reservation for our group of 11 for Pinnacle Grill to celebrate my son's birthday. What is the least dressed up the men can be to be "allowed" to dine there? TIA

 

are you going on a smart casual night or a formal night?

 

Whichever it is the dress code for that night will suffice.

 

Smart Casual - nice shirt and pants, even jeans if nice.

 

Formal - blazer or suit and tie or tux.

 

If I missed your question just post back with your concerns.

 

Now, you will see people in the PG with jackets on a smart casual night - but not everyone does and it's not required.

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On the Zuiderdam does the Pursor's desk exchange currency? Do they accept currencies other than $US?

 

On some cruises (ie Europe) they might have foreign currencies (ie. euro) and exchange. Needless to say the rate of exchange is not as good as you would get elsewhere.

 

Trraditionally the ship's currency is U.S. dollars. They will cash U.S. dollar travellers cheques without fee if that is of help.

 

They may also do Canadian dollars for the Canadian ports.

 

I don't think I would count on the ship to exchange all currencies though.

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Is the LIDO restaurant on the Westerdam only open for breakfast, lunch & dinner or does it stay open from breakfast time through closing after dinner? I.E. can you get something to eat say at 4 PM between the lunch and dinner hours?

 

The sandwich station is usually open (Deli), and there is also the Dive In outside, for burgers and hot dogs, and delicious fries.

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