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

[Nang]

On 7/26/2022 at 10:54 AM, Suzrobbins said:

We have taken about 9 cruises so far.   Our favorite cruise line is Princess.    Did not like MSC at all and feel Royal Caribbean “nickels and dimes “ you to death.    We like peace and quiet, but some fun things.   Prefer casual to dress up.  We are considering a HAL cruise to the Caribbean and wonder if this line might work for us.   Any thoughts or considerations about this? 

I realise its been quite a few weeks since you asked your question but I did not see a response .....

HAL would be a great fit based on your stated preferences.

 

There is some nickel and diming but it is pretty limited (extra charges in specialty steak restaurant, pinnacle grill, for some items and any extra entrees attract a $15 fee, both occupants in a cabin must purchase drinks package even if just one wants it, current practise is to charge full drink price if an ordered drink exceeds the limit on max drink price).

 

HAL attracts an elderly demographic - no rock climbing, dodgem cars or waterslides. Avoid spring break, school holidays and very short itineraries in the Caribbean and there will be few children or over the top party types.

HAL is not known for its stage shows but it has great music options (classical, blues and 1960's+ rock).

Princess and HAL are often rated on these boards as being very similar.

 

[tupper10]

Another question about OBC - we have our crew appreciation included as well as any drinks and wifi we need in the HIA package we have.    We also have lots of OBC and other than laundry we wanted to use it for 2 things - one for excursions but many of the ones we want will sell out if we wait to book on board - is there a way to book early and then switch the excursion once on the ship to use the OBC to pay for it and get refunded to our credit card and 2. we like to give the staff that helps us - (I have the same staff all the time in the MDR due to food allergies) extra $$ for their service,  can we use the OBC to do this?   Thank you. 

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, tupper10 said:

is there a way to book early and then switch the excursion once on the ship to use the OBC to pay for it and get refunded to our credit card and 2. we like to give the staff that helps us - (I have the same staff all the time in the MDR due to food allergies) extra $$ for their service,  can we use the OBC to do this? 

 

There is no way to switch method of payment from credit card to OBC without doing a cancel/rebook. You can usually cancel an excursion once onboard (most but not all have a three-day cancellation) and rebook with OBC. BUT if there is a waitlist, you go to end of the list and may not be able to go on the excursion. You can watch the excursion and pre-book only if/when HAL reports there are only a few spots left. That too comes with the warning that you may not notice the limited availability in time and be put on the waitlist. If the excursion is something you really want to do, I'd book asap.

 

OBC can be used for the Crew Appreciation gratuities but not for the extra gratuities you give to individual crew members.

[tupper10]

5 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

There is no way to switch method of payment from credit card to OBC without doing a cancel/rebook. You can usually cancel an excursion once onboard (most but not all have a three-day cancellation) and rebook with OBC. BUT if there is a waitlist, you go to end of the list and may not be able to go on the excursion. You can watch the excursion and pre-book only if/when HAL reports there are only a few spots left. That too comes with the warning that you may not notice the limited availability in time and be put on the waitlist. If the excursion is something you really want to do, I'd book asap.

 

OBC can be used for the Crew Appreciation gratuities but not for the extra gratuities you give to individual crew members.

Thank you that is what I thought.  

[cruiser3775]

8 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

There is no way to switch method of payment from credit card to OBC without doing a cancel/rebook.

Beginner's question:  if I book excursions and speciality dining  before my cruise, will it be charged to my nominated credit card, and not taken from my OBC?    So, I can only use the OBC once I am on the ship, correct?

Edited September 8, 2022 by cruiser3775

[Mary229]

5 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

Beginner's question:  if I book excursions and speciality dining  before my cruise, will it be charged to my nominated credit card, and not taken from my OBC?    So, I can only use the OBC once I am on the ship, correct?

That is correct at the current time.  Hopefully they will reconsider that stance. 

[KroozNut]

27 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

That is correct at the current time.  Hopefully they will reconsider that stance. 

 

And if they ever do, they'll also have to change the name (acronym) from 'On Board Credit' to something else.

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

And if they ever do, they'll also have to change the name (acronym) from 'On Board Credit' to something else.

Princess changed theirs to include prepurchases.  It is still for onboard expenditures 😉

[KroozNut]

7 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Princess changed theirs to include prepurchases.  It is still for onboard expenditures 😉

 

But then technically, it's not credit for use onboard only anymore, like it is now. 😉

[tupper10]

I just got off the phone with shore excursions from Holland America and asked the same question. I was assured that you can book your shore excursions in advance and that once on board you only need to go to the shore excursion desk and ask them to use your onboard credit for the same excursion and then whatever you charged on your credit card will be put back on your credit card.  I asked this over and over again and the agent said that is Holland America's policy.  Of course I would love to get this in writing but I was told that they can't email me with the confirmation though I do have the agent's name and information.  Perhaps others can call shore excursions to confirm this policy as well.

[richstowe]

2 hours ago, tupper10 said:

I just got off the phone with shore excursions from Holland America and asked the same question. I was assured that you can book your shore excursions in advance and that once on board you only need to go to the shore excursion desk and ask them to use your onboard credit for the same excursion and then whatever you charged on your credit card will be put back on your credit card.  I asked this over and over again and the agent said that is Holland America's policy.  Of course I would love to get this in writing but I was told that they can't email me with the confirmation though I do have the agent's name and information.  Perhaps others can call shore excursions to confirm this policy as well.

I didn't quite do it this way but the result was the same . Once on board I cancelled my excursion and rebooked it using my OBC . I was fully credited on my CC for the initial booking .

[mysweetsmile03]

HI I am new to HAL and I am looking to sail with my husband on Nieuw Stratendam in December.  Is this where I can ask about any great tips on the ship, what to make sure to do, etc.  Also would love advice on decks for cabins and cabins.  We would like a verandah cabin with no obstructions, like mid or aft, but looks like on most decks the aft would have better view because of life boats, but am I wrong on this.  Any advice, suggestions would be welcome.  We are so looking forward to the music.  

Thanks so much

[IPB4IGO]

27 minutes ago, mysweetsmile03 said:

HI I am new to HAL and I am looking to sail with my husband on Nieuw Stratendam in December.  Is this where I can ask about any great tips on the ship, what to make sure to do, etc.  Also would love advice on decks for cabins and cabins.  We would like a verandah cabin with no obstructions, like mid or aft, but looks like on most decks the aft would have better view because of life boats, but am I wrong on this.  Any advice, suggestions would be welcome.  We are so looking forward to the music.  

Thanks so much

If you want a large verandah, I suggest deck four, aft (cabins 4148 and higher). Those cabins have deeper balconies than all the others, along with those all the way forward on deck four. Be aware that 4002-4020 on the forward end have steel panels rather than glass below the railings, obstructing the view. The other cabins in that forward area have standard glass panels. Also, the forward cabins are directly above the World Stage. It's possible that they could get noise from down there, but I don't have any direct experience with those cabins.

Hope that helps.

[tupper10]

2 hours ago, mysweetsmile03 said:

HI I am new to HAL and I am looking to sail with my husband on Nieuw Stratendam in December.  Is this where I can ask about any great tips on the ship, what to make sure to do, etc.  Also would love advice on decks for cabins and cabins.  We would like a verandah cabin with no obstructions, like mid or aft, but looks like on most decks the aft would have better view because of life boats, but am I wrong on this.  Any advice, suggestions would be welcome.  We are so looking forward to the music.  

Thanks so much

We loved this ship and sailed in December of last year. We started with an aft cabin on deck 5 which we did not like since the vibration and noise of the wake bothered us. The staff was wonderful and offered to move us to either an aft deck 7 or a mid ship room - though the aft on deck 7 was much quieter with hardly any vibration we decided to go with a midship cabin.  I think any of the ones on deck 6 or 7 are fine -on deck 5 when you look down from some rooms, you see the life boats so your view of the ocean is not as good.  We also paid for the retreat and loved it - we had a quiet place to relax on board during the day, with breakfast and lunch delivered to us on our chaise,, along with water, fruits, and snacks provided.    One thing to keep in mind - decide if you like sunrise or sunset - we had a sunset room - the starboard side, and it got very warm in the afternoon.  Our trip had more days going south than north.   Look at the itinerary and decide what works for you.   We loved the ship and staff, and had a fabulous time. It was our first cruise on Holland America and we booked more cruises with them due to our wonderful experience.  

['51 Pinot]

2 hours ago, mysweetsmile03 said:

HI I am new to HAL and I am looking to sail with my husband on Nieuw Stratendam in December.  Is this where I can ask about any great tips on the ship, what to make sure to do, etc.  Also would love advice on decks for cabins and cabins.

Hello mysweetsmile03,

A good place to view cabins is https://cruisedeckplans.com/. Attached is a screenshot from their site showing deck plans .

We were on the Nieuw Statendam for two and a half weeks in July/August. We had cabin 8112 which had a HUGE balcony, see photo. Quiet, very convenient to Lido food. Loved the NS. We really liked the music at Rolling Stone Rock Room as well as Lincoln Center Stage. Dutch Cafe and Tamarind are nice.

[KroozNut]

4 hours ago, '51 Pinot said:

Hello mysweetsmile03,

A good place to view cabins is https://cruisedeckplans.com/. Attached is a screenshot from their site showing deck plans .

We were on the Nieuw Statendam for two and a half weeks in July/August. We had cabin 8112 which had a HUGE balcony, see photo. Quiet, very convenient to Lido food. Loved the NS. We really liked the music at Rolling Stone Rock Room as well as Lincoln Center Stage. Dutch Cafe and Tamarind are nice.

We would never book a cabin directly below the Lido deck, no matter how 'good' you think it is.

[0106]

I always book a cabin in the aft portion of the ship directly under the Lido deck, as far aft as possible, favorite is actually an aft cabin.  Occasionally,  we hear them washing the deck and replacing the chairs near the aft pool but it has never bothered us.  We prefer to be close to the Lido, the pool and the Sea View bar.  Excellent access for viewing both sides of the ship if we are unable to reserve a true aft cabin.

[dropframe]

Wine Packages 

HAL offers Wine Packages for purchase pre-cruise. Are these same packages available after we board. Are prices higher, lower or the same after you board? Do they have special offers ever? How much do you on average save buying the package as compared to individual bottle purchases?

['51 Pinot]

2 hours ago, KroozNut said:

We would never book a cabin directly below the Lido deck, no matter how 'good' you think it is.

Are you speaking of the aft portion below the pool? Or are you categorically denying all cabins below the Lido area. We were almost amidship below the Lido and loved our situation. Being a very light sleeper it was perfectly quiet. And it was easy to pop upstairs for breakfast in our PJs. We never heard any noise at all. Never say never.

[Mary229]

26 minutes ago, '51 Pinot said:

Are you speaking of the aft portion below the pool? Or are you categorically denying all cabins below the Lido area. We were almost amidship below the Lido and loved our situation. Being a very light sleeper it was perfectly quiet. And it was easy to pop upstairs for breakfast in our PJs. We never heard any noise at all. Never say never.

I love the aft verandahs on the Pinnacle ships.  You may hear a momentary scraping on the floors early in the morning 6-6:30 and it is muted.  You do not hear anything else.  For early risers they are absolutely not an issue.

[mysweetsmile03]

Thank you all for your replies, they have been helpful.  Now a couple other questions.  Thoughts on cabana rentals and week pass at spa, worth it or not for cruise in December to Aruba.  Also which side of the ship would be better. Those who have been on the ships recently, are they crowded.  Venues crowded.  I know COVID can be a not button and not wanting to start an issue just curious if anyone who has been on recently know about concern for COVID.  

[richstowe]

17 hours ago, '51 Pinot said:

Are you speaking of the aft portion below the pool? Or are you categorically denying all cabins below the Lido area. We were almost amidship below the Lido and loved our situation. Being a very light sleeper it was perfectly quiet. And it was easy to pop upstairs for breakfast in our PJs. We never heard any noise at all. Never say never.

We were just in a cabin directly below the Lido  buffet. This was the cabin assigned to us as we booked a balcony guarantee. We were needlessly worried. It was great. This was on the Caribbean Princess but I'm sure it's not so different then on HAL. Food was always just a few steps away.😁

[sofienummer]

Hi everyone,

 

Just booked my first cruise on the Hal Rotterdam to Norway🙂 I already have a few questions I hope someone could answer.

 

First of all, can you keep your luggage/suitcase with you as you embark? Or don't they allow this bc of the crowds? 

 

Since this is a American cruise line, will it have the US socket/outlets? Or also the 'European'?

 

Since I'm from the EU, I have an internet 'subscription' with my mobile provider which allows for the same costs all through European countries. If you arrive at a port in Norway, how do you know you are using internet/4G from the country or you are still connected to sea internet? 

I hope this question makes sense... 

 

I didn't buy a drink package because I only drink water and tea, but I was wondering what drinks are included on the cruise and more specifically in which areas? Can you drink water at the main dining room? Or, if that's the only thing you drink, do you need to pay for bottled water? 

And a follow-up question;

I believe roomservice is free, but if you don't have a drink package and you would like to order a cup of tea, do you need to pay for it? *I believe tea is included at the buffet

 

Sorry for all my questions and thank you in advance for those kind enough to respond 🙂 

 

 

 

 

[regnig]

39 minutes ago, sofienummer said:

Hi everyone,

 

Just booked my first cruise on the Hal Rotterdam to Norway🙂 I already have a few questions I hope someone could answer.

 

First of all, can you keep your luggage/suitcase with you as you embark? Or don't they allow this because of the crowds? You can keep a carry-on (think airlines) at check-in but larger bags will need to be checked with a porter to be delivered to your stateroom.

 

Since this is a American cruise line, will it have the US socket/outlets? Or also the 'European'?

There are both American and European along with several USB ports

 

Since I'm from the EU, I have an internet 'subscription' with my mobile provider which allows for the same costs all through European countries. If you arrive at a port in Norway, how do you know you are using internet/4G from the country or you are still connected to sea internet? 

I hope this question makes sense...  No idea

 

I didn't buy a drink package because I only drink water and tea, but I was wondering what drinks are included on the cruise and more specifically in which areas? There is free iced tea and water in the Lido 24 hrs a day. Additional there is a large selection of tea bags along with a tap has really hot water.

 Can you drink water at the main dining room? Yes and your table servers will keep it full. Same is true for the Lido.

 

Or, if that's the only thing you drink, do you need to pay for bottled water? There is no reason to pay for bottled water.  Even the water out of your bathroom tap is potable.

 

And a follow-up question;

I believe room service is free, but if you don't have a drink package and you would like to order a cup of tea, do you need to pay for it? You can order tea from room service 24/7. They will bring you a pot of water with tea bag on the side.  If you want more than one cup just tell them you would like a pot for "how many ever" and you will either get a larger pot of several small ones. *I believe tea is included at the buffet

 

Sorry for all my questions and thank you in advance for those kind enough to respond 🙂 

 

 

 

 

WELCOME TO HAL! Feel free to keep asking question.

[KroozNut]

22 hours ago, '51 Pinot said:

Are you speaking of the aft portion below the pool? Or are you categorically denying all cabins below the Lido area. We were almost amidship below the Lido and loved our situation. Being a very light sleeper it was perfectly quiet. And it was easy to pop upstairs for breakfast in our PJs. We never heard any noise at all. Never say never.

 

Any cabin below the Lido deck is just asking for noise from above, no matter the specific location.