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

Host Walt

By Host Walt,
in Holland America Line

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
When or where can i see if the ship we sail on is fully booked?

And if not, can we expect an offer to upgrade from HAL?

We sail on the Rotterdam 25 july to Norway.

We have room 2509, can anyone tell me if we made the right choise?

 

If the ship is fully booked, then it will usually show "sold out".

 

Offers to upsell can come out any time around 14 days or less before the cruise date (sometimes earlier but rare from what I have read here). Upsells involve paying $.

 

Upgrades (at no cost) do not come as offers. They are simply assigned by HAL. They usually start around 10 days before the cruise or less. You can check your express docs - luggage tags to see if your cabin number has changed. The new cabin number usually appears there faster than on the express docs themselves for some reason. If you check it on a daily basis you will know if you have received an upgrade.

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Tangocherie

Tangocherie

Posted
Posted
When or where can i see if the ship we sail on is fully booked?

And if not, can we expect an offer to upgrade from HAL?

We sail on the Rotterdam 25 july to Norway.

We have room 2509, can anyone tell me if we made the right choise?

 

Only you can determine if room 2509 is right for your needs. It's location is far forward, thus you will feel the ship's movement more than a centrally located room. On the other hand, it's an ocean view room with two portholes. In my opinion, that's better than an inside room but not as good as a balcony. t's all a matter of balance between your needs and likes and your budget.

 

Have a great cruise.:)

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Crew News "Live from...." Rare

Crew News

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Where can I the hours of restaurants and bars on the Westerdam this summer? TIA

 

The restaurant hours are pretty standard for cruises from year to year. Here are the On Locations for our cruise last year on the Westerdam in Alaska:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/travel-2/alaska-ms-westerdam-location-daily-activities-2014/

 

Look at Page 3 for each day.

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KelticRoze

KelticRoze

Posted
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I too am a first time cruiser with the Signature Beverage Package included In our cruise and was SO confused. I understand it much better now.....I also understand you cannot use the mini bar in your room with it. I'm wondering if also drinks ordered from room service are excluded with this card? Sorry about the silly question but I'm trying to read as many posts as I can to find that answer, any help on this would be so very much appreciated! Thank you!

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cavecreekguy

cavecreekguy

Posted
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I too am a first time cruiser with the Signature Beverage Package included In our cruise and was SO confused. I understand it much better now.....I also understand you cannot use the mini bar in your room with it. I'm wondering if also drinks ordered from room service are excluded with this card? Sorry about the silly question but I'm trying to read as many posts as I can to find that answer, any help on this would be so very much appreciated! Thank you!

 

Not silly at all!

 

Drinks ordered from room service are not included on the Signature Beverage Package.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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Our boarding pass says boarding at 1 PM. We want to get there earlier say 11ish. Can we board then? This is our first cruise so we don't have any "status" built up, does this matter?

 

You are sailing out of FLL I believe? That being the case, barring any unforeseen circumstances (CDC inspection, deep cleaning, etc.), boarding usually starts around 11:30 so there is no harm in going earlier as you will need to go through security, get registered, etc. and get your number for when you can board. Don't forget to take page 1 of your boarding pass. they may ask to see it to admit you into the terminal.

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tropicgirl52

tropicgirl52

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You are sailing out of FLL I believe? That being the case, barring any unforeseen circumstances (CDC inspection, deep cleaning, etc.), boarding usually starts around 11:30 so there is no harm in going earlier as you will need to go through security, get registered, etc. and get your number for when you can board. Don't forget to take page 1 of your boarding pass. they may ask to see it to admit you into the terminal.

 

We are actually sailing out of Seattle for Alaska but it doesn't sound as if the waiting around won't be too bad. Thanks!

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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We are actually sailing out of Seattle for Alaska but it doesn't sound as if the waiting around won't be too bad. Thanks!

 

You are welcome. I should have clued in based on your sailing. I haven't sailed out of Seattle but I don't think it's that much different from what I have read on the boards. hopefully someone who has sailed out of there can confirm for you.

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RuthC

RuthC

Posted
Posted
We are actually sailing out of Seattle for Alaska but it doesn't sound as if the waiting around won't be too bad. Thanks!

Same answer as Kazu gave works fine for Seattle, too. You can turn in your luggage, go through check-in, and wait for your number to be called for boarding.

Boarding in Seattle usually starts around 11:30, or shortly thereafter.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
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Can you use non-refundable OBC provided by HAL in the Casino? Can you get machine cash out with this type of OBC? How does cash out work?

 

Sure you can. Just charge to your on board account, play a couple games and cash out. You just go to the cashier to cash out.

 

You put a pin on your on board account at the slot machine and they will ask you to enter that to cash out.

 

If you are going to play the casino anyways then it works out well.

 

If you are not, be a tad careful, play a game or two for a night or two and then cash out. I say this only because someone got blocked as it became too obvious. If it's a LOT of obc, you may need to do it in stages. JMO and experience though.

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qsuzi

qsuzi

Posted
Posted (edited)
Sure you can. Just charge to your on board account, play a couple games and cash out. You just go to the cashier to cash out.

 

You put a pin on your on board account at the slot machine and they will ask you to enter that to cash out.

 

If you are going to play the casino anyways then it works out well.

 

If you are not, be a tad careful, play a game or two for a night or two and then cash out. I say this only because someone got blocked as it became too obvious. If it's a LOT of obc, you may need to do it in stages. JMO and experience though.

Thank you Kazu. I feel much more confident about this issue now. If we cash out it would probably be less than $200. Do you think that amount would be okay to cash out all at once?

Edited by qsuzi
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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted (edited)
Thank you Kazu. I feel much more confident about this issue now. If we cash out it would probably be less than $200. Do you think that amount would be okay to cash out all at once?

 

oh for sure. go in on day one, play the pennies or whatever if you don't gamble. go back on day 2, play a couple of pennies again (it can be like 5 cents) and then cash out. Should be a piece of cake.

 

If you don't need the $ and just want it, you can wait to close to the end of your cruise and then cash out.

Edited by kazu
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BrCaSurvivor

BrCaSurvivor

Posted
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What is the HAL lingo for the person on a ship trying to get you to sign up for/put a deposit down on your next HAL cruise? Is it Mariner Loyalty Manager? Sorry, I have been on too many cruise lines where the title varies. Also, is there anyway to know the names of these reps assigned to a particular ship?

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
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What is the HAL lingo for the person on a ship trying to get you to sign up for/put a deposit down on your next HAL cruise? Is it Mariner Loyalty Manager? Sorry, I have been on too many cruise lines where the title varies. Also, is there anyway to know the names of these reps assigned to a particular ship?

 

FCC aka Future Cruise Consultant. There names appear in the On Location (daily programme) frequently ;)

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