We're home at last 3pm Tuesday. Wanna hear about our adventures?

[jschutz]

".....not charged for a coke in the dining room the last two days." What's this all about?? I have never been on a cruise line where they charge for sodas in the dining room? Is this new to HAL?

[mayesd]

Nancy,

We are going on the 26th. So leave that cabin in great shape! Ours is the Eastern cruise. Is yours Eastern or Western? We were on the Oosterdam in April in an SS, but decided to go for an S this time. Once when we sailed on NCL we had a Mini-Suite on the back and practically lived on the large balcony. I think this one will be even bigger!

Your husband will be shocked! I am trying to decide whether to reserve a cabana and surprise my husband. Friends of ours had the orange one when were on HMC before. It sure was great!

Hope you guys have a great trip! I will be thinking of you while I am going crazy packing for the cruise knowing you will be enjoying our cabin. Ha!

 

Katy

 

Katy,

My wife and I will be on the March 26th Zui cruise. We reserved a cabana as I always am worring that I'm getting burnt to a crisp and my wife Debbie loves to sit in the sun. We will be in a SS cabin so we are looking forward to that. We had the smaller verandah suite on the Zaandam last November. This is only our second cruise but we have found it to be the most relaxing vacation we have ever taken. HOpe to see you in March.

Donald

[Jimbo and Katy]

Donald,

Glad to hear you will be on the ship with us. Is it just the two of you for the cabana? I was thinking of posting to see if someone wanted to share one with us. We are traveling with our 18 year-old daughter. She and I are pretty fair and don't do well in the sun. My husband (like your wife) loves to be in the sun too. Which color did you reserve?

If you might be interested in sharing it you can email me at jimboandkaty@columbus.rr.com

 

If you don't want to share, it is perfectly understandable. We will probably go ahead and reserve one before it is too late. Hope we get to visit with you some time on the cruise. Did you know someone started a roll call for our cruise? If you haven't seen it yet, you might want to check it out. We had a great Cruise Critic Meet on our cruise in April.

 

Oh, by the way, we had an SS on the Oosterdam in April. You will love it. We are splurging for the S this time for our Anniversary and our daughter's 18th birthday. You will have to come and enjoy our balcony with us.

Thanks,

Katy

Just went to the Roll Call Section and noticed you already responded to it. Sorry!

[jcike1980]

Glad You Arrived Safe And Sound! Jcike

[dexter]

".....not charged for a coke in the dining room the last two days." What's this all about?? I have never been on a cruise line where they charge for sodas in the dining room? Is this new to HAL?

Oh yeah...They are treated like bar items. In the lido restaurant they have them along side the beers and wines and they are $1.75. If you order one in the main dining room they charge you.

[Searanger]

All cruise lines now charge for sodas in the dinning rooms now...Including HAL.

They also now charge for lemonade in the dinning room. Still included is Coffee, Tea, Milk and Water.

 

With the 15% gratuity, it's now a whopping $2.01 for a coke. So you better buy a Coke Sticker for $35.00 if you drink more then a couple a day.

 

Just my observation: With HAL's new gratuity on Bar drinks they now have the distinction of having the highest liquor/beer/wine prices of the major mainstream cruise lines. (Beer $4.31, Highball $6.85) All crew discounts are gone from the passenger bars.....so you don't see many crew members out in the evening any longer.

 

A lot has changed with HAL in a few short months. My cruises with them in January and March were much different. On a positive note, the staff seems much more happier.

[kryos]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I would be curious to know if other members here have any insite into why some other ports of call were not arranged for the Zuiderdam. I'm sure there is a reason, but it would have been nice if they could have made one other port of call during the later portion of your cruise.

Personally, I think it was because HAL was losing money keeping all those passengers onboard for two additional days they could not be charged for. Those passengers all eat, use the ammenities, etc. We only really lost one port (Nassau) on the 8-28 sailing. By keeping us at sea ... in addition to ensuring our safety ... HAL can keep the casino and ship's stores open ... thus offsetting some of the extra costs associated with sailing for two additional days.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[dexter]

Personally, I think it was because HAL was losing money keeping all those passengers onboard for two additional days they could not be charged for. Those passengers all eat, use the ammenities, etc. We only really lost one port (Nassau) on the 8-28 sailing. By keeping us at sea ... in addition to ensuring our safety ... HAL can keep the casino and ship's stores open ... thus offsetting some of the extra costs associated with sailing for two additional days.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

You are correct. Out of boredom I went to the casino several times and they made about $100 off me. I even resorted to the nickel slots and they beat me too. On my 8 cruises I have never come out ahead in a casino. The blackjack dealer smiled every time I sat down at his table.