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Posts
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About Me
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Location
SE Utah
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Interests
Fibercrafts, technology, and travel!
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Favorite Cruise Line(s)
Holland America
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Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
Alaska
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crystalspin's Achievements
5,000+ Club (4/15)
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crystalspin started following Robes on Holland America , Whale watch in Alaska - worth it? , My son has a very restricted diet and 7 others
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June definitely still works. Two of our AK cruises were in early to mid-June. The earlier one we did not do whale-watching in Juneau, because I had booked it for Seward (we went on to do two weeks self-driving in Alaska). The whales around the Kenai peninsula were SO active -- happy to be back in plankton-rich waters of the north! The second we did a 7-day R/T Vancouver and did a three-part Mendenhall/whale/salmon dinner ship's excursion. Whales were also very active with many breaches. FWIW -- the third cruise was mid-July and we did the ship's "scientific" whale watch which was interesting, but the whales were not as active nor did the boat try to get near them. However, on the otter-watching boat trip in Sitka, a whale surfaced VERY close to the boat and spouted!
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My son has a very restricted diet
crystalspin replied to SeriouslyNancy's topic in Ask a Cruise Question
The medical part of HAL's Platinum Cancellation Protection Policy does waive pre-existing conditions and only needs to be purchased before penalties begin to accrue. If the fare has a non-refundable deposit, that is immediately. With most refundable fares, it is Final Payment Date. For some longer cruises, the penalties start sooner than FPD. HAL is very good with special diets. I agree that you should select Fixed Seating, so that they can find you with tomorrow's menu to select what courses are wanted that CAN be prepared safely. -
Extended balcony or Aft Balcony?
crystalspin replied to Vineyard View's topic in Holland America Line
CruiseDeckPlans says: Cabin: 174 sqft (16 m2) Balcony: 46 sqft (4 m2) The balcony may vary, as can be seen on the deckplan, and I believe the aft Verandahs gain a couple internal feet for the curvature. -
Scopalamine patches are still available in USA by prescription only. As far as Dr.Spin knows, they are not generic and the trade name is TransDermScope. They are quite expensive and have significant side-effects. If the infirmary on ship has them, you would have to be seen by the ship's doc and be prescribed to receive them. They would not be for "purchase on board" by just anyone. Also, I have never heard of anyone receiving such an Rx on board.
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HAL newbie, Zaandam or Koningsdam for 2025 Alaska cruise?
crystalspin replied to Tom47's topic in Holland America Line
We sailed a B2B on the K'dam over New Years 2022-23. It was the MDR that was crowded! We ate all meals in the Lido (saving several specialty restaurant dinners), always able to find seats and mostly with lots of space between other diners (we were avoiding contagion even then). There were no circulating alcoholic beverage servers, but there was a small bar on each side of the ship where you could fetch your own. Stewards with pitchers did refill water/lemonade/iced tea. We also like the Tamarind upcharge restaurant, which is not on the Zaandam. OTOH we sailed the Zaandam on a 14-day Alaska cruise, and it was just perfect for that. The Oceanviews on the Lower Promenade are just steps from the largest balcony on the ship -- the true promenade! Just be sure not to book under the MDR galley on Deck 4 as they cook all night! -
Extended balcony or Aft Balcony?
crystalspin replied to Vineyard View's topic in Holland America Line
The larger cabins in a category are almost always the handicapped version of the rooms. (Exception being the large J & K insides on the Main Deck.) -
Hi again Jenni! The cruise I mentioned booking for January 2026 is actually a B2B (back-to-back) combination of two cruises, both R/T (round-trip) out of FLL (Fort Lauderdale) on HAL. I think HAL will be a good fit for you by the criteria you mentioned. Our cruise is comprised of a 12-day cruise plus a 9-day 'leg', first is partial transit of Panama Canal, second visits the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) AKA "southern Caribbean". Those destinations may not be what you are thinking of for a Caribbean cruise, but I would suggest you do look for something at least 7-days and preferably longer, and not during Spring Break times. The shorter later spring cruises sometimes attract a party-crowd, commonly called Booze Cruises.
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Third-party travel agents lose commission $$ if your fare decreases, PCCs do not. Just saying. I mentioned above my PCC getting me a lower fare when I upgraded to a Vista Suite; I did not mention that it was Launch Fare, months after launch, when the price had gone up significantly. And she did it without me asking -- I was expecting to pay the full and current fare.
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Am I asking too much from my travel agent?
crystalspin replied to CafeBruno's topic in Holland America Line
Seems like that would qualify as "full-service" that OP doesn't want. -
US$55 pppd for all days that have a night, i.e. the stated length of your cruise.
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"A reasonable amount". Haha!
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Complimentary for use, not to take home, although you can purchase a brand new one for US$49 each, with three-initial embroidery included. When I log in to a booking and go to Extras/Collector Gifts -- there is no sizing choice. One might ask on the ship.