maggiev

If you ar CO on the Nieuw Amsterdam do you get breakfast in the Pinnical Grill, due to no CO private dining room?

I wish they had advertised not everyone in your party needed to purchase the boil. We chose not to have it because 2 people do not eat seafood & we wanted to all dine together. I do not like the idea of the Lido dining area, nor Cataleno being there either. Takes away from the “specialness” (nor a real word) of the meal - in my opinion

Have been part of a 1/2 ship “group” Yes, we all had 2nd seating dinner & everyone else had first, lido, or specialty, Yes we had private pool parties that closed Lido for 3 hours, Yes we had private shows, BUT, no venue was ever closed 100% of the time. I was with a group that would have caused many to cancel, however by the end we were all friends & many wanted to, & did, join our group next year. DO NOT judge a group by their name. We were on a cruise of 3000 & 1500 were bikers! Would have turned many people off but once people sailed with us, they realized we were there for a cause & wanted to be a part of the group

My point is - Holland America failed big time. They should not book guests in the Westmark. It is NOT what I expected to receive from Holland

After a wonderful 5 star cruise to be put up at the Westmark Anchorage is an insult. The hotel is old & dingy. The carpets are not vacuumed. You have to leave the hotel to get something to eat. When we arrived, there are no signs indicating where the HAL rep are & it was mass confusion. I, in good conscience, cannot recommended Holland if they continue to use the Westmark Anchorage. Be forewarned if you’ve already booked a tour

I thought I read, and now cannot find, there are 2 different Hop on - Hop off bus tours in Vancouver. Can anyone give some tips on this? Or is there a better way to see the city for non walkers? A few blocks is ok but more than 2 or 3 is out. the HoHo seems like a great way to hit the highlights & get from point A to point B thanks

Book the hotel direct instead of via booking.com. For the very little extra cost, you have piece of mind incase there is an issue. If something happens, the hotel will not deal with you, they will refer you to bookings.com. Not fun if you’re standing in a hotel lobby

I’d say you’ve got nothing to worry about with 11 cruises booked. Those of us that struggle for 2 or 3 a year are feeling the crunch

I like the bike shorts idea because of the pockets. I buy mens boxer briefs - they do the trick

A consideration - Princess only offers the shorter Natural History Tour in Denali. Holland offers the longer Tundra Wilderness Tour. Some will say there isn’t much difference, however you will go further into the park & if this is your only trip it is worth considering.

@shipgeeksSouthwestern NY so Baltimore would be an option, no further a drive than to Boston. I’ll look at dates, if 9 nights includes 2 weekends it would be an option. I’ve sailed Royal & do like them. Carnival still has not come out with 2025 rates yet

And where at the airport do you find it. We are flying in & need to go to a hotel

Does the Skytrain stop at other hotels? We are staying at the Fairmount (not on the water) & wonder how to find the closest stop. thank you

Would an upgrade offer ever go out to a 1st timer Holland Pax? Just wondering if I should even think I may relieve an offer?

I have a less than helpful (not only about this but other things) TA. I was wondering if there was a way I could talk to Holland & try to get a room. Wasn’t sure if they ever tried to get more rooms once their allotment was gone.

We have always sailed from Florida, once from Galveston but did not pre cruise, so have relied on the cruise line transfers. I know the hotels & transfers are more but we’ve never ventured doing our own. I like the “I’m on vacation, I don’t want to think, hold my hand” aspect of doing it all with the cruise line. Guess it is time to broaden my horizons & try new things. Thanks for the info

@Crew News are you on deck 7 by chance? Why did you choose the deck you did? We will be sailing in an aft deck 7 cabin & I wonder about the balcony. Would there be room to invite friends over for coffee & glacier watching? I’ve been on Princess and on some you can look over your baloney & into the one below - is this the case on NA? Are there issues with smoke, noise or anything? Sorry if these sound silly but I’ve read these are “issues” on some ships.

@Crew News & @BaileyMJ Thank You so much for taking a part of your vacation to post. I will be sailing on my first “dam” ship in August to Alaska. Your insight, photos, & reviews have been a great help

Do you happen to know what tables are designed for Club Orange?

Thank you - I posted before I finished reading the whole post. Thank you for the info - may have to look into Morimoto also

Thanks for the input. I looked at Fairmount on my own & there are rooms so I was hoping Holland could find a room for us.

I can book the Fairmount on my own but at a higher cost & then have no transfers. We’re not huge travelers so wanted our everything done through Holland.

I am having issues with my travel agent & my Fairmount Hotel reservation. She cancelled the Fairmount to book the Pan Pacific, however it was sold out so had to reinstate the Fairmount but that sold out in the time she was doing it, now we have nothing. I did an on line chat to no avail. I was hoping I could call customer service for some help, luckily the other people were traveling with did not get their room canceled. Does anyone have a customer service number that gets to someone higher than an entry level call center employee? Not that they are bad, I just feel this may require a supervisor. Thank you

I also have Tamarind reservations in August, guess I better check my itinerary. I want a speciality dinning experience, not an upgrade to the dining room menus experience.

How awesome is this I’ll have to wear a distinct outfit in August incase I’m on camera