Tippy-Canoe

On 3/4/2023 at 9:00 PM, DRedmond said:

On the Eurodam right now. Nothing is going on in the Lincoln Center at all.  One lonely piano all alone. The Explorers Club is also empty looking.. no

people or activity. As far as refurbishments go we were told new carpet in dining areas and some new furniture. I have never been on ship before so can’t say. Certainly nothing all too impressive. One staff person also said they are doing away with libraries. Making them more like a cafe style. 

@DRedmond, first thanks for taking the time to provide updates during your cruise.  Would you be aware if the internet service had been upgraded to the Starlink service as of yet?  I was hoping it would happen during this dry dock.  Thanks.

On 6/8/2022 at 1:20 PM, Crazy For Cats said:

I wouldn’t recommend buying the premium internet on an Alaska cruise.  The farther north you go the more spotty internet becomes. Last summer the internet was horrible and barely worked.  The satellite signal was so bad that the live tv was not available for large portions of the cruise.

We had the same experience as Crazy for Cats, no live TV for 2 days or internet and we had the premium internet plan .   This occurred on our passage North early May 2023.  My first call to guest services said that there was a problem with the antenna and would be fixed in a few hours ( maybe they were still on island time 😁).   The ship was at max 40% capacity but we did notice that a lot of the crew were new hires.  I would speculate that this experience was not the norm or we would see a lot more written about it in this forum.  

Below is Transport Canada’s regulations for cruise ship testing for  Covid for ships leaving or arriving at Canadian ports, updated to reflect today’s Mar 17/22 announcement.  Be careful with your planning an example is my HAL  cruise out of Vancouver.   Refers to different testing rules then Canada requirements but if you read closely it will say for the United States.   Do not follow those testing requirements as they say 2 days for antigen or PCR, this is not Canadian rules.  They are PCR within 72 hours before boarding or antigen within one day of departure.  Also be aware of the ArriveCAN app or website it is a requirement for entry, downloadable Apple or Android.   Hope this helps all, I know it is confusing and may seem overwhelming, me too.
 

https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2022/03/preventing-or-limiting-the-spread-of-covid-19-on-cruise-ships.html

8 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

 

This is our concern. We are booked on a Seattle round trip Alaskan cruise this summer with a port stop in Victoria. Will we have to test on the day before boarding, which will be our travel day to Seattle? It will be difficult to get tested on our travel day. I really hope we could follow the cruise line's rule of 2 days prior so we can test before we leave.

Hi folks it is my understanding that you follow the rules of the country you are in and those rules rank higher then what a cruise ship rules state.  So if departing from the state’s round trip follow U.S. rules.  As far as your Victoria question, I don’t know the correct answer .   It’s confusing for me also, it sounds like you could get off the ship disembark without testing according to today’s announcement but how do you get back on without doing testing,   hmmm.  The correct answer might be to pull up a barstool on the ship.  
    Of note in the last week the CDC in the States lowered cruise travel to Level 2 from 3, which means moderate risk and recommends passengers should be fully vaccinated .   This has probably prompted the changes we are seeing.  

Thanks Liverpool fan.  Below is from the article in the link below pertaining to cruise ships as of Mar 17 announcement.  Hope this helps you love cruzin.  
 

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said that for cruise passengers when the season starts in early April, they will still be required to take an antigen test no more than one day before their scheduled departure, but no longer will need to be tested before getting off the ship. All other requirements for cruises remain in place.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/the-time-has-finally-come-feds-axing-pre-arrival-covid-19-test-for-vaccinated-travellers-1.5823101

Hi, I’m arriving on HAL at 7:00am in Ft Lauderdale. Will need to clear customs. I’m looking at a 10:00am domestic departure. Do you think I’ll be ok?

 

Thanks!

HAL’s cruise consultants recommend no flights before 11:30 They even verify that with me during booking process. On our last cruise we were held on the ship until 8:15 before disembarking even began. Hope the info helps in your decision.

For those of you still having website issues, try the old site using this link. It seems okay at this time.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-deals?legacy=true

As of July 5, this link still works. You’re a hero for posting the link . Like everyone else I have been standing on my head spitting nickels trying to get the new website to work. I also wrote HAL. So Houston, we don’t have a problem anymore. Much appreciated !!

I forgot one - the blue bag our laundry came in. It's the little things that make a difference!

 

Laundry: https://cvws.icloud-content.com/B/Ac2A-AoH6qX8h8tdimk2DhUcm85OAauMMyI6r0WCk9TLkKksyTVdY__2/Laundry+in+bag.jpg?o=Akubv8_LcKJanpb7pVO1Z7U3CH66BLQSzpGHipmoIj-Y&v=1&x=3&a=BYu-WSP7jUyrAzQ2Pw&e=1510862612&k=GJl9AoC55SqVMQ8plBCiFw&fl=&r=26a71c3f-daca-483a-92f9-2a08e46c063f-1&ckc=com.apple.clouddocs&ckz=com.apple.CloudDocs&p=34&s=aL9SVP6ytH517Uf9wtT9DozZgxs&cd=i

Thanks for your efforts greatly appreciated. I've been anxious to confirm how the suite retrofit turned out before Jan 2018 cruise and your updated info on internet plans is helpful. Gotta love the laundry, makes the vacation. Hats off to gardenbell also with the assist to halfacts site.

Take care.