avian777

On 2/11/2019 at 4:00 PM, Aquahound said:

Hubbard is am amazing glacier but like others said, you may not get close in May.  In fact, the closest I got in June was 5 miles.  Given its May, I recommend Glacier Bay.

 

Plus, I think Eurodam is a nicer ship.

👍👍👍  Agree completely on all counts!!!

5 hours ago, PRPLE said:

Some folks may be on land portions so other options than calling a ship may be needed... since our land/cruise isn’t till August hadn’t investigated what to utilize

I suggest you contact HAL Ship Services.

56 minutes ago, Overhead Fred said:

I have always given these HAL emergency numbers to family when we cruise. No one has had to use them so far so I cannot tell you how effective they are. I assume they get you in contact with people at HAL that can then get word to your ship. Can anyone confirm this?

 

Holland America Emergency Phone Numbers:

 

5 am -7 pm M-F & 7 am - 3:30 pm Sat-Sun -

     1-800-426-0327

Other hours and holidays -

     1-888-361-8803

Just curious - why would you want to use an (untried) alternative when HAL has clearly set forth the procedure for contacting people on a HAL cruise?  See Post # 2 above.

FYI, here is an e-mail message I received this morning, announcing Bags VIP's new pricing structure:

To our valued customer –
Beginning Feb 18, 2019, we will be simplifying the pricing structure and standardizing the timeframe for receiving your elective delivery using our Bags VIP luggage delivery service in order to remain competitive and provide the excellent service you expect from Bags.  February 2019 marks the first time we have made any adjustments to price since we launched Bags VIP Luggage Delivery 6 years ago in 2013 to help customers Make Travel Easier.
 
The changes we made reflect the following:

• Our base price includes the first 2 bags at $39.95, whether you have 1 or 2 bags.
• Every bag beginning with the 3rd bag will be charged $10 per additional bag.
• All luggage will be delivered in up to 4-6 hours.  The $1 per mile surcharge for deliveries over 40 miles remains the same.
• The maximum number of bags we can deliver in one order is 8.

 
For any orders placed online prior to February 18, 2019 for a future travel date, our current pricing will be honored.  Any orders placed online from February 18, 2019 and forward will reflect the new modifications to our pricing structure and delivery timeframe as noted above.
 
Should you have any questions, please contact us at 1-877-847-0045 and one of our customer service agents will be happy to help you.  Thank you for understanding that these modifications mean that we can continue to maintain the superior standard of our service for the coming year.
 
We are looking forward to providing you outstanding Bags VIP Luggage Delivery service and appreciate your support for our business.
 
 

 
Bags VIP Customer Service
1-877-847-0045
BagsVIP@maketraveleasier.com
MakeTravelEasier.com
 

16 hours ago, grsnovi said:

I consider it wine (despite the brandy). I believe that you can purchase it where wine is sold (and spirits aren't). Your best bet would be to check with HAL.

15 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

It only matters what HAL considers it...

👍👍👍  Good advice.  Since not all Sangria has liquor added to it, be sure to inform the HAL rep exactly which type of Sangria you plan to bring aboard and request written confirm of her/his advice.

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

Food is totally subjective. No way to know how Pinnacle will appeal to you. We like it.

👍👍👍  Agree on all counts!

On 2/6/2019 at 1:35 PM, Crew News said:

My FLL hotel of choice is the Hilton Marina which is a five-minute shuttle ($6 and runs every 15 minutes) ride to the port entrance.  The food choice is excellent and there is a CVS pharmacy, ten-minute walk away, for last-minute items (sodas, water, toiletries that you don't need to bring with you to FLL). 

On 2/6/2019 at 4:18 PM, teltrainer said:

And worth the higher cost to book higher Tower Port view room. The views of the ships arriving and leaving plus the 17th street bridge opening are fabulous. Water taxi leaves from property and long term parking is $10 a night. 

👍👍👍  Agree & agree - location, price & service make the Hilton Marina our hotel of choice (for short-term stays) in Ft Lauderdale.  We've also stayed at Embassy Suites (3 or so times) and Harbor Beach Marriott Resort (a couple of times) but feel that Hilton Marina is a much better value.

1 hour ago, aa7yy said:

Which service do you pay for ?

 

 

None, I use a free online FAX service.  For your convenience, here are just a few of the free online FAX services:

https://faxzero.com/

https://www.gotfreefax.com/

https://www.myfax.com/free/

And here's a link to more eFAX info:  https://www.lifewire.com/free-fax-services-2378048

11 hours ago, Nattyg1723 said:

Back again with a question, forgive my ignorance 😁

 

Can you order room service for lunch on embarkation day? If so, what is the earliest time they generally start?

 

Deleted earlier response - sorry, Nattyg1723, I misread your Post.  Also sorry I do not know the answers to your questions.

3 hours ago, Peace2U said:

DH and I are booked for our first HAL cruise. We have been on most of the other cruise lines. What is the differences with HAL? ... Just wanting to know kind of what to expect.

There are many differences between HAL and the other main stream cruise lines but IMHO only one significant difference - only HAL has a Roman Catholic priest (who celebrates daily Mass) on board every one of its cruises. Since spiritual renewal is an important component of our vacation experience, HAL is our hands-down choice.

We are also going to be on the Zuiderdam for the upcoming Panama Canal cruise, our third time on this itinerary.  If this one is even half as good as either of the previous ones, it will be fantastic!!!  I hope you enjoy the cruise!

9 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

Well said. We too have enjoyed the unique experiences HAL cruises have given us as a family. We have never lamented the lack of a rock climbing wall or onboard ice skating rink. 

👍👍👍  Spot on, fatcat04 ... and thank you, HAL, for all the great cruises our family has been fortunate enough to enjoy on HAL ships.

On 1/19/2019 at 7:21 PM, TAD2005 said:

The easy answer is yes,  the price for the Signature Beverage Package (SBP), which gets you any drink with a menu price of $9, up to 15 per day, will cost you $44.95 per day if you purchase it online, at least 4 days before the cruise.  Of you wait to buy it onboard, the cost is $5 higher at $49.95 per day, per person.   Both prices plus 15% service charge.   Before January 2017, the price was the same, purchased onboard or online.   But HAL didn't like it when you used your free, HAL provided onboard credit to buy the package.   So they added the $5 penalty if you decided to wait and use your OBC to buy the package onboard.   Oddly enough, the Elite Beverage Package, which allows drinks up to $15 menu price, costs $54.95 per day, and it doesn't matter if you buy it online or onboard.

36 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 I thought that the original price per day was $49.95/day  and that it included the 15% service charge; it was not "plus" the charge.  And, as was pointed out, that was the price whether purchased before the cruise or while on board.  Hence, the current $44.95 price is a $5.00 reduction, not a penalty that was added.

OP, given these conflicting pieces of advice,  I suggest you contact HAL Ship Services and get the answer straight from the source.

Just now, RocketMan275 said:

We wouldn't be interested.  $295 PP.   $590 for two.

Ditto!!!

59 minutes ago, iancal said:

Does anyone on this board actually believe that HAL is not aware that they have a dud of a web site.

 

IF they are not aware of this, then the HAL management challenge is much deeper than the web site issue!

 

 

IMO HAL management is aware of the website problem, but I stand by my earlier comment that HAL also needs to be aware of the reason for that problem.  I agree that HAL's management challenge is much deeper than the website issue, especially if they are focusing solely on the scope/nature of the problem without searching for the (root cause) reason.

1 hour ago, taxmantoo said:

Never thought I'd say this, but, well said and we do agree on some things 😉

Thanks - I also agree with your "agree on some things" comment. 👌👍😎

7 minutes ago, iancal said:

The reason does not really matter.  All that matters is that the website is an underpowed dog that is not doubt costing HAL a considerable amount of money in lost opportunity costs and higher call center costs.

 

It truly beggers the imagination as to why it has gone on for so long.  It is a reflection of years of inattention from senior management.

With all due respect, I disagree - if one is not aware of the reason for a problem, a search for the solution will be futile.  JMO.

14 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

The mysterious and mischeivious machinations of current CCL and HAL management are beyond me. What is your theory that supports their self-destructive or perhaps deconstructive  incompetence?

My theory is that CCL engaged incompetent contractor(s) to design/re-design the HAL and Seabourn websites and compounded those mistakes by placing less than competent individuals in several key executive/managerial positions at both HAL and Seabourn. The end result is that HAL's and Seabourn's websites are a mess and no current CCL, HAL or Seabourn executive is either aware of the extent of the problem or, if aware, has a clue as to how to solve it.  JMO  YMMV

25 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Seabourn is part of the CCL corporate family. Might have used the same abysmal tech team to do both websites.  Got a group discount? That means there is a problem at the top of CCL and not just HAL.

As best I can understand your earlier Posts (See especially Posts # 36, 40 & 49 above), you posited a theory that CCL intentionally degraded the HAL website in order to drive customers away from HAL, thereby making it easier for CCL to eliminate competition among its various subsidiary cruise lines (with similar customer demographics) by consolidating (merging) them  into fewer "partners".  So does this Post mean that CCL has also included Seabourn in that same plan?  Just curious.

12 minutes ago, Beachfrog said:

Our group of eight will be in Alaska this June.   We are wanting to do the Skagway White Pass train through the ship but cannot decide which one.  Can anyone help me out with this?  We are looking at the shorter trips (3-4 hours).  Would the round trip or the train/bus be better? 

White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad

White Pass Rail & Klondike Highway:  Multilingual

 

Other suggestions?

 

We have done both of these excursions and found both of them to be enjoyable.  However, if given the choice of one or the other, we would definitely do the round-trip train excursion, in the main because I found the bus portion of the other excursion a bit too scary for my tastes.  IMO you can't go wrong -  whichever you choose will be memorable.

1 hour ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

The HAL website is just like Seabourn's. Impossible on both to book a specific cabin without jumping through hoops. They both need a total revamp.

👍👍👍 Thanks for sharing this info - although not a solution for HAL's website problems, it is comforting to know that other cruise lines' website are also less than optimal.

14 minutes ago, VTcruisenut said:

How do you get or register for TSA Precheck?

For more information, forms, and so on, go to any of these sites:

www.govdocs.co/

On 1/14/2019 at 6:11 PM, Cajuntraveler said:

The priest on the Oosterdam last month told us that HAL is the only cruise line that has a priest on every sailing.  He said other ships have a priest on special holidays and Celebrity has a priest on ships during Lent.  On the Oosterdam Mass was celebrated at 8am on sea days and at 5PM on port days.  

👍👍👍  Cajuntraveler, you are 100% correct.  With assistance from Apostleship of the Sea - USA, HAL has a Roman Catholic priest on every one of its cruises.  AOS-USA provides all recruiting, screening and scheduling for the Cruise Ship Priest Program.

Because of the Cruise Ship Priest Program, my spouse and I are 100% loyal HAL cruisers.  We express our gratitude to HAL in our Cruise Surveys and to AOS-USA by making financial contributions to AOS-USA.

To learn more about AOS-USA and/or to show your gratitude for the Cruise Ship Priest Program, go to www.aos-usa.org.

Thank you, HAL and AOS-USA for the Cruise Ship Priest Program.

On 1/13/2019 at 11:47 PM, faerievert said:

I nearly paid the extra for a spa room thinking the hyrdrospa would be included. Luckily I searched here and found out otherwise first 😞

... I'm thinking a call to HAL (or your TA) would have produced the same information/result.  JMO - YMMV

30 minutes ago, DC1979 said:

... I did email HAL in December and was told that I should be able to select in January, but currently I am still unable to do so. 

Have faith ... January is not quite half over.  Keep checking online.

37 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

... Is that the deal - the HAL website meisters who inhabit the bottom rung of Dante's Inferno really want you to go to a travel agent?  

Beats me - certainly another interesting theory, although I doubt that I'm on the radar screens of "the HAL website meisters", so I really don't think I'm their "target".