blizzardboy

Carnival Corp does not have loyalty-program reciprocity between their lines.

I should clarify my earlier post. At the end of the Mariner Society FAQ section on HAL's site, it says, "you must have taken at least one qualifying HAL cruise or have sailed with one of the World’s Leading Cruise Lines: Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn or Costa Cruises. These guests are automatically enrolled as a Star Mariner when they make their first booking with Holland America Line because of their affiliation with the World’s Leading Cruise Lines."

What I meant in my first post was HAL doesn't recognize "Elite" or other loyalty levels accrued on sister lines.

Posters on this board have reported having their reservation pulled for this once it goes through the HAL computers.

If you're talking about transferring a booking, it can be done anytime before final payment is made. We've never had an issue. I often leave short, lesser priced cruises with our PCC as a "thank you" for all he does, as it does help their annual bonus, but they are compensated on bookings they originate then transferred as well. They're also salaried to encourage them to service clients in anyway needed.

HAL will help if they can. Minneapolis is a hub, so the airline should be able to help get you another flight. This is why flying a day early takes the heat off a little. Having it happen at a hub helps a bunch.

Your Champagne choice on the EBP is Nicholas Feuillatte, a very nice Champagne that sells for about $35/bottle at our local Total Wine. It carries the same 90 point rating as Veuve Clicquot. (I happen to like it better.)

 

We never has a flat glass, but I'd send it back if I got one. In the interest of science, we made sure to test the carbonation levels of the wine at least once a day, but usually twice.

Scientific altruism - I've always liked that about you and the boss.

bb

I am not sure if beverages “purchased” on explore 4 perks. Perhaps someone who has had this can help out.

 

 

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We had a very lively thread on this subject a couple of years ago. I ended up talking at length with a Mariner Society Supervisor a couple of times who said that the Signature Beverage Pkg included in the Explore 4 promo doesn't count towards the Onboard Spending Bonus. If you purchase the SBP separately, then the Pkg price goes towards the Spending Bonus. There have been reports of people getting credit for the individual drinks, but it is not HAL policy for that to happen.

Carnival Corp does not have loyalty-program reciprocity between their lines.

A big hello to fellow cruise lovers!

 

My family and I will be sailing on our first Holland America cruise in just a few months.🤗While we are new to Holland America, we have sailed many times with Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and NCL. We are excited to try Holland America's product.🌞

 

My question relates to specialty dining on Eurodam. I see the published rates for adults online. Are children charged as adults, too?

 

Thank you, in advance, for your assistance in clarifying this for me.😁

Call ships services 1‐800‐541‐1576

My DW and I really enjoy a good Prosecco or reasonably priced champagne and we often drink this with dinner.

In reviewing the various packages, it appears that neither the Navigator's or Admiral's wine package includes champagnes. Also, to get a champagne by the glass, we would need to purchase the "Elite" beverage package.

Consequently I have the following questions:

• Am I correct that neither wine package includes Champagne?
  
• For those that have purchased the Elite beverage package, have you ever had a problem with a glass of flat champagne or a glass of wine that has been open too long?
  

If the answer is yes to both of these we will probably forgo the packages and just pay for our drinks as we go.

Thanks for your help.

Last January, the Signature Beverage Pkg covered small bottles of Prosecco that my bride found to be okay.

In general we lean towards the positive when raveling as minor inconveniences are to be expected. However, after a wonderful land & sea voyage on Nordam HAL seriously dropped the ball on the transfer from Vancouver to Seattle.

 

In a nutshell we waited for over 3 hours for the coach (it arrived when we should have been there, and after the ship announcements indicated that the ship was cleared), and then had a driver who didn't know where he was going so we drove around Seapac fro quite a while afterwards. We effectively lost the entire afternoon in Seattle. There's more but that's the gist.

 

I wrote a letter on 9/2 (via e-mail) and waited. After no response I sent an e-mail to Mr. Ashford on 9/17. I received a stock response saying he would respond in the order that it was received.

 

I realize this is a crazy time given the devastation in the Caribbean and there are lots of itineraries and issues that need to be addressed, so I'm wondering- when is it reasonable to receive a response?

Be patient. 6-8 weeks is not unusual.

There were buildings collapsing in old San Juan. The FEMA Director for PR said if you're not a first responder stay away. They are so short on fuel, bridges are out, roads washed out, and they don't want what resources they have diverted to tourism at this time. Almost 90% of farms were wiped out, so fresh food is non-existent. San Juan may "function", but that's a relative term.

We will be on the Oosterdam in early November and one of our ports of call is San Juan. I see the itinerary shows us arriving at 11:00 am and leaving at 11:00 pm. My experience is that the casino doesn't open until maybe 30 minutes after departure. Might it be different in San Juan since gambling is allowed on the island?

Those ports where gambling is legal are touchy about shipboard gambling as they don't want the competition. If you plan on playing ashore, here's some related info: We had a 2-week January visit to San Juan (moved to St. Kitts) planned that involved a split stay at the Renaissance La Concha Resort Casino and the Ritz-Carlton Resort Casino, so I've been in close contact with both those groups. The La Concha is housing FEMA but otherwise closed, with no reservations until after Dec 01. The Ritz hasn't even posted a schedule yet, nor been in contact with RC Corporate, but is probably in worse shape due to it's location. I can't comment on the others. We have a port visit scheduled there on our cruise the week after yours so we remain curious.

Just talked to HAL. They stated they anticipated no further changes other than Nassau for Grand Turk. They said San Juan and St Thomas will be operational by then. I find that hard to believe, but we shall see. Looking forward to the cruise regardless of where we go.

The ports may be operational, but if the cities are disaster areas, that will be an exciting adventure in tourism.

So have I. Evidently not any more.

 

We were in first class. The agent was very nice about it and spent a lot of time and effort trying to get approval from her management but to no avail.

That's when I ask to speak with the supervisor. They put you on hold, and more often than not they come back with an approval, as "the supervisor was busy". If not, I have a pleasant chat with the supervisor. When all else fails, I write to Customer Relations and pick up a credit towards a future flight.

They deny initially because probably 90% of their customers aren't willing to be confrontational. No one responds well to angry words. I'm always polite but firm in my demands. I don't win them all, but I do come out ahead in most cases.

I haven't been flying Delta from Indy as much lately. If AA or United has comparable flights, Delta has been quite a bit higher. If they have a non-stop, they're much higher. AA has been very good about helping out when needed.

Awnings don't like high winds, especially powerful gusts. They got into some very heavy weather so it's not surprising that they sustained damage. I'd contact Ship Services and have them contact the Noordam and find out if there is a firm timeframe for replacements, and if there's a wait list.

I heard the other day the first ship stopped in St. Thomas...................

Are you sure it wasn't the one chartered by FEMA for relief workers?

I learned the hard way that generally Delta will not switch you from a connection to a nonstop even if it's going to get you to your destination much closer to the original arrival time.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

I've had Delta move us to a non-stop when they generated a change in our original reservation that affected our arrival time. I do believe having seats in First/Bus class was probably in our favor. I also agree with Hank in that you need to stand up for yourself. I kill them with kindness, while asking to speak with a supervisor, if they don't seem to be "doing the right thing".

I noticed this same thing just today. We booked a flight from Venice on Delta for next April that was scheduled to depart at 1:20p. I was on the Delta website today and noticed our flight (same flight numbers) now leaves at 12:45p. I wonder how many more times it will change until April.

In the past ten years, I don't think we've made any airline reservation several months out that haven't been changed once if not twice. About three weeks before last January's cruise, I looked, and an undesirable change had been made, but we hadn't been notified. AA helped us salvage acceptable flights. I later found out that our Bank's TA, who made our reservations because of our using credit card Reward Certificates, was notified according to airline policy but failed to notify us. It pays to check your reservations occasionally, regardless of "Alerts" you're supposed to receive.

I'd expect more changes. We're on the NA a couple weeks after you, and I'll be surprised if we stop at San Juan or St. Thomas. On the bright side, our travel policy pays on itinerary changes. We picked our cruise because it fit our time frame so a Mystery Cruise doesn't hurt our feelings. According to their site, HAL is supposed to have an update out by today.

On a similar, but different note, we have a 2-week stay scheduled in San Juan in January, ticketed with American. I emailed them yesterday and asked if we didn't think our hotel, or the areas around it, would be vacation ready, would they work with us. Got a reply today, and they noted our account that we could make a change with no added fees, just the fare difference, and travel to be started within 12 months of original ticketing. They didn't have to do that, but it was appreciated. Moral of the story, don't be afraid to ask, nicely.

bb

Have you searched the general product description? I'd be surprised if you won't find comparable stuff, regardless of where you live.

Here.s a link that does a great job of breaking out different benefits by suite level: https://digital.cenveomobile.com/publication/?i=410008#{"issue_id":410008,"page":14}

If it doesn't work, here's how to find it.

Go to the HAL home page, scroll down to column under Plan a Cruise, click on "e-brochures", then scroll down to "staterooms and deck plans". On page 13 or 14 you'll find a very good breakout of SS vs Neptune benefits.

It has been about 10 years since I last cruised HAL. Are printed luggage tags still available through HAL or just the you print/attach with a stapler option?

 

Thanks!

Print and staple. I spotted these luggage tags on Amazon made specifically for the print-yourself tags. They are everything they're advertised to be: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017BVFA00/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I heard my favorite FLL hotel may be closing. Hyattt Pier 66 may be shutting down. If I plan to sail out of Port Everglades I'll have to go elsewheer, if what I heard is true. . I don't care for Embassy Suites though I know many posters here use that hotel. I like the 17th strreet Causeway area. but not the marriott.

Have you checked tripadviser.com? Guest ratings have helped us in the past.

Hello! The Holland America Neptune suite information indicates the size to be 506-590. Does anyone know if the SA suites are larger in size than the SC's? ... particularly looking at Nieuw Amsterdam SC 6100, 02, 04, 05, 07, 09 on the Upper Verandah deck. SC's appear to be smaller on the deck plan. Thank you!

The difference in size is marginal from what we've experienced. We will be staying in 6109, the first time in an SC, in November. We put this cruise together "last minute" compared to normal and honestly didn't care what cabin as long as it was a Neptune (we've become spoiled). After 4 cruises in aft-wrap SBs (which another poster correctly stated are slightly smaller, but the wrap-around verandas are much larger), we were ready for a change. After looking at the deck plans, 6109's location is pretty convenient to the aft elevators which get the most daytime activity from us, and is also relatively convenient to the mid-ship elevators as well. We're one deck from the Lounge, but that's never been an issue in the past. I would make sure you're happy with cabin location rather than which classification. We only have two in the suite and have never felt short of space.

I have searched for the answer and have not been able to find it.... Carnival gives you "drinks on us" once you hit however many points in the casino. Does HAL do that? I need to decide whether to buy the beverage package. Any info would be appreciated!

It's up to the pit boss's discretion. I only play Blackjack so I can't comment on slots or other table games. My experience is those players betting the minimum aren't likely to get comp'd. I play for substantially more than the minimum per hand, usually about three hours a night, and most of my drinks are on the house. They also have my name in hand before I get there as the Ocean Players Club does keep records of average bet, session length, and frequency of play and rates players accordingly. I always introduce myself to the managers before I play.

I would contact the Ocean Players Club. If your play has been tracked on Carnival, you might get some consideration. The Casino is the one area where your history should follow you. Your Mariner status on HAL is not reciprocal with other lines, and vice versa.

You will have no problem with using the Bev Pkg in the Casino if that ends up being your choice.