Cruise4food
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Posts posted by Cruise4food
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For timing of update to Mariner Status, I disembarked Koningsdam on July 29, newly qualified to 4 Star. The new status now appears on my account listing today Aug 1 (just three days).
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After the ipods to borrow disappeared from the HAL ships, you could still download an art tour podcast per ship and use your own device. I did have the podcast file for the Rotterdam R-class (previous Rotterdam) but erased it after she left the fleet. Was hoping to sail on her once more but never happened.
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3 hours ago, Panama GAL said:
Thank you so much for the feedback- I haven’t heard anything bad, so I’ll be booking this!
Transfer at sea. A little photo from our Roll Call to affirm your decision.
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10 hours ago, renee00 said:
It was around 6 years ago that I stayed in one, but I really liked it. I didn't find it distracting, and it was amazingly convenient to be able to just pop down the hall and be outside in a few steps. I spent a lot of time on the promenade. The curtain plus sort-of one-way window was sufficiently private for me.
Same opinion for me in Zaandam EE3414 Alaska Outside Passage (2018). The silver plating on the window seems quite good on the older ships. I was at the desk one day reading thru the paper-work when I caught motion out of the corner of my eye. Looking over, I saw a woman was on the Promenade and looking in my window. But actually not. She was using it as a mirror to comb and straighten up her hair.
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On 5/13/2023 at 8:49 AM, Spike2015 said:
Thank you for the review! On our way to Montreal to board the Zaandam today!
Say Hello to this family. A retired Captain with daughter and grandson.
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4 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:
You don't even get a real chair, just a cube to sit on so anything you do is done sitting on the bed (watching TV, eating room service). As others have said, if all you want is a bed, a dressing table with a cube to sit on and a nice bathroom the interiors are a great value and if you can live with that take one.
Only you can decide what area of the ship is your preferred level. If an upper deck suits you, look at the deck 11 interior room photos for sister ship Nieuw Statendam. The description above is accurate for most interior rooms.
https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/11058-nieuw-statendam/
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On 12/23/2022 at 3:49 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:
I'm thinking about Zaandam in 2024. Sadly, there are no wake-view cabins, but I am looking at something aft, as most mid-ship Vista "suites" are booked
Zaandam/Volendam 7083 and 7086 are Ocean View Partial Obstructed staterooms with wake watching through the window and easy access to that aft deck (which others described in this thread). A few people will discover that public deck but it is not high traffic. You can see pics on the Facts of HAL site.
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On 8/1/2022 at 7:41 PM, crystalspin said:
May I say two words: Gnocchi and Shortribs.
Oh yessss. If I recall, Shortribs are not on the menu every evening of the voyage?
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Just now, FrankieSue said:
Thank you! Is there anywhere to sit outside the cabin or is it just the stairs?
Oh yes, there are benches on the public balcony looking aft over the churning wake.
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1 hour ago, FrankieSue said:
Any comments or pictures of cabins 7086 and 7083 on Volendam?
You get to be the lowest cost “house” in the better neighbourhood. My pics in HALfacts are of 7086. It has slightly less obstructed view from the staircase but either one is great value.
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1 hour ago, Navybikermom said:
I wonder why yours doesn’t go all the way to Montreal? Riding the funicular to the Frontenac in Quebec was so cool!
Basically the first bridge that you encounter upstream of Quebec City determines what size of ship can travel all the way to Montreal. There is also a bridge at the edge of Montreal that limits ship size during particularly high water flow in spring, say May till perhaps June, not every year though.
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Just some general advice, in that I have not flown into Quebec City. Flying into Montreal is most likely how they will book you because that is a major airport, then a smaller plane to Quebec City. Be sure to ask HAL if they might fly you to Montreal then on ground transport.
I have seen that HAL offers flights in to Seattle and ground transport to Vancouver (or vice-versa). With Quebec City being a fairly new boarding spot for HAL, they might offer similar.
Option B you might find some smaller airports, Albany, Hartford that offer flights to Quebec City.
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45 minutes ago, Kelownabccan said:
Would like comments from any Canadians on a cruise....how did they go about doing it....
For myself, I went about doing it by booking for July 2022. I know that is not precisely who you want to hear from (those sailing in 2021).
Will watch carefully to see if the hassles are reduced by summer 2022. I will have to review the FCC rules for the funds moved forward from 2020 and 2021 canceled bookings. I do not recall when they expire, meaning you must use the FCC for for a cruise before a certain date. I hope to not have any more delays.
I have Zuiderdam booked for 14 days (7 days inside passage B2B). With Alaska ports there are more than enough excursions or just stroll thru the town to cover two visits in two weeks. One bonus of all the cancellations is that my FCC allows me to book a higher grade room than usual.
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3 hours ago, atexsix said:
, the streets change names like at every intersection.
In Sydney Australia, just off downtown area, the streets keep the same name, but reset the numbers at each borough. If the building at 1046 looks wrong, keep driving. There will be another 1046 in a few blocks.
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I am not sure if this link will work for many weeks or even outside USA/Canada. In case, here is a short text on the mini bar. From the FAQ section.
"The packages exclude purchases made in the Mini Bar, Honor Bar, Chocolate Seduction, In-Room Dining, beverages purchased on Half Moon Cay and any self-service draft beer."
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2 hours ago, RGEDad said:
I am a (now retired) engineer - so I am real big on Just-In-Case.
Reminds me of a story from a colleague after he flew on South West Airlines. The Captain introduced the names of flight and cabin crew. How impressive that he said something like " ...and our co-pilot is Justin Case."
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21 hours ago, scamper said:
I think a private, fully catered lifeboat would seal the deal for me. I can't be seen mingling with the riff-raff in the event of a serious accident. 🚢
Remember though. Some people promoted the RMS Titanic to be a fully catered lifeboat.
Not sure what happened to it, but there are rumours. 😂 🤣
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19 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:
Not sure about this since we were newly-bronzed before the shutdown, but am I correct that you thereafter get invited to the medallion award reception before the Mariner brunch?That fits my experience when I received Bronze Medallion for 100 Sea Days a couple years ago. A fellow traveler that I knew from a previous voyage (with far more sea days than me) was invited to and attended the ceremony, even though he was not getting a medallion that day.
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I can comment for HAL transfers when I fly in a day or two early and the transfer is to a hotel (less time pressure). Even then, the HAL agent at the airport makes decisions flexibly. if they have a lot of people from many flights arriving together, you will be in full size bus.
If it is about 6 people, then in a taxi van. Sometimes 4 in a minivan. Once i was placed alone in a regular taxi car, called off the airport line. The agent has a charter contract code to cover the taxi cost.
My point is they do not make you wait too long at the airport, even when transferring to a hotel.
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Looking at video from the actual first cruise of Borealis, they turned the outdoor hot tub into a gigantic planter. People complained that the hot tub blocked the side to side view at the stern (well, yes it did) but now there is a small forest above the hot tub.
And for the view, I am of a mindset that sometimes the hot tub itself provided a good view. 😉😇
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Interesting comment that I saw about the Borealis and Bolette (sp?) is they are the newest ships in Fred Olsen fleet. I took that to mean newest since launch date.
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15 hours ago, ris_scot said:
We were lucky to do this cruise too and I agree it was a great place to start. Sailed under the golden gate but the fog was so heavy you could barely see it.
The view was a tad murky. Let us hope there will be future departures from San Francisco just to see the Golden Gate clearly.
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Port of Seattle published schedule is linked below for the June 16 version. It is best to visit the cruise page of the Seattle port for an updated file between now and August.
https://www.portseattle.org/maritime/cruise
https://www.portseattle.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/2021 Sailing Schedule Updated 6.16.21_0.pdf
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On 6/25/2021 at 12:00 AM, leerathje said:
My window. If you have ever cruised to Alaska up the Inside Passage, you have sailed past this.
L.
Based on comments from a family friend who lived in Courtenay years ago,
"Don't call me Comox!".
Just a paraphrase from the movie Airplane.
HAL Hotel in Seattle when cruising Alaska
in Holland America Line
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Pre-Pandemic, HAL put me and a bunch of other Trans-Atlantic cruisers into the Rotterdam Hilton. The hotel is located next to a traffic circle with transit trains zooming through.