Cruise4food

On 6/21/2021 at 6:41 AM, kazu said:

 

They are calculated the same way as they were before.  If you have the SBP the cost for it is added into your on board spending.  Your extra spending over and above what’s included is still added in.

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

 

On 6/21/2021 at 6:41 AM, kazu said:

 

They are calculated the same way as they were before.  If you have the SBP the cost for it is added into your on board spending.  Your extra spending over and above what’s included is still added in.

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

 

That matches the points count during my Viking Passage voyage on Rotterdam. The extra three days beyond my calculated on-board/excursion spend must have been the included beverage package. 

My custom watch face to celebrate the Zuiderdam Spa.  The original photo is from Dec 2019. 

26 minutes ago, atexsix said:

One last one for today, poor Hyacinth on the QE2, her worst nightmare as she finds her unsophisticated family members "stowed away" on the ship.

Definitely not The Loveboat ambience for this episode.

10 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

Okay, you’ve got me wondering who this is.  Help me out re: location, Marcelin or LaFleche?

 

Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂

Lafleche, it was.

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

Picture here.

Hi ger_77 you are at 9991 posts on June 21. A few more and ten thousand club. From the fella who visited the old cistern on your farm. 😄👓 please forgive my non-humour reply. Just wanted to say hi to a former neighbour from way back when.

1 hour ago, Jim9310 said:

 

MY LUGGAGE FOUND OUT THAT CUNARD CANCELLED MY 2022 WINTER BOOKING ON QUEEN MARY 2, SO NOW I HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER CRUISE TO DEAL WITH MY EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE.

 

 

      

 

Judging from the style, you have had that emotional baggage for a long while.

This “NO WELDING” message is from our beloved Maasdam. Triggered my sense of humour. I hope you enjoy.

14 hours ago, POA1 said:

Hopefully Pax #3 can bring 2 bottles.

Of course, but the 2 bottles must be sized to scale. oops! 😉🥲

On 6/4/2021 at 10:04 PM, HAL4NOW said:

Were the pictures taken with an Apple device? My iPhone pictures will often attempt to turn sideways or upside down for no apparent reason.

Sometimes when this happened in past, I rotated the offending pic over 90 deg and back (or just all the way around). Did a re-upload and the pic displayed properly.

4 hours ago, jlynchtx said:

I am thinking about booking my first Alaska cruise and first Holland America cruise on the Koningsdam for summer of 2022. it will be wife and i and possibly our 16 year old son. Where does the third person sleep in the verandah rooms? Is there a pulldown? Do I need to choose only certain rooms?  It is very hard to tell anything from the pictures online and I can't find any information.

 

Thanks!

In general, a room rated for 3 will use the sofa (lengthwise). The ceiling pull-down bunk will be the fourth. Rare exceptions may occur. 
 

4 hours ago, driftwood cruiser said:

If you have stayed in this cabin please let me know how it was.  Im planning to book this room on the 2024 Grand Voyage. Thanks

On the high level floorplan, Volendam 6215 has a side door to the hallway. That is not very common but may allow you to compare with a similar room. My guess is that the arrangement is similar to the Volendam 7086 (without the window).  My pictures of 7086 are on the Hal Facts site.

The location of 6215 has a nice benefit. The public decks at the stern on deck 6 and 7 are not usually crowded. Everyone else near you has a verandah. Plus the other passengers stay on deck 8 by the pool.

https://halfacts.com/r-class/7086-volendam/

On 4/22/2021 at 12:51 AM, Sue from Canada said:

I've flown twice from Ottawa to catch a cruise out of Rotterdam.  Note:  There are no North American flights to Rotterdam as this airport is for flights within Europe.

 

The 2X I've flown to Amsterdam I used Iceland Air via Reykjavik.  They have good prices and I booked Saga class.  I did book hotel and transfer with HAL.  Loved the Hilton Rotterdam and very close to city trams and a tourist tram.  Like others have said you could take the train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam IF you can handle your luggage (I could not).  A taxi would be expensive but you could prebook a transfer.

Did exactly the same a couple years back. Iceland Air Saga class from Montreal to Amsterdam, then stay at Hilton Rotterdam. Iceland Air lets you pre-select a meal over the Internet. I did just that and then realized  as we climbed out of Reykjavik that they just delivered a full lamb chops meal while everyone else has breakfast. Oops.

On 3/29/2021 at 6:42 PM, BJzink said:

Are the self-serve laundries not on the long itinerary (world, Grand) ships - Zaandam and Volendam any more? 

I was on Zaandam in 2018 and posted this in Aug. 

Just off Zaandam and the Lower Promenade laundry room has been converted to staff rooms LP01 and LP02. Cannot speak for any other decks.

11 hours ago, Reagan0712 said:

My question is...Do you have to know someone to get one of the single cabins?  No matter how far in advance I look they are always sold out.  I do realize there are a limited number but I’ve even checked the farthest date out I could and nada.

Keep a list of the precise room numbers and type some in directly (one at a time) rather than use the deck plan graphic. The HAL booking site will let you know if any of those rooms are available. Then you can either quickly book it yourself or pass the room number to your agent.

On 4/19/2019 at 9:05 AM, kentuckycruiser said:

Of course, after I posted this I went back and found a thread that as a general rule there is no change in fare after final payment is made. Sounds like I should be happy with HAL giving us some room credit.

I watch prices even after final payment and rarely see any significant drops. If the cruise is in high demand (such as Viking passage) the price will gradually rise and then stop, presumably because they are fully booked and have a waiting list.

I did get a good deal one time. On Maasdam Montreal to Boston in July, they had a major price drop about ten days after final payment. I called in and for $500 I upgraded from Interior to a Lanai room. I loved the Lanai, almost like a veranda, but you get to talk to people as they stroll past on the promenade.

8 hours ago, richwmn said:

Rotterdam did have a BB King group in the Crows Nest, but it didn't last very long.

Here is the BB King All Stars playing in Rotterdam Crow’s Nest during the Atlantic Crossing July 2017.

On 8/21/2020 at 5:20 PM, RuthC said:

Based on the pictures you included, you still can't watch TV unless you hold a mirror while sitting on the couch. 
Really dumb placement of both the bed and the couch. 

If the remote control has an option to set the tv screen image in reverse, then the handheld mirror on the sofa should work out okay.  Who is willing to send an email to HAL asking about that feature?  😉

9 hours ago, Roz said:

 

@jimdee3636, I've wondered about those studio cabins on NCL.  Some people seem to like them and tout the fact that you have access to the studio lounge.  That's all well and good, but as you pointed out, at the end of the day 99 sq. ft. is still 99 sq. ft.  

 

I will give NCL credit for at least recognizing there is a niche for solo cruisers. At least they're making an effort to accommodate people.  

 

 

Can't edit my post but meant to say booking as a SOLO on the Pinnacle class.  

Neat trick by HAL. All the solo rooms are ocean view, therefore are an upgrade from inside guarantees.

25 minutes ago, RuthC said:

I checked out the pics of 11058 (thanks for the link) and did not see a TV. Where is it located? 
I like that it's not across from the foot of the bed, but hope it's in a spot where someone can watch it. 

Thanks. 

TV is on the wall next to the desk. While sitting at the desk, TV is above your left shoulder. Given that the room has no sofa, you tend to watch while sitting up on the bed.

30 minutes ago, cruzn single said:

 Future Cruise Consultant said that is was quite small and more expensive than an inside, even with paying single supplement for the inside.

I reached the same conclusion and booked 11058 on Nieuw Statendam (inside on deck 11, but has a window looking to the jogging track). The pics show that 1012 and 11058 have similar floorpans, except for window and TV locations.  

Nieuw Statendam stateroom 11058

7 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

Okay, just got the e-mail from HAL.

Our May Ryndam cruise is now August on the Rotterdam.  Similar itinerary, and $100 OBC.

Sorry for a bit off topic. Puppy CANDU Cruise. Must be a high energy pup? 😉😂

20 minutes ago, Cailey53 said:

 Now if you go to the website and try and search for a Ryndam voyage, the ship name still appears but is no longer in bold type and won’t bring up any voyages. I think there might be a change coming..........

I am becoming convinced about the name change. The R class Rotterdam and Amsterdam were co-flagships of the HAL fleet. 

On 7/16/2020 at 6:53 PM, FlaMariner said:

.....Ryndam is listed (beginning w/the originally scheduled inaugural cruise)

As of today the formerly Ryndam cruises are listed as Rotterdam on the HAL Plan A Trip section. Must be another of the famous planning and booking engine troubles.

7-Day Premiere Voyage

This explains the anomaly that I see in dates for my July 2020 cruises Canada New England. Due date was changed but penalty dates are before the new final payment date. i.e. 50% forfeiture is a few days before you have to pay anything above the initial deposit. Confusing!!

18 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

P.S. Is it true that the Rotterdam and the Oosterdam will both be retired at the same time, to be replaced by the new ms Roosterdam?

And the first voyage will be chartered by KFC Corporation. 😂🤔