Btimmer

We're leaving Monday, 6/27 for a triple Denali starting 6/28, and I confirmed with my TA earlier this week that all is still a go. So, we're ready to head on out early Monday morning.

The Magenta Cell Phone carrier just announced today that certain of their plans now include data worldwide at 5G speeds. We've used this service for several years all over the world.

Thank you for your stellar reporting and summary. We leave a week from today to begin our triple Denali and then southbound on the Noordam.

We are on a land/sea HAL cruise that begins on 6/28 in Fairbanks. I'm currently on the phone with my TA and there are no indications that anything has been cancelled. On the HAL site, excursions in Denali can still be purchased.

Thanks for your response. Fortunately we live in Seattle and can fly to Fairbanks inexpensively. We do have a backup adventure available.

Just ordered via Amazon. Thanks for sharing the information. We've previously sailed on the Zaandam and have very pleasant memories of that trip and one not so pleasant one (robbed in Santiago, Chile).

We've cruised on all HAL ships except the Noordam and the Westerdam, and there's been a cook to order egg grill on each of them (separate from the omelet station).

@Sebbiesgrammywhich ship were you booked on? Is there a list of the cancelled cruises available yet? We and our 11 year old granddaughter are booked on a triple Denali which starts 6/28 in Fairbanks & then southbound on the Noordam. Just yesterday I received an official HAL notice about no Covid test being required to fly back to the USA from Vancouver (which we've really already known about).

I would recommend purchasing it in Fairbanks before moving to Denali. Maybe HAL would let you bring it on the ship since it is for medical purposes.

When the Volendam was chartered out to the city of Rotterdam, we received a full refund of our non-cancellable hotel charges for one night. It did take 5 weeks to receive it.

Yes, I know. In the Firefox browser, I get a message that the content can't be retrieved. I switched browsers and now see the options I formerly saw.

There was no beverage section like before. I'll look again.

I just went on the HAL site to purchase distilled water for me and a prepaid soda card for our granddaughter on our upcoming Alaska cruise on the Noordam and there is no longer an option to purchase these items in the indulgence section. It was there a few months ago. Is there any other option to be able to purchase these? I also checked my other future cruises, and the options are gone from them as well.

Sorry, you will see it on HAL. We've been on 5 cruises since the resumption and there were dishes in the hallway on every one of them. On one cruise the people across the hall would put their dirty dishes in front of our door. They got moved back across the hall. . .

We also received our email which states masks are required indoors with the exception of eating and drinking as well as the other provisions noted above by @Gray Lady. Our southbound cruise doesn't start until 7/3/22 on the Noordam.

Thanks for your comparison. We recently took a RCCL ship (Quantum of the Seas) on an Alaska cruise out of Seattle to do a comparison to HAL. The BIGGEST thing we were disappointed on that ship was that there was no forward facing area like HAL has in the Crow's Nest. On the flip side, Quantum's pizza joint served the best pizza we've had on the high seas. We're back on HAL at the first of next month to experience the Noordam for the first time, and we're looking forward to it.

We're on the Noordam starting 7/3 and we haven't received such a notice yet. But I won't be surprised to receive one.

We did a transatlantic on the Nieuw Amsterdam to FLL and walked across the dock to the Eurodam and did a 7 day Caribbean cruise.

Thanks for all of the commentary and pictures. We start our Land/Sea tour on 6/28 in Fairbanks and head south on the Noordam.

We, too, were booked on a Lufthansa flight only to Chicago. We waited 1/2 hour to check in at a kiosk as the online check in wouldn't work. I spent another half hour entering data as our passports wouldn't scan and the machine timed out on me erasing all of the data entry. So we joined the customer service line for another 45 minute wait as there were only 2 agents serving all of the problem cases. Got gate passes and then waited another 20 minutes to go through security where both of us got a full pat down. It was 15 minutes to get to a tram to take us to our gate. Waited there 10 minutes. At passport control, my wife's passport scanned but mine wouldn't so another 1/2 hour in the queue. 10 minute walk to the COVID letter check line. 20 minutes in line there. Finally reached the gate and about a 10-15 minute wait to go to a holding area for our bus to the plane on the tarmac. Another 10-15 minute wait there. Packed into the bus and rode out to the A-350 and climbed the rear stairs as we had seats in the back. Seated comfortably when the pilot came on and apologized for the now one hour ground stop for weather. At the end of the hour, he announced a further hold which turned out to be 45 minutes. Fortunately they passed out water as it was really needed. We had a terrific flight and Global Entry worked like a charm getting us through immigration in Chicago in minutes. Then it was a 1/2 walk to our domestic gate for a flight home to Seattle. Waited there about an hour and departed close to schedule but arrived early in Seattle. I agree that there seems to be a total shortage of workers. We have an upcoming land/sea HAL trip on 6/28 (land first), and we're a bit concerned it might be cancelled. If so, we'll cancel the entire trip.

We flew home from Munich last week and it took us 3 hours to reach our gate before waiting on the plane for another hour and 45 minutes for a weather related ground hold. The Munich airport was total chaos with long queues for virtually every activity.

We hardly ever relied on the old printed maps. Now we extensively use an app POCKETEARTH which gives us detailed maps that we can download upon arrival at our destination and then we don't need cell phone or wifi access after we leave the ship (although we generally have cellphone access through our TM cell plan). Tom's Port Guides are very good. We also use another app GPSMYCITY which provides nice walking tours and maps and detailed information.

We purchased 50 for around $15US off Amazon. We had to have them to fly on Lufthansa and travel on the German train system last week.

We've done 6 ATHOME tests using our iPhone and a small travel tripod. We use the emed.com product.

We're booked on a triple Denali starting 6/28/2022 with a sailing southbound on the Noordam. So far I've not received any notice of cancellation, but if it comes, I will be cancelling the entire trip as the major reason to do the land/sea was to take a granddaughter to Denali.