Ken the cruiser

Just to get you past the Live From pre-cruise "boring" warm-up stuff, go to Page 4 starting at post #83 in my below thread where we arrived a day early and stayed at a pre-cruise hotel reserved through Princess. The thing about the Diamond Princess, which was built in Japan, is that is has been tweaked to give a more Japanese culture-based experience, to include dual Japanese and English-speaking CDs, Japanese menu selections, a Japanese Bath and Japanese "electronic" toilets in most cabins! Here are some pictures of the 2 Men's Japanese baths. The women have 4. and shower area. As well as a pretty cool covered hot tub area on the back of the ship. BTW if it was us and we were going to book a suite on a Grand class ship, we would book an aft-facing Vista Suite on the Dolphin deck which has a huge fully covered balcony.

We were on the Diamond on a 17-day B2B around Japan in July 2023 and had a great time in a Reserve Collection mini suite which allowed us to eat in the Reserve Dining Room where you will be dining. If you look in my below expanded signature area you’ll see my Live From thread which pretty much covers what we experienced. If you have any specific questions after reviewing it, please let me know.

One advantage booking a cruise with 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula rather than just 2 days like Celebrity and NCL offer is this new 10 kn speed restriction. In 2021, IAATO Operators strengthened the measures by committing to a mandatory 10kn speed restriction for vessels operating in IAATO geofenced time areas, and whale watching and whale avoidance mitigation training by all bridge teams while operating in any areas where whales are routinely seen. This slower speed can definitely reduce the distance a ship can cover in just 2 days. https://iaato.org/iaato-set-to-begin-2023-24-antarctic-season-with-new-and-enhanced-responsible-tourism-measures/

We were on the Xpedition back in 2015 on the Southern Loop itinerary and had a great time, as everything was new to us, plus we were able to upgrade from an OV cabin to the RS for an additional $650 total, which was a once in a lifetime deal! 😁 We just went back to the Galapagos in Dec 2023, but on the Flora this time and were totally wowed by the ship as well as the Inner Loop itinerary (see Live From thread in my expanded signature). However, I will say when we booked the Flora cruise back in Dec 2021, the price was about the same for either an Xpedition Suite or a Sky Suite with Veranda on the Flora on similar Dec 2023 itineraries.

Great article and quite on target IMHO as we were on the Sapphire for 30 days in Jan/Feb and experienced much of what Tim Johnson discussed in his article. 😁

Just for the record when comparing prices back in 2019 with now, we were on the Maasdam on a 30-day Australia Circumnavigation cruise in a veranda cabin that ran $372 pp/day (with no extra booking perks). I just checked and a similar veranda cabin on the Nov 2024 Australia circumnavigation cruise on the Westerdam is $294 pp/day (without HIA). Like I said, one big reason we're looking at HAL again is because their costs have definitely become more competitive.

Thanks everyone! I just figured out that I had to tap on the July itinerary a little harder than I originally was and was then able to order the 4-device Wi-Fi plan at the reduced Elite fare and have it charged to the credit card on file, which was a little cheaper than if each of us had pre-purchased the 1-device plan.

Unfortunately, we have the Plus package booked on our next cruise, which is in a couple of weeks, and I can't seem to figure out how switch to our July cruise in the App. This is what I'm seeing in the App on our upcoming itinerary and don't want to click on the UPGRADE button for fear it may book it again for some reason. But from your experience if I do click on the UPGRADE button once we are able to access our July booking, will we be given the option to pay the 50% Elite charge with a credit card prior to boarding or will it just show up in our shipboard account?

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I couldn't find the answer. If we each pre-book the unlimited Wi-Fi package at the full price, we understand that we will get the 50% Elite discount in the form of OBC once we board the ship. However, if we wait to purchase the unlimited Wi-Fi package until after we board (via the App hopefully), will we only be charged at the 50% rate rather than paying the full price and getting the difference posted as OBC to our account? Is this correct?

Possibly. I guess we’ll just have to wait to see what happens when the OP contacts Princess to have it removed.

As others have mentioned, the Plus package is included in the base fare if you add it during the booking process. The only time it’s not is if you purchase it shortly after you board the ship. We recently made Elite and asked our TA to remove the Plus package from 3 of our booked cruises, as we deemed it was no longer cost effective for us, plus we were in suites, with complimentary mini-bar setups, on 2 of those bookings. On each occasion, a refare at the current category fare was required as the Plus package was included in the base fare. On one booking the cost of the category we had booked had significantly gone up, so we passed on having it removed. On the second one, the fare had gone down, so we proceeded with the removal which also caused a decrease in the PCL insurance policy. On the third booking, the cost for our cabin category was still the same as when we originally booked it, so we had it removed from that one as well. Not sure how it works after final payment.

Thanks for explaining the back story you were relating to! Hopefully, it will be a lot more light-hearted and focused on simply making the audience laugh, using skits focused on variety shows from way back when. I guess time will tell. In our case we won’t be on the Eurodam until March 2025, which should give them plenty of time to perfect the delivery.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. Heck, Deal or No Deal is also on X, PCL, and NCL ships, and we enjoy sitting there watching the show, as the ship is usually the big winner pretty much every time, considering you pay around $25 for one card!

Sorry, I have no idea what you’re referring to. But then I’m in my early 70s which should explain a lot! 😂

And we were definitely part of that disgruntled group back in 2019 that moved on. In our case now being fully retired and dedicated cruiseaholics who mostly book 3-5 week cruises, we want it all. Awesome itineraries, free laundry, main theater shows, trivias, and funny game shows. As far as the dining aspect, we want to eat early, have the same servers, and of course enjoy tasty meals. We prefer booking an aft-facing cabin whenever possible and at a reasonable price. If any of the 4 cruise lines we now book with fall short in any one of those categories, their competing itinerary has to be that much more awesome to still be considered in the running. In the case of HAL, their prices and early booking perks have definitely improved this past year and with the production shows now coming back, they now check all of our boxes. 😁

Us too. Maybe if they offer a free cruise! 😂

Really? You have to buy a ticket to participate in a game show? Hopefully you don’t have to buy one to watch them. 😁

We did this itinerary back in Jan 2018 and had a great time too!

Hopefully they will return too, as we enjoy those types of performances as well.

It looks like it will be a slow rollout across the fleet. The four new shows will be the anchor for entertainment programming, Holland America Line said. The new productions debuted on the Eurodam in February 2024, followed by the Rotterdam, the Zuiderdam and the Nieuw Statendam by the end of June, with more ships to follow.

OK, we're now really starting to get excited about cruising with HAL again on their 3+ week cruises! 🕺💃 Holland America Line Debuts New Production Shows - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News Beginning in February 2024, Holland America Line is set to debut four shows that unite singing and dancing in a new mainstage experience. The concert-style productions are fronted by three multi-talented headliners, who will be supported by an ensemble of singers and dancers. New shows include “Song & Dance,” which is set on a studio backlot and features two leading men fronting a concert of musical numbers from Broadway, Hollywood and more. Holland America is introducing “Class Act,” a production that aims to bring Las Vegas to the sea with an elaborate show that celebrates iconic female music performers. “All That!” was created to transport guests to a TV studio, where they can be part of the audience of variety shows of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The new program includes “Hey, Mr. DJ,” which will feature iconic radio DJs presenting songs from the ’60s through today. HAL's elimination of the production shows back in 2019 was one huge reason we started cruising with other lines, as we do enjoy going to the theater shows in the evening.

OK, we're now really starting to get excited about cruising with HAL again on their 3+ week cruises! 🕺💃 Holland America Line Debuts New Production Shows - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News Sorry for the temporary interruption to the flow of this thread. But HAL's elimination of the production shows back in 2019 was one huge reason we started cruising with other lines, as we do enjoy going to the theater shows in the evening.

As I mentioned earlier, this is another awesome itinerary that is unique to HAL, so far. 😁

Cool! That's what we were hoping to hear!

If I might ask, did they offer lectures on sea days?