richwmn

It is unlikely that you will find an accessible HDMI (or any other port) on the TV. However, each cabin has a dvd player and HAL has over 1,000 movies aboard each ship that can be borrowed at no cost.

A listing from about a year ago can be found at

http://halfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ShipFlicks2.pdf

The list on the West India Company website has the Westerdam as anchored at the Inner Anchorage on 11/11. This is quite sheltered and, if the weather is good, should be calm.

 

This is the website: http://www.wico-vi.com/docs/default-source/ship-schedules/november-2015-ship-schedule.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

If you look there is a small symbol next to her name which indicates the Inner Anchorage. Thinking positively it is a short tender ride to the town and you avoid the crush at WICO/Havensite with 3 ships and 2 (including the Allure of the Seas(!) at Crown Bay!

 

The Westerdam tender platform also has an elevator down if stairs are a problem. I hope the weather is good for you!

I have no idea where you are getting that from...Just this minute I checked for Nov. 11 & clicked on the Westerdam it specifically says "dock" on the VI NOW. dot Com. Web site, which Rich posted in Post No. 9....The chart you are pointing to does not seem to indicate where the ships are..

 

Unfortunately you have to go thru the main WEB site VINOW dot com: then go down to Travel/Transport: then Cruise Ship Schedule: then October will show up. click on the green arrow for the next page showing the Nov. schedule: Then go down & hit Westerdam..

 

When I do that it indicates Dock..But as other posters have said if a ship doesn't leave then it could change..

VI Now is a general website for St. Thomas. The WICO site is specifically for the West Indian Company that controls the dock. I believe that WICO controls ships at anchor so if that site says inner (or outer) harbour then Westerdam will be tendering.

According to the website for the St Thomas Port Authority the Westerdam is in port on 11/11 and will be at the West Indian Co. Dock (commonly known as Havensite).

Links to that site are not allowed by CC, but can be found at VI Now dot com (without the space)

Can anyone tell me the name of the mattress on the Oosterdam? Also do any of you know if there is a coupon for Cruise parking . Park-:) n-Go.

HAL has (had?) an agreement with Park'n'Fly for a free day if reserved on the website and paid in advance. The link is here and seems to still be valid:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-vacation-onboard/HollandAmerica_FLL_FreeDay.pdf

Just a thought - is this a charter cruise? If so, then the chartering agency can require whatever deposit they want. Also, if it is a charter all payments would go to the chartering agency not HAL

We have never had a problem, our PCC takes care of it and sends a confirmation email lickety-split. :)

Add me to the ones who have a PCC that takes care of this. Sometimes I need to send an updated document, but that is generally all

I don't think it was ever done on any of the Vista Class Ships. I remember hearing that they carried "too many passengers". However, the game may have continued on the other ships for a while after the Vistas came into the fleet.

We are on the Zaandam beginning October 7 and have several DVDs we are going to bring along. Are the DVD players in the cabins region free? Thank you.

Yes, and if you run out of your own, there is a booklet with many more to borrow for free.

If you google ShipFlicks2.pdf you will be directed to a typed list of the movies in the HAL library as of last April. Quite an extensive list, but mostly older.

A slight deviation from the OP:

 

Has anyone ever asked for cash back rather than the usual credit to your credit card? With the Canadian dollar as it is, I though afterwards that I would have been better off asking the purser's office for the USD refund in cash for future use.

I always clear my account at the Front Office and get cash back. Only drawback is that there are no more charges after you settle your account.

ok I am getting a little concerned.....what happens if I am mixed in with group of noisy individuals and don't hear my cabin number/name called at muster drill......do they get mad thinking I did not attend or do they come hunting me down later and me tell them I was there???

A few HAL ships do have scanners. However, in either case when you get to the Muster area find the crew member with the clipboard or scanner and take care of it right away. Then they won't have to call out your cabin number.

Of course, no one "needs" insider info. But also, insider info is less valuable when the source's info has turned out to be less than accurate.

Something else to consider - sometimes information is "leaked" in order for a corporation to judge the reaction to it while contemplating a change. Depending on the reaction, the subject of the information may go forward or be put off until the climate is more favorable.

We had the opposite experience. We cruised the Norwegian fjords from July 4 to 11, but didn't return home until July 23, having spent the time touring in the south of France.

 

When I went to respond to my survey, which was waiting in my in-box, it said it had expired. I contacted guest services, and they said they couldn't re-send it once it had expired. Too bad, as we were complimentarily upgraded to the Pinnacle Suite, and I wanted to thank them!! I did write a letter directly to guest services, doing just that, though.

this is a different survey from the normal end of cruise survey that everyone gets.

I got the email asking about ending in Vancouver. I guessed that it was the Alaska portion of my reposition last year and did answer it.

It too was mostly about booking HAL excursions / hotels / transfers instead of independent.

While I don't argue that the topic is of great interest, It should be noted that nearly a full 20% of the posts in this thread are posts from the top 3 posters.

That's 1 in 5 posts by the same three people!

 

I'm also sure that one of those three will hit the red triangle and this comment will go *poof* very soon.:rolleyes:

Excellent post. But, hey they're good for CC's business - if it weren't for them and their repetitious posts, this Thread (and some of CC's Forums) would cease to exist.

 

So that this comment does not also "go 'poof' very soon", I'll end it with a comment on topic: As a former smoker, I do not enjoy being around smokers and their air pollution, but I certainly do not feel as though HAL should change its policies to accommodate me.

To keep on topic, as a never smoker, the smokers don't bother me. But more importantly, in addition to the 3 posters who have a large portion of the posts, as of last evening 202 of the posters or 64% have 3 posts or less.

The smoking issue is far more pronounced on these boards that it is onboard.

 

117 pages of comments from the same posters over and over is not indicative of real life situations.

Not exactly. There are 316 different posters on this thread.

At the risk of these three posts being deleted, 3 of those 316 posters account for 26% or the posts. 37% of the posters (119) have only 1 post, 17% have 2 and 9% have 3.

In addition, at any given time HAL currently has 13 ships with close to 20,000 passengers aboard which means that those 316 posters represent about 1.5%

go to this link:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/contactUs/Main.action

on the pull down menu for topic, one of the topics is "Onboard Bill Questions/Request a Copy"

chose that and make sure other information is correct.

Rich

Anyone know the street address for the Ft. Lauderdale port?

 

Sailing on the Koningsdam

The general address for the port is:

Port Everglades

1850 Eller Dr

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

That is not the address for the individual terminal(s) that HAL uses, if that is what you are asking for.

On the Zaandam and Volendam (don't know about Amsterdam and Rotterdam) there is a dial on the headboard with several selections. One of the selections gives you the announcements. This does not exist on the other classes of ships.

You are...

Adventure Man

During off-ship excursions, others haggle with merchants while you hack through rain forests. You enjoy venturing off, off, off the beaten path, whether it's a brisk ATV ride through the jungle, discovering a secluded beach, or canoeing down an isolated river. And your wardrobe often prompts the question, "Dr. Livingston, I presume?" Sailing away is just the beginning of the thrill ride.

If we have OBC (both TA and HAL), and we selected HAL's version of Anytime / As You Wish Dining (not sure what HAL calls the no set time MDR dining),,,,

 

a) Do we have to pre-pay gratuities (service charge) prior to cruise?

b) If yes, does that mean we cannot use the OBC once on board to pay for gratuities since they have been prepaid.

 

Thanks. (We have not been on HAL for many years, so trying to catch up on their policies, some of which I cannot find on the HAL site)

AFAIK - HAL does not ask nor require anyone to prepay gratuities. The only way I know of to do so is to purchase OBC, or have it from other sources, to cover the amount.

At the end of the day, this is still an investment with a really nice side perk. I wouldn't ever buy shares of anything if I didn't believe that it was going to go up in value. The OBC is just gravy on top.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

My view is different from yours. As long as the stock doesn't lose appreciable value when I chose to sell it I am happy with it retaining its current value. It is, after all, an investment which (at the current price) is returning 2.4% or so with the payments in dividends. I don't think any bank is paying that on regular savings accounts.

If I grab a cup of tea from the coffee shop, can I get it in a to go cup or is it always in a 'proper' cup? If it is in a proper cup can I wander around the ship with it? If I can wander the ship with it, what do I do when I'm done with it? Do I just put it down or do I need to return it to the coffee shop?

Everything you get on the ship will be in a "proper" cup, glass or on an actual plate. You can wander around the ship with anything. When you are done, you can place the glass or dish about anywhere and the wonderful stewards will make sure it gets back to the right place. If you see a service area, it would be better to leave it there.

Maybe this is a little easier to see

The rule of thumb is that if HAL gave you the OBC, they will not refund it but they also do not keep track, they just assume any HAL-provided OBC is used 1st. Any remaining will be refunded to your credit card on file (or you can ask for a check but it takes a while as comes from Seattle). If you have a lot of OBC 'left over' you can always charge on your card in the casino using the slots, play just a bit, then cash out and use that cash for extra tips.

 

Congratulations on the stock purchase. Now you need to get to the break even point where the OBC and dividends will 'pay' for the initial stock purchase as it was a good investment.

 

Nice problem to have! Enjoy your cruise.

My experience (more that a few cruises), is that the remainder is refunded in cash. I have never been asked if I wanted it returned to a card or to have a check cut.

Rich

The late great Louis Grizzard once said that he showed up at Atlanta airport to check in for a flight. When he got to the attendant he said hi, I'm going to Miami today, I want this bag to go to Chicago and that one to go to Denver.

When the attendant said that they couldn't do that, he responded "Well, you did it last week!"