Hsmama

do you use a lanyard for id's while on the cruise?

thanks..... I'm reading that HAL info page right now..... so we have to turn our luggage over at the pier? What is this option I see of luggage companies on the HAL site? is that a necessity? We are planning a night at a hotel first anyway.... so getting there early usually just means long lines? vs. arriving closer to 1?

Ok disclaimer here- not sure where to ask this, so I decided to keep it cruiseline specific..... I'm a newbie,so it's a noob question also.... not sure if different lines operate differently tho.....

How does actually getting onto the ship work? I'm reading different threads,and it sounds daunting.What am I supposed to know about this process? How do we know what time to get on? does it matter?

def. gonna hit this place up to shop when we get there....

Thank you for the great info! Yes...Alaska, so it sounds like my usual package of sealed granola bars is a good idea for snacks to take along....if we're allowed to do that. and I don't mind tap water at all,just wondered bout the potability of the ship water- most of the time we only drink the basic stuff so that's perfect! And I will bring some tea of my own choice along....

I am wondering some things..... what are the rules regarding food on a HAL cruise? Since there are all you can eat places all the time onboard, is it ok to get sandwiches to go,say on a port excursion? Are there rules on this? It would be convenient to have some packed lunch along with us. Also, to clarify, is there ample clean drinking water on the ship? I am a little confused by talk of drink packages, soda packages,etc. I just want to know about water,hot tea,coffee,etc. Is it allowed to bring bottles of water onboard with us?

oh man.... these look pretty good for the price..but I just got finished with another thread that talks about water resistant vs waterproof gear.... and I'm thinking I need more? anyway it'll be fun to shop

this is good info- so how do I find that form to send it in?

We did an Alaskan land cruise tour Aug 2015. If you are looking for a great whale trip, we did one with Harv and Marv in Juneau. We saw Orcas, Humpbacks and sea lions. It was fabulous. We took their option of dropping you off at Mendenhall glacier afterwards to tour on our own and took the 10 dollar bus back.

Haines was walkable not much there. Ketchikan was walked around as well.

this sounds really cool..... I'm going to look for their company site

I typically get an email response from World Cruises within an hour (from their opening of time) of when I sent my fax. You do need to include your email address in the fax you send them.

 

I use a TA so can't see my OBC but I know that it is there. My TA tells me it shows up very quickly - within 24 hours at the most. I just take the email I get from CCL with me, in case ;)

 

 

You might want to check your fax # and if your email was on it and all that good stuff and re-send to be safe? I have always found them very fast to reply.

so I believe we have a small onboard credit with our booking, how do I view this again? I need to contact the TA ?

1. You are not limited to ordering just off of the room service menu. You can order almost anything from the main dining room menu through room service and have it delivered to your cabin.

 

2. On the room service menu, you can write in additional items that are served at breakfast throughout the ship and they will bring them to you.

 

3. The Hotel Service Charge covers all your tipping whilst on board. There is no need to provide additional tips. If you wish to tip extra, I recommend that you increase your Hotel Service Charge.

 

4. HAL passengers love to line up. They enjoy lining up to get on the ship and lining up to get off the ship. Whenever you arrive in a port, passengers will start lining up early to get off the ship. Just wait until about 30 minutes after arriving in port and you can easily walk directly off the ship.

 

5. Bring a small table cloth if you plan to dine on your balcony. It will elevate the experience even more.

totally new to cruising here....so you can order room service from the dining room,and they bring it to you,and the this is all part of the gratuities fee that we pay ahead of time? this sounds pretty great....

I see the OP is on HAL. According to the information on HAL's website, they changed their terminology from formal nights to Gala Nights, and in their definition of a Gala night, it does appear that it's a very relaxed dress code. For men, it's slacks with a collared shirt or if they prefer, coat and tie, but that's not required. For the women, you can wear fancy clothes, but all that's required is a dress, skirt, slacks and a nice top. About the only things they don't allow are shorts or torn jeans.

 

OP, cruise lines don't indicate on their itineraries what nights will be a Gala night, but generally speaking, it's the first sea day and maybe the second to the last night. But you don't need to worry about bringing gowns and tuxes.

Yes..sorry I'm on Holland America.... so you have to bring dressy clothes on a cruise? If it's not indicated, how do we know when we're supposed to dress up? And does this apply for every dining area?

I'm reading various places,about formal nights on a cruise? what is this? Do all cruises have that? How do I find out? I can see my itinerary, but I don't see a formal night or anything listed

all this is good to know. I am going to spend some time researching the different options..... I know our cruise is going to be pretty 'basic' compared to a lot of choices here, but I think as our first time to Alaska,and cruising,we're going to love it anyway!

thanks for the replies- I love these boards! Ok,stay on the ship and bring binoculars it is!:D

Ok one last newbie question... if my itinerary says 'cruising hubbard glacier' and lists the times as 2-6 pm, does that mean we stay on the boat? or do we have an opportunity to take small boat elsewhere like a tour?

Trying to gauge what is best...newbs going on Alaska cruise in April/May. From what I hear, there are excursions booked by our cruise line, and then there are other options. I would love to save $$$ and use other tour operators. What is the source of info for this? And do we run a risk of getting stuck at port somewhere,while the ship sails without us if we use another operator? I have a basic idea of some things we may like to see/do while in ports.

Are you really surprised to learn that the wording in an ad might be just a little bit misleading - in an effort to attract possible customers?

not surprised,no....more just tryng to figure out the pricing scheme for crusies. I' really familiar with airfare or hotels,and price changes,etc. But I thought maybe I was missing something about how cruises are actually priced- what ya'll said makes perfect sense,now that I know! thanks for all the advice.... this forum is great! I can't believe we're on our way to our very first cruise!

ok thank you! office and storage doesn't sound too noisy! :D

We will be sailing on Oosterdam in May- I have a question about the decks,etc. we currently have (the only room left in our category) which is not ideal (based on what I've read,but it will have to suffice) and I am wondering about the deck plan..... we are booked in F1008,main deck. (good I guess b/c it's lower, not so good b/c it's so far forward) anyway the deck right above, lower promenade,according to the plans on this site show a blank area right above our section of cabins, at the front of this deck is the vista lounge balcony, farther back is the casino. what is that 'blank; space? I'm hoping it's something not too noisy right over our heads....

...and.... even better..... the $300 travel credit is per calendar year. Booked cruise in December, paid deposit. got statement credit. Will use it again to pay balance in the new year. Bam. Another credit = $600 discount just for using it. Already more than paid for itself,plus the 100,000 points.

thanks for the info..... side question- do soft drinks come with the regular eating places? or are they always extra?

so.... update on what I needed,in case anyone else can use the info.... I got in touch with someone from the trip insurance store,it was very helpful. I asked my specific question... if fares 1&2 cost xxx,and fares 3&4 cost 0 in same cabin,but fare 4 ends up cancelling, do I need CAFR insurance for that possibility? The answer was NO. Since pax4 fare was technically 0, the port fees and taxes would come back to us anyway.

That said, I decided to book CAFR insurance for our trip, just for peace of mind.(the cost difference was about $75 for this option) and this way no matter what happens we're (mostly) covered. I didn't technically need it, but I feel better having it.

Yeah, I hear you on the HAL cc.... I like the offer only b/c it's no annual fee,and they give $50 OBC to use right away which is a nice little perk. (I'm familiar with other,better cc offers tho)

Yes, you can pay your gratuities up front. It's a set daily rate per person and the amount will depend upon whether you're in a suite or not. Suites are $13.5 and all others are $12.5. Feel free to tip extra for excellent service. For example, we always give a couple of dollars for room service. Bar service has it's own gratuities and an automatic 18% (IIRC) is applied to all drink orders including soft drinks.

Ok so if I haven't yet paid them in my fare, I can set it up ahead of time on my cc? I want to keep it simple and do this.... bar service....so if I order a beer, is it auto tip with the 18% added in? it the price of the drink included the 18%? Do I then tip on top of that? (again, want to get the proper idea before we go)