Ready2go11

Thank you for the advice but i already tried both. I started with the HAL reservation line listed on the web page for help. They received the same error after entering all the info) and then gave me the number for FlightEase. I called that with the same result and they are the ones who told me about the 200 day “tip.”

i will likely just go straight to the airline; in this case IcelandAir. Flightease was slightly cheaper but luggage not an issue so I would rather lock in to a price 

I have been trying for a week to book a flight in October using flightease from BWI to Amsterdam, first online and then via phone. Although it says flights are available and they have a limited supply I keep getting errors saying purchase cannot be completed at this time. This message comes up after entering all of my information and trying to click on book. The same thing happened to the agent when I called on the phone.
 

They told me when the trip is more than 200 days out, they sometimes see this error and that I should try again when it’s less than 200 days. The fare is very good so I hope it is still available then. A little frustrating that they show flight options and let you get through all the screens only to have an error. 

Thanks for the quick response. Disappointing given how much money I’ve spent on HAL. I thought it would be nice to attend a bronze ceremony with my sister as a shared memory. I guess it will be memorable in a different way now 😉

We do not need 4 star pins. Important thing is to receive the benefits (which we did). 

I reached 100 nights earlier on this Koningsdam cruise but did not receive an invite to the 11am on board ceremony. Do they make you wait until your next cruise?  I always thought it was the cruise you earned it on. 
 

Btw, my sister and I achiever 4 star at the conclusion of our last cruise in October and never received a pin or any recognition, although our account and benefits on this cruise do reflect 4 star. 

Thank you for all for the helpful replies!

Leaving next week for my first cruise as a 4* since earning it in October. Very excited to enjoy my new perks. 
 

Curious as to any recent experiences of the wine tasting listed on the Mariner star chart, specifically on the Koningsdam. Do they actually hold the event?  If so, what can we expect?

thank you in advance for any helpful comments. 

13 hours ago, Hygge! said:

We are currently on the Koningsdam and in Club Orange. You can easily request a table of two - which is what the majority of folks are doing. Also, fresh squeezed orange juice in the mornings and no up change. Great service.

Thanks to everyone for the information and the photo.  We are a party of 6 trying CO for the first time on the Kdam on a Christmas cruise. Can you share the in room breakfast menu that is supposed to include some extra choices?

I received a similar notice in my cabin on my September cruise on the Zuiderdam. I use an app to control my credit card and often lock it to avoid fraud, and the card I registered to my online account was locked when they tried to do the authorization. 
 

i unlocked the card, went to guest services and they re-ran the authorization and had me sign a credit slip. All fixed and all my fault in the first place. I will admit to being a bit peeved when I saw the notice until I realized the why. 

Thanks for the responses. I will be glad with the free extra day they added to the cruise right after I booked. They added a 15th night with a stop in Half Moon Cay. Thanks for that bonus HAL !

Thanks for the responses. I will set my expectations accordingly!

Two weeks ago, booked the TA crossing leaving Oct 7, 2023 from Amsterdam to Ft. Lauderdale. Received some extra OBC because we booked while on board a cruise but wondering if it should have qualified for the following Mariner bonus as well (excerpted from HAL’s Mariner site). I thought I had seen somewhere that we had until November of this year to book the cruises that were out for later in 2023 to get the bonus. Anyone have any experience to share on receiving this Mariner early booking bonus OBC?

In appreciation of your loyalty, we’re offering Mariner Society members a new exclusive early booking benefit: onboard credit of up to $400 per stateroom when you book within 90 days of a new season launch* – for 2023 cruises and beyond.

Thanks!

Recently booked club orange on two upcoming cruises for the cabin upgrade (both Pinnacle class ships). A benefit I have not often seen mentioned on CC is below from the HAL website. For those who have done Clue Orange, can you share what experiences have been offered and note which ship you were on?
 

Invitation to a special onboard event chosen by
the ship’s captain, such as a:
• Private Greenhouse Spa & Salon® consultation
• Complimentaryjewelrycleaning

thanks!

I am two weeks out from my Noordam Oct 2 trip. I have a guarantee SY with no cabin assignment and no boarding time yet. Drives a precrastinator like me crazy!  I know I will have a place to sleep so its not worth stressing (too much) about. 

I did get a tip from a HAL Rep I. I was worried I would not be able to print luggage tags for this trip since I have no room assignment.  I am leaving Tuesday to head to a pre-cruise cruise and did not want to rely on a hotel printer for the tags. The HAL rep said print them out without the room assignment now and then just write in the cabin number. I will have to rely on the e-boarding pass to get on since printing now would be useless. 

All first world problems, I know 😏

We had the metal cans and metal bottles on a recent voyage on the Zaandam. The bottles were for purchase and the cans were part of the beverage package. Once we caught on to that, we started asking for the bottles and sometimes they would give to us and other times no. 
 

As noted the bottles are more functional as you can close them back up. 

I met Afton on board the Zaandam during the restart voyage last May. He was excellent!  We enjoyed talking to him about his family and experience.
 

Sadly I will not be on board a world cruise (at least until I retire) but look forward to joining the Zuiderdam on Sept 21!

Depends on the bartender. I have experienced some who do measure and some who just pour. 
 

I have also experienced some really good drinks and some not so great 😉 and it is not always dependent on whether they measure. More about experience (and knowing what they are making).  If you find a good bartender on board try to go there to get beverages when possible. 

Including 18% gratuity Caneletto is $22.40 per person and Pinnacle is $46.00. 3 star and up would earn a discount off these prices. 

Not sure about NA, but Rudi’s was removed as a dining pop up option on the Noordam 6 day coastal from Oct 2 to Oct 8. We were able to book it on Zuiderdam Alaska embarking on Sept 22. 

Glad my experience could help!  No one wants to spend time at guest services while on vacation 😉

I just went to the booking for my upcoming September cruise, clicked on Cruise activities, and on the left-hand side list there is an option to purchase shipboard credit. I then chose an amount of $100, for example, added it to my cart, went to check out and there was an option to add a gift card to pay.
 

You would not be able to use $53, but you would be able to purchase $50. The other $3 would have to be added on board at guest services. However this may be helpful for others who have gift cards with more even dollar amounts. And personally I think I would give up the three dollars just to not have to wait at guess services and then deal with it!

After many loyal years with Holland America, we are trying a 4 night Thanksgiving cruise on the Royal Princess this year. Our booking includes the information below. What in the heck does dining migrated to ocean mean?  I googled it and it looks like it has something to do with the medallion app but I am not making the connection in terminology. 
 

Thanks in advance for the help. 

13 minutes ago, Suncoastsailors said:

At least you get an e-mail. We get casino offers, but never an e-mail. Only find deals by searching through 46 pages of cruises. I save the deals to favorites on the web site so that I can easily go back and find them. It is easy to spot the deals as they are the $200 pp cruises. 

Have you tried sorting the search pages from lowest to highest cost after you get to the list of all cruises?  There is a drop down on the right hand side of the screen where you can sort by different criteria. It defaults to recommended but you can change it to-other things, including price low to high. 
 

Since casino offers show with a price of $200, all those should show up in the first pages. 

41 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

Good to know. Any idea where I would find that on the website?

 

Your copied portion is about immediate payment required so I will address that 
 

Below are two excerpts of the fine print from the bottom of the email offer, although I asked if I could pay online and the agent said yes as long as I did it within 24 hours.
 

I wanted to do it  online, as I went to AARP, bought HAL gift cards at 10% off and then paid with those. I also used future cruise deposit credit purchased last month while on board so received an extra $50 OBC there. I love stacking deals 😏

Guests are required to provide valid credit card information at time of booking. A charge will be made of $200 per guest (applies to first two guests in a stateroom only). This will be refunded as an Onboard Credit once onboard, as shown on booking confirmation. This charge, all taxes, fees & port expenses, upgrade costs and add-on items are due at time of booking.

This promotion is 100% non-refundable from the point of payment and you are not entitled to any refund, payment, compensation or credit. We strongly recommend that you obtain travel protection for unforeseen events such as trip cancellation, loss or damage to baggage and personal effects, illness, medical expenses, accidental injury or death, or emergency evacuation. Holland America Line offers two Cancellation Protection Plan options which…

Booked Friday with a family member who actually received the offer not me. 
 

Sharing my experience and what I learned. Forgive me if you already know any of this and as always, all experiences are different. 
 

If the person who received the offer logs into their Mariner account and searches for cruises, you will see the reduced prices for cruises included in your offer, including upgraded cabin options.  However, you cannot book online. We called the number on the offer flyer in the email. Our offer was for a free ocean view cabin. We selected a Christmas cruise for 7 nights. 
 

Inside and ocean views are charged $200 per person at booking plus applicable taxes and port charges. So how is it free?  They give the $200 back to each person as OBC on the ship. I presume they charge that so the guest has some skin in the game, as otherwise you could cancel with no penalty since taxes and port charges are refunded if you cancel. 
 

By checking ahead online before we booked, we saw that we could upgrade to a verandah cabin for $549: of which you would still get $200 back in OBC. However, only obstructed verandahs were available. There was no choice for a higher category verandah. As a free cabin, we would be assigned a category F inside, meaning a cabin on deck 1 of the Koningsdam, which is the cruise we chose. 

However, the phone agent said since there were no unobstructed verandahs available with the sail and play promo that we could pay to upgrade to the Orange Club for $25 per person per day, or an extra $350 for both of us for the week. That Orange upgrade allows you to upgrade your cabin to any in the same grouping, or in this case, a jump up to any verandah available. 
 

We upgraded to deck 6, mid ship which has a bunch of upgrade fees if we were booking a verandah without the casino offer. Plus, we will receive the Club Orange benefits as well 

We also asked if we could add the Have it All package and were able to for the standard price of $349 per person for the 7 days. The extra cost is worth it for us for us for wifi, dining, beverage package and excursion credit. 
 

We will be traveling with other family and without the casino offer; they booked identical cabin classes and HIA and paid about double what we did with the casino offer, so it was a huge savings and we will still receive the $200 pp in OBC (their included OBC is smaller too).
 

HUGE warning. You must pay for your entire cruise fare within 24 hours of booking and it all becomes non-refundable immediately. If we cancel, we will only receive taxes and port charges back. Highly encourage anyone who books this type of special to consider travel insurance. Of course, if you book and keep the ocean view cabin with no extras, your at risk amount would only be $200 per person. 
 

Hope that helps you.