Ladyaruba

On 3/23/2024 at 1:39 PM, Dutchman48 said:

Have stayed in multiple Neptune suites on both Vista and Panicle class ships and enjoyed the immensely. That being said on the Zaandam and Voleendam we opt for the vista suite as the cost differential between the two is more than I am willing to pay. Would consider an upgrade offer but not at the price we see at time of booking.

 

We originally booked Neptune suite because I thought it was the only one with a balcony😬😬 I  called our TA who got us in a Vista/verandah for lots less money and the same HIA promo we had originally. Great having a TA!

We have gone in June and early Sept. We prefers June. Longer days, better weather and lots of snow in the mountains. Sept was rainier with shorter days but we still enjoyed it.

We are returning again this June!

We booked directly with Harv&Marv in Juneau. Only 8 people on the boat. Saw humpbacks, eagles and orcas😊

On 2/24/2024 at 6:23 PM, Ileneilene123 said:

Also, assuming we want to book HAL Koningsdam for July 2025, do you recommend booking directly on the Holland website, on a 3rd party site or with a travel agent? Is this the right time to book to get the best pricing? Thanks. 

Use a TA that knows Alaska.If there are any problems, they can take care of it easier than you can.

We did b2b in 2022 from Vancouver to Whittier and back to Vancouver. Same ship, same cabin!

Walking to Nugget Falls is more like taking a walk than it is hiking! We came back partially along the water and it was flat! There are usually lots of people so bears tend to stay away. If you come across one, just stop and let them pass. 
Well worth the walk!

21 hours ago, Ladyaruba said:

This may seem foolish but wanted to know if anyone has changed from one cabin class to a lower cabin class after booking their cruise?

Not realizing that a Vista suite on the  Zaandam had a balcony, I booked a Neptune suite. (Hubby insists on a balcony for Alaska)! 
I realize now that we can have a balcony with a Vista and the cost would be close to $3000 less! I know we wouldn’t get all the perks that come with the Neptune but it is only a 7 day cruise and don’t really need the extras! Just a cabin with a balcony! Everything else on our booking would stay the same as far as excursions, dates, flight, etc. Just a different cabin category.

 

I heard back from my TA and she got us changed to a Vista Suite and we still have all the perks we had on our original booking🥰🥰

excursion credits, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, drink package and crew appreciation! Very happy

,

41 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Typically as long as you are prior to final payment and did not originally select a non-refundable deposit fare, you should be able to make booking changes without penalty.  But I would check directly with the cruise line or your travel agent (if you used one) to confirm your options.

Checking with TA on Monday, thanks

56 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Perhaps the better place to ask this would be on the HAL board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/103-holland-america-line/

 

Shouldn't be a problem if a Vista is available. The only thing I can see is if you got certain perks with Have it All, or Club Orange, there is a possibility you might lose some of them, depending on availability.

lots of Vista suites available on the same cruise. Have it all still applies.

This may seem foolish but wanted to know if anyone has changed from one cabin class to a lower cabin class after booking their cruise?

Not realizing that a Vista suite on the  Zaandam had a balcony, I booked a Neptune suite. (Hubby insists on a balcony for Alaska)! 
I realize now that we can have a balcony with a Vista and the cost would be close to $3000 less! I know we wouldn’t get all the perks that come with the Neptune but it is only a 7 day cruise and don’t really need the extras! Just a cabin with a balcony! Everything else on our booking would stay the same as far as excursions, dates, flight, etc. Just a different cabin category.

Nieuw Amsterdam Aug28-Sept 11 Alaska

B2B Northbound Vancouver to Whittier, Southbound Whittier to Vancouver 

Does HAL do a Covid test in between the b2b cruises? We are doing Vancouver, Whittier, Vancouver and not sure if we have to test in Whittier and if HAL does it or we are on our own.

Anytime you enter Canada you need ArriveCAN. This is what I was told for when you need ArriveCAN

1. For your original flight into Vancouver from US

2 . again when you come back into Vancouver from Alaska

4 hours ago, TheLizardHouse said:

This is exactly what I am wondering, and I have made the same conclusion as yourself.  I still don’t understand why arriveCAN is needed a second time, to LEAVE Vancouver (by ship), but “ours is not to reason why” . . .

3. If you take an excursion into Canada from a US port

you should have your passport and vax pictures in the app and then I think you can  just add port of entry and dates

didnt mean to add comment from TheLizardHouse🤪

Aug28-Sept 11 2022

Nieuw Amsterdam 

Alaska B2B 14 days 

Was upset that Maasdam was sold and our 2021 14 day cruise was cancelled!

really liked the itinerary!

So now  it looks like BtoB in 2022! 
Taking advantage of the sale by booking by Dec 

On 4/1/2020 at 12:35 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Since you're beer capital USA, I have to ask. Does Tim Shaefer "the beerNJ and I still miss his restaurant and the fabulous beer 

My husband worked with RJ Shaefer in CT who was part of the Shaefer Brewing Co.

I live in the small state of RI and yes , the virus is here also.

Anyone coming back from international travel MUST self quarantine for 14 days. Anyone driving into:the state unless work related has to self quarantine for 14 days also. We get a lot of summer visitors to this area.

We returned from Mexico on 3/21 so have till 4/4 to stay home. Certainly miss our grandkids but want everyone to be safe. We are fine and don’t foresee a problem from our trip.

The state has closed all schools and non essential businesses. Bars, donut shops, restaurants, etc can only do drive thru, delivery, or  take out. Grocery stores are still open with limited times. 
No one should be out and about unless it it for gas, food or medications or exercise.

State parks and beaches are now closed because of people not taking this seriously and gathering where they shouldn’t!

A walk or a ride is okay as long as we are social distancing! Luckily we live in a less populated area so we can go outside and walk thru the woods or do yard work.

we are all in this together so stay safe everyone. Social distancing and hand washing are the key.
 

Did our first ever land/sea trip in June to Alaska onthe Noordam. 

We want to do another in June of 2020 but without the land portion.

We won’t mind  doing some of the same ports(Juneau & Ketchikan) but would like some others also.

We would also like a little bit bigger ship with a little more to do.

Any suggestions would be appreciated 

We were also limited to 6. On a few cruises they also had scatagory games which were even more fun than trivia. They allowed 8 per team.

1 night they had scattegories also

Don't know team amounts though

We like music trivia, too … was it a separate trivia event or just part of the regular team trivia?

Separate from regular trivia. They had it twice

6 person limit on the Noordam! The Music Trivia was fun!

We did the land-sea tour from Fairbanks to Seward where we boarded the Noordam to Vancouver.

I will do a full trip report once I get things settled back here at home.

This was our first cruise and while we had a great time and saw lots of Alaska, We don't think cruising is our thing. No particular reason though!

HAL was very organized and everything went smoothly thruout the whole trip. I have no other ship to compare this one to so I can't say much about that subject. It does need some updating but was fine for us.

Lots of the tips we received from this forum were helpful and some didn't apply to us at all. No need for magnet hooks in SS 8058. Nothing metal! Maybe the inside cabins?

No need for highlighters. The navigator App showed everything that was going on for the day. Just add to your itinerary and you were set for the day!

If I can answer any questions, please ask. I will try to get a report done soon! There were both pros and cons but like

I sad, it was a great trip and Alaska is amazing!

Were you offered the choice of booking a HAL operated transfer from the port of Vancouver to the Vancouver airport that bypassed customs and immigration? (In other words, were you given to option of going to the US side of the airport and thus not technically entering Canada at the pier and then reentering the USA at the airport, but legally staying in the USA the full time.)

 

Not that I have anything against Canada, but given the option of going through customs and immigration twice in one day, or not at all, I would likely choose not at all.

We also just returned from the Noordam trip.

We were offered Expediated disembarkment. We filled out a form a couple days ahead. All we did at the airport was checkin, drop off luggage, go thru security, scan passports just once. Very easy!

Thank you for all your great info!

Hubby will wear either Dockers with a nice button shirt or nice jeans with shirt, vest and possibly a tie for dining.