dallascruiser

58 minutes ago, sciencewonk said:

I've not been on the NA but have been on Noordam for 52 days in the past two years and love it.  I personally like the smaller ships.  If I was picking for an Alaska cruise, like you are, I would lean toward Noordam because of familiarity, but ultimately, I would choose the one with the most appealing itinerary. 

I booked Noordam Alaska which had a better schedule for Alaska, thanks for info

6 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

NA has Tamarind restaurant; Noordam is smaller and easier to get around. 

I personally  like the smaller ship intimacy of the Noordam, when the grandeur of Alaska is staring you in the face from all sides.

 

Recently spent 21 days on the Noordam, including 14 days in Alaska - no problems at all. Loved the addition of Valdez to the more typical Alaska itineraries. 

 

Another test - who will you be sharing ports with, and does one leave midweek and another follow the more standard weekend to weekend itinerary, though most 14 days cruises go more off the beaten path.

I booked Noordam 14 day Alaska cabin J1073 which is large inside.  Thanks for all the thoughts

I booked a large inside J1073.  Thanks 

28 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Which itinerary?

Alaska 14 days from Vancouver

I have pretty much decided on a 14 day Alaska cruise in the Noordam and would appreciate help deciding on which inside cabin.  I know RUTH likes the Main deck J and K, there are lots of K’s and J there is 1113, 1119, 1123 cabins available plus on deck 6 aft there are lots which looks good because cabins above and below.  Thanks a lot to all of you that respond!

21 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Better in what way? You will see each has a large number of fans. We have sailed both twice, would sail each again in a heartbeat. 

Thanks just wondering if there was a glaring difference in anything, I thought they were pretty comparable

19 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Which itinerary?

Alaska

Getting ready to book Alaska cruise and wondering  which ship is better Noordam or Nieuw Amsterdam?  Thanks a bunch

14 minutes ago, oakridger said:

The ships all have Starlink now and reports are that internet is vastly improved!

 

~Nancy

14 minutes ago, oakridger said:

The ships all have Starlink now and reports are that internet is vastly improved!

 

~Nancy

Thanks so much!

Linda

I haven’t cruised HAL in years and have 3 cruises booked and am wondering if the Wi-Fi has improved?  Thanks in advance.

2 minutes ago, Dutchman48 said:

We stayed at the Embassy Suites, they picked us up and dropped us of just outside baggage claim.

When we arrived we saw Holland's reps in baggage claim, and confirmed where and when we should be picked up on departure day.  I would suspect any hotel by the airport could do the same.

 

One thing to note is the buses used to take you to the ship are the same ones that took people from the ship to the airport. All that means is you don't need to be at the at the crack of dawn.

Thank you so much we’ve stayed at Embassy Suites in Boston before.  Thanks for all the tips.

Linda

On 12/5/2023 at 6:38 PM, Dutchman48 said:

If you're getting in mid-day or later, I recommend staying at one of the airport hotels with shuttle service. We fly in from the west coast and by the time we get we get to a hotel all we want to do is relax. Wet then take the hotels shuttle back to the airport in the morning and catch HAL's shuttle to the ship.

Boston is a great town to visit but needs more than a half day to enjoy.

Thank you so much, that makes a lot of sense.  We have been to Boston many times and aren’t interested in seeing sites.  We will be tired by the time we arrive at a hotel and just want to rest.  I haven’t done a ships transfer in many years so that will be interesting also.  Thanks again for a great idea to help with my budget.  What hotel have you stayed at in Boston airport area?  
 

Linda

I am looking for a hotel for our New England/Canada cruise that hopefully would have a shuttle.  We are flying in the day prior for our cruise.  Thank you all in advance.

Linda

Ok I am in a dilemma now should I choose aft cabins on lower promenade 3411-3423( we don’t mind the walk to aft) or cabins J1877 and J1905 as suggested all these are available for the back to back so I wouldn’t have to change cabins.  I guess my concern is noise level in any of these cabins.  I think I would like the lower promenade level being able to go outside so easy.  Can you help me I need to call TA.  Thanks so much, I couldn’t do this on my own.

Thank you all so very much, I can now sleep well because of your help.  God Bless you all!

So many of the cabins are already sold but it looks like I can get Ruth’s recommendation of the 2619, but I’m wanting to do a B to B and how would cabins L3399-3423 be good or bad?  Thanks so much.   

Can someone help me with information on a good inside cabin on Volendam please.  I haven’t sailed HAL for many years so I am not up to date on cabin locations.  I am looking at a cruise in 2024 and there aren’t too many cabins left and I want to book tomorrow.  Thanks in advance for all your help.

Has anyone purchased a Black Friday deal from HAL in the past?  Was it any good?

41 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Main Deck same as the Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam. (And of course the Noordam/Oosterdam/Westerdam.)

I thought that was right but wasn’t sure, thanks a bunch!

8 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Besides the Main Deck on Vista (and Signature) class ships, there are also some large I-category cabins on one of the upper decks. I have not been in these cabins, so can't direct you more than that. 
I can say that they are also square cabins, and a few inches larger than the J- and K- cabins on Main Deck. 
Check out the deck plans, and if the inside I-cabins look square, they may be the ones that are huge. 

Where are the large inside cabins on ZUIDERDAM?  Thanks

6 hours ago, nasa1974 said:

I think you need to communicate with your TA better. It sounds like she got you a mini suite for the same price as a regular balcony cabin. Do you want a reserve cabin or are you just wondering if it qualifies as a reserve category? The final question is are you happy with what you have?

Mini suite was higher in price I requested a balcony cabin.  I did communicate well with TA I’ve been in over 40 cruises, but I’ll never use this TA again.

11 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Yep...some missing info here.

I requested a balcony….

8 hours ago, Ombud said:

@dallascruiser you booked a regular balcony, wound up in a mini-suite, and the complaint is?? The mini-suite is larger than the balcony. Isn't larger better?

Of course it is but she sold me a mini suite and didn’t tell me which was more $$.  She did a upsale on me and I will never use her again…

8 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I'm confused.  "TA said you were booked in a regular balcony" and yet you are in MC (mini).

 

Did you ask request a balcony?  A mini?  A Reserve Class mini?  Is it too late to cancel and start again with a different TA?

 

I have a wonderful TA and would love to share her with everyone.  But CC prevents that from happening.  This is the reason one needs to stay on top of their bookings.

I requested a balcony cabin, was quoted a price which was pretty good and she let me choose between a few cabins and that was all that happened.  When balcony’s went down in price I contacted my TA telling her the balcony reduction and she said I was in a MC level not a D4.  I then looked up MC and found it was a mini suite.  I told her I knew there weren’t any good locations left for reg balcony so I said I would stay in the mini suite.  I think she was doing a upscale.