MajMom96

I suggest everyone send a note to pr@hollandamerica.com if you’re upset with the new website. The only way they’ll understand is if they get flooded with feedback on how unhappy we are with the changes. [emoji483]

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I think you should lighten up. I chalked it up as a mistake and no big deal - not worth commenting on. The fact that you felt the need to come back a day later and throw in a jab about Carnival vs. Holland shows me you're way more uptight than the rest of us.

 

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You guys are too funny! I didn’t intend any offense, but I appear to have gotten a few “panties in a bunch”! Sorry about that. Enjoy your Carnival cruises!

Why? would you do that?

 

 

The employees are doing the job that feeds their Family no one makes any of us attend. I simply don't go but see no reason to confront the workers in that way.

Wow! Lighten up! No need to take other posts to the extreme as though others are advocating taking food out of families mouths! I’m sure that’s not what the previous poster was advocating. [emoji485]

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Just curious - why would they contact a HAL booking agent? Thought this was a Carnival board :D

LOL. Could be because I know HAL is a superior line to Carnival! Or, perhaps, I just made an error in thinking I was on a Holland America thread. [emoji12] Lighten up people, we’re talking about cruising here!

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One doesn't necessarily have to do Gala Nights in the MDR to enjoy those 'fancy' MDR items. On our last two cruises, Oosterdam and Rotterdam, those 'fancy' dinner items (surf and turf, lobster, etc.) were also available on the buffet.

 

 

 

Lot's to be said about dining there in lieu of the MDR. It's quieter, less crowded, and requires less time.

But you have to serve yourself. I’m not a fan of buffets, people up and down at different times. That’s not very relaxing. And I like the fine dining experience, I’m not looking for less time. IMHO. [emoji483]

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I am trying to book a cabin on lido deck for 2 people. It only gives me an option for rooms that can sleep 4 (a king, a sleeper sofa and a pull down. There are no cabins on this floor in this section that sleep less then 3. I have no problem booking this room but have heard if the room was needed for a bigger party they could change you to a different room on a different floor against your will? Is this true? Can they really do this?

Try calling a HAL booking agent direct. They can usually override some of the constraints of the online reservations system and you have a better chance that you won’t get moved later. Especially if you tell them you don’t want to accept any upgrades. We usually have several specific cabin options ready when we call. Good luck!

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Just curious.... you seem to know how things were on the ship in multiple types of cabins. Did you stay in more than one cabin? A Neptune Suite and a low aft cabin? Not sure how you would know.

I think the food on HAL is great! And I do like the food on Gala evenings, especially the escargots! And I’ve come to rely on the recommendations of the waiter for all my meals. They’ve checked everything out and seem to know what is best prepared each night!

Never had a “horrid” meal on a HAL ship, and if I did, I would simply ask for something else. The wait staff is usually very accommodating. I find the food on HAL to be very good in comparison to other lines.

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Hi,

 

 

 

How do we find out which nights are gala night? I have specialty restaurants booked, but I would love to enjoy the free “fancy” meals. Thanks![/

 

 

The number of Gala nights will depend on the length of your cruise, but generally they will be on sea days, so the first Gala should be on the first full sea day. Then based on your itinerary, you can check on other sea days and estimate the other night(s). But no worries! I’d recommend keeping your booked specialty restaurants for now, confirm Gala nights once on board, and change your specialty restaurant reservations accordingly if there is a conflict. We’ve never had an issue rearranging once on board. [emoji483]

Hi everyone

 

What do you know about seat selections when using HAL Air? How far in advance can this be done?

 

Is it possible to upgrade to premium coach? Any Idea of the cost? We are using HAL Air for a flight to Barcelona

 

Thanks

 

Lynn & Steve

I booked economy class through HAL for a flight from Vancouver to LA and within 24 hours of booking the cruise and air with HAL (which was about 8 months before the cruise) I was able to log directly into the airlines to select my seats. When I selected premium economy seats on the aircraft seat map, it worked just like it does when you book directly with the airline. I was able to give the airline a credit card number for the upgrade portion of the reservation. Everything worked fine at the airport. No issues.

We have received this notice on recent cruises, but it is not enforced, so you should have no issue checking in whenever you planned. I think HAL is just doing this to hopefully stagger checkin to cut down on the wait time to board. But once you checkin, they’ll just put you into the next available boarding group behind priority boarding (Suites and 4/5 Star Mariners).

There’s a pamphlet called “Know Before You Go” on the HAL website. It contains a lot of useful information and specifics on clothing are on page 8.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to your information.

 

Diana

Sorry Diana! I forgot. I will post the info when I get a chance. Been busy moving my daughter since we returned from our cruise. I’m finally getting some “down time” to get caught up with CC. [emoji483]

Book early and book economy and pay an extra $120 for the bulk head. You'll have more leg room than Premium Economy

Thanks!

We got back about six weeks ago from a 32-day HAL Cruise from Sydney to Tasmania to New Zealand, the South Pacific to Honolulu. The entire trip was an incredible experience. We had seven to eight ports in NewZealand and it was a highlight for us. Wellington and Auckland were fun, but we really enjoyed the smaller ports like Akaroa, Picton, and Napier. Each port had its own character and personality. As for the flight, it is a long. There is no question about that. You can fly to Honolulu, break up the trip and then fly to Sydney the next day. We did that and it helped with the LONG flights. Good luck!

Great suggestion! Thanks!

Thanks for responses,but I was curious about BIG short-term discounts. Ex. Celebrity has twice discounted packages 20% -40% about 6 months before a few particular cruises. The sale would last a few days to 2weeks. Not advertised, but would show up when booking packages. Just wondered if Holland had done this before.

I’ve never seen a special like that with Holland America. The best I’ve ever seen is receiving the drink package gratis as part of the Explore 4 promo which usually runs at the end of the summer.

Our circumnavigation of Australia and New Zealand was 48 days, and included amazing things We snorkeled on the great barrier reef, discovered beer can regatas, met wonderful people and immersed ourselves in beauty. A once in a lifetime trip (for us) well worth the long flight. Our cruise director was an Australian, and he booked lots of local talent along the way, which was fabulous. we did spring for business class (it's an extra three hours to get to LA from MSP), but it was worth it to us. We booked a hotel on points at Circular Quay, walking distance to the port, to decompress from jet lag. This gives you walking access to the Opera House, the port cruises to the zoo and other Sydney locations. Since it was a back to back, we returned to Sydney for an overnight, so got to enjoy local cuisine. Probably one of our top two or three cruises, was great....also got an upgrade from ocean view to veranda for this trip.

Thank you for this info! You’re right about booking the hotel in Sydney on the front of the trip to decompress from the long flight. We will definitely do that! I’d hate to waste the cruise by sleeping all day! 🤣🤣🤣

We did self disembarkation after our Alaska cruise. The elevators were an issue so we took an “up” elevator and made the round trip! [emoji846]

That’s the way to do it! We do the same thing! 🤣🤣

Why not fly one way and cruise the other way? This spring we flew to Sydney, spent a week touring, hopped on the ship for a collector's cruise around NZ, back to Sydney, through the South Pacific, to Hawaii, disembarking in Vancouver. Several cruisers disembarked in Hawaii. The flight, although long was definitely worth it IMO, but I don't know if I would have been thrilled about a long flight in both directions. This is truly a cruise I would replicate, but have so many other bucket list cruises to complete first.

Thanks for the suggestion, but we learned from the r/t Hawaii cruise that we’re not big fans of too many consecutive sea days. Good thought though.

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Fjordland National Park with a cruise that includes sailings through Doubtful, Dusky, and Milford Sounds in New Zealand. In New Zealand, Napier, if one enjoys wine tours in both New Zealand and Australia that include visits to their winerys, Christchurch, Wellington with their Botanical Garden, a national Museum, and an interesting Maritime Museum, in Auckland Hop On/Off Bus Tour will take you to so many places that you will have difficulty deciding where to "stop" and "for how long". An evening at the Restaurant and Lounge at the top of the Sky Tower at Sundown: A glass of an excellent New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc overlooking the Auckland Harbor as the Sun sets: Memorable!

 

Australia: Sidney--a performance at the Opera House, a visit to The Rocks, visits to Darling Harbor, the Australian Maritime Museum, a Hop On/Off tour with stops where the fish market and Chinatown are located as well as Bondi Beach, a walk downtown and shopping, and the Botanic Gardens. Those are my memorable highlights.

Thank you, rka! All sound great! Now I have a basis for doing some additional research. Wine! That’s definitely something I can get behind! 🥂

Perhaps I should rephrase my question since I’m getting a few snarky replies because of my phrase “is it worth it”. That was actually a poor choice of words since I know that only I can determine the worth of my time and comfort. What I really want to know is for those who have been to New Zealand, what would you consider to be the “must see” sites and ports?

Yes, you can do self assist and be the first group to disembark. The airport is very close to the port so you shouldn’t have any timing issues, barring any unexpected delays getting into port or clearing immigration.

The $5 per day "discount" is really a penalty. Prior to Jan 2017, the signature beverage package was $44.95 per day, purchased online, ahead of your cruise with your cash, or purchased onboard. After Jan 2017, they raised the price of the SBP by $5 per day if you purchase it onboard. HAL just doesn't want you using your free, HAL provided cabin credit to purchase a beverage package. They would rather encourage you to buy it with your own cash and use the OBC for higher markup items such as the Spa, shore excursions, etc.

Or, it could be that they’ve simply increased the price of their drink packages just like all the other cruise lines, and kept the lower price as a benefit to purchasing early. [emoji483]🥂[emoji481]

Agree that booking air through HAL ought to provide one with better Business Class air pricing than what one can find on one's own. I was able to specify the airline, date, receive seat assignment and get a decent price.

 

Australia and New Zealand are so worth the effort to visit them! I have been there three times and am considering another visit. Extremely hospitable citizens and interesting scenery combined with delicious lamb and seafood dishes and superior wines are reasons to go.

 

I broke my trip up by an overnight at LAX before boarding my Air New Zealand flight to AKL. After getting into the hotel in the morning, I did some sightseeing, had an early dinner, and went to bed 9:00-10:00 AKL time, and experienced no jet lag. Returning home from Singapore with a 2 day stopover in San Francisco was a different jet lag story, however.

Thanks for the great info! I live in LA, so that’s at least one leg of the trip covered! [emoji12]