FreesiaE

On 6/19/2023 at 6:38 PM, Florida_gal_50 said:

You never know.  

Well lo and behold I called today and magically there was a cabin open for purchase. The quoted price was 4 figures a person. Maybe I’ll call back in a few days? Maybe prices can change?

Sometimes I think they just need to make an old Geocities page and call it a day. Those pages were reliable.

Tried the magic number today and was told everything was sold out (I'm about 12 days out), so that answered that question 😄

15 hours ago, Mary229 said:

There is an upsell number but be ready to pay immediately.  Have your deck plan in hand as well as your credit card.  (888) 628-8107
 

if it is early I have my TA check. They have called us, through our TA,  immediately after final payment too.  Those offers are rarely very good 

 

cancellations are much more prevalent on long cruises.  Also if you are doing the later segment of a grand cruise there are usually not only cancellations but people who leave early due to unforeseen circumstances 

Can those who booked via TA call this number or is it just for those who booked with HAL directly?

Any rough seas? Ship handling well? 

Thanks for the review! One quick question, was there much noticeable motion? I just need to be prepared medication wise.

I always take overly glowing or overly negative reviews with a grain of salt. I saw a 1 star review for the Zaandam b/c they didn't have Microsoft Office classes.  Um, ok. 

As a member of club Frugalite, I'm super interested in your take. We'll be on the ship in July.

HAL goes from Montreal to Boston and reverse with 1 sea day.

Book what you feel comfortable affording. I would never pay thousands more for a suite, but others would and that’s their prerogative. I would never want a joyous trip to make me feel nervous or upset because I’ve overspent.  I also research ports ahead of time and see if there are any excursions we want to take or if we can just walk around ourselves. It’s hard for me to justify $100 a person for a looped tour around a city on a coach bus. I feel better for that amount being driven to a waterfall or private beach. I won’t do specialty dining either. There’s a ton of good food on the ships that I’ve already paid for.  I will never save money on tips though—I may be frugal, but I’m not cheap.

Human waste? Ugh, I’m so sorry it was so gross. That’s really unacceptable. 

3 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Exactly. Travelling is a "discretionary" expenses. If you can't afford (or don't like) the cost, don't book it and look for something else.

 

I really can't sympathize with people bemoaning "the holiday I want costs too much" . There are so many options out there, and if you can afford to be looking at holidays at all, then you are among the lucky.  

This.  We are a family of four and know that there are many vacation type options that we can work with.  Our last cruise was 2018 on the Celebrity Equinox under what might be considered a "fire sale" due to hurricane damage in the area.  For the past few years our once a year vacations have been domestic/drivable--part of this was Covid, part of it was budget. We consider ourselves very lucky that we can get away for a week each year. I consider us to be blessed that we area able to cash flow a HAL cruise this summer. 

Thank you for this info! I easily obtained OBC with no need to submit a school email, paystub, etc. Took me 30 seconds!

Hi!
Heading down from Montreal to Boston this summer via the Zaandam. I strongly suspect the casino will not be open on the St. Lawrence river, but what about the St. Lawrence Seaway?  At what point on this route does it open.  Thanks!

I appreciate you all! We did end up booking and am hoping for a lovely time.

I mean, I guess a good basic goal of any vacation is to not perish? If it’s that temperamental in that area we can pass.

Hi All!

Just two quick questions about the Zandaam and a Boston-Montreal itinerary.  

1) I know the Zandaam is an "older" ship. I have read some reviews about "vibrations" in the lower aft section, but a lot of those reviews are pretty old.  Is this still an issue? 

2)  I'm aware the Atlantic Ocean is of a good size and every day is different, but does the route tend to have what I would call "rough" seas? Compared to Alaska or Caribbean?

Thank you! 

Thank you all for your input!

Hello Everyone!
 

I am looking at booking a quad outside cabin on Zaandam for my family of four this summer up Boston. The party will be 2 grown ups 1 teen and 1 preteen.  We all have cruised in 1 room on a balcony room room before and did OK with it (it was 5 years ago and the kids were smaller). We did spend quite a bit of time in the cabin at the heat of the day on our last trip, but this one seems more port intensive.

  At first my thought was 2 connecting cabins of really any kind,but those seem to be sold out at this time. The suite prices are just out of my personal budget right now. 

So anyhow, I am trying to find a photo and/or a good review/description of a quad room experience.  I can't seem to find anything about having four in an outside Zaandam cabin. Maybe I'm living too dangerously with four in a cabin?  Any help appreciated. 

Thanks!

Do we have to have a buffet? Could the area not be turned into a quick casual sort of venue? You order from a posted at a counter and it is brought out by wait staff?  

Hello!  

We are considering taking a family cruise on HAL on one of Boston/Montreal routes.  My husband and I have cruised before from Seattle up to Alaska, and I do remember feeling a bit queasy on the way up to the inner passage.  We did a West Coast repositioning cruise as well, and I felt fine. However, this was years and years ago.  Anyhow, 2 summers ago the whole family (2 kids, husband, and self) did a Carribean cruise in the summer.  We had what I considered to be good weather--no hurricanes, etc.  There were a few times that we all really felt the motion--like the first AM on the way to Puerto Rico, and one night. No one actually got sick, but we did not feel quite as well as we would have liked.  Anyhow, I've never been to the Boston area, or anywhere on the upper eastern coast of the US or Canada.  How are the waves/motion on what would say is a "typical" day?  Would this be a poor choice for those who don't deal well with motion?  

Thanks! 

I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t know what roti is, but that station is always there...

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Roti is a flatbread, sort of like pita or naan.

Got my official rejection today—48 hours from sailing. I made a very low bid. We picked a cabin we are happy with, so no worries, it was more for fun!

Celebrity's slot machines work about the same as a paper shredder. :')

I'm willing to put a few dollars in to the machine to shred, but only cash, and once I've shredded my allotment, I'm done.:) Needless to say, I never qualify for any casino perks.

Thanks!