FlaMariner

We've never taken part in that and I've always considered the "Welcome Onboard Steak Dinner" in lido is there to motivate more folks to go to lido on the first night since the MDR can be a little chaotic getting all the newbies situated.

So if I cruise up the Amazon on Holland America Line, will I still be able to pack lite and have HAL wash my clothes?

Yep, "but never the two shall meet"........on Half Moon Cay.....

Ports are never guaranteed......but... When I took a look at the port schedule, it looks like the Nieuw Statendam was scheduled to be there w/the Carnival Sunshine. Holland America ships are never at HMC with a Carnival Ship...so I've been told....And in my opinion, you are much better off being at sea rather than on a small private island with a large Carnival ship. Nightmare scenario for a HAL passenger...in so many ways...LOL. Enjoy the Nieuw Statendam...she's a beauty. I'm sad the HAL ship was the one booted....after all, HAL bought the island back in the day.... .....from the port schedule......for 3/4: 4 March, 2024 Monday Carnival Sunshine 09:00 17:00 4 March, 2024 Monday ms Nieuw Statendam 10:00 18:00

Nothing yet....we do have a final payment due 12/28/23 and another one due 01/12/24 (B2B)....we'd be all about more OBC.

We were on the Westerdam for a port call at Kushiro in early October. Holland America offered a free r/t shuttle from the port to the Moo (fish market, market, center of Kushiro). The ride was probably like 20 minutes or less.

FWIW (Looks like this 9/2023 posting re-appeared) On our October (2023) Seattle to Japan cruise (and post cruise in Japan), the word Covid never came up and the Covid vaccine card was never needed. We've burned ours and choose to forget about the recent unpleasantness. Enjoy the journey.....without Covid vaccine cards!

I'm using Safari and all is well.

We sailed on the Westerdam from Seattle to Japan two months ago (October 2023). The ship was in great shape, very clean, fantastic crew, engaged & visible captain....did not experience any engine noise.

Again......Logged in twice today....no issues...cruises are there, mariner info correct, FCD's there....priced a cruise...no problem.

I just logged in and took a look at our onboard statement for our 17 night March 2023 Oosterdam South America cruise..... We paid $153 for unlimited laundry. So that is $9 a day for the entire cabin. If that price holds, that would make a 14 night cruise $126 per cabin* *Prices are subject to change, rates are a couple of bucks higher in Europe, YMMV, deposits are not insured by the FDIC Enjoy the unlimited laundry, and the journey......

just went to the site....great graphics...love the videos playing....signed in and I noticed my statements for spending on each cruise are now included (navigator was my previous only source for that). Looks like a major upgrade and an improvement with the short tour I just completed.

My bad...mixing up our cruises....We were on the Westerdam trans pacific cruise....Oct 1 thru 15 2023....

FWIW Passing along a stat told to us by the finance lady (not sure of her specific title but she was the "hostess" of the officers table that Her Majesty and I were invited to dine w/during a dressy night) while on the Oosterdam TP cruise this past October (2023)..... She said only about 30% buy HIA on cruises like the one we were on (trans-pacific/repositioning/longer world explorer type cruise)......but 70% buy it on the 7 night Alaska/Caribbean type cruises......and yes, they very much like to sell it...$$$$$.

I asked that question at the Coffee Chat with the Hotel Director..... He said HAL has a special crew of 3 that only polish shoes. They are located next to cabin 8003 (and can be heard all night polishing so avoid that cabin). They use only sustainable, organic, scent free shoe polish with recycled cloth made from old Riedel wine glasses and confiscated plastic bottles. On your shoe shine form, you can write in that you only want the heel or front tips of wing tips polished. There is no charge for anyone but it is included as a Club Orange Benefit (CO folks get their shoes returned in a special keepsake orange bag made from recycled Pinnacle tablecloths). (This is all made up and not true.....I'm just trying to get more laughs than @Sir PMP) Enjoy the journey...and the shoe shine.

We were on the Oosterdam over Easter 2023.... The Rolling Stone Rock room was a full house for the Protestant Easter service.....Ran out of hymnals.....Service led by the passengers.....retired minister, choir members stepping up. The minister mentioned the irony of holding an Easter church service in the ROLLING STONE Lounge! Perfect venue. Very memorable and spiritual for us....... Enjoy Easter onboard!

The basket with the shoe shine info/form was in our stateroom in October 2023 (Westerdam).

We enjoy the "pop up" surprise of dishing out chocolate to us...... Usually, we are manning our piano barstools at Billboard Onboard and the waiters pop out of nowhere offering me all kinds of chocolates on a silver tray....... One time, we spotted "our" fixed dining waiter serving the chocolate and he made sure we go all the chocolate we could eat. LOL. Being fed chocolate while singing along w/"Country Roads...take me home" is about as good as it gets for us! Fun times. Enjoy the journey......

For us it is a positive and a no-brainer.....Why? 1). We know we will be booking a HAL cruise soon 2). The $100 deposit for the FCD (that's the ones we always end up buying) is much lower than the usual $300 deposit (or whatever the deposit might be...and never seem to like the rate when HAL has a low deposit promo anyway) 3). The free OBC = free money 4). If for some dreadful reason we do not use the FCD, the money comes back to us (4 years from when we bought it) We consider it a plus and glad HAL offers it....And w/many things, YMMV.

This is my understanding...... FCD Future Cruise Deposit....You buy it onboard and it is a deposit for a future yet to be booked HAL cruise...and comes with some OBC. The deposit amount is low and if you do not use it after 4 years, it is refunded. FCC Future Cruise Credit.....$$$ you are given by HAL to use to pay for future cruises because you got cancelled from Covid or some other calamaity. I'm sure other's will come along with more details but that's the way I understand them....Love the FCD's.....glad I've spent all my FCCs.....

Ditto in the MDR....On our Oosterdam March 2023 cruise, the waiter would switch out my wine glass as he topped off my "regular" wine "to go" glass....I guess there is a difference in the wine glasses but I swear the wine tastes great no matter the glassware I am using.

What am I missing? Does the wine taste better in a Riedel glass?

Experienced both (Mariner's Lunch & got tiles) in 2023 on two different HAL cruises..... It's lunch, not brunch...and a tasty lunch...w/an awesome dessert...and the tile collection keeps on growing....."he who has the most tiles wins".

Try this..... https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/route/

We stayed at the Yokohama Sheraton for 5 nights after dis-embarking the Westerdam HAL ship in October. Great location. Across the street from the Yokohama train station. Lots of restaurants. It was only a few subway stops from the port. Not a clue about shuttle service....we used Japan's public transit to get around.....easy. fast. frequent. clean. crime free. Enjoy Japan...we did.