RAS4331

Ok, sorry if I confused the issue.  I didn’t realize the embarkation lunch and the other Mariner’s lunch were two different things.

We are currently on the Koningsdam.  We boarded on Tuesday, and a day or two later we received an invitation to a Mariner’s Lunch on Friday, so ours was not held on embarkation day.  

On 1/31/2024 at 8:36 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

@misguywhat time did you arrive at the pier? I’m a low priority gal and thinking of just waiting until after 1 to arrive. 

     Just sharing our experience (we are on this cruise).  Our assigned time was 10:40, but then we got an email from HAL saying that the ship’s departure would be delayed to 5 pm, and we could arrive “at our leisure, anytime between 12:00 and 3:30 pm.”  That was the first time in 4 cruises that I’ve ever seen an open-ended time like that.  

    The Uber ride from our hotel was quicker than we anticipated, so we were there around 11:30.  There was a gaggle of people outside but our luggage was taken immediately, and we got in a fairly fast-moving line.  We were inside the building within five minutes.  There was indeed a long snaking line but it moved continuously.  Everyone, both the officials and those sailing, was very polite, and we were happily on board in about a half hour.  I had read horror stories about the San Diego port, but we found the embarking process to be pretty painless.  

    Just make sure you have your passport!  A couple in line near us left them in their suitcases.  I’m not sure what happened when they got to security - i hope they were able to board without too much hassle.

On 1/10/2024 at 1:29 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Having your own Arizona Memorial tickets along with the HAL excursion, IMO, is a smart move and what I would have done had I known that was an option (or even possibly needed).

The only hiccup to that, is if your tour goes in reverse order, as ours did (Missouri 1st then to the Arizona Memorial) you will miss your ticket time. $2pp is an affordable backup insurance plan. 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy your visit to Pearl Harbor. 

If we're going on a tour that leaves at 10:00 AM, what time do you recommend getting our Arizona memorial tickets?  I was thinking 10:45 - or does it take longer than that to get from the ship to Pearl Harbor?  Our tour is called Pearl Harbor History and Honolulu Highlights and does not include the Missouri.  I assume we'll go to Pearl Harbor first and then do the Honolulu tour.

I know chances are probably slim that we would time it just right but I think I will take the chance.  If we can't use our tickets I'll give them to someone who is waiting in line for tickets.

On 12/3/2023 at 7:45 AM, SargassoPirate said:

When that happens, we say good evening and then ignore them the rest of the meal.  If we wanted to share, we'd request a bigger table.  We request a table for two because after many decades we still enjoy each other's company and still have things to talk about. I don't want the pace of my meal interrupted by folks at the next table who may be low talkers, loud talkers, pontificators, zealots, or otherwise annoying.

That’s us, too.  We’re not antisocial by any means, but we don’t take a cruise to make new friends.  I don’t want to have to make the same conversation over and over…”so where are you from? etc.” I know many people are absolutely opposite, and consider meeting new people the best part of a cruise, but for the most part, we prefer “just us.”

I will be taking an 18 day cruise from San Diego to Hawaii.  Can anyone who has sailed to Hawaii give me any info on whether I’ll be able to text my family, or to receive calls or texts while at sea? My children are grown, so I don’t need constant access, but it would be nice to be able to check in once or twice during the multiple sea days. I have T-Mobile.  I’ll have the internet package as part of the have-it-all.  Thank you for any advice to this not-so-tech-savvy lady! 😊

Unfortunately, I don’t think so.

re: the bossche bollen, in my head I was thinking bocce ball because it’s the size of one - but I guess that would be Italian, not Dutch. It is something you MUST try at the Dutch cafe.  (no charge).  It’s really good!  I would suggest splitting it because even though I have a huge sweet tooth, it was too much for me (ok, I did force myself to finish it, though). 😁

My husband uses a cpap, and on first meeting our cabin steward, he requests an extension cord if needed and one is brought promptly.  (I say “if needed” because on some of our cruises there was a plug close enough that he didn’t need one).

P.S. When typing cpap, it wants to auto correct to “crap.” CPap users might get a laugh out of that. 😁

16 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Why do they have several copies of the same book?

 

 

Because their choice of books are ones that they think will be popular to many readers.  If one person takes the only copy of the current best seller and then keeps it for the entire cruise, no one else would get a chance to read it.  (and people would complain "why doesn't the library have any good books?")

People’s opinions here run the gamut from “the library is a waste of space” to “it’s not much of a library - there is hardly any selection of books.”. I actually think HAL has somewhat of a happy medium.  The library on the Rotterdam, for example, doesn’t  really take up much space.  It is tucked away (and is actually rather hard to find), and the room is compact.  The way the books are displayed (like a bookstore) makes browsing easy, because it’s true that it’s not a “real” library with a card catalog and extensive shelves of books.  I thought it was perfect for looking for something fun or interesting to read while on vacation.

If you have an interest in something extremely specific or scholarly, you won’t find it, but if you’d like to sample a best seller, mystery, biography, or even a classic, I think you could find something to enjoy.  I think the library fills a need for those who enjoy having a book to relax with on vacation but may not have brought their own or downloaded books in advance.  It’s just one of those things like bingo, the casino, trivia, crafts, or classical music - none of those are everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s nice for the ship to offer as many options for enjoyment as they can. It is not going to meet everyone’s expectations, but I think it’s something many passengers appreciate having on the ship.

Even if you could somehow work out sleeping arrangements, you would have to get dressed in shifts because it’s crowded for even two people to get ready at the same time.  Best of luck - I hope you’ll be able to work it out so you can all travel comfortably.

My husband is also a big guy and uses a C-pap.  At home we sleep in a king size.  On our three cruises we slept in the queen size, and it was just fine.  It honestly didn’t seem that different from the king.  We were in verandah staterooms each time if that makes a difference.

I personally think you’d be more comfortable in the same bed rather than messing with the fold-out, which doesn’t sound comfortable at all.  We just make sure he’s on the side of the bed closest to the outlet where the extension cord for his c-pap goes.  

The ships we were on were Zuiderdam, Eurodam, and Rotterdam.

I found the portions on our recent Eurodam cruise rather small, but I actually thought they were just right.  At home we don’t eat a meal with an appetizer, bread and butter, and dessert every night.  I’m a “clean my plate” kind of person, so if the portions were large I definitely would have over eaten.  My husband is a big guy, and he sometimes ordered two portions of the main dish, and they were happily served to him.

I enjoyed every bite (not a single meal was disappointing), did not deny myself anything, and didn’t gain a single pound so to me the portions were spot-on, especially since you can ask for more.

We have an upcoming cruise on Koningsdam, and we've been watching You Tube videos to familiarize ourselves with the ship.

1) It looks as though there is a nice lounging area on the deck above the Lido pool (overlooking the pool).  Are these private Lido cabanas or are they open to anyone? 

If private, I assume it is like on other ships and you have to reserve them once on board, not in advance.

2)  What exactly is the spa hydropool?  In pictures it looks like it's just a big hot tub, with the addition of the two shower heads.  I wondered if there was something more to it that made it special.  Or is the appeal mainly in the fact that it is more private than the poolside hot tubs?

Thanks, fellow cruisers!

It’s called “When and Where.”

One thing I didn’t like about the clamshell is that it’s closed in at the back so there’s no air circulation.  It got hot in there!  We enjoyed the shade and the lounge chairs, but it would have been perfect if it was open-ended so the breeze could blow through.

Wow, for the staff to say that the kids are allowed in the retreat because their parents could not leave them alone in the cabin is the lamest excuse ever. With this logic, the children should also be allowed to sit with their parents at the bar, or accompany them to the casino.  How about letting them run around the spa while their parents are having a massage?   I’m sure none of those things are happening. 

This is such a failure on the part of Holland America.  The retreat is advertised as tranquil and relaxing.  Children need to run around and play.  Therefore, the retreat is not meant for children.  A simple “adults only” rule would eliminate any question and allow the staff to firmly but politely point to that rule rather than having to be in the middle and trying “to make everyone happy.”

Of course there will be someone who will complain and say that their child is perfectly well-behaved in the retreat and just quietly reads and listens to music on her headphones, so how dare you ban her?  I leave it to the hospitality professionals to sort that one out, but overall I think an enforced adults only policy would serve the greatest number of people.

We have found anytime dining to be great!  I guess we are oddballs because we prefer a table for two.  (We’re not at all antisocial but just prefer our own company at dinner.) I always got the feeling that the host or hostess would prefer seating us with others, but nevertheless we never waited more than 5 minutes for a table - usually there was no wait at all.  We found it very convenient to eat whenever we wanted and not have to keep to a set schedule.  Our experiences were on the Rotterdam and Zuiderdam.

I visited the library several times while on the Rotterdam.  There was never anyone in the reading chairs when I was there -- or even anyone else in the room!   I wouldn't choose to read there when there are so many other places with a view, but if you wanted to sit down for a minute while browsing books I can't imagine you'd ever find all the chairs full.  I think my only comment would be that the library is a bit hidden (though I'm sure those who are interested will seek it out!)

Admittedly I've only been on two HAL cruises, but I never experienced any problem with noise -- either loud music or loud talkers.  I found it peaceful to read in the Crow's Nest, around the pool, or in any windowed seating areas around the ship.  Maybe I was just on quiet cruises!

The Dutch cafe was one of my favorite spots on the Rotterdam.  It’s a perfect place for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack and beverage. Try the bossche bol!  It’s huge, and I recommend splitting it with someone.   It’s a whole lotta cream puff, even for me with my giant sweet tooth.  😋

Bed and bugs are two words I hoped never to see on a Holland America forum.  😩

I’m glad to see from the responses that it seems to be a rare and isolated experience.

They called all the back-to-back group to the theater, and we were all escorted off the ship and into the port, where we went through immigration, and went immediately back on board again.  The whole process took probably 45 minutes or less.  Very painless.

My husband does not carry a smartphone.  If I have Verifly on my phone, can I use it for both of us?