cruisetravlr

DH and I would like to have a priest on-board for every sailing. It was the main reason we chose HAL as our preferred cruise line. Sure, you can attend on land or virtually, but it’s so nice to have it as an option on the ship. Those that don’t want any religious gathering have the choice to not attend. No one is required to be there. Just as there are many gatherings offered that I choose not to attend. We have always attended the Sunday and daily Masses. It is just a part of our day to set aside time to be thankful for what we have received. I would gladly give to a fund to aid in getting priests on board. Even though HAL provides the stateroom, they are still receiving money from purchases made by the priest, e.g. drinks, shore excursions, dining, gift shop, etc. And, not only is the priest there to celebrate Mass for both passengers and crew, but also counseling or aid in the event of illness or death.

I was very disappointed to see about this. We just booked a 14-day Caribbean cruise yesterday and are now considering canceling. Not everyone can afford a long cruise or are able to fly to foreign ports. I did send an email to Mr. Antorcha to express my feelings on this. Maybe with many voices, he will reconsider.

DH was puzzled about “having a net thrown over you”. I had to explain the humor found here on CC. 😂

Is it able to be used on day 1? It sounds so inviting and relaxing, which is a big reason for taking this cruise. Excellent advice from all. Thank you so much!

We are sailing March 10, 2024 on the Nieuw Statendam as 2* Mariners. We are trying new things (for us) this cruise. One is Club Orange. The other is the Thermal Suite. My questions, so far are: 1. Do both persons in the stateroom have to purchase this? 2. Is the number of people that purchase this limited, as in Club Orange? 3. Is it necessary to purchase before on-board? 4. What all is included in the pass? 5. Is it necessary to purchase for the length of the cruise or are day passes available? 6. What can I expect and how can I best optimize the experience? TIA for your expert advice.

I emailed my request to CCLshareholderHAL on 12/31/23. Received a confirmation this morning for my OBC!

Daily Mass lasts about 25-30 minutes. Sunday Mass will be about 45-50 minutes.

These would be listed on HAL’s website under Cruise Deals. Scroll down to find the info. No gift card, just verification. Membership in AARP required for that OBC. Of course, gift cards can be purchased on AARP at 10% discount. Limit of 5/month. Military, Healthcare, First Responder, Teacher And Educator Cruise Offer Thank you for your dedication and service. Holland America Line offers military personnel (active, retired or veteran), healthcare workers, first responders, teachers and educators $100 onboard credit per stateroom. Learn More AARP Member Offer As a valued AARP member, receive up to $200 onboard credit per stateroom on our next cruise. See Details

Some other perks that may be available to you are the Military, Healthcare, First Responder, Teacher or Educator OBC. To get the military OBC, you have to be verified prior to booking. I am not sure about the others. Thanks to the wonderful Cruise Critic audience, I found out about these.

You are also able to see and book excursions from the TV in the comfort of your cabin. It is much more pleasurable than standing in line. If a particular excursion has limited availability, it shows on the screen.

You will start to get assigned times several weeks before. It may change several times before embarkation. Wait for the barcoded pass.

The OBC does apply to healthcare workers. See the attached link: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/deals/healthcare-firstresponder-appreciation-offer.html This will take you to the healthcare or first responder verification form.

Here are the links for first responders and healthcare workers: https://offers.sheerid.com/holland-america/first-responder/ https://offers.sheerid.com/holland-america/medical/

Go to HAL’s website. At the top of the home page is Cruise Deals. Click on that. Scroll way down to see Military, Healthcare, etc. cruise offer. Click on “Learn More”. That will take you to the page for Military. Go to Verify Your Status and fill out info requested—mariner number, branch of service, status, etc. It is super easy and a wonderful benefit for veterans, active duty and military families.

Yes, they can be combined. We have done so numerous times.

We parked in the Palm garage across from terminal 26 (where our ship was) for our Feb. 11-18 cruise. We had a 2:00 boarding time. Arrived at the garage at 11:43. Parked on level 5, under cover. We were in our room by 12:10! When leaving, we left our room at 8:00 and were out of the garage by 8:30. Even though there was a line for the elevators, it moved quickly. Only waited about 5 minutes. Cost for the week was $105.

We were just on the NS from Feb. 11-18 stopping at the same ports as well as Nassau. I get motion sickness very easily. I had Sea-Bands on during the days, took them off when sleeping. I also take along ginger tea (great for nausea) and motion sickness pills, but didn’t use either. I try my best to avoid medication. The Sea-Bands are my cruise friends!

Just got off NS on Feb. 18. Grand Dutch Cafe is listed on the program as 6:30 a.m-9:00 p.m. every day. Also, Explorations Central has the same hours.

We applied at the last minute on our partial Panama sailing last March. Cruise left on Wednesday, March 9th and I only submitted for the shareholders benefit on Sunday, March 6th. Marked in the subject line to “Please Expedite! Shareholders Benefit”. On Thursday, March 10th, a gentleman from guest services hand delivered a note to our stateroom saying we had received the credit. What a pleasant surprise!

Here is the link: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/mariner-society.html I did a search for “mariner benefits”.

There were also scales on the Eurodam in March at the mid-ship elevators. They weighed in kilograms but, thanks to handy cell phones, we converted to pounds easily. We have also checked the bags’ weights in the gym. You need to haul the bags there, but it sure beats an overweight bag fee.

Yes, it will be listed under Cruise Deals, one per stateroom. Military Appreciation Offer In appreciation of your loyal and selfless service, we're extending a special offer to active, retired, and veteran military personnel. Choose from more than 500 itineraries and receive an Onboard Credit of US$100 per stateroom when you book a new cruise with Holland America Line. To receive this offer, please verify your Military status by accessing the link below and filling out our secure form page.

We also applied for ours late (3 days prior to sailing). I marked first thing in the subject line “Please expedite.” We were notified during the cruise that we received the OBC. It was a hand-delivered note by guest relations. There should be plenty of time to submit for a November sailing.