BetsyS.

My stepfather and I love HAL because they leave out of Boston and we don't want to fly. We're in Maine and it's a 2 hour drive to Boston for us. We like the itineraries and longer cruises. The HAL crew are the best - they go above and beyond. We like the Crow's Nest. The laundry service is excellent. We love the food and service. We find the cruises very relaxing.

Clay - I agree with you that the chairs in Lido were very heavy. I was on the Niew Statendam in August. Thanks for taking the time to post the great reports and pictures. I enjoyed reading them. I'm glad you and Mike had a great trip.

If my memory is correct, years ago I would ask for creme de menthe to be put on ice cream. It was delicious. Those were the days!

On the Niew Statendam in August I had the Dover sole at Sel de Mer. It was a big piece and the waitress deboned it at the table. For dessert I had the crepe suzzettes. I don't remember what my stepfather had, but we enjoyed our meals and service was attentive. That is great that you will eat there on your anniversary and NYE!

Years ago on the Veendam we were one deck below the Lido deck. At 5 or 6 am pool chairs were dragged around. I don't know if passengers or crew did this.

Thanks very much for posting this.

On 8/3 on the Niew Statendam my stepfather and I received an invitation to a Mariners reception that ended I think by 3 PM. We did not get to our cabins until after 3 PM. In the past on the Veendam, we received invitations to Mariners luncheons on embarkation day. We never got to our cabins before 2 PM and luncheons were over by then. The only time I went to a Mariners luncheon was on the old Rotterdam in 2018. It was after the ship left Montreal for Boston. We were already on the ship because we had gone Boston to Montreal.

Do you know why the ship is leaving at 11 PM? Thst seems very late.

I'm glad you will have a Christmas tie!!

Coffee shops at any port will have free wifi too.

The butter mints are good. They have a nice buttery flavor. On the Veendam years ago, the Yum Yum Man would offer the mints and also ginger in the MDR as guests were leaving after dinner. It was a nice tradition.

My pet peeve is people who sit in the Lido for meals in their bathrobes. They should sit in the pool area.

Thanks for the great news. That's wonderful.

I agree with you. As you said, it's a slippery slope.

I was on a 24 day cruise and I didn't want to get a big surprise at the end of August. I loved the food and I ate a lot. My stepfather and I did a lot of walking both on and off the ship. I think the walking helped and my weight was not a problem.

I didn't use the gym equipment, but I weighed myself before breakfast. They had 2 scales on Niew Statendam. One was in kg and one was in pounds.

The Niew Statendam in August had Heineken 00 that my stepfather ordered in the MDR.

I miss the after-dinner butter mints too and the Yum Yum man ringing the chimes before dinner. I was on the Veendam years ago and the crew show was fantastic. The crew loved doing it. The Veendam had a librarian and a big library. The Chocolate Extravaganza was a special event. I hope that HAL will bring back the things that passengers miss.

I agree with you. As we all know, ports can be cancelled for various reasons. You either get a sea day or another port may be scheduled that was not on the original itinerary. Each port has their own protocols.

I agree that you need to ask for things like crisps and creme brulee if they're not on menu. You should ask for anything else that you want that's not on menu.

On my last cruise, I could not get into my cabin with my key card. Then I realized it was the wrong cabin! It was down the hall from my cabin. I'm glad no one saw me in the hallway. It would have been embarrassing if someone had thought I was trying to break into their cabin.

I agree with you. When my stepfather and I are on vacation, we want a break from chores that we do at home. When we boarded the Niew Statendam on 8/3 we told our room steward that we would like him to give us service when we were at breakfast and dinner. We put the sign out when we were leaving our rooms. Sonny did an excellent job - he went above and beyond!

Years ago on the Veendam, I loved the crew stageshow nights. The crew loved doing it. The library was big with a librarian and the Yum Yum man played the chimes at dinnertime. He gave ginger and mints after dinner. Those were the days!

I'm sorry that happened to you. What ship were you on?

Thank you for the great idea! I will put mine on our Christmas tree! 😊