starrii

Hi everyone, thanks for all of your tips! I'm back from my first cruise and loved it! The staff at HAL were very friendly and attentive. My friend gave me motion sickness bands and they seemed to work. The first day at sea was a little rough but then I got used to the sway; the only time I got very seasick was on a whale watching excursion while I was using binoculars so I kept eating the ginger candy provided on the boat. The room was spacious, and balcony was big. I liked the location of being able to walk down 2 flights of stairs to the main stage. The national park ranger suggested I view the glacier from Deck 3 which isn't as crowded as the front of the ship, but I found the Deck 3 view same as from my balcony. Only thing is the balcony lacked privacy unless i was close to the doors; I could see the balcony above me. For Margerie Glacier I viewed it at the front of the ship, enjoyed the delicious hot pea soup and then went to see it from our room's balcony. For John Hopkins inlet, the port side got to view the inlet first and then the ship turns around for people on our starboard side to view. I'm glad I went down to Deck 3 and viewed it from the port side because by the time my starboard side can view it, the fog rolled in. I learned that starting Sep 1, ships can go into John Hopkins inlet and get closer to John Hopkins glacier, which would be the sailing after ours. Our ship stopped at the entrance to the inlet. We got lucky that the skies cleared up while we were at Margerie and John Hopkins since it was foggy before. It was mostly foggy/rainy when we were at sea. The first two ports - Juneau and Icy Strait - were rainy when we first got to port, and then we'd experience beautiful sunsets. My dog sledding on Mendenhall Glacier excursion was cancelled due to weather, which was fine since it was an impulse buy after watching the Iditarod show at the Main Stage, and I'm happy to save the $$$. At Sitka we had beautiful weather so I did the wildlife watching tour to St Lazaria island and saw whales and puffins! That night some people said they caught the Northern Lights late at night, but I was sleeping; I tried on other nights but they were cloudy. In Ketchikan it was foggy in the morning but the skies were blue by the time we had to board the ship. I left my binoculars on the ship since it was foggy, but the port tours to Herring Cove weren't expensive so we decided to take one in hopes of seeing bears! Some tours left early after waiting, but I'm glad our driver didn't rush us to leave since two bears appeared. The sun came out the last day at sea, and they opened up the skylights over the indoor pool, but AFT's outdoor pool was still pretty cold! I now know why they called it the polar bear plunge. I'm pretty happy with our experience cruising Alaska end of August. The onboard naturalist said he'd never book a cruise after August 1 to see Glacier Bay due to weather but we got lucky with the weather.

Thank you so much for your help. My PCC said if it's raining there's not much difference between the 2 balconies, I decided to just stick to the first one and will report back after the cruise!

Thanks, my PCC gave me great offers with 4053/4 and said if I want to change to 5159 I can pay the higher category rate for the lower-category room (because I can only change to Deck 8 FWD at the same category). She said it's a process to redo the offers for 5159.

I need to contact my PCC once I choose the room. Would you recommend 6123 over paying $10 more ($20 for 2 people) for Deck 5 - 5166, 5170, or one of the ones from 5157 all the way to 5181 are available. Are these too close to the linen closet? Thank you!

Thanks! Is being next to elevators (6123) better than housekeeping closet? Many cabins in AFT Deck 4 and 5 are available too - any idea why 4 and 5 fill up last? Looking at end of August

How about these? They're all still available: AFT Deck 6 - Upper Verandah +$37 (6119, 6123, 6173, 6154, 6162) Also I prefer no FWD as I hear they're noisier and rockier. With smoking allowed at Sea View Bar, as a non-smoker is it better to pick the even numbers to be on the non-smoking side of the ship? Do you know previously where the covid quarantine area on the ship was? Which deck/section was that? Thanks!

@crystalspin darn - I don't think 7118 is available anymore. I left a message requesting that room from my PCC and haven't heard back yet. Is there a way to direct message you? When I click on Message on your profile, it says Feature is disabled. Thanks!

Thanks for hyping me up! I can't wait too! What do you think of being across from the crew stairwell? Will it be noisy:

Thanks @crystalspin. In terms of motion sickness, do you think there will be noticeable difference between 4053 (mid, lower) and 7118 (aft, higher)?

Has anyone been in Icy Strait Point in the evening? If sun sets at 8p what's there to do there after dark? I couldn't find much on nighttime at Icy Strait. Also if it says arrive 6p, realistically what time do you think we'd be off the ship by to start exploring? Thank you! Icy Strait Point, Alaska, US ARRIVES 06:00 PM DEPARTS 10:00 PM

Thanks @crystalspin, I got assigned a PCC who is working with me on that cabin. Have you personally stayed in that cabin yourself? For this route, the representative said generally odd numbers are better for the view of Glacier Bay since on the way back it'll be dark. For sunsets though, would I be better getting 4054? https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/A2E07A/D259.html I saw this photo in another thread, and the balcony doesn't have coverage on top. On one hand the views and being able to see the stars at night sound great. However, have you sailed to Alaska end August or early September (I might change to a September sailing)? Would this deep balcony with no coverage still be a good choice in rainy season? https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/1468096-va-4054-on-nieuw-amsterdam/?do=findComment&comment=30439230 @rkacruiserthanks for the welcome! I think I'd prefer a balcony to a room without operable windows.

Thanks! Was the ticket you got FCC on using the worry-free guarantee considered non-refundable and did you decline the $99 HAL Cancellation Protection? I think I saw the middle Advantage Rate on one of the TA sites, but it was showing nothing will be refunded after today since it's within 30 days. The room didn't show up on the TA sites. I'll be happy with FCC!

Thanks, @crystalspin! I want to book it, but was hoping to call and ask about the flexible cancellation policy. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/flexible-cancellation.html Not sure if it's because it's within 30 days, when I was booking I only saw non-refundable or the Have it All Plan option. There's also a cancellation protection option when I check out. If I book non-refundable does the following part of the flexible cancellation not apply to me? you may cancel up to your sailing date if you test positive for COVID-19 and will also receive the same remuneration.

Thanks, @crystalspin - do you think it'll be noisy being over the screening room? Also I plan to book in the morning with the rep. Would you happen to know if I book a non-refundable ticket without the cancellation protection, do I forfeit the ticket if we're unable to board due to COVID? Thanks, again!

thanks for the suggestions! sorry I saw the note about TA's after the fact and can no longer edit. I'll ask the mods to help me move the thread and delete the TA's name.

Hi everyone, first time cruiser here and would appreciate your advice! I want to take a 7-day cruise on the Holland America Eurodam from Seattle to Glacier Bay next month with my husband (early 40s, no kids). We've never been on an overnight cruise before so it would be great to get some tips here on choosing a cabin. I do get motion sickness, but when I took the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria, Dramamine helped (it just made me very tired/sleepy although it's non-drowsy). I've thrown up on small boat rides around the San Francisco Bay, and haven't experienced any boat ride worse than those yet. I know to avoid the FWD of the boat for motion sickness. I like to take photos so originally I wanted to book Deck 8 which was the highest level available. Speaking on the phone to the Holland America Rep, they recommended Midship Deck 5, but I was hoping to not spend that much. They said midship lower deck is better for motion sickness, and I should avoid Deck 8. I'm looking at a balcony room. If I'd like to spend the least on an upgrade, what are some rooms/decks I might consider? Is AFT really not recommended? I tried googling for the exact rooms but not many reviews come up. AFT Deck 8 - Navigation $0 (rooms available: 8122, 8127, 8129, 8171) AFT Deck 7 - Rotterdam +$10 (7118) AFT Deck 6 - Upper Verandah +$37 (6119, 6123, 6173, 6154, 6162) AFT Deck 5 - Verandah and Deck 4 - Upper Promenade + $47 (lots of rooms available) Midship Deck 8 - Navigation +$67 (some between 8047-8063, 8093-8117) Midship Deck 4 - Upper Promenade + $67 (4053) Midship Deck 5 - Verandah + $133 (5100, 5104, 5058) pdf of all decks: https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/ships/ED/pdf/hal-ed-deck-plan-050822.pdf Also I've read on Cruise Critic and heard others suggest booking with a travel agent for cruises as they can offer on-board credits and other discounts. I'm used to booking directly so this is new to me. I submitted a request on **** and so far got 2 offers - one for Have It All and one without. Any thoughts on travel agent ****? They gave a good deal. I don't plan to do the Have It All Plan as I rather pay ala carte after seeing what we like; we're not heavy drinkers. I also plan to book nonrefundable with no cancellation protection since my credit card offers trip protection. On this trip I hope I'll get to see glaciers up close from the boat. I went to Anchorage once before in the winter and loved it - did the dog sledding, glacier hike, etc. I visited Canada last year and am familiar with ArriveCAN. Thank you!