islandwoman

I hear you. I have a similar experience. I worked hard to make Elite status on another cruise line. Shortly thereafter they sold off their small ships that I liked so much and started adding bigger and bigger ones to their fleet. Now I don't sail that line any more. I'm looking for a new favorite line, but I'm getting too old to make top tier on other loyalty programs.

This from Chase Sapphire Preferred Guide to Benefits: "Travel Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance The Cardholder and Immediate Family Members are covered when the Cardholder’s name is embossed on an eligible Card issued in the United States, and the Cardholder charges all or a portion of a Trip to his or her Credit Card Account and/or Rewards programs associated with the Account." https://www.chasebenefits.com/sapphirereserve2

DH and I each just bought 5 AARP HAL gift cards at aarp.org. The purchases went through without any problems. The restriction is 5 per person per month. Is that per calendar month or per 30 days?

I found this on both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve websites: "If your trip is cancelled or cut short by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels." So I would think that if your cruise trip is going to cost more than $10,000 per person, there would be no reason not to use gift cards to pay for the over $10,000 cost. Does anyone have other information or conclusions? I can't find anything about whether the entire trip has to be paid with the Chase card in order for the insurance to apply, have you?

How about for women? In my experience, women tend to dress up more than men - except me! I'd rather eat room service or in the buffet than have to buy and pack "dressy" clothing. Still, I'd hate to miss an especially good MDR meal.

How many Barclay's Holland America visa points must I redeem to receive the 2.50% redemption value? I see that Barclays says "Holland America Line Purchases within the last 180 days: ...$4001 and up", but how many points is that? Does this mean that I can get a 2.50% redemption value for any number of points, if I make a $4100 HAL purchase, or do I have to redeem points worth $4100? And how many would that be? 200,00? 400,000? something else?

I have a recently acquired Barclay's HAL visa that now has 15,000 + points on it. I have an expensive HAL cruise upcoming in November 2024. What is the best way to redeem these points? Or would it be better to use the card to pay for the cruise or part of the cruise?

And to understand the abbreviations.

What special laundry services do you request, if not "air dry"? I have had several pairs of pants faded and snagged in another line's ship's laundry. After that, I used the onboard passenger laundromat. But HAL no longer has those 😟 Going on a 51 day HAL cruise, if that happened, what would I wear?

Just like traveling by air, we always keep our meds in our carry-on, in case our checked baggage goes astray. As for the "original containers", there are two considerations: First, if you get stuck onboard or in a foreign country and run out of your meds (remember COVID?), you will want the original containers or a copy of the labels, or a copy of the prescription so that you can get more. Second, if you are embarking or disembarking in a foreign country, you might need proof of what these meds are and that they are legally yours and not something that might be prohibited in those countries. In some countries, customs will go through your stuff looking for illegal drugs.

Those of us who have problems packing formal wear into our airline checked bags appreciate not having to dress up. For those of you who prefer that you and your fellow passengers dress more formerly, there are other cruise lines, such as Cunard where you might be happier.

How do most people dress on these nights? Are they still called "formal" nights?

Is Holland America's "Flight Ease" the same as Princess' EZ Air? In any case, I have a question about Flight Ease: Can I book two one-way flights instead of a round trip? The reason I want to do that is because I need to fly from Florida to San Diego and back for a 51 day cruise. The airlines will release their return flights 51 days after they release the outbound flight. I'd like to be able to see the outbound flight options as soon as they become available instead of waiting nearly two months to book a round-trip, when some of the best outbound options might have disappeared.

So it's "To Insure Proper Service"? Something that isn't accomplished when the cruise line charges your account and then distributes the "gratuities" among the crew as they see fit.

Why do you tip an extra dollar when you get a drink (for a total of 24.67% on a $15 drink, if my math is correct)? Do you think that 18% is insufficient for adequate service?

And the price of a drink package also includes gratuities?

If you're paying for each drink, is the tip added on top of the price?

I don't think that it is expected to tip extra, since the gratuities added to our bills are supposed to be sufficient. But if a crew gives me more service than expected, then I will give him/her more gratuity than expected, in the form of some cash at the end of the voyage.

I am about to spend, what for me is, a massive amount of money on a cruise with Holland America. I would have liked to have booked Azamara instead, but I'm tired of their incompetence. Are you listening Azamara - I doubt that I'm the only customer jumping ship.

Oh, so that's the "little person"! So I click on it and get a sign-in option. Now I have a circle with the first letter of my first name. When I click on that, I get a drop-down menu "Hi Judith" (not clickable), "Upcoming Cruises" and "sign out". So I do have a little person, after all. But still no "My Profile" or "Club Programs" links. The "Upcoming Cruises" just takes me to "You have no upcoming cruises" (Correct!), "Request Support", "Bookings FAQ" and "Sign Out". That's all.

My account has no "little person', neither does it have a "My Profile" link, or a "Club Programs" link.

Is it time to fill out another "Future Bookings & Loyalty Support Form" ? After four months, Azamara still doesn't have my loyalty level, points, or past cruises in my online account. I have already filled out the form five times. Since then, two months have passed during which I have taken two more Azamara cruises. The most recent time I heard from Azamara, I was told that the website would be fixed by the end of June. 🤣 Is it time to fill out another Loyalty Support Form, or would I just be wasting my time and causing myself unnecessary aggravation?

Can I use points earned on my Holland America credit card to pay for shore excursions booked online before sailing? If yes, how?

I have a few questions about HAL's MDR dining options: Early dining or "As you wish"? I heard that Early Dining can be anywhere from 5:15 to 5:45 PM. Is that right? Most nights we would be happy with Early Dining, so long as it isn't at 5:15. But we're considering requesting "As You Wish" for flexibility. We like to eat around 6 or 7 PM, depending upon when the ship sails from a port of call. How long are the waits to be seated around those times with As You Wish? Is it easy to get a table for two with Early Dining? with As You Wish? Is there a dedicated dining area for suite passengers?

Is the Neptune Lounge open for all meals? Do you need a fixed dining time or a reservation to eat there? (This will only be my second HAL cruise, my first on Zaandam and my first in a Neptune Suite).