Haljo1935

https://www.captainalbert.com/current-captains-and-their-schedules/ Updated as of May 2023 (last month).

I'll go look - give me a min...or 2. Ok, something I found says it was Frederik Carsjens. When I'm able to pull out the passport journey sticker, I will double check that and update.

Correct, so our experiences and expectations are aligned. I thought someone mentioned the port fees and taxes went up after boarding, which baffled me.

We like having a view of both sides rather than just one. For us, the biggest draw are the wildlife sightings that we've had - seem to always have whales 🐋 join us when we're on the balcony. 😊

I agree w/the poor customer service, but at same time w/o being a HAL cheerleader (as I do believe all lines have their issues) I am trying to find compelling reason to stay loyal, as a 4* Mariner who appreciates that status. We are fortunate to be able to cruise at all, but don’t have unlimited resources, so we need to be frugal w/our budgets and make good choices w/our vacation $$. Utilizing the free and discounted offers are ways we can do that.

I LOVE it there and love this picture. Thanks for posting.

I would love to get one of those offers - never received an offer for AK, but recently saw a flyer - there were some great itineraries on it.

I have no knowledge about when/if segments get released, but you can book many cruises by the week (or something shorter than a full cruise) if they're listed separately and can build your own B2B. Ex: I booked Oct 15 -29 Europe plus Oct 29 - Nov 9 making my own B2B. Both itineraries are available to book as separate trips (as I did), but there is also 1 itinerary for the full time Oct 15 - Nov 9. Booked separately you have 2 booking numbers; if you book the entire time as 1 booking, you get 1 number. I booked the same cabin for both legs, but I've also done B2B where I switched cabins on Turnaround Day because it wasn't available for the full time. Is that what you're asking?

@VMax1700 good question - very interested in learning if non-refundable OBC can be used for the walk.

Since you said "after final payment," do you mean before embarkation? That I would understand and ToS allows for that. I've never seen a charge for increased port fees once on board.

While I mostly agree with you @friendswithdave I do know of free offers on popular itineraries such as AK.

Aligned with @HappyInVan and @iceman93 that I don't mind a reminder to complete the survey (been hearing that for years) and do so fairly, honestly and in depth. However, pressure to leave specific feedback or rating would not be appreciated.

As mentioned, the policy has recently been updated to reflect a "reasonable" amount per person vs the previous 1 bottle per person. Who knows what is considered "reasonable" but suspect one would find out when they're told to surrender some 🤔🤭

You absolutely can cover the charge for all guests in your party. Just be sure to tell them in advance as others here have suggested. BTW if you also tell them about the special occasion, they will provide a very nice cake big enough for sharing. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the pix @Crew News we have missed that beer on EVERY one of our 10 AK cruises.

@snowlight the golf cart drivers are more than happy to take you wherever you need to go. They communicate well among each other via walkie,walk flag down any one you see; if they're "on a mission" and not able to help you, they'll call someone for you. Enjoy your cruise!

Yes, he is a great captain! We got an unplanned impromptu one-on-one Q&A w/him in Dec when we ran into him near the Future Cruise Desk one evening. He graciously answered our questions and seemed genuinely appreciative of our positive ravings about his great crew!! Hope to see him again in Dec when we're once again on the Koningsdam.

Unless very very recently added back on, ATK (America's Test Kitchen) is no longer on the ships.

Thanks for sharing - glad you enjoyed the cruise. Those true aft cabins are the best for the great AK views!

@jackinelgin it is unusual you would get the barcode on your boarding pass with no time or group number; cabin yes, boarding group no. You might try refreshing and see if it shows up. For comparison, see what shows in the Navigator App. Also, you can use the boarding pass in the Navigator App and not print one. Please update us - curious on the outcome - and enjoy your cruise!

Would be interesting to know if the unloaded pallets were due to the protestors, surplus or had been off loaded for return.

So glad ypu enjoyed your cruise and suite - thanks for sharing! We were on the Koningsdam last Nov/Dec and several years ago. Had the same captain both times. We saw him one evening near the future cruise desk, so we were able to ask a few questions - uninterrupted one-on-one time with ships captain is pretty special 🤭 he was very nice and seemed to genuinely appreciate our gratitude for his great crew. We'll be on Koningsdam again this Dec - hoping for another great experience.

Like others have said, I usually see a final credit of some amount on port fees, which usually happens when we leave early or maybe they didn't need as much service as 0lanned (which passengers wouldn't know about). But unless it's been a missed port, I've not gotten one that large. Congrats!

Typically FCC goes toward the cost of the cruise and FCD goes toward the deposit. Wouldn't hurt to call to see if they'll apply it the way you want. Hope it works out - will you update us?

Yes that's how it works. There will be a Walk on each cruise. It's usually Breast Cancer, but last year they started doing it for Ukraine. You can choose to actually walk or just take the t-shirt.