Haljo1935

Thanks for replying - he didn't bring any shorts so for sure will be in pants 🥸 I will likely forgo the dress and wear pants as well so if either of us is underdressed, we're both underdressed.

I know this is older thread, but stumbled on it during an internet search for the very question - is casual acceptable in the Canaletto (located on Lido) on dressy nights on the Eurodam and seems there still is no definitive answer to be found. We're currently on the Eurodam to Alaska and will be dining in the Canaletto for the first time tonight. As we decided to pack lighter and forgo dining rooms on dressy nights, DH only has came cargo pants and a button down collared ss shirt to wear - will he be comfortable in the Canaletto tonight? I'll update after dinner...

No charge except for sodas, etc just as on the ship; lemonade, punch, water are free. Usually served 11-1. Also, you use your state room card for all purchase (including drinks) everywhere except the couple of "local" vendors that are under the thatch roofs; those are cash, not sure if they takes cards as I've never tried.

My experience has been you can't look up flights unless you're booked. We don't always book through HAL, we usually book directly with the airline and only through HAL if it's less expensive. We do have an issue with Flightease late at night/wee hours, so if you do search try it earlier, well before midnight.

The hydro pool is not really a giant hot tub, it's more like a warm bubbly bath as it's not hot. Bubbles are on a timer, separate from the sprayers; either can be on or off. The bars in the pool are great for stretching. And yes, you can use the chairs in the relaxation room if there's any available.

Even if you don't want to go to the beach, they do a nice buffet which is a nice break from the ship. It's a beautiful view.

Welcome to HAL!! It's an awesome way to experience AK. We will be getting off when you get on as we leave this Sat April 29.

I'm with you, Slidergirl - we board Sat April 29 for AK!!

You also have the option to give cash in lieu of a CC and can select that instead of entering your CC. Any amount left at the end will be refunded back to you - just go down the night before and ask to cash out or you can go very early in the morning before you leave the ship. The hold placed on your card will be equal to $60/day for each day of the trip for each passenger. So, if you're on a 7 day cruise, they'll do a hold of $420 per person. The process works as Crew News described above with one exception. Look at the very end of your statement - if the OBC is broken into 2 sections, 1 will be identified as "non refundable," the other will not. You will want to spend all of the nonrefundable as that won't get credited, but if you have any of the other OBC left, it will be refunded to your CC. Or you can cash it out. An additional hold will not be put on your card unless you spend more, including OBC, than their original hold. So, OBC is used before yourcCC. If you're concerned about spending and want to control it a bit more through OBC, you can buy OBC for yoyrself. It is fully refundable to your CC or in cash if you don't use it all. Enjoy your cruise!!

You can also ask your TA to fill it out and send to you to sign and submit. Mine does that. 🙂

Getting OBC is a nice perk; it's honestly why I bought CCL stock. With that said, you're right 00649, that high debt and interest payments are concerning. There's a difference between sailing with full ships and increasing revenue and making a profit. I believe CCL offered so many free cruises so they could report better fill rates across their brands. That paints 1 picture. Increasing prices (fares, tips, extra dining surchages, etc) is both a reaction to increased supply chain prices and an attempt to offset free cruises and demonstrate an increase in revenue. So, absolutely no, full ships don't necessarily equate to a healthy balance sheet.

Nieuw Amsterdam had Aha water in Feb. You only pay difference if you have the $11 package and go over on all the ships I've been on last year and this year. Will be on Eurodam in 2 days, so I'll know soon about it. No problems asking them to not open the drinks - and no issues taking them to your cabin.

VPN has not worked for me on any HAL ship. As I cannot access work sites or send/receive work emails that have attachments, I am not able to work onboard HAL ships.

The street tacos are surprisingly good; I don't eat seafood, so I can't comment on the shrimp, but the beef and chicken are good. With that said, they've always been served in double soft tortillas (as they should be) except for Feb on Nieuw Amsterdam where they came in hard crispy shells. Maybe they were out of tortillas and that's all they could get, didn't ask, but it was strange.

Congrats on snagging an aft cabin - they're by far our favorite for AK. As mentioned, you can see both sides and we always get a whale (and sometimes dolphin) show while on our balcony. One of the best memories (and stories) was watching a mama bear with her 3 cubs walking/playing the beach. They stayed in sight for more than 30 min - it was fabulous!! Make sure you have binoculars and don't let the drizzle, fog, wind or even rain keep you inside - the amazing views are best enjoyed fom your balcony. And the glacier cruising is great - no crowds to block your view. We will be getting off when you get on - we leave this Sat April 29 on Eurodam. First time to not be in an aft cabin - a bit jealous. 🙂

Try Halfacts - someone may have posted pictures. YouTube is also a good place to look for pictures.

So thrilled for you to make the trip - hope you have a fabulous relaxing cruise. Looking forward to the pictures.

Agree with others about taking the itinerary into consideration and leaving weekday vs weekend for less crowding. I've not been on Zaandam, so can't comment on her from experience. But I think there are fewer balcony cabins (IMO import for AK) and no true aft cabins, which we prefer for AK. As for choosing between Noordam and Koningsdam, agree there are more food choices on Koningsdam, especially love Grand Dutch which Noordam doesn't have. But we really like the smaller size of the Noordam when going through AK. So it's a tough decision - but a nice problem to have as any cruise to AK is a great trip. We leave in 2 days (April 29) on the Eurodam for AK - I am already missing the Grand Dutch!! Enjoy your trip - looking forward to an update on your final selection and what the deciding factors were.

Enjoy your trip - it's an easy process that doesn't take much time. You will spend more time waiting for everyone to show up in the lounge than it will take you to get off/back on. As Banditswife mentioned, being on time is important as they do have to wait for everyone before the group can leave. And be sure to check in with crew before you sit down - happens every time that one of the missing passengers the group was waiting for was already there, but not accounted for because they didn't check in.

As others have said, you will be able to use the pools. And, of course, the hot tubs - great views of Alaska from the pool or hot tub. We leave on Eurodam this Sat 4/29 for AK - we'll give it a test run for you 🙂

And you're able to drop your bags even if they're not ready.

Welcome @LivetoTravel88! Miss G answered your first question vey well, so I'll go to #2 - aft is great not only for stability but also for views. Best deck for balconies is 4 Beethoven. If you want a really deep balcony, book aft on the side, if the view is most important, book true aft (wake view); any deck is good for true aft view, but lower is better if you're looking to minimize noise and possible cig smoke; lower also better if there's a chance of fog (which does occur in fjords) - higher balconies may have fog while lower decks have clear view. Question 3 - in addition to what Miss G mentioned, you'll also want to consider alcohol/premium coffee/sodas/etc if you don't purchase a drink package (we never put define package as it is less expensive for us to pay as we go - even w/coffee, etc we don't get close to 15 drinks/day), specialty dining and laundry as well as supplemental tips, if you do that. Enjoy your cruise - fjords are lovely viewing on the balcony!!

We took the plunge and booked for both weeks (we're staying on for the Sept 23 sailing); figured if we didn't enjoy it we could cancel the 2nd week, but if we do, then we won't miss out. Videos look fun - just looking for something different that we can't do on HAL.

A little sensitivity, please, for OP and family who may still reading this thread. While I think we'd all agree the story link you posted is horrific, this is not really the time given how little time has passed from their loss. IMHO

She hooked me in - we leave in a week April 29 - May 6 on Eurodam. Very much looking forward to it. And looking forward to reading Denise's posts and see her pictures!