Haljo1935

That was our experience on Carnival Dec 2021; haven't been on Carnival since then, but they have said a couple times they don't have plans on going back to full muster anytime soon, so I believe it is still that way. Hoping so!

We have been able to use the welcome drink coupons for drinks other than the Welcome Punch; A bar tender in the Casino bar on Nieuw Statendam recommended a strawberry mojito rather than regular mint mojito. I tried it and it's my new favorite sail away drink! I know this thread is for new HAL cruisers; however, If you do receive those coupons and think you'll pass on them because you wouldn't care for the Welcome Punch, try asking for something else. If you don't get a coupon, you can ask your Cabin Steward if they have an extra - they will sometimes give you one. 🙂 You're so close to a fabulous trip!!

We are on Venezia Sept 16 - 29 and will wave as well as we head home 😞

That may be different OBC from a canceled booking or a special promo you haven't used...

Oct 2022 turned out to be bad in terms of hurricanes in that area, so about a year after your original post. We went and did have some itinerary changes due to Fiona. And now I'm who ones for the time frame you're asking about - Sept 16 - 29 2023 - and have noticed considerable cancellations happening for the 2nd week (9/23-29) but not the first week. Wonder if it could be weather related or is something else at play? No we can't necessarily forecast and hurricanes can build quickly, but the Farmers Almanac is usually fairly accurate. Maybe I'll check.

Hi - my sister and I might be interested, she will get back to me. I did very similar tour last Oct - it was beautiful but had more walking than I could handle, so I sat out for some while my husband continued on. If the walking portion doesn't circle back to where it started, that's not feasible. Have you taken the tour before to know?

Sounds like you have the right plan in place - book 2nd leg excursions now w/CC then have payment method changed once on board. It's unfortunate and frustrating that you can't book excursions for a 2nd (or 3rd) leg once on the first, but until HAL changes it, well shave to continue to find workarounds. Hope you enjoy the trip and get the excursions you want!!

But you count on them likely falling on sea days.

I didn't finish the entire article, so there may been a sell w/lease back, but this does say HAL purchased the island, which is what we've been told by HAL tram drivers.

On one trip another port was added, it was Bemini, but that ended up being cancelled and replaced with a 2nd day in Curacao. The other time, it was not replaced, so we had 1 less port/1 more sea day. Both times we didn't learn of the change for Key West until we were already on board. Disappointing as we like a little time in Key West without making it a trio by itself.

Certainly an abundance of rumors - interestingly, this was said by the tram driver on HMC, so given the source we thought there might be some truth to it. But no telling where they got their info. Or plans could have changed. We were disappointed to think the island could be swarming w/Disney passengers and feel better thinking it likely won't be.

Hey John - good to hear all is well enough for you to cruise. Please update as to whether or not you actually ported at Key West. It was cancelled on my last couple itineraries and many others have reported the same.

Both should apply if both eligible.

John - where in Bahamas are you going?

Yes, I have done this several times, as recently as last month on Nieuw Statendam, Dec on Koningsdam and October on Nieuw Amsterdam all to lock in excursions we wanted and had OBC we wanted to use. Procedure is to pay online in advance and once onboard immediately go to Shore Excursions desk - tell them which excursions you want paid w/OBC. They will do the cancel/refund/rebook for you. The refund will show up in your cabin statement as refundable OBC; any not used will be refunded back to the credit card you put on file w/HAL for the cruise, which may or may not be the original card used to pay for it online (you have to remember that so you don't go looking for a credit on a different card). It's very important you don't cancel the excursions yourself and try to rebook, let Excursions desk do that, because if the excursion is showing full, you won't be able to rebook and will lose out on it. And yes, OBC can be used for daily gratuities.

Husband and I are also on Eurodam April 29 (just booked yesterday) - hoping for fabulous wildlife and glacier calving. Very nice itinerary to enjoy being freshly off of servicing others - you have a great environment for unwinding. As for cabin service - you do you and enjoy your vacation. Yes, eventually sup will need to pop in to ensure all is well. And multiple day service is a thing of the past...

Condolences and hugs. As there is a lot of useful info in this thread, I have nothing additional other than providing the Guest Relations contact info that was provided to me yesterday by a PCC .I was told if I am not getting a response to other communication or don't know where to turn, to use this contact and they will get the message to the right person. It may take a couple days, but should get you connected to the right person. Guestrelations@hollandamerica.com 800-599-8256. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Last year, not sure which itinerary/ship, when we were at HMC, we were told HAL had sold part of the island to Disney. I haven't been able to find anything about that transaction or Disney plans, but HMC is definitely topping HAL/CCL financial plans.

I did specifically ask if I could use it with early booking as the fall 2024 AK cruises were just released - PCC said no. Another examp!e of inconsistent information causing frustration with what should be a straightforward process. Since we can't apply the OBC ourselves, we're relying on PCCs to be the experts and do the best job for us. Ugh...

Well, Denise, you did it - all this exciting talk about Alaska led to me booking a cruise today - for next month! So, while not going with you, I do feel like you'll be there in spirit, lol. Husband came home the other day from work saying he had vacation he had to use before June or he'd lose it. So, we're off on the Eurodam April 29 - May 6; very early in the season, maybe even opening season for HAL. Will be celebrating his birthday onboard 🙂 I've been to AK several times, all on HAL, and I'm thrilled for you to be going, especially w/siblings. My sister has gone w/us a few times, but we've not been successful in getting our brother to go, so I'm also a bit envious of your trip. I'm sure you all will have a wonderful time and come back w/an abundance of memories. Guess I need to break out the suitcase...

I believe the Captain sets the tone (as w/most close work environments) and NS has a fabulous one! He recognizes crew members birthdays, makes daily announcements, keeps passengers looped in on what's happening and is very approachable when out on the ship. Sounds pretty basic, right? But after having been on several ships where I've only heard the Captain when we got on then not again until we got off and never saw them mingling out on the ship, I can say it's rare. The ships with Captains that are less engaged seem to have less friendly, "lively" crew.

Told today by both PCC and TA that the Welcome Home OBC (received from taking a cruise) cannot be combined with any of HAL current fares, the only way to use it is with non refundable booking with no "perks" or credits, not even w/Military OBC. So that is not welcomed news...

I am on the Eurodam next month and will peek at the tags to see if they're the same; I've always love HAL sheets - they contribute to me wanting to linger far too long in bed, even though I am on vacation...

It was pre-covid last time we were in a Neptune suite, so things verge would have changed. Apologies, I should have mentioned that. Crew in the Neptune Lounge will guide you on what is/is not included. While that doesn't help planning, it is good to check with them as things do vary ship to ship (even though published policy may not).

Yes - there will be a tray w/glasses, corkscrew, ice bucket, bottled water and small bottle of wine somewhere near the mini fridge. There will be a card hanging on one of the bottles that lists the mini bar item costs. To make room in the fridge for items you want chilled, you can remove (or have steward remove) the pre-stocked items and put them back at end of cruise.