NewCruiser-2023

Oh, @cabland So sorry to hear about the continued and worsened knee trouble. Yikes. Both my mother and my brother are looking at new knees this year. Sounds like a tricky business. Hoping and praying you're up and at 'em again sooner than you expect!!

The flight home - two connecting red-eyes actually - went smoothly. Impossible for me to really sleep on a plane, so there's that, but I watched a lot of movies and got my sleep the next night at home.

@QuattroRomeo Thanks! Nope, despite having my son's home address, email address, and phone number on that suitcase, it never made its way back to him...empty or full. He hasn't seen any of it. It was really discouraging and nuts how it just disappeared between the time we gave the bags to the shuttle driver and when we unloaded from the shuttle. My son was a great sport about it, though. If it had to happen to one of us, he was the best one. He said later that it sort of took away any pressure he was feeling for the vacation to be perfect...and said if the clothes fell into the hands of one of Seattle's many homeless, it was okay because they needed it more than he did. And, thankfully, his wallet, cellphone, and car keys were all in his backpack, so he lost nothing but a week's worth of clothes. But it still really threw a wrench in our morning...and our moods. So grateful that things got so much better once we got on the Good Ship Koningsdam 😊

@canadianbear Thank you! Yes, the stolen suitcase debacle really brought our spirits down, but we were SO thankful that our son's wallet, cellphone, and car keys were in his backpack, and that he only lost a week's worth of clothing. He also told us at dinner a few days later that he was sort of grateful for that early disappointment, as it relieved any pressure he felt that the vacation had to be perfect. If any of us had to lose their bag, he was honestly the best one. None of the rest of us would have handled it as well. We didn't have an overnight in Vancouver, but we did spend all of our disembarkation day there - renting bikes to ride all through Stanley Park on what was the warmest day of our whole trip, going to Mass in a lovely church that evening, and taking in lots of sights as we walked all around town before heading to the airport for our midnight red-eye flight home.

Just wanted to circle back to this discussion and thank you all for the helpful answers to my many questions. Our cruise was five months ago now - gosh time flies - and I've finally gotten around to writing a review of our experience. Here's the link if anyone is interested, but it's really long, so you should get a cup of coffee and find a comfy chair 🙃 Cruise Review

Just wanted to circle back to this discussion and thank you all for the helpful answers to my many questions. Our cruise was five months ago now - gosh time flies - and I've finally gotten around to writing a review of our experience. Here's the link if anyone is interested, but it's really long, so you should get a cup of coffee and find a comfy chair 🙃 Cruise Review

Just wanted to circle back to this discussion and thank you all for the helpful answers to my many questions. Our cruise was five months ago now - gosh time flies - and I've finally gotten around to writing a review of our experience. Here's the link if anyone is interested, but it's really long, so you should get a cup of coffee and find a comfy chair 🙃 Cruise Review

@jayally1968 I don't imagine you will have any problems with luggage storage at the Auberge, but consider the Pan Pacific as a back-up location. You probably saw from previous postings in this thread that we didn't even stay at the hotel (we came up from two nights in Seattle the morning of embarkation), but I emailed ahead and was told we could store our bags with the Pan Pacific bellmen after disembarking. The only thing was the person who emailed me said it was "gratuity-based," and when we got there the bellman on duty said it was "$8 a bag," as if they charged a set rate. We paid it willingly, because it was a fair price for being able to sightsee in Vancouver all day without being burdened by our bags. It was $8 a day Canada dollars, but we only had American, which they happily accepted. My husband gave a tip on top of what came to $40 for our 5 bags, but I don't think that was necessary, since that was basically tipping on top of a tip. Enjoy your cruise and your time in Vancouver! Cruise Critic was a huge help in our pre-trip planning, so you're in the right place. @BLH613 Hope you enjoyed your trip to Alaska on the Koningsdam! I hope to leave a review of our experience soon. I can't believe we've been back for 4 months, and I'm just getting back to Cruise Critic. Our trip was a true adventure, but real life catches up with you really fast after getting back home.

Thanks a million! Slacks removed and space made ❤️

Thank you! One last question (I should have known I wasn't finished)...we are mostly packed but I am really on the fence about whether we all need to bring a pair of decent slacks for Saturday's dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. If we bring slacks, we will wear them just that night and that's it. There isn't a lot of suitcase room for something we plan to wear just once. If we (me, husband, two twenty-something boys) wore jeans to dinner in the PG would we stick out as under-dressed? I could wear with cardigan and scarf, and they would wear with polos. Is that okay or would you suggest each squeezing that pair of slacks in too to dress more properly?

Thanks, everyone! You have all been a great help to me the last few months. We fly to Seattle tomorrow and set sail from Vancouver on Saturday. Super excited and ready to enjoy the fun of the ship and the beautiful ports of call.

Thanks, everyone! You have all been a great help to me the last few months. We fly to Seattle tomorrow and set sail from Vancouver on Saturday. Super excited and ready to enjoy the fun of the ship and the beautiful ports of call.

You guys have all been a great help to me! We fly to Seattle tomorrow and set sail from Vancouver on Saturday. Super excited and ready to enjoy the fun of the ship and the beautiful ports of call.

Agree!!

Good question! I'd like to know the answer to that one too 😁 I'd rather have a milkshake than a drink from the bar.

Thanks, friends!!! ❤️

Thank you! We'll try to make sure we leave the ship in good condition for you, ha ha!

I promised I'd be back, and here I am! Do prescription meds need to be packed in the orange pharmacy bottles we got them in? It is so much handier putting them along with vitamins in the 7-day pill organizer. And can we use our shipboard credit to pay part of our end-of-trip crew incentives charge? Thanks again...see you in a few more minutes 🤣

Thank you! At this point, I don't think any of us were eligible for reduced rates. Shopped around and booked the Have It All package when we could get it through with our Costco membership. The Costco cash back will be nice after a purchase like this. I so appreciate everyone's helpful reassurance and advice! ❤️ Can't wait to report back after our adventures! (Though, I'm sure you'll see more of me before we set sail)

Thank you so much! I appreciate knowing we can all check in together and won't "get in trouble" for not letting them know we'll be a few hours late. (And, yes, the boys are in a separate cabin (in their mid-20s so a suite with a sofa bed is not an option) and on a separate booking.)

Thank you so much. This is wildly helpful!! Okay, now I've come up with a few more 😛 Are there places on board to watch sports (major league baseball games)? and more importantly... I got us all checked in for the cruise yesterday. That was a process. Almost took me an hour. Anyway, HAL emailed this morning with our boarding times. My husband and I are scheduled for 10:20am and our boys are scheduled for 11am. Not ideal, but the real problem is we will be coming on the train from Seattle (after flying in from the East Cost the day before), and we won't be arriving in Vancouver until nearly 12noon and still have to take the subway to the port. Nowhere in the emails/attachments do I see "if this time doesn't work for you..." instructions.

Good golly! All these options. I will definitely be a regular at the Grand Dutch Cafe 😄 And the Gelato Bar sounds intriguing. So in places like that where prices are posted, those are for purchase and not "included," right? Also, I'm a sucker for a pile of hot french fries, so that Late Snack line-up is exciting too. Thanks for this!!

@Crew News Thank you for the dress code guidance! That is helpful for packing. And, wow, thanks for sending the MDR dinner menus. I have already checked the dessert options for every night, hee hee.

@QuattroRomeo Hello again...we are two weeks from setting sail, and I've found myself with a few more questions, if you (or others) don't mind. We booked the Have It All package and are wondering about the WiFi. A friend of my husband's who coincidentally took an Alaska cruise on a different HAL ship back in May said their WiFi was terrible, more frustrating than functional. I feel the need to prepare our sons in their mid-20s for the possibilities 😕 Also, we are taking a snorkeling excursion and were told to bring beach towels. With the hoodies, knit hats, long pants, etc we'll already be stuffing in the suitcases in AUGUST, I hate to waste valuable space with beach towels too. I'm wondering if we could take towels from our cabin with full intentions of bringing them back. Or if our backpacks are scanned/checked when disembarking at the various ports. Oooh, and that brings me to another question...what's it like when getting off the ship and back on again in the various ports? Is that a hassle like our initial embarking sounds like it might be or is it an easy strolling off and back on again? Thanks!

Thank you @bookmomoftwins for this helpful review! We are first-time cruisers in our 50s setting sail in a few wks with our sons in their 20s. I'm encouraged by the demographics you mentioned. We should fit in nicely 🙂 I've been told that the only no-no in terms of dress code in the MDR is no shorts during the dinner hour. I assume then that jeans, sport pants, capri pants, etc should be okay? Also, does anyone reading this know what the expectations are in terms of dress code in the Pinnacle Grill? We've got reservations there our first evening (ALL other nights were booked-even though I was checking months in advance. Whoa) and will not have had a chance to feel out the ship yet at that point. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!