djhsolara

We had a dine around package in January on Koningsdam that took us to all of the onboard restaurants. Does anyone know if they are offering this on any of the other ships? I know there aren't as many restaurants on the other ships, but it's getting close with options (especially on Signature ships).

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Good on booking the air. What did you decide about the hotel?

We booked on our own and did the Holiday Inn at the airport for around $150 including breakfast. We're really not planning on doing anything in Vancouver other than going to the hotel to sleep and going to the ship in the morning...so a downtown hotel wasn't important to us.

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On a Carribean cruise, we booked our air thru HA as we were told that if anything happened, they would get us to the ship. That sounded good, so we booked with them even thou the fare was a little higher. We paid with our United MasterCard to get miles and free luggage. Guess what? When we checked in at the airport they wanted $25 each for checking our bag! We tried to argue but the attendant said the flight was paid for via another card, not ours. Our $$$ went to Holland America and they paid for the flights. It cost us an extra $100 for the trip. Thankfully the flights were on time and we had a good cruise.

 

 

 

DD

Yes...the fares quoted are exactly that anymore...a fare for a person. If you are checking baggage, you will be charged the fees.

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We ended up booking the air through HAL. Our PCC got us something that was very comparable to what we could find.

However, we did discover something. When we asked about trip insurance from the airline (when we were trying to do it ourselves), we were told that the insurance that they offer is for if something happens with the flight or airline-related...not if we had to cancel. They could get us in touch with a third party for trip coverage.

In speaking with our PCC, she told us that the insurance that we purchase on the cruise also includes the air that we purchase through HAL. Interesting.

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Have you tried contacting HAL, either directly or through your TA, to find out what HAL air and hotel packages cost?

Not yet. We will be contacting our PCC in the beginning of the week.

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We would suggest that the OP simple spend a few minutes on the Internet and do their own research....based on real info. So if you are thinking about using HAL air...or HAL hotel arrangements, check the prices for the same (or similar) airlines and hotels on a web site such as Kayak. And if Southwest Airlines or Jet Blue is convenient for your journey, check their own sites for pricing. You can then make an informed decision based on facts...not conjecture.

 

 

 

Based on our own personal experience (and its pretty extensive) we have never (ever) seen any cruise line offer a decent hotel package.....that could compare to what we can book on our own. But Air is a different story. When it comes to domestic flights (USA or Canada) we usually do not notice any savings from cruise air in economy...although there are times when the cruise line air folks might have a better deal for Business Class. But International flights are a different story....especially if you need one-way. So we always price out our International travel options on our own...and then compare them to the cruise line offerings. That being said, we would NEVER TRUST any cruise line to choose our flights. This can put you on the worst possible flights with multiple stops and lousy connections. So when we price out cruise air....we pick the flights.

 

 

 

Hank

I have done extensive research online, however we always book our own hotels and air, so I have absolutely no experience with a HAL hotel or air booking...so I was just looking for some input perhaps from those who have.

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I fly Southwest almost exclusively, and fly to Seattle and then take Quick Shuttle to Vancouver. I've found HAL's hotels to be more expensive than you can book yourself. Don't know about one-way air, unless you're talking about flying into Vancouver and then flying back to PA from Anchorage. I know they will book those flights.

 

 

 

Roz

Thanks for the info.

We're doing a Pacific Coastal...Vancouver to San Diego. The flight home from San Diego will be free with airline points.

We toyed with the idea of flying to Seattle and shuttling to Vancouver, but that just seems like more hassle than we want to deal with.

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Does HAL offer better deals for pre-cruise hotel stays than what I can book myself online? We're going to be sailing out of Vancouver and the hotels seem very expensive for the night prior to sailing.

Additionally, we've never booked air with HAL because we are Southwest people, but Southwest does not fly to Vancouver. Can you do one-way air with HAL? Do you usually find that you can get a better deal booking air through HAL than doing it yourself online?

Thank you for any input!!

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So...we will either pay less to stay at the airport and take a taxi or shuttle to the port for $40-$50 OR pay more to stay downtown and pay $30-$40 for a taxi to get there. Hmmmm. Still not sure.

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We're looking for the night of Sept 29, 2017 for 1 night and are surprised at the prices.

Do the downtown hotels offer complimentary shuttle from the airport? If not, does anyone know how much that costs?

We're currently booked into the Westin Wall Centre at around $300 (to include breakfast). I've been told they may have complimentary airport shuttle but fare to the port may be around $50. Can anyone offer insight into this?

Thank you!!

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Downtown. Lots of hotels with quite a bit to entertain you for an evening and the next morning within walking distance.

 

 

 

The Pan Pacific is right above the cruise terminal; the Fairmont Waterfront is right across the street. There are a couple of other Fairmonts close by. The Hyatt Regency is a short walk away. The Blue Horizon is recommended regularly in the West Coast Departure forum for more budget conscious travellers. If budget is a concern, there is a YMCA (or YWCA?) hotel that is recommended by locals. There's a lot of information in the West Coast Departure forum. Look for a thread called Vancouver Answers from a Vancouverite (Part 2). There are some locals, including xlxo, who post regularly there with great information.

When you're saying above, across the street or short walk...are you saying that you can walk to the cruise terminal? Are you able to walk directly into the cruise terminal from the street?

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If I were looking for hotels that are near the cruise port, in which area should I be looking?

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We're coming in on Friday and cruising Saturday.

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Cruise booked.

Just for our peace of mind, we're flying into Vancouver staying at the Westin Wall Center. Where does anyone stay in Vancouver? I saw an awesome deal at the Four Seasons but don't know if we want to stay downtown. Any thoughts?

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You could fly into Seattle, spend the night there and take the Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver the following morning. If you have the time, I would highly recommend spending at least one night in Vancouver. It is a really gorgeous city.

Interesting thought. Do you know how far it is from the train station to the cruise terminal in Vancouver?

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We've never done a sailing from the West Coast, but we're looking at a Pacific Coastal from Vancouver to San Diego.

Does anyone fly into Seattle and do transport to Vancouver or would it just be better to fly into Vancouver? Does HAL offer transport from Seattle to Vancouver?

We usually fly Southwest and they do not do Vancouver...and the hotel prices are much less in Seattle.

Just looking for some input before we talk to our PCC tomorrow.

Thank you!!

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I was wondering if the beaches of Nassau and Amber Cove are within walking distance right off of the boat or if I need to purchase an excursion?

 

Thanks!

Amber Cove...I know the shopping/pool area is right off the ship, but I don't believe there is a beach right there.

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Does anyone know if HAL is going to do the same thing with the Eurodam? I am looking at a cruise on her and want to get a lido cabana (the ones along the side of the pool area). If it only fits one lounge that would be a waste of money. Still trying to figure out why the sideboard?????

The Lido Cabanas on Eurodam have a large oval lounge/bed, not lounge chairs (unless something has changed since our last visit).

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One more reason that we're not doing Carnival as much anymore. If someone likes to have service just once a day, that's great, but if I am ever made to choose either AM or PM, that will be the last Carnival cruise...and that will be reflected in the gratuity. My fare hasn't been decreased (it fact, it is more now) so I expect the same level of service. If other cruise lines can still do it twice a day, so can Carnival.

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When they head out to sea it is to sail out of the area threatened by the hurricane. They do not "set anchor" (a shallow, coastal waters concept)).

When we sailed in a hurricane (Sandy), the captain felt it was safest to take us directly through the hurricane. We left from Port Liberty, made it out of NY Harbor in less than 20 minutes (we were told that takes over an hour in normal conditions) and continued straight through the hurricane to Bermuda. He told us that it was safer to go through because anything else and we would have either been chasing it or being chased by it.

It was QUITE the experience.

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All depends what you're looking for. We're pool people, so we usually just find chairs around the pool. Last year we took my 80-year-old Mother on a family cruise so we rented a cabana. It was nice to have a stationary place as a base. The service was great too.

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With HAL it seems you need to be American or Canadian for this to happen.

 

We are five star HAL and Aussie. We always book a balcony, yet we have never been visited by the upsell fairy. We have seen accompanying American travellers of lesser status receive offers, and for us - nothing.

 

Having said that we are committed HAL cruisers.......

Have you spoken to your PCC or HAL corporate about this? You may be surprised what happens if you ruffle a few feathers. They want to keep you happy.

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We often stay at the Hampton Inn on 8th Ave. It is close to Times Square if you're interested in seeing anything/dining there...as well as an easy ride to the port.

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This is probably a silly question, but why would you need your ice bucket filled twice a day? I can see why you would want some ice at night for a drink but aren't you away from your room most of the day?

 

 

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I like to drink ice water when I'm in the room. I may be in the room prior to going to lunch and I'm certainly there prior to going to dinner...hence the need to have the ice filled in the morning and again at night. That ice bucket only keeps the ice frozen for so long.

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Yes we have. Our PCC is familiar with what we're looking for in an upsell so she knows when to call us. Last cruise she called a few times but we held out because we thought we could do better. We were correct and got exactly what we wanted. We went from a balcony guarantee to a Spa Neptune Suite for what we considered to be a great deal.

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