taxmantoo

Wonderful news ... THANK YOU !

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I would take any residual version of "Arrive Can" with a grain of salt. The investigation into the money pit that is "Arrive Can" is ongoing and it is just another example of a poorly monitored program thrown together with good intentions but poor execution. I doubt it will save any time on arrival and suspect it will be a waste of any time you spend on it before arrival.

Totally agree.  On our return from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto last February, I completed the Arrive Can app as we had done many times before. We received an online receipt.  When coming up to the CBSA officer, they had nothing on their computer and would not accept my online receipt.  They sent me back to the terminals to basically reenter the same info we had entered on the app and get a copy of our passports.  Back to the same CBSA officer (without having to wait in line as she waived us through), she readily admitted completing the app online was a waste of time and forget about it next time.  The concept of the Arrive Can is simple enough and should work seamlessly but the controversy over its cost and implementation has made it a joke no one in Canada is laughing at.

I'll pass 🥱

6 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

It works really well to open their baby food jars.

🤣 Definitely don't need it then and, in about 40 cruises, have never had a rattling door either 😏

Just curious... why would anyone need this onboard? 

33 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Ok, I'll help you.  The single piano player concept tends to be more of a sing a long concept. I dislike the concept and based on the lack of crowds it appears that many others avoid the single player performances.  I'm not sure why you are having difficulty with the concept that if people don't enjoy the performance, they won't attend.  And yes, I don't enjoy listening to the people around me sing.  I attend to listen to the performers.

"For those who understand, no explanation is needed.

For those who do not understand, no explantion is possible."

You can choose your camp, and we will agree to disagree!

24 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Actually it has been 2 cruises with two different performers and every time I went by 

You may not remember the "old" Piano Bars before the introduction of the Billboard Onboard concept.  Those were occupied by solo performers whose contracts extended beyond one week (usually 2-3 months or longer), were jam packed evey night not only until 11 pm but often in the wee hours of the morning like 1 or 2 am.  Seems like HAL is trying to iron things out if you saw different piano players on different cruises.  They have to recruit new players who are currently available.  I am willing to give them time if they are trying to recreate the atmosphere we all enjoyed before the canned music programs of Billboard Onboard.

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Maybe there were some people that didn’t like it, but the piano lounge was always packed.  Not so with just one performer.

And probably equally not so judging by only one cruise !  Time will tell !

13 hours ago, cruiser man 60 said:

Whilst appreciating it’s not HAL went on NCL a few years ago and in MDR nearly every American male wore shorts with 50% in baseball caps worn back to front for some reason! !

A bit of an exageration, maybe???  I've never even seen anything close to those numbers, even in the Lido!

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM HOLLAND AMERICA LINE REGARDING THE EVENTS TODAY ON THE NIEUW AMSTERDAM.

Please people ... this is not the time to argue over what happened, why it happened, where it happened or who should be investigating, who should be reporting, etc ...  There will be a lot of time to discuss that later.  Now is the time to express sadness and compassion.  

6 hours ago, POA1 said:

If you can get either Silverado cab or Opus One for a $50 credit, take the latter first. It retails for around $450. The Silverado sells for around $50. Given the normal cruise ship or restaurant mark up, the Silverado is a deal. The Opus is a steal.

You can use a $50 drink card to buy any bottle you wish (even Petrus if that is what you want).  All you need to do is pay the wine list price less your $50 credit !

On 3/13/2024 at 10:34 PM, mcrcruiser said:

Where do you send the e-mail to request that the MDR be open for lunch on embarkation day ?

10 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

Hi, Cliff,

Here is what I used:

 

:HAL_Ship_Services@hollandamerica.com

 

Jim

Or you can save yourself computer resources and send it directly to the waste basket yourself 🙂

How pleasant for the 200 to 300 persons doing a back to back in Fort Lauderdale or elsewhere.  "We value your loyalty, now feel free to grab yourself a sandwich in the Lido".  Sad, just sad ...

10 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

OP is asking about Zaandam,  which doesn't have the "state of the art" stage. That is the 3 Pinnacle class ships. 

I have a bit of a problem with a "dark" stage one night, a "movie" stage one night, a HAL Infomercial stage another night and a "comedian" stage one night on a 7-night cruise being called a "state-of-the-art" stage.  Just saying ...

16 hours ago, TV Dad said:

I am speaking from 30+ years of experience in cruising (35+ cruises)  and smuggling booze on board.

...

My point in all this is every passenger has a different reason for what he/she does to get the most out of cruising. Let's not criticize each other. 

Fair enough about criticizing but let's also not brag about breaking the rules ....

Some times you win, sometimes you lose.  Just be prepared to pay and, if you are not charged, consider it a bonus 🥂

27 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I believe HAL is the most inconsistent cruise line I've ever run across.

They are, however, consistently inconsistent.  🤣

9 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Formal night?

More like Halloween 🤣

Charter cruises do not show up as being available on the cruise company's web site as the entire ship is "chartered" to one client.  Are you perhaps thinking of how to identify a "group" cruise where only a portion of the ship has been reserved for a group?

1 hour ago, Gunther1 said:

To answer your question directly :). As far as I know, none of the gyms have a shower.  As you pointed out, the thermal spa does, but that requires the thermal spa payment.

 

That washroom is located BETWEEN the gym and the thermal spa room where the hot beds are. It is never locked and accesible to everyone: bathroom, lockers and showers.  

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Here is the two week entertainment schedule 

 

Entertainment guide Jan 24.pdf 940.15 kB · 3 downloads

Thank you for posting.  Is there any way you could obtain the names of the piano players in the Billboard Onboard area? 

1 hour ago, sunviking90 said:

I was told by the cruise consultant onboard that I would get an email from the TA shortly with the booking details. I never got anything ...

I am sure the TA has the booking and has also been waiting for your call to see if you want anything changed or just leave it the way it was booked.  I am not surprised at all that the onboard cruise consultant would tell you how your TA should run his business.  They have absolutely no idea how your TA operates and shoudn't be speaking for them.  They usually have trouble knowing how to run their own business.  😉  Call your TA and put your mind at ease.

10 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Might be the a contender for dumbest idea HAL has had in a long time. 

I am really resisting the urge to start a new thread 🤣

1 hour ago, chrysalis said:

The more that the tour guide reminds us to tip, the less I do....on one recent one, she must  have mentioned it at least 10 times during the relatively short bus ride to and from the destination. Small tip.

 

One guide in St Vincent handed out comment cards, and when we he collected them, proceeded to read each one....not very polite.

I've always said that anyone who asks for a tip really does not deserve one. 

On a recent cruise, after eating at a speciaty restaurant, the server handed us the bill in a leather binder.  She opened up the binder and procedeed to instruct me on where to write the tip amount on the bill I was to sign.  The meal was complimentary for us as a loyalkty perk from the cruise line so the total bill was $0.  I proceded to tip her exactly 100% of that amount 🙂