mwj

In essence HAL already does this indirectly ... Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-activities/cruise-activities/kids-club.html

At the end of March, Carnival Corp. in its Q1 earnings report said it had $32.6 billion in long-term debt, up from $9.6 billion at the end of 2019. Given what has happened with golf (PGA, LIV, DP merge under Saudi), I think that all the groups (Carnival UK, HAL, Aida, Costa) except Carnival and Princess are fair game for purchase by the Saudi's.

It sounds similar to HAL's HIA ... We will opt for the base without the extras. HIA never made sense to us as non-alcoholics. The only time we tried it was when it included gratuities during early booking (first ninety days).

There are limited ‘quiet’ places on the ship compared to R class (Zaandam). The pinnacle class is our least favorite of Hal ships for a number of reasons.

NA is one of our favorite Hal ships. Big enough to have everything without being too big.

They now wait two days after sailing before sending the survey

Thank you ... The bathrooms are definitely smaller ... At 6'2", I will fit, and washing the hair (what hair?) may prove problematic. Can anyone give actual dimensions of the shower?

Are there any particular cabins to avoid?

It’s hard for us to justify the 15k (30%) price increase from c/d to a/b.

First, is the a general topic for R Class cabin selection? (I didn't find one) Second, if the answer to the first is no, can you offer recommendations? We are considering the Oct. 24 79-day LA-Sydney cruise in an inside/outside stateroom. Thank you kindly, P.S. We are new to Oceania, having mostly cruised HAL and Princess.

The latest I have heard from an informed source for ‘25 is WC C on Zuiderdam and Grand Pole to Pole on Volendam.

The laundry package is an essential for us on longer cruises (>7 days). It easily cuts in half what we need to bring for clothes.

The food on HAL is never as good or as bad as reviewers say ... Personally, we were only disappointed one evening. In general, I found the steaks lacking, and I don't eat steak on a regular basis. On the other hand, my partner eats steak even less, and they had an excellent filet. I found that asking the waiter for recommendations generally helpful, as I was seldom steered wrong.

Your HAL PCC has access to information about each individual cabin as to exact size etc.

Customer service at its finest… and always remembered

Just as we have a WC in ‘24 and the Grand AU in ‘24, I think HAL will do the same in ‘25. WC A or C on Zuiderdam, and Grand pole to pole on Zaandam.

What leads you to guess Zaandam? what do you guess Hal does with Zuiderdam?

If we are reading your statement correctly, that Vista Suite does not qualify for double points, our experience on a recent Zaandam cruise is contrary. We definitely received double points for our 16 day Zaandam Vista Suite booking. No, we did not have HIA, as it was a mariner 'private fare' booking. We received 37 points for our 16 day cruise.

Our recent gty was assigned 11 days prior to sailing. there is always someone willing to pay for an upgrade. Our last two upgrade offers were outrageously high, more than double what we might have considered.

https://jansnookart.artspan.com/home

Bingo!

Yes, we experienced sporadic internet connections on Zaandam as well. Guest services acknowledged the issues. Hope they improve with next dry dock.

My previous emails to Mr. Antorcha have always been answered by someone in guest services, often with lengthy delays.

We were very disappointed in the quality of NY Pizza on the NA.

The problem with this transition is three fold, and both evolve around the nature of chamber music. In my opinion, it is best enjoyed in intimate venues. 1) The small LCS will be disappearing. The LCS we are used to and enjoy so much has been lost. 2) The size and potential amplification on the MainStage is contrary to the nature of chamber music. 3) For us, the LCS performances before the MDR were a perfect setting. Will we attend LC performances on the MainStage once or twice a week, certainly. Do we regret losing the nightly LCS performances before dinner, absolutely! Shame on HAL for not listening to its customers with this change.