3rdGenCunarder

Thank you! The Feb departure looks good. It includes several of the less-visited islands that were on the HAL cruise.

It may not have been the last available cabin. The website doesn't show everything. I did the CO upgrade on a cruise for next summer. There was one A "vista suite" (Volendam) showing as available. When I contacted my TA about "playing the CO game," she sent me a list of more than a dozen cabins that were showing up as available on the site that agents use. I think Alaska books well because HAL has a reputation for good Alaska cruises. They have access to Glacier Bay on many of their cruises. With so many ports, an Alaska cruise is very active and excursions leave early, so fewer people are staying up late.

Pop tops on Eurodam in January. Useless on a tour because once it's open, you can't close it.

As I said earlier, I think internet is the decider. I travel solo and I want internet. But when I traveled with DH, we could share a plan, as we weren't online all the time, especially him. A quick email check once a day and he was done. So for two people who are light internet users, having two plans is a convenience, but not really necessary.

If they're coming here to post press releases, I'm hoping that they at least glance at the comments. Too optimistic? I just wish they were better at communicating with booked passengers. They have made a change in the itinerary. Tours for were different from what was shown on the booking page AND some of those tours have changed again. Not everyone checks the website or Cruise Critic to keep up on what's happening. A lot of people book and assume that they will get exactly what they booked. I know cruise lines can make changes. It happens. But they need to keep passengers informed. It isn't just AQV. HAL just cancelled a cruise. Some of the people on my roll call were notified on Tuesday. It's Friday and neither I nor my TA has received word of this from HAL. The only reason I know is from the roll call. Thank goodness for Cruise Critic and posters who share info about their cruises.

I got the survey this morning. It must not be totally "canned," because I had different questions about the Caribbean than @bluemarble had. Alternate port suggestions for a Caribbean cruise were Galveston or Miami. Perhaps I said something about preferring not to fly to an embarkation port or the convenience of a US port and it chose questions based on that. I did get the question about dressing up and I said strongly agree to that.

Before LC, was there a bar in Explorer's Lounge? It seems like a convenient place for a drink before dinner--just a short walk to the MDR.

It does include soft drinks, cans of water (no more plastic bottles), specialty coffees. I haven't done the math for HIA with only non-alcoholic beverages.

Did you buy both HIA and CO? I've never seen CO folded into HIA.

I rinse the sink to check for soap bits before I wash anything. I've never heard of people being bothered about this until now. Lots of people must wash things out in a sink when they travel. Tide and Woolite wouldn't make those little travel packets if there wasn't a market for them.

That sounds like a good choice for re-entry. And what a lovely memory it will make for you and your grandson.

The itinerary and tours have been updated to reflect the changes. Some tours are different from what was showing before. It's still wonky in places. The map shows a stop at Muskegon, which has never been on the itinerary. And my cruise says it departs from Chicago on one page and Chicago/Milwaukee on another page. I really hope it's Chicago. I'm not looking forward to a 2-hour bus ride. @uktog, I look forward to hearing about your experiences on AQV and how the real thing compares to the descriptions.

This time around they're only honoring the per diem for cruises of the same length or shorter.

That's a good question! The press release date is Feb 13. Passengers and agents should have been told before then, or at least, on that same date.

That question will not generate reliable information. People who like anytime dining might say they disagree, even if they like dressing up. Or people who like fixed dining might say disagree, if they don't like to dress up. I love Caribbean departures from Florida because I have lots of choices of inexpensive flights, or I can take the train. Having to fly to one of the islands makes things more complicated. But if the itinerary were right, I would do it, especially for Guadeloupe or Barbados.

Another thing that factors into the value is mariner perks. When I did the math, I forgot that 4* mariners get a discount on specialty restaurants and specialty coffees. I also get a discount on wine packages. So HIA may have been slightly less of a bargain than I initially thought.

I think the big question is, do you intend to buy an internet package? That and the drink package are the two largest parts of HIA. Depending on the length of your cruise, HIA gives you money toward excursions and specialty restaurants. (and you can pre-book both, you don't have to wait until you're on board) It gives you an internet package, usually surf, the middle level. If you're looking at a 10-day cruise and HIA is offered at $50 per day, that's $500 per person. Surf plan is (unless price has gone up) $130 for 10 days. I think at 10 days, you would get $200 toward excursions. So that's $330 accounted for, not counting the specialty dinners (becasue I don't remember the price). That leaves $170, or $17 per day. You aren't paying $50 per day just for drinks. When you consider the other elements, assuming you will book excursions and/or eat in specialty restaurants, you don't need to drink a lot to come out ahead.

Yeah, but I bet the Yacht Club never had any fights!!!

I don't think older clientele want less entertainment or fewer activities. I think they put up with the situation and hope it will get better. There's comfort in the familiar, I'll admit to feeling that way. But I don't like the way HAL is going. I was bored on Eurodam in January. Unfortunately, I don't see a lot of other options that work for me for a winter warm getaway, which is most of what I do on HAL. I don't want a mega ship or a Carnival-type party ship. I sail solo, and I don't like the price of a lot of the smaller, all inclusive lines. I'm not sure I want to move down the "food chain" and sail on lines that are running older ships. The only other line I sail (and prefer), Cunard, doesn't offer much leaving from the US. Now that they've taken to skipping NY on the way to the Caribbean at the time I want to travel, I feel like HAL is what's left. Or maybe just go to a resort somewhere and sit on a beach.

I just tried calling HAL. If you say you want to book a cruise, they put you through to an agent asap. Two different agents, same answer "We have no sailings for Zaandam in February 2024." Clueless.

That's 2025. The 2024 cruise doesn't exist. There's a HAL page all about the legendary cruises. Every one has a link (underlined blue text) except the 2024 Amazon. If I just go to the "Legendary cruise" link, there are 16 shown, and 2024 isn't among them.

I don't know what's going on. The only cruises that appear for Zaandam are two trans canal. The first is westbound, and the second arrives at FLL on Feb 3. The Feb 3 cruise doesn't appear. The Amazon doesn't appear (although there is a version planned for 2025). It's a mess. Hard to believe they've been in business for 150 years...

The first of those two is so much easier to market. I think (opinion) that more people travel for the lively experience--fun ships!!!--than for a specific itinerary. This board self-selects with people who cruise a lot. And for those with a long history of sailing with HAL, the experience of going to a variety of ports. But I suspect (opinion again) that we aren't in the majority. A lot of people just want to "take a cruise." I know people who tell me they have booked a cruise. Oh, what ship? I don't remember is often the answer. The second is nearly impossible to market. "Sedate" is not a good marketing word, as people will think passengers are sedated. Self-contained means "just entertain yourself," or "sit in your cabin all day."

About 15 years ago, we took our first and only Princess cruise. There was piped-in music everywhere. The chair hogs grabbed all the loungers at the aft adult pool (which had piped in music and a few kids) before sunrise. We did manage to find somewhere to sit at the midship pool, but only in the morning. At noon, the movie screen lit up and they showed kiddie movies with LOUD volume. We retreated to our teeny tiny balcony. After that, I had my Scarlett O'Hara moment--as God is my witness, I'll never go without a balcony again! Having a balcony means I'll always have that quiet space where I won't have to fight to get a place to site. I've been lucky in not having noisy or smoky neighbors. Just peace, quiet, and the sea. I don't necessarily spend all my time there, but I like knowing I have a refuge if I need it.

I'd love to know if they track new vs return passengers. A hotel or cruise line has one chance to impress a new customer and turn them into a repeater. Maybe someone who is disappointed will give them a second chance. But a lot of people tend to be one and done if they don't like a product. If HAL is getting a lot of one and done bookings, they need to figure out a way to fix that.