Two if by Sea

Thanks for the answers to my previous post! Any more opinions? Can we turn our open seating into "fixed" seating with a one-time standing reservation?

It really seems to depend on the ship. On the Maasdam that is clearly what many people did. At least, even when we came at slightly different times and sat at different tables, I saw many of the same people at the same tables every evening (and they had all the tables by the window).

No, you do not need to make a reservation. You may have to wait if you do the walk up approach. Much depends on what time you go.

They were really "selling" the idea of reservations on my recent Maasdam cruise and were clearly hoping everyone would make one. As I said in the other thread, we got in fine at 6:00 PM (never tried going later). But some folks who came at 6:30 were told there would be as much as a one-hour wait.

I see on the list that there is a "possible unverifed charter" for the Nov 29 sailing on Eurodam. Any further information on what group this is or number of passengers?

This is our first HAL cruise and I would hate to see it cancelled.

Patty

One person posted a tease of a post suggesting that that would be the next cruise to be chartered but gave no further information. Rich, if nobody else has come up with any reason to believe it, and the OP on that topic has not returned, perhaps those unverified charters should just be removed from the list?

Or has someone heard more about those since the topic first came up?

I am blown away at the 50+% premium being charged to passengers booking with this group, on any sail.

Hiring a Glatt Kosher chef and bringing onboard an entire collection of kosher kitchen utensils, dishes, etc., not to mention probably having to build an entire separate kitchen somewhere onboard -- that's got to cost money!! Divide by a small number of people and the cost will be quite high.

I am confused by the deck plans for the Maasdam: is there a Sky Deck? It isn't shown in the 2008 brochure. It is in the 2007 brochure but with an asterisk on the "Oasis" saying that the Oasis is only on the Veendam. But does that mean the deck isn't accessible at all, or just doesn't feature the Oasis?

Thanks again! I clearly have some more research to do. Was planning to do a lot more anyhow, as we got closer to the actual trip. But your information has been VERY helpful!

Hi,

She wrote right back to say she has additional drivers. So if you're still interested in the Cabot Trail tour, there shouldn't be a conflict.

Of course, I will know more after our trip, and it is very helpful to hear from Trece about what to expect -- the fewer surprises, the happier I will be. Thanks also for an explanation of the restaurant at the Miners' Museum, since I had thought we might end up there ourselves.

But for now I have had only positive communications with her and am looking forward to the day in Sydney!

Trece, in terms of timing: I *would* like to get back to Sydney in enough time to see the crafts assembled for us there on the pier, as I imagine we will begin by heading straight to the fort and bypassing those. Do you remember enough about your timing to tell me what time was your tour at the Miners' Museum? If it made things tight at the other end I will want to plan definitively on an earlier one.

One of my aims is to avoid any crowds from the ship's organized tour of the Miner's Museum, which seems to go there before lunch.

Thanks!

Hmm. Sue, thanks for the notice. I will check with her and see what's up. Maybe she has a second driver she uses for additional bookings.

Trece, thanks for the advice about the Fortress. I thought it was more of a walk-in and walk around on your own sort of place. I will check their website and see what I can find out.

Trece, thanks for the good time wishes.

Can I ask -- what sights did you ask her to bring to you see while you were there? I have a pretty good idea of what I want to go see (mainly, Fortress of Louisberg, and the Miner's Museum) but it's still months away and we could still change our minds.

Thanks. Obviously I will know more after I've had the experience of the tour, but I looked over our emails and she DOES clearly state the tax up front (and it does appear to be 15%) but she has included it in the totals that we will owe her.

I looked up the GST/HST taxes online. It is 13% for Nova Scotia, so I guess she has rounded up slightly. That's only a few dollars so not a big deal.

I wonder if those are included in the taxes we can request a government rebate for, when we leave Canada.

Hi Sue, we've already reserved with her for the date you're interested in. (Unless you're taking another cruise you haven't posted about.) As far as I know she is a solo operator but perhaps she can put you in touch with someone else, or maybe she does have other drivers I don't know about.

They do not appear to have a website, just various listings in business directories. I found her through a Google search of tour operators in Sydney NS.

Everyone has to keep in mind, CruiseCritic is a very, very small percentage of cruises.

No, CruiseCritic is a small percentage of cruisers. I would venture that, on the HAL boards at least, CruiseCritic represents something very close to 100% of the actual cruises, with at least one person from here onboard just about every cruise HAL sails. Am I wrong?

We were wait listed for the 2nd seating and spoke with the DM as soon as we boarded, at first he didn't want to change us from AYW, but then we used the magic words CRUISE CRITIC. Voila, no sooner had we mentioned this then a table for 2 at the late seating appeared available and we were assigned.

How does one use these magic words? Just murmur "Cruise Critic" into the DMs ear? Do you have to say that you will be posting a review on Cruise Critic? Flash your cruise critic lapel pin?

Of course, the bottom line is that obviously there was a table available or you couldn't have had it. Like with the old joke ("If the King showed up, would you find him a table for two?" "But of course, sir." "Well, I just heard that the King isn't coming, so give me his table."), SOMEONE gets these tables. Who exactly was he saving it for?

I, or friends, have properly visited the site (wa70.com/hdisplay.php) from bellsouth.net, charter, comcast, and the cable co in Salisbury NC. There was a problem Friday which was fixed Friday morning. If someone is having a problem and will contact me directly, I will attempt to see what is wrong.

 

Rich

Ah -- it works if you go to http://wa70.com/hdisplay.php but not if you stick a www. in front of the wa70.

Who's going to be on your crusie, www.wa70.com/hdisplay.php

 

is not working tonite

The domain seems to have switched hands or been lost.... Is that definitely the right domain?

GentlemanCruiser, I understand what you are saying and that is what I had thought, but that doesn't explain the current state of affairs. Why is the lower level traditional seating currently listed as "available" if they are saving the lower level for AYW Open Seating?

Just a few months ago when I signed up for this cruise, the LOWER level was listed as closed, and the UPPER level as "Waitlist". Now it seems to have reversed itself.

As of right now, on the June 28th Maasdam cruise, the following are listed on the HAL website:

Early Upper Dining: Closed

Early Lower Dining: Available

Main Upper Dining: Closed

Main Lower Dining: Available

Open Seating: Available

This set of options seems strange to me. It suggests one of two things: either the Open Seating will be on the UPPER level (whereas most people have reported that it is on the lower level) or else they are putting Open Seating folks together with traditional on the lower level, and all the upper level traditional dining is so oversold that they can't even waitlist people for it.

Any other ideas?

Undoubtedly there must have been some interest by the public which is perplexing since most of the opinions I've read on CC seem to point to the fact that the majority of HAL diehards prefer the traditional style of preset dining times.

It may be that the people speaking out the most are the ones who don't like the new changes. People who are happy with an arrangement tend not to speak out as much.

I'm won't be happy if the cruiselines are planning to drop traditional. Princess calls theirs "Personal Choice," but if you are forced into their anytime, how can that be personal choice (it's not yours). Same thing here. "As you wish" would mean your choice, imo.

Can't you accomplish pretty much the idea of traditional dining by making a reservation for the same time and table for the whole cruise, and asking the Maitre D' to place you with another couple that has requested the same?

I really think I'm doing them a favor to let them know we're a group of 23 and we'll be in the dining room every night at a certain time, right?

Well, it certainly seems that way to ME. But I've never been a dining room host so I don't know what they might think.

I suppose, trying to think like a dining room host, I might be worried only that you would end up tying up three tables for 8 and then not showing up as planned.

But judging by the number of people who want tables for 2, I'd also think they would be THRILLED to have their large tables spoken for. Now if you wanted 12 tables for 2, they'd probably go nuts.

From what we've heard so far of the rules, you should be able to make that happen if you want to eat very early (5:45) or very late (8:30) but not necessarily if you want to eat in between those hours.

On the other hand, if you're defined as a group (is 23 enough for group status? Do you have at least 10 cabins between you?) then maybe you can call the group reservations line and get all sorts of special amenities -- even close off the Crows' Nest for your special functions :) :).

Great to hear about your experiences!

What kind of cabin do you get? Do you have to share or is it your own? Is it a regular cabin listed on the deck plans, or is it one of the ones in white on deck Z that passengers never know about?