NCTribeFan

I booked Eurodam for January 2024 while on the Rotterdam 150th TA in April at a non-refundable fare.  I was able to add HIA via the website (at a reduced rate) after I returned home (in early May).

My cruise buddies, who booked Eurodam at the same time while on Rotterdam, couldn't fine the option to add it online so attempted to contact our PCC (but never got a call back).  When they finally got in touch with her, they were told it was available but at the $50/pp/day rate, not the $35 I got.  They finally got it added at the reduced rate but only because they had contacted the PCC at the time I added mine so were given that same reduced rate.

Anyway, both were booked at non-refundable fares and we both were able to add HIA later.

Hmm.  My move "next door" at the end of the Rotterdam 150th Anniversary sailing this past April (I stayed on for another 10 nights) didn't go so smoothly.  Maybe because I was in interior 6112 and moving to 6127 meant I was "technically" going from Port to Starboard and had different cabin stewards.

I thought I had to be in the cabin to move and I ended up sitting for quite a long time waiting.  Finally, an official-looking woman with a clipboard came to my cabin and asked when I was leaving.  Told her I was waiting to be moved next door.  She went over to check that the cabin was empty (it was but it -wasn't ready to be occupied) so she took my big suitcase and I took my carry-on.  I then went down to the Guest Services to get my new cabin key but there was a very, very long line (lots and lots of people staying on for the next leg and apparently changing cabins).  They were using the CO desk to issue new key cards.

Thankfully, my old card was still working, so I got a coffee at the Dutch Cafe and kept an eye on the line.  When it finally was down to about a half-dozen people, I went over and got my new key card.

I've done two B2Bs on Carnival where i changed cabins and it went much more smoothly, so i was a bit surprised that it seemed no one on HAL seemed to know what was going on with my move.  I wasn't going anywhere that day, but still.

4* and above?  I guess I missed that somewhere in the 11 pages of this thread.

I'm just 3* so are you saying I cannot get it applied to existing bookings?  That doesn't seem right.  What should an AARP OBC have to do with Mariner status?  You're either a member of both or you aren't?

Guess I'll contact my PCC and ask about having it applied to my two 2024 sailings.

Also seems I never got the referral OBC, either.  I'll ask about that, too.

On the 150th Anniversary TA (+10 nights after), the casino was quite crowded at times; empty at others.  The smoking side was packed many nights.  I could smell smoke in the non-smoking section but not really over by the tables.  I can see how it could drift down the staircase toward the Music Walk area but don't recall.  As I didn't go to any shows, I have no idea whether the smoke drifted forward or not.  Walking forward into the casino from the shopping hallway, I didn't notice it until I was in the casino.

As a former smoker with many allergies and a hyper-sensitive nose (you women who soak yourselves in perfume!) who is very sensitive to smoke, I always notice smoke when it's around so, yes, I did smell smoke.  I cannot say I noticed that it permeated other areas, though.

I was just a bit miffed that some of my favorite slots were only to be found in the smoking section so I only played them early on sea days when the place was empty.  As soon as a smoker would show up, I'd leave.

I did 26 nights on Rotterdam this past April - the 150th Anniversary sailing that went from Ft Lauderdale to Rotterdam, then we stayed on for another 10 days.  Had Club Orange and loved that, with the separate dining room.

I'm a solo traveler (although I mostly sail with friends these days) and I book interior cabins.  I was just fine with that.  Saves me some money so I can sail more often.

Loved Rotterdam so much that I'm booked on the westbound TA in October 2024 from Amsterdam back to Ft Lauderdale.

I've done TAs on other lines as well (NCL and Carnival).  We did miss a stop in the Azores (Praia Da Vitoria) on Carnival Pride last October.  We made our call at Ponta Delgada but it was cold and rainy.  Luckily, I'd been there before when we did a wonderful all-day private tour.

We've had mostly calm seas but you never know.  That Pride sailing last October had us riding some large swells thanks to a tropical storm in the Caribbean.  No problem on Rotterdam this past spring although it was rather cool, as expected in the North Atlantic in early April.  Of course, when the weather's colder, that forces more pax inside which makes for some crowded common areas.

I realized last week when I was heading out for a couple of days and needed to take my laptop, that my CO bag worked quite well to carry it and the cables/cords.  I then realized that this older CO bag was different from my more recent ones.  It just says Holland America Line on the side.  The newer ones say Club Orange.

I'd better take care of that older bag.  It's probably going to be collectible one day! 😁

p.s.  I've given away more than I've kept (and I think I have at least 3 now).  And I told my cabin steward on Rotterdam that I didn't need yet another (it was 3 legs, all of which I had CO).  But I did request the regular tote bag that was given out on the TA.  A cloth bag with the 150th Anniversary logo on it.  I'm positive that one will be collectible, right? 🤣

I like the long van rides.  For me, the whole point in going to new places is to, you now, SEE new places.  Yes, Jalousie beach is nice and the boat ride to the Pitons is great. 

I've done Cosol's tour all three times I've been to St Lucia and am booking again for next January since my cruise friends haven't yet been to St Lucia.

Relax and enjoy the ride.  It's a beautiful island and the food and drinks provided make for a great, relaxing day.

Yes, having options is great.  Any private tour beats the big-bus ship tours, imo.

The entire starboard side of slots (from entering from the shop area up to the bar) was smoking.  Sadly, some of my favorite slots were only on that side of the room.  On busy nights (and we had a quite a few on those 26 nights), the smoke was quite noticeable all the way over to the tables.

Looking forward to the non-smoking casino on Eurodam again.  Too bad the roulette wheel is directly across from the makes-my-ears-bleed piano bar.  

I'm booked on Volendam to Hawaii this November but will probably cancel.  Hoping to get a casino offer for the same time frame even if it's "only" another Caribbean cruise.  I only get free interiors with a little casino cash but hard to pass up a "free" cabin.  Disembarking Rotterdam on 4/30/23 and not sailing again until mid January 2024 is a long time without a cruise!  I'm going through withdrawal!

Problem with the bread pudding being with the breads is that station closes earlier.  Actually, it wasn't a problem because I would've been tempted to have it every mid-afternoon when I have my afternoon tea.  And I really didn't need to have it every day.  😉

I'm not a fan of crowds and noise (yes, I know how difficult it is to avoid both on ships), and I like to spend my time reading.  We had something like 10 sea days on the 150th TA in April and I was in an interior cabin.  I'm a morning person, so would usually head to the library and hope that there would be one of the only 6 seats open (and preferably one with a view).

My biggest complaint is that even the venues that aren't open during the day (Rolling Stone, BB Kings, some bars) still have blaring pop music.  Yes, I used the app to complain more than once.  It just seems that the volume is set at 10 and is never adjusted.  I even bought Loop earplugs and they couldn't drown out all the noise.

I also was able to sit up on 10 across from the Panorama bar early some days where it was reasonably quiet.

I came across a couple of ducks but didn't do anything with them because I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them.  Guess I should read some of the threads about them.

The deli for breakfast is truly a find.  I had gotten breakfast there on K'dam but had totally forgotten about it and didn't think of it on R'dam until about day 12.

Also a find - for me - was congee in the buffet for breakfast.  

CO dining room was freezing for the entire 26 nights I was on her this past spring.

I was in Nassau once and started down the pier to get board Carnival Miracle, which I'd sailed twice.  Got to the water tent before I realized I wasn't on her that trip.  Oops!

I'm on HAL's Eurodam in January and we're calling there.  One of the reasons I booked the cruise.  Dominica is my favorite island.  So beautiful and unspoiled compared to so many others.

Depends on if you have 2 booking numbers.  I've done B2B that were booked and treated as one sailing (so one booking number and pay for extras once) and I've done them that were booked as two separate bookings and had to add on perks separately and pay separately.

So, as with so many things, it depends.

Every cruise I've even been on (>30 on Carnival, a few on HAL & MSC, 1 ea RCI & NCL), I've always been amazed at how there is staff everywhere cleaning all the time.

I thought Rotterdam was spotless.  Really the cleanest ship I've ever sailed.

On N Am, I did notice food bits on the floor in the Dive In area, along the windows, pretty much the entire cruise, which was rather gross after a couple of days.

But, overall, I feel HAL does an excellent job with keeping the ship clean.  I've often seen staff on other lines vacuuming the stairs but I'd never seen anyone on their knees with a little brush getting the grime that the vacuum doesn't reach on it's own.  Only on HAL have I seen that (multiple ships).  I've never done that at home! 😄

4 hours ago, ebtrip said:

Quick question, this is our first time in Club Orange, do they have fixed dining or open dining.  My HAL confirmation states main dining. Thanks

Depends on the ship, I think.  If there is a separate CO dining room, it's open seating.

If it's any of the other ships (any that aren't the three in the Pinnacle Class), it just a separate menu in the MDR and you'll have either open seating or one of the set dining times.  I'm guessing "main dining" means either early or late.

I'm a hot tea drinker and found it was much easier to walk to one of the "side" drink stations (toward the stern) than fight the mobs at the first station that's just inside the Lido and situated between the port and starboard sides.

I was disappointed that there was no raw sugar available, though.  Only place I saw it was down at the Dutch Cafe (coffee bar).  I didn't look in the Crows Nest.  This was for the 26 nights beginning with the April 3rd TA and 10 nights following.  I won't be back on her until Oct 2024.  I'll ask before I sail if they have raw sugar in the buffet.  If not, I may bring my own packets or "borrow" a dispenser from the Dutch Cafe 😉

Water was available in the 12 oz pop-top cans (included in the drink package).  Was thinking the boxes of water would be much more easily transported.  I would pour the canned water into my own bottle to carry around the ship and to take ashore.

Interesting.  I haven't seen any negative reviews about Eurodam.  Maybe I missed them.  OP, are you referring to reviews on this board or from the Review section?  I stopped reading reviews over there.  Too many newbies with unrealistic expectations.  I tend to only read reviews posted on the individual cruiseline's boards.

I sailed her (my first after the restart) in November 2021 and loved her.  I imagine the fact that there were only 500 of us on the ship helped with my positive impression.  I sailed N Amsterdam a month later and didn't like her as much.  Nothing wrong, but the vibe just wasn't as good.

I'm on Eurodam again in January and can't wait to sail her again.

Pretty sure the carvery section on Lido is different every day.  Maybe not every day (repeats every few days?) but it isn't the same day after day that I recall.  I tend to not eat from the buffet.  Maybe a sandwich, chips, and a bowl of soup.  Maybe a salad.  Often a pizza.  Or a burger.  Have never had lunch in the MDR on HAL

You shouldn't be in the cancellation phase already.  I have a January cruise booked and final payment isn't until mid-October.

I've booked the cabin I wanted, then called to get CO, got "downgraded" to the lowest price cabin (interior), then "upgraded" to my wonderful Large Interior cabin (on Vista and Signature class ships).

I do think I've been told that you might lose some perks if they are no longer available.  Say you book and get the HIA with the extra perks but that is no longer available.  You'd lose those and have to take the regular HIA.  But I could be wrong!  Amazingly, that's been known to happen. 😁

On 6/26/2023 at 4:22 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Is there a trick to getting HIA added to casino bookings? ...

I book my HAL cruises through my PCC and have added CO through them.  I've never called the dedicated line, but I'll make a note of that number for future reference.  Sometimes my PCC takes several days to get back to me and with CO having limited availability, good to know I have another option.  Don't want to miss out on getting the cabin I want for the upgrade.

FTR, I've added CO and HIA to "free" casino offers.  The only time I could not add HIA was when I added two 5-night sailings to the Rotterdam TA this past April.  It was available to book as a 10-night sailing, which would've meant HIA was available, but the casino offer was for the 2 separate 5-night sailings and HIA is only available on 7-nights and longer.

But, yes, CO available for every booking I've made.  Did not add it to my January Eurodam sailing but did add it to my Fall 2024 Rotterdam TA because that CO dining room spoiled me!

There were evenings when it was fairly empty and others when it was mostly full.

I liked the decor.  I like the music-themed art on the ship.  I took some pics of the pics but, unfortunately, the only time I could take them (when there weren't people seated at the tables under them), the light coming from those windows made for glare.

FTR, we always sat on the right side as you face the podium.  Only once were we sat at the first round table on the left side.  We wanted Reggie as our waiter every night.  Not that the others were subpar.  We just loved Reggie.

Oh, and the seared tuna salad that was on the menu several nights was just delicious.  I think I had it at least 3 or 4 nights. 

I've booked "free" casino cabins through my PCC and she's added CO to them.

Spent almost all of our 26 nights on Rotterdam at the CO dining room this past April.  Loved it.

It was especially cold in there, though.  Mentioned it to the maitre d one night (the man, not the woman - sorry but I've forgotten both of their names) and he just snipped "we're working hard" as though we weren't aware that the dining staff work hard all the time.  I wasn't a fan of him but loved the gal who was there morning and evening (and worked the Dive In every afternoon).  She was wonderful. 

Anyway, added CO to my Rotterdam TA for fall 2024.  Pretty sure I'll always add it on the Pinnacle class.  I also added it to my Eurodam for January but mostly for the cabin upgrade.

Dave, you're correct about the "Casino Insiders Offers" and having to search one by one.  Some offers give a list of specific cruises, others (like this) just have a link. You have to find one you might be interested in, go through the whole booking process, then log in to see how much the fare drops.  So, unless you have a specific date or itinerary in mind, there's no easy way to see what you get.

But then, for me, ever since my very first HAL cruise, I seem to get a casino discount on EVERY cruise.  I always start with a fake booking, make a note of the fare, THEN I log in and see how much it drops.  Seems to usally be 20-30% each time.

FTR, my most recent email, received 6/8, has a code of HEP2327CIZ at the bottom.

There is a separate line at Guest Services.  On Rotterdam for 26 days recently.  Never had more than 1 person in front of me in the CO line.

I had CO on N. Amsterdam last December.  While it can't really compare to the experience I just had on Rotterdam, with the separate dining room, I did purchase it for my Eurodam sailing next January.

I bought it for Eurodam mainly for the cabin upgrade.  I love my large interior cabins on Deck 1 on that class (and Vista class).

"Worth" is so very subjective.

Know what else I wish I could do in the app?  See other bookings, not just the up-coming sailing.  I have three booked.  I quickly wanted to look at the date for one of the ports for the 2nd of the three, but had to go dig up my email confirmation or log into the website (which I don't like to use on my phone).

Oh well.  Some other line's apps do absolutely nothing until you're on the ship, so at least Navigator is way ahead in that regard.

Android - Samsung 22.

Tried the uninstall; re-download; re-start phone a couple of times.  Couldn't find anything to delete within Settings/App section.  Finally realized I had to tap "storage" to get to the screen where I could delete the data and cache.

I'm back in Navigator.

What a ridiculous pain in the behind!  But thanks to those who provide advice!