islander47

We have done the westbound crossing on the Star Flyer three times and are doing it again this fall. Life is very simple on board. I'd almost compare it to living in outer space. One time all the Internet was out for the entire trip due to a lightning strike as we left the Mediterranean, 2016.  Most Americans and Brits were happy to miss all of the election and Brexit news they had been flooded with for months.  It's the perfect opportunity to disconnect and relax.

Passengers are fascinating and from all over the world. Most are quite friendly and happy to share their life stories with you. As for rough seas, we only had rough seas in 2016 as we were setting sail from the Canary Islands.  This was due to a big storm in the Mediterranean. I feel sure routes can be adjusted across the Atlantic to avoid any major storms. On one trip several in our group were prone to seasickness and wore patches but never had any trouble.

 This will be our eighth trip on either the Star Clipper or Star Flyer, and we are happy to answer any questions anyone has.

Does the spa area do eyelash extension fill-ins? Our spa options are not showing for our cruise due to an itinerary change. We sail in 2 weeks. Might need to make some hard decisions 🙂

On Grand Voyage Formal Nights do any men wear just a coat the tie and not a dark suit or better? My husband claims he will have to take another suitcase to pack his dark suit for 2 nights.

11 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

We will be on Oceania Riviera in November. I found a small group tour in Takoradi that does the canopy walk and 1 castle...

 

Banjul....I found a small group "roots" tour.   Need to get to my paperwork 

 

Mindo...contact Angela at Green Line Tours. Excellent .   Several lovely tours 

 

We just got back from visiting the kids/grands. All my paperwork is still packed until tomorrow.  Will get names of companies. 

 

 

Thank you so much!! I'll look forward to anything you can find and will follow up with Green Line Tours right away. You can email me at paula dot galland at gmail dot com

On 3/1/2023 at 10:46 AM, Izzywiz said:

You don't say what the full itinerary is for your cruise. If you post it, I may be able to help with some of your other ports.....

I'd love any suggestions you might have. Our ship has just been re-routed to avoid the Suez Canal so It looks like Grand Africa for us! I need help with the ports below if you have good suggestions. there will be 3 of us traveling together, and we love smaller group excursions than those generally offered by the ship. (Thus far, no ship excursions listed at all.)

Thanks so much. Paula

Sat        Apr 13            Maputo, Mozambique     - 8 AM - 5 PM
Mon    Apr 15            Durban, SA - 7 AM - 5 PM
Sun    April 21        Luderitz, Namibia - 8 AM - 5 PM
Sat        April 27        Takoradi, Ghana - 8 AM - 5 PM
Wed    May 1            Banjul, Gambia - 7 AM - 5 PM
Fri        May 3            Mindel, Cape Verde - 7 AM - 3 PM

Does the spa on the Holland America ships do eyelash fill ins? I have had them for several years and love them because I am allergic to all mascara. However, I'm going on a long cruise and will have nothing left by the half way point.

We are joining the HAL world cruise in Singapore, and are, of course concerned. However, we are along for the ride so will enjoy whatever happens unless it is a cancellation.

19 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

Would that require making a reservation before boarding?  How can that be done?

Make your reservation the minute you board!

19 hours ago, BHCC said:

Thanks so much!

and a dinner suggestion...make a reservation in the MDR. It's always busy the first night. Of course, if you have an assigned time, this is not important.

15 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Hi. What on board activities can I expect on a 22 day cruise?

Last year on that leg we had line dancing on all sea days, trivia every day (quite popular and competitive) plus all Kazu has mentioned above. There were excellent lectures from our cruise director, the captain, and a pair of astro physicists. I thoroughly enjoyed these.

On 10/29/2023 at 7:29 AM, FlaMariner said:

Zero charge on my onboard statement for laundry was all the recognition we needed when we just hit the big 4*......

 

.

We will hit four star during our 50 day cruise in the spring. Do you think there is hope for our laundry suddenly becoming free in the middle of the cruise? Sure hope so!!

23 hours ago, Mary229 said:

You said you are on the NS?  I am not sure.  I only just discovered it on the Volendam and the Zuiderdam.  They were both on the light switches on the headboard in those cases .  Did you tell you steward you were hearing unwanted announcements in the cabin.  Call the front desk if he is not sure.  This is not the HAL way, never has been. I hope you can get it figured out. 

Our problem is we did not hear announcement in the room so had to stand in the hall. We will get this figured out right away next trip! Thank you so much.

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

As a matter of fact there is.  I accidentally hit it one night on my headboard. The steward showed me how to activate and disengage. 

Where is the switch? Our steward did not understand that is what I wanted to know. We like to hear the announcements in our room and have often stood in the hall to hear them. A switch would be fabulous!

On 6/22/2023 at 3:54 PM, DAF7065 said:

Thanks for the quick info.   Working on it now

My surprise was my health insurance covered most of the $2300 expense my husband incurred on his visit to the infirmary for the day in South America. I just submitted the itemized bill we received from HAL.

Have you joined a segment of one of HAL's Grand Voyages without booking the entire thing? We are considering this for next spring but don't want to be "out of the loop" with so many doing the entire voyage. Any experiences with this will be most appreciated as we make our decision.

3 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

The gratuities will be posted daily. As long as you have OBC remaining, they will be deducted from that amount.

Great! Thanks so much for that tip.

Are you able to use On Board Credit for gratuities at the end of the cruise? If yes, fabulous! If no, I'll book some more ship shore excursions.

And the outdoor dining by the pool with glass roof or by the aft pool are also available with tables for you to use when you select food from the Lido buffet.

Is there a place on my Holland America upcoming cruise online page where I can see how much shipboard credit I have received? I want to wait to book a few excursions using this but can't seem to determine exactly how much I have.

19 hours ago, Lesliern1972 said:

Good evening! First time Holland cruiser here.  We are typically land travelers, but oddly this will our second cruise in 8 months (Rhine riverboat in autumn). 
We’re leaving Seattle on the Eurodam June 3.

Stats for us:

My husband and I: I’m 50. (My husband will turn 48 while on the cruise).

3 boys: 18, 12, and 9 (12 y/o turns 13 while on cruise). *I promise all of our children are of the domestic breed and not feral*

My parents: Late seventies. They are dedicated Holland cruisers. They have taken this exact cruise in the past.

-We have booked 3 aft balcony staterooms on the 6th deck. My husband and I will be in a corner Neptune suite and we’ll make the 3 boys will share a room next to us.

-Considering the rest of our group are not in the same category room as us, I doubt we’ll be able to take advantage of many of the perks that come with Neptune class. My parents don’t do Club Orange or anything of that nature. *I will bring my mom good coffee from the lounge since I’m not a coffee drinker.

-My mom is a thermal suite devotee and they always eat at the Pinnacle Grill one night. I haven’t decided if I want to do either. 
I’ve decided on getting the bottles of wine. I think my mom gets a special discount because of their loyalty?

-We’ll also get the soft drink package. 
-We’ll likely get some massages. But geez, how do you choose? I thought I was looking at a Cheesecake Factory menu when I looked at the spa brochure.

I know this is considered a cruise line with older folks. We really liked the seniors on our European riverboat cruise. It will take some adjustment being on a ship with a younger group. 😊

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on Holland’s website, various blogs, and the threads here. Preparation has been minimal since we have been crazy busy. I’m looking forward to a vacation where I don’t have to think or plan much for once.

 

If there are any extra nuggets of advice based on information provided, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank-you, 

 

Leslie

 

 

 

Best advice I received for my first HAL cruise was to take a few Command Hooks, magnetic hooks, and clothes pins. For some reason we always need them. I also take portable phone charger to be sure my phone can be in reach for reading in bed. I recharge the charger during the day and have it by my bed at night.

On 5/7/2023 at 5:26 PM, smokeybandit said:

 

This ONLY if you pick My Time Dining vs. fixed time "Traditional" dining.

How long generally is the wait in the main dining room if we don't make reservations?

Generally, what time can you board the ship in Port Canaveral or do we receive an assigned time nearer departure next month?

On 5/1/2023 at 5:38 AM, WCB said:

I have so enjoyed reading your posts here and have now discovered your blog and photos. Thank you so much for letting me travel virtually with you. My friends Leigh and Ken Parrot are sailing with you and were also with you on the ill fated 2020 voyage. Leigh introduced me to travel back in our college days, spending a summer touring Europe with a Eurorail Pass and Frommer's Europe on $5 a day. Please tell them Paula said hello if you meet them, and enjoy the remainder of your wonderful trip!

And if you don't want to stay up for the Orange Party, do the Orange Bar Crawl!

On 5/1/2023 at 8:48 AM, EatonDoolittle said:

 

If one booked with a Travel Agent, I'm  guessing she needs to get involved in the call (?).

Or not (?).

 

No, you can do this yourself without involving your travel agent. We called 20 days out about an upsell for a month long cruise this year and moved from a Verandah to a Signature suite for a reasonable price. Only sorry we did because we'll sure miss this big room in the future on our next cruise which is sold out. I'm guessing the pent up demand after COVID will make upsells lots more expensive.