adrift@sea

5 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

I wouldn't be obsessing so much about the flights (and the cost) if I didn't have all these other trips planned.  Especially the B2B2B (Med/Med/TA) in October.  Got to book my flight to Rome.  Those, of course, have also increased in the past several weeks.

 

I also have a TA booked for this fall and booked my air with HAL's Flight Ease. I have found that the prices fluctuate, sometimes on a daily basis. A couple of weeks ago, I had a little time and decided to check prices and found that the price of my flight came down close to $1,000. (Business class) so I rebooked it with the new fare. This new fare was only a couple of hundred dollars more than Economy. I don't think the price will come down much further but I will keep checking. 

I booked the hotel directly as HAL's prices were high. I booked three nights for less than HAL's price for one night. Yes, I still need to arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel but I will book a car service and I am ok with that.

On 1/10/2022 at 11:51 AM, rj59 said:

Negatives:

--Lack of crew diversity--only male Indonesians in MDR, only Filipinos get to handle money. I've met crew from over 20 different countries on other lines. 

 

Actually, the Front Office was fully staffed by Indonesians when I started sailing in the mid-1970's. It was predominately male but I do remember one female Indonesian staff member. Many of these staff members went on to become Front Office Managers and

Pursers with HAL, as well as, Hotel Managers at 4/5 star hotels in Indonesia. All Officers were Dutch. Filipinos worked primarily in positions where they had minimal interaction with passengers, with the exception of the bands. They were all Filipino. I don't understand your comment about handling money.

On 1/10/2022 at 6:05 PM, USN59-79 said:

To correct something that @rj59 mentioned, it isn't that Filipinos handle money and Indonesians don't, the issue is that Indonesians are mostly Muslim and thus because of their religion don't handle alcoholic beverages.  Thus, the bartenders and wine servers will be Filipino.

 

Again back in the mid-1970's, all bartenders/wine stewards/etc. were Indonesian. This was the case until around 2005-2006 (I don't remember exact dates) when these positions were then filled with Filipinos. Many of the Indonesians that worked in these positions moved to other jobs. Not all Indonesians are Muslim.

On 1/10/2022 at 8:49 PM, Bostonjetset said:

It’s always interesting how a negative for some is a positive for others. I think the homogenous (Indonesian and Filipino) crew is a huge positive for HAL. It seems to create an atmosphere of comfort and familiarity that they enjoy as they get to be around their countryman.  I’ve sailed other lines with a mishmash of nationalities and the camaraderie between the crew is noticeably absent. 

 

You are absolutely correct! Having had many chats with Captains, Hotel Managers, Officers, etc., over the years, many have  commented that one of the reasons they liked working with HAL was because of the "atmosphere of comfort and familiarity" with the crew. For this same reason, many of the crew return to HAL over and over.

I was able to get into the HAL Site and I can access my bookings as long as I don't try to log in. Although it shows me logged out, I am logged in as I was able to access my account/bookings. 

I am not able to get into the HAL site at all. Had the same problem yesterday too!!!

9 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Understand her name is Charise

I believe she uses Charise professionally. She was introduced initially as Ashley Mack on board the Eurodam going back five or six years ago.  Her and Carlos Strong (the male singer) are cousins.

I think that they are probably two of the most talented BB King singers out there. We love to sail with them.

You could also go into your HAL account and try a mock booking. Stop before you get to final confirmation/payment. There is a very good chance that you will get an (automated) email from your PCC (with their contact information) asking if you need assistance. 

We have done quite a few last minute bookings, some of these were any where from  24 hours to several days/weeks  prior to sailing.  We would do it again (and most likely will) with no second thoughts. Payment is due immediately and the very next thing you should do (if you choose to) is purchase travel insurance. If you have a Future Cruise Deposit, you can apply it to your payment. It really is the same process whether you book a year out or several weeks before. 

You may or may not be able to choose your cabin, so be sure you will be comfortable with the category you are choosing. I've read on these boards for years, that you will receive the worse cabin assignments for last minute bookings. This has not been our experience.  Some of out best cabin assignments have been very last minute cruises.

If you are not able to access your online documents after payment, you (or your travel agent) might have to give HAL a nudge. With a phone call they can grant you access within several minutes. This will make check-in at the pier easier and faster.

I say if you are able to do it, why not?

1 hour ago, Tom O. said:

I have never booked a cruise after final payment is due, but I suspect that only "guarantees" are available - where you are guaranteed a certain cabin category, but cannot choose the exact cabin you want.

We have booked many cruises after final payment and were able to select a specific cabin at the time of booking, including Holiday Cruises.  

9 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

My experience on more than one HAL holiday cruise:  Christmas Eve dress is formal/gala.  Christmas Day was smart casual.  Even on Christmas Day, many of us gentlemen dressed in coat/tie.  I wore my tux on Christmas Eve.  On neither evening did I feel over-dressed.   

We have been on many Holiday Cruises with HAL. This has been our experience as well--Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve dress was formal/gala. Christmas Day & New Year's Day was smart casual. 

Our experiences are a bit different. During several cruises, notices were distributed offering bargain fares for the next cruise. Unfortunately, we were not able to take advantage of these offers because of prior commitments.

On another cruise, we decided we would like to stay aboard for another 10 days. When we checked with the Front Office, we were told the ship was sold out.  I decided to check HAL's website and it showed quite a bit of availability. So I booked online through the website, selected a cabin, paid with my credit card and then took the booking number to the Front Office. Needless to say, they were surprised that we were able to book a cabin because they believed that they were full.  Yes, we had to change cabins but it was no big deal, the cabin stewards moved us. This happened a few years ago.

Regarding whether you should book the second week now or while on board, if you are not comfortable in completing the booking now, then wait. Just be aware that the second week will have a completely different vibe. Thanksgiving week will wind up being packed with families and the ship will sail full.

It is a possibility that the ship could sell out for your second week but it is highly unlikely.  People are getting over Thanksgiving and now focusing on the Holiday Season ahead. Schools are back in session and people are returning to their jobs. The fares are probably are as low as they are going to go for this sailing but you could check  on  Black Friday to see if they offer OBC/gratuities. 

wrong thread

My take on this is it was a "tongue in cheek" statement since Copper 10-8 is employed with HAL as a Security Officer. I don't think it was meant to be taken seriously in any way.

We almost always book cruises within a month or two of sailing. Have also booked some last minute cruises--the day before, two days before, etc.  We always know our cabin assignment prior to completing the booking. We normally use an online TA (but can call and speak to an agent but not usually necessary). The time that we booked the afternoon before sailing, we booked directly with HAL as to expedite the process--this was a sailing that we really wanted to get on. 

Our preference now is  verandah cabins but would book an outside cabin for the right price/cruise. Have sailed in inside cabins on the S & R class ships but would have to consider long and hard before would consider doing so on the larger, newer ships.

6 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I am happy to hear that some people have done this and I think I did it once through my HAL PCC.  However, I do not think that this is a set rule and it may vary depending on your TA or PCC, so I hesitate to say that it can be done for certain, thus my initial response that you MAY have to cancel and rebook.

We have successfully done this numerous times with  a HAL PCC, various TA's and online agencies (by placing a HOLD and then calling in to get it applied). As we often book inside the final payment window, the FCD is applied as part of final payment. We have never experienced any difficulties nor has anyone ever questioned it. 

32 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Not a real great pic, sorry, but an image of April and (still don't know his name ), the lead singers of Eurodam's awesome B.B. King's All-Star Band

 

I think that is Kanard Thomas---he was with B.B. King on Koningsdam last year. He is really good. 

6 minutes ago, sambamama said:

My whole point to this thread was to warn people about passport theft and to mention a lack of empathy by an officer. Instead, I find myself attacked, my actions questioned, people saying I did or said things I did not do, and people wanting a word by word accounting of what happened which they still would not believe because it was only one side. I never said I saw the purser curse at the asst cruise director, I only mentioned it as another example of his poor behavior. No, I was not disrepectful to the crew, and I never have been, but I was crying fairly loudly. I am sure the purser did not want people seeing or hearing that. I am not going to comment in this thread again as a few people seem to forget who the victim was here. I too, have worked years in the customer service industry, but I have worked many more years talking to victims and empathy and respect is always paramount in dealing with them. 

I am so sorry that you had this terrible experience that was only made so much worse by the purser. I have witnessed passengers being extremely rude to crew and officers over far less than this and yet the situations were still handled with respect, tact and diplomacy. If the purser was having a bad day, then he should have kept his contact minimal with passengers. His behavior was inappropriate and unacceptable for any reason. If he can't rise to the job, then he should not be in it.

Please don't feel you owe anyone on these boards any kind of explanation because you don't. It's always easier to be dismissive of other people's experiences. I am a strong believer in karma.

A female traveling alone in Europe who just had her passport, credit cards and cash stolen told she would probably be put off the ship--yes I think she would be more than a little upset.  I would not hesitate to take this issue on how you were treated right up the ladder in Seattle.  I will put up with a lot but I will not put up with disrespect and a dismissive attitude regarding such a serious incident.

Last year, there were some really good sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. We booked our annual Holiday Cruise (for last year)  over this weekend  --- great rates, OBC, gratuities included, beverage cards, etc. I know that most people cannot/will not book a month before sailing but we have done well in doing so. 

That well could be accurate but(at least the approximate) date of Panda's sailing is particularly relevant for the reasons given.

The cruises that I mentioned on (the old) Noordam to Mexico were during 1986 - 1987. I guess I failed to clarify that but thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Years ago (January 1986), I sailed on the Noordam on a B2B cruise to Mexico for 14 days. I never really thought too much about it, because with having kids and then paying for school and college, we weren't cruising. Well, my youngest is almost out of college, dh is retiring soon and now were taking many cruises!!

 

Has anyone heard of getting credit for a cruise from that long ago?

We were able to get cruise credits from the mid-70s forward. Do you have any mementos, pictures, etc.? Most definitely contact the Mariner Society.

If I remember correctly, the Noordam Mexican cruises I sailed on were 14-day cruises sailing from San Francisco and visiting Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan, Acapulco (overnight?) I don't know what the itinerary would have been for the 7 day cruises.

The ss Rotterdam (Rotterdam V from 1959) was not able to dock in Hamilton. It was anchored in the harbor when I was docked in Hamilton on the 1957 Statendam on my first cruise.

You are correct. I sailed to Bermuda on the Rotterdam V numerous times in the mid to late 1970's. We always dropped anchor in the harbor and tendered ashore. We never docked in Hamilton.

Most likely Day 2, possibly Day 5 (since it is a 11-day cruise), and Day 9 (Christmas Eve). There is a possibility that Day 10 (Christmas Day) could be an optional Gala, but I doubt it.

We have experienced Gala Night (I believe it was still Formal night then) on the last night of a cruise, as well as, on the first night of a cruise--I believe both of these were on Eurodam and over Christmas/New Year's. We have also experienced a Gala Night when the ship had a later departure and was in port over dinner.

My recollection is that these exceptions occurred during Holiday Cruises.

Did you get the old website (low graphics but easy to use) or the new one (high graphics but impossible to use)?

Using Chrome, I was able to pull up the old website.

I did have the new website a couple of days ago--that was horrible! I just kept trying different browsers until I could get the old one so that I could download and save cruise history. I also wanted to make sure our current cruises had been added and they were.

Please do not be concerned! The ship is beautiful, the food is very good and the service is typically HAL terrific. If I had listened to the comments here, I would never have booked our Med cruise on K'dam and that would have been a loss to me. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and have another two booked on Koningsdam for 2018 and 2019. Enjoy your cruise and Greece!

I totally agree with your comments. We have just returned from our third Cruise on Koningsdam in the last 6 months and are already looking at two additional ones on her.

A multi-level atrium is not important to us. Some of the art we liked and some not so much and that's OK. When you visit MOMA or an art gallery--does one like every piece of art they encounter? Some of it is unique and clever but I would decline having it in my home.

Yes. some of the cabins are smaller and I understand both sides of that issue. But those showers are wonderful. We've only had verandah cabins on Koningsdam but I think they are laid out well and there is enough storage.

I am in agreement with the statements on the carpet in the Lido. I understand why lighter colors were chosen but it really is not able to withstand the heavy traffic it endures day after day.

I have been sailing with HAL for close to 40 years and have experienced many changes, some good and some definitely not so good. The Koningsdam still feels like HAL to me.

I just went to HAL site and was able to pull it up with no difficulty. I logged into my account and started perusing cruises we are interested in--no problem in the least.

Really? Where is it? I thought I wandered through all the shops last month. Didn't buy anything, but I looked. Some nice clothes, particularly the Chicos items, but nothing I "needed" at those, so some designs are.

Deck 3-Promenade Deck, starboard side, opposite balcony level of the Queens Lounge (B.B. King). The Oprah items share about half of ‘The Shop’.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums