luv2cruisenz

On 3/5/2024 at 11:37 AM, vms said:

There are limited shore excursions for these ports and they are all sold out or not of interest to us. While we might throw our names on the waiting list, wondering if anyone on the boards has done either of these locations on their own, even if not via cruise, and might have some ideas for us. Nothing showing on Viator or ToursbyLocals.  Private tours, car rental options, other ideas?

 

Thanks in advance!

We’re in a similar situation for our September cruise. I know it’s late in the season and several operators have said they’d have finished, especially in Kodiak. I did find this company for Valdez though and have booked this trip

https://alaska.guide/tours/valdez-glacier-shuttle-tour

I also looked at this company but have booked the other one

https://valdezwatertaxiandcharters.com/sightseeing

So I’m still looking for something in Kodiak. 

I was trying to book the Fairmont before our cruise through HAL, and it was there sometimes and then disappeared, so I thought HAL had sold their allocation. The choices were the Fairmont (900 West George Street) and the Pan Pacific. I kept checking and when I saw it there again last week I just booked it myself, and paid for it online. I contacted the HAL customer service to ask what transfers were included as it didn’t specify exactly on the website. They confirmed it was transfers from the airport to the hotel, and to the ship. I’ve never booked the hotel package through HAL before so wasn’t sure.
 

They also asked me to contact my travel agent to put my flight details into the system so the ground operators can meet us at Vancouver airport. 
 

If you want the Fairmont Hotel package from HAL, and the travel agent won’t book it, then do it yourself. It’s your holiday after all! It was cheaper than booking it through the hotel for my dates in September so I am quite relieved that’s all done. 

Info from HAL’s website 

If you need to make any updates or corrections, contact the Mariner Society at 1-800-547-9139 or mariner_society@hollandamerica.com. 

Yes that is good advice as we had a terrible experience there when the taxi driver tried to charge us a lot more and then locked the doors when I disputed it. It was horrible, and he only let us out when I threatened to call the police.

I will also never take an Uber again from the hotel to the ship on embarkation day after a similar aggressive and stressful experience when the driver dumped us at an underground car park and left. I know it’s only these 2 drivers but it’s awful they took advantage of people who are not familiar with the area. 

On 9/2/2023 at 12:22 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Recently re comped grats that I could see on an invoice from HAL, once the booking was transferred to my TA, they weren't listed. When I called the TA, he said he could see them in the booking so I should trust they were there. Respectfully,  no - only those things which are documented and visible to all parties exist, so I'll take an updated invoice, please and thank you.

I eventually got a copy of the invoice the TA gets from HAL - it's the TA agency version, not meant for the passenger - and the grats were on there, but never showed on my copy. I still have the original from HAL that shows them before the booking was transferred. I will take that with me when I sail, JIC.

I really don't think HAL is trying to screw over passengers, I think their systems are so "wonky" so unstable (like their website) that different people, with different levels of access see different things depending on where they're looking. It doesn't make any of it right or acceptable, it means we all (HAL & TAs included) need to patient and diligent.

We have the same situation - we booked our upcoming cruise in the Black Friday sale while on board last year. That included tips, but it’s not on our invoice. I now have a copy of what HAL has in their system that shows it does, so will see what happens when we embark on Wednesday!
 

In my experience their systems don’t seem to be integrated well at all, and that creates bad processes and potential misinformation. Front line staff need access to all relevant information to provide the service we customers need. As I don’t want to waste time lining up at guest services to correct something that should just work. And I agree, we need to be diligent and patient.

I say that as we are waiting all day at Vancouver airport because our flight to Copenhagen this morning was cancelled, and we have been re-routed via London tonight, with bad seats. Luckily we had planned to have 2 days there before the cruise, so even though it’s now only 1 day, we still have the cruise 🙂

My DH who is Dutch, pronounces it as the long ‘o’ like cone. 
 

On the Volendam last December-the team are so talented and it’s great fun to admire all of their cute critters ! 

9 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

You can pre purchase at any time from booking up to (I was informed by a HAL Agent in UK) 5 days prior to embarkation.

If you are not in the US dollar area it can be advantageous to prepay as HAL uses a very generous exchange rate.  Prepaid Grats are billed to credit card in the currency of the booking.

Thanks for that advice, I didn’t know you could do that! I have just prepaid the grats as it will certainly save us a little bit of money on the exchange rates. And it’s less to pay for later! Win win

We were also on the Volendam Amazon cruise last Nov/Dec and loved it - it’s awesome to be able to see such a special part of the world. We loved walking around the lower promenade of the ship, especially at night. The moths and insects that hitched a ride on the outside deck were fascinating, they made for great photos, some were huge!

The itinerary is the draw card. But I do like the smaller ships as you get to know the crew a bit. We had several changes of itinerary along the way due to the changing water levels and tides, but we never missed out on anything on the original itinerary, they were just in different date order! It was all tender stops on our cruise and the conditions of the floating docks were a bit unpredictable. Devil’s Island was a bonus. 
 

We did private tours in all ports except for one HAL shore excursion. We had a guest speaker on board who gave space exploration talks during the day, and at night he talked about the night sky out on the back by the pool. The lights were turned off so we had a fantastic view of the stars, and saw many shooting stars as well. I loved that trip and would do it again.
 

There were two great, talented and friendly cover bands and live classical music which suited the mood of the cruise, if you like. It’s probably luck of the draw as far as the entertainment goes but I enjoyed the relaxed vibe. After what we’ve all been through with COVID, I think if you want to go, just go. The itinerary is well worth it.  
 

Have fun, whatever you decide 🙂

We got tiles on the Volendam in December and also from the NS in January. It’s a shame the Koningsdam didn’t have them for you. Contact the Mariner Society and ask if they can send them out to you - not sure if they still do that though 🙂

If they do need a supervised RAT test they can get this from a Unichem Pharmacy or Life Pharmacy. Most will do a walk in without an appointment but you can book online if they want that assurance, maybe the hotel reception can help with that. Allow 15 to 30 minutes for it and they’ll need to take their passports. It costs $65 New Zealand dollars each including tax, and the pharmacist will give each of them a printed certificate which they can also email to them, just ask. I did this last November (I live in Auckland) for our HAL Amazon cruise and it worked well, it meets all the HAL requirements. No stress at all! 
 

They have locations throughout Auckland including in the city if that’s where they’re staying. 
 

https://www.unichem.co.nz/

https://www.lifepharmacy.co.nz/

When we were on the Volendam last year  the Christmas gingerbread display went up first on 30 November and was added to over the following weeks. It was in the Attrium so it was quite large and fun and was often changed around and new characters added all the time. Christmas trees and decorations went up all around the ship soon after, along the bannisters etc. it was a wonderful display. 

At Port Everglades there is a flat rate of $8 to go between terminals, there’s a sign that states that and they can’t charge you any more. The sheriff there also told me that. They might try to charge you more as we had to take a taxi between terminals in December (because our HAL transfer never showed up)  and he demanded $10 and locked us inside until I insisted. I don’t know why some taxi drivers behave that way, it’s very intimidating. 

We were also on the 28 day Volendam Amazon cruise and I thought the ship and crew were wonderful, and beautiful fresh flowers on display everywhere! Ryan the cruise & travel director was brilliant and gave interesting and useful destination talks. Yes there was the one broken hot water tap in one machine in the Lido but there are other places to get that so it wasn’t a biggie. Didn’t notice rust, maybe a few spots outside, so not unusual. Loved that the art works of the children of the Ukrainian refugees was on display the whole cruise. The crew seemed to feel like they worked together as a team, if that doesn’t sound too corny, but that comes from good leadership. The day we disembarked we joined the N.Statendam for a holiday cruise and although it was a bigger, newer ship with some advantages I missed the Volendam and wouldn’t hesitate to cruise on her again.

We were at Bridgetown in 10 December and attached is a photo of the pre set taxi rates inside the secure area.

It was $2 per person in a taxi van as a shared ride into town - about a 15 minute walk on a busy road if you want to walk. 

In Bridgetown there’s a nice boardwalk along the river and a newly developed area called Golden Square, that used to be an old historic area with fantastic artistic sculptures etc to remember and honour Clement Payne.

Plenty of taxis to get back to the port - negotiate a price, we paid $5 for two people. 
 

Hi, I’d just say to keep an eye out for any special instructions on what you need to do on the turn around day as this can vary depending on the cruise. You’ll get information sent to your cabin. 
 

I also let the cabin stewards know they can leave cleaning our room until later on turn around day if it helps them, as it’s a busy day getting rooms ready for new guests. Have a great time ! 

When you hire a fridge does anyone know if they’ll stock it up so it can be used as a (paid) mini bar ? Thanks 

As they say in Norway - there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing ! Have a fabulous cruise 🚢 and watch out for the trolls 😝

Just got this email from HAL - we are due to cruise on 27 April and won’t be cancelling at the moment.

Yes I don't like flying in the same day either ! Everything does add add that's for sure 

1 minute ago, canadianbear said:

I was also looking at hotels in San Diego for end of April (had considered booking Maasdam to Vancouver) but the hotels are either all booked up or astronomical in price.  I’d contact whomever you booked through to ask your question-I’m not sure unless you had the cancel for any reason.  When you find out, I’d be interested in the answer.  Thanks & good luck.

Yes that's the cruise we are on !  We might just stay in Los Angeles instead and train down on cruise day which is s shame. I really cant believe the hotel prices, even the Holiday Inn Express was over $400 plus tax. Supply & demand I guess ! 

Hi, I have been checking hotel prices in San Diego for a while now, and the HAL price is cheaper than booking direct with any hotel which did surprise me.  But alot of hotels are booked out already for the end of April, so I will have to book with HAL I think.

I was wondering if anyone knows what the cancellation & refund conditions are for their hotels as I cant find them anywhere on their site, or even when I go as far as booking the hotel but not completing it.

Thanks!

Hi we just did a Med cruise on the Koningsdam in September and stopped at these ports so hopefully this might help you.

Katakolon - at the pier is a busy marina and shopping area with lovely, affordable waterfront cafes and bars. There’s a little war memorial, a gorgeous little church and a cool ancient toy museum as well as the ancient technology/invention museum. Both are great. As we had been to Olympia before, we took the tour bus from the pier for about 10 euros into the town - it was Sunday so the shops were closed, but they looked very nice. It was a pretty town, so you could go to fill in some time but I don't think you wouldn't  miss anything if you didn't go. There's a cathedral and square and nice bakeries.The 'walking tour' was just someone taking you from the bus stop to the cathedral. We had great fun shopping back at the marina where the ship was docked. Although there's lots of shops they are mainly the same - sun hats, souvenirs, olive soap, clothes and leather bags. Good value shopping and there are some up market ones as well.  We also loved the moussaka, beer and ouzo at a restaurant there.

Kotor; The tender dropped us off in the port area, which is only a few minutes walk from the main gate of the Old Town. At the port gates were lots of slightly aggressive taxi drivers offering tours. We opted for a local tourist bus from the pier for about 20 Euros that included a great drive around the coast to the main places to visit, plus a walking tour in the Old Town. It was sort of a hop on hop off bus but there are only 4 stops, and they went every half an hour. But it was great value for money actually. It was about a 40 minute drive along the coast to Risan, the oldest town in the Bay of Kotor where you can see the remnants of a Roman villa from the end of the 2nd century AD, with some original Roman mosaics intact and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Montenegro. The next stop was Perast  - “a little piece of Venice”. It’s a small, quaint and pretty place on the water, and has 16 churches and 17 former grand palaces. It’s a pleasant place to spend some time, walk around, have  coffee or ice cream and enjoy the scenery. There’s a  Museum of Old Town Perast with historical accounts about the old seafaring families, and an impressive collection of swords and muskets from the 18th and 19th centuries. Here you can get water taxi for about 5 euros, to the Our Lady of the Rocks, a manmade island with a little chapel and the other little island with a monestary on it. When we got back to the Old Town we started the walking tour – which was excellent.  Inside the walled city are old palaces and churches, cathedral & museums, all beautifully old and unusual. There's a museum of cats which are everywhere inside the city. The cobblestoned narrow alley ways all seem to lead into one of the many squares/ plazas where there’s unique craft & souvenir shops, hand blown glass and lots of cafes. Outside the walls was a farmers market. I enjoyed Koper a lot better than Dubrovnik which I thought was a lot more touristy and jam packed with people.

On 4/15/2019 at 10:44 AM, VacationingCharlene said:

Hi All!  We have enjoyed the 14 day Alaska Explorer with Hal a few times.  Saw the 21-Day Ultimate Alaska & Pacific Northwest Adventurer and VERY interested BUT saw that it is ONLY available this May and June 2019.  It is roundtrip from San Francisco.  Does anybody know WHY it is not being offered for 2020??  THANKS...this is the place peeps will know

I am also disappointed they are not offering this in 2020 as I've wanted to go back to Alaska but with new & different stops. I am also keen to try the EXC experience as prefer the exploration speakers to the port talks. We want to book the 14 day Alaska on the Maasdam instead for next year on  May 4. We actually want to join it in San Diego on 27 April on the Pacific Coastal then carry on to Alaska but it is not offered as a Collectors voyage so will have to buy as 2 separate cruises .so I guess that will cost more!

On 3/13/2019 at 10:10 AM, DaveOKC said:

Bring back CNBC!!

 

is it still on the Eurodam??

 

Such good info on these boards! I didn't know this was all changing. According to HAL's website the Mainstage shows are "Available on the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, , Nieuw Statendam, Noordam, Oosterdam, Prinsendam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam".   Maybe they will all change in the future ? We were on the K last year in Norway and loved it, so booked again for the Med this year. Still found the mainstage shows a bit lame so I won't be that disappointed they are gone. The Lincoln Centre Stage, Classical concerts and the piano bar were in heavy demand and it was always standing room only which creates a great atmosphere actually. I still don't understand why happy hours are only in some bars and at different times! I think it is the entertainment in the bar that draws you in as well so I do miss a house band playing decent covers in a happy hour situation. I also enjoyed the Test Kitchen but you had to get there early for a seat too. Looking forward to the cruise anyway 🙂