KAKcruiser

Thanks. They had also removed the second piano from the Rotterdam last March and I'm not sure if it has been put back. Wouldn't you think all the ships would be the same?

Does anyone know the status of dual pianos on the Nieuw Statendam?

If the two piano players are coming back, they are not necessarily from Billboard Onboard who I believe was a franchise. Maybe HAL will hire them from a different talent pool and they will be better.

Don't know if this is true but someone told me that the piano was actually a keyboard and the rest of the piano was a shell. If so, I guess it would be easier to move around.

You better get your TA to act now or you might lose it.

The dummy booking usually only lasts for 15 minutes.

If you hide the cabin on a dummy booking your TA will not be able to book it as it will show as unavailable.

I don't think they are available anymore except maybe on longer cruises.

The private sale is the past passenger (Mariner) sale. You can list your preferences for mail and email in your account profile.

They are gradually phasing out the Priests. I think they are letting the ones that were already scheduled go ahead.

I agree.

Julia - Many people did contact HAL in writing about wanting to keep the Priests onboard. They obviously don't care and responded with some excuse about not having sufficient crew which doesn't make any sense.

I would be willing to do that. However, again, I don't think the price of the cabin is the reason the Priests are being discontinued.

I disagree with the capacity of the two Hudson rooms. There have been many more people than 64 attending Mass. People would often be standing in the back and in the aisles. Mass was celebrated in the BB Kings lounge on my last two cruises on the Rotterdam.

One of the reasons I have sailed Holland America is because Mass is important to me and having a Priest onboard was appreciated. I can't believe it was discontinued because of money. What could it cost to supply a cabin for the Priest? They paid their own transportation costs.

Thanks. It was so good.

There is no shortage of Priests willing to serve as chaplains on ships. The Apostalate of the Seas arranges for the Priests and they have reported that this was HAL's decision.

I'll miss the scalloped potatoes for lunch and also the brownie with coffee ice cream.

That's great news. These cruises were originally all supposed to be ABC islands.

I have not had good luck with getting Club Orange when it was full. I would be tempted to cancel the one room and only book if two spots were available. You might have trouble doing this because I think you are not able to cancel Club Orange once you book. But, they might make an exception in your situation. If you decide to keep your Club Orange reservation, I would check with them on a regular basis because I wouldn't count on them calling you if a position became available.

If you book the $25 deposit with a private (mariner) rate, it is nonrefundable.

Why not have grandmother switch to a cabin for 3 and list herself and the two kids in her room.

It seems like most of the cruises have 3rd and 4th guests free nowadays.

Maybe they can fix the lifeboat situation during drydock.

I agree 100% that a Pricing Specialist is the way to go. But, I always have trouble being connected to one. The reps try to handle things themselves.