TroubleT

I just completed a Caribbean cruise on Rotterdam. I purchased Club Orange only for 2 reasons: priority during the embarkation and during tendering process. The embarkation part worked great, and CO was worth every penny. However, we had 1 tender port in Half Moon Cay (Bahamas) and they completely ignored CO benefit. Going to the island wasn't painful just because I came down when they started boarding the tender and the line wasn't that bad. But going back to the ship was really bad. They line was super long because everybody was trying to get on board by lunch time. And when I asked the security officer where the line or waiting area was for CO he told me that there wasn't any separate line and I had to stay in the one line with everyone else. Excuse me? Then what is the point of paying extra? I never ate at CO restaurant. I like big tables or go to the Buffet restaurant to save time. I will definitely mention the situation with tender line in my letter to the corporate office.

Their whole system was messed up. I didn't complain about the heat in the stateroom. My stateroom was an iglu.

I will just comment on the ship in general. The ship is old. And I get it. But the ship has major issues with plumbing system and Heating/AC system. And I mean - MAJOR! On my Alaska cruise last June lots of rooms had horrible sewage smell, including my room. I couldn't be in the washroom for more than 3 minutes. It was so hot in half of the rooms that people had to keep the balcony door open all the time. Another half of the rooms was awfully cold. It got to the point that I requested to move me to another room because the temperature of the room was below 60 F. It was my only experience sailing on the old ship. Never again.

Thank you so much for the detailed report! It's fantastic and very helpful! I am on November-December 2024 cruise (Sing to HK) and found a lot of useful information! Can't thank you enough for your effort and time!

March 8, 2024

I am new to HAL. When do they assign the boarding time? When I completed the check-in process, I got the message that my boarding time will be assigned on January 23. I checked today. The boarding pass is ready but without time. And again, it is said that it will be assigned later. When? Thank you!

First time HA cruiser... Do we require to fill out any online Health Forms the day before boarding the ship? I know Celebrity eliminated this step. Thanks!

Thank you! That's what I thought too. I wake up probably the first one on the ship! ))) It's just my schedule and I don't want to change it for 7 days. I "open" Buffet restaurant every day on a cruise. And usually, it's just a few people in the restaurant so early in the morning. Yes, by 8-9 AM it gets pretty noisy. Hopefully it's the same situation on HA in the morning.

I will be on Volendam in a couple of days. Question(s) about Lido restaurant in the morning: How early is it open? Is it really that crazy busy even when it just opens early in the morning (read lots of negative comments about it)? Based on my experience on so many other ships Buffet restaurant gets busy later (when most of the guests are up), but early in the morning (around 7:00 - 7:30 AM) it has plenty of available seats. Thanks!

Would you please share Room Service Menu or post a link to it? Thanks!

Thank you so much! But unfortunately, the outlets are not visible on the pictures.

What is the distance (in ft) between the closest electric outlet in AA stateroom on Volendam and the balcony? Thanks!

The luggage tags were missing. ) But I called HA and they emailed them to me. So it's all good. And by eDocs I meant the whole big package Celebrity emails you approximately 30 days before sailing. Used to be a beautiful booklet. Now they save every penny and email it to all guests.

But they already issued Boarding Pass and assigned check in time. It means everything looks good.

Yes, I am. Even got my Boarding Pass and check in time at the Terminal. But still no edocs and luggage tags. My TA said eDocs should be posted in my account within 24-48 hours. It's been more than that.

Since I am mostly Celebrity cruiser and it never happened to me before, I deal with this situation for the first time with HA. There are 7 days left till my sailing from Vancouver. Stateroom # has been assigned on Monday. But still there are no eDocs in my account. And there are no luggage tags. Do you "create" your own luggage tags in this case? I just don't want my suitcases to sail on a different ship.

I bring it on every cruise, even Caribbean! ) The temperature in MDR is adjusted for the guys in tuxedos, not for the ladies in the cocktail dresses. ))

What is the temperature in public areas (hallways, restaurants, bars, lounges, etc.) on Alaska cruises, specifically on board of Volendam? I understand it's not a Caribbean cruise, but still... Should I pack only heavy sweaters and tops or blouses are fine? Do the doors to the decks get to open very often to bring the temperature on board down? Should I pack only close toed shoes (gym shoes, flats), because it's too cold to wear sandals in public areas? Thank you all for your answers and help!

I completed Caribbean cruise in March on Equinox. My major complaint was "FOOD". To describe it in one word, it was "HORRIBLE". It was bad everywhere: OV Cafe, MDR. I haven't tried specialty restaurants because I just didn't want to go the route of paying more for something that should be decent and was already paid for. I won't complain about breakfast food at OV Cafe because it's really hard to ruin a breakfast: eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, etc. But lunch and dinner choices in the OV Cafe were the same all 9 nights! I think I've ate more Beef Stew in nine nights than in my entire life!!! Food in the MDR: lots of items disappeared from the menu, the rest was much to be desired. You know all of that. So, I think food department should pay more attention to the quality and variety of food.

What is the price for basic Internet? And how much does it cost to upgrade to premium? Thanks!

I cruise mostly with Celebrity and recently there was a huge reduction of buffet options for dinner on Celebrity ships. How about HA?

Does it mean they will skip morning cleaning and leave just short version of cleaning in the evening? Thanks!

What is the price (per small bottle) of San Pellegrino water at the bars? I am Elite Plus: premium tea and coffee are already included. I don't drink still water, only sparkling. I am trying to decide if it is even worth purchasing "Zero Proof Package". I don't need more than 5 bottles of water per day. Last year Celebrity had a special package: premium water only. The price was right, and I enjoyed it. This year they added extra items I don't need. Thanks!

Did you find a different tour operator in Egypt? If yes, would you please share the info? Thank you so much!

Did anyone receive a response from them? I contacted them twice via email and no response yet. How can I count on them if they can't answer a simple question in the email?