Crew News

Just paying it forward for all that I have learned here on CC. Grand Dutch Cafe food starts at 11:30 but coffee and pastries start at 7:00 AM. Try the giant chocolate chip cookies that are so buttery you can't carry them in your fingers.

Here is the Explorations Cafe menu showing Chai tea: Explorations Cafe Menu

Aft for better photo ops and seeing the scenery on both sides of the ship.

As one who organizes the Meet & Greets on all of my cruises, I look forward to interacting with other cruisers interested in advice from those who have "been there and done that" to help in their planning. The conversations always peak my interest in new cruise destinations. On the social side, meeting other frequent posters here on CC is always a treat.

Lido Market pizza was available on the Zuiderdam from lunchtime until at least 8:00 PM in April.

The Zuiderdam had the Taco Bar open in April to build nachos or make tacos.

This topic is often discussed here on CC. In my experience, aft movement is no different than other locations onboard. The seasickness for most occurs when the ship leans from side to side in the wind. That means the staterooms on the higher decks move a bit more than the lower deck staterooms. The ship can deploy stabilizers to alleviate most of this movement. There are a number of preventive measures to take for seasickness until your body gets accustomed to any ship motion (patches, meds, seabands, etc). I bring ginger candies in case I feel a bit queasy but only used them once over the years when my ship was hit by a typhoon. In my case, I wear seabands when I go to bed the first night at sea and remove them in the morning. I am fine for the rest of the cruise. The sound of the propeller wake behind the ship provides the most soothing nights sleep you will ever experience. Another perk of an aft stateroom is enjoying your balcony while the ship is moving at 19 knots while those with side balconies cannot. Imagine riding on the hood of a car at 25 MPH as opposed to being inside the car shielded from the wind, then add in outside temperature. Your wind-free afternoon Room Service snack, glass of wine after dinner, just reading a book, or having a hot breakfast on your balcony while enjoying the Alaskan scenery is possible while the ship is moving. Here is a link to my photo review of the Koningsdam: Koningsdam Photo Review Juneau sunset from my aft stateroom:

Not the same itinerary but here is a link to my When & Wheres from last year Caribbean as requested: Nieuw Statendam 2021 Caribbean 7-Day When & Wheres for same itinerary as yours from 2018: Koningsdam 11-Day Caribbean When & Where See the link in the lower right corner of my signature for more info.

just my opinion as a many time visitor to Alaska on different itineraries, all with Holland America, I sail in aft-facing staterooms so that I can step out on my balcony and see the scenery on both sides of the ship. I can do this in my pajamas and not have to get dressed to go to the public areas to see what's on the other side of the ship. While I am in my stateroom, I never wonder what I am missing on the other side of the ship. If the Captain announces that whales are spotted on one side or the other, there is no need to rush from one side of the ship to the other along with other passengers aboard. I just step out on my balcony with my camera and take a photograph. In Glacier Bay, the ship does a 360-degree rotation with passengers moving from side to side, often in the rain, to try to take photographs with their fellow passenger trying to raise their cameras higher than those cameras in front of them. OTH from my fully, or partially-covered aft-facing balcony, no rain on my head or camera, and no heads blocking my photographic opportunities. From my aft-facing balcony:

I have never made a full transit of the canal but several partials. Three full transits have been cancelled and I am hopeful for next October's full transit.

Crew Appreciation used to be called "Hotel Service Charge" paid per person/day.

I checked my last 11-day cruise When & Where brochures on this same itinerary and noted only two Gala Nights: first and last sea days. Of course NYE will be a Gala Night but not serving the regular Gala Night menus.

You can book excursions with your $200 bonus but now with the $300 OBC. OBC cannot be used before boarding the ship. On Embarkation Day go to the EXC desk and use your OBC to book excursion. Note that waiting until you board may mean popular excursions may be sold out. Use your OBC to pay your Crew Appreciation bill and/or Specialty Restaurants.

I paid an extra $10/day for the last two days of my Caribbean cruise and had four devices connected at the same time for those two days. When you login for the first time, you will see the price to add the three additional devices which may differ from the price I paid.

It is my experience on B2B stateroom changes that you need to pack your belongings early on Turnaround Day. Both your current and future Room Stewards will help you move your belongings into your future stateroom as soon as it is vacated by the previous occupants. With good luck, they may have early departures meaning you can move earlier. The stateroom, with your belongings, will be locked by your new Room Stewards (you will not be given access to the room until you reboard the ship) and prepared for your return while you are away. Remember to keep documents you will need (passport, Vaccine Card, Room card to sign off the ship) to clear Immigration ashore. You can go back to your emptied stateroom or hangout somewhere else on the ship before your scheduled time to meet for your ship departure (around 9:30 AM). When you return to the ship, your new keys will be in the mailbox of your new stateroom. Since you will be reboarding the ship about an hour before other passengers, there may be a few things left to do in your new stateroom. You can start putting your belongings away or hangout somewhere on the ship. This hour is a perfect time to take photos of the ship while only a few passengers are in your shots. Many staterooms will be open during this hour if you want photos of other stateroom categories. Tip: Take a photo of the stateroom number before taking photos inside so you can check the categories when you return home. Since you will be aboard for a second week, make your dining reservations for your second week Specialty Restaurants sometime during your first week.

I have enjoyed four cruises since last November and was asked on each of them if I wanted evening turn down service. As an early diner, I have no desire to return to my stateroom at 7:00 PM with curtains closed and a darkened stateroom. Since I bring my collapsible ice container that is filled every two days, I opted for only picking up laundry each evening in lieu of turn down service.

This excursion is a ride across the island, some of which is inside the national park. The ferry from St Thomas stops at the Cruz port where there are a few shop/restaurants. I don't remember any stops at the national park signs/visitor center but numerous stops at scenic overlooks.

Current bar menu with non-alcoholic beer: Bar Menu Additional beers on Pinnacle-class ships: Grand Dutch Cafe Beer

A few years ago, the person who delivered our Neptune Suite appetizers each day was also our MDR waiter and would always ask if we would be there for dinner or had a Specialty Restaurant reservation. He was giving up his afternoon time off to earn some extra money for his family back home. We made sure he did.

This area is part of a walking tour near the fish hatchery. I was there in 2011 and experienced the swinging rope bridges between the trees as we looked down on the creek. Near the end of the tour via the board platforms, we did look down on a family of bears.

As requested at no extra charge: NYE 2021 MDR Dinner includes hats and noise makers FWIW NYE 2021 PG Special Menu

One gallon of distilled water is available for purchase when you login to your HAL cruise account and go to Indulgences.

It needs to be noted that local beers are available on many cruises, especially in Alaska. On my repositioning cruise on Zuiderdam last April, the bartenders had a display of beers that had not been consumed during the incoming cruise. I did not recognize any of the brands.

Here is the current Bar Menu that has not changed since 2021: Bar Menu 2022

Yes. Here is a link: Bar Menu