Crew News

A nice wide promenade deck.

The Holland America excursion plane had six seats on each side with a center aisle. Everybody got a window. There were also private excursion smaller planes bringing guests. Here is a link to some of the photos of what you will experience: Taku Lodge

I have enjoyed both the Taku Lodge and small boat tour to Tracy Arm. The flight over the Juneau ice fields to the Taku Lodge is in a 12-passenger plane with narration, the king salmon caught the day before, and the tea is made from a large chunk of the Taku Glacier ice. The Tracy Arm excursion is always available because the small boats can dodge the house-sized ice chunks. I have seen whales as well as sea lions on this excursion. I strongly recommend both excursions. Whichever you choose, you can do the other on your next trip to Juneau.

Welcome to CC. Here are two photographs that show the span of docks in Ketchikan so you can determine the walking distance:

Definitely bring compact binoculars. It is my experience that you have to spot wildlife before you can zero in with a camera telephoto lens to take a photo.

Thanks for your review of the lobster roll. I will add the lobster roll that you reviewed to the seafood chowder that I previously reviewed and avoid both.

Delivered by Room Service.

I only got the PDF Booking Confirmation file for those approved cruises. No separate emails.

That is correct. Note that any charges at the Casino cannot be covered by OBC that you did not purchase. OBC that you have not purchased is "use it or lose it". This might be the case if large costs such as crew incentives are part of a Have It All package and are not deducted from your OBC available. In this case, a visit to the Shops for a purchase on the last cruise night is a good way to eliminate any credit balance on your ship statement.

I have never traveled with two credit cards for a stateroom. With a single credit card for the stateroom, all OBC/charges are listed by the name of the person earning/charging and a single running balance due.

Thanks for the update. I hope you used your Navigator app "Let us know" feature to express our displeasure. At least you would have received an answer as to why they put this great feature on hold. I hope the rest of your cruise was enjoyable.

Here are the luggage tag sleeves from Amazon that many use: Plastic Luggage Tags Link

I totally agree. The grilled lobster was incredible BUT the seafood chowder portion of the combo had the consistency of instant mashed potatoes, (nary a lump of potato), little seafood flavor, but nice crackers. Half Moon Cay Lobster Shack Menu Must be ordered while onboard so they know how many lobsters to bring from the ship.

It can indeed be added to current OBC. I added this for all of my future cruises for 2022/2023 even though I already had FCD OBC and early booking OBC.

Welcome to CC. I was on this cruise in April so I am providing you some links to help in your planning (kids stuff, too). Stop by Club HAL to see all of the activities planned for the kids and options for them to stay there while you are on an excursion. Ask at the ice cream station in the Lido Market for some bread pudding. It will be a special treat for the kids, too. Stop at the Taco Bar by the indoor pool any afternoon for build your own tacos/nachos. When & Where (Daily Activities) Main Dining Room Daily Menus 7-Day Kids MDR Menu to Color bring crayons or pencils to color. Actual menu is the same each day just different pictures to color. Room Service Menu - note kids section for dinner time Enjoy your cruise. Maybe some cheap binoculars to help the kids look for eagles.

FWIW one cook does all of the Room Service cooking in a limited area while others collect everything else on the big tray. How many egg dishes prepped for those breakfast cards? Vista-class Room Service prep: Pinnacle-class Room Service prep:

The Holland America Line (HAL) CC Meet & Greets that I have coordinated provided frequent posters on the HAL Forum the chance to meet those with whom they have shared so many threads. IMHO the second most valuable aspect of a M&G is planning future cruises by tapping into the experience of fellow cruisers who are willing to share their advice. Learning what not to miss and what to avoid is invaluable. Many first-time HAL cruisers have commented to me, not only how much they learned at their first M&G, but the level of confidence/enthusiasm they have gained for future HAL cruise planning. I have encountered only a few instances of recruiting for private tours during 30+ HAL M&Gs. I routinely had Hotel Directors (now Managers) attend my HAL M&Gs but after a rumored number of unpleasant instances, staff officers attending M&Gs is no longer an option on short cruises.

Here is the Room Service call-in menu for the Nieuw Amsterdam (Signature and Pinnacle Class ships) with what is available. Note that only a few items have a charge. Room Service Menu The Room Service Breakfast card that you hang on your door handle before retiring is a different menu. Here is the Breakfast card for staterooms that are not Neptune/Pinnacle Suites: Room Service Breakfast Card

All food is free. Grand Dutch Cafe Menu

You can ask that your food have any level of spice. When you are seated, shrimp crisps and dipping sauces will be delivered to your table. Take special care in tasting the sauces before dipping (i use the tine of a fork) lest the red sauce numb your tongue/throat for the rest of your meal. Shrimp Tempura Wasabi filet Mango Posset dessert

Just to be clear, the test cannot be more than 3-days prior to boarding. I have used LabDoctor for a rapid antigen test with total time being there less than 30 minutes which included completing the paperwork, waiting in the chairs outside the storefront, test, and waiting for the test result paper. Cost was $49 and no appointments were necessary...walk-in only. That means a 15-minute taxi ride from the port, 30-minute test with paper results, and a short taxi ride back to the port. You will probably be back before you are even eligible to board your next ship. LabDoctor is a storefront in a strip mall across the street from the Embassy Suites Hotel on 17th street.

Here is the latest spa list that I have from December 2021: Spa Price List

It is my experience that the stateroom walls are metal and do not have their own repeaters (except Neptune/Pinnacle Suites) so better connections for some are sitting in their open doorway, public areas around the ship (my fave is around the indoor pool at a table under a repeater box), or in the Crow's Nest.

It is my experience that Spa Services had Embarkation Day booking specials for treatments later in the cruise.

It is my experience that the MDR and Lido Market Buffet have the same dinner dishes on the day. The Lido Market will have a full salad bar option and some extra desserts. On most ships, the Lido Market Buffet will also have additional pasta dishes. The MDR serves meals based on entrees with assigned sides and pre-plated salads. The Lido Market offers the same proteins with a selection of sides, sauces, and breads as well as passenger-designed salad offerings.