shrimpboat123

1 hour ago, SLC1954 said:

Buried in the fine print the “approved” vaccines also include WHO vaccines.

That just tells me that HAL will accept all approved vaccines. The problem could be that the USA might not let you into the country if you have an Astrazeneca vaccine.

2 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

My husband I have been on several Caribbean cruises, but he's always wanted to do Alaska.  We're finally ready to plan one for next summer.  I've read Holland is best for Alaska, which would be another first for us.  Could someone please tell me which ports are a must and why.  We would like to see glaciers, wildlife, beautiful scenery, and whales and or the Northern Lights would be a cool bonus.  Oh and we want a land a sea package.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  I'm a teacher, so I would have to go late June-early August.  When would be best in that time frame?  Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Agree with everything Ruth said.

We did a Land & Sea to Alaska in 2012. I would recommend you do the land portion first. It can be quite intensive and some long days. That way you can relax on the cruise south bound. If you get to Skagway, be sure to take an excursion on the White Pass & Yukon railway. The scenery is outstanding.

I also recommend you have at least 2 days in each land location and 3 days in Denali.  In Denali, if you can, take a Flight Seeing excursion that flies over and around Mt. McKinley (Denali). We went in late June and had very good weather.

We were in a Verandah Cabin, April 2019, and it had the new flat panel TV's.

Although this sunset isn't technically on a cruise, it is on a ferry, crossing the Kennebecasis River in New Brunswick tonight. Closest we'll be to cruising for some time! 🙂

Testing how to post pictures.

2 hours ago, CATandSQUID said:

Has anyone stayed in the Vista suites on the 8th deck?  Especially ones that have an extra upper bed.  Thank you.

Not on deck 8, but in an aft facing vista suite on deck 7. Pictures are here:

https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/7193-koningsdam/

19 minutes ago, HarveyCharles said:

Who else is going to Hawaii & the Mexican Riviera Feb. 2, 2022 on the Koningsdam from San Diego? Harvey and Joanne

You should join your roll call to meet other cruisers on this cruise. It is located here:

32 minutes ago, KidCruze said:

It seems like every organization is playing follow the leader right now. No one wants to be accused of not taking every precaution. I’m guessing every line will implement a similar policy. 

ETA: this will be very difficult for people who are doing land based travel prior to the cruise, which is very common in some areas, such as Alaska. 

It did say that if you plan to travel before your cruise, you would have to get the Form filled out no more than 7 days before your land tour or whatever you do before your cruise.

Why aren't they also requiring people of any age, who have respiratory issues like COPD or Asthma, to get a Certificate of Medical Fitness?

1 hour ago, MudderBear said:

Am doing the HAL 3 day Denali Land/Sea next year and booked the 2020 Summer Excursion Promo and it comes with Meal Vouchers (free promo).  Problem is, I can't find information anywhere about what/where/when about it?  Where should I look?

You can get info about Alaska Tour tips at this location. Click on "Alaska Tour Tips"

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.html

After you sign up for whatever unlimited package you want, there will be a $30 credit appear automatically on your statement. That's what happened on my last cruise.

7 minutes ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

I LOVED THE US OPEN!! I was soo happy seeing Bianca win the match!! I’m an avid tennis player and am so ready for new blood coming up the ranks! Great match!

shrimpboat123 I am glad you have a generator!!

Denise😊

She is a true Canadian, even apoligized to Serena for winning. She's a class act. 😊

A generator is a requirement around here. The power feed in our subdivision is so un-reliable. It does't take much to knock it out. 😧

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

I will as long as my power holds and we have internet.  I don’t expect it to, though.  Actually why I did your Bon Voyage thread a day early.

Huge power outages already.  We’ve been lucky so far and I get NB Power to trim the branches around the transformer 😉 

 

 

So glad you still have power so far.

 

The worst comes tonight 😞  But we are lucky to have power.  Our mutual friends across the street lost their power hours ago.  Hoping it is restored before it gets too dangerous for NB Power to attend to it, but at least they have a generator.

Your friend now has his power back on. It came back about 45 min ago. It was out for 5 hours. Thank goodness I have a generator and am able to keep the internet and TV going. Got to watch the US Open and see our Canadian win. 😊

18 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Thanks Dave. 🙂 

 

I too was wondering how you were downloading from the Navigator.  Screen shots were horrible so I used the menus but yours are very clear and easy to read.

 

I was sure I tried it when Navigator came out but perhaps it’s improved?  I’ll try your method next cruise.  Much appreciate you taking the time to answer 🙂 

 

Enjoying your LIVE thread (as I always do) very much 🙂 

 

Thank you for taking us along 😄 

If you are using a regular computer to access Navigator, there is an option to actually download the menu in DOC format and hence not have to take a screen short or right click as Dave mentions. 

You will receive a can and you can ask that it not be opened. That way you can take them back to your cabin.

58 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Does anybody what the current onboard price for Surf for 14 days?

Based on the table in post #2, the Surf Plan would be $169.99 for 14 days. I was on a recent 11 day cruise and paid $139.99 for the Surf Plan, so I believe the table to be accurate.

look at this thread to start. It should help with your questions. The table with prices only goes out to 31 days, so you'll need to contact HAL for a price for 40 days.

12 minutes ago, DougK said:

Does anybody know whether the Surf plan's definition of email includes POP3 access? I'm an oldtimer who still downloads my email rather than reading it on the Web. Or is Surf limited to Web access? I don't have any desire to stream (and doubt whether streaming will even be successful with satellite Internet in Alaska), but POP3 access would be very helpful.

The Surf Plan supports POP3 mail accounts. I have one myself and it worked fine with the Surf Plan.

2 minutes ago, yerdua said:

this will be my first cruise with a smart phone. My main objective is to be able to receive emergency calls or texts from home while we are away. Is it possible to piggy back on the ship's Wi-Fi without

The ships wi-fi is not connected to the internet unless you purchase a package. When you connect to the ships intranet, you communicate with the internal Navigator app either by downloading the HAL Navigator app beforehand or using a web browser and typing in Navigator.com. Once you create your account on the intranet, you can decide if you want to connect to the internet by purchasing a package from HAL. That is the only way you will be able to receive text messages unless you use Cellular Data to connect to the internet. Don't recommend this unless you have a Roaming package from your Cellular provider.

1 hour ago, yerdua said:

this will be my first cruise with a smart phone. My main objective is to be able to receive emergency calls or texts from home while we are away. Is it possible to piggy back on the ship's Wi-Fi without purchasing an internet package?  CC  has taught me to turn off mobile data (thank you... Would have just put in in airplane mode) and turn on wifi. I don't need the internet during the cruise, just wifi. If I do have to buy a plan, are there limits on minutes or can I leave my phone on continuously?

You have to buy a package if you want to receive text calls from home. The ship's intranet only allows you to connect to certain web sites free of charge (HAL site, NY Times).

I believe all ships offer the unlimited internet plans now. Once you have signed up for a package, you can leave your phone logged into the internet continuously.

8 hours ago, caribill said:

Is there any discount on the surf or social package if purchased pre-cruise?

It looks like they're only allowing you to book Premium pre-cruise. Unless you plan to do video streaming, there is no advantage to purchasing the Premium plan.

1 minute ago, ger_77 said:

I wonder if our sailing isn't too far out - not till January 2020.  I'm not sure if this makes a difference or not.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Mine is June 2020 to Alaska.

10 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

Thanks, I didn't see a message, but you may be correct - the maintenance might have started early.  Thanks for the info.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

I was curious and so I did go back and log in to see what would happen. I had no problem getting in and seeing all the beverage options. Go figure! 😁

13 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

The website is totally wonky today; I logged in, thinking I'd pre-order a bottle for our room (as I've done previously) and beverages aren't even listed.  Then when I went to check my Mariner status, it said it was unavailable - tried to return to our booking and it said we had no bookings on file.  I give up for today.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

I was going to log in as well and just saw this message pop up.

Due to scheduled maintenance Saturday, May 18th from 10:30pm to 11:30pm PDT, the website will at times be unavailable, including My Account, Online Check-In and booking cruises, shore excursions, dining and gifts. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Maybe they started early on the maintenance.

You certainly can. Just go into your booking and find the beverage indulgences. You can pre-order a bottle of liquor (1 litre size) and request "Delivery at Sea". That way you avoid any local taxes and it will be in your room when you board.

8 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

Thank you all for the replies.  But I still wonder why I don't see any wine packages listed under "Indulgences."  Am I looking in the wrong place or is it that we are 7 months out from sailing?

Once you are logged in, click on Already Booked, Manage My Booking, Purchase Beverages, Wine Packages.

I found 11 package offerings for my cruise.