*Miss G*

3 minutes ago, Grandmaanne7 said:

Thank you so much! Obviously my TA doesn't deal with HAL very often. 

 

P.S. I love your signature! 😊

You are welcome.  It was pretty easily googled with the words “Pinnacle Grill Holland America”.  I’d be looking for a new TA.  

1 hour ago, Grandmaanne7 said:

HAL newbie here. I have read that children eat free in specialty restaurants yet my TA informed me that we will have to pay $54 for my 12 year old granddaughter when we dine at Pinnacle Grill because she is the 3rd person in a cabin with the HIA promo. She will most likely choose the chicken strips off the children's menu so $54 seems a little excessive to me. Can anyone clarify for me? TIA

Sorry… off topic, but… every time I see a pan-handler, I think “I wonder what will happen when no one has cash?”  I must admit, I’m curious to know.

4 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

and the oblivious elderly lady who kept standing in front of everyone’s photos was enough to make me want to poke my own lenses out

Great pictures.  I was hoping for one with the oblivious elderly lady.  🤭

27 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Is AARP credit one per stateroom, per booking?  We are both signed up with HAL for it, but only get one credit per booking.  Is everyone else finding this too?

Yes.  When I asked my PCC to add it to my booking he made sure to let me know that it can only be one per cabin; not one per person.

8 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Absolutely.... Our American friends talk about the cost of adding TSA and then I say "That is included in my $50 bucks every 5 years!"  

 

Nexus is a great deal for us Canadians.

The program is available on both sides of the border; not just for Canadians.  I don’t post about it because I don’t want a price increase.  

4 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

I just had this same conversation with my sister.  When I retired I was hoping to be able to take advantage of last minute deals, but there are no bargains out there.  If anything, fares have gone up.  The price of nothing, including cruises fares, has gone down.  

I find the best deals are the private fares.  Other than that, I monitor an online site, fairly regularly, as sometimes you can catch a blip of a great deal, but those are gone just as fast as they are posted.  You have to be quick.

On 3/8/2024 at 1:16 PM, Debbie C said:

Daisi, how do you like Avalon? Have you traveled on any Globus tours?

We loved Avalon!  My sister had done a Globus tour prior to our booking the river cruise and they gave us a loyalty discount.

27 minutes ago, Hobar said:

What is earliest I can find (brewed) coffee on board, and where?  What time does Neptune lounge (or whatever it is called) open? (Kongingsdam, if that makes a difference.)  I don’t want to use the in-room coffee machine because I get up early and don’t want to wake suite-mates.  

I think you’ll find this thread has your answers:

8 minutes ago, Jim_P said:

I did it from a Samsung tablet, but you should be able to do it using airplay from an ipad (if not, Im pretty sure there is an Ipad app specifically for mirroring with samsung TVs).

 

You just press the "source" button on the TV remote, and then select "screen mirroring". Then the TV will wait for you to connect a device. On my samsung tablet it was the "smart view" app, on an Apple it would be airplay or a screen mirroring app. Then once they're connected if you start a video on your device it will play through the TV instead. 

Thank you so much!  I really appreciate you taking the time to explain.

On 2/25/2024 at 1:08 PM, Jim_P said:

Mine isn't . Screen mirroring works though if you want to watch your own stuff.

Wondering if you would be able to share how you achieved the screen mirroring?  I will have my iPad so I am hoping you did it from one of those.  Otherwise… never mind!  Haha

Okay, well, since this thread was resurrected… I’ll bite.  My Dad’s first job was in Cunard headquarters in Liverpool.  Coincidentally, he mentioned them this morning and he pronounced it Kuh-nard, with the emphasis on the second syllable.

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Click and zoom in to see how the crowds in the viewing area around the warriors 

Whoa.  😮

How wonderful you were able to visit the terra cotta warriors.  I find them fascinating.

56 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

with piano bar players on HAL is we usually find there are fewer then 10 people awake after 10pm.

That’s because we’re all in BB King’s and RSRR.

2 hours ago, klfrodo said:

My experience is that the hotel shuttles become a free for all with 25 or 30 people all scrambling to get 20 seats on the van.

 

my opinion only, spend the extra money and schedule private transportation.

On all the hotel shuttles I have taken to PEV (and, anywhere, really), there is a sign-up sheet with assigned time slots.  Once a time slot is full, they move on to the next time slot.  You cannot board a shuttle out of turn because they have your name and room # to verify against.

1 minute ago, REOVA said:

Not sure I follow. 

I’ll give you an example.  Years ago, I worked my way up to Gold status in Marriott.  That was my goal, at the time, because it gave you guaranteed access to the Concierge Lounge, among other benefits.

Not long after, they added more tiers and devalued the benefits for the other tiers.  I no longer had access to the lounge because that benefit now began at Platinum and would take additional years to achieve.  Again.

That’s what I mean by devalued points.

I’ll offer a different opinion.  From the Renaissance:  It was a bit difficult to get an Uber.  When one did finally arrive, he told us that he almost cancelled because it was such a hassle to get into the cruise port.  Uber/Lyft are required to have a special cruise port pass on their vehicle or they can’t get in.  Then they have to line up with the rest of the taxis, cars, and Ubers to go through the kiosks.  There, they want to see your passports and boarding passes before they’ll let you in.  Make sure they are on your person and not in the trunk of the vehicle.

Another time, from the Renaissance, we were waiting for a taxi when the porter suggested the shuttle, instead, as it was getting ready to leave.  There was a dedicated lane at the port for shuttle busses only.  We breezed right through with no lines and no checking of passports and boarding passes.  The driver said it was because the port expects the shuttle driver to verify we are legitimate passengers, freeing up the port agent to wave us through and keep the line moving.

I’ve also driven in by car a few times.  It takes time.  I would take the shuttle.

When corporations start adding new tiers to their rewards programs, the end result is that those in the top tiers get downgraded and upper tiers become difficult to attain.  

TLDR:  Additional tiers devalue points.

On 1/30/2024 at 3:01 AM, cruiseaholic78 said:

You will have hit the jackpot arriving on 27th April, its Kings Day! Hotel New York is a pretty wonderful experience.

https://aboutnl.com/the-essential-guide-to-kings-day-in-the-netherlands/

happy planning

 

Wow.  I’m sorry I read that link.  It sounds like my idea of a nightmare.  😂

3 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Now I'm curious why we would have different experiences?

Different ship, maybe?

47 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

I just think I'll pass on this ship until I see reports the dog issues have been resolved

I should have mentioned that we also had one of those not-service dogs on our Koningsdam sailing.  I’d finally had enough of the incessant barking (to the point where we could no longer use our balcony) that I called the NL Concierge to see if they could do something about it.  She literally told me that “This always happens”.  Huh?  “Always?”  Really?  I think you are right in that the ship has a reputation in the canine sailing community.

I love adult colouring!  😂

Regarding laundry service:  HAL does not use scents in any of its laundry or cleaning products.  Clothes come back unscented.  Sheets, bedding, and towels also unscented.

Welcome to Holland America!

1 hour ago, ArgoNereus said:

While on board we have found that the cruise companies charge CDN cruiser at a higher exchange rate than charging the US price to a CDN credit card.

Holland America is actually known for a much better exchange rate than the credit cards.  Not sure if this applies to other Carnival Corp lines.