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veryseasonedtraveler

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    Killing time in Anchorage

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Alaska Wild Animal Reserve (a drive around game reserve) is out of town a little past Alyeska resort turn off - lovely views of Turnagain Sound on the way down there.

     

     

     

    Agree. The Alaskan Wild Refuge on on the beautiful highway near the Portage glaciers. If you continue driving South, you can visit the tourist center, which is excellent. We also drove thru the tunnel to Whittier. An interesting ride because trains also use this tunnel.

     

    We had the best ever seafood chowder in the hotel in Whittier.

     

    You would have plenty of time to do and see everything.

    This excursion might be the highlight of your trip.

     

     

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    Eurodam Movie Theatre No Longer?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Has anyone been on the Rotterdam recently that might know if they have removed the movie theater there? We enjoy going to the evening movie in lieu of the show and will certainly miss it on our upcoming sailing. Sitting in our stateroom to watch a movie is not our idea of a vacation and we would not find this to a comfortable solution.

     

     

     

    Still had it in January. [emoji897]

     

     

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    Konsingdam Questions

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Just returned from 21 days on the big K. We are 5 ⭐️, so have some experience on Holland. I read so many negative reviews when she was launched that made me a skeptic.

     

    The promenade doesn’t have the usual chairs, but you can still walk the entire circumference. Because of narrow walkways, the drill was held in the World Stage.

     

    People really enjoyed the Dutch Cafe. We did have a large number of Europeans on board, so that may account for some of the attendance. They greatly improved the beverage area on the Lido deck. Not as congested. Also, the New York Deli was very nice.

     

    The room decor is nice. Shower area great and well designed. The commode is at an angle, so might be difficult if tall.

     

    Liked the fact they have a light in the safe. They have storage under the TV for all the junk we accumulate.

     

    The Tamarind was fantastic. Had a special lobster that was out of this world. Wish the Pinnacle would have a special now and then. It is always good, but the menu never changes.

     

    The theatre is fantastic. The optics are spectacular. They had a Whitney Houston number that was really fantastic.

     

    Lots of nice furniture around the pool area and on deck 10.

     

    Our experience was very positive and look forward to sailing again on the a Konsingdam.

     

     

     

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    Best Cruise Insurance Coverage?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We do exactly the same thing :). So lets mention something about GeoBlue. They sell an "Annual" Trip Medical policy that gives a couple $250,000 or medical coverage (drops to $100,000 at age 70) plus $500,000 of Trip Evacuation coverage. The deductible is only $50, and since its part of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Network they actually have many foreign participating providers (hospitals and physicians) who will accept assignment (you would not have to pay them up front....like nearly all other travel policies). Total cost of GeoBlue (for a full year) is less than $500 per couple....and this covers the first 70 days of EVERY trip you take over an entire policy year.

     

     

     

    As to cancellation, we also use a credit card that insures us up to $10,000 for real cancellation reasons (this is not a cancel for any reason policy). For many years we have self-insured (not purchased any policy) cancellation....and are now over $100,000 ahead because of all the money we have saved by not buying ridiculously expensive cancellation policies (most of which do not have nearly enough medical coverage).

     

     

     

    And I will add some very important fruit for thought. Your maximum liability for cancellation is the cost of your trip....which you would have paid if you took the trip. But your maximum liability for medical emergencies is UNLIMITED! And yet we have met many cruisers who only worry about how much they will lose if they cancel....but seem to have no concern about the huge personal cost they might incur if they have a medical emergency. The $10,000 - $20,000 of medical in many trip policies is wholly inadequate for those without other medical coverage.

     

     

     

    Hank

     

     

     

    Thank you all for the ideas. We currently have GEO Blue and thank heavens haven’t used it.

     

    Wondering what credit card (s) offer cancellation coverage. That sounds just what we need,

     

     

    5 Star Cruiser,

    Have Passport, will travel

    Piano Bar entertainers - who is your favorite?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We've had that happen a few times also and have been very disappointed. I even had a discussion about it with a Cruise Director on the Oosterdam who said it was policy. He was a bit shocked and walked away when I replied that he shouldn't blame the policy making team that he was a part of! In any event, they now play two or three 45-minute sets a night and get a day off every week... quite a change from the old piano bar players who used to play from 8 or so until the wee hours of the morning and never got a night off. :mad:

     

     

     

    What I really liked this cruise was the fact they started at 7:00.

     

     

    5 Star Cruiser,

    Have Passport, will travel

    Piano Bar entertainers - who is your favorite?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Just returned from the Eurodam. They had 2 young players doing the billboard songs. They packed the place every time they played and I thought they were the best entertainment on the ship

     

     

     

    Agree. They enjoyed performing together and had SRO most of the time. Was so disappointed when it was dark the last night. Great duo.

     

     

    5 Star Cruiser,

    Have Passport, will travel

    Out of all the cut backs over the years, what is the one thing ...

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Seeems now they are going to provide us with lectures from Oprah...........:eek. I turn off the tv to not hear her and will not s pend a moment off my cruise time listening to her lecture of the day :eek

     

    I am truly curious if anyone will actually choose an HAL cruise in the hope of heaing a lecture from Oprah? Would that be a highpoint? Would you purchase whatever she is selling that day?

    How does HAL make money from this 'alliance?

     

     

     

    Noticed they stopped posting O things on FB after all the extremely negative comments. Yes, she is a nice person, but too opinionated and too political. We vacation to get away from it all.

     

     

    5 Star Cruiser,

    Have Passport, will travel

    Ladies do you wear your formal wear for more than 1 cruise?

    in Cruise Fashions & Beauty

    Posted

    We cruise a lot. I tend to pack a lot of the same clothes every time because they work. Take dressy black slacks, a couple of sparkly tops and dressy tops that don’t wrinkle. I have also found if you stick with two basic colors, shoes and purses are more interchangeable. Also, I have several flat shoes with rubber soles that are perfect for cruising in rough seas. With the anytime dining concept, I even repeat outfits on long cruises. You’re sitting with different people most of the time. Life is good.

     

     

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    Koningsdam's Flaws/What Can Nieuw Statendam Improve Upon?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Recently we were on the Konigsdam for three weeks and loved every minute of our time on this ship. It puzzles me to read what the naysayers have to say because we did not experience most of what we have read. Yes, the toilets are at an odd angle--not a deal breaker for me. Yes, the Promenade deck is narrow. I wonder how many are aware that was not HAL's choice to design it that way. In a Q and A with the Captain, he shared that new ships are required to be designed with the life boat configuration in a certain way thus eliminating the spacious promenade that we all loved. Unlike most ships at sea, it is still wraparound. The balcony on our VC seemed a tad bit smaller and it overlooked a large balcony on Deck 4. However, for me, having your neighbors above you looking down on you is not ideal and I have to say I felt uncomfotable at times feeling like I was a voyeur when I was just sitting on mine! Lincoln Center Stage was a very enjoable surprise for us and we heard them play at least once each evening and we are not classical music afficionados by any means. Some of their offerings were certainly classical but programs were mixed with jazz, pop, and other genres. This was probably the highlight of my cruise. And the BB King All Stars were outstanding as usual and yes, they are loud but not so loud that we did not enjoy them. The energy they emit is fantastic. And the World Stage is unlike any other and in our opinion, a real design and technological wonder at sea. We thorougjly enjoyed all of the speciality restaurants with Sel de Mer our favorite because of the small, intimate space and the superb service and personal attention. That is not to say we did receive good service at Tamarind, Pinnacle, the Culinary Arts Center, or Canaletto, because we did but Sel de Mer just felt different. And then there is the Dutch Cafe which we just loved--the design as well as the offerings. Unfortunately, we discovered the Konigsbol there, a cream puff filled with chantilly cream and covered in dark chocolate. Oh, my. We would get one and ask for two forks so we didn't feel quite as guilty! And we fell in love with the pizzas at New York Pizza and Deli. We would ask them to be cooked well done and they were perfect for us. And it was a very busy venue with what seemed like other very satisfied customers.

     

    I too was surprised that the stairs entering the aft and middle pools landed you in the deep end--only 4 feet in the middle pool--but still... That could definitely be improved upon in my opinion. I could go on and on about what we loved. Will stop here but add that we are booked on the Konisgsdam again and can't wait. She is a beautiful, new ship and if you are HAL fans, she and her sister ship will keep this cruise line moving forward into the future. And if you don't like her, I respect your opinion even if I don't quite understand the sometime harsh assessment. But to each his/her own! Happy sailing on what ever Dam ship you sail on next!

     

     

     

    Thanks for your excellent assessment of the BigK. It is nice reading positive feedback for a change. Looking forward to Norway in June.

     

     

    5 Star Cruiser,

    Have Passport, will travel

    Cartagena Advice

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    I arranged a city tour with Mr. Emerald and some CC people. He met us at the dock and walked us to his van. Our tour was good and stopped at all the right places. He disclosed he had the Emerald store. No pressure, free drinks. Guess what? The HAL expensive excursion showed up beforehand we left. One fun thing we did was have a Colombian sandwich. Had fun sharing.

     

    Definitely is a fun stop. Felt very safe.

     

     

     

     

     

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    Amsterdam 14 Day Alaska

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Think the Amsterdam is one classy lady. My only complaint was the glass in the Crow's Nest and they were replacing panels while we were waiting to disembark.

     

    Loved having 14 days in Alaska giving us longer port calls. One of our favorite days was renting a car in Anchorage and driving down the Turnagain Arm to see the Portage glaciers. If you go, be sure to visit the Information Center. We also drove to Whittier and drove through a tunnel that is used by both cars and the train. The chowder at the Inn in Whittier was the best ever. The Alaskan Wildlife Refuge was a great stop. Only wish we had taken the boat tour on the Ptarmigan. Those that went raved about the experience. We stopped to witness the Bore tide along with numerous others and it fizzled. Our Bore tide was aptly named. (If you rent from Thrifty or Dollar, they have a free shuttle from the drop off point in town). Would recommend renting your car in advance as a few agencies were sold out.

     

    Know HAL has been nicknamed the "Gray Line", but someone posted we had 35 kids under twelve and about the same number of teens. It was nice seeing families together enjoying each other's company. Thought we had a great mix of generations.

     

    I agree not much was offered that wasn't a money maker for the ship. Would have been nice to have an expert speak more about what we were seeing and doing. It was obvious the glacier commentary was scripted.

     

    We sail a lot on HAL and I would rate the Amsterdam experience as one of the best. The food was a cut above, the ship was spotless and Captain Jonathan Mercer and his crew were the best.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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