oaktreerb

@Copper10-8 Thanks for your explanation. I noticed the change on the Nieuw Amsterdam in Alaska recently. I was expecting to have two host/hostess staff members in the NL. The same hostess was there each day and the food was changed out by our favorite Neptune waiter who made sure we had something to eat. When we entered the Neptune Lounge the hostess greeted us from behind her desk. We’ve only been in a NS a few times but the most recent visit left us with a less than “cozy experience”. Also, I thought there was always food in the little NL buffet. Not so on our August cruise. The coffee was great, otherwise the Neptune Lounge was disappointing.

HAL made the same offer to me through my TA early in the Covid shut down. I accepted the offer at that time, who would have thought the shut down would last so long! I got the same offer recently. I had booked with a $1 deposit (an impulse buy) and I’m pretty sure I’m going to cancel before final payment is due. They can keep my dollar deposit. If you pay off the cruise off early it will be more difficult to cancel. HAL must have a cash flow problem.

Talk to the maitre’d and if you dine at 5:15/5:30 each evening you may be able to informally arrange a table for 2 at that time.

@jhannah. Thanks for letting us know about the correspondence re: the tiles.

Not surprised about the tiles. Twice we have received the notice about tiles being mailed to us. It didn’t make any sense to me but I think HAL overpromised and it would have been better for them to say that the tiles are “not available due to supply chain issues” and leave it at that. Holland America is proud of its traditions and length of service in the cruise industry. HAL’s new promos build on the tradition of 150 years of sailing. It sounds like the tiles will be given out again in the future. The Mariner’s luncheon is a great marketing tool. We get to visit over lunch and learn about the adventures others have had on HAL ships. The problem at this time is that Covid is not gone and as much as I want to hear about the adventures of other Mariners, I don’t want to be seated with people I don’t know!

anyone here know the answer?

Ladies can always add some “bling” with jewelry on “dressy nights”. Easy to pack and no added weight if you are flying.

NY Deli opened at 11:30 a.m. on the Koningsdam.

The evening dining time is the same as the MDR as is the breakfast time. You can not reserve a table at a time of your choice but you can have a table for two. There are tables for two along the window or you can have only two people sitting at a table for four. There is no pressure to share a table with other diners. I would expect CO to be the same regardless of the length of cruise. The per day rate is less on the longer itineraries.

In November on a full ship there was a line outside the CO dining room prior to opening at 5:15 and at breakfast. The manager opened early and people were seated quickly. If your group rises early, be there when the dining room opens to secure your table. At dinner be aware that for early dining you need to be there at opening most evenings. There are small tables for two along the CO ocean view walkway. You can also walk to the nearby Ocean Bar and ask the CO hostess to notify you when your table is ready.

Of course they would be accommodating to a group of 11! The dining room would be accommodating to a group of 4. I don’t think CO would. In Club Orange every diner has a lot of communication with the hostess and CO manager. If you dine at 5:30 in the MDR it is really easy to work with the Maitre’d what ever size table you require. If you were in Club Orange with a group of 11, they would use the two 6 person tables or maybe the bar height tables which both fill up last.

What is the first tier on Princess? What is the sequence? Where does gold fit in?

Whether Terminal access and boarding times are enforced depends on the port of embarkation. Club Orange may or may not help you board earlier. Since Covid HAL has changed their boarding process, trying to make it more convenient for guests by assigning boarding times. San Diego may enforce boarding times, Ft Lauderdale probably doesn’t. If you arrive at your assigned time in San Diego your boarding process should in most cases be pretty easy as long as you have your paperwork in order (in hand or online). Club Orange will give you priority tender boarding (no tender ticket required), special dining arrangements, a dedicated customer service line onboard, and a special tote bag. For your convenience you can order the laundry package separately. On an older ship without a separate Club Orange Dining Room CO will provide expedited seating in the dining room (a separate entrance is available to CO travelers in anytime dining in the MDR.)

Great location. Congrats.

If everybody boarding is 4* or above you would likely have 2650 people trying to board before lunch!

You have probably decided what to do but here’s my input. I love balcony on your booked cabin on deck 4. But you should choose the Neptune Suite as long as you know what cabin you are getting. The SQ Neptune Suites on the front of the ship have practically no balcony. Don’t take a NS guarantee, know which cabin you are upgrading to. With the NS you will get free laundry, priority tender boarding, the neptune lounge, a lot more space in the room and a big balcony.

Yes ,they have been enforcing boarding times in San Diego. If you are 4* or above you will need to tell the staff your status if you want to board early.

In San Diego you may be stopped (and many have) because there is not room for everybody in the terminal. Do not show up as early as you wish unless you are 4* or above. If you do show up before your boarding time you may end up standing outside waiting in a long line for your group to enter the terminal. The ships are sailing full and the port is making an effort to keep the boarding process orderly. Please show up at your assigned boarding time!

and above. Stands to reason. I’m not above yet. I was speaking of my experience. Priority printed on the boarding pass meant nothing to the staff and I had highlighted it on my boarding pass. The person I spoke to said it is hard for the staff to see 4* on the boarding pass.

If you choose “buy now” whatever you want to buy should go into your cart. Then you decide if you really want to buy it. You may need to call someone at HAL or your TA to walk you through the process!

In San Diego my boarding pass said “Priority” and I had Club Orange. The only passengers who were allowed to go onboard as soon as the ship was ready for boarding were 4* Mariners. I had to tell the staff that I was 4* before they gave me priority access to the boarding check in line. Best advice is to arrive at your assigned boarding time or after. The terminal staff’s job is to see that all passengers get onboard in an orderly manner. Your luggage should have your luggage tags attached when you get to the ship. The luggage staff will collect your bags and they will be delivered to your stateroom. The tags will be coded for deck, location and stateroom# for delivery purposes. Club Orange will allow both staterooms occupants to have breakfast and dinner in Club Orange. It also will exempt you from having to get tender tickets, you can get in the tender line at any time…just show your room card. There has been a lot of discussion on this board about the challenging boarding process now that the ships are sailing “full”. Since your bookings are linked you hopefully will get the same boarding time. If not just go together sometime around the earlier boarding time.

I’ll be interested in your experience. We ate in Sel de Mer the week before Rudy was expected to be onboard and our server was looking forward to meeting him. The manager introduced himself and when I asked about some empty tables he told us that reservations are limited so that they will be able to offer attentive service. This is intended to be a 2 hour dining experience. The Sel de Mer dining room is very intimate as opposed to the Pinnacle dining room. Enjoy!

I experienced the pop-up Sel de Mer on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I have also experienced Sel de Mer on the Koningsdam. The Koningsdam had much better service. The server on the NA was inexperienced at de-boning the Dover Sole and it had so many bones it was almost inedible. In the Sel de Mer dining room the servers debone every night. On the NA it’s once a week at most. We didn’t complain because I felt it would be unfair to the server. There is no comparison as far as the service provided. Top notch service is one of the reasons for choosing Sel de Mer on a Pinnacle Class ship.

The larger veranda will have two adjustable loungers on the balcony. If they are not there, ask for them. All balconies I have had on a HAL ship have a lounger or a chair/footstool combo lounger. I haven’t been on the Rotterdam so can’t give opinion on stateroom.

Have you ever used the “free” laundry room on a luxury line cruise ship? On a sea day it is constant activity. Find a washer that works, consider whether you should remove someone’s not quite dry laundry from a dryer that signals the clothes are dry, determine where to put someone’s dry laundry when you want to use the dryer. Wait for the iron to be free for pressing. I was surprised that a lot of men are responsible for doing laundry on the ship! Laundry is a bargain on a HAL ship whether $9 or $20 a day. And you can use OBC to pay for it!