oaktreerb

In our November sailing on the Koningsdam the Grand Dutch Cafe was too busy. The people taking orders were pleasant and definitely overworked IMO. The Grand Dutch Cafe kitchen preparation was inconsistent on everything we ordered, even the fries. The Beenham ham sandwich was prepared differently each of the three times I ordered it. Another warm pancake type item should have had whipped cream, it arrived cold without whipped cream. Training was definitely needed for the kitchen staff in the Grand Dutch Cafe!

Book Onboard. You will get OBC and can still transfer to a TA within a specific time frame (ask the onboard rep for timeframe).

The CO dining room is small and you may have to wait to be seated if you do not arrive at opening (same hours as MDR). The service is excellent. You cannot reserve a table. You will not be asked to share a table. CO serves Neptune and Pinnacle guests plus those who purchased Club Orange. On our recent Koningsdam cruise there were 169 guests total (94 suite passengers and 75 Club Orange) assigned to Club Orange for dining.

In November on the World Stage it was still 3 nights of the Step One Dancers, Chasing Waves (surfing), The Holland America Story, BBC Earth, and Marconi Wireless. The cruise director narrated the EXC offerings. Good if you haven’t seen them several times. The comedians perform in BBKing.

The ships are so crowded at this point that contacting a manager is a challenge and the Navigator App and the “Let Us Know” at the Hotel Manager’s Desk is a futile effort with no feedback at all.

I’m glad you could enjoy cruising and stay healthy. I do think part of the solution is for the ships to reduce passenger capacity. That, however, is not financially sustainable for the cruise lines.

Sorry that happened to you. We had the opposite experience where we were able to have an extended conversation about the challenges that HAL is dealing with in Alaska now that the the market is saturated by other cruise lines and HAL has sold the smaller ships which were ideal for unique Alaska itineraries. He was preparing to give his presentation on future cruises and we did not realize we were probably an unexpected distraction for him. He really changed our perspective on the issue. We usually just fill out the form to purchase a future cruise deposit. I like to have one ready when I see an opportunity to book a specific stateroom on an interesting itinerary.

Actually, butter seems to be a rationed item on some ships. I have learned to specifically ask for the butter….even in Club Orange. In the Lido the butter was not in the same section as the rolls…..had to go to a different serving station recently.

Yes, you will receive more OBC if you book onboard. You can still transfer it to your TA for TA perks.

Pillow chocolates are provided only on “Dressy” nights, although you may be able to charm your room stewards into more frequent deliveries. I wish HAL stewards would give people a chocolates choice of “yes, please” or “no, i don’t enjoy them”.

Soap, shampoo, conditioner, Elemis body lotion are all in dispensers. We were unable to get bar soap. We have always received it when we asked our room stewards. This time a person from housekeeping came to our stateroom to say it was unavailable. If you want bar soap for the shower…take your own.

HAL is getting back to the EXC programs that they had started promoting pre-Covid. On a Panama Canal cruise you will have a lecturer focusing on the building of the canals old and new. There will be plenty of outside viewing areas and a narrated passage through the canal as well as Panama buns to snack on. There will probably be group games like pictionary and majority rules plus a Meet the Captain where he will give you a video presentation of the “inside” workings of the ship and bridge. Also, mahjong and bridge groups have places to meet during the day.

Be there at 2:30. Hopefully your boarding experience will be a good one. The ship will sail when all groups have boarded and provisions have been loaded. We were on the Koningsdam last week and it was dark before we finally pulled out.

We just got off the Koningsdam. Up until the day before boarding the Navigator App listed Smart Casual as every evening’s attire. Because of that we just took Smart Casual for every evening and didn’t feel uncomfortable on “Dressy” night. My DH felt like he should have taken a long sleeve shirt and tie (easy to pack) but his Tommy Bahama worked fine for our sail up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco. No shorts in the dining room though, ever.

No it doesn’t!

OMG

Our boarding pass clearly said priority boarding (I even highlighted it in yellow). We paid for Club Orange priority boarding. We are also 4*. We were given a boarding time of 12:30. We arrived shortly after 12:00 and gave our bags to the baggage staff. A lot of people were lined up outside in the sun. Priority boarding meant nothing but when the staff saw we were 4 * we were allowed to go into the building and processed through security. Then we were told to sit with our boarding group D, 4* seemed to mean nothing. I really don’t know why we were given a boarding group. After checking out my surroundings I found a lady who seemed to know what was going on and asked her if there was a priority seating area? No, but 4* can go ahead and board! So we did. For many, it was a nightmare. Fortunately I asked questions or we would have been outside in the sun for hours. I hope things improve. Part of the blame has to fall on HAL, I see no logic in how they establish boarding times. If 4* can board at any time, why are we given boarding times? Why are new cruisers given earlier boarding times than the 3* mariners? Thank you to the port staff on this board who repeatedly warned us of the situation in advance. At least some of us knew what to expect, and that’s why I asked questions when I got there. I think I’ll have to dig out that old 4* mariner pin. It might come in handy to show “status”!

No need to send free offers to someone who is booked! I’m sure these offers are not sent out randomly.

I think that’s the answer. Let us know if you get the free inside offer when you have nothing booked with HAL! Would you take a free inside or ask to upgrade?

Used to be to make any changes to your booking you had to go through your TA or PCC. Now that the secret upsell phone # is “out there” it seems that anyone “in the know” can ask for an upsell. This is great information for HAL insiders. When those e-mails go out, the upsells must be available to anyone who calls regardless of whether they got the e-mail.

I have done it pre Covid. We were upgraded from a veranda to a signature suite. I felt like we had paid too much for the veranda when prices fell. We were upgraded to the last SS. Never hurts to ask. They will not call you, you call Big Box TA, they call HAL, you accept or decline.

HAL needs to get it’s act together. I’m glad the OP took this inconsistency to the next level. If you use the Big Box store, call the BB TA to see if there are upsells available. They will call HAL for you. This is the second person this week who has reported speaking to a rude customer service rep at Holland America. Obviously there needs to be some training of phone reps. People shouldn’t feel like they have to come to Cruise Critic to find out “how the system really works”

Laundry is a great way to spend that OBC.

But you should be reimbursed on your credit card at the end of the cruise if not otherwise spent, it is refundable

So sorry for the mess. Booking online seems so easy but it’s a lot more complicated than it seems. My advice to anyone booking a cruise is: Don’t book online. There are too many pitfalls.. It doesn’t cost any more to use a PCC or a TA. Also, once you have booked with a TA, your PCC can not help you, you have to run everything through that TA. If you book online, though, you should be able to get assistance from the “general” HAL booking agents.