ldlewis45

We did not do the Sel de Mer but others we met on our Oosterdam cruise raved about it and recommended it highly.

Awesome, my dad should love it, then!

I'm thinking about booking a dinner at Sel de Mer for our Alaska cruise on the Oosterdam in August. Is it worth the extra charge? I'm not a huge seafood fan, but my dad is, so I'm considering booking it as a treat for him. I'd probably wind up with the rack of lamb or the cheese souffle, lol.

Do you remember which day of the cruise the tour was on?

I've done the behind-the-scenes tour on a Carnival ship before, but I've never sailed on a HAL ship before. Since it's my dad's first cruise ever, I think he would be interested in a behind-the-scenes tour on the Oosterdam in August. Does HAL do these tours? If they do, what is the usual per-person cost?

Thanks for posting! We're doing this cruise in late August, and we can't wait!

Thanks, all! Some great information! Now to decide whether to use an independent operator or to book through the ship.

We'll be on the August 27th RT Alaska cruise on the HAL Oosterdam, visiting Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Victoria. Which port would be best for whale watching? I've found some excursions in each port that sound interesting, but I'd like to get the best bang for our buck, and maybe do something different in the other ports.

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! We're really looking forward to the cruise!

In part, this might depend on the age of your parents. My experience has been that the small boats often have only a "marine head" as a bathroom facility, whereas the larger Allen Marine boats that do the ship's whale watches have a real bathroom, that is easily accessible. I like the small-boat experience, but my flexibility is declining, so likely I will have to choose larger boats soon....

 

You could email the private vendors that are of interest, to find out what the bathroom facilities are, if it is a concern.

I didn't even think of that! Thanks! My folks are both in their mid 70s, so that might make a difference.

The one and only "embarrassing" moment I saw a Neptune Suite passengers commit was showing up in the Neptune Lounge for breakfast in his bathrobe, night clothes and slippers. He was from an un-named country where this may very well be standard hotel behavior, I don't know.

 

But other than that I can't think of anything else - just people enjoying themselves and the perks that come with the level of cabin you chose. The hospitality industry is interested primarily in making people happy and willing to come back to enjoy their services again and again. You are the one in charge, you are the customer.

 

The social expectations are primarily Northern American and Northern European for the baseline. However, HAL ships go out of their way to welcome passengers from around the world. And no one made a scene about the guy in his pajamas in the Neptune Lounge. But we never saw him again dressed like that ..... out in public. Perhaps a discrete request was made by the Neptune concierge or he looked around and realized he was the odd man out. It was a travel lesson for all of us, which is what makes travel broadening.

 

One other thing that could cause embarrassment is knowing your priority tender embarkation that comes with the suite does not provide priority re-embarkation when it comes time to take the tender back to the ship in those tender ports. You just get in line just like anyone else. Don't get to flash that gold Neptune boarding card to go to the head of the line, which can be hot and long.

What perks were your favorite?

We want to do whale watching while in Juneau, but I'm not sure whether to book our excursion through the ship or book separately through a service in the port. It's a significant price difference. Then again, by booking through the ship, there's a lot more peace of mind.

My parents and I will be sharing a corner wrap Neptune Suite on the Oosterdam for our cruise in August. It's our first suite and our first cruise on HAL (and my dad's first cruise, period). Tell me everything that we should know to get the best out of the experience, or to avoid embarrassing ourselves, lol!

Well, we went ahead and switched! We did lose a few perks, but we gained some, too. We had originally booked when they were offering "free" included drink packages, paid gratuities, dinner in one of the specialty restaurants, etc. We lost the drink packages (not an issue, since none of us are big drinkers) and the dinner, but we still got paid gratuities, $300 onboard credit and $100 internet credit. So, we're happy, especially since we will be saving $700 on the cruise itself. That will almost pay for my parents' flight to Seattle in itself. None of us have ever been to Alaska before, so I think we'll be happy with the Hubbard Glacier instead of Glacier Bay. Neither one was my preferred route, but the dates fit with what everyone could do. I figure, I can always go back later and do the north-bound Vancouver to Anchorage route. I'm probably spoiling myself with getting a suite, though!

The Oosterdam leaves Seattle a day later, but is basically the same cruise. We'd even be able to keep a Neptune suite. We'd save about $700, plus I'd have to use one less vacation day. Is there any big reason I shouldn't move the dates? I booked the original cruise in September of last year, so I don't know if I'd be losing any extra benefits.

Just over 5 months to go! I'm in an aft Neptune suite with my parents (or at least my dad if my mom decides not to go). We decided on the aft suite because of the wrap balcony and the fact that we could get one suite room for not much more than the cost of two balconies, and we get more perks with the suite. I'm looking forward to having tea on the balcony and watching the scenery. It's our first cruise on Holland America, and my dad's first cruise, period. I've been on several cruises and my mom joined me on one, so we know what to expect. I'm just hoping that the cruise won't be too "mature," if you know what I mean. I'm in my early 30s and my folks are in their 70s, but they don't consider themselves to be elderly yet, lol. None of us are into partying into the early hours or the stupid deck contests that other lines do, but we aren't stodgy or super-formal, either. In fact, my parents are not looking forward to the formal nights, so we'll probably just do the buffet most nights. I'm hoping that the cruise will live up to expectations and that my dad will have fun, since this cruise is mostly for him.

I know, however, that I'm not really going to get a chance to relax on this cruise because of traveling with the folks (I usually cruise solo), so I'm actually booked on a cruise to Bermuda a week after the Alaska cruise, lol. One is the family cruise, the other is the relaxation cruise!

I personally loved the Breakaway, but I will admit that there is a major issue with smoke from the casino drifting along decks 6,7, and 8. My biggest complaint when I sailed on her in 2013 was the behavior and attitudes of my fellow passengers. The crew members were entirely lovely, the food was very good (probably the best buffet I've had on a ship), and the spa was amazing. I'm booked on the Breakaway to sail to Bermuda again in September! I just plan on avoiding the atrium area and casino as much as possible.

I looked at the cabin I booked and the price is the same, but it now comes with $100 OBC. Should I call and see if I can get the OBC?

I'd at least call and see if there are any catches and to make sure you won't lose any perks (extra latitudes points, if you booked 9+ months out, for example), and if not, then go for it. $100 is several drinks, or a dinner or two in one of the pay restaurants. It's definitely worth a 5 minute phone call, IMO.

I did wonder if cancelling was part of the deal. Not everybody can cancel and not lose their deposit so it is not as simple as you say to get a price adjustment

That's why I said you have to make sure what you're gaining is better than what you're losing. I'd hope that if there was a net loss or if you weren't satisfied with whatever the new terms would be, that it would be a no-brainer not to do a price adjustment.

Always intrigues me as to how this happens. Did NCL contact you and tell you that the price had been lowered or did you contact them.? Did they simply agree that their original price was no longer valid and changed your contract?

As long as you are before final payment, you can get price adjustments. You're basically cancelling and rebooking the cruise under new terms, so you have to make sure that whatever you're gaining is better than what you already have. On mine, the only thing that changed was price.

What cabin type are you in?

Spa balcony.

Thats amazing. Did you use a site to track the price drop or were you watching it yourself?

I just randomly checked on NCL's website today.

I just got a huge price drop on my September 10th Breakaway Bermuda cruise, almost $800! Got to keep my OBC, drink package, and internet package, too. I would have been okay with paying the original booking price, but it's always nice to save a bit of money! This will help cover the price of the NYC hotel for a few days prior to the cruise, so I can go see all my museums.

So, I'm thinking about booking a cruise on the Divina in April, but every time I try to enter 1 person, it says every room is sold out. Does MSC just not sell to solo cruisers, or do you just have to call and do it over the phone?

I am booked on her too....June 3rd...and you?

So excited! It's just my folks and myself, so we decided to bite the bullet and get one of the aft-wrap Neptune Suites instead of an inside and a balcony so that we could have the great balcony.