VMax1700

I have just found the credit card transaction and the Confirmation from HAL of the pre payment of grats. As I thought it was only €185.92 per person for 14 days verandah, to pay for USD 224 grats. $16 x 14 = $224. It was a great exchange rate.

I agree with yours as that is what has happened when we pre paid grat (not part of a package). We have the added challenge of currency exchange rates!

I have just looked at our next cruise on which HIA gratuities are included. When I go to Travel Planning > Pre Pay Hotel Service Charge, it still quotes the $16 per night for a verandah room, but shows the price as €223.66 (euro is currency of booking). So either they have increased the daily rate or change (for the worse) the USD/Euro exchange rate or a bit of both. I will need to check back on credit card statements to check exactly how much I paid for the last time, but I am certain it was less than €223.66 for 14 days.

We constantly check the onboard account and use the Navigator App to 'Let them know' any incorrect postings.

Good info thanks!

Were your 'Prepaid Grats' actually prepaid by yourself or prepaid as part of a HAL/HIA package? I believe it makes a major difference. My multiple experiences of purchasing 'PrePay Grats' on the website (not part of a deal) is that the amount paid is initially credited to the onboard account and then Daily Gratuities are charged to the account. If grats rise, then you will owe money to cover the balance. However, if the 'Prepaid Grats' are part of a HAL deal, then you do not see either the charge or the credit on the onboard account.

Typo! Apologies. Group only.

@POA1 The AC750 Travel Router arrived this morning and to be honest it took longer to remove it from the packing than it took to connect the new travel router and my tablet to our home network through wifi. Next step will be to try it in a hotel or similar before heading out to sea again! Thanks for the guidance, Brian.

Here is the file if you wish to download it HAL (ship-date) dry docks January 2024.docx

Here is the first update of 2024 for the Dry Docks, Charters & Groups information. There has been some activity since the November update, so check your dates! There are a few gaps in sailing schedules so I have included most of them as 'Possible Charter' or 'No Itinerary Published' until more information can be found. For any errors, I apologise in advance! As usual, if you can provide any information on upcoming Dry Docks, Charters or Groups, then please post to this thread and I will update the information in the next file. New information since last update is shown in RED. PLANNED DRY DOCKS Oosterdam 05 April 2025 – 19 April 2025 Volendam 19 October 2024 – 09 November 2024 LAST COMPLETED DRY DOCK Eurodam 18 February 2023 – 04 March 2023 Koningsdam 25 March 2023 – 13 April 2023 (02 December 2018 - 09 December 2018) Nieuw Amsterdam 02 December 2023 – 16 December 2023 (07 December 2017 - 19 December 2017) Nieuw Statendam 09 November 2023 – 26 November 2023 Noordam 08 February 2022 – 02 March 2022 (29 September 2019 – 13 October 2019) Oosterdam 22 March 2021 – 08 April 2021 Brest, FR. (21 March 2018 - 02 April 2018) Rotterdam VII Volendam 08 February 2022 – 11 March 2022 Cadiz, ES. (18 – 31 October 2019) Westerdam 19 January 2023 – 03 February 2023 (04 – 15 January 2020) Zaandam 08 February 2022 – 01 April 2022 (21 - 30 September 2020) Zuiderdam 01 – 15 December 2022 (01 – 09 December 2019) CHARTERS (i.e. full ship charters) Eurodam: 27 July 2024 – 03 August 2024 : Alaska : Gaither Homecoming Alaskan Cruise 21 September 2024 – 28 September 2024 : Alaska : Olivia Charter 26 October 2024 – 02 November 2024 : S Caribbean : Legendary R & B Cruise Koningsdam: 26 October 2024 – 02 November 2024 : Mexican Riviera : Atlantis Charter Cruise Nieuw Amsterdam: 13 January 2024 – 20 January 2024 : Caribbean : Sandy Beaches Cruise 20 January 2024 – 27 January 2024 : W. Caribbean : Country Music Cruise 27 January 2024 – 03 February 2024 : Caribbean : Soul Train Cruise 17 February 2024 – 24 February 2024 : Caribbean : Supercruise 16th Music Festival 09 March 2024 – 16 March 2024 : Caribbean : JoCo Cruise 27 October 2024 – 03 November 2024 : Caribbean : Malt Shop Cruise 05 January 2025 – 12 January 2025: Caribbean : The Big Easy Cruise 12 January 2025 – 19 January 2025 : Caribbean : Sandy Beaches Cruise 19 January 2025 – 26 January 2025 : Caribbean : Country Music Cruise 26 January 2025 – 02 February 2025 : Caribbean : Soul Train Cruise 16 February 2025 – 23 February 2025 : Caribbean : The SuperCruise Charter 23 February 2025 – 02 March 2025 : Caribbean : All Star Irish Charter 02 March 2025 – 09 March 2025 : Caribbean : no itinerary published Nieuw Statendam: 14 January 2024 – 21 January 2024 : E. Caribbean : Possible Charter? TBC 28 January 2024 – 04 February 2024 : W. Caribbean : Legendary R & B Cruise 29 March 2025 – 05 April 2025 : Caribbean : Olivia Charter Noordam: 24 November 2024 – 08 December 2024 : Far East/Japan : Possible Charter Oosterdam: 30 April 2024 – 07 May 2024 : Egypt & Holy Land : Dave Koz Group Charter 07 May 2024 – 14 May 2024 : Egypt & Holy Land : Dave Koz Group Charter 18 August 2024 – 25 August 2024 : Greek Islands : All Star Irish Cruise Rotterdam VII : 26 January 2025 – 02 February 2025 : Caribbean : Legendary R & B Cruise Volendam: Westerdam: 27 July 2025 – 03 August 2025 : Alaska : Vacaya LGBTQ+ Charter Zuiderdam: 08 June 2024 – 29 June 2024 : Ultimate Viking : Knitting Group 05 October 2024 – 12 October 2024 : Canada & New England : Quilting Group Zaandam : 13 April 2024 – 20 April 2024 : Mexican Riviera : Olivia Cruise Charter GROUPS ONBOARD Eurodam: 22 June 2024 – 29 June 2024 : Alaska : Christian Counselors Renew Alaska Group 29 June 2024 – 06 July 2024 : Alaska : Salem Media Patriots Group 06 July 2024 - 13 July 2024 : Alaska : Presentonwood Baptist Church Group 13 July 2024 – 20 July 2024 : Alaska : Turning Point Ministries Group 20 July 2024 – 27 July 2024 : Alaska Explorer : Continuing Education Group 17 August 2024 – 24 August 2024 : Alaska Explorer : Quilting Group 31 August 2024 – 07 September 2024 : Alaska Explorer : Sport Horse Group Koningsdam: 08 June 2024 – 15 June 2024 : Alaska : Continuing Education Group 15 June 2024 – 22 June 2024 : Alaska : Pathway to Victory Group 22 June 2024 – 29 June 2024 : Alaska : Heartland Church Group 20 July 2024 – 27 July 2024 : Alaska : Continuing Education Group 09 November 2024 – 16 November 2024 : Mexican Riviera : Tony Evans Christian Group 30 November 2024 – 10 December 2024 : Sea of Cortez : Knitting Group 22 March 2025 – 29 March 2025 : Mexian Riviera : Continuing Education Group Nieuw Amsterdam: 10 February 2024 – 17 February 2024 : Caribbean : Gospel Music Celebration Group 10 February 2024 – 17 February 2024 : Caribbean : Pastor Benny Tate Group 24 February 2024 – 02 March 2024 : Caribbean : Mark Steyn Group 23 March 2024 – 30 March 2024 : Caribbean : Rebel News Group 28 July 2024 - 04 August 2024 : Alaska : Continuing Education Group 10 November 2024 – 17 November 2024 : E. Caribbean : MRC Post Election Group 01 December 2024 – 08 December 2024 : E. Caribbean : Continuing Education Group 08 December 2024 – 15 December 2024 : W. Caribbean : The Nation Group 02 February 2025 – 09 February 2025 : E. Caribbean : Gospel Music Celebration Group Nieuw Statendam: 07 January 2024 – 14 January 2024 : E. Caribbean : Zach Williams Group 21 January 2024 – 28 January 2024 : W. Caribbean : Mercy Me at Sea Group 11 February 2024 – 18 Februrary 2024 : E. Caribbean : Continuing Education Group 25 February 2024 – 03 March 2024 : Tropical Caribbean :Two Continuing Education Groups 07 September 2024 – 21 September 2024 : Iberian Adventure : Knitting Group Noordam: 13 January 2024 – 27 January 2024 : Australia & New Zealand : Road Scholar Group 22 February 2024 – 09 March 2024 : Australia & New Zealand : Knitting Group 09 March 2024 – 23 March 2024 : Australia & New Zealand : Road Scholar Group 23 March 2024 – 06 April 2024 : Australia & New Zealand : Quilting Group 08 December 2024 – 22 December 2024 : Indonesia : Quilting Group 30 March 2025 – 14 April 2025 : Circle Japan : Road Scholar Group Oosterdam: 25 August 2024 – 01 September 2024 : Adriatic Gems : Continuing Education Group Rotterdam VII: 08 November 2024 – 17 November 2024 : E Caribbean : Quilting Group 02 February 2025 – 14 February 2025 : Panama Canal : Quilting Seminar Group Westerdam: 09 June 2024 – 07 July 2024 : Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice : Knitting Group 04 August 2024 – 11 August 2024 : Alaska : Focal Point Ministries Group Volendam: 31 August 2024 – 10 September 2024 : Canada & New England : Knitting Group 25 January 2025 – 07 June 2025 : Pole to Pole : Road Scholar Group Zaandam: 30 March 2024 – 13 April 2024 : Solar Eclipse & Mexican Riviera : Sky & Telescope Group. Zuiderdam: 03 January 2024 – 11 May 2024 : 2024 GWC : Road Scholar Group 25 May 2024 – 08 June 2024 : Jewels of Baltic : Knitting Group 08 June 2024 – 29 June 2024 : Ultimate Viking : Knitting Group 07 September 2024 - 14 September 2024 : Canada & New England : Pastor Benny Tate Group 05 October 2024 – 12 October 2024 : Canada & New England : Quilting Group If anyone has any further information, please post it here and I will include it in the next update. Thanks! E & O.E. 5 January 2024

Good afternoon from Cork. A cold but sunny day here. Some frost early on, but the sun has cleared it and we are now 'basking' in sunshine and 4°C/39°F. Tomorrow is forecast to have more sunshine but cooler temperatures brrrrrr. DW's visit to her GP yesterday was reasonable successful. Her blood pressure has become extremely high recently and they want to try to understand the cause. Monday she is to go for more tests. Last night's Panto performance was fun. They have a mix of professional and amateur performers and they seem to gel together well. Happy sailing to all who are lucky enough to be on a Dam ship and for the rest of us, the HAL website seems to be working ok, so get booking 😉 Wishing everyone a great day!

28 day Legendary Vogage: Seattle to Alaska to Hawaii to Seattle. August 31st to September 28th.

No, no offense taken. I take it more as a compliment to my country's ancestors, who had the foresight, in the fifteenth century, to erect a castle with a machicolation that centuries later would be only suitable for the official photographer and not the camera toting tourists. 😉 🤣🤣 (also, no offense intended 😇)

There is a large taxi rank outside the Cork train station and taxis are also arriving regularily with departing train pax. It will be more difficult to get a taxi in Blarney, so either cut a deal with the taxi driver to wait for you (expensive!) or take the bus back to the city.

Depending on weather and tide conditions, the ship can be closer (15 minutes tender ride) or further (25+ minutes) from the quayside.

That @POA1 has a temperature of between 125°F and 130°F. If the guy was any hotter he would be a 'medium'. Now that is an entirely different story......

Not bad for a small backward country in 2001! 😉

Brilliant! Now enjoy booking the excursions and dining! Enjoy your cruise!

@JanDom Perfect, now you just need to follow up on the Crew Incentive side. That will need either the website or your TA. Using the website, you previously mentioned that you can pay it. Have you tried to actually add the Crew Incentive to the shopping basket. If you can add to shopping basket then it has not been included and you need to contact the TA, if you cannot add the Crew Incentive to your shopping basket then they are included.

Please submit these pics to Halfacts. It is from submissions such as this that the information is gathered. Mail them to pictures at halfacts dot com (no spaces!).

Good morning from Cork. It was cold and frosty this morning with a temperature of only 2°C when my feet hit the floor. (35°F). However the sun is shining and it is warming up slowly. We have just had to change our plans for today as DW's GP/Physician phoned her this morning as asked her to come in to her consulting room this afternoon. 🤞 Tonight we are (still) planning to go to watch our youngest DGD perform in 'Beauty and the Beast' in one of the theatres. She has been performing almost constantly since December 2nd, with not just the evening performances but daytime performances for schools, and special 'Inclusive' perfomances with Audio Description or Irish Sign Language interpretation. She still has another 10 days of the Panto to go. The stamina of the young! Wishing everyone a great day!

@JanDom Have you installed the Navigator App. I have found that on the Navigator app is shows number of days to your next cruise. Scroll down the page to 'Featured Offers - Have it All' and select it. Scroll down the page again, past the HIA details until you find 'Already Booked'.....'see details'. Click on the 'see details' and then click on 'Upgrade Now' and you can either add HIA (if you do not already have it) or it says that HIA is already included in this booking. (as you would expect it is not working for me today!!). It also should be available on the HAL Booking Confirmation so ask your TA to send the Booking Confirmation, or at a minimum send Page 3 of the Booking Confirmation which only shows 'Special Service' eg. HIA!

Yes it will accept my Dell Inspiron 15 inch laptop. You need to insert it at a 45° angle through the door and not flat, but it will sit flat on the floor of the safe

Hi, That one is no longer on their website, probably too close to sailing. Here are details of a similar cruise on NSDM on February 25th. I doubt that they are that large as there is a lot of classroom time. https://www.continuingeducation.net/coursedescription.php?topic=Gastroenterology-University-Learning-Systems-Caribbean-CME-Cruise-Conference-February-2024

You will need the KLM booking reference and not the Flight Ease one. It may be on your confirmation from Flight Ease, or your amended HAL cruise booking confimation showing the air travel. If not there then you will need to ask Flight Ease for the KLM Booking Reference. Another possibility is that Flight Ease booked you on a KLM flight through a Delta codeshare!