HALrunner

Wow! Thank you all for sharing your expertise! I've been passing along this information to the student and he is so grateful! He is in a debate league and the topic this year is all about Department of Transportation issues. You all have given him a treasure trove of leads to research further! He even recognized grabowcp and said he has been quoted in many debate rounds this year! 

I also appreciate learning more about this often misunderstood topic, thanks again!!

Ohhhh, now I am reading all sorts of excellent posts from ChengKP75 about this topic and hope he chimes in!

I recall him being so knowledgeable early in the pandemic about all sorts of nautical considerations many of us had never considered. 

I'm asking about the PVSA specifically, but wasn't sure if I would get any bites without including the term Jones Act. So glad to see it must be a hot topic if others are getting popcorn! 

Honestly, I'm asking for a high school student's assignment. He just thought I might know because we cruise frequently. When I think of PVSA, I think of the annoying port stop in Ensenada on Hawaii cruises. But I'm guessing it has more to do with foreign flagged ships, taxes, foreign worker wages/visa issues, etc than just adding a foreign port to an otherwise domestic itinerary?

I'm eager to learn and operating under the assumption the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked. 😉🤞 🫣 🍿

Can anyone play devil's advocate for me as to why the PVSA/Jones Act should not be repealed? Does it provide any benefits to anyone involved? It seems like the cruise lines and fellow cruisers are only harmed by this antiquated law, I'm just wondering why it hasn't been repealed yet.

Can anyone recommend a tour company that offers excursions to Dunkirk from Zeebrugge? 

Thank you for sharing the video- so helpful! What a great preview!

1 minute ago, MeHeartCruising said:

This is the normal visitor experience.  It has been for quite a few years now.  There is, however, a VIP experience called the "Stone Circle Experience" which can be arranged to walk within the stones outside of normal operating hours.  There is no touching of the stones on this tour either.  However, ship excursions don't probably offer this option given the timing of the tours.

 

Details here:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

 

Thank you! 

We were ready to sign up for a ship tour (HAL) to Stonehenge but read in the fine print "The Stones are seen from a distance, and there is no opportunity to touch or walk within the Stone Circle." Is this typical at Stonehenge or do typical visits (on your own or with a private excursion) allow this? 

My son was 4 star at 5 years old. I was 4 star before 40 and am hoping for 5 by 50. 

My question was buried in the quoted message (user error;)

Just checking in to see if your PCC was able to give you any more info. I have the same question about cost to upgrade from Have It All Surf package to Premium (for a 14 day voyage).

On 8/25/2022 at 11:07 AM, CaptJerry51 said:

I have the "Have It All" package for my upcoming January Panama Canal transit and this post inspired me to look into the details of the 3 levels of internet packages (not easy to find on the website).

 

I looked closer at my booking confirmation and realized I have the Surf package as part of Have It All.  It is more limited than I assumed.  I would like to be able to stream music (if the bandwidth allows) and can only do that with the Premium package.  Also would like to do video calls with family rather than in port at some found wifi.

 

Does anyone know if HAL will allow an upgrade to the Premium package for just the difference over the Surf package?  I fear no.  I will also send an email to my Personal Cruise Consultant, although there is no certainty in her answer either.

 

From HAL website:

 

 

 

Just checking in to see if your PCC was able to give you any more info. I have the same question about cost to upgrade from Have It All Surf package to Premium (for a 14 day voyage).

 

 

 

 

 

Hello,

If I recall, deck 5 VA cabins on the Oosterdam have shallow verandahs. Is that the same for all deck 5 V categories, specifically looking at VB? 

12 hours ago, BSinPNS said:

HAL used to have priests on all cruises, but I think that stopped partly due to the number of priests available. 

HAL still has a priest on every sailing. The only post shutdown change is that all masses are at 5pm (instead of 8am on sea days) and they do not allow the crew mass. 

Is there liquid hand soap in your cabin's bathroom or is it bar soap? 

We are also on this sailing, thanks for the heads up! The Celebrity app and website have frequently given misinformation, so we will keep our fingers crossed this falls under that category.

So sorry to hear this! I believe some Alaska cruises were also cancelled. 

19 minutes ago, Mountainduo said:

HALrunner---

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to succinctly provide the general information I was looking for....your answers are very helpful.  Clearly, you did understand and appreciate our situation.

 

 

I'm happy to help a fellow Mariner! The world is overwhelming enough right now without having to search through hundreds of posts!

36 minutes ago, Mountainduo said:

This is the first I've opened these pages in two years.  I used to read here all the time, but, like so many things, it all changed with Covid.

 

We are 5-star Mariners who have enjoyed many years of wonderful Holland America cruising.  But, for the past two years, we have chosen to stay as safe as possible.  We are healthy, fully vaccinated and boosted, yet we still avoid large crowds and still wear masks in most indoor situations.  Now, friends and family are saying "it's time to get out and live again".  That, combined with January temperatures in the northeast, has us very tempted.  We are seriously considering a February cruise out of Fort Lauderdale.

 

We have many questions.  I'm sure I could read dozens and dozens of pages of dozens of posts and eventually find all the answers.  But, I'm hoping to shortcut that process here, with the help of those more current with the situation.

 

Quick questions (quick answers are fine)---

 

 

Many, many thanks for any help.  We wish you all safe cruising!!

 

 

 

 

I understand.

My answers are not fool proof, but I hope they will at least help give you an idea of the situation. 

1) All HAL ships are 100% vaccinated (someone may pipe up and say 99.something percent, but that is the exception and very rare)

2)  Everyone must have a medically supervised test with in two days of boarding.  .

3) There are a few situations where ALL passengers are tested on board, when required by a port/Panama Canal, or on longer journeys. Crew is tested weekly.

4)Masks are required in all public spaces except when eating or drinking, Currently N95/Kn95 for all crew and encouraged for guests. These are provided onboard. Our experience on NS and Eurodam over the past few months has been very good to excellent mask compliance by guests and crew.

5) No contact tracers currently on HAL. Although while on HAL excursions, bus seating arrangements have been document presumably for this purpose. 

6) Currently there are sectioned off areas of decks with verandah cabins that are used for quarantine. Yes, fresh air and sunshine on your private verandah.  

7) Exact numbers are unknown and not shared. 

Most ships are at 40%-60% occupancy, some much lower. 

29 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We've sailed over 160 days on 11 different HAL cruises with our last being in 2019 on the Maasdam, which was a fantastic In-depth EXC cruise around Australia. Unfortunately, that very enriching In-depth EXC program with its 4-6 nature-based lectures on sea days, came and went with the Maasdam, and from what I'm hearing in this thread, it's back to business as usual.

 

However, since HAL only has a CD with usually one assistant, their cruises overall just got too "relaxing" for us. We're in our late 60s and like to have the entertainment options to go to upbeat evening shows in the main theater, play multiple games of trivia and watch interactive game shows. Celebrity with the team of 4-6 assistant CDs and high impact production show team(s), have mastered that art while HAL with their CD and usually only 1 assistant, continue to fall way short in that area. I've even heard on CC recently that they show movies in the evenings in the main theater.

 

With regards to longer 3-5 week voyages, Princess gets our vote as they also offer a lot of entertainment with their 4-5 assistant CDs on their longer cruises which usually include quite a few sea days. But, if you like a more relaxing cruise where you can enjoy fine music in a wide variety of smaller venues, good food to include great cookies, laundry at a very reasonable price, then HAL is definitely a cruise line you need to try. 

 

But, the bottom line is this. That's our opinion of HAL versus Celebrity, with a little Princess thrown in. You need to try HAL and judge them for yourself. There are a lot of good qualities about a HAL cruise. As they say, variety is the spice of life! 😎

 

HAL's CD is now titled "Cruise & Travel Director". On the Eurodam in NOV/DEC there were also 4 "Entertainment Hosts" which did everything from run the teen program to trivia, game shows etc. On the NS earlier this month there was one Cruise & Travel Director, four Entertainment hosts and one Club HAL counselor. I think there will variation depending on all the current variables, but it seems like HAL is moving in the direction of Entertainment Teams similar to what you are describing on Celebrity and PCL.

I am curious, too. We are in the opposite situation: loyal HAL cruisers trying Celebrity for the first time. We typically sail in verandah cabins on HAL, but will be in a Sky suite on Celebrity Apex. From what I can tell, it appears Apex cabins/suites are smaller than similar HAL cabins/suites. That is just a guess, though. 

8 minutes ago, WesternBroncoCruiser said:

I'll be able to answer you in two weeks...

 

Can I guess from your profile pic you are WMU alumni? I am also a Bronco:)

I've heard suite guests can have specialty coffee's delivered to their suite. If this is true, should the coffee be ordered on the door hanger breakfast card or how?

Can someone remind me the flight departure cutoff time (FLL) if taking the Celebrity transfer? Hoping to catch an 11am flight.

40 minutes ago, WCB said:

Report #13 Cozumel, Mexico   Friday- December 31, 2021   Part #1 Of 1........20 Pictures

 

We woke up to a much warmer day this morning, as the ship headed north-west towards the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.  For much of the afternoon, our veranda was in the hot sun.  Could have fried an egg on the chaise lounge in fact.  We did relax out there, but kept it at a minimum.

 

Running into friends Susie and Woody in the Orange Club, we promised to go early to this morning’s Mariner Society Recognition Event.  That way we would have time to visit with them.  Sadly to say, they were supposed to be on this ship for two months, but had to cancel due to health reasons.  We have been friends and tablemates for many world cruises ever since 2007, so when they announced their Sunday departure, we were all sad.  Since they are sailing with family members, they have a table for eight right now.  The plan was to switch to a table for five when Barb comes onboard this coming Sunday.  Oh well, life happens, and it is not always the way we expect it.  And we always feel that things happen for a reason, making it easier to accept it.

 

One other President’s Club member had fallen in her room last night, and broke her wrist.  She had planned on boarding the Rotterdam Sunday, but now has to have surgery on her wrist.  You just never know what is around the corner, do we?  We wished her well.

 

So at 11am, we congregated in the Ocean Bar for the event where a few members received their medallions.  Once again, Captain Noel gave a nice speech, admitting he had to make it different from a week ago, because there were several of us that had been on last week.  He was quite pleased that we had all trusted HAL enough to be traveling again, helping him and his staff to keep their jobs.  To the best of his ability, he promised to keep us all safe.

 

Today on the news, we heard that some cruise ships have reported a higher Covid level, and the CDC was recommending folks not to cruise.  If there is a problem on this ship, we have not heard about it at all.  Never before have we witnessed so much cleaning and sanitizing happening inside and outside.  Most all of the passengers wear their masks, with a few exceptions of the younger crowd.  Every crew member wears the R95 masks….some with a regular mask under that.  So we figure that is how the Captain is keeping us all safe as humanly possible.

 

Anyway, we all got a turn getting our photos taken with the Captain and Hotel Manager, and once again, the photo showed up in our mail slot.  The four of us spent some time with Jonah, the Event Planner, who answered more of our questions.  Then we went to Susie & Woody’s handicap room on deck eight.  We believe it is the same category as our room, but much larger to accommodate his electric scooter.  Too bad they will not be staying long enough to really enjoy it.

 

Our biggest job of the day was picking up the aluminum water bottle in the Photo Shop we had custom-made yesterday.  That brings up the subject of plastic water bottles.  Knowing we read the restrictions somewhere, we found the info on page 11 of our boarding pass and contract.  Under Alcohol Policy, it is written that plastic water bottles are not allowed.  It was not explained any further here, but you can go to their complete alcohol policy online at hollandamerica.com or in the online Know Before You Go section.  One thing for sure is that the disposable plastic water bottles are no longer sold on the ship, but you can buy a 16 oz. aluminum bottle for $4.50 plus 18% gratuity.  You can re-use the aluminum water bottle if the cap is put on properly.  Or else, it leaks.

 

Lunch included a stop at the pasta bar.  One of us ordered linguini with marinara and Bolognese sauces topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.  A homemade bun made the dish perfect.  It is nice that we still have many food choices after 2pm.  We have yet to go to the main dining room for lunch.  In fact, we may have mentioned this already, but on port days, there is no lunch served in the dining room, Orange Club, or the Pinnacle Grill. 

 

It may have been a good day to go to the pool, but we have not done that yet on these trips.  Today we would have burned for sure, and the last time we walked to the Seaview Pool after lunch, there was very little space left.  And we are still a little afraid of crowded spaces with unmasked folks. We do have another Covid test coming up Saturday, we think.  

 

Dinner was back in the main dining room, where we found out that on the next cruise beginning January 2^nd,  the upper dining level will be closed.  There will be only 1000 guests onboard, a drop of 600 compared to this 7 day trip.  So we agreed to moving downstairs to a round table for six for the following 10 or 11 days.  There will be only three of us (unless Barb cancels), then we will have room for guests if we wish.  With the new scare of Covid being on cruise ships hitting the news, there may be some last minute cancellations.  Nobody knows yet.

 

In our mail slot, we did have a map of Cozumel, which is a good sign that we will be going there, and will be allowed off of the ship.  Will let you all know.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Thanks for the updates! Happy New Year!

6 hours ago, landrews said:

We are currently onboard the NS and believe there are roughly 1600 passengers onboard, at least that is what I’ve heard from the staff. Zero mention of covid cases onboard in any announcements. Mask wearing by passengers is very good. All crew are in N95s and there is constant cleaning of surfaces. We are intentionally avoiding the more crowded areas of the ship but even those don’t feel as tightly packed compared to our last cruise in 2018 on Koningsdam. We are currently en route to Cozumel after GC was canceled a couple days before we left. Having a great time, delicious food and cocktails and very smooth sailing. Wishing the same for others on this ship in the future! 

Thanks so much for chiming in on this thread, especially while on vacation! On the Eurodam recently we noticed deck 4 forward cabins were the quarantine zone. Any chance you have noticed where the quarantine zone on the NS might be? (Hoping to avoid that area on an up-sell we are considering;)

Also, any hints on the expected passengers sailing on the 1/2/22 sailing?

3 hours ago, JCP3 said:

I can’t think of anything.   It would be nice to have fast internet.  We bought the fastest plan they offered but it’s very slow.   It is fastest when everyone is in port.  Anything we have asked for has been supplied. 

You are positive in more ways than one! What a great example to any of us who end up quarantined on a dam ship! How are you both feeling?