oakridger

Yes to all! I have done this a few times. Easy! Have a great cruise! ~Nancy

It is! Nice larger balcony. Yeah, the VS category should mean Vista Suite to me, but hey, no one at HAL asked me! ~Nancy

Please read the other comment I gave you on the other thread. It's best if you start your own thread with questions you have specific to you. You are posting on another person's thread that doesn't really pertain to your questions. Thanks, ~Nancy

@malony33 Club Orange is purchased on a cruise-by-cruise basis. Many verandah cabins have showers, you don't need to get a more costly vista suite to have a shower! I suggest you read the other threads here on the HAL forums and many of your questions will be answered. You have posted in a thread that is discussing suite category perks. After checking the other threads then go ahead and start a new thread that is specifically for the remaining questions you may have. Have fun reading and I'm sure you will like HAL. ~Nancy

@crystalspin It's confusing, but on Konningsdam the aft VS5202 is actually a veranda suite on the HAL deck plan pdf and cruisemapper.com. The Vista Suites are called A****. ~Nancy

I was waiting for Roger @Crew News to chime in and help the OP! Roger is obviously a huge fan of the aft cabins, and his comments are all very welcome! @Bepster00 What a wonderful surprise for your wife! You will have a great visit to Alaska and on HAL! ~Nancy

I agree especially about HMC. I've barely gotten over there by 2pm! ~Nancy

Specialty restaurant reservations aren't available until a few months before your cruise. Check back occasionally and see when they open up. ~Nancy

My TA sends me both the HAL Booking Confirmation and their agency booking confirmation letters. I always want to see both so I can check for accuracy and have everything in writing. ~Nancy

Yep, with the humidity there it sure looks HOT!! 🥵 Drink your water everyone!

@Hogladyrider I'm so happy to hear that your crew on Konningsdam was how HAL staff usually are in my experience! Thanks for letting us know. ~Nancy

@FlorenceItaly Thanks for all the info but just to clarify, the gratuity for drinks, specialty restaurants and spa services is actually 18% on HAL for all room categories. ~Nancy

This comment made me chuckle.....most authentic looking China Town... Of Course! You were in China! 😁 You two always cover so much territory in your port walks which I aspire to be able to do soon! I have a new knee like Mary Ann and if she can do it, so can I!! ~Nancy

Is it a hotel or Bar Management problem do you think? Unhappy crew seems like a moral problem. For example, my last cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam in October 2022 the bar crew were having a ball with the passengers and amongst themselves too! It was so fun to hear them laughing and joking with each other while they were hard at work. Their moral was great! I'll be on Konningsdam for the first time next December so for everyone's sake I sure hope they can improve the situation on board! ~Nancy

I have really enjoyed reading your posts and loved the pictures! Thank you! I agree with Ivi that I would be interested in an Explora I comparison to Crystal if you would like to. It looks like a beautiful ship, but I am curious how the slightly higher passenger capacity "feels" to you and Kerry. ~Nancy

@Will_Dieterich The OBC Looks like this on the HAL Booking Confirmation mentioned above by @crystalspin

I have only cruised on the HAL Rotterdam of your three choices and not in Norway. (I've been to Norway on Hurtigruten/Havila which I would highly recommend for your parents, but not particularly for the kids and 40 somethings) Bergen is a very nice city to visit! The Holland America Rotterdam also has a retractable roof over the really nice Lido pool area! There is an outdoor movie in that same area that is shown only in the evenings. I highly recommend the Rotterdam for the evening live music that all of the adults would probably really like! Three venues are the Rolling Stone Rock Room (Classic Rock and newer), BB Kings Band (R&B/Motown/Dance music) and a piano bar type venue. There is a kids club called Club Hal. My friend's son loved it, but he was younger than yours. It seems to get good reviews and kids I have seen on board look like they are having fun! Rotterdam has a wonderful forward facing indoor viewing lounge called Crow's Nest/Exploration Central and the aft Seaview pool area outdoors is great for scenery viewing. Basically, I think the Rotterdam size ship is a great one for a multigenerational family cruise! It has the best cabin showers I've had on any of the ships I have been on so far! There are lots of choices for dining as well and the ship isn't so huge that it takes forever to get on and off in ports. Wonderful and helpful crew as well! Please let us know what you decide! ~Nancy

Oh Lisa.....I want to be there right now!!! The beautiful orange sky and little tea lights for mood lighting on a ship deck are the perfect setting! Love it! Was there any live music during the party? ~Nancy

I have always wondered myself why laundry on European cruises has the $10 per bag or 40% higher cost than other regions. Does anyone know why the high upcharge for that region? ~Nancy

I haven't seen officers dining with guests in the MDR on HAL on any of my cruises since 2006. Does this actually happen on HAL these days? ~Nancy

The crew sure looks like they are having fun!

@Ski Mom 2 I have done extensive research on lodging in Moorea for a one week stay. I need a place with a kitchen and outdoor area. Because I don't feel I need to be right on the beach before or after spending a few weeks on a ship in the area I chose a 2-bedroom, one bath VRBO on the hill overlooking the lagoon. They all have AC in the bedrooms only. I've been to Moorea three times and know I must have AC also!! 🥵 Check places at Legends Residence. Some also list on Bookings.com and Air BnB. Here's an example: Wooden architect villa with jacuzzi (vrbo.com) ~Nancy ETA - It used to be a hotel apparently but it's privately owned units now. It's still in a gated community.

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My good friends are onboard Eurodam so I'm watching and taking screenshots for them. I sure wish I were there too!! ~Nancy

Which port? Sydney? They may require the muster drill earlier. Just a guess. Best to ask Crystal in this case, since this isn't a standard scenario for New Crystal and no history to go on for an educated guess. Have a great cruise! ~Nancy