Adoptionmsw

An update about the Veendam and deck chairs. There is now a full complement of chairs. The lanai chairs are clearly marked reserved. But, more than 50 of the deck chairs do not have pads. This cruise, to Cuba, has seven sea days. Needless to say there are a great many unhappy passengers. The front desk is totally dismissive. It’s been a real disappointment. Sitting on the promenade deck is a real HAL experience.

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I am on the Veendam right now. The ship left Boston short of 52 deck chair pads. There a seven sea days on this cruise and who wants to sit on wooden slats on the promenade deck. Complaints to the front desk have been rudely dismissed. We are long time HAL cruisers and we are really disappointed.

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I am on the Veendam right now on a cruise to Cuba. We had an active roll call and about 50 people at the meet and greet. The ship is in excellent shape except for one thing. At least 50 of the teak deck chairs on the promenade deck have no cushions. On this cruise there are seven sea days. The front desk has no explanation. I wish I had brought a gym mat or something to sit on.

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I celebrated my birthday on board a few years ago and I plan to do it again in August this year when we cruise to Cuba. If you tell the staff they bring a cake to the table, after dessert. Then as many dining room staff as can come to the table to sing. It’s wonderful. We were at a table for two and the cake was more than big enough for the two of us. Remember you’ve already had dessert. In fact, my husband was anxious that the staff had forgotten because they served the regular dessert.

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When I’ve been in Boston I’ve taken the silver line bus (part of the MTA public transit system) which stops one block from the cruise port and goes to South Station. Once at South Station, You can walk around the center of the city. Of course, I’m a great fan of public transit.

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Has anyone ever taken the "18 DAY VIKING PASSAGE" cruise with Holland America??? In particular I would love to hear about your experiences in ICELAND and GREENLAND. Did you feel it was worth it??? Also how did you like Rotterdam??? It looks like a very interesting cruise but would love to hear some details from someone who actually has done this cruise. Its along time to be gone for me so I just wanted to know if you felt the whole experience was worth all the effort of being gone that long as well. THANK YOU.

My husband and I took the round trip version (35 days) of this cruise a few years ago and it was my all time favorite. I loved Iceland and Rotterdam. I didn’t find the two stops in Greenland very exciting but the scenic cruising in that area was breathtaking. We too were on the Rotterdam and the ship was great. We did a 21 day Caribbean cruise on her this past February and everything seemed in good order. My only disappointment is that HAL has discontinued the B.B. King blues band on that class of ships.

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We took this cruise last September round trip from NYC to Quebec City on the Zuiderdam. It was 20 days and it was wonderful. There wasn’t much autumn color (too early) but there were many mild sunny days. I’m watching it right now, waiting for the price to come down so we can take it again this September. If 20 days is too long for you, you can do one 10 day segment. We live right outside of NYC and we can take the bus to the port so it really works for us.

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Excerpt from letter delivered to Zaandam guests on March 27 (approaching Panama Canal, ending at Fort Lauderdale April 2 with drydock to follow):

 

 

 

"We're excited to announce that we are embarking on a new era in shopping on Holland America Line as we transition our retail stores on a select number of ships. In order to prepare for this transition, our onboard shops will need to take inventory of their current merchandise while preparing for our new and exciting products to arrive. Unfortunately, this means that all onboard stores will begin shutting down during this voyage and will ne fully closed by the end of the day on March 30."

 

 

 

Signed by Francois Birarda, hotel director.

We got this same letter when we sailed on the Rotterdam in February. Halfway through the cruise all the shops closed. Not sure what they are transitioning to as they did not reopen before we disembarked.

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I’m on the Rotterdam right now finishing up a 21 day cruise. Our cabin has been without issues and the rest of the ship looks great. Food has been good. We’re not thrilled with the entertainment but that’s a very personal thing. Hubby has been loving trivia. I miss B.B. King. Enjoy your lanai room.

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I’ve been noticing recently that last minute bookings can be amazing bargains. Of course there are some risks. The cruise could sell out or you end up in an undesirable stateroom.

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Never used Uber or Lyft - Is it true you pay on your phone or website before pickup so overcharges are impossible?

I’ve been using Uber for the past six months. The charge for the trip is posted on your phone before you confirm. A screen then comes up showing the location of the Uber driver and tracks the trip to you. When the ride is complete, your credit card is charged the amount you confirmed before the trip started. I live near Newark airport and I’ve been finding the trips are about half the price of a regular cab

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After hours on the phone, spoke to guest relations and they got me to a higher up supervisor. He said he could completely understand why I didn't think I should be put in a single roo. Paying for double. Came up with a half price upsell offer to a balcony and my room is being changed as we speak.

Happy to hear you were able to work things out. Enjoy your cruise.

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Thanks for the link. I'll be on the Rotterdam next week and it will be fun to see the docking "from the other side!!"

We’ll be on her too. Can’t wait.

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Thanks so much for the video, incredibly well executed. I loved it. We’re off for three weeks on the Rotterdam out of Tampa starting 2/4. Can’t wait.

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We were upgraded to one of these cabins a few cruises back. I did not care for it. Just about every time I opened the drapes during the day, there was someone working in the life boat. It really creeped me out. I don’t recall leaving the drapes open at night so I can’t comment on that aspect. I’ve found we’re better off in an inside. We’re not in it much during the day and it’s nice and dark at night. Of course, your needs may differ.

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I sail HAL exclusively and I would never sail the Koningsdam. No real promenade deck and no deck chairs is a deal breaker for me. We’re booked on the Rotterdam for three weeks in February and I am so looking forward to it. I really enjoy the older smaller ships.

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There are signs at the airports and at Penn Station warning not to take offers from drivers wandering around. Unfortunately not at the cruise port I guess. When he wouldn’t let you and your mom out of the cab, you probably should have threatened to call 911. The world seems to be full of dishonest people. On Monday someone stole my really nice umbrella from the doctor’s waiting room. I’m still angry. Thank goodness you got away with no real damage.

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We took this cruise in 2017. We boarded mid afternoon because the de-embarkation was very slow for some reason. There is an over night in Quebec City. So you are correct that the ship is your hotel as you explore the city. We were fortunate to stay on and cruise back to NYC. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

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don't walk in the bike lanes. There is a pedestrian lane- use that.

Of course, thank you, Budget Queen, for the clarification.

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On our last cruise out of NY we walked up the bike path from 42nd Street. On a good weather day, it’s a nice trip. As you probably know, NYC is a very pedestrian friendly city.

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I jumped on this today. The price was right and the prepaid gratuities really add up on a 21 day cruise.

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IMHO lanyards are a neon sign saying 'I'm a newbie'. If you can't keep track of your card without having it strapped around your neck, well then.. ;)

Wow! That’s judgmental! I’m a four star and I find the lanyard really convenient.

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La Sagrada Familia Basilica by Antonio Gaudí

 

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Lovely! How is Barcelona? It looks pretty calm and peaceful. Wish we were on this voyage with you. We did it two years ago and loved it.

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We just got off the Zuiderdam today after a twenty day back to back Canada and New England cruise. It was a very port intensive schedule. The evening entertainment was not up to our experiences on previous HAL cruises. The same comedian performed three separate nights. He was very funny the first time. We asked if he would be using new material and were told no. Twice they had only one show at 9:30 PM. That's too late for us. The Adagio pair was good but after two weeks they began to repeat themselves and preferred to play pieces from their CD which they reminded us over and over was for sale in the shops on board. The band did play every evening in the Ocean Bar, the B.B. King performers were good. The piano bar seemed crowded whenever we passed it. I agree with RuthC that the piped in music they play all day long all over the ship is really annoying. I wish they would skip it. They even turn on what sounds like rock music during the Adagio's 15 minute breaks between sets. In spite of all this, we had a delightful cruise. The dining room and stateroom staff are as wonderful as ever. The ports were interesting and we were blessed with exceptional weather. We solved the entertainment dilemma by doing more reading and in my case, knitting.

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We are on Zuiderdam right now. We were waitlisted for a table for two early seating. By the time we embarked, we had the table. My experience is pursuing this issue even after you board is usually successful. On our previous HAL cruise, I met with the dining room staff right after embarkation and we had our preferred table by night two. We did not book early, we just persisted.

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