Adoptionmsw

Yes, irons and ironing boards are available in the laundry rooms.

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I haven't cruised the Pacific on HAL but I have done two Atlantic crossings and the Voyage of the Vikings. There were numerous sea days full of activities including a book club, craft group, two or three daily team trivia sessions, dance classes, lectures, coffee chats, bridge classes and play. There were usually two or three choices in every time slot. Enjoy your cruise.

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Oy! http://www.therebelcruise.ca/ They seem to be a pretty opinionated bunch. I've been on political cruises as a participant and the group pretty much stuck together and did not proselytize to non members. These groups usually have fixed dining with each other and private lectures on sea days. The Nieuw Amsterdam is a good size ship. I'm guessing it won't be too much of a problem for you. Enjoy your cruise.

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Just a vent....the HAL website is so frustrating and hard to use. Half the time I can't access what I need, and end up having to go to the library to use their computers, and sometimes that doesn't work. When I just tried to do a search, I tried 2 different ways - Plan and Destinations - and both times I got the spinning "wheel of death". :(

 

 

 

Roz

Roz, I frequently have the same issues using my iPad. The HAL site is often very slow and clumsy to navigate. I don't find the search function very effective. The online TA's on the other hand are very easy to search so I've taken to going there first.

Barbara

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One might be better served by going to the 4 to 5 PM Happy Hour in the Crows Nest. Second drink is $1 and hot hors d'oeuvres are free. Of course the wine selection is limited.

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So is it $5 a glass or $5 for the event (too good to be true)?

On the Maasdam it was $5 for one small glass of wine and one small plate of hors d'oeuvres.

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We enjoyed this activity on our Atlantic Adventurer cruise. But, that was the Maasdam as well. We're booked on the Rotterdam in late July and I'm hoping we'll find it there. Would love to hear from other cruisers on this issue.

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Ruth, I respect your opinion. However, a close friend will die soon from end-stage esophageal cancer, due to his years of smoking. So forgive me if I don't campaign for more alternative smoking venues any time soon. Therefore, I guess I'll remain part of the problem, as you say.

I would reframe this entire discussion. Every time another limitation on smoking is imposed, that is a good thing for smokers. It puts more and more pressure on them to quit which can only improve their health and well being.

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I am trying to figure out if Holland offers in side cabins that accommodate either 3 or 4 people? Do they have the Pullman beds? Looking at Oosterdam.

We have had inside cabins for four on the Westerdam, Maasdam and Rotterdam. There is a bunk that drops from the ceiling and a sofa bed as well as the twins that can convert to a queen size bed. We have booked these rooms as a couple because they seem more spacious than regular doubles. In my opinion, it would be really cozy for four people.

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I watch an online site that is almost always priced lower than HAL. For the cruise we're taking in July there was a very large price differential. I contacted my TA, she called HAL and was told it was impossible, that I must be looking at the wrong cruise. I took a screen shot and emailed it to her. She and her boss got on the phone with HAL and I got the discount. This was before final payment mind you. I'm watching another cruise on the discount site and it's considerably lower than HAL's price. We go on long cruises so we're talking big money here. My TA claims to book more HAL cruises than any other. I don't know why HAL would allow another (online) TA to undercut one of its best.

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A 3:15 flight means you could check bags at 11:15 AM. If you take it easy debarking, how much before then would you get to the airport? Best bet is to grab a cup of coffee and dawdle a few minutes.

I wish it had been a 3:15 flight. We were using miles and the best I could do was 6:00 PM. I've learned my lesson. If we return to Ft. Lauderdale again, I'll use HAL's luggage direct program. It would be worth the money. Our next cruise is round trip Boston and we're taking the train.

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Are you interested in storing it? I have no idea what it would cost and it may not be worth it for a few hours. They have locations at the airport and at Canada Place. Might be worth looking into.

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/

That was an option at Ft. Lauderdale. The trouble was the TSA line. The United Club is inside security. The paid baggage check was outside. So, two trips through security if we wanted to relax in the United Club.

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They sure wouldn't make any exceptions in Ft. Lauderdale. They insisted on three hours before. We wanted to go to the United Club but it's inside security. The airport was packed, no seating open. We ended up sitting on our luggage for two or three hours. The United Club sure looked good to us once we finally got there. I hope it works better for you in Vancouver.

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Supposedly that is the rule but the last time on Oosterdam, my buddy ducked into the casino to grab a quick smoke anytime he wanted one. He just pretended to look around deciding which machine to play! :p

Wow! What a sense of entitlement!

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If Verizon is your carrier, you can use your cell phone with no extra charge at every port in Alaska. I don't fly Southwest, but most airlines have an app that provides a digital boarding pass. I no longer bother with printing a paper one.

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Lovely! We've been using ours as coasters. I'm kind of disappointed that the last few cruises have been a tile that represents all the ships in that class. I would like more variety. My favorite is a stylized version of the Statue of Liberty that we received sailing on the Noordam out of NYC many years ago. I wish I knew how to post a photo from my iPad.

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Thanks. Does it ever come sooner than that?

Last cruise, Atlantic Adventurer, Fall 2015, we got antsy about the guarantee and called HAL. Rep told us we could choose cabin now or hang on in which case we would probably get an upgrade. We had already been offered an upsell which we declined. We need a room with a shower not a tub so we chose a large inside and were done with it. We learned ship was not full so we probably would have gotten ocean view if we had waited but we were very happy with what we had. It was large and quiet.

We've done guarantees a number of times. We've occasionally received stateroom assignments a day or two before sailing.

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Our experience is the main dining room was rarely open on port days. On the other hand, the Lido is not terribly crowded because so many passengers are ashore. I love the ship on port days, so quiet and peaceful.

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I have only cruised on Azamara and Celebrity too and are looking at cruises from Montreal to New York. From what I can see Holland America seem to dominate in the area and someone has told me that Holland America allow smoking on the balconies. Can someone who travels regularly on the line, please confirm whether that is correct or incorrect.

 

 

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HAL unfortunately does allow smoking on balconies.

Based on a lot of people's comments on here I think they may believe HAL did it to personally spite them and/or piss off all the Mariners so they can start from scratch with a younger clientele... because both of those make so much sense :rolleyes:

I'm not sure how you developed that interpretation. I don't hear people taking it personally, just remarking that certain aspects of the new ship don't appeal to them.

Clearly HAL did marketing studies. HAL's current target market is aging. But, it seems to me that HAL has always cultivated a classic, refined cruising experience. I don't see the efficacy of going for the clientele that cruises in mobs of 4 to 6,000 and wants wave pools and climbing walls. Hubby and I are booked on a 35 day cruise on the Rotterdam this summer. We'll spend sea days reading on the promenade deck. We just know the Koningsdam is not for us.

Where are these "shady places outside" down near the waterline? So far I haven't heard of any.

The lack of classic seating on the promenade deck is a real deal breaker for me too. Besides being down near the water line, in the shade, that is one of the few places to escape the constant piped in music. Fortunately there are still lots of HAL ships that have this amenity.

I've had my seat changed when the type or size of aircraft has been changed for some reason.

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It sounds as though your booking is for a guaranteed ocean view cabin rather than a specific location. You have two alternatives at this point. One is to contact the booking agent and while studying the deck plans choose a specific cabin in the category you have reserved. The other is to sit with the guarantee until HAL assigns you a cabin. Often, but not always, HAL will upgrade your cabin if a better, more expensive one, is available at time of sailing. It's a gamble, but one my hubby and I have taken. Twice we've ended up with ocean view when we paid for inside. Either way, enjoy your cruise.

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My understanding is the spa pass must be purchased for the entire cruise.

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