DeeniEncinitas

So with NCL announcing balcony smoking ban today HAL will be the last to ban. Come on HAL. Get with it.

Been on this thread since it started. Charles, yesterday someone said that NCL was going to ban smoking today? Just got up on the west coast, did it happen?

Also with my HAL so many people with inside info saying soon it will happen for us! I did call Mariners society and they did say HAL corp was looking into it. I am a long time HAL Mariner and love the interesting forums, I wish they would stay on subject instead of always wondering off on other subjects!! Have a great day everyone!

Cabana Club?

That is it! Cabana Club! But this was open to anybody for a fee to enjoy fine dining on deck 11. We did not reserve a Cabana since we had a balcony to enjoy! Thankyou, my mind went blank:)

We are new to Holland America and are taking the Zaandam Alaska cruise June 24th. They allow you to pre-order wine packages, liquor for delivery to room and Anniversary packages. Does this save money? Can we also order these once we have boarded? They also list a soda card. When we cruised on Princess and bought the soda package they refill your thermos bottle for the duration of the cruise. Do they have a similar system?

Last year we did a 24 day to Barcelona to Venice and it was wonderful because in all the ports we were able to buy wine and bring them on the ship no problem! We order our liquor and have it sent to our room on embarkation. No longer free wine to bring on board in ports! Now we order the 7 wine navigator for our state room and right now we are 3 star Mariner and get 25% off. After this next up coming cruise in March we will be 4 stars and 50% off on wine packages! Good deal

Ok...help me here...What is ultimate balcony dining?

Same thing with me?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laminator

Ok...help me here...What is ultimate balcony dining?

We are 4 stars also. We did enjoy MDR menus and order them for our verandah. Our stewards would put our food on the verandah for us. Now we did do dinner on the N ieuw Amsterdam on our 24 day last year Barcelona to Venice and enjoyed a candle lite dinner on the Crow Nest where you rent the private Verandahs for the day! Very romantic!

__________________

Deeniencinitas URL=http://www.cruisecritic.com][/url]

It should have been rolled out ten years ago. Why wait sex more months?

Love it! You said sex more months LOL! Really 6 mos!

Ok...help me here...What is ultimate balcony dining?

We are 4 stars also. We did enjoy MDR menus and order them for our verandah. Our stewards would put our food on the verandah for us. Now we did do dinner on the N ieuw Amsterdam on our 24 day last year Barcelona to Venice and enjoyed a candle lite dinner on the Crow Nest where you rent the private Verandahs for the day! Very romantic!

I will be one of the "few" that will leave. HAL had a point of difference by allowing veranda smoking. We cruise with another couple, both couples 3 star mariners and the gentlemen enjoy cigars on the veranda.

 

If HAL eliminates this perk we will seek other options. HAL has diminished it's product in recent years with all the cutbacks, fee add-ons and service reductions that they no longer are a good value proposition. Too many other lines out there that offer a better quality experience at the same price point. Without a veranda smoking option HAL will no longer be in the decision mix for us and many others. We will either stop cruising or go with Princess, X, Oceania etc.

 

HAL needs to be very careful or they will end up with smoke-free verandas and passenger free ships.

In my opinion I do not think so! We are 3 stars going on 4 on our next cruise, and I do not see it! Again that is only my opinion

Not True!!

We questioned what HAL did, and our TA had HAL send detailed report of what we lost.

I'll just give rounded off numbers.

Cost of cruise $21000 -- lost $2100 there and on the line below that -- lost $1000 -- not 10% of the $1000.

I understand! I know that insurance you do not get refunded and yes you lost 10% of your cruise. With our 24 day cruise last July Barcelona to Venice even in circumstances where you lost a few days due to weather I would of flow to the next destination to pickup the cruise. At least for us since after the cruise we were still traveling another month! I do understand why you are leaving HAL

It has been at least 6 years or more since we got a Thank you e-mail from HAL and had kind of an offer. And when we did get the e-mails back then -- no offers.

We will no longer buy future cruise deposits. We had a 21 day cruise last February -- FCD was $500 per person. We also bought HAL's premium insurance "cancel for any reason". Due to a major snow storm along the east coast many airports were closed for 4 to 5 days. We missed our cruise (and we were scheduled to fly down to Tampa 2 days early). To make a long story short -- we lost 10% of the cruise fare as well as the $1000 deposit.

We were on the Oosterdam doing a 10 day cruise out of our home port in San Diego in 2012 when we placed our 200.00 FCD on the books! At that time we did not book on board our Mediterranean cruise till we decided at home which date would be best at that time! On cruise longer than 12 days your your deposit is more! We did spend another 800.00 on our deposit and we were fine. Now we are 4 star Mariners and even when we were not and just starting with HAL to this day we always receive credits that go towards our cruise! Right now my husband and myself have $75.00 a piece which will go to towards our 12.00 a day per person for our stewards! As prior you did receive accordingly with HAL

Haven't heard about the double credits like you're talking about. I've heard about people getting an email offer, upon their return home, that gives further OBC if you book your next cruise within 60 days. So, you may want to purchase the FCD and then book your PC cruise after getting the email at home.

 

Might it be possible that the double cabin credits you're talking about be the cruise day credits if one books a suite? That's different from OBC, though.

 

I hope your puppy gets better soon!

We are 3starMariners and we always will purchase deposits for our next cruise that you can take within 4 yrs. also we always receive a Thankyou from HAL on our last cruise in the mail and online with a credit for our next cruise when we book through them! Did our 24 day Mediterranean Cruise last year on July 26 -Aug 19th. Only if you book suits or penthouse will you receive double cruise days as well as charging 300.00 in charges for getting an extra cruise day on your trip! We had charged over 1,200.00 in cruise charges for that trip which included wine packages, dinners, and excursions. We also get 25% off of all since we are 3 star mariners which is a nice perk! On that cruise we deposited 200.00 for our next cruise which now will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in March 2015 for a 14 day Carribean cruise! Good program

First let me say we too are seasoned cruisers and love the HAL line. We live in Sunny San Diego, Ca and are exclusive to Holland American due to the fact they are stationed there. 3 star mariners and will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam next March for a 14 day cruise to the Carribean . We were on the pride of HAL Nieuw Amsterdam last summer for a 24 day Mediterranean Cruise out of Barcelona to Venice!!! Just awesome! They have a wonderful Kids program and the facilities are amazing. There was large groups of all ages and they were having so much fun and well behaved. I bet your TA has not even been on her or other HAL ships!!! The Prisemdam is the small elegant ship and yes that is stuffy even for my husband and myself! Take it from me this is a fabulous ship! Yes they have formal nites, but it is a mixed bag. I Have seen casual dress even on formal nite!!! They even say this is an older generation that travels on these ships too! We were so diverted with young and older but it makes no difference! The children are always having fun and do so much! Take a chance and please book through the cruise line your rates are comparable. Also I booked for years with a TA but now go straight through HAL!!!! I get exceptional treatment. Also I enjoy smaller ships and all of the other lines like NCL,Princess,Carnival, are way too big and it seems you have to stake your claims on pool chairs, etc. Nieuw Amsterdam is just right, and we never felt crowed at all. Have a wonderful trip !

Hi

 

We are seasoned cruisers but never travelled with Holland America and have been looking at an itinerary on 16th August departing from Venice. Just contacted my travel agent to get a price for this cruise and she has really put me off sailing.

 

She tells me that HAL is a very formal cruise line and really not suitable for children as the kids club is only open on sea days or if enough kids sign up on port days.

 

The formality I am OK with but our big issue would be with kids club. My daughter absolutely loves them and it really makes her holiday to go to kids club ( this would be her 8th cruise) so to not have it open all day would be a no no. We have been to a couple of the ports already so would be taking advantage of the ship facilities in port hence the question re kids club.

 

Can anyone give me insight into the kids facilities aboard and whether given its august and the height of school holidays that all facilities should be open.

 

Thanks

First let me say we too are seasoned cruisers and love the HAL line. We live in Sunny San Diego, Ca and are exclusive to Holland American due to the fact they are stationed there. 3 star mariners and will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam next March for a 14 day cruise to the Carribean . We were on the pride of HAL Nieuw Amsterdam last summer for a 24 day Mediterranean Cruise out of Barcelona to Venice!!! Just awesome! They have a wonderful Kids program and the facilities are amazing. There was large groups of all ages and they were having so much fun and well behaved. I bet your TA has not even been on her or other HAL ships!!! The Prisemdam is the small elegant ship and yes that is stuffy even for my husband and myself! Take it from me this is a fabulous ship! Yes they have formal nites, but it is a mixed bag. I Have seen casual dress even on formal nite!!! They even say this is an older generation that travels on these ships too! We were so diverted with young and older but it makes no difference! The children are always having fun and do so much! Take a chance and please book through the cruise line your rates are comparable. Also I booked for years with a TA but now go straight through HAL!!!! I get exceptional treatment. Also I enjoy smaller ships and all of the other lines like NCL,Princess,Carnival, are way too big and it seems you have to stake your claims on pool chairs, etc. Nieuw Amsterdam is just right, and we never felt crowed at all. Have a wonderful trip !

The purpose of my post was to relay information from a personal trusted source within the company. I have not made an opinion one way or the other, nor solicited any. I even stated FYI (For Your Information) in the first post.

 

What would doing a search have done? I am not unaware of the current policy. I am not questioning it.

 

The information I received last week was they were looking to implement by mid 2015. Even they do so even sooner in light of Norwegian's announcement I still consider the information I have to be good and correct.

 

It was never my intention to have a hotly debated, contentious thread. Relaying information without opinion is as civil as something could be. Should I not share information because it may upset people? That seems to defeat the purpose of the forum.

I never took what you said as a contentious or hotly debate. I was glad to hear the possibilities! I guess some people take and read things differently! Thankyou for your info, it gives hope to me.

We need the mighty 3000!! Why 3000? Does't HAL already get the picture?

Was on Nieuw Amsterdam last July for a 24 day Med cruise, we were very lucky with our next door suit mates no one smoked! It was wonderful. We were told then that HAL was seriously contemplating on doing no smoking on balconies by next year! We will be on Nieuw Amsterdam for their 14 day Caribbiean cruise this coming March. hope it gets implemented! Now do you think how Carnival has gotten soooo much bad press over the years new management thought this no smoking policy was a good way to attract a new crowd? We are 3 star Mariners and will be getting our 4th on the next cruise. Never been on Carnival and would never think of a cruise with them. A Lepoard never changes their spots in my opinion. I did call HAL Mariners and they said there is a good chance no smoking will be implemented soon! Will see

:D

Some recent promotions featured free fare for a 3rd or 4th passenger in the same stateroom. Check the cruise line website or ask your travel agent. If you are eligible for the free 3rd passenger, add one to your booking.

 

• Buy a dozen boxes of your favorite bulk, vacation-quality, bag-in-box wine.
  
• Using duct tape or heavy duty packing tape, fasten the 12 cartons of vacation vino into a 4x3 cube.
  
• Buy (or steal - I'm not sure if it's "only thievery" when it's "only wine" in your particular moral code) a large trench coat, a mannequin head, a gray short-haired wig, and a fedora.
  
• Rent a wheelchair.
  
• Wrap the coat around your boxed wine cube.
  
• Place the coat-wrapped wine cube on the wheelchair's seat.
  
• Fasten the mannequin head to the top of the wine cube, taking care to secure the coat collar around the mannequin head's neck.
  
• Place the short-haired gray wig on the head.
  
• Place the fedora over the wig. Tilt the hat forward. (This is important! You're going for a "sleeping grandpa" look.)
  
• Practice. Practice. Practice wheeling "Grandpa Vinny" around so that you look completely realistic and above suspicion.
  

Notes:

 

1. "Grandpa Vinny" has no legs at this point. You can either add a pair of pants stuffed with newspaper to your project. Or, if you are a total genius, try stuffing the pants legs with liquor bottles.
   
2. This design calls for 3 liter wine boxes. If you're taste runs toward the 5 liter boxes, modify your plans because "Grandpa Vinny" will need a big & tall coat.
   

My husband and are are in tears from you!!!! How about you be the next act on our Nieuw Amsterdam!!! My side is hurting!!!

ME TOO! I will get my 4th star after the next cruise and I want it to show!

 

DaveOKC

I enjoy that status on the card. We will be getting our 4 star on our next 14 day cruise on the NieunAmsterdam next March 2015! I think there was an error that developed when their cards were printed.

I am but one person. I am very sure were I not to book a cabin, that cabin would quickly be sold to someone else. :)

 

There are many here who have posted they have left HAL or are planning to leave HAL because of their verandah smoking policy. They don't care if they lose me, they will care if they lose many 'like me'.

I called the Mariners Society here in San Diego, Ca and they say they are very aware of the current changes with Carnival and that the big wigs from HAL corporate are looking into all possibilities with our current smoking laws! It could be all talk, but time will tell!

:)

We have been with HAL since 2007! Always have a balcony, and been on 10 cruises with them so far. We live in San Diego, Ca and love HAL. Will be 4 star Mariners this coming March 2015 on a 2 week cruise to the Carribean! Really only once did we have smokers next door to us and believe it or not were very polite when they heard us coming out to enjoy the morning or afternoon or dinner time what ever, and would tells us to enjoy and that they were finished smoking! We always ask HAL with our reviews to maybe have one side of the cabins be for smokers! That way both sides win. I believe that maybe HAL will not do no smoking because they would rather fill up all cabins and get the smokers who want a balcony. They are a buisness. I sure hope not! We did their 24 day Mediteraniean on the Nieuw Amsterdam last summer in August out of Barcelona and we were sooo lucky that both sides of our balcony were on for 24 days also and did not smoke. But again it would be nice to see HAL come 1/2 way with cabins only on one side for smokers.