Things that surprised me regarding HAL and the Oosterdam :

[Obtuse1]

How friendly the staff was ( Despite hearing about it here so often ).

 

How smoothly embarkation and disembarkation went.

 

That there is no self laundry or even self ironing service available.

 

That AFTER paying in full , and AFTER leaving port we got a notice in our mailbox informing us of a price increase being charged to our on board account. This was due to an increase in taxes charged by Glacier Bay National park. Regardless of the amount I felt both ‘nickel and dime’d to death’ and also like I could not trust HAL regarding costs.

 

How HAL makes you feel ‘second class’ if you are tendering and booked an early private excursion instead of a ship excursion (This is not unique to HAL of course , was just hoping for better).

 

How much storage there was available in the room, copious amounts !

 

How much we missed more open spaces (spanning 2 – 3 decks ) on some other ships. This was likely more noticeable because of the Alaskan itinerary with cool temps and rain that kept us inside more than usual as well.

 

How nice having a balcony was.

 

How nice it was to have several and varied choices of hard ice-cream on the Lido !

 

This was our first HAL cruise and we had a wonderful time. We do look forward to broadening our horizons in the future.

[Boytjie]

That there is no self laundry or even self ironing service available.

 

The HAL website is quite clear on which ships have self laundry facilites and it's general knowledge on CC too.

 

That AFTER paying in full , and AFTER leaving port we got a notice in our mailbox informing us of a price increase being charged to our on board account. This was due to an increase in taxes charged by Glacier Bay National park. Regardless of the amount I felt both ‘nickel and dime’d to death’ and also like I could not trust HAL regarding costs.

 

It's not a cruise price increase - taxes are always listed separately from cruise fare and can be raised but the taxing authority at any time. Sometimes it even goes down!

 

]How HAL makes you feel ‘second class’ if you are tendering and booked an early private excursion instead of a ship excursion (This is not unique to HAL of course , was just hoping for better).

 

Of course HAL will give their excursions priority, its their ship and their excursions. Can you imagine how upset passengers on HAL excursion will be when they have to wait for others to get off the ship? I have never felt second class - I know how it works and deal with it accordingly.

 

This was our first HAL cruise and we had a wonderful time. We do look forward to broadening our horizons in the future.

 

I am glad that you had a great time on your first HAL cruise, we have enjoyed all ours too.

 

Happy sailing. :)

[sapper1]

If the port charges were to be reduced and the account credited, would the OP protest the refund?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Had you checked HAL's site and/or here -- you would have known that none of the Vista class or Signature class ships have a self-service laundry room.

For years we have gotten from time to time on ships (and even before the cruise) notices about port and tax increases -- HAL isn't increasing the cruise price. Just passing on the port and taxes that they were notified about by the local authorities. You really can't expext HAL to start footing all those bills.

[SwissMyst]

I think "second class" citizenship went out with the buggy whip and button hooks, though there is some vestiges of this on the Cunard Line ships -- but anyone can buy into a "upper class" if they want.

 

Seems right, as you acknowledge, that ship excursions get priority in exit lines because the ship does guarantee they will wait for them if the ship excursion does not get back in time.

 

So getting them expeditiously out the door and on their way seems appropriate and a courtesy to other passengers who would have to wait in case they did not get back in time.

[ANSalberg]

Obtuse -I'm SO glad you had a wonderful cruise -and I hope you become as "addicted" as the rest of us to being spoiled incessantly! ;)

[PumpkinPatches]

How friendly the staff was ( Despite hearing about it here so often ).

 

How smoothly embarkation and disembarkation went.

 

That there is no self laundry or even self ironing service available.

 

That AFTER paying in full , and AFTER leaving port we got a notice in our mailbox informing us of a price increase being charged to our on board account. This was due to an increase in taxes charged by Glacier Bay National park. Regardless of the amount I felt both ‘nickel and dime’d to death’ and also like I could not trust HAL regarding costs.

 

I wouldn't condemn HAL for this tax increase.. as all other posters have mentioned, it has to do with the destination's authorities.

 

How HAL makes you feel ‘second class’ if you are tendering and booked an early private excursion instead of a ship excursion (This is not unique to HAL of course , was just hoping for better).

 

That's why HAL and all cruiselines charge higher prices for their excursions, because they promise SECURITY as far as being on time/waited for, etc.. If they offered the same perks to those who pay 1/4 of the price with a private company, no one would book with the cruiseline.

 

I always book with the cruiseline because I know I get priority.

 

How much storage there was available in the room, copious amounts !

 

How much we missed more open spaces (spanning 2 – 3 decks ) on some other ships. This was likely more noticeable because of the Alaskan itinerary with cool temps and rain that kept us inside more than usual as well.

 

How nice having a balcony was.

 

How nice it was to have several and varied choices of hard ice-cream on the Lido !

 

Mmmmmm... icecream!!!!

 

This was our first HAL cruise and we had a wonderful time. We do look forward to broadening our horizons in the future.

 

Glad to hear it!! I love HAL too :)

[igraf]

I saw a sign in a store once that sums up this situation:

 

"We do not charge sales tax, we collect sales tax."

 

Don't blame HAL for the increase in taxes as they are obligated to collect it. HAL did NOT increase their prices on you.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

...That AFTER paying in full , and AFTER leaving port we got a notice in our mailbox informing us of a price increase being charged to our on board account. This was due to an increase in taxes charged by Glacier Bay National park. Regardless of the amount I felt both ‘nickel and dime’d to death’ and also like I could not trust HAL regarding costs...

[TracieABD]

It seems that overall you had a wonderful cruise.

 

As far as "nickle and dimed...", HAL is waaaaaay better than other lines in preventing this (e.g. no charge for ice cream, no charge for capuccino in the MDR, no charge for brewed "real" coffee, no towel deposits, free shuttles in some ports...).

 

:):)

[travelmatron]

You know, I love these boards. I've learned a whole lot here that has added to our trips and cut our costs.

Therefore I'm delighted when new members post about what surprised them on board, because I think a new or different ship is full of surprises, and that makes it interesting. I'm glad Obtuse1 took the time to share his/her surprises. They made me smile.

It's very hard to notice what isn't included on a ship. Unless a self-laundry is something you are specifically looking for, and in your experience it has always been there, it seems reasonable to me to be surprised when it's not there. That's all the OP said. They were "surprised".

When more experienced cruisers or frequent posters explain why something happens (as in why passengers booked on ship excursion get priority tenders, or how port taxes and fees can be passed along after final payment), that information is helpful. It may put an experience into a different perspective, or be informational to someone else reading the tread.

I hope the OP and others don't hesitate to post their personal surprises for fear of being reprimanded for not carefully reviewing all the cruise material or prior threads about their ship. No matter how often ice cream is mentioned, how much we enjoy it is still a great surprise to many of us, and reading about it again just adds to the anticipation of our next cruise. Thanks for the post.

[lilipad2]

Thanks for posting this. If I may ask, how much were the additional port taxes? I hear these increases mentioned, but I just wasn't sure exactly how much of an increase these were.

[huskerdan25]

How friendly the staff was ( Despite hearing about it here so often ).

 

How smoothly embarkation and disembarkation went.

 

That there is no self laundry or even self ironing service available.

 

That AFTER paying in full , and AFTER leaving port we got a notice in our mailbox informing us of a price increase being charged to our on board account. This was due to an increase in taxes charged by Glacier Bay National park. Regardless of the amount I felt both ‘nickel and dime’d to death’ and also like I could not trust HAL regarding costs.

 

How HAL makes you feel ‘second class’ if you are tendering and booked an early private excursion instead of a ship excursion (This is not unique to HAL of course , was just hoping for better).

 

How much storage there was available in the room, copious amounts !

 

How much we missed more open spaces (spanning 2 – 3 decks ) on some other ships. This was likely more noticeable because of the Alaskan itinerary with cool temps and rain that kept us inside more than usual as well.

 

How nice having a balcony was.

 

How nice it was to have several and varied choices of hard ice-cream on the Lido !

 

This was our first HAL cruise and we had a wonderful time. We do look forward to broadening our horizons in the future.

 

Thanks for posting this as a first-time cruiser on Holland America. I am taking my first cruise with HA on the Oosterdam in January 2011 and really looking forward to it. My first love is Princess and I will keep cruising with them but felt that I should try another cruise line and hopefully end up with two cruise lines I will love to take. Just got off the Coral Princess and it has the same capacity as the Oosterdam. I must say I enjoyed the smaller ship experience more than the mega-ships like the Sapphire and Caribbean. So, the Oosterdam seems like a great fit for my first cruise with Holland America.

 

Too bad there aren't laundry facilities on this ship as we typically pack light and do wash once during our 7 day cruises. I guess we'll pack more for the Oosterdam.

 

I am taking this cruise, not to simply be able to compare Holland America with Princess, but because I would like a second cruise line that I can book with that can provide a somewhat different experience. Seems many Princess cruisers enjoy cruising with Holland America so it seems to make sense to check them out.

 

I look forward to frequenting this forum over the next 6 months and learning what I can expect on my first Holland America cruise.

 

Dan

[luvs2travl]

How friendly the staff was ( Despite hearing about it here so often ).

 

You will find that on every HAL ship! They are the best - anywhere, in our opinion.

 

How smoothly embarkation and disembarkation went.

 

Great to hear.

 

That there is no self laundry or even self ironing service available.

 

There is, however, on all HAL ships, an "Unlimited Laundry Package" available for purchase. For a 7-day cruise, it should be around $50.00 for everyone in your cabin. You can send all your laundry as often as you wish. It is returned all ironed and on hangers - "unmentionables" are folded neatly in a tissue-lined wicker basket. No dirty clothes to take back home. HAL's website clearly lists which ships do & do not have self-service laundry facilites, as does the Princess & other cruise ship websites.

 

That AFTER paying in full , and AFTER leaving port we got a notice in our mailbox informing us of a price increase being charged to our on board account. This was due to an increase in taxes charged by Glacier Bay National park. Regardless of the amount I felt both ‘nickel and dime’d to death’ and also like I could not trust HAL regarding costs.

 

We were notified of the increased charge by our TA and also via e-mail before our Alaska cruise last month. No biggie - this was a charge levied by the state of Alaska and NOT by HAL. There was nothing that HAL could do about it. Hardly a deal-breaker.

 

How HAL makes you feel ‘second class’ if you are tendering and booked an early private excursion instead of a ship excursion (This is not unique to HAL of course , was just hoping for better).

 

As Pam said, ALL cruise lines give priority tendering to those passengers that have booked their shore excursions directly through the cruise line, not just HAL.

 

How much storage there was available in the room, copious amounts !

 

We never utilize all the storage space in our cabin. HAL does a great job there. And aren't their beds just heavenly?

 

How much we missed more open spaces (spanning 2 – 3 decks ) on some other ships. This was likely more noticeable because of the Alaskan itinerary with cool temps and rain that kept us inside more than usual as well.

 

The "O" is one of our favorite HAL ships. The Crow's Nest offers a fantastic bow view and it is v-e-r-y large. Did you venture up there at all?

 

How nice having a balcony was.

 

It's like having an extra room in your cabin!

 

How nice it was to have several and varied choices of hard ice-cream on the Lido !

 

I know - one DH's favorite things on HAL. Princess has gone to that yucky soft-serve during the day, with the "good stuff" only available as a desssert.

 

This was our first HAL cruise and we had a wonderful time. We do look forward to broadening our horizons in the future.

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruise. :) We've been to Alaska four times and will probably be going back again. There is so much to see!!

[TracieABD]

We just got off of the Rotterdam. We did the unlimited laundry package and it was $49.00 for the cabin for the week. We sent out laundry everyday. The only issue was on the first day it took about 48 hours to come back. We had to ask our room steward to check it out for us. Other than that, there was a less than 24 hour turn around.

 

I may never do laundry on a cruise ship again.

 

One quick tip, you might want to remove the "laundry marks" when you get home. They are scratchy little suckers!:)

[luvs2travl]

We just got off of the Rotterdam. We did the unlimited laundry package and it was $49.00 for the cabin for the week. We sent out laundry everyday. The only issue was on the first day it took about 48 hours to come back. We had to ask our room steward to check it out for us. Other than that, there was a less than 24 hour turn around.

 

I may never do laundry on a cruise ship again.

 

One quick tip, you might want to remove the "laundry marks" when you get home. They are scratchy little suckers!:)

 

That "Unlimited Laundry Package" is one of my favorite perks on HAL! I wish Princess would do the same thing. I put it on my comment card each time we cruise with Princess, but so far - nada! :) HAL is w-a-y ahead on that one!

[huskerdan25]

We just got off of the Rotterdam. We did the unlimited laundry package and it was $49.00 for the cabin for the week. We sent out laundry everyday. The only issue was on the first day it took about 48 hours to come back. We had to ask our room steward to check it out for us. Other than that, there was a less than 24 hour turn around.

 

I may never do laundry on a cruise ship again.

 

One quick tip, you might want to remove the "laundry marks" when you get home. They are scratchy little suckers!:)

 

I spent all of $9 to do three loads when on the Coral. Sure it took up 1.5 hours of my time, but I would not want to pay $49 or $95 or whatever the price is to have my laundry done. This is a very small negative that there aren't self laundry facilities but no biggie. I'll just pack a few more clothes and we'll do laundry when we get home. It is nice to be able to go home from a cruise with clean clothes in our suitcases.

[huskerdan25]

Right - I was using our last price quote for the "Unlimited Laundry" & it was on a 13-day cruise. Sorry, and glad you corrected that for the OP. That is one of my favorite perks on HAL! I wish Princess would do the same thing. I put it on my comment card, but so far - nada! :)

 

I don't see this as a perk. We don't need laundry done every day and I certainly don't think $49 is a reasonable cost for getting a few loads of laundry done. I would much rather have the self laundry services available. To each his own I guess.

[PumpkinPatches]

I agree.. $49 for a few loads of laundry is super expensive!!

 

IMO, I would rather just spend $49 for some new clothes, that way I have enough clothes for the 2 week cruise without having to wash them.

 

I think that $49 for new clothes is a MUCH better investment than $49 for a few loads of laundry to be done.

[luvs2travl]

I don't see this as a perk. We don't need laundry done every day and I certainly don't think $49 is a reasonable cost for getting a few loads of laundry done. I would much rather have the self laundry services available. To each his own I guess.

 

Hey - no problem! :) I just don't like to have to hassle with doing laundry on vacation as we are usually busy from morning til night. I used to do my own laundry on board years ago if the self-service laundries were available on board. Now, I choose to use the ship's laundry services. It also helps us to be able to pack lighter.

 

I guess "reasonable" is if you compare the $49.00 for unlimited laundry vs what the "per piece" price is as listed on the ship's laundry price list. Of course, one can do it for much less by utilizing the self-service laundry IF one is available on board.

 

I was merely trying to address the OP's consternation at having no self-service laundry available on the Oosterdam, and to let her know perhaps for future reference, that an alternative is available from HAL. If one takes 2 to 3 week cruises as we sometimes do, having that option when there is no self-service laundry on board, is a life-saver. I was not trying to impose my practices on anyone else. No offense meant to anyone!

[RVRCLC]

In addition to the price of self service laundry,

you need to add the price you are paying the cruise line

to allow you to sit in their laundry room while the machines are running.

Not me!

The $49 is probably way less money.

[huskerdan25]

In addition to the price of self service laundry,

you need to add the price you are paying the cruise line

to allow you to sit in their laundry room while the machines are running.

Not me!

The $49 is probably way less money.

 

Who sits the whole time in the laundry room? We put the laundry in and go back to your cabin or do whatever and when it is time, go back. So, no, your math does not work out. I'll pay $3 a load anytime.

[TracieABD]

Hey - no problem! :) I just don't like to have to hassle with doing laundry on vacation as we are usually busy from morning til night. I used to do my own laundry on board years ago when the self-service laundries were available on board. Now, I choose to use the ship's laundry services. It also helps us to be able to pack lighter.

 

I guess "reasonable" is if you compare the $49.00 for unlimited laundry vs what the "per piece" price is as listed on the ship's laundry price list. Of course, one can do it for much less by utilizing the self-service laundry IF one is available on board.

 

I was merely trying to address the OP's consternation at having no self-service laundry available on the Oosterdam, and to let her know perhaps for future reference, that an alternative is available from HAL. If one takes 2 to 3 week cruises as we sometimes do, having that option when there is no self-service laundry on board, is a life-saver. I was not trying to impose my practices on anyone else. No offense meant to anyone!

 

I completely agree with you about the laundry. There are things I would much rather do than laundry so it is worth it to me.

 

Having said that, everyone has a different idea of what is valuable to them. I think that paying for laundry service is fine. Others drink cocktails (I do not), still others spend copious amounts of money gambling or in the spa...

The bottom line is that it is your vacation time and your money-- spend it the way you want to!:)

[huskerdan25]

Hey - no problem! :) I just don't like to have to hassle with doing laundry on vacation as we are usually busy from morning til night. I used to do my own laundry on board years ago if the self-service laundries were available on board. Now, I choose to use the ship's laundry services. It also helps us to be able to pack lighter.

 

I guess "reasonable" is if you compare the $49.00 for unlimited laundry vs what the "per piece" price is as listed on the ship's laundry price list. Of course, one can do it for much less by utilizing the self-service laundry IF one is available on board.

 

I was merely trying to address the OP's consternation at having no self-service laundry available on the Oosterdam, and to let her know perhaps for future reference, that an alternative is available from HAL. If one takes 2 to 3 week cruises as we sometimes do, having that option when there is no self-service laundry on board, is a life-saver. I was not trying to impose my practices on anyone else. No offense meant to anyone!

 

No offense taken. I simply shared my opinion. I hope this isn't common on this board to have people overreact to a simple opinion on something. I already said this was a very minor issue. I don't expect HA and Princess to do everything the same and I'm sure once I sail HA, I will note the differences, big and small. My post was not to criticize but my experiences have been on one cruise line so I can only share those experiences. While I doubt I will pay $49 for laundry services for a 7 day cruise with HA, I'm glad others like it. For the price, in my opinion, it isn't really a perk to me.

[TracieABD]

Oh no!!!!

Is laundry service going to become the next hot-button topic like smoking, chair hogging and formal dress (she says, with tongue in cheek)?!?!:cool:

[luvs2travl]

No offense taken. I simply shared my opinion. I hope this isn't common on this board to have people overreact to a simple opinion on something. I already said this was a very minor issue. I don't expect HA and Princess to do everything the same and I'm sure once I sail HA, I will note the differences, big and small. My post was not to criticize but my experiences have been on one cruise line so I can only share those experiences. While I doubt I will pay $49 for laundry services for a 7 day cruise with HA, I'm glad others like it. For the price, in my opinion, it isn't really a perk to me.

 

HAL & Princess are very similar. We love both lines and cruise them almost exclusively. I'm sure you will be well-pleased with either line. I wish you many more cruises over your lifetime and always with Smooth Sailing!! :):)