Tote Bags???

[vjblk]

We sailed the Amsterdam at the beginning of August and we received a tote bag but it wasn't the canvas bag. It was a blue bag, very similar to the ones you buy in grocery stores these days. It was a nice bag but nothing like the old canvas bags.

[iriemon]

We have only been getting one the past couple of trips even though on some of the cruises there were 3 of us in the room. Hey got to cut corners somewhere and I would rather there than anymore service cuts.

[kc320]

Thanks for all the comments!! I am glad to hear they are still giving them out...and even happier that they are doing it early in the cruise...when we sailed on Maasdam many years ago they did not give them out until our last night onboard...would have come in handy for shopping at some of the ports..

[languageartslady]

Anyone have a picture of the bags? This is the first I've heard of them! Another thing to look forward to!

[sail7seas]

Here is a link to one for sale on e-bay.

This is a 'vintage' one from years ago but the general shape and size/canvas is the same. Different pattern now.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-HOLLAND-AMERICA-CRUISES-CANVAS-TOTE-BAG-CRUISE-LINE-/400284224957

[GeriatricNurse]

The first time I was on HAL we both received a tote bag. Last month we received one even though two of us were in the cabin. It didn't seem as large as the last ones we received.

 

Unfortunately we were looking after a dog for the past two weeks and she managed to knock it off the table where I'd left it and once it hit the floor she peed on it so I threw it out! Talk about making a statement!

 

Next HAL cruise in 2 weeks so I'll see if we get one or two totes this time.

 

We've only gotten one on our last few cruises too. No biggie - but if we get the nice collectors' totes next cruise - I will ask our steward for another one if we only get one:D The worst they can say is no, right;)

 

 

I believe that only one tote is (supposed) to be placed in each stateroom, (regardless of the number of persons in it), but I, (as a solo), have never had any problem receiving a second tote, on any cruise, when I requested a second tote from my stateroom steward! ;) Should I have tipped the steward 'extra' for that request? :confused:

[bcd2010]

Here's a photo of the 2 bags we got on our collectors cruise in March. On the left is the "regular" one, on the right is the one we got on the 2nd leg of that collector's cruise (the sizes of the photos are different and does not indicate correctly the difference in the size of the totes). I was cruising with DS and we each got one of each.

[Wakepatrol]

I believe that only one tote is (supposed) to be placed in each stateroom, (regardless of the number of persons in it), but I, (as a solo), have never had any problem receiving a second tote, on any cruise, when I requested a second tote from my stateroom steward! ;) Should I have tipped the steward 'extra' for that request? :confused:

 

If everyone is entitled to one tote bag,why ask for two?:confused:

[sail7seas]

bcd.......

 

Thanks for posting the photos.

I really like the large Mariners tote given to Collectors cruisers. :)

It's larger, sturdier, nice straps, pocket in the front....... nice.

 

 

[OVgirl]

On our last Collector's Cruise we were given the canvas bags on both segments. I'll have to remember to ask for the blue one on the second half of our next one. Hopefully, they will have one available. They do look much nicer.

[languageartslady]

Thanks for the pictures, everyone! Seriously, I keep finding out small things to get excited about. I mostly have sailed on RCCL, so I know most of the things that happen on those cruises.

 

How exciting!

[sail7seas]

It's funny...... we only sailed RCI once and they gave us a large plastic shopping bag with RCI logo on it. I was going through a pile of 'stuff' the other day and found that bag. It has to be at least 20 years old and I never used it. :) It got tossed. :eek:

[Traveling Dot]

On our cruise to Hawaii in April we got two canvas bags but on our cruise last month we only got one bag. Which was fine I have so many of them already and besides on the cruise in April I won two blue tote bags at trivia. They are nylon and fold up into a little pouch and they hold quite a bit. I take those with me on my cruises now.

[Rebel54]

Had a dream last night that I went on my cruise and as we were disembarking, I realized I forgot to look in the drawers to find my tote.

 

:( Making a note to self to make sure I don't forget to look for my tote!

[indokiwi]

We sailed the Amsterdam at the beginning of August and we received a tote bag but it wasn't the canvas bag. It was a blue bag, very similar to the ones you buy in grocery stores these days. It was a nice bag but nothing like the old canvas bags.

 

These are the new tote bags. They are no longer the canvas, cream ones for cruises. We had them this summer on the Zaandam and recognized the fabric from the same bags that look like really strong papery material that we buy in our grocery store for 50cents. They are navy, are the same size as the old ones and have white writing on the sides. I would post a picture, but I gave it away to a neighbor (we live in a city where plastic bags are banned and you have to bring your own to the supermarket and even the shopping malls ;)). I asked the cabin steward if these were new and he said yes, they were replacing the standard canvas ones. We didn't have collectors on the Zaandam (yes, there were back to back cruisers going north and southbound, but not a HAL marketed collector cruise), so we didn't see if they were still handing out the nice blue and white canvas totes for that. We really like those ones. Interestingly enough, we were docked with a Princess ship in Skagway and I noticed that they have the exact same bags too, just a different color scheme with a brighter blue with white piping and writing (and I also noticed that those bags are featured in a picture on the front page of Cruisecritic.com under the "Community" banner, therefore people can check out what their new HAL bags will look like). I would imagine that the Carnival corporation pooled the lines together to get a good deal on the totes.

 

I would expect that ships will continue to hand out their stock of canvas totes and then will all switch to the new navy ones. They look very nice, but they will not last as long as the canvas ones.

[sail7seas]

So many things HAL seem to originate at Princess.

 

Thanks for telling about the new bags.

We got the traditional one on our Oosterdam cruise in June.

[sppunk]

I have the new bag in my counter, I'll get a photo later tonight and post.

 

It is the blue one that is simikar to ones you find at grocery stores. We also only were given one bag.

[PathfinderEss]

Here is the new Hal bag we got on the Amsterdam.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Here is the new Hal bag we got on the Amsterdam.

 

 

That actually looks really nice. I have seen the Princess and I think I have one. The Princess one was (or at least when I received it) was a bit more paper bag feel. It looks like the HAL one is a bit nicer. Many of the cruise lines are going to these. I was just given one that is from Uniworld Boutique River Cruises today at a Travel Shoe that looks almost the same.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Here is the Uniworld one I just received today. It sure looks similar. :)

 

[sail7seas]

Thanks for posting the photo.

I like it from the photo and will be interested to see/feel it..... can't decide from a photo how substantial or sturdy it is. :)

 

[sppunk]

Yup that's the same bag we received. It's ok, not as strong as I'd like but it is good for lighter things.

[Johanna7]

Here is the new Hal bag we got on the Amsterdam.

 

Just got home yesterday from the 14 day Alaska cruise which we enjoyed. The bag - well, in Ketchekan there is a store called Tongasstrading and if you spend 5 bucks or more, you get their red one free. Much larger than HALs and if you want more, they sell them for 99 cents!

 

In the craft class we got to decorate it. What a mess mine is. So were my hands for a day despite many washings as the paint adhered better to my hands than the bag.

On previous cruises on HAL, was just on one July 29 to Aug. 6 to Bermuda and they had the nicer old HAL bags and in craft classes the nice cards you put together and also the lanyards you made with beads and the journals with all types of nice craft stuff. All free. All they had on this one was the paint to decorate you own bag. Also had HAL ribbon to make bracelets. Yes, looks like cutback are the name of the game.

[carri cruiser]

So many things HAL seem to originate at Princess.

 

Thanks for telling about the new bags.

We got the traditional one on our Oosterdam cruise in June.

by "traditional" one, do you mean the whitish bag with Hal's name all over it? that's the one we got on our June 1st fourteen day cruise this year!

We have always only gotten one bag per stateroom. (even when there were 3 of us in one stateroom)

[indokiwi]

That actually looks really nice. I have seen the Princess and I think I have one. The Princess one was (or at least when I received it) was a bit more paper bag feel. It looks like the HAL one is a bit nicer. Many of the cruise lines are going to these. I was just given one that is from Uniworld Boutique River Cruises today at a Travel Shoe that looks almost the same.

 

They feel identical. It's the same material, just a darker color. A princess cruiser and my husband compared bags on the shuttle bus that ran all over Skagway (it was raining and the only way not to get soaked). It feels just like really strong construction paper, but it can get wet and hold things! I just wouldn't put anything too heavy in it, nor something in a large box with sharp corners that might tear it.