New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, Sea42 said:

I wonder if that was the issue for us. I never thought about that until today!

It was for me too.   Your mention reminded me.  It was a first.  There is a button near all of the other light buttons on the headboard that does this.  It is actually just too close to light switches and easily tapped mistakenly 

[sandiego1]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

It was for me too.   Your mention reminded me.  It was a first.  There is a button near all of the other light buttons on the headboard that does this.  It is actually just too close to light switches and easily tapped mistakenly 

I’ve never seen that button on any of the HAL ships we’ve been on. Last 2 cruises were GWV on the Amsterdam and Zuiderdam. Is it specific to certain ships or cabin category?

[Mary229]

19 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

I’ve never seen that button on any of the HAL ships we’ve been on. Last 2 cruises were GWV on the Amsterdam and Zuiderdam. Is it specific to certain ships or cabin category?

My DH seemed to remember it on all of our ships. He recalled it very specifically on the Zuiderdam and this incident was on the Volendam.  It is nested with all of the other buttons and switches on the headboard and is not specifically labeled. 

[islander47]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

As a matter of fact there is.  I accidentally hit it one night on my headboard. The steward showed me how to activate and disengage. 

Where is the switch? Our steward did not understand that is what I wanted to know. We like to hear the announcements in our room and have often stood in the hall to hear them. A switch would be fabulous!

 

 

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, islander47 said:

Where is the switch? Our steward did not understand that is what I wanted to know. We like to hear the announcements in our room and have often stood in the hall to hear them. A switch would be fabulous!

 

 

You said you are on the NS?  I am not sure.  I only just discovered it on the Volendam and the Zuiderdam.  They were both on the light switches on the headboard in those cases .  Did you tell you steward you were hearing unwanted announcements in the cabin.  Call the front desk if he is not sure.  This is not the HAL way, never has been. I hope you can get it figured out. 

[sandiego1]

33 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

My DH seemed to remember it on all of our ships. He recalled it very specifically on the Zuiderdam and this incident was on the Volendam.  It is nested with all of the other buttons and switches on the headboard and is not specifically labeled. 

It wasn’t with the headboard light switches in our J cabin on the Zuiderdam. The speaker was in the middle of our beds (pushed together) and was covered by our pillows. Perhaps it was near the speaker and we didn’t notice it??

[Mary229]

32 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

It wasn’t with the headboard light switches in our J cabin on the Zuiderdam. The speaker was in the middle of our beds (pushed together) and was covered by our pillows. Perhaps it was near the speaker and we didn’t notice it??

It was somewhere on that headboard. Our beds are always pushed together.  I gotta tell you i accidentally hit it and my DH or room steward fixes it. 

[ski ww]

If we wanted to hear the announcements we had to turn on the TV & watch the bow camera channel. 

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

If we wanted to hear the announcements we had to turn on the TV & watch the bow camera channel. 

That's what I've done; I didn't know there was a switch to turn it on and off.

[Dismomx5]

8 hours ago, ski ww said:

If we wanted to hear the announcements we had to turn on the TV & watch the bow camera channel. 

Unfortunately, by the time I get the tv tuned, the announcements are over or pretty close to that. LOL We've never seen or been told about a switch. I'll be searching that sucker out in 3 weeks. 🔍

[ski ww]

14 minutes ago, Dismomx5 said:

Unfortunately, by the time I get the tv tuned, the announcements are over or pretty close to that. LOL We've never seen or been told about a switch. I'll be searching that sucker out in 3 weeks. 🔍

I hear you, I'll be looking for that switch the next time we cruise also, as I'm sure so will a lot of other people.

[islander47]

23 hours ago, Mary229 said:

You said you are on the NS?  I am not sure.  I only just discovered it on the Volendam and the Zuiderdam.  They were both on the light switches on the headboard in those cases .  Did you tell you steward you were hearing unwanted announcements in the cabin.  Call the front desk if he is not sure.  This is not the HAL way, never has been. I hope you can get it figured out. 

 

Our problem is we did not hear announcement in the room so had to stand in the hall. We will get this figured out right away next trip! Thank you so much.

[Mary229]

14 minutes ago, islander47 said:

 

Our problem is we did not hear announcement in the room so had to stand in the hall. We will get this figured out right away next trip! Thank you so much.

Take a picture if you find it.  I will do the same on my next cruise

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Good info - I'll be looking for that switch on the Rotterdam next year. I've never sailed HAL (as an adult), but imagine that there's NO WAY the announcements can be as annoying as they are on Carnival.

 

I'm not aware of a similar option on Carnival - but at least wish they would not broadcast "inch of gold" or similar spiels over the PA when we're in a specialty restaurant. A "fine dining" experience should not include such, IMO. By chance, on HAL, are there similar venues which are free of sales talk or telling you about the events for the evening?

 

Tom

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, islander47 said:

 

had to stand in the hall.

 

Shipboard term: 'Hall' = Passageway   😉

Edited August 3, 2023 by KroozNut

[SUESEABE]

@KroozNut Or corridor 😉

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, SUESEABE said:

@KroozNut Or corridor 😉

Nope.. After 25 years in the U.S. Navy, trust me, I know my shipboard terminology. An indoor 'corridor' or 'hallway' on a ship is called a 'passageway'.

 

The floors of a ship are called decks, the walls are called bulkheads, and the stairs are called ladders. There are no halls or corridors in a ship, only passageways.

 

Look it up.. 😉

Edited August 4, 2023 by KroozNut

[SUESEABE]

@KroozNut I saw the term corridor on a cruise talk site...but I stand corrected from a

true "Old Salt". Looked it up on Navy terms. 😉  Thank you for your service.

[KroozNut]

12 hours ago, SUESEABE said:

@KroozNut I saw the term corridor on a cruise talk site...but I stand corrected from a

true "Old Salt". Looked it up on Navy terms. 😉  Thank you for your service.

It was my honor to serve.. And I've discovered in recent years that civilian cruising is definitely a lot more fun! 😁

[Fouremco]

15 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Nope.. After 25 years in the U.S. Navy, trust me, I know my shipboard terminology. An indoor 'corridor' or 'hallway' on a ship is called a 'passageway'.

Naval ships and cruise ships share many similarities, but the ships and the terminology to describe them are not identical. For example, Holland America doesn't hesitate to use the term "hallway":

 

Additionally, standard stateroom doors and hallways may be too narrow for a wheelchair or scooter to maneuver into and out of the stateroom.

 

15 hours ago, KroozNut said:

and the stairs are called ladders.

A very fitting term for the narrow, steeply angled stairs found on naval ships. But even long-time navies would be hard pressed to use the term "ladder" to describe this staircase and the staircases found on every cruise ship.

 

 

 

And again, Holland America has no hesitation using the term "staircase" as this sign from the New Amsterdam demonstrates.

 

 

 

A rose by any other name... 😇

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Fouremco

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Naval ships and cruise ships share many similarities, but the ships and the terminology to describe them are not identical. For example, Holland America doesn't hesitate to use the term "hallway":

 

Additionally, standard stateroom doors and hallways may be too narrow for a wheelchair or scooter to maneuver into and out of the stateroom.

 

A very fitting term for the narrow, steeply angled stairs found on naval ships. But even long-time navies would be hard pressed to use the term "ladder" to describe this staircase and the staircases found on every cruise ship.

 

 

 

And again, Holland America has no hesitation using the term "staircase" as this sign from the New Amsterdam demonstrates.

 

 

 

A rose by any other name... 😇

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because HAL chooses to ''modify" official shipboard terminology to better suit its guest's understanding doesn't make those terms any more correct.

And I do agree that 'a rose by any other name...' IOW, a passageway referred to by HAL as a 'hallway', 'corridor' (or any other term they choose to dream up), is still correctly referred to as a 'passageway'.

But we digress.. I've made my point, and you've made yours; we just disagree. So we can now return to the original topic of this thread.. whatever that was! 😁

[lisax]

I am new to HAL and wanted to know if travel steamers are allowed. When I looked at website it only mentioned irons

[DE Solo]

22 minutes ago, lisax said:

I am new to HAL and wanted to know if travel steamers are allowed. When I looked at website it only mentioned irons

Clothes steamers are not allowed on HAL ships. If you have clothing that is wrinkled, the laundry can press it, or the Downy wrinkle release spray works pretty well.

[StLouisCruisers]

On 8/3/2023 at 5:26 PM, Mary229 said:

Take a picture if you find it.  I will do the same on my next cruise

Would this be what you’re talking about?  I checked my headboard on Zaandam as soon as I got back to my room tonight and saw this behind the pillows in the middle of the headboard.  I’ve never even noticed it before. 
 

My problem is when I sit up in bed leaning back on a pillow to read I’m turning off the lights in the room all the time. As soon as I lean back, off they go!

[Mary229]

51 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Would this be what you’re talking about?  I checked my headboard on Zaandam as soon as I got back to my room tonight and saw this behind the pillows in the middle of the headboard.  I’ve never even noticed it before. 
 

My problem is when I sit up in bed leaning back on a pillow to read I’m turning off the lights in the room all the time. As soon as I lean back, off they go!

Yep, that’s the one, right behind the pillows where if you are reading in bed and fluffing pillows you might hit it.