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

[RuthC]

That picture is of the old radio stations, plus the announcements from the bridge. I remember it well from the S- and R-class ships, but don't recall it on the later classes of HAL ships. 
Now that even the radio stations are incorporated into the TV programming I doubt the old radios are even available. I certainly didn't have one like that on the Nieuw Statendam.  

[Haljo1935]

25 minutes ago, RuthC said:

...I certainly didn't have one like that on the Nieuw Statendam.  

Same - have never seen that on any of the HAL ships we've been on. So I think all the ships that don't have that, have to use the TV.

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, RuthC said:

That picture is of the old radio stations, plus the announcements from the bridge. I remember it well from the S- and R-class ships, but don't recall it on the later classes of HAL ships. 
Now that even the radio stations are incorporated into the TV programming I doubt the old radios are even available. I certainly didn't have one like that on the Nieuw Statendam.  

No, there is not one on the NS.  I do think there was one on my cabin on the Zuiderdam perhaps someone onboard could confirm.  

[Fouremco]

17 hours ago, KroozNut said:

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

I'm not sure that there is any internationally recognized "official" lexicon of shipboard terminology, applicable to naval, commercial, cruise or other ships alike, but I do agree, our respective points of view have been made and we should return to the subject at hand. 😊

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

I'm not sure that there is any internationally recognized "official" lexicon of shipboard terminology, applicable to naval, commercial, cruise or other ships alike, but I do agree, our respective points of view have been made and we should return to the subject at hand. 😊

 

I agree, as a matter of fact I'm not sure that all USN terms mesh with other navies either, most are interchangeable like Deck, Bulkhead and Deckhead etc. But others will be different between military navy and merchant navy let alone nation to nation. Just because that's the way the USN says it doesn't mean other terms are wrong.

[Berries32]

Hi everyone, I have a somewhat clueless question that I would much appreciate your input on. I have the Have It All package for my upcoming seven day cruise on the Rotterdam, including one specialty dining credit. The offer details state:

 

Specialty dining is based on cruise duration and ship type. For 6–9-day voyages, guests will receive one night at Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto or Tamarind. For ships without Tamarind, guests will receive one night at Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto. For 10–20-day voyages, guests will receive two nights: one night at Pinnacle Grill and one night at Canaletto and or one night at Tamarind. For ships without Tamarind, guests will receive two nights: one night at Pinnacle Grill and one night at Canaletto. For 21+ day voyages (excluding Grands), guests will receive three nights: one night at Pinnacle Grill, one night at Tamarind and one night at Canaletto. For ships without Tamarind, guests will receive three nights: two nights at Pinnacle Grill, one night at Canaletto. Offer excludes Specialty Dining Events in the Pinnacle Grill such as Sel De Mer, De Librije and Sommelier Dinner. Reservations and dining times will be available to pre-reserve.

 

Notwithstanding the above, Canaletto does not seem to show up as being eligible to use my credit online. I tried using the chat function to speak with a representative, who told me Canaletto was not eligible (after a shocking amount of back and forth and virtually zero comprehension of my question, but I suppose that is beside the point...).

 

I really have no interest in dining at the other two restaurants, even though I understand that they may actually be more expensive options. Does anyone know if it is correct that I am not able to select Canaletto, and if so, whether they have any ability to accommodate an exception to allow me to book Canaletto? If so, is that something I should ask for when on board?

[Cruise Suzy]

@berr  What ship are you on? If it has a Tamarind, then Canaletto is NOT an option for HIA dining. As the offer states, those without Tamarind can substitute Canaletto for Tamarind in your choices. Otherwise your choices are Pinnacle and Tamarind.

 

Those ships with Tamarind are Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Those without a Tamarind are Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Noordam, Westerdam, Volendam and Zaandam.

 

 

Added: I read too fast. I see you are on Rotterdam. So you will NOT be able to use HIA dining for Canaletto.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Cruise Suzy

[Berries32]

6 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

@berr  What ship are you on? If it has a Tamarind, then Canaletto is NOT an option for HIA dining. As the offer states, those without Tamarind can substitute Canaletto for Tamarind in your choices. Otherwise your choices are Pinnacle and Tamarind.

 

Those ships with Tamarind are Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Those without a Tamarind are Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Noordam, Westerdam, Volendam and Zaandam.

 

 

Added: I read too fast. I see you are on Rotterdam. So you will NOT be able to use HIA dining for Canaletto.

Thank you. What you are saying is consistent with what the representative told me over chat, but I don't see where in the offer details it actually says that? It does state that for ships without Tamarind, you'll have to choose between Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. But I don't see where it states that for ships with Tamarind, Canaletto's not an option? Maybe I am misreading something.

[Haljo1935]

8 minutes ago, Berries32 said:

Thank you. What you are saying is consistent with what the representative told me over chat, but I don't see where in the offer details it actually says that? It does state that for ships without Tamarind, you'll have to choose between Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. But I don't see where it states that for ships with Tamarind, Canaletto's not an option? Maybe I am misreading something.

I don't think you are misreading - going back over your post, which I assume is language taken directly from the website, it's not specified when Canaletto is not an option. It only states choices for when Tamarind is not an option.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, Berries32 said:

But I don't see where it states that for ships with Tamarind, Canaletto's not an option? Maybe I am misreading something.

No, you aren't missing anything. The options, as shown in your first post, include Canaletto in all cases, despite what you were told:

 

• 6-9 Days - one choice of Pinnacle, Canaletto, or Tamarind if available;
• 10-20 Days - Pinnacle Grill plus Canaletto, or Tamarind if available;
• 21+ Days - Pinnacle Grill plus Canaletto, plus Tamarind if available. If not available, 2 Pinnacle Grill + Canaletto.

 

The question now is the information that you posted in error, or was it the chat employee who provided incorrect information. The fact that you were unable to book the Canaletto online might be indicative of the former, but we all know that the website isn't perfect.

 

At this point, I'd phone HAL and pursue the issue, or if you booked using a TA, get them to.

 

Having dined multiple times in all three restaurants, I must say that Canaletto would be my last choice. We have a cruise booked on the Nieuw Statendam next year with two HIA specialty dinners. We will definitely book the Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind. 

 

[ski ww]

We were just on the Nieuw Statendam on a two week cruise with the HIA package & we did book a night in the Canaletto as a dinning option.

[islandwoman]

I booked a cruise with an Early Booking Have it All package that includes crew gratuities, wi-fi, and beverage package.  But as I'm looking for another cruise, (not early booking though),  it looks like the Have It All packages offered don't include crew gratuities.  Is that correct?  The crew gratuities are what make the Have It All a good value for me.

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

I booked a cruise with an Early Booking Have it All package that includes crew gratuities, wi-fi, and beverage package.  But as I'm looking for another cruise, (not early booking though),  it looks like the Have It All packages offered don't include crew gratuities.  Is that correct?  The crew gratuities are what make the Have It All a good value for me.

The "regular" HIA does not include Crew Incentive, has Surf Wi-Fi (not Premium) and Signature (not Elite) Beverage Package. Recently, there has been an Early Booking bonus HIA that includes Crew Incentive, Premium Wi-Fi and Elite Beverage Package. Both versions include dining and shore excursion allowances.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

I booked a cruise with an Early Booking Have it All package that includes crew gratuities, wi-fi, and beverage package.  But as I'm looking for another cruise, (not early booking though),  it looks like the Have It All packages offered don't include crew gratuities.  Is that correct?  The crew gratuities are what make the Have It All a good value for me.

The early booking discount is usually only available for the first 90 days after the cruise is released for booking. We got it for our Volendam cruise next year but was not available when we booked our K'Dam cruise in November.

[ExArkie]

23 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

The early booking discount is usually only available for the first 90 days after the cruise is released for booking. We got it for our Volendam cruise next year but was not available when we booked our K'Dam cruise in November.

That is what I understood, but I think the key word is "usually."

 

We booked an April 2025 transpacific on March 24, 2023 (having had two Japan trips cancelled for obvious reasons during the last few years, we figured starting planning two years ahead might work). It did include the Early Booking HIA with gratuities, upgraded WiFi and beverage package, etc. At the time we booked on HAL's Web site, this particular trip was not being shown on the various OTA sites I checked at the time, so it was pretty newly released.

 

Being curious about the offer's timing, I checked this morning. This particular voyage is still offered with the HIA Early Booking offer, 136 days after we booked. So, sometimes it appears that the offer does hang around longer, but I don't have enough data to determine how they decide which trips get to keep it longer. Perhaps related to the rate at which the cabins are being sold?

 

Our Signature Suite was still listed at the same price we booked, by the way...

 

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

That is what I understood, but I think the key word is "usually."

 

We booked an April 2025 transpacific on March 24, 2023 (having had two Japan trips cancelled for obvious reasons during the last few years, we figured starting planning two years ahead might work). It did include the Early Booking HIA with gratuities, upgraded WiFi and beverage package, etc. At the time we booked on HAL's Web site, this particular trip was not being shown on the various OTA sites I checked at the time, so it was pretty newly released.

 

Being curious about the offer's timing, I checked this morning. This particular voyage is still offered with the HIA Early Booking offer, 136 days after we booked. So, sometimes it appears that the offer does hang around longer, but I don't have enough data to determine how they decide which trips get to keep it longer. Perhaps related to the rate at which the cabins are being sold?

 

Our Signature Suite was still listed at the same price we booked, by the way...

 

The 90 days limitation was the language when we booked our 2024 Volendam cruise in February. Looking at HAL website I see that has changed and it looks like the promo is being used to drive new bookings in 2025 and 2024 cruises. It is still available on our Volendam cruise. Here is a link to how it currently works. 

Have It All Early Booking Bonus | Holland America Line

[islandwoman]

Is the Volendam the only HAL ship that has Lanai cabins? 

[terrydtx]

12 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

Is the Volendam the only HAL ship that has Lanai cabins? 

Yes, her sister ship Zaandam does not have them.

[mafig]

We have HIA and our cruise is 9 days on Rotterdam.  So based on above, we have a choice of Pinnacle, Canaletto, or Tamarind.

 

We'll probably book Pinnacle.  Are there any restrictions when ordering?  

[Dismomx5]

23 minutes ago, mafig said:

We have HIA and our cruise is 9 days on Rotterdam.  So based on above, we have a choice of Pinnacle, Canaletto, or Tamarind.

 

We'll probably book Pinnacle.  Are there any restrictions when ordering?  

No restrictions. Enjoy!

[Mary229]

24 minutes ago, mafig said:

We have HIA and our cruise is 9 days on Rotterdam.  So based on above, we have a choice of Pinnacle, Canaletto, or Tamarind.

 

We'll probably book Pinnacle.  Are there any restrictions when ordering?  

No restrictions except which restaurants.  HIA limits you to specific choice’s depending on ship and length of cruise

[terrydtx]

38 minutes ago, mafig said:

We have HIA and our cruise is 9 days on Rotterdam.  So based on above, we have a choice of Pinnacle, Canaletto, or Tamarind.

 

We'll probably book Pinnacle.  Are there any restrictions when ordering?  

No restrictions but you should book well before you board. When you do it online and go to make payment the website will ask if you want to use you HIA credit.

[SSBrickNJ]

On 7/29/2023 at 3:43 PM, Fouremco said:

I last sailed on the Nieuw Statendam in 2019, and at that time there were two USB ports, one by the bed and one by the desk. I'd forgotten about the one by the desk until I checked my photos a few minutes ago.  Were you in a suite? Maybe they have the additional ports. If not, maybe they've simply added an extra couple of ports.

 

In 2019, the ports were USB-A. When you sailed her recently, were any of the four USB-C?

 

 

We had plenty of options to charge our phones.

Additionally, we thought the inner stateroom was well thought out...well designed.

HAL did a great job!

[crystalspin]

13 hours ago, mafig said:

We'll probably book Pinnacle.  Are there any restrictions when ordering?  

There are additional fee entrees, but I read that the fee for a second starter has been removed.

[Haljo1935]

8 hours ago, crystalspin said:

There are additional fee entrees, but I read that the fee for a second starter has been removed.

I read that, too, and am so looking forward to candied bacon 🥓