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

[RGEDad]

On 7/1/2021 at 4:19 PM, QuiltingGirl said:

Does HAL provide shampoo and hairdryers in all cabins?  Do they offer port talks & cruise tour reviews?  What is their tour cancellation policy?  We've chosen our tours and I want to book now (want to get before they are full, & want to feel we're making progress towards cruising again), but want to be able to change our minds.

does not look like your questions were answered. Let me give it a try...

♦Shampoo - Yes, Shower has Shampoo, body wash, and conditioner dispensers. Hand soap dispenser also by the sink (since COVID - no more bar soap)

♦Hair Driers are provided (typically in the cabinet next to the desk). FYI: NO Heat producing devices of any are permitted - and no surge protectors of any kind either.

♦You can cancel the pre-paid cruise tour - I think up to 3 days before the cruise on-line - money is refunded the source funding. Can also cancel on-board - cut-off times can vary so check with the excursion desk. Good thing about doing HAL excursions is - if the tours is cancelled - they automatically refund. We just had a tour - and the tour cancelled the dinner portion for some reason - we got a partial refund the next day - credit to OBC.

Hope that answers some of your questions

[DataDon]

So hot air brushes and curling irons are not permitted?

 

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, DataDon said:

So hot air brushes and curling irons are not permitted?

 

 

I've brought flat irons and curling irons on every cruise I've ever taken.  Never a problem with them brought to my attention. 

[KrausHaus]

WINE QUESTIONS

We got a good deal on the 'Have it All' option which includes 15 daily beverages. Is that per person or per stateroom? I looked at the wine list and it looks like that will be OK for us. But does that mean we will just have to order wines by the glass for dinner instead of just getting a bottle? And what is current corkage policy? I've always brought enough for a trip but only may need to bring a few for use in our cabin. I think that corkage was $18 last time I checked.

[KrausHaus]

Just found that corkage fee is now $20 per bottle. 

[RGEDad]

8 hours ago, DataDon said:

So hot air brushes and curling irons are not permitted?

I may have painted with too broad a stroke...

I need to find the actual list as I think Curling irons were permitted, but hair dryer (which is what i think a Hot Air Brush is - unsure as I am a boy) is not...Hair Dryers are provided.

I will see if i can find the list - again

[puppycanducruise]

8 hours ago, '51 Pinot said:

WINE QUESTIONS

We got a good deal on the 'Have it All' option which includes 15 daily beverages. Is that per person or per stateroom? I looked at the wine list and it looks like that will be OK for us. But does that mean we will just have to order wines by the glass for dinner instead of just getting a bottle? And what is current corkage policy? I've always brought enough for a trip but only may need to bring a few for use in our cabin. I think that corkage was $18 last time I checked.

It's 15 beverages per person.

[KrausHaus]

OMG, thanks...

[KroozNut]

9 hours ago, puppycanducruise said:

It's 15 beverages per person.

 

If you can do it... Lol  😖

[KrausHaus]

9 hours ago, puppycanducruise said:

It's 15 beverages per person.

Eurodam News: After having ten cups of coffee, man spotted climbing smokestack yelling 'I'm the king of the world'.

[Trapper44]

On 10/10/2021 at 10:34 PM, '51 Pinot said:

WINE QUESTIONS

We got a good deal on the 'Have it All' option which includes 15 daily beverages. Is that per person or per stateroom? I looked at the wine list and it looks like that will be OK for us. But does that mean we will just have to order wines by the glass for dinner instead of just getting a bottle? And what is current corkage policy? I've always brought enough for a trip but only may need to bring a few for use in our cabin. I think that corkage was $18 last time I checked.

The Drink Packages do not include a bottle of wine. They cost more than allowed per drink.😀

[jcbc522]

RE:  the drink package - on the wine by the glass there are some that are less and some that are over your alloted amount per drink.  Be sure when you order be sure you ask for the right one.  My husband ordered the 'cabernet' and the waiter brought him the more expensive one.  Didn't realize til I checked our account that he was charged for the $14 cabernet.  Next time he asked by brand also.  Lesson learned.

[KrausHaus]

I found a recent wine list which I have attached. Not bad selections for < $11. 

My problem is that they often seem to not have what I want in stock.Wine-List-2021.pdf

[sandiego1]

Hair dryers are definitely allowed

[StLouisCruisers]

14 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

Hair dryers are definitely allowed

Agreed.  The ship hair dryers aren't powerful enough for people with thick hair.  

[QuiltingGirl]

On 10/10/2021 at 10:07 AM, RGEDad said:

does not look like your questions were answered. Let me give it a try...

♦Shampoo - Yes, Shower has Shampoo, body wash, and conditioner dispensers. Hand soap dispenser also by the sink (since COVID - no more bar soap)

♦Hair Driers are provided (typically in the cabinet next to the desk). FYI: NO Heat producing devices of any are permitted - and no surge protectors of any kind either.

♦You can cancel the pre-paid cruise tour - I think up to 3 days before the cruise on-line - money is refunded the source funding. Can also cancel on-board - cut-off times can vary so check with the excursion desk. Good thing about doing HAL excursions is - if the tours is cancelled - they automatically refund. We just had a tour - and the tour cancelled the dinner portion for some reason - we got a partial refund the next day - credit to OBC.

Hope that answers some of your questions

Thanks.  Pretty much like RCl.  You seem to be HAL regulars.  Is it true that there is a Catholic Priest on every cruise?  We have a 5 week cruise scheduled for 2022.  Five weeks without mass is a problem.

 

Thanks.

[RuthC]

25 minutes ago, QuiltingGirl said:

Is it true that there is a Catholic Priest on every cruise?  We have a 5 week cruise scheduled for 2022.  Five weeks without mass is a problem.

Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, yes, there is a Catholic priest on every cruise. 
Mass is normally held in the morning on sea days, and 5:00 PM on port days. Also, normally the Saturday Mass is in the evening as a Sunday Vigil Mass. 

[QuiltingGirl]

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, yes, there is a Catholic priest on every cruise. 
Mass is normally held in the morning on sea days, and 5:00 PM on port days. Also, normally the Saturday Mass is in the evening as a Sunday Vigil Mass. 

Thank you.  This could make HAL our new favorite cruise line.

[richstowe]

On 10/17/2021 at 8:09 PM, RuthC said:

Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, yes, there is a Catholic priest on every cruise. 
Mass is normally held in the morning on sea days, and 5:00 PM on port days. Also, normally the Saturday Mass is in the evening as a Sunday Vigil Mass. 

Wow . I thought that had been discontinued long ago along with bridge instructors and gentlemen hosts . 

[kazu]

2 hours ago, richstowe said:

Wow . I thought that had been discontinued long ago along with bridge instructors and gentlemen hosts . 

 

The Catholic priests were still there last time we were on board.  It’s the other religions that were discontinued in many cases except for some high holidays.

[Aloha3]

21 hours ago, richstowe said:

Wow . I thought that had been discontinued long ago along with bridge instructors and gentlemen hosts . 

I assume these positions are similar to the bridge instructors, lectures etc. If you have a skill or services you can apply to go on a cruise ( or several cruises) for a discount/free cruise in return for filling a activity slot. 

[Jim9310]

On 10/17/2021 at 8:09 PM, RuthC said:

Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, yes, there is a Catholic priest on every cruise. 
Mass is normally held in the morning on sea days, and 5:00 PM on port days. Also, normally the Saturday Mass is in the evening as a Sunday Vigil Mass. 

There are lots of Catholic crew members, and onboard  priests also provide services for them.  That keeps them pretty busy. 

Many of them have limited ecumenical experience, and  they seldom provide non-liturgical, non-denominational, services. 

The availability of Catholic priests is diminishing, and that may eventually matter.

[PACD_JG]

Didn't want to start a new topic, but I was just watching videos about Half Moon Cay.  Perhaps I'm stereotyping here, but since the private island is shared by HAL and Carnival...how do the HAL folks think about the intermingling?

 

 

[Mary229]

I was there on a day with a Carnival ship.  I had no idea who was who, none!   It wasn’t crowded either 

[*Miss G*]

I have never been to Half Moon Cay where there has been any other ship than a HAL ship. I am actually shocked that Mary says they shared with a Carnival ship!  They’ve always kept them separated.