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

[terrydtx]

25 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

Thanks; this is pretty much what I'd concluded already ... the mention of room service got me all excited as a new possibility!  I'm eager and willing to go to the Explorations Cafe (I've never used room service ever in my life and don't plan to until I can no longer move!), but my dilemma is my partner isn't interested in a specialty coffee and just wants to go for breakfast, so I guess I'll have to zip up to Explorations Cafe, grab two lattes at once, then head back down to breakfast - probably in the Lido knowing her. On Viking, they have a free self-serve espresso machine right there in the main dining area (World Cafe), so I can grab it quickly (and repeatedly) during breakfast. Oh well; more exercise so that's good. 

While having breakfast in the Lido or MDR you can order a specialty coffee with Breakfast. I believe the Oosterdam has a specialty coffee bar in the Lido. You can also order coffees with dinner in the MDR.

Edited August 10 by terrydtx

[Host Kat]

7 hours ago, glutenhab said:

Can we bring cans of carbonated water (Perrier/Bubly etc.) aboard Holland America ships? Says so much water is allowed. Does this qualify?

 

Hello @glutenhab

 

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[Lido deck main]

19 hours ago, Steerpike58 said:

Thanks; this is pretty much what I'd concluded already ... the mention of room service got me all excited as a new possibility!  I'm eager and willing to go to the Explorations Cafe (I've never used room service ever in my life and don't plan to until I can no longer move!), but my dilemma is my partner isn't interested in a specialty coffee and just wants to go for breakfast, so I guess I'll have to zip up to Explorations Cafe, grab two lattes at once, then head back down to breakfast - probably in the Lido knowing her. On Viking, they have a free self-serve espresso machine right there in the main dining area (World Cafe), so I can grab it quickly (and repeatedly) during breakfast. Oh well; more exercise so that's good. 

I just got off Nieuw Amsterdam, in addition to explorations cafe for coffee, they also sold speciality coffee in the lido and Pinnacle Bar Cafe.  Wouldn’t surprise me if they added speciality coffee machine in the lido for all ships, another much needed money maker for the cruise line, also convenient for passengers. 

[Birdhunter67]

On 8/9/2024 at 2:03 PM, Steerpike58 said:

A mundane question ... does HA have a laundry room for self-service laundry, and more to the point - do they have ironing boards and irons for passenger use? We just got back from a Viking cruise and while I didn't use their self-serve laundry, I did touch up all my shirts with their iron and it was very convenient. We're on the Oosterdam - Vista class. 

No to self service and irons. You can send items out for pressing only if needed. For laundry, you can get it done by the piece but a far better option is by the bag and you can stuff them very full. 

[Steerpike58]

23 hours ago, terrydtx said:

While having breakfast in the Lido or MDR you can order a specialty coffee with Breakfast. I believe the Oosterdam has a specialty coffee bar in the Lido. You can also order coffees with dinner in the MDR.

Well that's interesting, and I think contradicts what I've read previously (but can't be sure at this point). Being able to order a latte in the Lido with breakfast would be perfect! I will have the HIA package so it should be covered.  So - in the Lido, I understand it's self-service for the food, but are there roaming waiters ready to take drinks orders at breakfast? That would be great! 

[0106]

18 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

So - in the Lido, I understand it's self-service for the food, but are there roaming waiters ready to take drinks orders at breakfast? That would be great! 

There are servers in the Lido that will take your drink order!

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Steerpike58 said:

Well that's interesting, and I think contradicts what I've read previously (but can't be sure at this point). Being able to order a latte in the Lido with breakfast would be perfect! I will have the HIA package so it should be covered.  So - in the Lido, I understand it's self-service for the food, but are there roaming waiters ready to take drinks orders at breakfast? That would be great! 

I don't know about contradictions, the only question I remember you asking was about ordering specialty coffee drinks with room service, which you can't do. You can either get them yourself in the Lido self-service or have the Lido servers get them just like a bloody Mary or mimosa. The Lido barista is only open during the meal hours of the Lido, as I recall.

 

BTW if you want an espresso machine in your cabin the Neptune Suites on HAL have a Nespresso pod machine.

Edited August 11 by terrydtx

[kirkc]

It’s not a Nessppresso machine. It’s something like it and not that great. IMO.

[Steerpike58]

16 hours ago, kirkc said:

It’s not a Nessppresso machine. It’s something like it and not that great. IMO.

Nespresso machines are not related to espresso machines, anyway! See this helpful article: https://www.homesandgardens.com/shopping/nespresso-vs-espresso "Nespresso and espresso machines sound almost identical, but they're completely different coffee makers". But my biggest desire is for properly foamed / steamed milk. Some Nespresso machines have an attachment that foams the milk by spinning it with a high-speed wheel, which produces a barely-tolerable foam compared to a steam wand.  

 

I'll be totally happy with the fact that the Lido serves specialty coffees - that's more than I had hoped for. 

 

Edited August 11 by Steerpike58

[Steerpike58]

17 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I don't know about contradictions, the only question I remember you asking was about ordering specialty coffee drinks with room service, which you can't do. You can either get them yourself in the Lido self-service or have the Lido servers get them just like a bloody Mary or mimosa. The Lido barista is only open during the meal hours of the Lido, as I recall.

 

BTW if you want an espresso machine in your cabin the Neptune Suites on HAL have a Nespresso pod machine.

I had asked months ago, and received information that suggested that I'd have to go to the Explorations Cafe to get my Latte.  What you've told me here is great news and much appreciated. 

 

ETA - this is a post I found previously that suggested Lido does not have specialty coffees; but - it is from 2016 so times have obviously changed! 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2258703-coffee-in-the-lido-in-the-morning/#comment-48443870

 

Edited August 11 by Steerpike58

[MaisonRose]

Also consider that specialty coffee as a morning break (10am and lounge like a European)

[Lido deck main]

On 8/10/2024 at 5:39 PM, Steerpike58 said:

Well that's interesting, and I think contradicts what I've read previously (but can't be sure at this point). Being able to order a latte in the Lido with breakfast would be perfect! I will have the HIA package so it should be covered.  So - in the Lido, I understand it's self-service for the food, but are there roaming waiters ready to take drinks orders at breakfast? That would be great! 

 No, they have the espresso machines in one of the corners of the lido.  Just like they have in the exploration cafe area.  You would get your own speciality coffee, people wait in line in the lido for speciality coffee just like you would in line at the exploration cafe.

[Mary229]

13 hours ago, Steerpike58 said:

I had asked months ago, and received information that suggested that I'd have to go to the Explorations Cafe to get my Latte.  What you've told me here is great news and much appreciated. 

 

ETA - this is a post I found previously that suggested Lido does not have specialty coffees; but - it is from 2016 so times have obviously changed! 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2258703-coffee-in-the-lido-in-the-morning/#comment-48443870

 

Not all ships have specialty coffee in the lido. On the Volendam now - they do not.  I have never seen self serve espresso.  I will look today. 

Edited August 12 by Mary229

[terrydtx]

8 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

 No, they have the espresso machines in one of the corners of the lido.  Just like they have in the exploration cafe area.  You would get your own speciality coffee, people wait in line in the lido for speciality coffee just like you would in line at the exploration cafe.

The other option is to have breakfast in the MDR where you can order an espresso or cuppacino which will be brought to your table by your server 

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Not all ships have specialty coffee in the lido. On the Volendam now - they do not.  I have never seen self serve espresso.  I will look today. 

Are you getting off on next Tuesday?  We board next Tuesday for 11 days.

[hummingbird_206]

Is there any advantage or discount for pre-paying gratuities?  We did not get them included during booking nor with our HIA pkg, so just wondering at this point whether to pre-pay?

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, hummingbird_206 said:

Is there any advantage or discount for pre-paying gratuities?  We did not get them included during booking nor with our HIA pkg, so just wondering at this point whether to pre-pay?

The only advantage is you will not have a bill at the end of your cruise and it protects you from any future increases in the daily charge before your cruise. If you have any OBC, that can be used for the daily gratuity charges once onboard.

[Mary229]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Are you getting off on next Tuesday?  We board next Tuesday for 11 days.

Yes. We thought about staying on but decided we have too much on our plate.  The ship is in pretty good shape and the crew is excellent.  With the exception of the MDR reservation system and a few minor tics   everything has been good. The shows have been quite good too. 

[terrydtx]

17 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Yes. We thought about staying on but decided we have too much on our plate.  The ship is in pretty good shape and the crew is excellent.  With the exception of the MDR reservation system and a few minor tics   everything has been good. The shows have been quite good too. 

Sorry we won't meet. We have CO for the cruise with anytime dinning so not worried about MDR reservations. We had thought about booking the cruise you are on with ours B2B, but it just didn't work out for us.

 

BTW, do you know what the current package is for booking another cruise while onboard? We are looking at one of the newly released 2026 New Statendam cruises around the UK.

 

Thanks  and enjoy the rest of your cruise. I bet you are enjoying the lower temperatures, we have been at or over 100 all last week in San Antonio.

Edited August 12 by terrydtx

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Sorry we won't meet. We have CO for the cruise with anytime dinning so not worried about MDR reservations. We had thought about booking the cruise you are on with ours B2B, but it just didn't work out for us.

 

BTW, do you know what the current package is for booking another cruise while onboard? We are looking at one of the newly released 2026 New Statendam cruises around the UK.

 

Thanks  and enjoy the rest of your cruise. I bet you are enjoying the lower temperatures, we have been at or over 100 all last week in San Antonio.

You will get the special OBC.  Mine was $450 per person for a 28 day cruise in an OV plus AARP, refundable of course.  We booked the new Scotland/Iceland solar eclipse   It has 4! Stops in Greenland besides the rarely visited Faroe Islands and northern Scottish Islands.  Check it out.  Joanne is the consultant and she is superb.  One of the best I have met.  
 

The weather is great here

Edited August 12 by Mary229

[simonaitch]

We've booked 3 back to back cruises. Do we need to check in for all 3 cruises or just the

first one ? Does the ship just take our details and check us in on board automatically for the following 2 cruises ?

[Seasick Sailor]

33 minutes ago, simonaitch said:

We've booked 3 back to back cruises. Do we need to check in for all 3 cruises or just the

first one ? Does the ship just take our details and check us in on board automatically for the following 2 cruises ?

 

You're good. Just check in once. Your key card will have your end date on it. Happy sailing!

[57redbird]

On 8/10/2024 at 8:09 PM, kirkc said:

It’s not a Nessppresso machine. It’s something like it and not that great. IMO.

I agree!!!  The coffee was awful as was what was in the Neptune Lounge.

[Steerpike58]

On 8/12/2024 at 9:40 AM, Mary229 said:

Yes. We thought about staying on but decided we have too much on our plate. ...

Are HA cruises not normally sold out? I would have thought the option to 'stay on', on a whim, would simply not be available. Or is there some secret reserve of cabins ... ? 

[Mary229]

3 hours ago, Steerpike58 said:

Are HA cruises not normally sold out? I would have thought the option to 'stay on', on a whim, would simply not be available. Or is there some secret reserve of cabins ... ? 

The next cruise was listed on the standby program a few weeks ago.  My airfare is changeable so I was willing to make a last minute adjustment.  I chose not to do so as a friend decided to come visit us and we now need to go home.