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Holland America 2019 World Cruise


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Will the WC definitely be on the Amsterdam? The TA I spoke w/ told me that HAl was considering a larger ship since the 2018 sold out so quickly.

 

Also, when is the Amsterdam dry dock and what will they be replacing during the dry dock?

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Will the WC definitely be on the Amsterdam? The TA I spoke w/ told me that HAl was considering a larger ship since the 2018 sold out so quickly.

 

Also, when is the Amsterdam dry dock and what will they be replacing during the dry dock?

 

The 2019 proposed itinerary is just that much different that it might sell out the Amsterdam again. It would make sense for HAL to go with a larger ship although I am sure many of the smaller ship fans would be very upset.

 

The drydock is immediately after the 2018 WC.

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The 2019 proposed itinerary is just that much different that it might sell out the Amsterdam again. It would make sense for HAL to go with a larger ship although I am sure many of the smaller ship fans would be very upset.

 

The drydock is immediately after the 2018 WC.

 

The itinerary would be attractive for repeat world cruisers. But I think a lot of folks would take a pass on a larger ship, regardless of the itinerary.

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The 2019 proposed itinerary is just that much different that it might sell out the Amsterdam again. It would make sense for HAL to go with a larger ship although I am sure many of the smaller ship fans would be very upset.

 

The drydock is immediately after the 2018 WC.

 

WCB is still reporting leaks from plumbing and occasional buckets in hallways/public areas. They have mentioned this issue in blog posts in the recent past during their cruises. I have concerns about the Amsterdam's dry docking schedule. Too long between the dock yard visits?

 

I am booked on her for her July 3, 2017 cruise. If lots of leaks and buckets are observed by me, Seattle (HAL) and Miami (CCL) are going to hear from me.

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I've been following this thread. Am anxious to see pricing for 2019. The earliest I could take a WC would be 2021 (plan on retiring at the end of 2020), but it's not early to be planning and saving.

 

I will have to book an inside as I would be sailing solo. An advantage to having the HAL WC on one of the older ships is the larger size of the cabins. An inside on a ship like Amsterdam is much different than the 125 sq. ft. tuna can :evilsmile: I was assigned on Noordam.

 

I've considered doing segments, but the added cost of flying one-way from a far away port adds to the overall cost significantly.

 

Thanks to all who have posted with information.

 

Roz

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I started watching the world cruises in 2011 after deciding to retire in 2012. I have not noticed any major price increases from year to year. The only big increase I ever saw was when HAL's 2018 WC started to sell out. My cabin type increased a couple of thousand dollars.

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The itinerary would be attractive for repeat world cruisers. But I think a lot of folks would take a pass on a larger ship, regardless of the itinerary.

 

I suspect the same. For one thing, as Roz points out, the cabins on the R class ship are larger than on the Vista and Signature ships. I am having trouble envisioning a long cruise in a veranda cabin in one of the latter ships.

 

Secondly, the Amsterdam can get into ports that the larger ships may not be able to get into.

 

Third, the Amsterdam is outfitted with a crew that has been trained for the Grand voyages. From what I gather, never having had the privilege (yet) of enjoyed a World cruise, the crew, menu, and passenger pampering is simply a cut above other cruises.

 

Fourth, when has any line simply substituted another ship for the the scheduled one if the bookings exceed the capacity. I think the TA who suggested this is dreaming.

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Tampa Girl,

 

There is a myth that the crew on HAL's Grand World Voyages are trained for such service. I won't deny that many of the crew are very experienced having sailed such voyages for some years. And, their service reflects that experience. But, not all of the crew are of that caliber.

 

In 2008, my World Cruise experience: my stateroom Steward was only on his second contract and eventually tried to jump ship in Singapore only to be discovered by Security and thus fired. His service, from embarkation day to Singapore, did not match World Cruise standards in my opinion. (A Supervisor was daily in my corridor where he was working.) He was replaced with a Steward who was "promoted", I guess, from servicing the cabins of the Amsterdam's Officers. The gentleman did a good job, but I have received far better stateroom Steward service on HAL ships that were not on a World Cruise.

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Tampa Girl,

 

There is a myth that the crew on HAL's Grand World Voyages are trained for such service. I won't deny that many of the crew are very experienced having sailed such voyages for some years. And, their service reflects that experience. But, not all of the crew are of that caliber.

 

In 2008, my World Cruise experience: my stateroom Steward was only on his second contract and eventually tried to jump ship in Singapore only to be discovered by Security and thus fired. His service, from embarkation day to Singapore, did not match World Cruise standards in my opinion. (A Supervisor was daily in my corridor where he was working.) He was replaced with a Steward who was "promoted", I guess, from servicing the cabins of the Amsterdam's Officers. The gentleman did a good job, but I have received far better stateroom Steward service on HAL ships that were not on a World Cruise.

 

How disappointing. I trust, though, that your experience was not the norm. At least, having read the blogs from recent World Cruisers, it does not appear to be.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Wow, how many years in advance do you have to get in line to even make a reservation?

 

Roz

 

Sent from my SM-S820L using Forums mobile app

 

What is the seemingly sudden fascination with these world cruises on HAL? 2018 is totally sold out and was so at an unusually early date, I was told. With some of the "issues" and "changes" experienced HAL world cruisers are noting, i.e. the CC Blog of one particular couple, I am a bit mystified that 2019 seems to be selling so well.

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What is the seemingly sudden fascination with these world cruises on HAL? 2018 is totally sold out and was so at an unusually early date, I was told. With some of the "issues" and "changes" experienced HAL world cruisers are noting, i.e. the CC Blog of one particular couple, I am a bit mystified that 2019 seems to be selling so well.

 

I was wondering the same thing. After watching the world cruises (mainly HAL and Cunard) for a number of years, you could usually book a cabin a couple of days before the cruise departed. There were also years when certain cabins were actually reduced in price.

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We will be on Viking's first WC in January (some start in December in Miami) and it is my understanding that this cruise is about sold out. There are only about 900 passengers though.

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This was an issue back on the 2015 WC too. I just don't understand that the flagship of the cruise line and one that does 2 Grands a year is in this kind of disrepair. We've had constant issues on the Verandah deck with no hot water at night too on the 2013 and 2015 WC. From what I understand, the only major repairs they made was to the suite deck during the last dry dock. There is certainly not enough time spent (nor often enough) in dry dock, not by a long shot.

 

 

But, "they" know we love our ships and that we will go regardless.....it's unfortunate that the loyal get taken advantage of in that way.

 

 

Linda R.

 

 

WCB is still reporting leaks from plumbing and occasional buckets in hallways/public areas. They have mentioned this issue in blog posts in the recent past during their cruises. I have concerns about the Amsterdam's dry docking schedule. Too long between the dock yard visits?

 

I am booked on her for her July 3, 2017 cruise. If lots of leaks and buckets are observed by me, Seattle (HAL) and Miami (CCL) are going to hear from me.

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Re: the popularity of the HAL WC...it's the itinerary for us. I've looked at all the other comparable WC offerings, and FOR US, they just don't hit the ports that really are of interest. When they posted the "proposed 2019 WC", we loved seeing it would hit Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, Jordan, several Ireland ports, etc...so we quickly put in a reservation to reserve. The '18 cruise had African ports as well as Hong Kong, Singapore, Viet Nam, etc. we wanted to do. Oceana's are too long (180 days), and the Queens are just not hitting the ports we want, nor are Princess. Other companies are too expensive.

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I think it is because of the Baby Boomers .

 

I agree that this has a lot to do with it. A huge slug of retirees or soon to be retired with the time and money to do a WC.

 

Roz

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Re: the popularity of the HAL WC...it's the itinerary for us. I've looked at all the other comparable WC offerings, and FOR US, they just don't hit the ports that really are of interest. When they posted the "proposed 2019 WC", we loved seeing it would hit Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, Jordan, several Ireland ports, etc...so we quickly put in a reservation to reserve. The '18 cruise had African ports as well as Hong Kong, Singapore, Viet Nam, etc. we wanted to do. Oceana's are too long (180 days), and the Queens are just not hitting the ports we want, nor are Princess. Other companies are too expensive.

 

For us, also, the HAL WC is preferable, primarily because of itinerary, and it seems that there are more overnights on HAL. Also, the Amsterdam's balcony cabins are larger than Cunard's Britannia, our second choice, Cunard. I just can't imagine spending 80 - 120 days in a 128 SF cabin.

 

Also, and this is very subjective, we much prefer the food on HAL, finding that even the upgraded Princess Grille dishes are a little bland for our taste.

 

But the con side of HAL is the price. We can take the 2019 QV WC for less than what it would cost us to take the 2017 Grand Asia, 80-day cruise.

 

Conclusion: I think I could be talked into the 2019 QV, but my preference would be for HAL.

 

Re why suddenly the WC's are selling out - besides an influx of baby boomers, our U.S. economy is robust for the first time in several years, and the stock market has been on fire. Those of us who could not see our way clear five or six years ago to take a WC, retirement notwithstanding, can now actually contemplate such a cruise.

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