Also Mostly Live from the NA 4th Sailing

[expectGREATthings]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. The tomahawk looked pretty awesome, and I've really wanted to see what one looked like. You had a lot of very detail information, and it's much appreciated.

[zgscl]

15 hours ago, caviargal said:

Does anyone dress up for Gala nights?  Starting to pack and I do enjoy dressing up.

Yes. Anything from Mildly dressed (think a wrinkled short sleeve button up tucked into wrinkled pants) all the way to to suit and tie. Might have seen a couple tuxes too. There is a very wide range! 

[zgscl]

3 hours ago, expectGREATthings said:

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. The tomahawk looked pretty awesome, and I've really wanted to see what one looked like. You had a lot of very detail information, and it's much appreciated.

I of course would never buy it but felt compelled for the benefit of cruise critic 😁

[zgscl]

15 hours ago, caviargal said:

Does anyone dress up for Gala nights?  Starting to pack and I do enjoy dressing up.

And for ladies there was a similar range. Slightly nicer than normal nights all the way to cocktail dresses. We enjoyed dressing up and I think it is fun seeing everyone in their clothes. 

[zgscl]

12 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Thank you so much for your cruise reports and pictures. I enjoyed it all, especially the food pictures. Also thanks for sharing your thoughts about kindness, it really does make a difference. Having been in customer service and front desk positions throughout my working days I have experience with rude and negative people and I can attest that a smile and kindness goes a long way. 
 

We will miss you on the Koningsdam in October. Enjoy your November cruise and hopefully you will post about that cruise as well. 
 

Sharon

It is really amazing how poorly people treat folks in the service industry and I think it is absolutely unacceptable. I can tell you that while I always do what I can for customers the ones who are nice will often get a little more if there is anything that I can do (which there usually is). 
 

I will miss seeing you there. Can’t wait to hear how it goes and we will hopefully meet on the next one. 

[zgscl]

12 hours ago, RuthC said:

It's been a joy reading your posts from your trip with your mom. She is fortunate to have you to take her on these adventures. 
Thank you for all your posts. 

I truly understand how difficult it can be for mobility impaired people, who are able to travel alone, to get to the handicap assembly area! Many times other passengers have taken pity on me and helped me. For them, I am ever grateful. 

There was a time when HAL would pick up disabled passengers, bringing a wheelchair to their cabin, then wheeling them directly off! Problem with that was they were always the last passengers. More than once I have heard 'final call' to leave the ship. Sometimes, more than once on the same disembarkation! 

I am so glad you enjoyed it! I always love seeing your comments across the boards. 

 

 After this trip I am a whole lot more aware of the challenges mobility challenges folks go through and I will try to pay attention and share on future trips even if I’m on my own.  Hopefully my mom will get her knee replacement early next year and be fully independent on the trip next year. 
 

I remember when my great aunt was alive we would travel with her and while she had to switch wheelchairs once HAL would always take us to the room (actually we would usually ask for a trip to the lido and then depending on which side of the ship we were on my mom or I would walk down and get the rented chair if the stateroom was far from those elevators). 
 

It was great that our wheelchair was onboard when we got to the room, I am not at all impressed with the dumping disabled passengers in the center atrium when it would not take a whole lot to get them to their cabin (and I think most would be happy to wait if it meant that you could go all the way).
 

Also, I don’t remember if I mentioned it but the wheelchair was broken (and we didn’t notice until the ship sailed). On Sunday we figured out it was not going to work. For some reason they are not authorized to do anything on the ship. You must call the company who then sends a message to corporate who then receives that and sends a message to the ship authorizing a replacement and once that gets routed to housekeeping they will replace your wheelchairs with a wheelchair from the same company that they have onboard. Otherwise you must rent a chair for $100-$200/week. Thank goodness for the Neptune concierge who was able to call the company Monday to get them to approve the change so we didn’t have to wait for however many days it takes the message to get through various offices of HAL and the ship. 
 

I understand it is a third party, but you would think that with it being their preferred vendor they would have given someone on the ship authority to make a switch (and they couldn’t rent it and waive the fees because it is a third party

do you would have to fight the charges with them after you get off. 
 

Not that it will do any good but I am thinking about writing a letter if I can figure out the right contact for accessibility or guest experience. The issue is not any of the people and the crew went above and beyond to get the issue fixed for us but the policies that have been set up by corporate and a couple extremely small changes that would cost them nothing would make a really big difference in terms of accessibility for folks. 

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, zgscl said:

I am so glad you enjoyed it! I always love seeing your comments across the boards. 

 

 After this trip I am a whole lot more aware of the challenges mobility challenges folks go through and I will try to pay attention and share on future trips even if I’m on my own.  Hopefully my mom will get her knee replacement early next year and be fully independent on the trip next year. 
 

I remember when my great aunt was alive we would travel with her and while she had to switch wheelchairs once HAL would always take us to the room (actually we would usually ask for a trip to the lido and then depending on which side of the ship we were on my mom or I would walk down and get the rented chair if the stateroom was far from those elevators). 
 

It was great that our wheelchair was onboard when we got to the room, I am not at all impressed with the dumping disabled passengers in the center atrium when it would not take a whole lot to get them to their cabin (and I think most would be happy to wait if it meant that you could go all the way).
 

Also, I don’t remember if I mentioned it but the wheelchair was broken (and we didn’t notice until the ship sailed). On Sunday we figured out it was not going to work. For some reason they are not authorized to do anything on the ship. You must call the company who then sends a message to corporate who then receives that and sends a message to the ship authorizing a replacement and once that gets routed to housekeeping they will replace your wheelchairs with a wheelchair from the same company that they have onboard. Otherwise you must rent a chair for $100-$200/week. Thank goodness for the Neptune concierge who was able to call the company Monday to get them to approve the change so we didn’t have to wait for however many days it takes the message to get through various offices of HAL and the ship. 
 

I understand it is a third party, but you would think that with it being their preferred vendor they would have given someone on the ship authority to make a switch (and they couldn’t rent it and waive the fees because it is a third party

do you would have to fight the charges with them after you get off. 
 

Not that it will do any good but I am thinking about writing a letter if I can figure out the right contact for accessibility or guest experience. The issue is not any of the people and the crew went above and beyond to get the issue fixed for us but the policies that have been set up by corporate and a couple extremely small changes that would cost them nothing would make a really big difference in terms of accessibility for folks. 

Yes, and it is the little things like this that cost them nothing and can be either so helpful to the passenger in need or such a pain in the you know what that make a difference in whether a service industry is really providing great service.

 

Good luck in getting through to someone in the executive suite and getting a necessary change made.

[boze9999]

9 hours ago, zgscl said:

Yes. Anything from Mildly dressed (think a wrinkled short sleeve button up tucked into wrinkled pants) all the way to to suit and tie. Might have seen a couple tuxes too. There is a very wide range! 

we love to dress up and will do so, so you won't be alone if you do!

[RuthC]

10 hours ago, zgscl said:

Also, I don’t remember if I mentioned it but the wheelchair was broken (and we didn’t notice until the ship sailed). On Sunday we figured out it was not going to work. For some reason they are not authorized to do anything on the ship. You must call the company who then sends a message to corporate who then receives that and sends a message to the ship authorizing a replacement and once that gets routed to housekeeping they will replace your wheelchairs with a wheelchair from the same company that they have onboard. Otherwise you must rent a chair for $100-$200/week. Thank goodness for the Neptune concierge who was able to call the company Monday to get them to approve the change so we didn’t have to wait for however many days it takes the message to get through various offices of HAL and the ship. 

On my last cruise my scooter didn't work well at first, then didn't work at all. The Front Office was very helpful in contacting the rental company to get instructions on how to fix it, but it couldn't be fixed. So, I had to wait about half-way through the 21-day cruise to reach a port where the company had a presence, and they did replace it promptly. It was at my cabin before I could even get dressed that morning! 

I got a refund of about half of my rental fee from the company easily. They were very agreeable. I was only sorry they wouldn't drive the new scooter down to Homer, and I had to wait until Anchorage. I hated that it was too far to walk to get to the shuttle bus at Homer pier. I love Homer! 

[madera1]

Just finished the remaining posts. I want to again thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[Petrocelli]

Questions about Glacier Bay...

 

When the ship gets there, do most people go to one place at the front of the ship to see the bay?  Is it crowded?  How long are you in Glacier Bay?

 

Thanks again for the great report!

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us.

Great pictures and info.

[luvteaching]

When the ship gets there, do most people go to one place at the front of the ship to see the bay?  Is it crowded?  How long are you in Glacier Bay?

 

We were in Glacier Bay for most of the morning - seeing glaciers from about 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM. The captain is great about turning the ship so all can see and have front time with the glaciers. First up is Lamplugh Glacier then a sail-by John Hopkins. Last are Margerie and Grand Pacific (which is a very dirty glacier). The bow on our deck, 5, was open for viewing. The promenade was busy for outdoor viewing. There were extra chairs by the windows in the pool area of the Lido and people had tables staked out early. The problem was that the windows steamed up! We stuck to our cabin for the most part since we had the balcony. 

 

Karen

[Boytjie]

43 minutes ago, Petrocelli said:

Questions about Glacier Bay...

 

When the ship gets there, do most people go to one place at the front of the ship to see the bay?  Is it crowded?  How long are you in Glacier Bay?

 

Thanks again for the great report!

 

On the August 14th cruise there were not a lot of people on the bow - but it was cold and rainy.

 

People were spread out in a number of places: the promenade deck, the upper decks, the Lido and the Crow's Nest. And I am sure many were on their balconies. We wandered around.

 

Here is the schedule. By 1:30 pm the ship is on it’s way out.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Boytjie

[BBQ788]

On 8/12/2021 at 5:58 AM, syesmar said:

We so enjoyed our aft balcony on the Nieuw Amsterdam! One of our favorite cruises ever. Thank you for the helpful information in your posts, and thanks so much for sharing your cruise experiences with the rest of us. Hope you and your dear mother have the best time!

When you were in your aft balcony, did you get a lot of sun?

[Mrsfrz]

13 hours ago, BBQ788 said:

When you were in your aft balcony, did you get a lot of sun?

We had an aft balcony on deck 7 on the Aug 21 sailing. We had a lot of sun, when it was out, of course! We were lucky that the weather was very good most days. 

[zgscl]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:17 AM, BBQ788 said:

When you were in your aft balcony, did you get a lot of sun?

Deck 8 is pretty well shaded. I think the lower decks stick out farther. It was very pleasant but never too sunny. 

[dfish]

1 hour ago, zgscl said:

Deck 8 is pretty well shaded. I think the lower decks stick out farther. It was very pleasant but never too sunny. 

Thank you for all the information about your cabin.   It will be our cabin in 9 days.  Yippee!!

[silversneakers]

On 8/27/2021 at 12:02 AM, zgscl said:

Yes. Anything from Mildly dressed (think a wrinkled short sleeve button up tucked into wrinkled pants) all the way to to suit and tie. Might have seen a couple tuxes too. There is a very wide range! 

My husband wore dress pants and a dress shirt AND he wore his tuxedo inspired face mask (mask with a black/white tuxedo on front and I wore my black blinged mask with pants and an evening top!

[zgscl]

5 hours ago, dfish said:

Thank you for all the information about your cabin.   It will be our cabin in 9 days.  Yippee!!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

[zgscl]

5 hours ago, silversneakers said:

My husband wore dress pants and a dress shirt AND he wore his tuxedo inspired face mask (mask with a black/white tuxedo on front and I wore my black blinged mask with pants and an evening top!

I love it! 

[dfish]

1 minute ago, zgscl said:

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

 

I'm sure we will.  We are traveling with a first time cruiser and our goal is to blow her away.