Question about Birthday while on cruise

[JMB1969]

Hi all!  We have an upcoming cruise on HAL in a few months, and one of us will be celebrating a birthday while on board.  Does HAL do anything to recognize birthdays on their own, or will se somehow have to notify them in advance?  

 

Thanks!

[POA1]

Just let your TA or PCC know about your celebration.

[JMB1969]

Just now, POA1 said:

Just let your TA or PCC know about your celebration.

Booked directly through HAL so don't have a TA or PCC.

[Lido deck main]

2 minutes ago, JMB1969 said:

Booked directly through HAL so don't have a TA or PCC.

You can notify the evening before the location where you will dine I.e. MDR or Pinnacle and you can order a free small birthday cake to be delivered to your table at the end of your meal.

[SilvertoGold]

19 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

You can notify the evening before the location where you will dine I.e. MDR or Pinnacle and you can order a free small birthday cake to be delivered to your table at the end of your meal.

This  is a good idea since it can be hit or miss when just telling your TA.

[Blackduck59]

We celebrated my birthday on embarkation day last year. We pre-booked Pinnacle for dinner, I'm not sure if we mentioned my birthday (of course the ship has this information). After dinner we returned to our cabin to find a Happy Birthday card and a little cake. It was a nice surprise.

[FlaMariner]

We seem to always cruise during Her Majesty's birthday......

 

When she is not looking, I ask the MDR waiter or the maitre 'de at least the evening before her birthday for help celebrating.....Then, during dessert on the big day, the waiter brings a very tasty small birthday cake and it is accompanied by several waiters joining in singing the Indonesian version of "Happy Birthday".

 

It's fun. No surcharge. 

 

Similar situation for celebrating our anniversary. 

 

Also, the captain has also a dispatched a birthday card to Her Majesty on her birthday.

 

 

[loretta]

I booked on the HAL website the past two years, traveling solo on my birthday. Both years, I received a "Happy Birthday" cupcake,and a card signed by the captain delivered to my cabin. It was funny, in 2023, it was announced at the "Ask the Captain" show that the captain had the same birthday as me. The entire theater got up to sing him Happy Birthday and I did too (but replaced my name with his!).

[CNSJ]

If your birthday is during a cruise you get two things....

1.  A year older

2.  Cupcake and note from the Captain.

 

[Ready2go11]

I often book a trip over my birthday. We have celebrated at Rudis and Pinnacle. On all occasions I received a good size chocolate mousse cake (it is shaped like a fish at Rudis) with menu desserts ordered. Usually when we book my PCC has asked if we are celebrating anything on board or has noticed it was my birthday during the booking process and made a note I guess on the booking. 
 

Last October they gave me one mousse cake at Rudis and another at Pinnacle for lunch the next day. You can indeed have too much chocolate mousse cake!

 

i have never received a cupcake, nor a note from the Captain however. 

[kirkc]

Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch  which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song.

[FlaMariner]

4 minutes ago, kirkc said:

Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch  which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song.

 

Thanks for clarifying....

 

LOL.....Seemed Indonesian and was being sung by the Indonesian waiters.....and it was all Greek to me!

 

A nice touch though and we enjoyed it...whatever they were singing in whatever language. 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 09:39 PM by FlaMariner

[Haljo1935]

You can also call in and ask them to add a note to your booking. They will generally ask what day you will be celebrating. Then, with no other mention of it, the birthday or anniversary cake will show up at dessert time. We used to also get a bottle of champagne in our cabin, but now it's just the cake and, depending on the ship, the cupcake and note from the captain.

[whogo]

Holland America is also willing to sell you birthday or anniversary cabin decorations or flowers.

[dobiemom]

Served in NS Club Orange dining room last Dec. 

Edited yesterday at 12:04 AM by dobiemom

[happytotravel]

The cupcake looks delicious!

happytotravel

[Caribbean Chris]

13 hours ago, kirkc said:

Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch  which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song.

 

Whatever language it is, I’ve always enjoyed the high energy with which it is delivered.

[cbr663]

Ah, Birthday celebrations.

 

Some years ago we were sailing on HAL for my birthday and DH arranged for a birthday cake to be delivered to our suite as a surprise for our own private celebrations.  It didn't arrive and we were so disappointed.

 

The next year we decided to sail on Celebrity for my DW's birthday.  I tried again, ordered a birthday cake for our suite for a private celebration and again, no cake arrived.  

 

On both lines instead of a private celebration in our suites we spent the time in Guest Services trying to find out why we experienced such poor service.  

 

Now, we never rely on cruise lines for special occasions.  Fool me once....

[POA1]

19 hours ago, JMB1969 said:

Booked directly through HAL so don't have a TA or PCC.

Call in to HAL general reservations. Ask them to add the birthday celebration special services item on the correct day. It's the free item.

[mcrcruiser]

14 hours ago, dobiemom said:

Served in NS Club Orange dining room last Dec. 

Very Nice touch for that persons birthday

[happytotravel]

Many years ago while at dinner on NCL my husband mentioned that we were celebrating our dog's birthday that day.  The maitre'd brought out a cake and she and the waiters sang happy birthday to our Teddy Bear.  It was very sweet of them.

happytotravel

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I would tell them.

[boatmad]

We embarked on DH birthday last month.  Card from captain already in cabin and cake w song in mdr.  Was impressed with all the other things going on that day.  We didn’t inform anyone ahead of time.