The Inside Cabin
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World Cruise FAQ

Here you will find common questions and answers from people considering a world cruise.

This is currently a work in progress and all areas have not been completed. Please send me any suggestions or corrections using the contact form or via email at connect@theinsidecabin.com

How much does a world cruise cost?

World Cruises are expensive.   You could probably find a deal on an inside cabin in the $50K per cabin range of up to $500K per cabin if you want to travel in the Pinnacle suite.    Please note all the prices here will be PER CABIN – not PER PERSON – except where noted.

Many people planning their first world cruise focus on the base cruise cost only, which even for the least expensive cabin will cost around  $50,000, and this amount is before you buy a single drink or go on a single tour.   Even the $50K number will seem a little high if you only look at the giant print on the HAL website. The lowest fare listed for an Inside Cabin on the 128 days 2022 World Cruise is $22.499 – If you double that in your head, you think – Hey, I can go on a world cruise for $45,000. Still a nice chunk of change, but will that be your total cost once the smoke clears and you are staring at your final bill in April, the day before Fort Lauderdale? No, of course not, and everyone knows there are always additional charges, but how much will they be?

Is a world cruise simply 16 one week Alaska cruises back to back? Do you spend more per day or less per day than on other cruises? What is the total cost of a world cruise, and how can you estimate your total world cruise cost?

In my example above, the $45,000 fare in the giant print on the website quickly becomes $41,273 after you add in the port fees and taxes ($3,450) and the Hotel Service Charge ($2,825). After some discounts and other incentives with shipboard credits, you could probably get this price back down to the $36,000 range.

Let’s start with a high-level view of the various cabins: Here is a table with the cost per couple per cabin of the different cabin types. I am using the lowest price in the category where you are assigned a cabin shortly before departure. (Referred to as a guarantee.   If you want to pick a specific cabin and guarantee a cabin on a particular deck or zone, that will cost more.)

Like buying a car, most people don’t pay the total brochure price for any cruise. Travel agencies will offer incentives and discounts. HAL will also provide incentives and perks, and certain agencies may benefit from volume pricing, group discounts, etc. The discount value will vary, but it is always important to look at the entire value proposition and not simply compare the bottom line. Some perks have value to you, and others may not.

2022 World Cruise Base Pricing per cabin
Category Base Cost Port Fees HSC Total
Inside $44,998 $4,740 $3,712 $53,450
Outside $47,998 $4,740 $3,712 $56,450
Veranda Suite $86,998 $4,740 $4,096 $95,834
Neptune Suite $159,998 $4,740 $4,096 $168,834
Pinnacle Suite $461,998 $4,740 $4,096 $470,834

 For the rest of this discussion please follow this LINK to another page on this website.

HERE is a LINK to a page with a detailed cost discussion

World Cruise Cost Calculator

Here is a link to a handy spreadsheet which will help you estimate the cost of your world cruise

World Cruise Cost Calculator

How do you pack for a world cruise?

See my page HERE which has a detailed discusson of how to pack for a world cruise.

How do they handle your shipboard account for a world cruise?

Here is a copy of the letter from the purser explaining how they did it on the 2016 World Cruise.  This was the same for the 2018 and 2020 cruises also.    

You will get an account summary once a month and this is when you need to dispute or question any charges.   You may only see a summary of the earlier months in the following months.   You can defer payment until the end of the cruise or pay your balance every month.

NOTE – People on Grand South America in  Fall 2023 said they will settle your onboard account monthly.   

 

Front Desk Letter Explaining Billing Procedure

What about Taxes?

You can file for an extension before you leave.   You still have to pay whatever taxes you think you will owe by April 15th.    More information here.

What about prescription drugs?

You will need to have a 4-month supply of all your prescription medications. The term most insurance programs are familiar with is called “Vacation Override”. Start your conversation with your insurance company and your doctor to see if this is going to be easy or hard.

This is something that you don’t want to put off to the last minute, but I haven’t heard of anyone not being able to reach an accommodation.

If your medication requires special handling or involvement by the onboard medical team, get your travel agent and HAL involved sooner rather than later. We use Tricare Express Scripts and we were able to get everything we needed in advance. Be ready to spend some time on the phone and some people in the insurance companies may be new and not understand all the options. Start early and be politely persistent.

Some people have used a service called Good Rx

This service found better prices in some cases and allowed for more flexibility with prescription length and refills.

Here is a link to a Consumer Reports article that talks about this service along with some options to consider and some to avoid.   The article is 8 years old which I guess is a good sign since this company has been in business for a while.

The other service mentioned in WeRx  – Check em out!

What about mail?

There is a service called “Traveling Mailbox”, which will give you an address you can use to forward mail or provide to your correspondents.   They will open your mail and scan items of interest and email them to you.    https://travelingmailbox.com/

If you are having a neighbor pick up your mail, the USPS offers a FREE service called “Informed Delivery”  that will send you a scanned image of every mail piece you will receive that day.    This is handy even if you are not traveling.     https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

Another option would be to get a mail box at a private company like Mail Boxes etc or UPS and then forward your mail to them.  Most private mail boxes will hold your mail for the duration of the cruise (maybe for an extra fee – so check first).  The post office will forward your mail up to a year.

What about bills?

Set them up to be paid automatically from your credit card or checking account.    Most property tax jurisdictions allow you to pay your bill in two installments or all at once.    You may have to pay your bill all at once unless you want to mail in your payment from overseas.   Some jurisdictions allow you to e-pay.   Check before you leave.

What about VISAs?

Holland America will get most of the visas you need for you during the cruise.   There are some exceptions and Holland America will send you a letter on this subject before you leave and give you plenty of time to get any VISAs.   If you plan on traveling independently off the ship during the cruise you will have to get your own VISAs.    This section is for USA citizens only.   Here is a link to the official HAL page on VISAs

From my experience, I let the ship get my visas for most countries except New Zealand and Australia.   It is very easy to get these two.   For other countries, the extra charge from HAL is usually minimal and in some cases less than you can get one on your own.   Sometimes HAL can get the entire ship cleared under a group visa where you may have to get an individual visa.

If you are required to get a VISA on your own before sailing, Holland America will make this very clear in their letter on VISAs they will send out around October.   See the other FAQ for an example of the pre-cruise information you will receive.

If you plan on going independently on an overland adventure then you need to carefully research the visa requirements on your own as they may be different than what is required for people traveling with the ship exclusively.

US Passports

Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the expected completion of the cruise.   You should also have at least 7 blanks pages.  The amount of blank pages required is always hard to predict and most countries will say they want one completely empty page, but will rarely use a complete page.

When you renew your passport, get the one with 52 pages.  It is the same price as the book with fewer pages.   You can no longer add additional pages after the fact.    I would also pay the extra $35 (as of 2020) and get a passport card.   While the passport card can’t be used except for land travel between the USA and Canada/Mexico and some Caribbean countries,   It gives you another official picture ID which will establish your US citizenship if that should become necessary.

Each of my world cruises used 7 pages in my passport book.   You could probably get by with less, but sometimes immigration officials at various ports can be fickle and I would rather have plenty of blank pages available for them to use.

Here is a copy of the seven pages in my passport from the 2018 world cruise.

 

What about Cash and Foreign Currency?

More and more ports will take credit cards so carrying cash is becoming less and less important.  It is still nice to have a small amount of local currency available for small purchases where credit cards are not accepted.   For example, in some ports, you may have to pay to use a public restroom and they may only accept local currency.

I always carry at least 20, one-dollar bills in port as if you don’t have local currency and need to buy something, it is rare that they would not accept USD.   Don’t expect change, which is why I carry small bills.   I always prefer to use local currency but having a backup supply of $1 bills handy is a good backup plan.

This ship doesn’t have an ATM, but the front desk will give you USD for a 3% convenience fee.    If you gamble, the casino will sell you chips without any convenience fee, but they may restrict your ability to convert the chips back to cash if they suspect you are simply buying chips to avoid the 3% cash convenience fee.

If you don’t want to carry a lot of cash to the ship, you can buy yourself casino chips in advance without any fee.   These casino chips will be charged to your credit card before you sail.   Once you arrive on the ship, you can exchange your prepurchased chips for cash and then keep the cash in your safe for the duration of the cruise.   Buying chips from HAL doesn’t trigger the cash advance fees you may find with many credit cards.   (At least in my experience)

What about Foreign Currency?  Holland America will offer currency exchange before each port.  The exchange rates or OK and not worth worrying about for small amounts.   They will also buy the foreign money back after the port visit.

Unless you plan on making a large purchase in foreign currency, I wouldn’t worry about trying to get local currency in advance, with the exception of Euros or Yen.    Euros and Yen retain their value and are easily exchanged to other currencies.   Other local currencies are often hard to exchange outside the applicable country.    The front desk will sell small amounts of local currency for about an 8-10% discount from the bank rate.   This isn’t much worse than you will find at the currency exchange at an airport or a TRAVELEX in your home country.   They will also buy back what you didn’t use, but you will pay another exchange penalty in reverse.    But for $25 to $50 you can’t beat the convenience.   Getting local cash at a BANK ATM in your host country will usually get you the best rate, but you have the weigh the time it may take to find a local ATM with saving a couple of dollars.   However I once withdrew money from an ATM in Chile and it turned out that the ATM rate was worse than the ship – very rare and the rate wasn’t easy to determine in advance.

Will the ship store empty luggage?

The ship MAY store extra luggage if they have space.   You can always ask but while they have stored luggage in the past, its not guaranteed.   You need to be prepared to store all your luggage in your cabin.   Once they store it, you can’t retrieve your luggage until the end of the cruise.   This is why collapsible duffel bags are popular or using cardboard boxes to ship items can save storage space.

There was no outside luggage storage on the 2023 World Cruise

HERE is a LINK with the dimensions of space under the typical HAL bed

Are there other luggage shipment services available?

The Ship used Luggage Forward to ship luggage from your home to the ship and back in 2023.   

In 2023 – you didn’t have to retrieve your luggage and take it thru customs – the ship sent it through customs on your behalf.   This was the first time this happened.  In previous years you had to retrieve your own luggage.

 

Is there a limit on bottled water you can bring onto the ship?

You used to be able to bring aboard as much water as you can carry – no longer.  Here is the latest policy

Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on board for consumption or any other use except as follows:

Guests 21 years and older may bring Wine and Champagne onboard, however a corkage fee of USD $20.00 (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to each bottle (max 750 ml in volume or less). Limitations apply. Wine brought in quantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused.

For voyage that depart from and return to Australia and/or New Zealand, this policy applies to guests 18 years and older. For voyages which depart from and return to Europe, China, Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan, this policy applies to guests 18 years and older, and for voyages which depart from and return to Japan, this policy applies to guests 20 years and older.

Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form. Plastic water bottles are not allowed. However, an allowance of six liters, twelve (12) cans or cartons (500 ml in volume or less) or six (6) cans or cartons (1 liter in volume or less) of water are allowed per stateroom.  Any amount in excess of this allowance will be not be allowed onboard. Water in plastic bottles will not be allowed onboard in any quantity, including in ports of call. Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding.

All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages will be removed, confiscated, and discarded.  If Your luggage is locked, the lock may be removed by security or, alternatively, the luggage will be held by security until you can be present for an inspection and any items in question further identified and/or surrendered.  Holland America Line shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any luggage lock removal, alcoholic/nonalcoholic items, or other prohibited items removed and discarded in violation of the policy. You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship’s gift shop, or at ports of call, to Holland America Line, which will be delivered to your stateroom just prior to disembarking the voyage. Any wine or champagne supplied by the Holland America Line to you is not subject to a corkage fee.  Purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers (including plastic containers) for use in conjunction with medical device(s) are allowed in checked luggage and must be packed with the device(s). Distilled/purified water in factory-sealed containers (including plastic containers) for the reconstitution of infant formula is allowed in checked luggage for staterooms with infant bookings. Limitations apply. Allowances are subject to change without notice and remain subject to situational assessments by both security and the vessel.

An 18% Service Charge is automatically applied to all Beverage Purchases, Bar Retail Items, Specialty Restaurant Cover Charges and all For Purchase A La Carte Menu Items. Local Sales Taxes Applied where required.

How long is the wait for tenders on the WC?

For popular tender ports some people will line up 4 hours in advance to ensure they get a early tender ticket.  On some ports it may take 4 hours until they open tendering.   Here are two blog posts they explain how the process worked in 2020:   https://www.theinsidecabin.com/day-8-devils-island/

https://www.theinsidecabin.com/day-44-easter-island/

What are some options for cruising with your mobile phone

Cruising with your phone

Here are some of the options that people have mentioned about phone connectivity

  • SPOT is $150 a year and does almost the same thing.
  • T-Mobile gave us 6 months out of US. We have the seniors program $90 month includes NetFlix.
  • GoogleFi you don’t need buy SIM cards and it is only $10 per gig. We used it for 7 months will in Europe.
  • https://fi.google.com/about/
  • T-Mobile on our IPAD, Unlimited internet and it works in most ports with no problems for $20/month no contract

Create a Mobile Hot Spot to share an internet connection

If you only have one internet plan – you will only be allowed to log into the internet with one device at a time.    If you attempt to log in to a second device, you will be asked if you want to log out of the other device first and then log in with your current device.

If you would like to share the same internet connection with someone else, you can do this in a couple of ways, as long as you are in close to the other person.

With your laptop – you can log into your account, and then use your laptop to create a mobile hotspot you can use to connect your phone or tablet to the same internet signal currently being used by your laptop

HERE is a link to a good tutorial for how to create these hotspots on a MAC, iPhone or Android in addition to Windows.

Here is how you do this for Windows 10 devices

Go to your network settings – you can get there by typing in “Mobile Hotspot” into the search box on the lower left-hand corner of your screen.   A menu will pop up “Change Mobile Hotspot Settings”  – highlight that and press enter – you will then be directed to the mobile hotspot set up screen.   Turn on the Mobile Hot Spot by tapping on the toggle switch.   Then you can rename the hotspot and change the password to something easier to remember.    Now you will be able to log on to your Mobile Hot Spot from your other devices

If you are in a place that requires you to buy separate login for each device and you don’t have a laptop available to create a mobile hotspot you can use a TRAVEL ROUTER to create a mobile hotspot you can share.    It works like this.   You logon the router with your phone, and then you use the router to logon to the WIFI access your purchased.    Once you make this connection, the TRAVEL ROUTER will receive an rebroadcast the WIFI connection.    Once you have established your mobile hotspot, then all of your devices can logon to this new hotpost you created.

Here are a couple of websites that discuss the various options available for travel routers.  

Guide to the Best Portable Mini Travel WiFi Router in 2021 (nerdtechy.com)

The 7 Best Wireless Travel Routers of 2021 (lifewire.com)

5 Best Travel Routers – Apr. 2021 – BestReviews

 

What information will I get from Holland America before the cruise?

Here are links to a page with  the  precruise information you will receive around October from Holland America.    You will find information about the various theme nights, precruise packages etc

 

Pre-Cruise-Information

Gala (Formal) Nights

Holland America no longer has formal nights except on Grand Voyages.    They have replaced this with Gala nights when they encourage people to dress up.  The only hard requirement for a Gala Night is for men to wear a collared shirt and no jeans.   Women can wear anything they consider dressy.

There will be about one Gala night per week.  There were 17 Gala nights scheduled on the 2020 Grand World Voyage

Here is the official dress code from HAL:

Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool/ beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in fine dining restaurants.

 Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including a five-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. On Gala Nights in fine dining restaurants, collared shirts and slacks are required for gentlemen. For ladies, elegant dresses, skirts, or slacks are all acceptable.

 Jeans, shorts and T-shirts are only allowed in the casual dining restaurants.    More HERE

 

 

Theme Nights

Here is a list of all the theme nights and whether or not it was a Gala night.  Sometimes they had a special theme in the lido ONLY.   If there was a party in addition to the dinner, you will see it noted in the right hand column

 

Theme Gala Lido Only Party
4-Jan-20 Bon Voyage
6-Jan-20 Black and Gold Gala-1
10-Jan Grand Gala Party Gala-2 On Mainstage
14-Jan Samba Brazil
17-Jan Gold, Glitz & Glam Gala-3
19-Jan-20 Gaucho Dinner
25-Jan-20 Chinese New Year China Town
26-Jan Black and White Gala-4
29-Jan Antarctic Adventure
31-Jan-20 Winter Wonderland Great White Way (Crows Nest)
2-Feb-20 Superbowl
5-Feb-20 Dinner with Darwin
8-Feb-20 Paparazzi Dinner Gala-5
9-Feb-20 Chilean Seafood Mercado Central
14-Feb Valentines Dinner Gala-6 Cupid Party Crows Nest
16-Feb-20 Rapa Nui Dinner
20-Feb-20 Joie de Vivre Dinner Gala-7
23-Feb-20 Tropical Paradise Dinner
25-Feb-20 Mardi Gras Bead Party
29-Feb-20 Bowlers and Bumper Shoots Gala -8 (Hats provided)
4-Mar-20 Kiwi Dinner Kiwi Theme
5-Mar-20 Gala Surprise Gala -9
8-Mar-20 Australian Wine & Cheese
10-Mar-20 Aboriginal Night Fire Dinner
14-Mar-20 Under the Sea Gala -10
17-Mar-20 St Patricks Day Pub Crawl
21-Mar-20 Indonesian Dinner Gala -11
26-Mar Makansutra Dinner
28-Mar-20 Secret Garden Dinner Gala-12
30-Mar-20 Tiffin Dinner
1-Apr-20 April Fools Costume Party in Crows Nest
4-Apr-20 Seafood Grill Creole
6-Apr-20 White Dinner and Party Gala-13 White Party
8-Apr-20 African Kaleidoscope Dinner
12-Apr-20 Easter Dinner
14-Apr-20 African Safari Dinner Gala-14
17-Apr-20 African Braai
18-Apr HAL Birthday Dinner HAL Birthday Dinner
19-Apr-20 Vuvuzela Dinner Gala-15
22-Apr-20 South African Wine and Cheese
25-Apr Biergarten Festival
26-Apr Disco Night
27-Apr Kings Day Orange Dinner Gala-16
30-Apr-20 King Neptune Ceremony (Poolside)
2-May-20 Mad Hat Night (Kentucky Derby)
3-May-20 Las Vegas Night
5-May-20 Mariners Appreciation Night Gala-17
7-May-20 Caribbean Dreams Dinner
8-May-20 Speakeasy Dinner and Party Speakeasy Party in Crows Nest
9-May American Cookin
10-May Mothers day Brunch Grand Farewell Night
11-May International Favorites Dinner

Pillow Gifts

 

One of the special features of all Holland America Grand Voyages are “Pillow Gifts”   They are left on your bed while you are enjoying dinner and are a pleasant surprise when you return to your cabin.   They are often items you can use right away – for example a Travel Journal and sometimes they are of dubious value – a Monopoly Game featuring a Holland America Theme.    The final gift of the world cruise will be the traditional World Cruise Plate.

Click on the name of the gift to see a photo.  If you right click  you will have options on a windows machine to open the link in a new tab or window.

 

2020 Pillow Gifts 2018 Pillow Gifts
Messenger Bag, Planner and Card Holder – 5 Jan 2020 Messenger Bags – 5 Jan 2018
Power Bank – 17 Jan 2020 Moleskine Travel Journal – 6 January 2018
Antarctica Guide – 26 Jan 2020 Key Card Holder – 7 January 2018
Fleece Set – 26 Jan 2020 Panama Hats – 8 January 2018
Chilean Fjord Chart – 3 Feb 2020 GrandVenture – Board Game – 15 January 2018
Valentine’s Day Sweets and Rose Universal Travel Adapter – 31 January 2018
Royal Goedewaagen Ceramic Box – 5 Mar 2020 Valentine’s Day Gifts – Chocolate and a Rose
RFID Wallets – 1 March 2018
2016 Pillow Gifts Carry On Roller Bags – 9 March 2018
Gift #1 – Bag of Swag Captain’s Dinner Gift – Tulip Flower Vase – 10 March 2018
Gift #2 – Moleskine Travel Journal Portable Power Strip – 19 March 2018
Gift #3 – “The Happy Isles of Oceania” by Paul Theroux Waterford Crystal Sugar Bowl – 3 April 2018
Gift #4 – Valentino Votive by Orrefors TSA Luggage Straps and Locks – 14 April 2018
Gift #5 – Ballistic Carry On Travel Bag 2018 World Cruise Plate – 23 April 2018
Gift #6 – Travel Wallets
Gift #7 – Holland America Line Heritage Logo Box by Tiffany & CO
Gift #8 – Royal Goedewaagen Grand World Voyage Plate
Salt and Pepper Shakers given at Captains Dinner

Classes

Here are the classes that are normally offered on HAL Grand World Voyages:

  • Tai Chi: 9 AM (Mainstage)
  • Watercolor Painting Instruction: 9 AM and 1 PM (Kings Room)
  • Beginner Bridge Class: 9:30 AM (Hudson Room)
  • Intermediate Bridge Class 10:30 AM (Hudson Room)
  • Arts and Crafts: 2:30 PM (Lido Market Port Side)
  • Microsoft Classes: 1:30

A drawing class was offered on the 2018 cruise, but not on the 2020 cruise. Keep in mind, that there is no guarantee that any of these classes will be offered in the future. 

 All of the classes are offered at no additional charge.

The Tai Chi class attracts a group of regulars but there is always space available

The watercolor classes are very popular and usually fill up quickly. The instructors provide all the materials you may need. While most people attend from the first day, you can join at any time.

Bridge classes are usually well attended but never appear to be so crowded people can’t find a seat.

Arts and Crafts are very popular and people will typically arrive 1 hour early or more to get their best seat and guarantee a spot. HERE is a list of all the projects that were offered on the 2020 cruise. They usually have 100 kits available and they normally run out. Many people will eat their lunch in the LIDO and sit in the class area and then linger until the class starts.

The time for the Microsoft classes will very from time to time so always check the Where and When in advance.   People will line up well in advance but the classes rarely fill.   I guess if you want to sit in a particular seat you should arrive early, but otherwise you can probably show up at the last minute. 

Classes offered based on location

As you transit certain parts of the world:   South Pacific, Enroute to New Zealand, South America and Africa, the ship will usually embark a small team of cultural amabassadors.   They will offer a wide range of craft classes, instrument or dancing lessons, demonstrations and lectures.  The craft classes are usually VERY popular and if you are interested in attending, plan on arriving at least 30 minutes early.

Lectures

There are usually 2 different lectures per day held in the main stage.    Sometimes you may get more if there is a special cultural team onboard.   The lectures are normally about 45 minutes long.    Prior to every port the ship will present a location lecture and also set up some time to provide more detail in the upcoming ports shore excursions.

Here is a link where you can download every daily program from the 2020 world cruise.     You will be able to see the names of the lectures and lecturers along with the times they were presented.   Sometimes they are replayed on the ship’s TV later, but you can’t be certain this will happen.

All About FOOD!

Grand Voyages have a higher food budget than a typical shorter cruise.    For example,  a nice-sized Shrimp Cocktail is available every day for dinner.   While individual menu items will repeat, they will never repeat an entire menu.

On shorter cruises, pre-made sandwiches are the best you can get during lunch in the lido.   On the world cruise, they will have a custom sandwich bar station where you can order hot or cold sandwiches to order.

HERE is a link to a page where you can download every menu from the 2020 world cruise.

What about tipping on a long cruise?

Holland America and most mass-market cruise lines automatically add a daily gratuity to your cruise fare.    Holland America adds $16.50 per person for passengers in suites and $14.00 per person for everyone else.   This money is put into a pool and divided up among people who are eligible to participate in this gratuity pool.   These employees include the stateroom attendants,  dining room waiters and assistant waiters, room service waiters, specialty dining room waiters, and staff, lido dining room waiters and helpers, and other employees working behind the scenes.    Beverage servers and bartenders are not part of this pool but participate in the pool created from the 18% surcharge applied to every drink purchase.    The Spa workers and Casino workers have tip pools created within their service areas.

Passengers have the option to decrease or eliminate this automatic gratuity upon request to the front desk.   Reducing the automatic gratuity is inexcusable except in the most extreme circumstance for which I would be hard-pressed to produce an acceptable example.    Some passengers state that they reduce the automatic gratuities because they enjoy passing out cash or envelopes directly to their favorite employees.   If you do this – here is what happens.   After you do this, the staff will assume that you were dissatisfied with some part of the crew’s service and seek more information.    The crew members who work in your area will be questioned by their leadership as to what went wrong.   Furthermore, any money you give directly to this employee will be immediately turned over to the gratuity pool anyway.   Employees are not allowed to keep tips from passengers if the passenger reduced or eliminated the automatic gratuity.      However, if you maintain the automatic gratuity, then any cash you give directly to a crewmember is theirs to keep.  

Some passengers give gratuities to their favorite employees at the end of the cruise, every month, at the end of a segment etc.   Some passengers tip room service for every delivery.   Some passengers tip beverage staff above the 15% automatic gratuity.   This is all great and the crew always appreciates the generosity.    However, always remember that one of the benefits of cashless cruising is to not have to carry around a pocketful of bills for on-the-spot gratuities and that you ARE tipping, every day to everyone, even though you don’t hand them the cash yourself.    From my informal surveys, I would guess that about 20% of the passengers tip “extra” at the end of the cruise and probably anywhere from $50 to $500.   Many more people tip room service every time, although they are included in the same tip pool as your waiters.

In conclusion, the only hard and fast rule in my mind is to NEVER reduce the automatic gratuity.   You will never be in a position where you feel awkward if you don’t provide an extra gratuity.

Medical and Accesibility Issues

Let Holland America know as soon as possible if you have any concerns about mobility,  special medical requirements, service animals or other similar issues.

Don’t listen to what you hear on Cruise Critic as well-intentioned posters may be dealing with old or no longer accurate information.  Policies are always changing. 

Give HAL a call at their Access and Compliance Department at 800-547-8493 or email HALW_Access@hollandamerica.com.   They can get you the official, current answer.

I would call them first and get the answer and then follow up with an email to confirm what you were told over the phone.   Be sure to document the date, time and the name of the person you speak with.    You don’t want to find yourself in the terminal in January trying to sort out some issue and all you can offer is “someone” in Seattle said it was OK last July.  

For something important – Call and get the answer.   Follow up with an email.   Then call back again to confirm the contents of the email.

Depending on your mobility issue, there are some ports where you will not be allowed to get off the ship.   These ports are usually tender ports where the wave action is normally higher than normal.    Cook Island and Easter Island are usually in this category.  

 

 

Entertainment

One of the highlights of our world cruise experience is outstanding live entertainment.    The entertainment line up consists of

  • Twice daily live shows on the Main Stage at 7:30PM and 9:30 PM consisting of singers, dancers, comedians, speciality acts and HAL cast production shows
  • The Violin and Piano duo “Adagio”  performing 4 times on sea days at 3 PM, 5PM, 7 PM and 8:45 PM in the Explorer’s lounge
  • The Ocean Trio Dance combo performing 4 shows on sea days at 4:30 PM. 6:15 PM. 7:15 PM and 9 PM
  • The “Station Band” – plays popular tunes in the Crow’s Nest at 7 PM. 8:45 PM, 9:45 PM and 10:45 PM

Here is a list of all the entertainers in a side-by-side table.   If you click on their name,  it will display a photo if available.   If you right-click you will have the option to open the photo in a new page or tab so you won’t lose your place in the FAQ.   Following the table are links to highlight reels for 2016 and 2018.   If you are viewing this on a smartphone, turn it sideways to see the entire table.

DAY 2016 Cruise 2018 Cruise 2020 Cruise
1 Bon Voyage SailAway  NA  
2 TALK OF THE TOWN . A trip down memory lane featuring the Amsterdam Singers and Dancers  Abba Fab Cast Singers and Dancers “On Tour”
3 An Evening with the Finkels . Starring Emmy Award Winner Fyvush Finkel,  David and Dawn Meyer John Bressler
4 Bobbie Eakes . Internationally know singer ad double platinum recording artist  Tony Daro Tim Kaminski
5 Elliot and Ian Finkel  HAL Singers and Dancers “Dance” Andy Buenger
6 Shirley Dominquez . When the Harp goes Latin  The Piano Men Jeff McBride
      Andy Buenger/Jeff McBride
7 Philip Huber Marionettes   Tim Kaminski
8 Kermet Apio   John Bressler
9 Black & Silver Ball  Fred Moore Cast Show: Salsamania
10 The Evansons . Jeff & Tessa . mentalists  Martin Beaumont Mark Donoghue
11 The Jack Pack  Helen Wilding Lee Bradley
12 Dance Trance .  Tom Suha Cast Show:  That’s Life
13 Sarah Chandler . Saxophonist  Robbie Howard Tim Abel
14 ENCORE starring the Amsterdam Singers and Dancers  Sarah Chandler Lindsay Hamilton
15 Robbie Howard . brings to the stage the stars of the Las Vegas Strip  Martin Beaumont Brazilian Roots
16 Pete Neighbor . Swing Era Jazz for the 21st Century  Helen Wilding Lee Bradley
17 The Evansons (Spotlight)  HAL Singers and Dancers “Variations” Andrea Amat
18 Pete Neighbor (Spotlight)  Sarah Chandler & Tom Suha Lindsay Hamilton
19 TAHITI ORA . Traditional Tahitian music & Dance (local troupe)  Robbie Howard Andrea Amat and Lee Bradley
20 Bayne Bacon . guitar & piano  Fred Moore Pampas Devils Gauchos
     Mana, The Spirit of Tahiti David Copperfield “Unusualist”
21 Strings Alive . an electrifying mix of guitars, piano, violin & vocals   Cast Show “Dance” cancelled due to high seas
22 Bobby Brooks Wilson . a tribute to Motown  Hyperion Knight Ruben Vilagrand
23 MADE IN ENGLAND . Featuring the Amsterdam Singers & Dacers  Nathan Coe Marsh The Runaround Kids
     The Knights Adam Westcott
24 La Musica . with Lisa & Adam  Gary Arbuthnot Peter Cutler
25 Bobby Brooks Wilson  Frank King Planet Earth
26 Simeon Wood . A musician of azzlig versatility and inspiration  The Knights The Runaround Kids
27 La Musica (Spotlight)   Hyperion Knight, Frank King, Nathan Coe Marsh Superbowl LIV
28 Martin Ralph . giant spinning tops HAL Singers and Dancers “The Midnight Hour” Cast Show “Ala Mode”
29 Ashley Carruthers . Music, comedy and energy like you have ever seen on the keys  Hyperion Knight and Gary Arbuthnot  David Copperfield “Unusualist”
30 Lee Bayless . clean comedian Annie Gong Ruben Viligrand
31 Yoomia . International modern violiist  Rock Rhapsody Movie: The 33
32 MUNDO LATINO . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  Movie Alan Chamo
33 Jamie Allen . iMagician  Ruben Vilagrand Kenny Martyn
34 Super Bowl Party  Rock Rhapsody Academy Awards Broadcast
35 Australia Tenors  Fiona Pears HAL Singers and Dancers in “Crossroads”
36 Jeff Green . a Fun Night of Comedy  HAL Cast “Nations” Jesse & Coleen Kazemek – A Tribute to the Beatles
37 Sydney SailAway . . Movie . SPECTRE  Fiona Pears, Ruben Vilagrand and Annie Gong Scott Harris
38 Australia Beach Party with Bondi Beach Lifeguards & HIPNOSIS . one of Australia’s most sought-after 6-piece party bands  Diramu Aboriginal Dance and Didgeridoo Abba Fab
39 Jamaica’s #1 Comedienne Matilda with Patrick Murray  Paul Adam HAL Singers and Dancers in “Amour”
40 Valentine’s Day Ball hosted by Holland America Line’s President, Orlando Ashford, with vocals by Australia Crooner Liam John Burrows and vocal stylings of Darcy Jones  Andy Joy Naki Ataman
41 Patrick McMahon . The Superman of Entertainment; Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash  Movie “The Shape of Water” Yuri & Nato
42 Dale Kristien . The Star of the Phantom of the Opera  NA Abba Fab
43 Gary Guthman . Trumpet Virtuoso  Louie Shelton Scott Harris and Yuri & Nato
44 Emily Yates (Spotlight) . The Elton John Experience starring Greg Andrew  Paul Adams Naki Ataman
45 Jamaica’s Comedienne Matilda & Patrick Murray  Louie Shelton HAL Singers and Dancers in “Across the Sea”
46 MOVIE . THE MARTIAN  Movie Jesse & Coleen Kazemek – A Tribute to the Beatles
47 BRAVO . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  Divalicious Jim Hodson
48 Paul Adams . comedian Frozen planet Live Annie Frances
49 Vincenzo . Award Winning Latin and Spanish Guitarist  Divalicious Holland America Singers and Dancers in “A Thousand Steps”
50 Peter Cutler  Movie: Suburbicon Juggler Steven Ragartz
51 A Night at the Opera with Opera Interludes  Andy Bunger The Alley Cats
52 Clare Langan . Virtuoso Flautist  Patrick Murray with Matilda Comedian Ben Price
53 Pingxin Xu . Incredible music from the Hammer Dulcimer Master  Katei Annie Frances
54 SHOWTIME . Paul Adams and Vincenzo  Llia & Olesja – Acrobats Juggler Steven Ragartz & Jim Hodson
55 ROCK AT THE OPERA . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  Balinese Dance Group Dark
56 Opera Interludes  Ace McDermott – Mentalist The Alley Cats
57 MOVIE . THE FORGER  Toni Warne Comedian William Caulfield
58 LION SHOW featuring a local troupe  HAL Cast “On Tour” HAL Cast “The Midnight Hour”
59 Clare Langan . Virtuoso Flautist  Scott Harris Brett Cave
60 SOUL MYSTIQUE . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  Giovanni Movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
61 MOVIE . AGE OF HEROES  Bernie Fields Guy Taylor – Singer
62 Tempei . Japanese juggler  Academy Awards Broadcast Alana Conway – Singer
63 Annie Frances . Internationally acclaimed Australian Vocalist  Giovanni Soul Mystique
64 MacDonald Brothers . Craig & Brian . Unique vocal harmonies and multi-instrumental talents from Scotland  Toni Warne Brett Cave
65 DANCE . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  Chinese Cultural Show Movie “Bombshell”
66 Annie Gong . one of the finest modern accordionists of today  Eterni Amici Flutist Stephen Clark
67 Rich Shydner . comedian  Tomono Kawamura HAL Singers and Dancers “On Tour”
68 Annie Frances  HAL Cast – “Ala Mode”  
69 Singapore Music and Dance with a local troupe  Rikki Jay  
70 Filip Wojciechowski . virtuoso pianist  Rikki Jay and Tomono Kawamura  
71 Mel Mellers . magician & comedy  Eterni Amici  
72 Joe West . Multi-Instrumentalist & Vocalist  Instant Asia Cultural Show  
73 Graffiti Classics . 16 Strings, 8 Dancing Feet, 4 Voices  Jukebox Rogues  
74 Michel Bell . Broadway Vocalist & Katherine Matejka . pianist  Simon Coronel  
75 Joe West & Michel Bell  Lizzie Ball  
76 MOVIE . SPY  After Midnight – HAL Cast  
77 The Fly Rights  Craig Richard  
78 ATLANTIC CROSSING . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  Lizzie Ball  
79 Tony Pace . man with the voice who just happens to be funny  Jukebox Rogues  
80 Graffiti Classics  Craig Richard and Simon Coronel  
81 The Fly rights  Creole Cultural Cabaret  
82 Dubai Traditional Music & Dance . local troupe  Goronwy Thom  
83 MOVIE . SPOTLIGHT  Colleen Williamson  
84 Hamlet: Cut to the Bone  Cul’Afrika  
85 Kieran Powell . ventriloquist  The Muses  
86 Donna Groom . vocalist  Scott Record  
87 Bernie Fields . harmonica virtuoso  Cul’Afrika  
88 NATIONS . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam  The Muses  
89 David Kidd . the voice of Tom Jones  HAL Singers & Dancers – Atlantic Crossing  
90 Kieran Powell Brett Cave  
91 Donna Groom, Bernie Fields & David Kidd Dark – No Show  
92 MOVIE . KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE Cape Town Local Show  
93 Casablanca Steps Alan Committie  
94 Laura Broad Brett Cave  
95 MOVIE . KILLER ELITE Mondesa Youth Opportunities show at 4pm then Namibian Local Show at 9:30 PM  
96 Francisco Yglesia . Paraguayan Harpist Jo Little  
97 Jazz, Blues & Rock ‘n’ Roll . featuring the Singers and Dancers of the Amsterdam Bruce Parker  
98 Rita Rudner Pete Neighbour  
99 Lomax Brothers . 4 hands, 2 bothers, 1 piano 4 Ever  
100 Ruben Vilagrand . mime, magic & comedy Omar  
101 Jesse Kazemek’s Tribute to the Beatles Jo Little  
102 Jesse Kazemek & The Lomax Brothers HAL singers and dancers in “Astoria”  
103 Rita Rudner Pete Neighbour and Bruce Parker  
104 MOVIE . VICKY CHRISTIA BARCELONA 4 Ever  
105 Flamenco Show . local troupe Move: The Legend of 1900  
106 Stephen Clark . flutist Savannah Jack  
107 Mike Price . World Champion Rock Star Juggler Maria Lyn  
108 ABBA FAB Tango Cervilla  
109 Indonesian Crew Show .   Judy Carmichael . jazz pianist Jason Lyle Black  
110 Buzz Sutherland . comedian Suzzane Godfrey  
111 Island Magic . steel drums from Trinidad HAL Singers and Dancers in “Bellissima”  
112 Masked Ball Maria Lyn  
113 THE MIDNIGHT HOUR . featuring the Amsterdam Singers and Dancers Movie “The Post”  
114 Terry Davies presents The Piano Men Grand Farewell with Savannah Jack  
115 Farewell Show Featuring the Musicians of the Amsterdam Suzzane Godfrey &  Tango Cervilla  

 

Here is a highlight reel of all the entertainers on my earlier world cruises

2018

2016

Mariner Society Stars, Medallions, Presidents Club and Ceremonies

Holland America has two passenger loyalty programs: The Mariner Star program and the Medallion recognition program.

The Mariner Star program is based on Cruise Day Credits which are awarded for days sailed, onboard spend (1 credit for every $300), and your credits are doubled when you stay in a suite. Any cabin with “suite” in the title qualifies regardless of whether or not you think it is really a suite. For example, the Vista suites on the Zaandam are similar to Verandah cabins on most other ships but they earn the suite bonus nevertheless. Money spent in the casino doesn’t count toward your daily spend and there are other exceptions. Check HERE for more information.   There are more perks as you move up the star ladder, but the most desirable perk is at the 4 star level and above where you get free laundry and priority access to tenders.   If you achieve a higher award level during the cruise, you will immediately get the new perks.  This is only applicable on Grand Voyages as you normally would have to wait until your next cruise otherwise.

The Mariner Medallion program is not as well-publicized or promoted as much as the 1 to 5 Star Mariner Program. The only place I was able to find the Medallion Program mentioned on the official HAL website was in the Mariner Society FAQ.

Unlike the Mariner Star Level Program, the Medallion Program only recognizes and rewards actual cruising days – there isn’t any bonus credit for suites or spending as there is in the Mariner Star Program. While achieving greater Star status gets you very specific perks, achieving a higher Medallion Station gets you nothing more than the commemorative medal itself and local recognition including invitations to these special parties. While not associated with a Medallion, there is the President’s Club which requires members to have 1400 pure cruise days and be specifically invited. The invitation requirement weeds out people with many sea days but not as full-fare guests e.g. lecturers, travel hosts and agents etc.

Here are the Medallion Award levels

100 days – Bronze
300 days – Silver
500 days – Gold
700 days – Platinum
1400 days – Presidents Club

Ceremonies 

Toward the end of the Grand World Voyage, they will have a mariner recognition day.    Due to the huge number of people receiving awards, they will have two ceremonies depending on your dining time.   The medallions will be delivered to your cabin prior to the ceremony and only people receiving gold medallions or above will be individually recognized.   After the ceremony, the Captain and Hotel Director will pose with you for complimentary photographs with your medallion.

While there aren’t any specific perks associated with the various Medallion levels, there are many perks associated with Presidents Club Membership, including, but not limited to:

• Annual Holiday Gift e.g. Waterford Crystal Vases
• Invitations to special onboard parties
• “Head of the line” tender service equal to Neptune Suite Guests
• Your choice of flowers/beverages/wine, etc. every 2 weeks
• Special seating and recognition at onboard events

Plus more – there isn’t a specific list publicly available, but these are the highlights I have discovered based on my research. Any updated information is appreciated.

 

Where are the passengers from?

Here is a list of the passengers on the 2020 world cruise by country of origin.   This includes the embarked guest entertainers who were tracked as passengers.  That explains some of the “singles”

Australia 10
Belgium 2
Brazil 1
Canada 162
Chile 1
China 3
Germany 7
Denmark 1
Dominican Republic 2
Spain 3
UK 24
Hungary 1
Italy 1
Korea 2
Mexico 1
Netherlands 25
NZ 4
Peru 1
Portugal 1
Russia 1
South Afica 2
USA 949
1204

Helpful APPS for your phone

Here are some APPS s that I find useful while cruising.   I use all these apps myself.  The links here are for the IPHONE version, but you can usually find one for an Android device.

MAPS.ME

This map works anywhere without a data plan.  Download the files before you leave so you can use the offline mode.   This APP has a breadcrumb mode that will keep track of where you have been all day.   To turn on the breadcrumb mode – go to SETTINGS, then look for RECENT TRACK  and select ONE DAY

Peak Finder

This lets you find the name and elevation of any visible peak.  Great when cruising down the coast and are curious about the name of nearby mountains.   Be sure to download the data before you leave so it will work in the offline mode.  The data files are very large.

Holland America NAVIGATOR App

Download this APP before you leave.  This app will allow you to look at menus and the Where and When with your phone once onboard.

Marine Traffic

This will help you identify nearby ships.   It does require an active internet connection

Cruise Mapper – Specializes in cruise ship locations

WhatsApp

This messaging app is used by many of your tour guides.  A great way to connect with them when you arrive in port

 SkyView

Helps to find stars in the night sky.

Star Tracker – works while offline

Google Translate

This lets you view foreign language placards and other signs.  It can also translate text and voice while offline as long as you download the dictionary in advance.

GlobeConvert

This apps converts both currency and units – works offline

Can you leave the ship mid cruise and return?

Yes, you can leave the ship and return, but you need to get permission in advance from your cruise line. This permission is called a “Deviation” and it will authorize you to leave in a particular port and return in another. Before they authorize the deviation, the cruise line must verify that the desired departure port will allow passenger entry as opposed to simply passengers in transit. The same for when you return. It’s possible that a particular port will not allow people to depart the country from that port unless they arrived at that port. If you leave without permission you may have difficulty trying to leave the country or the ship may refuse to allow you to reboard since you violated the cruise contract.

Your travel agent can initiate this request and I have never heard of a request being refused, but you always need to get approval regardless.

Daily Activities

Here is a link to the daily programs from the 2020 World Cruise and get a sense of what the daily routine is like on a World Cruise