UPGRADING

Hi

My wife and I will be first time cruisers on the ZAANDAM on Sep 30th
this year on a Panama cruise from San Diego.

we have booked through a travel agent here in Newcastle (N S W AUS).
I would welcome any suggestions re upgrading. We are currently "H"
GRADE OUTSIDE GUARANTEED and our agent says there is a fair chance of
an upgrade upon embarkation.

However we wanted to increase our chances (especially considering we
are travelling fron Australia to take this cruise)and would like to
hear from anyone regarding the ettiquette of contacting HAL and just
plain asking? Is this a no no or is it a case of nothing ventured,
nothing gained?

Also we read that the port side is the better side to be on. Is this
so? And how do we go about asking for a particular side of the ship?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You probably won't like my suggestion, but I'll give it anyway: Don't
fixate on an upgrade. In most cases, if you get a free upgrade, it's
just to the same kind of cabin on a higher deck anyway.

Having said that, I think you're more likely to get an upgrade by your
TA requesting it than by your own request, though I don't think you have
anything to lose by trying.

The cabins on the Zaandam are very comfortable; you will not suffer with
an H, unless you get one in the rear third of the ship and the ship
still has problems with the air conditioning there!

You cannot not ask for anything in particular when you book a guaranteed
cabin. If you really want to be on the port side or pick your location
in some other way, don't do a guarantee - they often don't save you much
money anyway.

Theoretically, port side gives you a view of the shore for that cruise,
but in reality, you will be be too far away to see the short until
you're approaching a port. Port side for this cruise will mean morning
sun as opposed to afternoon sun shining through your cabin window, and
in my experience, that will be the primary difference.

I highly recommend that you stay tuned in to rec.travel.cruises and read
lots of posts!

I predict you will love your cruise.

Eileen

John Canning wrote:
Hi

My wife and I will be first time cruisers on the ZAANDAM on Sep 30th
this year on a Panama cruise from San Diego.

we have booked through a travel agent here in Newcastle (N S W AUS).
I would welcome any suggestions re upgrading. We are currently "H"
GRADE OUTSIDE GUARANTEED and our agent says there is a fair chance of
an upgrade upon embarkation.

However we wanted to increase our chances (especially considering we
are travelling fron Australia to take this cruise)and would like to
hear from anyone regarding the ettiquette of contacting HAL and just
plain asking? Is this a no no or is it a case of nothing ventured,
nothing gained?

Also we read that the port side is the better side to be on. Is this
so? And how do we go about asking for a particular side of the ship?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

There isn't any way to increase your chances of upgrading except by purchasing
a higher cat guarantee cabin. If you want port side then you loose your
guarantee and your upgrade. As mentioned- if a higher priced cabin is your
priority- pay and book one.

Eileen and John,

We did the Canal from San Diego in 2001 on Veendam in a suite on the
starboard side. Most things of interest, going through the Canal locks are
on the right side, and because we love the sun, the right side was the right
side to sit on our balcony in the afternoon.

The Canal has a webcam website at
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

Currently they are only showing Miraflores Locks as the Gatun Locks camera
is out of service.

I don't know if they still do, but back in 2001 they offered to take your
picture as you passed through. Although we told them well in advance where
we would be and what we would be wearing when we returned home we found out
that they "forgot". But if you are willing to take your chances, you might
want to see if they still offer the service.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ



"Eileen Garland" wrote in message
...
You probably won't like my suggestion, but I'll give it anyway: Don't
fixate on an upgrade. In most cases, if you get a free upgrade, it's
just to the same kind of cabin on a higher deck anyway.

Having said that, I think you're more likely to get an upgrade by your
TA requesting it than by your own request, though I don't think you have
anything to lose by trying.

The cabins on the Zaandam are very comfortable; you will not suffer with
an H, unless you get one in the rear third of the ship and the ship
still has problems with the air conditioning there!

You cannot not ask for anything in particular when you book a guaranteed
cabin. If you really want to be on the port side or pick your location
in some other way, don't do a guarantee - they often don't save you much
money anyway.

Theoretically, port side gives you a view of the shore for that cruise,
but in reality, you will be be too far away to see the short until
you're approaching a port. Port side for this cruise will mean morning
sun as opposed to afternoon sun shining through your cabin window, and
in my experience, that will be the primary difference.

I highly recommend that you stay tuned in to rec.travel.cruises and read
lots of posts!

I predict you will love your cruise.

Eileen

John Canning wrote:
Hi

My wife and I will be first time cruisers on the ZAANDAM on Sep 30th
this year on a Panama cruise from San Diego.

we have booked through a travel agent here in Newcastle (N S W AUS).
I would welcome any suggestions re upgrading. We are currently "H"
GRADE OUTSIDE GUARANTEED and our agent says there is a fair chance of
an upgrade upon embarkation.

However we wanted to increase our chances (especially considering we
are travelling fron Australia to take this cruise)and would like to
hear from anyone regarding the ettiquette of contacting HAL and just
plain asking? Is this a no no or is it a case of nothing ventured,
nothing gained?

Also we read that the port side is the better side to be on. Is this
so? And how do we go about asking for a particular side of the ship?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

"Dick Goldhaber" wrote:

We did the Canal from San Diego in 2001 on Veendam in a suite on the
starboard side. Most things of interest, going through the Canal locks
are on the right side, and because we love the sun, the right side
was the right side to sit on our balcony in the afternoon.


Since you have done both Hawaii and the Panama Canal on Statendam-class ships
with HAL, could you comment on which of the cruises, itinerary and overall
experience, and which ship/staff/etc. you preferred, and why?

I'd love to hear Danni's point of view, too.

I can't speak for Danni who is busy trying to defend us against the far
right on Court TV, but I love Hawaii and I love the days at sea that that
itinerary offers.

When I was much younger my wife and I visited a lot of places without Danni
and over the years since my wife passed away I have tried to show Danni all
of the things that she missed. In 1995 I cruised the Canal without her, so
this was my opportunity to make it up to her. We did the Canal and Acapulco
and Cabo, and even Curacao, all of which are great ports.

I hope that helps.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ



"RTCReferee" wrote in message
...
"Dick Goldhaber" wrote:

We did the Canal from San Diego in 2001 on Veendam in a suite on the
starboard side. Most things of interest, going through the Canal locks
are on the right side, and because we love the sun, the right side
was the right side to sit on our balcony in the afternoon.


Since you have done both Hawaii and the Panama Canal on Statendam-class
ships
with HAL, could you comment on which of the cruises, itinerary and overall
experience, and which ship/staff/etc. you preferred, and why?

I'd love to hear Danni's point of view, too.

"Dick Goldhaber" wrote:

I can't speak for Danni who is busy trying to defend us against the far
right on Court TV, but I love Hawaii and I love the days at sea that that
itinerary offers.

When I was much younger my wife and I visited a lot of places without Danni
and over the years since my wife passed away I have tried to show Danni
all of the things that she missed. In 1995 I cruised the Canal without her,
so this was my opportunity to make it up to her. We did the Canal and
Acapulco
and Cabo, and even Curacao, all of which are great ports.

I hope that helps.

Yes, it does, thanks. Living on the West Coast, a round-trip to Hawaii
requires shorter and less-expensive flghts. That's very attractive. I just
wish there were a speedier ship doing the itinerary, where more time could be
spent at port in the lush islands without making the overall cruise last so
long.

"RTCReferee" wrote in message
...
"Dick Goldhaber" wrote:

I can't speak for Danni who is busy trying to defend us against the far
right on Court TV, but I love Hawaii and I love the days at sea that that
itinerary offers.

When I was much younger my wife and I visited a lot of places without
Danni
and over the years since my wife passed away I have tried to show Danni
all of the things that she missed. In 1995 I cruised the Canal without
her,
so this was my opportunity to make it up to her. We did the Canal and
Acapulco
and Cabo, and even Curacao, all of which are great ports.

I hope that helps.

Yes, it does, thanks. Living on the West Coast, a round-trip to Hawaii
requires shorter and less-expensive flghts. That's very attractive. I
just
wish there were a speedier ship doing the itinerary, where more time could
be
spent at port in the lush islands without making the overall cruise last
so
long.

Could you fly one way and cruise the other?

Having done Hawaii on the Olympia Explorer I can honestly
say that speed can get too high for comfort. Fly one way and
cruise the other or just give in to the "round the islands
cruise" and fly both ways.
Enough lubrication and you won't remember the fun of the flight!
Cheers,
John

RTCReferee wrote:

Yes, it does, thanks. Living on the West Coast, a round-trip to Hawaii
requires shorter and less-expensive flghts. That's very attractive. I just
wish there were a speedier ship doing the itinerary, where more time could be
spent at port in the lush islands without making the overall cruise last so
long.

On 4 May 2004 18:53:55 -0700, (John Canning)
wrote:

Hi

My wife and I will be first time cruisers on the ZAANDAM on Sep 30th
this year on a Panama cruise from San Diego.

we have booked through a travel agent here in Newcastle (N S W AUS).
I would welcome any suggestions re upgrading. We are currently "H"
GRADE OUTSIDE GUARANTEED and our agent says there is a fair chance of
an upgrade upon embarkation.

Category G and H cabins on the Zaandam can be, well, less than
wonderful. Considering the long flight you are taking for the
cruise, I would look at an upgrade to "F" if it is available.

You might well get an upgrade for free -- it is simply a matter of
luck. Or you might get a good cabin in Cat. H -- they do exist.

Personally, I got stuck in a Cat. G cabin at the very front of the
ship on a Statendam class vessel once and it was not so great. The
curve of the bow takes away a lot of space and you have the long walk
to the stern (not so bad on Statendam as on a larger ship though).

Sorry to sound at all negative. Let me add that the Zaandam is a
WONDERFUL ship, one of HAL's best IMO, and you will have a terrific
time even if your cabin is a bit smaller than some.

However we wanted to increase our chances (especially considering we
are travelling fron Australia to take this cruise)and would like to
hear from anyone regarding the ettiquette of contacting HAL and just
plain asking? Is this a no no or is it a case of nothing ventured,
nothing gained?

Very little if any chance of this working, IMO. Your agent might be
able to do some good if he has some clout. But, on the other hand,
nobody is going to give you a spanking for trying. It isn't at all
rude to ask, just pointless.

Also we read that the port side is the better side to be on. Is this
so?

I hate to say it, but you probably won't get much of a view from a
Cat. H cabin anyway, so it won't matter which side you are on..
You'll be close to the water, and the "window" will be at best a
porthole and at worst fully obstructed. If you want a view from your
cabin you really need to upgrade to C or D.

And how do we go about asking for a particular side of the ship?

See above. The price savings of a "guarantee" pretty much removes
any control you have over cabin selection.

It is incredibly arbitrary. The cruise line really wants to offer
upgrades to higher-paying passengers first. But they are constrained
by time and logistics. So, if a high-category cabin comes available
just before sailing, they will assign it to a guarantee just for their
own convenience (i.e. so they don't have to go through multiple cabin
reassignments). You *can* get very lucky if there is a last minute
cancellation.

Again, if you are at your budgetery limits with your outside
guarantee, don't worry about it. The Zaandam has marvelous, quiet,
spacious public areas and decks, both inside and out, from which you
can view the scenery. I would rather have a smaller cabin on a great
ship than a verandah on a crummy ship, personally. I think you will
love the cruise even if you don't get lucky on the
guarantee-dice-roll. (I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.)

Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln