Alaska Cruise on the Holland America Statendam
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The Statendam has also instituted a new policy regarding tipping. In the past tips were truly a gratuity and optional. Now they impose a $10 per day per passenger automatic charge to your on board account ($140 per couple for a one week cruise) to cover tips. If you want to give an extra tip to a particularly helpful crew member they are required to pool it with rest of the crew. There is also an automatic 15% gratuity added to liquor and soft drink purchases in the public lounges and for room service alcohol/soft drink purchases.
These new policies are grumbled about by the crew since an individual's extra effort is no longer rewarded by special passenger tips.
If you insist the purser will remove the $10 per person per day automatic tip but you must deal with the front office and explain your position. Otherwise you will be billed the charge on your final account settlement.
Overall the cruise was pleasurable and their were no major flaws in the service or food quality. The deluxe verandah suites are definitely worth the extra fare since they come with a lot of perks that other cabins don't enjoy. Examples are: complimentary laundry and dry cleaning, a bottle of champagne from the captain, an exclusive lounge on deck 10 (where the deluxe verandahs are located) with morning continental breakfast, evening hors d'ourvres, a concierge to help with anything you want, personalized stationery, and (most importantly) a cabin with more than 560 square feet including the verandah.
May is definitely the time to cruise Alaska since it has warmed up by then but the rainy season of mid-summer has not yet begun.
Bring a bathing suit in any case since there is a heated pool on the Statendam as well as Jacuzzi spas and a sauna.
Guest Contributor: John
Dateline: May 2004
The Statendam has also instituted a new policy regarding tipping. In the past tips were truly a gratuity and optional. Now they impose a $10 per day per passenger automatic charge to your on board account ($140 per couple for a one week cruise) to cover tips. If you want to give an extra tip to a particularly helpful crew member they are required to pool it with rest of the crew. There is also an automatic 15% gratuity added to liquor and soft drink purchases in the public lounges and for room service alcohol/soft drink purchases.
These new policies are grumbled about by the crew since an individual's extra effort is no longer rewarded by special passenger tips.
If you insist the purser will remove the $10 per person per day automatic tip but you must deal with the front office and explain your position. Otherwise you will be billed the charge on your final account settlement.
Overall the cruise was pleasurable and their were no major flaws in the service or food quality. The deluxe verandah suites are definitely worth the extra fare since they come with a lot of perks that other cabins don't enjoy. Examples are: complimentary laundry and dry cleaning, a bottle of champagne from the captain, an exclusive lounge on deck 10 (where the deluxe verandahs are located) with morning continental breakfast, evening hors d'ourvres, a concierge to help with anything you want, personalized stationery, and (most importantly) a cabin with more than 560 square feet including the verandah.
May is definitely the time to cruise Alaska since it has warmed up by then but the rainy season of mid-summer has not yet begun.
Bring a bathing suit in any case since there is a heated pool on the Statendam as well as Jacuzzi spas and a sauna.
Guest Contributor: John
Dateline: May 2004