cbr663

I think the opposite that we all pay for these groups and full charters. We are now in a period of high demand for cruises. When HAL accepts more and more large groups and full charters it is taking a huge number of cabins out of inventory. This results in less supply trying to meet a high demand. High demand with less supply will typically result in higher prices, not lower. HAL will never limit the profit on a sailing in the manner that you suggested. That is not how dynamic pricing works.

I agree. The past several months CC threads and posts have shown that HAL has decidedly moved away from a passenger service focus. We won't be returning until we see some changes.

Thanks so much for taking us along and sharing your final thoughts. Like you, washrooms are important for us. For our upcoming Avalon River Cruise we spent so much time watching review videos to try and find the perfect washroom for us. I realize that cabins are smaller on these ships, yet sometimes, it is simply too small for us. I also would have been very disappointed to discover a bath in the washroom after confirming that there wasn't a bath. I find it surprising that after meeting with the Chef on embarkation to discuss your dietary needs that canapés were served that didn't meet those needs. That was certainly a bummer. Enjoy your next cruise planning and I am sure that those wonderful chocolates will help with your choices. 😃

HAL does a great job explaining all the perks and costs in this link: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/ca/onboard-experiences/dining/club-orange

Was it a HAL Booking Agent? Reads like whomever made the change didn't apply the CO upgrade properly. Once CO is paid, you tell the PCC (HAL Booking Agent) which cabin you want as the complimentary upgrade. That person then puts you on hold as they have to contact Ship Inventory to have the change applied. The PCC then comes back and finalizes the booking with the new cabin noted. I've always completed the complimentary upgrade when originally booking. At least this is how it was for me when I did it.

I agree that it is natural for someone to think that labelling a cabin as a Spa Cabin, and charging significantly more the cabins, would allow you access to the Spa for the premium. I doubt that it is natural for most people not familiar with HAL to wonder if they are calling them Spa cabins and charging more it is only because the cabins are located close to the Spa.

I hear ya. Unfortunately, when asking questions like why aren't they thinking and planning for themselves and expecting everyone else to fix their problems, I am reminded that we raised them. 🤪 Just today my DW and I were next in line at Tim's in a mall. Suddenly a girl about 20 asked my DW and I if she could jump in front of us because, and I kid you not, she actually said, "I am so hungry that I am about to pass out and I only have 10 minutes to get something." My DW thought the about to pass out comment was a tad dramatic, but as we weren't in any hurry and we remember all too well the experience if working in retail, e simply said okay, go ahead. As karma can be nasty, I'm sure that no one is surprised that even after letting her go ahead another cashier opened up and we received our order before this lady received hers. She thanked us for helping her and I don't think she thought for one second that there was anything wrong with her making her needs much more important than ours.

Thanks for sharing. I do understand the reason though. Nexus is a trusted traveler program in which you are deemed very low risk. Allowing your children to use your home address as a permanent address when in fact it isn't is a misrepresentation. I understand how you may find it simple and convenient. I also understand how authorities would find it simple and convenient for your children to rent a mail box.

As the active ingredient in non-drowsy Dramamine is meclizine, I assume that it didn't work well so Bonine is out. Meclizine works really well for me. Prior to this though I used the Scopolamine Patch. That also worked well for me. It has been discontinued in Canada and I believe you need a prescription for it in the US. After a few days though I did encounter side effects with my vision being a little blurry. Nothing that would cause me to pause just feeling like my vision was a little off. I would still be using them but it is no longer available in Canada and I switched to meclizine.

The Cellar Master's Dinner looked amazing. I've really enjoyed reading your live thread. Thanks so much for your generosity.

If you want to dine in the MDR after 6:30 I suggest you try and get fixed dining. I wouldn't risk the chance that I would be turned away.

Beautiful pics. Tulips are our favourite flower. We regularly have fresh tulips in our house. Your post reminded me to check out the dates for the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa. We still have about 3 weeks to go. 🙂

Yes, that was the impression we gathered from the seminar that Scenic pushes the dressy environment. Many years ago when we sailed in our first Neptune Suite on HAL we decided to go all out with its formal nights. That was back when HAL delivered corsages and boutonnieres to your suite for formal night. We decided after that cruise that we were one and done with that. The dark suits and sequins have never travelled with us since. We are now at the point that we would rather avail of a ship's laundry service than take any bag larger than a carry on.

Thanks for providing clarity around the dress on board. We attended a Scenic information seminar and the marketing materials all showed men dressed in jackets/ties/suites and women in dresses/dressy clothes. There was also a lot of emphasis on the "ultra luxury" aspect of Scenic and its Enriching Experiences where they highlighted excursions to private symphonies and orchestras. We left the seminar thinking that Scenic is not the cruise line for us as it really presented a formal experience.

Carnival Corp and I believe every other cruise lines are reporting that bookings are up and ships are sailing at more than 100% capacity. No one can predict what capacity will be for your cruise in Nov, yet there is little reason to believe that it should be any different. Added to the over capacity challenge is if you follow any live threads you will see that for the most part HAL's ships are sailing with less crew. Less crew can mean less than ideal service and longer waits onboard.