GeezerCouple

Where I made a suggestion like this (see post #7 in this thread) it was because apparently there was ONLY availability for "two", and a "single" could *not* even book a cabin, even for full (200%) price. So the only refund that might have been at issue were some port charges or fees, but that wasn't the point, and wasn't necessary. The passenger was willing to pay full/double fare, but was unable to book as a solo. Booking "with a friend" would let them book! GC

By all means leave a note with what you would like/appreciate. That makes their job easier; no guessing whether someone wants the ice bucket filled or someone is really annoyed that the stupid ice bucket keeps being filled... 😉 We give a short letter to the Butler (we usually get suites these days) and the Steward. We introduce ourselves, signing off with nicknames, as one of us has a somewhat long first name that is often mis-pronounced anyway. For the Butler, it involves comments about our likely use of room service, including how we are almost always flexible in case we request a time that is extra busy, so "just let us know", etc. Also the kinds of snacks we enjoy, so other snacks don't show up only to be wasted. Importantly, we emphasize a food allergy one of us has. For the Steward, it's mostly about please leave extra bath linens each day, and also how if the "privacy" sign is on when you come for an afternoon/evening service (which apparently might be relegated to history?), then no need to return later... consider it done for the day. The last thing we want is them needing to keep checking while they are servicing other rooms or even afterwards. Because the Butler letter is a bit longer, when we hand it to them, we mumble some general greetings and thanks, and suggest that they read it "later, because things are so busy the first day". Invariably, they return later that day or early the next day, with our letter and a pen, and thank us for writing it out, and then ask a couple of questions. We also keep some post-it notes with us, and we'll leave out a message, such as to the Steward that we don't need anything the rest of the day, or if we DO want ice (we usually do not) or such. We don't know how they remember names (NOT a strong point of ours, alas), and also any requests, especially verbal requests, given how many cabins they each have. GC

Right, but... considering if a double occupancy would generate (just any figure for comparisons) $1k x 2 people = $2,000... vs a single with no surcharge. The single would be paying $1k, and be spending less than 2 people. Now consider offering the single the cabin for, say, $1,500 (at least it's better than $2k!). Compare that with the line offering the cabin to two people for $1,500 instead; they'd have approximately twice the spend on board, and that extra spending can be very profitable. That is, it's probably more likely that the line would discount the cabin for a couple than for a single. Whether it's "fair" depends upon the definition of "fair", as there is more than one perspective. But in terms of which makes more "business financial sense"...? What is interesting are the very small single cabins, at lower cost for singles. This seems to be a reasonable compromise, at first glance. Then they could presumably price them such that, given the higher passenger density, it works pretty well for all. A separate question is whether they'd do something similar for one or two singles at the suite/luxe category. Again, it could be much smaller, and charge more than 50%, but not 100% of what two would pay at regular pricing. Some single travelers may want something other than tiny cabins, but they don't need the size of regular larger suites/etc., generally meant for two. GC

Are you trying to get a lower "single rate"? If not, what about making the reservation for two. It would be a shame if your companion didn't make the flight to get there in time to board.... 😉 (Double check that extra fees would be refunded, even if the base rate isn't.) GC

This suggestion won't help with the wait; you'd still be at whatever position you'd be in per time of arrival. However, to deal with the "they won't touch *OUR* wheelchair that <someone> is using for liability reasons: Request a "proper" wheelchair, whatever they use. That's where the person goes after you transfer your carry-on luggage to your new Luggage Transport System, previously known as "your old wheelchair". 🙂 But you'd still have that wait... GC

Clever ploy to be first off! A bit elaborate, but if it works...... 😁 Very glad you are better! GC

I don't know if the various cruise lines "post" their special needs forms, or one needs to inquire. Each cruiseline has a special needs department, under some title or another, such as: Once we have forms filled out for a cruise line, we often just submit the same form over and over, with any updates noted. (There often are no updates; the form is often a reminder, especially about the allergy/medical situation.) GC

What cruiselines and ships did you sail on before, and were any before COVID? Keep in mind that ships want to sail with a full house. In addition to the cruise fare, they get money from booze, gambling, shop purchases, etc. So they would rather fill any empty cabins toward sailing date with discounted fares rather than sail with those empty. COVID sailings were quite different, as many people just didn't want to sail (or travel at all in many cases). Now, there is a bit of a travel rebound... many people who didn't travel are wanting to make up for those missed trips, so capacity is likely *not* to be low. Have you considered some of the smaller ships, including on other cruise lines? Your idea of sailing when it is not a school break is a good one, for your purposes, no matter what. We try to avoid holiday sailings these days, now that our schedules are more flexible, for similar reasons. 🙂 GC

Glad it worked out! We've often flown through DFW cross country in the winter, even if connecting in, say, Chicago (!!) would have been better IF there were to be good weather! 😱 GC

Oh, does this ever bring back memories! For my very first cruise, my children and I were flying from Seattle to Miami to join other family members who were flying in from other areas. Sea-Tac airport in Seattle had been closed for about 2 days with incredible fog, but the fog lifted that morning. I hadn't quite realized what a major problem it had been. This was in 1974, so there was no internet, and I just wasn't paying attention as this entire adventure was "something new"! When we arrived, there the terminal floors were covered with people... just waiting. I immediately assumed that we'd have to wait for these others to get on flights first, before the airline could even think about us. Well, at least then, at that time, it was "current flights come first and we'll try to clear the backlog whenever we can"! Whew. We had planned to arrive a few days in advance and had some sightseeing planned, so we probably would have made the cruise itself, at least. But that was when I fortuitiously learned to "arrive at the departure port in advance". I have no idea if there is a "regular protocol" about current and backlogged flights and passengers, but I assume it also depends upon the availability of the aircraft and the flight crew in terms of which flights take off first. Even though that was a very short cruise, in a very spartan inside cabin, I *loved* it, and I was hooked immediately! 😀 GC

We use the cruise line's "Special Needs" forms for this. We also have a serious allergy situation, so we need to use this form anyway. Then we add in any other special requests. We feel better that it all arrives in written form. GC

When you write here "plain still water", could you be more precise? You also then write "we have flavoured still water...". I lived in the UK for a while ages ago, so I am well aware that what might seem to be "the same words" on both sides of the pond... doesn't always mean the exact same thing. (I had several *very* funny experiences along those lines, and one rather embarrasing one...!) So you want flavored still (not sparkling) water? With *only* flavor, or also sweetened (and if the latter, natural/caloric sweetener or non/low-calorie sweetener). Also, I thought Fresca was sparkling; do you care about the sparkling/still choice? There should be plenty of choices of each type. Where are you sailing from, which might affect Oceania's provisioning, and when, for timing. In terms of photos of what is in the fridge/etc., what you might be requesting could be something different, so don't restrict yourself. 🙂 We hope you enjoy Oceania as much as we do! GC

I don't mind paying extra for extra special service, no matter where. But it makes no sense (except for the cruise lines' ability to advertise cheaper prices) not to include the general gratuities in the fare. After all, some/much of that go to the hard-working folks behind the scenes, laundry, food prep, and so many more to keep a huge ship functioning. Since there is NO way we can "tip" those people, this "overall gratuity" is not really something given for *extra* service. Same thing for the mandatory "resort fee" at hotels. It's not "$10 for use of the pool"; it's "$10 above the room rate... extra to stay in that room..." 😡 GC

"So do I agree or disagree with this statement????" Well, the answer to that question is obviously: "Yes!" 🤔 And that's about as helpful as other ambiguous questions. Without allowing for any type of reason, and no "other, please explain:____" choice, it can be worse than meaningless. I realized that a few of my answers would most likely be interpreted incorrectly. One main one was that they asked about types of entertainment. Note that we are among those for whom Lincoln Center Stage (or *some* type of quality classical chamber music; there's no room for a full orchestra!) is VERY important. THAT, for us, is what sets HAL in a special category! So... a key question was something like, "How important is musical entertainment to you in selecting a cruise?" Okay, if I answer, "not at all", that certainly doesn't capture our opinion. But if I answer "very important", to the question as phrased just above, how likely is it that someone tabulating responses is going to assume it means blaring music at the pool, or perhaps a production musical performance? "Classical music" just is NOT going to be top of the mind for those reading the results.... not when the question was worded that way! Yes, having a "please explain:_____" or "other:_____" category will cost more for the time of someone categorizing, etc. But *sometimes* that's the only way to get the information that is meaningful. Sigh.

Here you go: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2810544-ncl-jewel-march-21-2023-panama-canal-from-panama-city-to-san-diego/ Enjoy! GC

The formatting didn't allow for good answers. Being forced to select among the answers ends up being misleading. Yes, in another life, I managed a few projects like this for a while. GIGO. 😠 GC

The types of third-party travel insurance we get allows us to start the coverage with whatever the first payment is, and then up the coverage as we increase our payments. This is really important for us, because the type of coverage we want requires that we start the policy within 10-20 days (depends upon state of residence) of the very *first* payment, refundable or not. So waiting until later would mean we couldn't get the type of coverage we want. GC

If you are interested in a nice steak, such as a filet, then, surprisingly, Cagney's is NOT the place for you. Go to Le Bistro 🙂 They have the best filet, by far. (And other choices have been terrific as well.) We've only eaten at Cagney's a few times (pre-COVID), because it was awful, and didn't get better. The final time, I got that humongous Tomahawk steak. Yes, I like red meat! When it arrived, DH looked at it, looked at me, looked back at it again. 😋 He was glad there would be enough to share. That cut is not supposed to be hard to eat, but mine... was for starters, hard to cut. VERY hard to cut. And hard to chew, as in, I couldn't eat it. Chew, chew, chew, and chew some more. I ate very little of it. It may have been the worst steak I've had in decades, perhaps since my college years and eating at "cheap cafeteria-style steak houses". At least those had great flavor! (And maybe my jaws were stronger back then!? 😉 ) DH tried one small bite (that HE had to cut); nothing more. And Le Bistro has something else very good, a real sleeper. I'm not sure why we even tried it, but thank goodness we did. The coq au vin! Tender and *SO* tasty... terrific sauce, the kind where you want to lick the plate/bowl. We had it a couple of times, even though we love the filet, because it was so flavorful. On land, we can get a good filet at a couple of favorite places, but *good* coq au vin? Not so much. (If you aren't at all a fan of chicken, then I wouldn't recommend this. It's still chicken, of course.) We won't go back to Cagneys again. It was a major problem/disappointment on more than one ship. And surprisingly, the service wasn't good, either, any of the times. GC

We requested to have lots of San Pellegrino sparkling water, which we drink lots of, at home and away. We had a steady supply of those large glass bottles. 🙂 GC

As phillygwm wrote, you don't make an official change of cabin. However, anyone (A) can arrange for someone else (B) to have a card that will open A's cabin. However, it won't have charge privileges, which will remain with B's original card. When we arrange for our family to get extra cards to our suite (so that they can spend time with us, but not wait for us to be there to get in), we write some sort of code on it with permanent marker, but NOT the cabin/suite number (for obvious reasons, in case it gets lost). As far as really physically changing cabins/beds, the cruiseline doesn't do "bed checks", so don't worry about that. IF it's helpful, you might tell the steward who is "there" in case it makes a difference or might be confusing. In one case, we had a Pack N Play for a little grand in "their" cabin, and we had a second Pack N Play in our suite for naps, etc. In that case, we requested it in advance, and it was already set up when we arrived. No problem. GC

If you have a special request for any soft drink, do have your TA let them know well in advance so they have time to arrange for the provisioning. That might be especially important sailing from some ports vs. others. When we asked for something specific, we also let them know how much of it we expected to drink. (It makes a difference if one person is drinking perhaps one per day, or if two are each drinking about 3 per day, ahem...) GC

Is this some sort of joke?? She is certainly NOT "a few feet off the ground". She is very clearly one deck above some awning over another deck, and chances are pretty good that the deck under the awning is still a few decks (not "feet") from the water. They don't build ships with awnings that are right near the water line. That's where, uh, portholes are (or even just solid metal), not balconies, walkways, or awnings. And if the ship is in port, there's also a good chance there is a very hard dock right below (if she fell and bounced/slid off that awning), as was the case, I think, with the tragic lapse of a grandfather's judgment doing a similar little "careless" stunt. Cement or water, that wouldn't end well for anyone... Sadly, Darwin in action... GC

And if you plan to bring any "new to you" medication, please try it at home first, before traveling to make sure there are no unexpected side effects, etc. GC

Heh. About 10 years ago, we took a cruise and brought 2 kids (one plus spouse) and an 18 month old grand. We got an OS for the two of us, where we intended to spend lots of time together, which was the explicit point of the cruise. We even had a Pack N Play in each place. I felt really cheap not getting them a balcony, but... ESPECIALLY because I could not be there (to play Mother Hen or such), I got them an OV. I did explain that *I* would not be able to relax worrying about what if he tried climbing on the balcony. 18 months is way too young to understand consequences, obviously. The parents understood, and their cabin was used mostly for nighttime and naps. I just could *not* see how I wouldn't be "imagining the worse" all the time. Yes, I sometimes catastrophize, but if ever there was an invitation to do so, that was it! We all had a wonderful and relaxing cruise, including us (me!). 🙂 ETA: Oh, and there are some balconies where the support bars are horizontal, making WONDERFUL... ladders. 😱 Fortunately, many are glass/plexi/etc., or VERTICAL bars...! (I see this in homes, too, but I digress...) GC

Always a good idea. I'm one of those who immediately after being introduced... have already forgotten the name, and then - THEN - I remember: Right! I *must* say, "Hello RUMPLESTILTSKIN!" right away out loud so I remember the name! My bad... almost every single time... 😞 GC