GeezerCouple

We were on the Sun to Alaska. We decided late, and happened to find what must have been a late cancellation on one of the OS. (We've been on the other end of that, having a medical emergency and suddenly making the cancellation of a nice suite, alas.) Those OS on the Sun: there are two, on in each forward corner. They probably should be called DOS, but who's counting, etc.? There is a very wide balcony, with a private hot tub, and chairs/loungers and a table. The VIEW is amazing, and perfect for a scenic cruise. We love forward views, so we'd have loved this for an ocean crossing. 😉 It's got that same forward view, but "more of it", as one can look across a wider area. (We booked Starboard, for a northbound cruise, and the beautiful coasts and snow-topped mountains... wowl) I don't know what the space is like in the smaller accommodations on the various forward facing decks, but we'd probably take any of them in a heartbeat. I can't say too much about the Sun more generally, as we mostly stayed in our suite, and had many meals served in our dining area with floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall glass. It was one of our favorite cruises. GC

The only thought I have is whether having a wheelchair would be of any help if he has trouble with distances on the ship (or even getting off the ship and to whereever the next transportation might be). It's no different than the wheelchair in the airport. [Note: I have a slight mobility problem that makes distances difficult sometimes, especially if there is no place to rest. I always request a wheelchair at airports. We are starting to consider whether something like a "rollator with a seat" might be useful when we travel... at some point... "Whatever makes the trip more pleasant" is what matters to us, right!? I also am recovering from a broken foot [the spider lost the fight], so I may be needing more help in the future; today is the day I was given the "okay" to remove that *$&#%*# boot. 😁 And good riddance to it...!] Also, about his concern about "not being able to do much"... for some of us (and that general "us" includes the specific "us" sometimes! 🙂 ), part of the enjoyment of a cruise (vs and land vacation, for example) is precisely that there's no need to do much!" Being ON the ship is a good part of the vacation... the sea breezes, rocking of the boat, different vistas so many times... We don't even tend to do much of the ship entertainment, althought that varies by ship. (HAL has the Lincoln Center classical music, which we found phenomenal, and I'd camp out early to get good seats because the venue didn't always have enough seats at all on our ship). We always have a balcony, but we also enjoy finding other areas of the ship to sit and read. I've been known to sit in a lounger and read on our balcony, and fall asleep out there. Once DH let me sleep in peace, with the ocean breezes, etc., until I woke up in the wee hours. Others might go to the late night shows, but not us (and our other family members don't tend to do that either, but that's their choice). Tell him to plan to have a relaxing holiday, and if he wants to "do things"... then do them; but if not, then enjoy the cruise. If there are things he wants to do at some ports, that's great, too. Even a taxi ride to scenic places (or a beach), or "around the island" for a smaller island, can be fun for a change of pace. If you stay on the ship on a port day, you won't be alone! Some people especially enjoy the ship without "all those others". If he likes the pool, that's likely to be a time where it won't be crowded. (Some ships have pools with lifts, if he would be willing to use that.) Is it too late to request an accessible room? If that might make things easier...? I don't know what else about that type of room might be helpful. I hope you all enjoy the cruise! GC

We arrange our own transfers and hotels. (It's usually less expensive, but that's not the point. Or we may want a nicer hotel, but again, that's not the critical part.) And we ALWAYS call the hotel when the reservation is made (whether by us or our travel agent) and then we call back a few days prior to our arrival. We do that because the evening before... they may have others booked in what we needed/requested, who are staying more than one night. But we *also* try to call the day before also. It's well worth it to avoid what could be very inconvenient last minute problems. Same with any transport service. GC

We always book directly with the tour guide or company. We use a major credit card almost all of the time. Now, that would help us get our money back, but we'd still have a problem at the port when/if we realized no one was there. However, we have always had extensive email exchanges with the guide, including things like just what to see/where to go, perhaps how much time to spend. We may want to spend more time at X than average or less time at Y, etc., and we may customize the tour. While we communicate with the guide, we'll often ask if what we are asking about brings to mind anything else that might interest us, or we'll even start by saying we want to emphasize this type of artwork or plants/scenery, etc. They've occasionally come up with excellent new ideas for us. We usually do private excursions, but a few times, we've offered space to others on our Roll Call when it's a cruise. We either point them to the "regular website" description, or we explain what we have arranged. If the others can pay the guide directly, that always makes things easier. Thus far, we've not been stood up! If a guide seems flakey or such in the early email, we just move along to someone else. We've been told a few times that the guide really enjoys including others who are genuinely interested. (I suppose they could be fishing for a nicer tip...? If they deserve it, they'll get it, and then we are all happy! 🙂 ) GC

Yes, all food preparation on an Oceania ship will take into account any food allergies IF they know about them. So make sure you notify Special Needs well before the cruise date, and then again when you board, just to be sure. They'll either have a separate presentation of the same thing but without the offending ingredient, or they'll substitute something else. We had no problem with that, including at La Reserve. And although the food was wonderful, we were quite disappointed with some of the wines served. Amex had included a wine tasting with our fare. Those were *cheap* wines (not ultra cheap, but nothing at all to write home about). And two of the wines served at La Reserve were from that same group. We had signed up for all 3 La Reserve menus, and we cancelled the other two. However, it was a lovely evening in every other way. Very nice dinner companions (which isn't always the case when there is assigned seating, etc.). We'd much rather spend that money ordering *nice* bottles of wine at a Specialty restaurant. Or even the MDR. (Or drink one of our own if we were able to bring some aboard, which depends upon our travel plans pre-cruise, and the departure port.) GC

To be a bit more clear, on the Jewel class ships, the Haven actually does have 2 Penthouses IN the Haven. Their "proper name" is "The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Balcony". That can lead to a bit of confusion with the word "Penthouse". However, a HAVEN Penthouse absolutely has Haven access: there is no other way to get to your suite! There is one on each side, at the very back of the Haven section. They are in effect a "2BR Family Villa" withOUT the little second BR/BA. So a Penthouse that does not have Haven access is... not a Haven suite, as njhorseman wrote above. There *are* some Haven suites that are "outside of the controlled access Haven area" on the Jewel class ships. However, because they are Haven suites, they do have Haven access (duh! 😉 ) and the keycard will allow the occupant direct entry into the Haven. The four Owners Suites are at the forward port or starboard corners on Decks 9 and 10, and they are "Haven Suites". Yup, a bit complicated until one is familiar with it, as with many things... GC

That's really unfortunate. But keep in mind that Viator is a third party booking service for tours. They aren't the actual tour operators. We almost always book our own excursions (for cruise or land trips), and we find the actual tour operator and work directly with them. Usually we are dealing with the specific person who will be meeting us. (This also allows us to customize things so we spend the time doing/seeing what *we* want to do and see, including adding other choices, etc.) Did you make your reservation with a charge card? If so, then showing them your screen shot of where the pick-up was advertised to be, etc., should help you get a refund. Good luck! GC

You might want to post this question on the Travel Insurance sub-forum of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ That should be helpful about other travel insurance. Also, if you post on the Princess cruise line section of CC you'll probably get more views by people who are familiar with their own plans. (There are many reasons people get travel insurance that don't have anything to do with age.) We *always* get third party travel insurance. We learned about www.TripInsuranceStore.com here on CC back in 2013, and got a policy through them for our first big trip... and we had to cancel at the last minute due to a medical emergency! We got all of our money back, and have never traveled overseas without a good policy, no surprise. (We've had several other claims, and all were paid promptly.) GC

Also, if you speak with your Butler, you may be able to arrange some hors d'oeuvres and drinks for all of you. There is likely to be a charge, depending upon what you choose. For small, simple things, there might not be. We have not entertained others, although we dine in our suite frequently. So either the food has no extra charge, or if it's from a Specialty, we know what the cost is. I'm sure the Butler would be happy to offer suggestions. Enjoy! GC

Yes, you may escort guests to *your* Haven suite, even if it is within the general Haven area (there are some Haven suites that are not in the Haven area, in at least some ships). You just arrange to meet them at the door to the Haven area, and escort them directly to your suite. They cannot join you in any of the Haven common areas. GC

They should definitely book to include her, being prepared to cancel her reservation before any penalty (or perhaps before any large penalty?). Otherwise, they risk not being able to add her. Even though there may be beds for a 3rd or 4th in their cabin/suite, there may no longer be lifeboat capacity in that section of the ship, and no one could be added (unless someone cancelled, and how would they know if that happened...?). I'm not sure what the down side is, if they are careful to cancel before any penalty at all. GC

Welcome to CC! Here is a link to cruising with a service dog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/551529-cruising-with-a-service-dogeverything-you-ever-wanted-to-know/ It starts years ago, so you may want to browse the first few pages and then jump to more recent posts. GC

This ^^ could lead to a nightmare (or just a "bad situation")! I learned this the hard way. My first cruise was early/mid '70s, and the second was the next year. My parents were paying to fly 3 generations to spend the holiday together. I'm sure they spent more on the airfare than for the shorty Miami-Bahamas cruise. We just received our air and cruise tickets, and didn't know any better about "checking", etc. The first morning, my father was LIVID. (He was like that anyway... give him a reason... and !!) It turned out we were something like under a band where the drums thumped away into the wee hours; we were all early to sleep types. Surprise, the second night was like that, too! ... and the next...! 😠 However, bottom line, I was absolutely hooked on cruising! Parents wanted to do it again the next year. So I promptly jumped in and offered to "try to select the cabins this time", not even knowing yet if this was a thing or not. So I got the big glossy brochure that included the deck plans, and checked very, very carefully... I found some cabins in a little alcove, a sort of dead-end mini-hallway that was perpendicular to the main hallway. (I've never seen anything like that since.) We had a few cabins, including two with portholes and a couple of insides, on our own sort of "cul de sac". 😉 That meant the little ones could more easily go from cabin to cabin with less chance of getting lost, though we still kept an eye on them of course. And it was QUIET. I made sure what was next to us and also above and below. Big, big difference. So aside from the fact that I *enjoy* things like maps and planning trips, this has made sure that in all subsequent cruises, we've had good locations. Anyway, as they say, "the rest is history..." 😀 GC

A relaxing bath is a real treat on a vacation. But alas, NCL is removing the tubs from some of the suites. 😠 So you aren't necessarily missing out by saving the money for a regular balcony! The 2BR Haven suites in some of the ships used to have a GLORIOUS huge window overlooking the water! A real "Tub with a View"! 🙂 Those are becoming huge showers instead, taking up the space of that nice tub AND the separate shower stall. Grrrr. GC

A "drain in the floor behind the toilet" could easily still be where any extra liquid drains, even if the entire bathroom floor is elevated a couple of inches. All it would take is for the floor in the little bathroom to be slightly sloped such that any liquid would go towards that drain... the same as if the floor were not elevated at all. GC

[Emphasis added] I must be missing something... ! Why are you *s* upset about the timing, about whether/when they "knew" or "made the offer"? Why is the timing of such importance to you? As far as I can tell, it is indeed an OFFER, like others that some of us have received in prior years. The offer can be accepted (unless someone else took the offer...??) or declined. Why in the world does it matter what terminology they are using, such as "oversold". Perhaps it's "oversold" because they want to keep some cabins empty in case of quarantine; that could make sense. Or perhaps there was some serious repair needed. and due to supply chain issues, they doubt the proper widgets will be available in time. Or it could indeed be a staffing problem, which means fewer cabins can be serviced, which means... they may be, yes, "oversold" for what they can handle. And perhaps they really didn't know any earlier. Or perhaps they did, but hoped the situation could be fixed and now realize that's unlikely to happen, etc. Also, what is this "history of delaying long after final payment" that you mention? Has this happened to you frequently in the past? (IF it has, then why are you having trouble understanding why they'd do something like this?) And IF so, still... why is there any *problem*? They could make an offer at any time. (Or is there some reason why this actually cannot be done!?) There might be someone eager to jump at the chance, even on short notice. Or perhaps for someone, "especially" on short notice, if they couldn't have known whether they could make the change sooner or such. We had a wonderful "offer" one time, although I forget the timing. We would have LOVED to take what would have been a longer cruise, and not only no extra charge, but some credit back! Alas, we couldn't get away at the time of the replacement cruise. Such a shame! 😞 I'm not understanding what your *problem* is here, why you seem so upset about receiving a *offer*... What am I - or others - missing? (The definition of "oversold"!? 😱) GC

This ^^ (No surprise; Gardyloo is among those who tend to "know" 🙂 ) As an additional check, and to make sure that you feel comfortable when/if you are actually getting ready to be ticketed, take a look at the seating plan. Use seatguru.com to find that using your flight number. Chances are you will only see one "type" of business class seat, even if there is a break in the business class sections. (In some planes there are two sections, in others just one, but the seats should all be described the same way, etc., and have the same diagrams.) And when you have a flight number, if you have any questions, you could post that flight number here to get someone else to confirm, etc. You should be very comfortable on JAL Business class for a long-haul flight! We are in a similar situation: at our ages, our bodies just can't handle sitting up for a long flight. Fortunately, we are able to use awards. (And getting bonus points for opening affiliated charge cards jump starts the point count. Depending upon when you need to get ticketed, perhaps you'd want to check into this? We tend to use American Airlines linked cards, and use the AAdvantage points to get ticketed on partner airlines like JAL.) GC

If you got travel insurance, this should qualify for full coverage, so it won't be a financial loss. But it can still be a huge disappointment for everyone. I can't imagine the ship would be eager to have others come aboard if they had possibly recently been exposed. IF it's chickenpox, I hope it's a mild case! GC

Thanks for mentioning this. I'm not sure if we would have thought to dispose of any testing in such a "discreet" way. But what is this about hiding things in your socks and shoes!? Are you suggesting that this is like summer camp and the counselors/crew are looking for forbidden candy or other "contraband" - such as... unused test kits - in socks or shoes!?! (I guess I have smaller feet! 😉 ) But seriously are you suggesting they were *searching* through one's things? That is so different from "noticing something in plain sight"! 😱 GC

Just as a reminder (to others, also), even *if* there are sundries ordinarily available somewhere on the ship, that doesn't guarantee that just what you want or need will be in stock when *you* need it. It's not necessarily like they can get another <whatever> from another branch for you, or like you could go across the street to the competition to get the item. OTOH, we have travel insurance, so IF we needed to get something like aspirin or decongestant from the ship medical center, we'd be reimbursed for the visit and any supplies. However, even *that* has now become an incredibly more complex situation with COVID and any restrictions that might occur if one simply wanted some routine med that one ran out of, lest it trigger some disproportionate response from the powers that be on the ship... 😠 A lot of things have changed, alas. We can understand the need for caution, etc., and we are among the more vulnerable due to age and pre-existing medical conditions. But still... decisions can get made by mistake, or for "incorrect" reasons, and on a ship, "their" decision must stand. GC

We *always* travel with our own OTC meds (plus the various Rx meds). In foreign countries, it might be difficult to know which item is the right match for something, etc. And on ships, even when they had these things (we haven't sailed yet post-COVID), they were silly expensive. A small quantity of the types of OTC meds we might need doesn't take up much space at all, and if we don't use them, we'll use them later at some point at home. And we *know* we'll have just what we want, and when we want it, just in case... We do double check the drug laws of all countries we'll be visiting, to avoid any unfortunate events, whether we sail or fly. It's not always obvious. Japan absolutely prohibits original formulation of Sudafed or the generic, for example. GC

This is what we do sometimes. We've especially done it in the Caribbean. We tend to take private excursions, from something carefully planned in advance to just a taxi at the port ("please drive us around the island and can you include places like..."). We've sometimes asked either to have a couple of specific hotels included for a quick look, or just "could you include a couple of nicer hotels". In two cases, that helped us to find islands we liked, and hotels that we especially liked on those islands. And we had great excursions each day as well. We've also stopped at some ports that we realized were probably not going to be at the top of our "revisit" list. We may do the same for Hawaii, and use the cruise as a sampler, or 1 week cruise, 1 week land, once we are there... GC

I don't think it can be 100% predicted now what the situation will be next year. IF there is some outbreak of a more severe/more easily transmitted virus that has partially (or more) escaped the current vaccinations and treatments, then whatever the situation "might have been" if it had been the same as October, 2022, wouldn't necessarily be relevant. The situation can change quickly IF depending upon how the virus might evolve. (Or it could be almost over by "next year", which would of course be very nice, but isn't too likely...) GC

Another possibility is a cruise within Hawaii: NCL's Pride of America. It does a 7 day cruise every week, with an overnight at Maui, then a call at Hilo, then at the other side of the Big Island, then an overnight at Kauai, and then back to Honolulu. Basically, the hotel follows you around, and you'd have a chance to see a bit of several islands. Note: We have not been on that cruise, but have it on our list. We aren't eager to island hop by little planes, as that would eat up too much time. Or we might stay several days on each of two islands... TBD. GC

This ^^ But it *might* be enough to send one more, uh, updated claim request, and state that if you do not have written confirmation that the payment will be adjusted to USD (you might give the exchange rate for the date of service, if it's much different now; we did that once for an overseas travel insurance bill) within x days (10? 14?), then you *will* formally escalate it to the Texas Department of Insurance. Good luck. GC