SetAnOpenCourse

1 hour ago, trvlwrld said:

I passed on 2 upgrades last fall on the Crown transatlantic.  Took the third upgrade...my travel agent told me to take the first one because I wouldn't get another...then insisted I take the second..I passed on that one also...I felt the first 2 offers were not really upgrades so I passed.   The final one was for an aft corner Caribe balcony...definitely worth it!

When you say “worth it “, do you mean it was an upsell?  If so, maybe the policy is different than with the free upgrades.  If what you were given were free upgrades, then I wonder why they’d mislead us.

To be clear, mine is not an “offer” -  they simply notified me that they changed my cabin from the OV to a balcony cabin.  I have 48 hours to decline.

9 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Check out this website, it can provide some info.

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/Princess/odell/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

Thanks - I had already checked that page - good info there about covered vs uncovered balconies.  I’m fine with the covered.

Has anyone received an upgrade after declining the first upgrade they were given?  A Princess rep advised me that I wouldn’t be eligible for any more upgrades on our next cruise if I reject this one.

I just got upgraded from my carefully-selected oceanview to a balcony on Baja deck.  I have 48 hours to decline. I guess the balcony at no extra charge is a no brainer for most people, but I picked out the ideal OV and would hate to end up in a cabin with issues such as noise, etc..  Any thoughts?  This is for an Antarctica cruise next January.

A joyous Christmas to all!

On 12/5/2019 at 10:09 PM, I like vacation said:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/hal-beverage-menus/gallery-bar-menu-3

Is this list for the whole fleet?  That would be disappointing selection!  I had Lagunitas IPA and Anchor Steam on the Maasdam in August.  The loss of Grolsch was bad enough.  This list would be depressing.

Good to hear!  I hope to sail on the Volendam someday.  Enjoy!

Although I’ll never use interline, the OP’s story gives me even more distaste for things like Club Orange. Expanding the options in bookings can get nauseating (like airlines, where finally you get absolute  cr*p if you don’t fork over more $) and make a odd, unpleasant situation that can’t really be anticipated.  HAL and the OP both share the responsibility for the problem.

It seems to me that HAL is at fault for (apparently) actively selling CO that included an cabin upgrade, then downgrading.  And if it truly was a wrong, I cannot blame the OP for complaining, regardless of the code or custom of silence for interline travelers.

As for the amount lost between the originally booked verandah and the OV, it sounds like the OP needs to “eat” that one (based on explanations of interline here), and publicly complaining of this part was wrong.

I hope to cruise on the Coral Princess in January 2021.  The wraparound promenade is really important to us, and because this would be our most expensive cruise to date, if part of the promenade was lost, as it was on the Island Princess, it would probably be a deal breaker.  We need it for our long walks and for relaxing in the loungers.  Does anyone have any good information as to whether there is a possibility of such a change on the Coral (by Jan. '21)?

2 hours ago, avian777 said:

 

This is contrary to everything I have been told ... unless Cunard instituted a Cruise Ship Priest Program within the past couple of weeks.  It is my understanding that HAL is the only cruise ship line that has a Roman Catholic Priest (who says daily Mass) on every one of its cruises.

If you were told the facts then Cunard changed their practice sometime within the last two years.  They definitely had daily Mass on QM2, while not on their other ships.

3 hours ago, DoggyDaddy said:

I think it depends on the order, but I thought that Priests get a salary. I know of two priests who bought a retirement home when they retired. Other Orders require a pledge of poverty. 
 

DD

You’re confused about orders and may be thinking about dioceses.  Such posts are not informative, so maybe you’re sharing an opinion of some sort?

4 hours ago, lcand1923 said:

One of the reasons I prefer HAL is the opportunity to attend daily Mass.  I like the 8am time since it is a beautiful way to start my day, whether it be an At Sea or a Port day.  (Shore Excursions usually meet at 9am.)  I find the 5pm time difficult, but will hurry if that is the only time offered.

 

(I was recently on Cunard.  There was a priest onboard who offered to say the Vigil Mass on both Saturdays.  Cunard set the times and did not notify the priest that the time was changed from the first week to the next.  Cunard would not allow the priest to say Mass for the crew on either Sunday, even though he offered.)

 

Thank you, HAL!

I think there is daily Mass on the QM2.

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

 

We just got off our first TA on the NS Sunday.......We enjoyed many long laps around the promenade deck with no issues....We also took some strolls on the sun deck also.

 

Shady spots to stretch out were plentiful on deck 9 & 10 overlooking the lido pool.  Also, DW enjoyed the starboard side lounge chairs on the sun deck (11, I think) when she wanted to stretch out in the shade.  

To each his own, but “no issues” doesn’t convey a great deal of enthusiasm regarding the promenade.  For some people no doubt it’s fine, but the first thing I would recommend to a friend considering a TA on that ship would be to check YouTube for a video of a lap on its promenade.

Always, and perhaps especially on a transatlantic, I enjoy walking on the promenade and enjoying the sight and sound of the ocean.  Plus enjoying the same from a promenade lounge chair (even if I have a balcony cabin).  Thus the first ship I’d strike from my list would be the new one (or its sister if it was on the list).

5 hours ago, cruisehome said:

no far from 30  just am not familiar with Holland America and its terminology of music

 

I am just used to modern pop music and R&B

so will look forward to attending this lounge

Actually you asked a good question.  The “BB Kings” bands on the ships are named after a deceased Blues musician (B.B. King) but these bands play different styles of music.  

I hope in the future that people simply answer your questions on cruise critic.🙂

2 hours ago, TAD2005 said:

If you are asking "what kind of music does BB-King play", then you must be very young (under 30) or you lived your youth in Siberia !! 

It's Rock-n-Roll, blues, jazz and music from the late 20th century.

I’m no expert but are you confusing B.B. King with the company which provides the bands on some cruise ships, etc.?

The Westerdam, 7 night Eastern Caribbean in 2012.  Verandah gty, $549.  It was just what I needed at the time, something soothing, and watching the water go by and listening to it was really just the right thing.  Despite somewhat rocky seas, lol.

28 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

Part of the problem of people trying to quality their dog as a "comfort animal" is the airlines insane policy of charging anywhere between $100 and $250 EACH WAY to carry a small pet in the cabin with you, in a soft side carrier. 

 ...

It seems that it would be better if they charged less, or much much more.  I don’t see viability in the growing trend of more animals on planes and cruises.

I’d guess that as cruising in general becomes more comparable to hotels or resorts, and becomes amusement-oriented, naturally the average guest will tend to have overlooked the chance that sea conditions could interrupt the itinerary.

In this case I think NCL could have offered a little refundable OBC in addition to the 25% credit, although that is higher than HAL gave me recently (which I consider satisfactory for our interruptions).

On 10/5/2019 at 12:12 AM, crunchii said:

We're in our 50's, but we prefer peace and quiet and go to our room at 9 pm to relax, so HAL is a perfect fit for us. We've only been on 2 HAL cruises since 2018, so we don't know what it used to be like. Maybe that's why, but we're VERY happy with HAL so far and have two more cruises booked (and one unused FCD).

 

What we love about HAL:
- Smaller ships with fewer passengers.
- Not too many children.
- Older and mellower fellow passengers. (Yes, it's POSITIVE for us.)
- Quiet, relaxed, and elegant atmosphere without any pool parties, silly game shows, vulgar comedians, loud and obnoxious music in public areas, etc.
- Affordable (meaning, not owner's suite-level price) aft-corner suites.
- Lincoln Center Stage. 

 

Lack of entertainment doesn't bother us, since we cruise to see and feel the ocean, so we'll happily spend hours on our aft-wrap balcony watching the wake, instead of sitting in dark, window-less main theater.

 

We'll probably start looking for other lines when they start playing hip hop and rap to attract the generations younger than us, but for now, we're happy with HAL and don't feel any need to try other lines.

Crunchii, you expressed much of what I love about Holland America really well.

I dare say such opinions are more common than one might think, too!

18 minutes ago, franktown said:

Not till they have been assigned.  Very difficult to know how many cabins haven't been assigned. 

Would there be any rule of thumb that could be useful, like,  x% of bookings are Guarantees?

It is just past final payment for a cruise I'd like to take in mid-December.  I've spent a lot of time trying to choose a cabin by starting the booking on the Princess website.  There are very many cabing showing as still available.  If this is truly the case then I'd like to wait and see if the prices come down (especially since it's a Monday-Friday itinerary between Thanksgiving and Christmas).  But, I'm wondering if what I'm seeing is misleading due to the possibility that Guarantee bookings are not reflected in the cabin-selection step.  Can anyone advise?  Is it possible that there is actually little inventory, due to Gurantees not being assigned?

37 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Checked the deck plans?

 

seems the caribe deck mid ship premiums might meet your desires. Bump out. 

What part of the deck plan shows what you see looking down from the balcony?

I would like to book a balcony cabin on Island with a larger balcony AND look down at the sea from the railing.  Are there such cabins?  While booking on the Princess website, it appears that there may be no Premium balcony cabins in the Forward section.  Do I need to book a Mini Suite if I want the larger balcony AND look down at the water (not look down at other balconies)?