lupaglupa

Thank you @Sea42! In the verandah rooms we've had to climb over our sleeping son (teenagers - ugh!) and this looks much better for us. 

We are very excited to be back on a HAL ship!

We got an upgrade offer today and jumped to move from our verandah to a signature suite at a very reasonable price. Now I am curious to know if anyone has a picture of the room when the sofa is turned into a bed. We've had sofa beds in verandahs rooms before so I have a decent idea of what it will look like but would still appreciate seeing it IRL. If it matters our suite is 6070.  Thanks!

My only experience predates covid but with similar results. We cancelled after my husband got appendicitis the night before our cruise! We called just hours before departure and cancelled reservations for four people in two adjoining rooms. HAL moved us to another cruise and all we paid was the difference in changing to a better room category (our original category was full on the second cruise). We had not gotten insurance and HAL would have had every right to tell us "tough luck." Instead they bent over backwards to help us save our vacation. It was a lovely and completely unexpected experience. 

Some cruise companies are voluntarily complying with the overturned ban on large ships at Key West; most are still sailing there despite the desire of the majority of residents to restrict large ships. Our February sailing is scheduled to stop at Key West - a place I've long wished to visit. I'll be happy to go there but if HAL decides to honor the wishes of the residents and skip it I won't complain. I think the local community deserves to decide what they want in visitors. 

Boy you gotta be ready for anything on a cruise ship these days!

@JCP3 put a photo up on his Instagram of San Diego with the words "free at last" so those who are worried should know the gentlemen have disembarked and seem to be fine. 

3 hours ago, Crew News said:

I had hoped for live reports but the slow internet speed coupled with the requirement to keep refreshing CC are inhibiting factors.  Add numerous occasions of being locked out of CC in 15-minute increments for the wrong password (?????) and my frustration level high remains high.

Thank you for persevering! I'm very much enjoying your report

13 hours ago, JCP3 said:

Happy New Year’s Eve from the quarantine cabin aboard the Konlngsdam!

I love this picture! Happy New Year to you both and congratulations on 29 years together!! I was told some 26 years ago before I married that every couple should have a trip with a rental car and a map before wedding to ensure they can withstand the trails of a marriage. I think quarantine in a cruise cabin is a good substitute. Obviously you and Clyde have learned to weather the high and lows together. I'm sending prayers that your trip home is uneventful and all goes well for you in 2022. 

@JCP3 I enjoyed reading more on your blog than just your unfortunate latest adventure - my mother was born and raised in Tupelo so your stories about MS were especially interesting! 

I'm wondering, now that you've been in Q for a bit longer, is there anything you wish you had brought with you that would make your time in isolation easier? 

1 hour ago, JCP3 said:

I’m currently on Koninsdam in quarantine.   It’s better and worse than you might think  You can read our account of it at https://markmcelroy.com/what-happens-when-you-get-covid-on-a-luxury-cruise/

I'm so sorry you have such perfect experience to share! But very grateful to know. I hope you and Clyde are out and enjoying life again soon. 

I know only a very small number of passengers have gotten sick and been put into quarantine but.... We are 52 days out and watching the news and I'm curious if anyone knows how quarantine is handled for passengers who test positive. Do they get moved into new quarantine cabins? I assume if so they take all their stuff with them. What's arranged for food? Entertainment? It's not that I expect it to happen but I always like to know in advance.

5 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Around pages 20 -22, I wish the ships were named, not just as Cruise Ship A,B, etc.

 

The most hair-raising episode for me was the passenger (fully vaccinated and had tested negative three days before sailing) on Cruise Ship F who WAS symptomatic but denied having symptoms upon boarding and died three days later.  The ship was supposedly 100% vaccinated and yet had 112 cases over four sailings from August 21 to September 7.

 

Unfortunately, it’s a reality that our fellow passengers may lie about feeling ill because they want to take a cruise. 

Agreed - if fellow passengers aren't responsible then what can the cruise lines do? I'm so tired of people being selfish and endangering others

We're booked for a cruise in February 2022 and looking online it seems that few cabins are still available. Does this truly mean that the ship will be full or nearly full? Or is HAL holding back cabins to keep the numbers low? I'm happy either way - just curious. 

We tried Carnival once and everyone, including our then 14-year-old, hated it. His father and I have liked HAL best, Cunard second. Our cruises on Norwegian have been 50/50. We didn't like Royal Caribbean - too big, too noisy. Our son pretty much has the opposite list! He loved RC and Norwegian, and thought the Queen Mary was "okay." He will be 16 at the time of the cruise and we hope we will all be vaccinated well before next February. Fingers crossed! 

My kid prefers not to have lots of scheduled activities - he mostly wants other teens to hang out with. Pretty girls a plus. And, of course, unlimited WiFi. 

We have sailed on HAL multiple times but never during a school break. Our teenager has pulled us to try the big "fun" type ships and has loved having lots of other teens on board. We, however, hated the large ships and long to return to HAL. What we are hoping is that a cruise leaving Ft. Lauderdale during the usual February break will work for all of us. Can anybody comment on the number of families with teens on those cruises. Obviously with COVID etc. etc. we can't predict the future but just knowing what past cruises have been like would be helpful.

Thank you!

Our scheduled sailing on Hurtgruten was cancelled and we were given a voucher. The email states that our voucher number is the same as our booking number but has no other information. I'm hoping someone here knows. Do we simply hold on to that email and use the booking/voucher number when we rebook?

2 minutes ago, toad455 said:

 

That's a shame if RCCL isn't informing pax if their cruise will be delayed. Where are people supposed to camp out if they are already in the area? Will RCCL put people up in a hotel if they don't leave until tomorrow? 

I'm sure the people at Royal are doing the best they can - they have limited info and little time. 

Post this on the Royal Caribbean board - lots of info there

Do the reservations have assigned seats? 

Our son always loved the kids activities and couldn't wait to get to them. My husband and I had a "date" every night of the cruise! But - if for some reason your kids do not like the separate kids activities, there are lots of things to do on a ship at night. We see families playing games in the sports area at all hours. There are shows every night. Depending on the ship's schedule there are movies. Usually it's more of a problem getting everyone to agree on a single activity than it is finding something to do.

@Capt_BJ I didn't start this thread but really appreciate all your info! I am interested in renting bicycles while at Port Canaveral. Do any companies have bikes at the cruise port? We are coming in on RCCL so we are not across the drawbridge. 

6 hours ago, BND said:

  The parents said it was in a child's play area, which is not true either.  They thought the court of public opinion would help them.  What they didn't count on was how many cameras are on a ship in public spaces.

This is what bugged me - early reports made it sound like the child was in a children only area instead of a part of the ship where many people go. Lots of places on the ship require caution. To describe the accident as a children's area is very misleading.

16 hours ago, Boyetter2013 said:

Anthem leaving on 2/15 for 8 days Just got our bid accepted. Upgrade from guaranteed oceanview to 9th deck balcony for 105$ each.

I have a bid on this trip - hopefully I will hear soon too!