seb1899

Not sure if this is the right place to respond or ask a question.

We had a cruise planned and paid for departing Ft Lauderdale to Rome April 19 and we cancelled thru our travel Agent - a mega cruise seller in Houston on March 12. The cancellation was under HA's rules 25% refunded to my credit card and the other 75% was to be issued as a Future Cruise Credit which we thought was fair given the fact we cancelled before the sailing date. We were prepared to lose the whole fare given the conditions in Italy

I was pleasantly surprised to see a credit on my credit card statement for more than 25% but I have received no communication from HA re a future cruise credit.

Should I be asking my "mega" travel agent about this (they follow up with HA?) or should I wait another couple of weeks to see if I get email regarding the FCC and if I receive nothing via email follow up directly with HA ( I checked HA under my Mariner # today and there is nothing)

I hope we can cruise either in December this year or May of 2021 as a vaccine may be available then

Thanks for the information - that will make the cruise for us the March sailing from Ft Lauderdale to Rome !!!

On Pacific Princess we enjoyed sitting in a deck chair watching the ocean go by and reading as well when we were on the Zandaam.

Does the Promenade Deck on the Crown Princess have deck chairs?

The newer ships have narrow Promenade Decks (if they even have one) so maybe the lines want you in side 'spending' or at least poolside so they can sell to you.

The Sea Princess mentions deck chairs but that ship is in the South Pacific 

We are looking at the 26 day Rome and Greek Odyssey cruise out of Ft Lauderdale  April 26 2020 and wonder what we could expect as entertainment on the 7 days crossing the Atlantic. The rest of the cruise has multiple ports so entertainers could come and go throughout the cruise. Also would the weather allow the pool area to be open or would the roof be closed when crossing

The cruise is 15 days so a package will be available on day 1?

On HA we purchased the high package and the lower package and liked the lower cost offerings just as much as the more expensive.

On our trip from Santiago to Buenos Aires we went to Concha y Toro winery and I schlepped 5 bottles of Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet and paid the corkage. The maitre d at the Pinacle restaraunt rudely asked me where I got that!

My wife and I usually consume a bottle of wine at dinner or offer a glass to others at the table so we always bought the wine packages on Holland America

I do not see wine packages available for our upcoming trip on the Pacific Princess just individual bottles.

Am I supposed to order the individual bottles for the 15 evenings or do I order from the wine steward when we are seated at the table?

Is the wine list the same as the individual bottle offering and is the table price the same as the 'package' offering?

Quite different from HA

Is Sabbittini like Caneletto on HA? (sorry for the sp)

We were aboard the Zaandam from Santiago to Buenos Aires last fall and chose the Cirque Experience and we will not do it again.

We arrived at our reserved time and waited to be seated . With bottle of wine in hand the the mairte’d (sp?). approached . The first words out of his mouth were “Where did you get this?” Not welcome or anything else!!

I calmly told him that I bought the wine at the Concho Y’ Toro vineyard in Santiago and said we wanted to have it with our dinner and a glass right away. The bottle was a 2012 Carmenere Don Melchor that we purchased at the vineyard outside of Santiago. What business was it of him as we paid the corkage on several Concha Y’Toro bottles whan we boarded.

Anyway that set the tone of the dinner and although the food was ok the service was not ‘up to le Cirque’.

The chateaubriand was ok (we are fortunate in that we have Ruth Chris 25 minutes from our home) and we do know what USDA Prime is,

We dined at the Pinnacle later in the cruise and the steaks were better and the service was more cheerful. (we only had Marquessa Carmenere on this occasion).

Would I try the Cirque experience again? NO; would I dine at the Pinnacle YES and I will on our Baltic cruise next year.

I have finished packing for our trip to Santiago next week and subsequent cruise on Holland America's Zaandam November 22.

But I wonder have I done it right??

What temps can I expect in the MDR on non Gala nights? IE will short sleeves in the MDR yield goose bumps or would I be more comfortable with a sweater or long sleeves?

I am cold blooded and will not sit under an AC vent or in a draft. I can dress either way but I would like to know what I can expect on non gala nights when the gents do not have jacket

Ok, I think I know how the packages work, Especially if we do our selection in the dining rooms.

I have a couple of more questions:

Are the wine packages available after you board (we have a sizeable on board credit) and we would like to use the credit for payment or must they be purchased prior to sailing?

Also looking at the liquor packages for example the Vodka & Tonic package does it need to be ordered and paid for prior to boarding or is this available to be ordered after sailing if you so choose.

Final clarification concerning wine carried on board.

I know 2 bottles are exempt from surcharge/corkage for in room consumption. I understand that If I chose to consume one in a dining room it is subject to corkage fee ($18 I think) But lets say I bring 6 bottles on board 2 are exempt - in room consumption only and the other 4 would be subject to surcharge/corkage (again $18. each I think) so would the 4 that were surcharged be eligable for dining room consumption without an additional charge being levied or would there be a dining room corkage fee on the already paid bottles making the cost to consume your own wine at dinner $36. per bottle?

If there is only one corkage fee how do they differentiate between the bottles that are 'paid for when you board' and those that are 'free' for in room consumption.

Thanks for furthering my 'Cruising Education'

Let me start of by saying that cruising is pretty new to us having only on been on an Alaskan Princess Cruise in Alaska with a land portion from Fairbanks to Anchorage. When we go to Europe we travel by train and make our own hotel reservations as well as buy our train tickets on the net. We use our motor home to winter in Florida so we are not exactly ‘home bodies’.

And in the interest of ‘full disclosure‘ at an early age I learned how to squeeze a buffalo hard enough to ‘make him sweat’ (remember when the 5 cent piece had a buffalo on the back) so I am a believer in that ‘you look after the nickels the dollars look after themselves’. Having said all that I do not hold back in spending on indulgences such as food and wine. ( you might see me at Ruth Chris’ in Cary)

What is the advantage of a multiple bottle wine package either Navigator or Admiral. Is it a saving or a convenience? If you order it should you get it delivered to your cabin or do they ‘keep score’ in the dining rooms. Let’s say you have white wine from your ‘package’ and you bring it from your cabin will the sommelier chill it for you?

Are you better off just selecting the bottle of wine from the menu and just adding it to the ‘check out cost”. Would there be a good red when I have a filet in the Pinnacle dining room in the ‘package’ or would I be better of with a selection from the wine list assuming there would be a Brunello or Barolo available??

We will have several days in Santiago on the cruise to BA before we depart so we can certainly ‘stock up’ on good wines before we sail.

I should say that my choice for our second South American sojourn would have been bus thru the Andes to Mendoza and then other cities like Bariloche to BA but DW wanted to see penguins.

Like I said cruising is all new to us