Mary229

HAL should have been forthcoming about the issue and the options.

If you paid by credit card in a specific currency and are unable to accept a check in another currency talk to the credit card company. If you paid in US dollars they are likely within their rights to send a check denominated in US dollars. Others on our roll call said that their refunds are late because of the same technical issue and they were able to choose check or return to card. The check was the faster option so many opted for that . In the end you should not be left with a souvenir and do have recourse. PS I am not defending HAL, this is a consumer rights issue and there are laws of governance

Look on halfacts.com. Though I haven’t stayed in one the forward cabins come highly recommended and are longer cabins. We have one booked on 10 as it doesn’t include the “spa” premium price.

I have not tried but if a bank accepts check deposits, which is generally a requirement, then they can figure it out.

Most banking apps have an electronic deposit feature. I am not a proponent of checks but I don’t want to create a misrepresentation of the situation

If you are not requiring zoom or similar and simply logging in I would expect the same reliability you would have in any residential neighborhood

I hope you continue to keep us updated. This is an important topic about both refunds and the insurance policy. I never us the policy myself but have friends who do. I would like to know if in the end you are denied and under what grounds.

You can upgrade your hotel room but otherwise you are assigned by availability not by your ship room class. There are plenty of restaurants around and the on site Karstens is pretty good as well. You pay for your own meals on land

I agree. I am on the Rotterdam now and just reviewed the PG menus. It is the same menu at lunch and dinner as it has been for years . Since we are in Scandinavia there is a king crab special with an upcharge.

With any cruise air it always pays to check fares. The best fares are usually had if you can fly from key hub cities where their alliances/contracts with airlines are strongest.

One trick I use for maintaining points in programs I infrequently use is to sign up for their shopping program and when purchasing online using the affiliation link. A simple $10 purchase keeps my points current. as an example here is American Airlines shopping portal. Do a search of your favorite points giver + “shopping portal” https://www.aadvantageeshopping.com

Not everyone who sailed the Volendam thinks things are peachy. I have sailed twice recently because of where she goes but I certainly didn’t think the ship was just peachy.

Someone gave me a large set of them. I can appreciate the organization but it adds the extra step of writing down what you packed else you need to unzip all of those little packets. Actually writing down everything has reduced how much I pack so that is a plus. the biggest benefit is I pack one for the first night in the hotel and one for the last night on ship and that is a big help

My favorite new fitness class at home is drum cardio. I would love to be able to do it on ship but I can’t imagine it would happen as it is noisy and needs more space than most gyms.

I have been on the Volendam twice recently in Lanai moved to outside and an outside. All had the spacious new walkin showers. no tubs - thank goodness

Just don’t get one forward above the theater. Besides hearing performances you will hear rehearsals potentially ruining a perfectly good nap

They are also noisy and have reports of smoke wafting from casino. Worse mistake I ever made

Only guessing - deck 5 is considered desirable as the first good veranda deck close to dining and entertainment. Deck 4 is a problematic deck. I assume you are also mid ship

Historically the WC sells out. I don’t want to get into business practices and pricing but only to say businesses that are too quick to lower prices are devaluing their own brand.

It doesn’t matter what they call them it is supply and demand. I wouldn’t call them “suites” either but many are willing to pay the price. The bigger ships can’t make port where the small ships can. Though I am most definitely not a fan of the Volendam I was able to travel far up the Amazon and visit very small towns in Iceland and Greenland that the large ships cannot go

Converting OBC but they do give people all kinds of hard sells with their letters of authenticity 🙄 and pseudo guarantees. Not very appealing granted. At least with Effy you can do a product search online . The worst is, dare I say it, the art auctions.

You presented your evidence nicely @mMissMeowMeow On another line I have bought Effy but I always pull out my phone and show them the latest sale price at Macy’s and no one would call Macy’s upscale. They hem and haw and I say call my room if you want to sell. Usually I walk away with the piece for 65 to 75% off with the added bonus of converting OBC to gems. As a person who is very familiar with tanzanite I have never seen a top notch tanzanite on a cruise ship or cruise affiliated shop.

$2300! We stayed in the executive suite in the Pan Pacific for far less than that - we booked it ourselves. (My sister is a hotel diva, I don’t get it but whatever floats your boat)

My sister prefers westbound as she is not retired and likes arriving home refreshed without any jet lag. I just flew east for the westbound crossing and am not liking the adjustment prior to the cruise. Best is round trip, 2nd is eastbound, third is a nod to those who need to get off the ship and work the next day or so.

Shower only actually is a safer option than getting into a tub. It would be nice is there was a seating shelf . Do they have that in accessible cabins?