Mary229

So you shouldn’t use the free play to increase your point tier? I always assumed they didn’t set you backwards if you used your free play. What is your assumption? Thanks for all of your insights.

The private sales first are never all that great. You must be signed in when you look at prices. Not all cruises and not all dates are available, it is limited. I am sorry the phone staff misdirected you, the customer service has become quite difficult. I provide my agent with my Mariner number and code and she gets them booked for me. I can see them on the site also one thing to note is sometimes the offer is only good under one persons ID. It is weird sometimes I need to use DH ID, sometimes mines, sometimes either.

What I would do is watch carefully for an announcement and make the decision when you have to. I had the same issue last year as my first embarkation was January 4. It was the first increase in quite a few years , HAL is not known for increasing the tips every year. Pay attention starting in late October, they give notice and you will have a few weeks to decide.

Destinations is the best reason to travel on HAL. The ambience is low key which in my book is nice.

If they are added to your general invoice, yes you can. If you try to pay for them separately then no.

This is our next choice for Greenland. We are going again this summer but mainly to do the circumnavigation of Iceland since the volcanoes are so active, Greenland is just a pass by. Perhaps third time will be the charm.

I don’t know about Azamara but if you sail on Oceania’s larger ships they are no value and do not surpass your upscale category

I keep hearing the complaints. On every cruise I have been on since the startup (8 or 9) we have had classical music. The change over to trios who are not part of Lincoln has been a vast improvement . I think the person above said the LCS could not find musicians, not that HAL could not find musicians

Agree. To make the cruise contract simple. “We can change anything we want and if you show up when and where we indicate you will find a ship on the water”.

Viator is not my favorite but they are a convenience and I use them occasionally especially for advanced tickets, shuttles and such. I prefer other outfits for better tours. Regardless you do have to read very, very carefully as rules can vary greatly. I do find it odd they weren’t scheduled to pick you up, did they not give you the options for your return? I have taken dockside shuttles or vans to beaches and they usually give you instructions on how to return. $69 is expensive for simply a shuttle.

It went up around 1.5%, the cards save you 8%. When is your cruise? They simply do not raise the rates that often and when they do the announcement is usually given a few weeks prior and the change is usually in the first quarter of the year

Each member can buy 5 so we are able to buy 10 each month as needed

You can store in the medical center. From what I hear you should never store in the mini fridge as it doesn’t get to the correct temperature . go here and fill out a special needs form https://book.hollandamerica.com/specialServices/login.action

That’s what has happened for me the last few times. You can always take it in cash at the desk

Most of Greenland is on the water and not really accessible easily by land. Visiting by land is accomplished by either many flights or ferries. Our overland journey was a geology tour, we were, at the time, stunned by the pricing. John wants to do an expedition cruise now that we are in a better financial position. That is the optimal way to visit Greenland.

Manage my cruise. Extras. It is call Shipboard Credit

We priced out a land trip to Greenland. Wow! The cruise is far cheaper. It is actually the first long cruise we ever did and converted us . We were dedicated land travelers prior to that trip with only the occasional cruise thrown in.

The removal of the brand gives HAL much more leverage to fire and hire. When you buy the branded package, you get what they send you.

You can buy OBC in the amount of the gratuities and it will be used daily once onboard

Exactly, I had to do both last week. First renewed then reverified

There is no law that says a cruise line must return port fees, Oceania does not. I didn’t like this law anyway and I am sure it will lead to the cruise lines not refunding missed port fees. Out of sight, out of mind. IMHO it was just a way to hide the tax and shift the angst to the cruise line. It has no benefit to anyone.

The terminal area is very secure. Of course I would not put valuables like electronics or jewelry in the bags. You can only enter from the ship not from the street. Personnel is out there to assist. Personally I have never heard a HAL cruiser mention any theft. HAL ships are smaller and tend to be a more mature audience than Carnival which lends to fewer issues

It is a tour company, why they call it a travel agency is beyond me. Many tour companies now will not refund for the cruise ship not docking, it is way down in tiny print. Sometimes, in my case, it was not mentioned. I thought about it then contacted them and they said maybe they would, maybe they wouldn’t. Since I was in the cancel window I canceled and found someone who had a better policy. The consumer protection guidelines of your credit card company would adhere to the contract you agreed to .

The past few times I have gotten my refund to the credit card on file NOT to the original form of payment. You can always get cash too.

Interesting