Mary229

No. That charge is if you order Dive In through room service

Ok, that helps a lot. I will just watch for a non promoted sale. I have plenty of time.

My plan is to take a Viking river cruise after a rather lengthy ocean cruise with another line: Reading about Viking it says air is included in all fares, is this correct? I read you can customize your air for a fee, how customizable is this? Can I pick dates other than their prescribed dates? Do they tell you which flights you are assigned so you can make a reasonable decision whether to customize? If you choose not to use their air is there any compensation? thanks for your input

Just checking - have you looked on your online credit card statement for a credit? Sometimes they arrive unannounced

You can get your own hotel. HAL hotels have the following features attached 1. they include transfers from the airport and to the ship 2. outside of North America they may also include breakfast and early checkin. Considering many international flights arrive very early in the morning this is a valuable feature. 3. occasionally the transfer may include a small city tour 4. for those traveling solo or in need of extra assistance they can be a great convenience. Be sure to notify them if you need mobility assistance No they are not cheaper. You purchase them through the website or your TA can manage this for you

Different ships, different answers.

If you are certain you are going to use them you should book ASAP. They have an understanding of how many people usually book for any given location and only set aside in accordance with their statistics

I don’t think that is possible. Twice I have been told that once you put a gift card on an account it is nonrefundable.

Yes, excursion credit. September 27

Yes, you can use OBC onboard for the simple transfer. I am going to try to use the credit on my next cruise for the simple transfer, I will report back. HAL can be inconsistent ship to ship so what I report may not hold for you.

As many single women who sale on HAL you would think they would at least have a few specials or expand their single room offerings

I did the VOV years ago and we had an excellent slate of lecturers but none on Viking history which I did find weird. I had reread the sagas in anticipation of a lecture series.

I think it is ship dependent. Some MDR managers are better than others. My cruise ended August 20.

@Stpatsirish published the schedule. Not all deposits are $300 and look if you can’t afford to put down $300 you should likely look for a new hobby.

The rules for gifts cards seem to be very inconsistent. It has been different for each ship I have sailed this year. I will bring mine for the next cruise and report back.

The person is from Georgia, it says so below his name Does that help?

Buy a bunch of $100s. I only ever use $100 per person at a time. They always allow me to bump up the other $200 with a credit card payment. That way my FCD bank is always full

Interesting. I was able to pay my onboard account outstanding total with gift cards last week and all of the charges were casino charges. I only applied from the gift card what was outstanding

If you have a good agent they will allow you to use only $100 each of your FCD and the other $200 each on credit card

They do not allow unopened plastic disposable bottles of water onboard. This refers to typical bottled water you buy by the case at the supermarket. If you bring them you do so at your own risk. They can be much more strict at embarkation than at visited ports they do allow canned water or boxed water

I like serving myself but I know full self service is not going to happen. I would like a few more self serve stations

As @CruiserBruce mentioned, early booking is the best. Of course things will change and last minute may become the best as it was years ago. HAL offers refundable deposits so there is no need to worry about it

See my above post where I do list the benefits. I simply consider them another option. If I can get a super deal and avoid immediate payment I am happy to use them. But I do always shop around. Your outcome would have been no different if you had booked your own.

The only plus is the occasional exceptional international rates, the ability to book now and pay later with no obligation and as someone recently pointed out paying with the AARP gift cards for the additional discount. FE became very popular from 2020-2022 as they did refund the air if your cruise was canceled. I do not know the current status of that provision.

To keep the facts in order here is a quote from the opening Flight Ease page. The second quote is from the FAQ. This is all that is said. It clearly is marketing and it clearly has no legal warranty. Section G of the cruise contract is the only legal document. Reading it you will note that HAL holds itself harmless from third party contractor obligations . I was warned years ago to read the cruise contract. If you haven’t now might be a good time https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/legal-privacy/cruise-contract. HAL does occasionally act as a show of goodwill outside of the contract and that is why I encourage the OP to at least try. But as a warning to others in the future - there is no gurantee. LATE ARRIVAL PROTECTION In the event your flights are delayed or cancelled by the airline on the day you are en route to or from your cruise, our staff is ready to assist you, 24/7. We’ll even take care of any flight changes if needed to join the voyage at the next available port of call. What should I do if my flight is delayed? Answer: From time to time guests encounter transportation delays in getting to their cruise ship. If it is your day of sailing and this happens to you, please follow these guidelines: Advise your airline at the earliest opportunity that you are a cruise guest destined for a sailing that day. Working directly with the carrier is important, as the airlines are usually able to arrange alternative flights. If you believe a delay will cause you to arrive in the port of embarkation less than two hours before the ship’s scheduled departure or if you are concerned for any reason that the ship may leave before you arrive, our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements to minimize disruptions in your vacation plans. Ask the airline to immediately advise our Travel Services Department, or call us yourself at 1-800-628-4771. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. These numbers are provided for emergency use only; please do not call unless it is your day of departure and you are experiencing a delay. All other questions and concerns regarding air arrangements should be directed to your travel advisor. For further information on our relationship with airlines, please refer to your Cruise Contract.