TriumphGuy

I am truly sorry your cruise was ruined. Being sick on vacation is no fun whatsoever.

But to put this in perspective, here in the US a visit to a doctor with tests and prescriptions, if you have no medical insurance, would be far more expensive than $350.  Probably double or triple that. 

It is always recommended to get good travel insurance for an overseas trip. (Which may cost about the same as you paid for one incident)

When we were young we never gave it a thought, other than it was a "waste of money". Now in our 60's, we wouldn't leave home without it.

I hope you are feeling better.

Don't know about your cabin, but we booked V8125 for our April TA. Supposedly we have a bigger balcony (deeper) but I think the cabin is the same size as a standard balcony cabin. The NS being a new(er) ship, I don't think there are all that many photos of specific cabins yet. Halfacts.com is your best bet, but they don't show your cabin or ours.

When we were young we never gave a second thought to trip insurance. Now that we're "older" we wouldn't leave without it. For our April TA  we insured the entire trip, which includes a week in France at the end of the cruise, with US Fire, through Tripinsurance.com . The policies have a generous medical emergency evacuation provision of $250K, which although we've never had any major issues, is nice to have. The premiums were very reasonable. 

Hopefully we'll never have to use it...

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

You can use your SBP to pick up a can of tonic or two at a bar and then take it to the cabin.  No problem at all 😉 

 

Take both your cards if you want 2 cans at a time.  It’s no problem.
 

Nice to know! Thank you!

We got the Signature Beverage Package included "free" with our upcoming 14 day TA in April. However, I still like to have a drink on the balcony before dinner. Interesting that Tanqueray Gin is more expensive than Bombay Sapphire.
I'll probably still buy a bottle of Bombay and bring along a case of tonic. Unless, I can use my SBP to get a can of tonic for the cabin? Anybody know if I can do that with the SBP?

I enjoy being at sea. I love sea days, to me there is nothing quite as relaxing. Ports are secondary to me, I view ports as a"preview" to places I may want to come back to and spend some time at. 

Our other mode of recreational travel is with our RV, we tend to travel long distances and spend time in quiet places far from home. 

Vacations are different for everyone.

I had measles as a child in the 50's and German measles twice. You're not supposed to be able to get German measles twice but I did. I still remember hallucinating from the fever. It was horrible.

The vaccine wasn't available when I was a child. I wish it had been.

So, how does Happy Hour work when you have the Signature Beverage Package? We got the SBP included free as a promo on our upcoming 14 night TA. 
I suppose it's a moot point but just curious.

We did the Coral Princess Panama Canal (11 night partial transit) and it was fine. My problem with Princess is that they constantly try to get you to buy stuff. Our last cruise to the Eastern Caribbean last winter on the Crown was enjoyable, however Princess in their constant assault on cheapening the experience has decided to remove the only armchair in the cabin (standard balcony and below), leaving only the desk chair to sit on. That was the last straw for us. Not an option for my 65 year old body.We won't be back.

At least on HAL you get a loveseat.

6 hours ago, awhcruiser said:

Domestic or international flight?

Both. Chicago (ORD) to FLL

Paris (CDG) to ORD

30 minutes ago, geocruiser said:

Thanks.  I did use a TA, so I can not see them.  I am use to Princess, where I can see my OBC even if I use a TA.

Same issue here, former Princess cruiser. We used a discount travel agency aligned with a well-known national organization for retired folks and I could not find anything about my OBC or my shareholder OBC on HAL's site. I also could not find anywhere to pay for our airfare, which we booked through HAL's Flightease, because their price blew away the T/A's.

HAL told me to call the TA, which I did, and they walked me through all the promotions and OBC we are due. I also was finally able to get a balance due on the airfare and instruction on how to pay for it. The TA had no information on the purchased air and had to call HAL to find out how to handle it. It took about 45 minutes on the phone to get it straightened out.

There appears to be a disconnect between HAL and the TA. I suspect it's HAL's doing. I don't think they like it much when you book with an TA. The lady I spoke with at HAL Flightease was not particularly helpful and simply said to call the TA, even though I booked the air with HAL. 

We are booked on a TA with HAL next April and will be arriving in Le Havre on May 1, which is May Day, a National holiday. We have an excursion booked to Paris with HAL for that day. What can we expect? Will everything be closed? We really won't have a lot of time in Paris due to the travel time, so I'm wondering if it's even worth the expense and hassle if all the attractions are closed. We will be staying almost a week in the Normandy region the following week to explore the D-Day beaches, museums, towns, and Mont St Michele so don't really want to do shore excursions to those areas.

Anybody been there on May Day? 

Thanks,

Burns & Diane

55 minutes ago, SumoCitrus said:

Related question - any rule against getting a little frisky in said balcony hot tubs?

This is why I avoid hot tubs.

We also got a pretty good deal, Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Paris to Chicago, Premium Economy $2296, total for both of us. Delta/Air France

It's booked, we even have seat assignments. I don't know if that price is guaranteed however, final payment isn't until Jan 20.

I think a lot of colds and viruses originate not on board ship but on the planes getting to the ship. Your basic run of the mill cold takes 3-4 days for symptoms to appear. Usually colds begins to peak around day 4 or 5 AFTER symptoms appear, then begins to subside. So, do the math, 8-9 days or so until peak and then another 5 days or so until symptoms subside. That's around 14 days thereabouts, so no wonder a lot of people are hacking and snuffling near the end of their cruise. 

Of course, it gets spread around on board too, people who weren't exposed on a flight have a good chance of catching it anyway.

I hate flying to a port but sometimes it can't be avoided. 

2 minutes ago, RuthC said:

So, you stepped without looking to see if there was space available to accommodate you, and it's the OTHER PERSON's fault? 
No. It's your fault. Next time don't be so oblivious. 

Had this been you, instead of me I think you would understand. We are talking INCHES. He was directly behind me. You weren't there. Yes, I accept some responsibility for not scanning the area directly behind me but coming up behind someone in a scooter with no warning is unsafe. 
If you've ever been in the Horizon Court on a Princess ship you would know how tight the buffet area is. 

3 minutes ago, Umbarger said:

So handicapped people are not allowed to eat in the buffet?  Not allowed to look at the food? Handicapped people aren't allowed in crowed areas?  Perhaps you should have looked behind you before you stepped backwards to get around your wife.  The scooter driver wasn't even moving.

Yes, you should have "watched out"

You completely missed my point. It is a danger to other passengers when scooters run right up behind others with no warning. I was not expecting a scooter to be inches behind me, out of my line of sight. 

What bothered me was his entitled attitude. Believe me, I sympathize with those less fortunate and I think it's great that they don't let their limitations prevent them from enjoying life. But he acted like I was at fault and I was not. Scooters should not be in crowded buffet lines. It is too dangerous for everyone.

If it were me, I would ask my wife or a crew member to assist.

And yes, he was moving at the time.

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

On a recent Princess cruise we watched a man simply put his scooter in reverse and back into two folks (he never turned to look and did not have a mirror).  His reaction was to get angry at the two folks he hit.  

 

Hank

I had the same experience on our last Princess cruise. I was in the very crowded buffet line and unbeknownst to me an elderly man drove into the buffet area to see what was being offered. He was right behind me when I backed up slightly to get around my wife. I backed into his scooter and he yelled "WATCH OUT!" in a very aggressive and angry voice. I almost fell over backwards over his scooter.
Why are these allowed in the buffet area? I understand wanting to see what is being offered but in a crowded situation it is a danger to others. This is where buffet staff can be really helpful in assisting those who are not as mobile.

Princess does this too and everyone pretty much ignores it. People want to "get the party started".  Can't say I blame them although from a cabin steward's perspective it probably makes them feel rushed. 

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

It’s just a night where originally it was on King’s day (Netherlands) and now it’s on every cruise.  You just wear something orange if you have it and if you don’t, no worries.

 

On some ships, it’s fun and on others it’s much ado about nothing IMO.

 

It really depends on your HD and the staff.

Will this work? It's got a collar so I should be good...

I guess I will have to call them. My invoice for the cruise (booked through the TA) now says $0 balance, since I paid it off. But the air was arranged through HAL, separately from the TA, so I don't see how it would be part of the final cruise payment. 

As far as insurance goes, I bought medical and travel insurance through a third party also. 

Hi - We booked our April 2020 cruise through a large TA (associated with a large organization for retired people), and paid it in full. I booked flights through HAL's flight Ease because it was an exceptional deal. The problem is I see no way to pay for the flights on HAL's website. The flights (Delta/Air France) are listed on our itinerary, and we were even able to pick our seats. I do have a confirmation email with the amount owed stated, but no option to pay. 
We are planning to pay off the airfare later this fall. Is it too early and that's why there is no option?
I have to say, HAL's website is very clunky and difficult to navigate. 

Another vote for Park & Go, we've used them twice. Both times, flawless. Drop off car, board shuttle and 5 minutes later you're at the ship. Coming home we didn't have to wait but 2-3 minutes to be picked up. Delivered right to the car. Load up and out we go.

Cheaper if you reserve and pay ahead. For a 10 day cruise February 2019 it was $97+coin.

We paid off our April 2020 cruise last night for financial planning/cash flow reasons. Today I read that the oil refinery attacks in Saudi Arabia knocked out half their oil exports. Global oil prices are expected to rise significantly, at least in the short term.

My question is, since we have made final payment now, can or will HAL levy a surcharge should oil prices explode? Has this ever happened to anyone?

We're booked on Nieuw Statendam transatlantic in April 2020. We chose #8125, which is a Starboard verandah cabin with an extended balcony. So, hopefully we'll get sun most of the day heading east. Since part of the balcony appears to be covered I'm hoping we'll have some shade too.