Hlitner

Well I am sure you get all that when you call HAL! ROFL 🙂

Great questions! We were recently on a HAL cruise, in Asia, where we met quite a few folks from Australia who were really "into" the topic of the EU rules. It is a real problem for those who want to spend more than 3 months in Western Europe. Montenegro was mentioned as a possibility and some talked about spending their 90 days in Western Europe and than heading to the UK or Ireland for a few more weeks. We are currently planning on a European trip for 2024, but will stay well under the 90 day limit. I think the big problem is for Brits that have property in Spain and/or France. There are Visa alternatives, but apparently the process is onerous. Hank

Perhaps, but you would need to check with Princess. However, you might consider that you can generally save a substantial amount of money (or get better located hotels) by simply booking your own hotel (easily done online). As to transfers, there is no problem getting taxis at BCN or in the city. There are many here on CC (including moi) that can recommend specific hotels in various price ranges to suit your standards. When it comes time to head to the port, your hotel can get you a taxi from the short ride over to the port. Hank

Am always amazed that cruisers rely on HAL PCCs. For those folks that love their PCCs, the next time you talk to that person ask what certifications they have from the CLIA and/or ASTA? They are likely to ask you "what is CLIA and ASTA?" When you ask a HAL clerk a question, if it is not very common knowledge they will rely on "scripts" they can bring up on their monitors (kind of like when folks look at FAQs). Over the years we have talked to some excellent HAL folks, but they were not the same people that normally answer the phone when you call the toll free number. For travel professionals in the cruise and travel agencies there is a major continuing education program run by CLIA which awards certifications such as ACC (Accredited Cruise Counselor) or MCC (Master Cruise Counselor). There are also some excellent training programs through ASTA such as VTA (Verified Travel Advisor). In fact, for folks looking for a decent cruise or travel agent, it can be helpful to find agents who have these kinds of certifications. Hank

Very little

I think CruiserBruce was trying to say that upsell offers can come almost any time...although it will generally be after the final payment period. We have had quite a few HAL upsell offers and they are forwarded (via e-mail) by our various cruise/travel agencies (we never book direct with any cruise line). Over the years (we are 5* Mariners) we have only accepted one upsell (it was to a SS on the Prinsendam). When we book a cruise, we choose the cabin category that we want and intend to use. My favorite upsell offer (again on the Prinsendam) was an offer to upgrade to a Neptune Suite for more than we had paid for the entire cruise 🙂 We have also had other upsells that were more costly than simply booking the offered category. Go figure. Many lines have moved to a "bidding upsell process" which is an interesting concept. The offer is actually an invitation to bid on certain categories and there are usually minimum bids. MSC is one line that routinely uses this method and it is popular. Celebrity also uses a bidding process. Hank

As an O newbie (with lots of experience with other cruise lines) I will have some fun with my own speculation (we have a current booking with the O Life Beverage Package). Whatever FDR does, it will cost more! We have seen this trend with other cruise lines and the bottom line is always more costly. The other thing that has happened (with many lines) is that the new packages are carefully designed reduce the value of any Loyalty benefits traditionally offered by the cruise lines. This is usually done by either including some of the Loyalty benefits in a the new package (available to anyone) or changing the benefits. Hank

You will get instructions in the daily program (and possibly through an announcement and port talk) about where (and when) to go to get a tender ticket. This will be a public area (such as a lounge or the main theater). Go early, wait in line, and try to get a low number Also be ready (with your entire party) to go ashore. Depending on the cruise director, you will likely be told to wait in any pulbic area (so you can hear announcements) or in a specific place until your tender ticket number is called. Like most cruise lines, HAL does use a priority system for tendering. Folks with HAL excursions will always get priority and there are others (4-5* Mariners and those in large suites) who also get tender priority. Nothing you can do about that, so the best you can do is to get a low tender number. You and your party can get tender priority if you all book "Club Orange" for the cruise. As to how fast you get ashore, it really varies depending on the efficiency of the ship's tender operation and other issues such as the weather and tides. If it is windy and a bit rough, this can really add to the time to get ashore. And keep in mind that we are talking about HAL, where there are many cruisers who move very slow (especially when getting on and off tenders). Hank

DW and I are not big fans of Marseille, and these days, avoid spending much time in the city. But even great minds can disagree and folks do each have their own taste. With that in mind I am posting a link to an very even handed article about Marseille. Since this article has nothing to do with cruising or travel agencies, it will hopefully be OK with the mods, https://abrokenbackpack.com/is-marseille-worth-visiting/#:~:text=Report Ad-,The Sights,two stunning churches worth visiting. Our main problem with Marseille (besides the crime problem that can impact one's evenings) is that there are just so many other places (in France and elsewhere) we would rather be! No question, that we prefer Barcelona (for a short pre or post cruise stay) over Marseille. We have never embarked on a cruise from Marseille, but if we did we would likely spend pre-cruise time somewhere to the North (Provence) in a nearby city like Aix en Provence or as far away as Avignon (a city where we have even rented an apartment). Hank

Perhaps we can help by putting it in terms of miles (we walk from the Romantic Zone to the Port (and back) many days a year). From the cruise port to the Rosita (the beginning of the Malecon) is just slightly over 3 miles! From the Rosita to the end of the Malecon (in the Romantic Zone) is slightly over 1 miles. So, if you have the time and energy to walk 4 miles (plus whatever distance you walk in town) than yes, it is all walkable. For cruisers, with a limited amount of time in port, most will benefit by either using a local bus (see Ine's post above) a shared taxi, or perhaps an Uber. Keep in mind that the local buses only cost $10 (Pesos) which is about 60 cents. Hank

We do not ask those phone folks, at the cruise line, anything. Their knowledge if often limited to what is on the scripts they can bring-up on their monitors. You are not likely to get a good answer to your question from anyone at Princess, and it would not matter what they say since it will be up to the folks on the ship how they deal with the situation. But, I suspect if you arrive hours late there will not likely be anyone waiting at the airport to handle the transfer (at least that is my educated guess) so you would simply need to grab a taxi (and pay the cost). If you have included Princess transfers, you can later go to Guest Relations and ask to be reimbursed (good luck with that). In your case we would simply take a taxi to the port (with our luggage) and try to get on the ship. We have seen similar situations on other ships, and there are usually some quick calls between security and the Guest Relations desk and the passenger is ultimately checked-in at Guest Relations. It is doubtful that you would be turned away :). I will add that DW and I are very independent travelers and are used to dealing with issues "on the fly." Since you have booked through EZ-Air, you have every right to feel optimistic about the situation you have described. But keep in mind that the transfers (from airport to ship) are handled by a third-party shore contractor, so if they are not waiting at the airport, just shake it off and get yourself to the ship. Hank

Year ago when I worked in an Emergency Room we had a term called "GOMER" which stood for "Get Out of My Emergency Room." I think many cruise ship physicians practice something similar and want difficult cases to get off their ship. Hank

All this just make me appreciate using an excellent cruise agency/agent (we actually use 2) that handle all this stuff and always put it all in writing (with a detailed invoice) before any payment is processed. Just another example of a consumer working direct with a cruise line because they somehow think it "gives them control!" Bottom line is that you represent a single booking and have no clout! A major high volume agency/agent has a little more clout and personal contacts. That being said, finding a decent high volume agency and a good agent is not easy. Hank

It does not get to the level of "pulling bookings" but is just a matter of personal relationships and clout (which comes from volume and contacts). We do a lot of guaranteed bookings (we generally could care less about our cabin location) with many cruise lines, including Princess. The terms of a guarantee are basically a minimum guarantee. It is, in every sense, a contract with the deposit being "consideration" for the guarantee. If the cruise line cannot fulfill their obligation there can obviously be a negotiation, a cancellation (with return of all monies) or acquiescence by the cruiser And yes, cruise lines sometimes get themselves into oversold situations where they cannot fulfill their obligation. But cruisers are not lambs for the slaughter and do have some rights :). We had a situation with Oceania where they did a major itinerary change about 3 weeks prior to a cruise. Part of the change was that they moved the debarkation port over 1500 miles to another country (which created some major problems for us). Rather than simply accept the changes we cancelled the booking and than O said, OK, we will give you a future cruise credit. We said "No," your change went beyond a reasonable itinerary change, caused us difficulty with air arrangments, and caused some other issues. We wanted a full refund! They said "No" and we took the issue to their executive suite and were quickly granted our full refund. Failing that, we would have likely filed with our credit card to reverse our charges (because the cruise they offered was not what we had booked). I mention this episode, because folks get pushed around because they let it happen! There are times when consumers need to fight back No guarantee that the consumer can win a fight, but it does happen more than many folks might expect. The reality is that "negotiation" does settle most problems, and a high volume agent/agency is usually in a better position to negotiate. Hank

WOW! What a saga. Our solution is quite simple. We use an excellent cruise agent/agency (we actually use 2 different such agencies) which not only saves us money (often about 10%) but gets us the clout and experience of a real travel professional. But the bottom line is that if the OP booked and paid for a "BA" guarantee that means that the cruise line must provide a category BA or better cabin! If they cannot fulfill their obligation there needs to be some kind of financial "adjustment." When folks deal with any cruise line, they are simply a single customer dealing with a huge business. The folks you talk to on the phone are essentially order takers/clerks who either work from home of in a small cubicle. Much of what they say comes from "scripts" they can bring up on their monitors. Now consider that when you use a decent high volume cruise agency/agent, they have a lot more clout with any cruise line than a single person. Unlike the cruise line employee, the cruise agency is working for you...not the cruise line. This thread kind of makes me smile, as many folks who book direct with cruise lines say it "gives them control." That is a real fallacy. It is the cruise line that has control (and your money). You have very little leverage when dealing direct with a cruise line...other than cancelling (and perhaps losing money). Hank

As Euro Cruiser posted, it is possible to do it DIY using public transportation. DW and I are very familiar with the area (been there many times on cruises and driving trips) and we once decided to couple of visit to Positano with Capri in a single port day. It was not a good experience! The problem is that we did not have enough time to enjoy Capri (a favorite place of ours) even though we know the island. The other issue is that Positano is just one place on the Amalfi Coast. We generally suggest that an Amalfi Coast tour should include Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello! But bus tours cannot take their pasengers into Positano, so this has to be done with a very small vehicle personal tour. Ferries can get you to Positano and Amalfi (assuming the schedule works) but Ravello can only be accessed by vehicle. My personal thinking is that the Amalfi Coast is worthy of a full day (we stay there for many days) and cannot be properly visited on the same day as a trip to Capri. And Capri is also worthy of a full day since it takes time to walk around Capri Town, perhaps go up to Anacapri and take the chair lift to to the top of the mountain (amazing view) and even visit the Blue Grotto (one of those tourist traps that folks should do once!) So my suggestion to the OP is that you need to decide whether you want to maximize the place you go without enough time to really appreciate the places (I call this the "If its Tuesday it Must be Belgium" syndrome) of choose fewer places and give yourself enough time to "stop and smell the roses" and even enjoy a nice lunch. The bottom line is that you cannot possibly see and do everything on a single visit which is why we have been going back to Europe for over forty years. Hank

Lets talk a little about the "watering down" of Elite Benefits. We cruise many different cruise lines (16 to date) and have high status with quite a few. Nearly all cruise lines (even the luxury lines) have some kind of Loyalty program and just about every line has various benefit packages that go along with the status. Traditionally, Princess has had one of the best package of benefits for those who have Elite Status (we have been Elite for a very long time). As the cruise industry grew, and many folks took more cruise vacations, the cruise lines ran into a problem that might be best described as "loyalty creep" where a lot of folks reached the higher levels. The cruise lines found themselves in a situation where all these free beneftis were becoming problamatic in terms of cost. We first saw this problem on RCI where Diamond members used to get access the the relatively small Concierge Lounge. The lounges became too crowded, so RCI had to roll back the benefit (they later built Diamond Lounges on the new ships) which caused a lot of angst among Diamond folks. So the cruise lines had to deal with the benefit situation and did not want to tick off its loyal members. The solution was to make the loyalty benefits redundant which can be accomplished by the packages. We have run into this issue on quite a few cruise lines. It is just the way it is! Hank

Great point. We recently cruised on HAL's Westerdam from Japan to Alaska (across the northern Pacific) and had 6 days of seas in the 20-25 foot range. To us, "it felt like a ship" and to others...they were miserable and hardly left their cabin. Our big fear, in those seas, was walking around the ship and being careful not to fall or crash into a bulkhead. Like many longer HAL voyages, the passengers were mostly older with a lot of cruise experience and handled it well. The only bummer was that the ship's pools had to be drained (for a week) since they were dumping water onto the deck. Although that was not the worse seas we have experienced, it was unusual in that we had those seas for nearly a week. Hank

Mentioned this to our family physician (last week) which got an interesting response. "Not much anyone can do." Of course he was referring to folks from the USA. The flu shots we got last year will have already lost most/all of their effectiveness and the 2023 vaccine is not even available, yet, in the USA. At the moment I think there is more concern about RSV than the flu or COVID. Hank

The chef might say, "We are a Premium Line" and do not need to respond 🙂 I am also part of the anti raisin crowd

The question should not be about "Music Walk" but rather is there any entertainment in the venues on Music Walk. HAL does a good job providing various venues for music, and an awful job putting real groups in those venues. Kind of like have a nice modern theater with State of the Art lighting/sound and nothing but a HAL history slide show or BBC Nature Documentary. Ooops, Hank

Always love this question because the answer is always the same; maybe rough, maybe smooth, most likely somewhere between! And that answer works for most water anywhere in the world. I will add that the roughest seas I have ever experienced (in more than 50 years of extensive cruising) was on a 1991 Celebrity Meridian cruise from NYC to Bermuda (Aug 18). We cruised right into Hurricane Bob and the seas were over 40 foot. A severe wave actually put a big dent into the port bow of RCCL's Nordic Prince during that storm. They asked our Captain to stay in the area in case they would need help (that turned out to not be necessary) but it kept us in the storm a few extra hours. Hank

If you can handle your luggage, taking the train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam is not difficult, takes about 40 min and costs around $20 per person. Once in Rotterdam, you can simply grab a taxi to the port. A taxi will cost significantly more, but is also a decent option. In our experience, booking hotels and transfers through cruise lines costs about twice the price of doing it on one's own. And when you choose your own hotel you can usually get a nicer hotel in a better location that what is used by many cruise lines. Hank

The D-Day beaches (there are 5) are best visited on a tour of with a rental car. Public transportation is worthless when it comes to the beaches and some associated sites such as St Mere Eglise. Driving in Normandy (they drive on the right in France) is not particularly difficult and made a lot easier with GPS. If one wanted to avoid driving to CDG (it does get quite congested as you near the airport) it is possible to arrange to drop a rental car in places like Le Havre or Rouen where it is easy to get a train to Paris. I should add that driving to CDG is almost all done on major highways and you do not need to drive into Paris. I will leave the tour issue to others, since we are primarily DIY folks (have done a lot of driving and trains in France). As to the beaches, most Americans are primarily interested in Omaha Beach and perhaps Utah Beach. Omaha is quite interesting with its well known Pointe du Hoc and nearby American Cemetery (used in the opening shots of Saving Private Ryan). As an American Veteran who has visited this area (twice) I found it all quite moving...especially when looking at the Pointe du Hoc cliff and imagining the selfless bravery of the Rangers who climbed the cliff while under fire. DW and I have enjoyed staying in the area and were there one year for the anniversary (when US Airborn troops reenacted the jump near St Mere Eglise. Of course the easiest way to visit this area would be on a tour (especially small group tour) although DW and I prefer to be by ourselves so we can set our own pace and do our own thing.

Never stayed in Ostia, although we were pretty close at Fiumcino. We enjoyed that area where there is a nice promenade along the coast and plenty of decent restaurants (seafood being a local specialty). We stayed there because we had an early flight and found that area a lot nicer than just staying out near the airport. Of course Ostia Antica is also pretty close and a "don't miss" place for those that have a few hours. Hank