Hlitner

Sometimes I feel like a broken record (use a cruise agency, use a cruise agency, use a cruise agency). Folks are having problems with the customer service at just about every cruise line (try dealing with MSC). The cruise lines are horribly understaffed and overworked, This means long hold times or lack of any response when you have an issue. When you use a decent cruise or travel agent you simply send them a short e-mail (or make a quick call) and let them earn their commission. So what can you do? Just keep trying. Meanwhile, print out any e-mails or other documentation about this OBC. If you did everything via phone call, and have nothing in writing, then you may be out of luck (another reason to use a cruise or travel agency where you can use e-mails). Take any documentation you have along on the cruise. Sometime after the first day (always too busy) stop by the Guest Services desk (we like early in the morning when there is no line) with your stuff and plead your case. Hank

Please come back here and post an update. I am very curious how a travel insurance provider will handle a consolidator booking. My friendly advice is do not give up, keep working the claim with the insurance company, and try not to get too discouraged. We are in the process of dealing with two major cancelation/interruption claims and quickly accepted the idea that these claims will take at least 6 months of "plugging away" to get resolved. Hank

We started cruising HAL because of that excellent brand reputation. Now, HAL is pretty low on our list of preferred cruise lines. Perhaps our upcoming 42 days on the Westy will put HAL back on top of our personal list of lines. Hank

It makes a lot of sense. HAL has become the budget line of the CCL company. Hank

We also rely on an annual GeoBlue annual travel medical policy for all of our trips. Chase Sapphire gives us some (up to $10,000 per person) cancelation/interruption insurance. This saves us thousands of dollars a year vs buying various individual trip policies. Hank

I think that HAL is forgetting the original thinking behind the EXE program (and voyages). We would guess that many do not even know (or recall) that EXE means "Explorations Central" which was a concept focusing on the ports, itineraries, and all things related. The original so-called "EXE Voyages" were designed to lean heavily on related lectures (often done by highly qualified lecturers). Now it seems to have morphed into some pre-written lectures, often having little to do with a specific cruise, which can be delivered by anyone who can read. Given the progression of HAL I expect that EXE lectures will soon be a pre-recorded message delivered by some unknown voice. One of our favorite activities on HAL cruises had been attending the various lectures delivered by real life experts. Some of those lecturers, such as Dr, Alan Wright, were amazing and filled the theater with fascinated cruisers. Having a CD read a lecture from a script is just not what we expect for our cruise dollars. Unlike some HAL fans, we feel the same about BBC Documentaries (presented as the main entertainment) which is akin to watching TV in our own home. Hank

Not sure what you mean by "things" but Manzanilla is typical of all Mexican resort cities in that plenty of stores, restaurants, shops, etc. are open on Sundays (and every other day of the week). Many Mexican businesses that cater to tourism will be open 7 days a week (especially during the busy winter tourist season). Restaurants that do close 1 day a week might be closed on Sundays or alternatively, they may choose another day (to close) such as Mon or Tues. This is a great port for folks that want to join or arrange deep sea fishing tour. Hank

We are getting back to more normal times when ships would sail with relatively few cabin vacancies. Our experience (which goes back more than 50 years) is that "upsell" deals are generally better when done pre-cruise. Having a decent cruise/travel agent or PCC can be quite helpful. Trying to do an upsell (or upgrade which is essentially free) onboard means spending time in a long queue at Guest Relations. We spend our first day (aboard) relaxing and enjoying ourselves similar to a sea day. When I walk through the lobby and see 50+ waiting in a queue at Guest Relations, I think "what a lousy way to spend an afternoon." When we have inquired about upsells (on ships) it usually turns out that the cost is more or about the same as if we had booked the cabin in the first place or had done the upgrade long before the cruise. Another change (in recent years) is the upsell bidding process that has been implemented by many cruise lines. This is designed so that the cruise line can get the most money for any available cabin and also means that decent high category cabins are generally filled days/weeks/or months before a cruise. Hank

Yes :). Once upon a time we got very friendly with a bar tender and I teased her that she should tip me for being such a good customer. That did get me a free drink (of course I already had a drink package). Hank

These tipping threads always morph into the usual debate. But perhaps an argument can be made that this is all completely twisted! Consider that the only reason the crew has a job is because of the passengers! So, if we accept that statement as accurate than it just flows to the conclusion that the crew should be paying "Passenger Appreciation."

We have done 6 round trip TA cruises, but 4 of those times we did it with different ships. We would do a TA cruise in the spring to get to Europe and then spend several weeks doing our own thing. Eventually we would make our way to a port (generally different from where we debarked) for a cruise home. In the summer one can return with Cunard and there are sometimes other options with lines like HAL which might have a cruise heading to the USA (which often involves Iceland and sometimes Greenland). A few years ago, we were fans of HAL's "Grand Mediterranean cruise which was usually about 60 days long and round trip from Port Everglades. Another HAL option is their annual Voyage of the Vikings cruise (about 35-40 days long) which is round trip from Boston. We almost did a round trip trans Pacific but finally decided to fly home from New Zealand rather than make our way back to Australia to catch a return cruise. Hank

WOW, you resurrected a post from 2019. Much has changed in that time including cruise/travel agencies. All 3 of our favored agencies (from 2019) have survived the COVID shutdown, but only two remain on our favorite list with 1 agency losing my trust/support because of substandard customer service. But alas, the rules of Cruise Critic do not permit me to share the names of specific agencies. As always, we suggest that folks ship around among reputable high volume cruise agencies to find the best deals. Perhaps one big change since 2019 is that MSC continues to grow and prosper while much of their competition is encumbered by huge debt service obligations. MSC has even developed a new luxury cruise line (Explora Journeys) which will begin cruise operations next July. That line will likely have 6 ships (about 900 passenger) within a few short years. I think the other big development, in the industry, is the continued proliferation of the "ship within a ship" concept. Many cruise lines are now providing very special onboard amenities to certain higher priced cabin categories. For those of us who like both the luxury lines for their high quality, and mass market lines for their many onboard options, a ship within a ship offers the best of both worlds. MSC's Yacht Club, Celebrity's Retreat suites, and NCLs Haven Suites all tend to sell out as many folks are happy to pay for quality. Hank

I am a fan of Mexico and have lived in Puerto Vallarta for the past 16 winters. When it comes to Acapulco, I think it behooves folks to read the latest Department of State Warning for its State (Guerrero) Guerrero state – Do Not Travel Do not travel due to crime. Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years. Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following area with the noted restrictions: Taxco: U.S. government employees must use Federal Highway 95D, which passes through Cuernavaca, Morelos, and stay within downtown tourist areas of Taxco. Employees may visit Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park during the day with a licensed tour operator. U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of the state of Guerrero, including to tourist areas in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Ixtapa. Hank

In nearly 50 years of extensive independent travel (in Europe) we have only been surprised by two train strikes. One was a half day unannounced strike on the line that runs between Siena and Florence. The other time was on the line that spans the French riviera which prevented us from taking a train to Nice (from Cannes). Neither was a big deal since we are flexible and usually have a Plan B, but it can be frustrating. But twice in nearly 50 years is just not much of an issue. Hank

There is no mystery to this situation. The various rental car offices are relatively small with minimal staff. When we have dropped cars there have been a few rare times when somebody at the rental car office will run us over to the port (or to a hotel if we spending the night, But other times they cannot spare the staff (or do not want to bother) but will simply call you a taxi (we are talking less than 10 Euros for a taxi). I often drop a car the night before a cruise and we have already checked-in to a hotel. The last time I dropped at Europar there was only one person working so I walked back to our hotel (about 2 miles) because I do enjoy strolls. But a taxi would not have been a problem. Another time we were picking up a rental car after a cruise and the port shuttle bus driver agreed to drop us at a "secret" side exit of the port that took us out a few blocks from the agency. The fun (and challenge) of independent travel is dealing with the situation as it exists and finding solutions. One caveat is to not take a cruise that embarks or disembarks on a Sunday if you are going to deal with a rental car. It is rare to find any Italian rental car agency, expect at airports, that has open hours on a Sunday. Since we are long time independent travelers this is the kind of thing that impacts the cruises, we book. Otherwise, we need to plan on getting to FCO or perhaps spending a night in a local hotel. Hank

I like the way you think. So by your reckoning the "professional" musicians need to only know one song which they can play over and over again! I am sure many HAL fans would vote for a modern song like "In the Mood." Hank

Funny you should mention that since, just today, we received an e-mail offering a 2 category upgrade plus 500 Euro OBC for MSC Diamond Members. It seems to be a limited time offer and I suppose only applies to new bookings. We are still debating whether to book a Fall 2022 cruise. We were recently on the Seaside in the YC and all was good.

Hertz, Europcar and Budget all have local offices in Civitavecchia, but none are within the port. In fact, security at the port has long prohibited rental cars from entering the port facility. When you drop a rental car you can ask them to call you a taxi unless you want to walk to the shuttle bus stop (wherever that may be these days). We agree with CruiserBruce that driving within Rome (or Milan) is not for the faint of heart. And there are issues with ZTLs (Limited Driving Zones) which can result in some big fines. When we drive to major cities (i.e. Rome, Florence, etc) we generally book hotels that include parking and leave our car parked for the duration in the city. Hank

At least for Americans, if a travel provider goes bankrupt you should be able to easily get your money refunded by simply filing a dispute with your major credit card company (i.e. MC, Visa, AMEX). We have actually had to do this several times going back to when Regency Cruise Lines went bankrupt, then with Renaissance Cruise Lines, and most recently (2 years ago) when Flybe (an English airline) went bankrupt. In the industry this type of dispute is called a "chargeback" and is governed by Federal Law/Regulations and the credit card companies own rules. The rules can be complex (the Master Card Chargeback Guide is over 400 pages long) but will generally protect the consumer. We have done these chargebacks with both AMEX and Visa with no major problems. In one case, AMEX came back to us several months later (after refunding our money) and asked us to sign an authorization for AMEX to represent our interests in Regency's bankruptcy. Never heard another word about that and always wondered if they recovered any money through the bankruptcy court proceedings. Hank

WOW! That is a bit sad if they have cut-back on the hours. Our last Princess cruise was in December 2021 (Enchanted Princess) and it was still open 24/7 despite the ship being only about half full. On that cruise they did close 1 of the MDRs but the Lido and IC were as usual. Hanik

"Shop around is very good advice." We always suggest that folks shop between several reputable high volume cruise agencies and then compare the overall offerings to what you can get directly from the cruise line. In over 50 years of extensive cruising, we have always done far better with agencies. On two occasions we challenged cruise lines (Princess and HAL) to match the deals we could get from cruise agencies and the cruise lines declined. Princess simply told me that they do not want to undercut the cruise agencies and HAL suggested I book directly with them and then transfer the booking to one of my favored cruise agencies. Hank

Not exactly. We have a Chase Sapphire card that includes several insurance options including up to $10,000 ($20,000 for two persons) of Trip Interruption and Trip Cancellation insurance. The coverage comes with a good number of restrictions but works fine for legitimate cancellation/interruption reasons (which means it is not a cancel for any reason thing). We do not purchase other trip insurance and have oft posted that we are over $100,000 ahead because of all the money we have saved by not buying separate trip insurance. Hank

Agree and that is what we do, quite often. We have never decreased or eliminated auto tips...Ever! But, I still prefer the system on lines like Seabourn where there is a no tipping policy. On that line, if one wants to show their appreciation (real crew appreciation) they can donate to the onboard Crew Welfare Fund. This money is used for various things that directly benefit the crew on that particular ship. It is administered by the ship's own senior staff (we have been told that both the Captain and Hotel Manager are involved). That is only line where I actually had a cash tip refused by a bartender who than suggested I donate to the crew fund through through Guest Services. Quite a few passengers will donate their unused on board credit to that fund. But to the credit of that line we have never had anyone solicit donations and the existence of the fund is not even mentioned except in response to a direct inquiry. Hank

I will agree with Cruisemom. As an avid cruiser and independent land traveler, when somebody tells me they want to see Italy my immediate reaction is that they should fly to Italy! While cruises around Italy are fine, they are a lousy way to see/experience the country. Consider that on some port days you will spend hours just driving back and forth between ports and your destination. On land you would have a lot more time in Italy and many more options. As to visiting Italy on land you have a few good options. You can do your homework and simply DIY using the trains and/or rental cars. Another option is to book a trip with a decent tour company that will handle everything including hotels, many meals, transportation, etc. A third option is to use a combination of DIY and local tour companies. In all those cases you will see and experience a lot more of Italy than you see on a cruise ship with short "snap shot" visits to a few places. Hank

Adjustable by who? Certainly not by the passengers paying the dollars. If you are still living in Japan, just take a good look at how the Japanese deal with tipping. :). Hank