richwmn

I'm ready to book a cruise but my HAL guy is on vacation. How dare he take a few days off over a holiday weekend!!! ;p

 

With Carnival, if I booked online or onboard, my PVP still got the credit. He only did NOT get credit if I booked through an outside travel agent.

 

If I go ahead and book online today, will my HAL guy get credit for the booking? I don't want to cut him out even though I always do all the planning and cabin selection myself for every cruise I book; I just call and tell them what I want and what price I'm seeing. I like having a person there I can call or email if I have questions so think they should get credit for the booking.

 

So, should I be patient for a few more days or can I go ahead and grab the cabin I want? If he'll get credit for the sale, I'd like to go ahead and book it.

 

Thanks all!

My sister booked online a couple of years ago and was not able to transfer to a PCC. Call the number for the PCC department (800) 355-3017 and speak to whoever you can and the proper credit will be given

Norwegian has round trip Honolulu to Honolulu cruises. I believe they're the only one allowed to start and end in Hawaii. That's what I was referring to in my earlier post. These cruises do not visit ports other than in Hawaii To quote Dennis Miller, "That's my opinion and I could be wrong!"

As mentioned several places in this thread, NCL's Pride of America is not restricted by the PVSA because she is US flagged. POA can move freely around Hawaii. Please see the post by chengkp75 just prior to yours.

There used to be a multi page thread on unusual or humorous incidents. did that completely disappear with the "new' format?

I am sure it is there if you do a search. I don't recall it being a "sticky" ? But, in case my memory is short, some sticky's were removed some time ago as there were just too many.

Check in the forum "floataway lounge" - CC generally considers such threads to not be cruise related.

There is no such agreement. Many cruise lines start or end cruises in Hawaii.

Under the PVSA a cruise may only begin or end in Hawaii if the other end point is in a foreign country, including Canada (Vancouver) or Mexico (Ensenada), or stops at a "distant" foreign port.

The Prinsendam also has solo cabins---two outside, and one inside.

However, the per diem on this ship is probably more than the OP is looking to pay.

Sorry, Ruth, forgot about those three cabins on the Prinsendam, didn't have one of them.

I have a birthday cruise booked for this fall on Carnival, but I received a "private sale" offer from HAL the other day and am considering changing my plans.

 

On Carnival, I have to pay 200% as a solo, which I don't particularly enjoy. But they do have a cabin class with upper/lower sleeping, which is their lowest price cabins and works just fine when sailing solo. At 200%, I need to go with the cheapest cabin I can.

 

I don't believe HAL has this cabin category, do they? I haven't found it on any of the deck plans.

 

So, my question for you seasoned HAL cruisers is, which cabin would you choose if you want your cabin fare to be as little as possible so your vacation budget can go toward excursions, adult beverages, and donations at the roulette wheel?

 

On Zuiderdam in January, I had one of those great, square-ish inside cabins on Main (J1049), but I don't see them on K-dam. Well, there are 4 on Main but they aren't available on the date I want.

 

There are two mid-ship on other decks just behind the elevators. Haven't check availability on those yet. Wondering about mechanical noise. I had a cabin once that was against the back of an elevator and heard it all night going up and down and up and down. :(

 

I'd like to call my HAL guy later today, so any quick responses are appreciated!

Koningsdam is the only HAL ship (so far) that has solo cabins. They are located on the Main Deck all the way forward. They are a nice size and generally offer a discount over being a solo in a regular cabin. The cabins do get bigger away from the bow. I was in 1012 and found it comfortable. They are also very close to Billboard, Lincoln Center and the Main Stage -- just one deck up, and the Crows Nest. I wasn't bothered by noise but YMMV.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/17035-holland-america-adds-cuba-calls.html

Veendam will be doing a 12 day Christmas, followed by a series of 7 day cruises!

I'm looking at this one also. I have to come to grips with $1200 deposit for a sailing that's almost two years away.

 

 

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I generally have 1 or 2 deposit certificates ready in case I see a cruise I want to book. Comes in real handy.

A couple I know just had to put down a deposit of $3500 for a cruise starting September 30, 2018 because they didn't have any FCDs available

They won't let you into the terminal in Port Everglades w/o the paper boarding pass. I don't know about other ports, but I've seen people run into problems in Fort Lauderdale when they didn't have their paper boarding pass. I wouldn't risk not having it. Even if you can get through, do you really want to start your cruise with a hassle?

Just to be contrary, you can get into Port Everglades most times without a paper boarding pass if you are on a hotel or parking lot shuttle, and maybe rental car shuttles. Those Vans are waved on, sometimes the driver is asked if all passengers are on cruises. I've done it several times, but I had the paper "just in case".

Excellent... thanks!

 

BTW, I see you're from Athens, GA. I attended a Navy school there for 6 mos many years ago (1982) and loved the place. :) Great vibe! Spent a lot of time at Allen's directly across the street from campus. I understand that Allen's is no longer there... :(

I was here and yes, Allen's is gone and so is the Navy. UGa has the old Navy School property now. Hope you enjoyed it here.

Is the electronic version accessed via your phone with an app, or is it on the TV? Can I get the app prior to sailing?

You don't need an app, it is accessed via a web browser on any web enabled device (phone, pad, laptop).

I would be cautious about booking February 2019. The possibility of a RSVP charter is very real.

If I had kept my booking on the Feb 2017 Koningsdam RSVP charter I would have saved $600. Live and learn.

 

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The RSVP cruise this year, I believe, was Feb 5 - 12. I was on the Koningsdam for the next cruise and had a wonderful time.

So you are saying I should run out and change my booking on the chance that RSVP or some other group might charter? I am well aware that booking this far in advance runs that chance. If it does happen, either it will be far enough out that I can easily change my plans, or HAL will compensate the change. In either case, C'est la vie!

I take it you were happy with the solo cabin. What is the category for the cabin and where are they located?

Solo rooms is category OO.

Deck 1 forward. Book early as size varies quite a bit due to the curve of the hull at the front of the ship.

You are correct, I was happy with the solo cabin. As InTheWASide mentioned, they are all the way forward on deck 1, category OO and there are 12 of them. As you move aft the cabins do get larger.

I have and had 1012, which was a comfortable size. Easy access to World Stage, Billboard, Lincoln Center and the Crows Nest.

I just checked the HAL site and the Nieuw Statendam cruises do not show up yet. However, they do show up on the booking engine that the PCCs, and possibly other TAs, use.

For comparison, my fare is about $330 per day - also for one of the solo cabins, the same one I had a few months ago on the Koningsdam.

Rich

14 Days Western / Eastern Feb 10, 2019!

Booked on the Veendam for Oct. 7 in Montreal to FLL, starting to get cold feet after reading some of the reviews. Have been on at least 35 cruises and really haven't had a bad one, a few problems here and there but nothing that on the last day would make me want to stop cruising.We really like the itinerary for this cruise but the reviews are a little scary. Anyone have any words of wisdom to help us get over this fear before final payment in July.:confused:

I checked and you have joined the roll call. There are 9 people on the roll call that were on Veendam last April (FLL to Montreal) and liked it so much that we decided prior to leaving the ship that we would like to do the reverse and start in Montreal and end in Fort Lauderdale.

Westerdam has been out of dry dock for just a few weeks. Maybe 2 or 3 people have stayed in that cabin at this time. Chances of one of those people are Cruise Critic members are kinda small. Hopefully, someone will post pictures shortly.

The answer is "Yes."

 

A few years ago we had a $1800 OBC problem. Several OBC transfers to the Casino, a few penny-slot pulls, and cash-outs over a few days solved the problem. Thanks to advice provided by CC member Jtl513. When we had dinner with our HAL PCC in Seattle a few years ago, she told us that the ship has only a single pot of OBC and does not know the source of the OBC in that pot for each stateroom.

No disrespect to you or your PCC, but two things tell me that those on board DO know the source of the OBC. First, looking back at account printouts shows that the amount I get for Stockholder, FCD and Welcome Back show as Promo Credit and that which I purchased or was purchased for me was listed as Gift Manifest. The Promo Credit would cover the non refundable credit. Also about a year ago when I went to settle my account, the associate looked at the screen to determine my refund then asked a supervisor to finish. The supervisor said that I had spent enough to cover my non refundable credit.

Now we all know that what Seattle tells us, and what happens on the ship can be totally different things. For example the stockholder credit specifically states that it can not be used for the HSC or Casino, but it almost always is. Most of the time when I get my refund the front desk attendant just looks at the bottom line and refunds the balance.

This seems very behind the times? On my last Princess cruise the app also had a passenger to passenger messenger function. That was incredibly useful. I don't know what their target is here but it seems like if they're advancing why not go all the way?

I don't know what Princess has, but if it is an actual app (downloaded from google play or itunes and installed) it would be easier to incorporate messaging. What HAL is doing is just a local (on ship) web site.

Does anyone know if it works on i-phones please?

It is essentially a web site, so it will work on anything with a web browser. Any type of phone, tablet, laptop etc. Nothing is downloaded or installed on the local device.

I do the same thing as BCD2010. Prior to getting to the ship, I have enough OBC between gifted and bought, to cover the hold amount. Most times I am asked for a card at check in, but when I let them know I have enough OBC they let me go. It has been years since I provided a credit card number.

As to getting a refund, for the most part I have had no trouble getting a cash refund. Most times the person at the front desk looks at the refund amount and fills out the paper work, has me sign a receipt and I get the money. On one ship, recently, the attendant called over a supervisor to make sure I had spent all of the "Non Refundable" credit. I had and I had my refund quickly. On the Koningsdam I was told it would be refunded to my card until I reminded them that I hadn't registered a card at which point I was refunded cash. No problems.

We have a fairly long cruise coming up, and we usually place a cash deposit with the front desk upon boarding instead of a credit card hold. On this long cruise we will have a considerable amount of OBC from HAL and our TA. Does HAL allow one to reduce the cash deposit based on the amount of OBC one has in their account ?

Yes, done it many times. You can also buy OBC in advance by calling ships services so you don't have to deposit any "cash" at all - it is already there.

I was told by HAL employees that if I purchase OBC from HAL if not used it is refundable.

not sure who you talked to, but any purchased OBC is fully refundable. It can be refunded in cash at the end of the cruise, or put back on a registered credit card. Done the cash bit many times.

On Koningsdam in Feb I did self-disembark for the first time so I don't know if this is normal.

The instructions said to go to Lincoln Stage at 7:30(?). When I arrived a bit early the passageway was roped off to the exit. Those who arrived early were asked to sit. When the seats filled, the overflow congregated in the area between Lincoln Stage and Billboard. When boarding actually started, the seated people were allowed off prior to those who had to stand. While some of those standing complained, it actually went smoothly.

Hi, I started a Roll Call because after a search I came up with nothing... so I started one with a preferred format (I believe) and come to find out there is another one out there. Is there a way to contact a mod. and have them combine the two?

Use the blue triangle (upper right of a post) to send a note to the mods from one of the threads. It will be easier for him/her if you include the url for the other thread by highlighting the address bar then copy before going into the thread you will report from and pasting it there.