richwmn

ms Zuiderdam is currently in the first phase of transiting the Panama Canal!

Thanks for sharing. We will be in Cabo for two weeks the first of Nov. I am monitoring the situation and earlier today one of our resorts posted a video of your ship arriving in Cabo.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

If possible, could you post a link to the video? I would love to see it. If you can't post email would work.

Rich

richwmn-

Saw what I think was a H.A. ship on a webcam in Cabo area today.(10/3) I think your ship was the first to call on Cabo since Hurricane O?

Tomorrow is suppose to be Star Princess(10/4) and next Monday & Tuesday is Carnival Miracle.

Good to know that Cabo marina is accepting cruise passengers.

Yes, we are in Cabo today. Getting ready to leave in a few minutes. My driver confirmed that we were the first ship to return.

I have booked an outside guarantee on every cruise except one - and that one I didn't end up in the cabin I booked, I was "upgraded".

As originally scheduled, Zuiderdam did stop in Cabo San Lucas today. We arrived on time and were cleared quickly. However, rough seas and wind slowed the tender process. Open tendering started about 1:30 and I headed in.

The tender ride in was a little bumpy, but we got there in short order. The pier had the typical setup of people dressed in traditional garb for pictures. Music was playing and some vendors had tables set up.

Once off the pier, you could start to see damage but several businesses were open. As usual, there were several people selling tours of the area. I picked one and settled on a price. A couple of minutes later we were in his van and headed away from the dock.

As we got away from the dock the damage was more apparent. Many buildings had windows and awnings missing. Several buildings had major damage to the outside and major work is needed. Cabo is trying to return to normal, but it will take some time.

Aside from the damage, the area is beautiful. I had a very nice tour and saw a great deal of the area. Many areas are ready, or nearly ready, to greet tourists again. Work will continue, and the return of the ships will help.

The tender ride back to the ship was very bumpy.

All in all, a very nice day, and I hope to see Cabo San Lucas again after they have a chance to recover some more.

Currently on the cruise referenced.

Others have already answered but "Code Orange" is prevention. That being said, what has been experienced on this cruise thus far is more relaxed than I have had on previous cruises. The first 48 hours from Vancouver to Alaska were partially like "Code Orange" on previous cruises, but more hands on from customers. Salt & Pepper shakers not on tables and crew serving most dishes. Salads are available for people to prepare themselves and tongs are out for breads, etc, unlike full "Code Orange"

We have been under the same restrictions since leaving Vancouver on the 27th. We received 1600 passengers in Vancouver and 500 in San Francisco. Curiously the muster drill in San Francisco was just for the passengers embarking there.

Nothing has been said about increased incidence of Noro, or anything else.

I hope your friends have a safe trip home and get better soon.

Had a very nice time in Skagway today.

Question re the card scanning---- does everyone in the cabin scan their card or just one person?

As far as I could see each person was having their card scanned.

The muster drill went very smoothly, only one cabin number was called for my lifeboat, and everyone seemed (at least around me) to be quiet and attentive.

Rich

Currently on the Zuiderdam. I just paid the $99.99 for unlimited on the 7 day Alaska portion. I was told it would be $199.99 for the 20 day repo to FLL

We just finished the muster drill (AKA Passenger Safety Drill) on the Zuiderdam in Vancouver.

I don't remember seeing it posted before, but attendance was taken by scanning our cabin cards.

It went very smoothly!

Rich

We are on the cruise from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale two weeks from now.

 

The Zuiderdam stops for eight hours at Puerto Amador but four of the hours are before midnight! Puerto Amador is situated at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal and is a manmade peninsula extending out into the Pacific Oceanbuilt to accommodate shipping.

 

What research I've done - if you want to go into Panama City, it should only be 20 or so minutes by taxi unless for some reason there is heavy traffic.

 

There suppose to be good shopping around the port area.

Hi tommui987 -

We are on the same cruise, and we have 16 hours in Amador. The ship arrives at 8am on Oct 11th, and leaves at 4am although the recommended all aboard is around midnight. I confirmed this a couple of weeks ago with my PCC as I have a tour arranged there.

Just received notice from HAL, thru TA that a passport is needed for our Panama Canal cruise that stops in Costa Rica, whether passenger goes ashore or not. This is a closed loop cruise FLL to FLL. Good thing my 82 yr old Mom has applied for her first passport.:p

Unless there has be a VERY recent change, someone dropped the ball here. I would check again - but then if you have a passport the information does not matter.

It's always a good thing to have passport in case of the unexpected. To paraphrase an old slogan, "Don't leave the country without one!"

While I agree that having a passport is preferred, I don't think the cruise referenced requires one.

I guess I missed that:o I didn't get past the first sentence and thought the rest was part of the signature, the type was so small! Oh, well, better luck next time.

Gee, I used the same (default) type as most everyone else. 24 of the 29 posts so far, including yours, are in the same type.

Maybe we should all use larger type?

I have mine in saved in my phone.

As far as the non consecutive numbers, this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048611

from a couple of months ago explains it. In short,

the last digit is a "check" digit, discard it and your

and your spouses number may be consecutive, or at least

close

I realise you are a man and wouldn't think of this issue but I ask you---in all honesty would you want to blot your lipstick with a square from a roll that sits beside the toilet? Think about it. :D:eek::D

I understand what you are saying, however if you look around most Navy installations (at least when I was active) you would find a roll of TP in a drawer of about 1/3 to 1/2 of the desks. That roll never got anywhere near a toilet!

Here is a twist to consider. On the Oosterdam and then on the Zuiderdam last year we learned that many of the bar staff rotate lounges, cruise to cruise. For instance, the server in the Explorers Lounge for our cruise was moving to the Ocean Bar the next. I have this mental image of total chaos as at the beginning of each cruise as the staff for that cruise at each bar takes a vote??!!??

 

Then there is the matter of them moving around each day. For instance, one of our favorites on the Zuiderdam was also on the Rotterdam. She worked the Lido during the day and the Ocean Bar at night. Our wonderful wine steward in the MDR served drinks around the Lido in the afternoon.

 

I have a headache - I think I need a drink!

And don't forget that many of the beverage servers work in different places over the course of the day. On the Veendam recently I had a server that worked at the Mix during the evenings and the Lido during the day. Many others do the same.

That's the problem with idiot-proofing things. The minute you idiot proof something, someone comes along and invents a better idiot.

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool :cool:

Like both of these a lot!!!

Then there are those (mostly Navy types I suppose) that wonder why bother with tissues when a square or two of TP works just fine - and can be flushed anywhere without a problem.

For the Zuiderdam leaving Vancouver for Alaska on the 20th:

My sister got her balcony assignment a couple of days ago

I got my outside cabin assignment last night.

I am sure that the high booking TAs have amounts that they feel they must get for a booking. As I have mentioned several times, it really takes no more effort on the part of the TA to service a Penthouse Suite than it does an inside. For CC members, they most likely realize that after the initial booking they are not likely to receive any other calls. Therefore, they might cut their commission to say $200 regardless of the type of booking, leaving the rest to get the client to book with them.

Booking 2 cruises / hour for an 8 hour day (possible with the big booking mills) would make for a pretty big payday at $200 each

We like our PCC also. Our "slight perks" were over a $1,400 discount and an $100 additional OBC on our last cruise after we transferred to our TA. That was an addition to the $200 we received from HAL. I guess it's finding the right TA.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG Note 3 usings Forums mobile app.

and booking a cruise that because of cabin category and length most likely still cost you over $9000.

Exactly Rich. Our PCC referred to it as a point system that HAL uses.

That's also what mine has told me. She needs a certain number of "completed" bookings. All that matters is that she makes the initial booking, and that the cruise is completed (started?) -- she gets credit or points or whatever. It doesn't matter if the cruise is later transferred to a TA, or if the client never makes another call.

Could someone explain exactly what it means that "the PC gets credit for the booking"?

 

I understand the TA get the commission, but.... ?

The "PC "doesn't get credit, the PCC does!:D

 

"but.... ?" The PCC gets credit for the booking from HAL. What the customer does after that doesn't affect that fact. Ask your PCC, that's how mine has explained it to me numerous times.

The way my PCC explained it to me was that if she made the initial booking she got the credit she needed - as in number of booking per month, number of converted calls, etc -- the statistics she needs to show she is doing her job. If the booking is transferred to a TA later, it really does not change her statistics at all.

My one and only interface with a HAL PCC was pleasant enough but he couldn't match the offer I was getting from my TA so I could see no value added and, in fact, using him would have cost me several hundred dollars.

I have found the same to be true on more than once.

I have found that those that receive the best discounts from the TAs are those that book higher end categories. It really does not take any more work from the TA to book a Suite than it does for an inside.

Looking at the prices for an upcoming Eastern Caribbean:

Interior

From

US$529*

per person

depart 06 Dec 2014

Ocean-view

From

US$629*

per person

depart 06 Dec 2014

Verandah

From

US$729*

per person

depart 06 Dec 2014

Signature Suite (Superior Verandah Suite)

From

US$1,299*

per person

depart 06 Dec 2014

Neptune Suite (Deluxe Verandah Suite)

From

US$1,799*

per person

depart 06 Dec 2014

for a couple cruising in a Neptune Suite, the listed amount is $2340 more than an outside cabin. Given that the amount that has been thrown around here for years that the TA commission is between 7% and 10%, that would be a difference of between $163 and $234. So it would be easy to rebate $150 or so of that amount - still getting the same "pay" for booking a cabin.

In the same respect, booking a 27 day cruise is maybe just a little more trouble for the TA than booking a 7 day cruise, particularly for CC members that tend to come here for answers rather than their TA. So for longer cruises it is again easy to rebate part of the commission.

I also used TAs for 3 of my cruises, 2 a B&M where I lived at the time and 1 in another city who is a friends mother. No real discounts form either, nor OBC or gifts.

My longest cruise (to date) has been 15 days. On the cruises I have checked, no more than about $50 difference between my PCC and a TA, not enough for me to change. I have 27 days coming up soon. That cruise was transferred to a TA because I got some OBC. Although the TA involved is a FB friend and CC member, I don't think I have spent over an hour or so of her time for her part in booking this cruise. This was a few minutes for her to put together her quote, and a bit of time about using her insurance rather than HAL's. So she got the commission, my PCC got the credit she needed, and I got a bit of OBC - a win for all involved.

Rich

I have had 3 HAL PCCs over the past 10 years or so. Each has been competent and helpful. I guess I have been lucky in that respect. That saying, as with everything else it all depends on who you get along with. You might share my PCC and think (s)he is terrible. Just like two people on the same cruise might write vastly different reviews.

It all comes down to who you feel comfortable with. It doesn't matter if it is a PCC, TA or the general call in rep. If you are comfortable with talking to someone different each time you call, the general 800 number is fine. If you would rather talk to the same person each time, go for a PC or TA. If you find one you like, stick with them.

If I am not mistaken, the reason for having the taxes, port charges, fees etc broken out was because of a court case. I believe it had to do with altering the price when those items changed and was to make the reason for the changes more transparent.