mskitty1

Have had issues with trying to price a particular cabin for for some cruises especially ones in first few months of 2021.

We are certainly hoping that the construction of the Ryndam will meet the May 15, 2021 sail date.  WE ARE BOOKED for the 17 day cruise to Amsterdam from Italy (Trieste).  if it gets pushed back, I have confidence that HAL will offer anyone booked to shift their plans.  

Am looking forward to the new ship--we have been on the Koningsdam (sister ship)  and really enjoyed its features.  Compared to the Royal Caribbean ships it will be a small one.  Have you ever been on a cruise ship with 6000 other passengers like the Oasis of the Seas?  A beautiful ship BUT TOO MANY PEOPLE!!!

Glad to see that some lines are getting started/cruising again!  I didn't see anything that indicated any problems so far.  Hopefully all continues to go smoothly as it can be good for all of the rest of the cruiselines/us avid cruisers so we can get back out there on the high seas!

NO--its NOT the ship that attracts us, its the itinerary and (most important) the FANTASTIC HAL CREW MEMBERS!  Whether we have sailed  on the smaller ships or the bigger ships we have always found something unique to that ship that we like.  Again, its the crew  & their great service, the atmosphere, the food, the itinerary that is always so GREAT on any of the DAM ships that keeps us coming back.  We are 5 star Mariners with over 1000 days!  Really are missing our cabin on any Dam ship right now.

We received our deposits 1-2 weeks later through a credit to our credit card.

YES, YES, YES we want to cruise again and sooner than later.  We have cruised a great deal including times with an outbreak of the Norovirus and back In March as the Covid-19 ramped up causing the cruise industry to take a "long pause."  We were unsure if we would be able to get off the ship in San Diego on 3/19, but it worked.  (Of course, thinks got much worse after that.)  During those times the wonderful HAL Crew worked long and hard to keep everyone healthy and safe!!!  We can handle any restrictions & changes for health's sake on the ship and yes, we are both over that magic age of 65 with very few medical conditions. So far this year we have been effected by cancellations of 8 cruises on different lines.  HAL being our favorite, but we do go on Disney & Royal Caribbean with a daughter, her husband, and kids.  We are currently anxiously waiting to see what happens with a Disney cruise on 9/24-29 & Royal cruise on 11/23-27.  

And Himself, where did you get your information that says that HAL has cancelled cfuise through November 30, 2020?

Received our refund for April 19th cruise just this morning!  A refund was requested on April 6th, so took just about the 60 days quoted.  We had 2 back-to-back cruises scheduled then with the 2nd one on May 10th.  Have not received that refund yet due to a little mix up, but should be getting it by July 1 according to HAL.  Wish things were settled now so could rebook something for this fall.  

We would cruise today if possible!  We have had 5 HAL cruises cancelled for the remainder of 2020 plus a short Disney Cruise, & a short Royal Caribbean cruise cancelled in June & July.  Have postponed the Royal Caribbean cruise until July--keeping fingers crossed.  Have postponed the Disney cruise until later in November.  AND have our eyes on 2 back-to-back HAL cruises in October & November, 2020.  WE ARE READY TO CRUISE AGAIN!!!

I have 3 cruises with travel insurance that have been cancelled by the cruise lines (HAL & DCL) due to Covid-19.  I have insurance with Generali Travel Insurance for the 2 back-to-back with HAL and C & F International for the DCL cruise.  Had a difficult time with Generali (had been dealing with them since early April), but finally got a call from the customer service department yesterday and things are now set.  (Have vouchers including numbers so I can rebook.)   I had called at least 5 or 6 times never getting through to an agent, but finally on Saturday 5/2 I was successful.  

C & F International was much quicker, but also just contacted them the other day/had been dealing with Generali since early April.  Today got an email with voucher number so I can rebook getting credit for what I had charged before. 

I was originally going to rebook all the policies to similar cruises we have scheduled, but have decided to wait a little just to be sure I don't get into a similar situation with cancelled cruises by the cruise lines if they are not ready or able to cruise.  WE are ready to sail again!!!  Have been making our masks!

Finally got through to Generali Travel Insurance today after waiting (again) for almost 30 minutes.  Was told that YES I did need a Voucher # before I can apply the $$$ to a future cruise.  This process should take 10 business days--for me it has been 17 business days and still NO voucher.  I demanded to speak with a Supervisor which did NOT happen since it was a Saturday.  Agent says that sent an email to the supervisor and I should hear by next Wednesday.  UGH!!!! This is getting frustrating!  I have also send emails to any email address that I can find for Customer Service.  The saga continues....

I have gotten the email that says I have been approved giving a number call to rebook, but it states that they will apply my VOUCHER.  Only have a voucher request number.  And when I call (2 x's today) I've been on hold for upto 30 minutes and then get a recording saying they are busy and I should call back.  

Generali Insurance--has anyone gotten a Voucher for a future booking of Travel Insurance?  I have received a Voucher Request Number, but can't seem to get beyond that either via website or phone calls.  I also booked with Insuremytrip.com and  have always been happy with their products offer and service.  

We were on the Zaandam the end of April through early May through the Panama Canal from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco.  It is a smaller ship that does not have all the "bells & whistles" but the crew, food, entertainment, etc. are WONDERFUL.  So many of the ships are adding more music venues which is great, but not the room on the smaller ships. Bigger ones have the BBKing group, Billboard on Board (2 pianos), 5 piece Lincoln Center Stage, and Rocking Room (only on the Koningsdam & Nieuw Statendam).  Some ships are doing away with the Production Shows with the HAL singers and dancers which we really do miss.  The Zaandam did still have them!  And the tv system has been upgraded with larger tvs and interactive channels with Movies on Demand.  BUT I WOULD NOT SAIL ON THE ZAANDAM just because of that.  We are 5 Star Mariners with over 700 days and each ship has its own features that we like.  But more importantly, WE GET TO SEE THE WORLD WITH HAL!!!

Thank you all for your answers.  Everyone has different needs when it comes to travel and cell phone service.  We have friends that are trying to get us to switch from ATT to TMobile.  They claim that they get service in Mexico & Canada and in Europe anyway (for a small fee).  BUT they are the type that like to be CONNECTED all the time.  But more importantly, they say they only pay $60 per month.  SO I was wondering if anyone out there was familiar with this plan and its reliability.  We do check emails, Facebook, send emails/texts to kids & a few friends, check banking, and a few other "business" things while traveling.  But NOT everyday, every 3-5 days.   With ATT the International Calling Plan ($10 per day when used) seems to fit our needs.  If necessary, we will make calls and pay the price.  AND since we only have cell phones for our service at home, we want a company that is reliable.  

Does anyone have advise as to the best cell phone plan to have that will allow use (talk, text, & data) when in foreign countries? 

Who has been on the Oosterdam recently? Am booked leaving on January 13, 2017 and would like to know about the Production shows, Lincoln Center Stage, and mother changes that have occurred on this ship since its last dry dock. :)