hbgroadends

Honestly, I bet the reason answers are so varied on whether the thermal suite is cheaper pre-cruise or onboard has to do with how many they sell prior to the cruise. If they manage to sell a lot of packages prior to the cruise, then the special when boarding will be higher than online; whereas if they don't sell as many, then the special when boarding will be less expensive.

So far, everyone I've read who purchased online but found it cheaper during boarding was able to get refunded the difference, so buying ahead of time seems to be the way to go to cover your bases.

Do you know if they accept emailed copies of the documents rather than a fax? I find it strange that, in this day and age of technology, HAL (or any of the other CCL lines) will only accept faxes. Seems to me it would be much easier for them to accept scanned & emailed copies.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth...

Thanks, all! Upon further deliberation, I've decided to wait until I get on board. I might end up only purchasing day passes for the days I go, if available. Because the therapy pool on the Eurodam isn't very big, I'm not sure if it will be worth it to me. We'll see. 

Coming from the point of view of a Gen-Xer, the only benefit I see in using a TA for any travel is to save on the time it takes to research deals on hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises, etc. I'm one of those weirdos who likes doing this kind of research because it helps to build anticipation for the upcoming trip. These days, the internet makes it so easy to do everything online. The younger generation will be even more inclined to do it all themselves online because they have never known a time without the Internet. To them, having to call and speak to anyone about anything they want to spend money on is a foreign concept, while I remember the days of catalog ordering.

The one thing I see TAs still being used for in the future will be for those who realize how much time it takes to research and get a good deal. I spend hours looking up information, wondering whether to book something now or wait to see if the price drops, etc. I like doing this, but as the younger generation gets older and expands their families, they are going to quickly realize how precious their time is, so they might continue to use a TA when they realize that there is someone willing to do all of the legwork for them.

I also think TAs would be useful for complicated trips. If all someone is doing is visiting a resort or someplace where they are staying in one location, it is too easy to book all of that yourself without using a TA. However, if someone is planning an in-depth trip to Europe or even through the US, having someone else plan all of the logistics becomes a much better-looking option.

Finally, there will always be those folks who just don't like planning anything and want to call up someone and say, "I'd like to go to France. Please plan everything for me." It isn't as common anymore, especially in my generation and younger, but they do exist.

All this to say--the cruise lines already see the direction the future is heading and are trying to adapt. The TAs do too. The ones that survive will be the ones who develop some kind of niche. Those that don't adapt will go by the wayside. 

On 8/17/2019 at 11:50 AM, sevenseasnomad said:

While the service was okay, the agent made a couple of snarky comments when my brother had to cancel his cabin.  I have returned to my PCC at HAL and am satisfied.  Recently the price dropped at one of the on-line agencies.  I called Seattle, and my PCC not only gave us the new, lower fare but added to our onboard credit substantially.  

Quick question that is slightly off-topic:

Did the PCC give you the lower fare and onboard credit after you had made final payment or was it before?

I've seen some specials come through on HAL's site after I've made final payment to my TA that I've wondered if I could have gotten if I had used a PCC.

Thanks, Jlnprt, and everyone else who responded! 😊

On 9/2/2019 at 12:36 PM, jlnprt said:

I purchased the pass before hand on our last two cruises. On one cruise, purchasing it onboard was cheaper, but the refunded the difference before I had a chance to ask. On the other cruise, the pass was more expensive onboard.

So, it sounds like I could go ahead and buy it ahead of time and if there is a different price I would be credited, right?

Also, I noticed when I try to purchase online that it asks for a time. Did you have that as well when you purchased it online? If so, were you obligated to use the pass only at that time every day?

Thanks!

Question for those who like to use the Thermal Suite and Hydrotherapy Pool:

Do you generally book your pass online before the cruise or pay for it during embarkation day? Is it cheaper to wait and do it during embarkation?

I'll be going on a 27 day cruise at the end of September. Right now, it is $279 for 14+ days. I've heard they are discounted during embarkation, and in the past, that is when I generally book it.

Has anyone purchased this during embarkation lately, and how much was it?

Thanks!

Thanks, all! That's a load off my mind. 😊

I know the answer to this question is probably buried in the forum somewhere but the search tool couldn't it, so I apologize if this has been answered before.

I'm sailing solo for the first time in September. Will I be charged the HSC for 2 people or only for myself? The "Know Before You Go" says the daily HSC is charged "per guest, per day", but I was reading elsewhere on the boards where some solo travelers were charged for 2 people, just like we have to pay double the fare for the room.

I'm just trying to make sure I'm not caught by some unknown surprise.

Thanks!

Just now, glazedandamazed said:

We did the 10 day out Vancouver to Hawaii cruise last fall on Celebrity.  Had an aft stateroom.  Wow, weather was incredible especially at about 3 days out, started getting warmer on balcony.  Some rain at beginning but so what.  Thought that 5 days at sea would be rough, but honestly I loved those 5 sea days.  Would do again.  Now am ready for a reposition cruise on the Atlantic.  

 

Mark

Mark, you would love doing a crossing. My sister and I did the QM2 from London back to New York in April. If we could, we'd still be on that ship in the middle of the Atlantic!

Thanks, SilvertoGold! I do like a lot of sea days, so it sounds like it would be a better fit for me.

That's what I was afraid of.

There is a sailing that goes from Vancouver to Hawaii around the same time. Do you have any idea if the weather to the islands is as bad?

Howdy all! I've done a lot of searching but haven't been able to find an answer on this.

I'm currently scheduled to sail on the Nieu Amsterdam out of Vancouver at the end of September for 21 days, going through the Panama Canal, and ending up in Ft Lauderdale. What I want to know is how hot and humid will it be in the evenings and mornings when we are at sea? Would it be too hot and humid to use the balcony? I expect it to be warm when we dock, but it would be nice to know what it is generally like at sea.

I currently live in Houston, so I can deal with some humidity, but if it is going to be like sitting in a steam room, I might change my trip.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

On 3/25/2019 at 12:11 PM, bluemarble said:

 

Cunard occasionally offers a special of $40 for a bag of laundry (up to 20 items). It seems to be hit or miss though as to whether that special is offered on any particular voyage, and if it is, it probably will only be offered one day of a typical one-week voyage such as a crossing.

Thanks, Bluemarble!

Some ships offer a set amount for a bag of laundry. Does Cunard offer this on the QM2? If so, how much is it?

Thanks, everyone! It's nice knowing you can bring your own water still on Cunard. I've gotten rather annoyed with some of these lines that insist you have to buy everything on the ship at ridiculous prices. I'll definitely be making a stop for water before getting onboard.

Does anyone know if it is still okay to bring bottled water onboard? My sister and I drink a lot of it, and she has some stomach sensitivities to tap and certain bottled water.

A lot of the other cruise lines have gone to not allowing you to bring any bottled water or soft drinks onboard, so I'm hoping Cunard hasn't done so.

Thanks!

Check out VacationsByRail.com. I did a TransCanada train trip from Vancouver to Toronto with them a few years ago, which was wonderful. They book not only RM but also VIA. I went the VIA route because I wanted the experience of sleeping onboard in my own compartment. VacationsByRail set up everything, including transfers, tours, and hotels for me. It was one of the best trips I've taken.

While I agree that you won't be able to see stuff at night if using VIA, depending on the time of year you are going, it stays light late anyway. I went in May and it stayed light until 10 pm at night.

My 2 Cents -- although the articles about the changes to guidelines specifically states that these rule changes are for busy port days, I wonder if the cruise ships will still only allow ship-tour passengers to exit first. If not, I still speculate that they will use this as a scare tactic (regardless of the number of shipsin port) in their advertising: "enjoy one of our professional ship's excursions into Saint beautiful Petersburg to ensure that you have priority to leave the ship first or avoid an almost two hour delay."

 

I am pro-capitalism, and do believe the cruise lines have every right to make as much money for their shareholders as they can - it's their responsibility. However, on the flip side, I am also anti-monopoly, where the actions remove or restrict the reasonable choice of the consumers.

 

The prices they charge for the ship's excursions into SPB are high enough in order to be semi-competitive now. Take away, or greatly hinder, their competition, and they can raise the prices for these excursions even higher.

I have no dog in this fight since I have no plans to go to St Petersburg anytime in the near future, but I do find this topic interesting. While I agree with you completely about what the cruise lines are doing, I think it will end up biting them in the rear in the end. Had they implemented this back in the days before the internet, they would have made money hand over fist with this policy and established a precedent, but what I think will end up happening is if they raise their prices too much, people will be willing to wait the two hours to go on a private tour, and they will see a drop in the excursion participation rates.

Probably the reason they made this move is because they have already seen a drop in people signing up for excursions through the cruise lines. The internet has made it too easy to find and purchase the exact same excursions (or better) outside of the cruise lines without paying the huge upcharge. Plus, there are places like CC where people who are willing to do a little research can get unbiased opinions and ideas on excursions. Those not willing to spend a little time researching will be stuck paying extra.

I think some of the cruise lines are starting to realize this. I'm booked with HAL for an Alaskan cruise tour leaving here in a week or so, and HAL charged the same price for all of the excursions I was interested in (except one) as I could find going directly to the tour operator or a tour seller like Viator. The one tour that HAL charged more, it was only $10 more. Now, it could be because the tours I chose were all the lower cost tours--I didn't price any of the really expensive tours (like helicopter tours)--but it was sure convient to be able to book all my tours through HAL for what I would have paid booking outside of the cruise line.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the future. Monopolies don't work for a reason, especially when something is not a necessity. There will always be those willing to pay more either for the convenience or because they don't do any research (either through laziness or ignorance), and the cruise lines are banking on this. This is a poor decision on their part because their customer base is getting younger and more tech-savvy, and they won't pay the cruise lines' premium if they don't have to.

Excellent review! Subscribing.

Carnival Imagination, 1996. The ship was only 6 months old. It was just my younger sister and me. She had just turned 21 and was in the Air Force, so I thought this would be a great trip to celebrate. We did the Western Caribbean out of Miami.

I'll never forget my first sight of the ship and the awe I felt at seeing something so big. These days, the Imagination is small in comparison to its newer brethren, but for someone who didn't grow up near the ocean and had never seen a cruise ship before, that first sight of the ship made both of our jaws drop.

Oh, to feel that kind of awe and excitement again! :)

Does anyone know if they will be working in Denali around the lodges?

Generally, when you order an Uber or Lyft, you can select the size of vehicle you want. Larger vehicles will cost more. If you are currently in a city that has Uber, do a mock booking and you'll see the choices of vehicles available.

I used Uber exclusively on a trip to Orlando last May, and it worked out really well for me. My sister and I only had one bag each, so we could select the smaller cars, but there was always the option to select a larger one.

Flying in a day early is always a smart choice. It isn't just about weather, either. All it takes is a mechanical breakdown and you'll be sweating bullets trying to get to the ship before it leaves.

Save yourself from the stress and fly.