Andi Land

My husband and I have had this same conversation. He wants Norway and I want Med. He is a terrible traveler and needs anxiety meds in crowds. So, we get to go to the Med first since that’s my choice and if we did his choice first we might never get to Europe again. I haven’t booked anything yet but am planning on the Med in 2024. Good luck on making your choice. I think either one will be stellar. 

I was able to use it recently. I already had a 2023 cruise booked and had it added to that without issue. I called within a few days of returning. 

I have a coworker who tested positive with the rapid test and then had the PCR test done. The PCR came back negative. So, he got on his flight to Florida in December to go on his cruise. Well, his trip got really interesting from there. The local Public Health department reached out to see how he was feeling. He told them he was great and sitting on a cruise to the Caribbean. The Public Health department then reported him to the CDC. CDC then called Holland America. Holland America hunted him down, retested him and he came back with another negative test result. At the CDCs insistence, he was quarantined until the end of the cruise and that was that. 
 

They (HAL and CDC) all stated that since he had one positive result none of the negatives mattered. 

I was not able to use the Welcome Back offer on my casino fare either. I asked and was told no. 

51 minutes ago, nocl said:

That is the conclusion I came to but I thought I would ask to see if I missed anything.  Another period of waiting on hold.

Try using the chat feature. That tends to be quicker than calling. 

From what I’ve read, Hawaii is requiring that Honolulu be the first stop. So if your cruise had a different port as the first stop then they have to shuffle the itinerary. You should see something soon for excursions I would think. 

I would ask. Maybe they can offer some onboard credit instead of a rebook. 

Congratulations on your 29 New Years celebration together. It may be different than expected but at least you were with the one you love. 
 

Also, have you thought about calling the cabins surrounding yours? They are in COVID quarantine too and might enjoy a chat with someone new. 😉 

When you’re doing a mock booking it defaults to a guaranteed room. Once you’ve chosen the type of stateroom , there should be a link to choose a different room. From there you should have options. 

29 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Copper, were there also regular hand sanitizer dispensers at the Lido entrance?  They did not have them when I was on KDAM and my sense was that a lot of people just bypassed the machines and just moseyed into the Lido with dirty hands.  I really think the machines are much better but only if they are actually used.

 

Roy

Hi Roy!

I was on Koningsdam December 5 thru 12 and the sanitizer stations were there. They were just passed the hand washing stations. On day one there was someone standing there reminding everyone to wash. By day two everyone was on their own and most bypassed both the hand wash station and the sanitizers. 

54 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I got some good Mariner pricing on my cruise and I still got the crew incentive.  I didn’t use thee $99 deposit because I canceled on cruise and booked another.  Everything was just transferred over.

This is good to know. I booked on Wednesday with mariner pricing and the person couldn’t figure out how to add the Black Friday special to it. I’ll call back and check in with someone else. 

1 hour ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

You saved 10% on air ??

I did. I have an Alaska Air visa and they sent me a 10% off coupon. It was a nice little bonus. 

1 hour ago, tuolumne couple said:

we use chrome also, and it is the most reliable for us. we booked as well on a black Friday sale without a hitch. if it helps anyone still looking for hotels, black Friday deals apply to hotel sales as well. we booked cruise and hotels and saved a lot of money today.

 

Me too! And I got airfare 10% off through Alaska. I saved a nice chunk of change today with the sales. 

Sounds like you had a great time. I can’t wait to get on board and have a Dive In burger myself. 

It took about 10 days when I cancelled a few months back. I’d think it should still be similar timing. 

You might want to call Ships Services to see what they have as a list of prohibited items. I’m not familiar with painting supplies so I’m no help there. Hopefully someone else will have guidance. 

20 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

I had problems before a cruise with a Viking Ocean cruise this past July and could not get anywhere with the Main Office.  We were close to canceling - except there isn't a refund, only FCC. I would still be stuck with their ineptness on a future cruise.

 

One day I went to their Facebook page where everyone was glowing about how great Viking is. Then I dropped the bomb about what was going on with our cruise. That same day I had a phone call from a VO representative to discuss the problem! Evidently they monitor FB and he was able to find my contact information in their database. It appears they really do not enjoy being embarrassed on social media. The problem was eventually resolved.

 

It might be worth a try.

Thanks for this guidance. I’m having some problems with another cruise line too. I’d be happy with an FCC but last I talked to them they said if I cancel I’d be out the full $800. So, I just sent them a Facebook message. 

Some really neat itineraries in 2023 including some repeats of the one offs from 2022. Some of the more interesting ones are in the Zaandam and go all the way to Montreal. And that great round trip Boston to Greenland and Iceland is back!

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Who would throw them away? Just ask the stewards not to give them to you, easy peasy.  I don’t like to waste things.  How do you know that people are throwing them away? Last week hal claimed that they did away with wine stewards because people were getting confused by having so many people wait on them.  I suppose you believe that as well.

I’ll raise my hand🤚. It’s me. I’m the one throwing them away. I’ve asked not to get them but they always leave them anyway. I don’t like the chocolates and they won’t take them back once they’ve left them in the room. 

12 hours ago, molemaui said:

 

Is per couple. ($9768 total cost for 12 days) Cabin is not as large as a Neptune but is far more deluxe. What I'm trying to get across is perceived value vs. price. The Neptune suite used to be priced so attractively, it was a good "go to" choice over other options. As the price increases far beyond what it used to be, other options become attractive.

 

FCC users, supply/demand (especially with ships not booking to capacity) and other market factors contribute to this. I really just wanted to point out even with a 15% increases from when I cruised in 2019 and 2020, prices are significantly higher and other really good options that deliver value are available. 

I agree. I have one HAL cruise booked for 2022. My 2023 cruise is with another line (a first for us).  We just couldn’t pass up the price and itinerary for 2023. As someone said above, vote with your feet. And that’s what we are doing. I do hope pricing comes down again. If not, there are many other lines to choose from. ☺️

Thank you for all the great pictures! I’ve just booked my first Carnival cruise and am loving all the wonderful information.  

Not showing on my Amex either. But it’s good news that the offer is back. I’ll be on the lookout for it. 

Looks like the 2023 is just about sold out. Only availability showing for verandah category. That would be my guess as to why no segments are showing. 

Hi all!  First time Celebrity cruiser here. I’ve booked my cruise for August 2022 and was looking through my online options. I see shore excursions but there are very few listed. Is this because they haven’t loaded all of them yet? I did ask this on the Roll Call board as well. Hoping to get some good follow up on what to expect and when to be on the lookout to get things booked. 
 

Thanks!

Great info. Beautiful picture! Enjoy your cruise.