tupper10

Agree with you. I was on the Statendam and there was no place w/o music except on the very top deck where it was playing but you couldn't hear it due to the wind. In the retreat, where I spent most of the day, it was 'quiet music' and since it wasn't very full often the staff turned it way down for me. I think the ships should have a quiet part of the ship where those of us who do not wish to hear piped in elevator music on a continuous loop can relax in peace. Also with almost everyone having a smart phone and able to listen to their own music non stop why there is even piped in music everywhere makes no sense. I wish someone at the cruise lines would listen to us but from what I have seen it is going in the totally opposite direction which will essentially lead to my DH and I not cruising at all in the future.

Agree with you. It is very hard to find a cruise that does not have music blaring non stop everywhere on the ship. We cruise for the 'ocean' experience as well as the ports. It seems that today everyone wants continuous entertainment and cannot abide silence. It also appears that many cruise lines are going to a class system where those who pay for suites do not have to mix at all with the rest of us. I have been on this type of ship and won't sail on them again.

Sorry you had such an awful experience. No excuse for how you were treated. Take your $$ elsewhere.

We are doing this trip next summer and wondered if you can tell us which car rental agencies you used in the ports since like you we prefer to do our own excursions.

Contact corporate and in a polite email ask for your money back and attach all of your invoices, ticket receipts etc. Elliott Advocacy has all the corporate email addresses for you. Elliott.org.

We did the same thing going from aft room to retreat - I was walking 3 miles a day and didn't have to diet when I came home which was a huge plus for me. :).

We are not celebrating any special event and live in Fl near the port so to switch out a cruise for us is no big deal, but I don't want to pay the new much more expensive prices. My TA is away until Sunday so I will wait and see what is offered by HAL as an exchange for the cruise that is cancelled. BTW when I went to the web site I couldn't book your cruise even if I wanted to so not sure if HAL just switched us to the earlier one that you are on.

I think our cruise on 2/15 is completely gone. It still shows on the website as a cruise but I called Holland America today and pretended to book it and agent said cruise no longer exists. Neither my travel agent nor I was notified. I think the Jan 25th one is still available but I don't want to go on a ship two weeks before dry dock. We had booked this on board so not sure what will happen with the OBC and the minimal deposit we had to give. I guess it is just a Caribbean cruise for us . RE the Half Moon Cay port - it is a nice beach and the ship brings all the food and drink over. I hope the ocean temp in March is warmer than it is in December/January. We couldn't swim- way too cold and most people, like us, were just hanging out on the beach. We ended up going back to the ship and loved having it to ourselves - empty pool deck and relaxing meal.

I don't post much but I saw your post about camera equipment. I don't know if in Canada your schools accept donations but cameras and photo equipment are things that are expensive for many schools and high school students love photography. So sorry to hear about the passing and illnesses of so many people who are close to the posters on this board. And of course Covid on cruises which doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon. You are a wonderful group of caring people and it is so nice to be able to read posts that show love and respect for each other.

I did it pre Covid but before posting I checked and the train and AirBNB rentals are still available. Of course car rentals are higher now but I don't think that Holland America's land portion was inexpensive. The easiest option is the car rental if you can get into Anchorage - the drive is not hard to do if you are just going to Denali. It is a 5 hour drive with lots of scenic stops along the way. We use the big box store for all our car rentals and find it always has the cheapest prices.

We actually did the land portion by ourselves and loved it. We flew into Fairbanks and took the train to Denali. We took the train back down to Anchorage and then we rented a car. To get to the cruise port, I suggest you take the train. You can also rent a car and do the entire trip by car and take the train to the port for the last leg of the trip. In Denali in addition to hotels there are a fair number of AirBnB's. The bus ride to see Denali is easy to do and goes exactly the same distance as the one offered by the cruise lines. If my land trip was canceled I wouldn't hesitate to do this on my own. BTW we were on the same train as Holland America/Princess when we did the train portions.

Try this email: Gus@hollandamerica.com. It is the email for the president of Holland America. His office will hopefully respond. Holland America contact info for issues.docxHolland America contact info for issues.docxHolland America contact info for issues.docxHolland America contact

My suggestion is to look at some of the daily schedules that people post here for 'sea days' and see if your husband would enjoy the activities. If not I would fly to Seattle- do an Alaska cruise and do a land trip as well to Denali not just the cruise and then the Canadian rockies. If you can afford it (and it is open) I would stay in the park at one of the lodges. We stayed at the Denali backcountry lodge. It is very expensive now because this summer you can only get there by helicopter - if the road is open - like it was for us - you take the bus and while the price was high it was not outrageous. You can do the cruise and then your own land trip with a good travel agent.

You should get a form from special services to fill out and list your allergies even if you book with a travel agent. I always also bring a printed lists of my food allergies and give it to the staff in the main dining room and the Lido. I have multiple food allergies and the staff have been terrific.