jeremystevens

On 5/21/2023 at 4:27 PM, davecttr said:

If you have priority boarding there should be a separate priority queue. There was no standing queue in my case but there were about 150 people seated in the Suite/Baltic/Ligurian and Caribbean areas. They send assisted boarding through security first then the Suite etc followed by Caribbean. I imagine if you arrive after your priority boarding time you go straight to priority check in and then straight to security, bypassing the assembled masses.

 

So are correct, there was a fast queue, except after it was checked in it was seated awaiting security to open.

Much appreciated Dave, very helpful. 

We've been given a 3:00pm arrival time for our upcoming Iona cruise, I've read that many of the premium restaurants and entertainment venues get booked up quickly, if we arrive at 3:00pm I fear that we will be too late to book some options through the app, which can only be accessed whilst on board. Any comments on whether this is an issue, and what happens if we arrive at say 2:00pm instead of 3:00pm?

Thanks.

Hi, I'm on the Royal Princess from Vancouver on 11th June for the Alaska cruise, should be able to pre-book spa appointments now (less than 6 months to go) but the website says they can't be booked yet. Anyone know if bookings are being held back due to Covid for now, or is there another reason the bookings haven't opened up? Thanks.

15 hours ago, Bramcruiser said:

Funny but article only mentioned the FCC and nothing about refunds if people want the cash. Well, we all know the story there as its been a story beaten to death on Cruise Critic. However, I just went into my HAL account on their website and my Norway cruise in July is still a go. So is this a faster release of the news than HAL?

I've actually opted for a refund via the official channels (3rd June departure date) and the cruise is still showing as live on my HAL account, no refund received yet.

On 3/14/2020 at 1:34 AM, Kfrech said:

I cancelled through the Big Box TA last Sunday for an Alaskan cruise in mid June. Since I was 97 days out, I opted for a full refund. I received an email confirmation from the big box TA immediately, however, when I log into HAL's website, my booking shows that it's still active. I have not received any monies yet.

 

 

Similar experience for me. I opted for a full refund mid-April, no refund yet and my cruise (due to depart 3rd June) is still showing as live via my HAL login.

Worth noting... the online cancellation form includes the following wording at the bottom, saying that if someone opts for the FCC option now they can still change their mind and request a refund instead between 1st June and 31st December 2020:

This is a clarification regarding the Option 1 Future Cruise Credit ("FCC"). If a guest elects Option 1 and does not use his/her FCC and wants a refund thereafter of the original base cruise fare paid, between June 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, the guest can request Holland America Line to exchange the FCC for a refund of their base cruise fare paid. Refund will be issued within approximately 60 days from request date. Requests accepted via email to guestrelations@hollandamerica.com. In no situation shall a guest be entitled to a refund greater than the base cruise fare paid. Guests selecting Option 1 and requesting a refund as set forth herein will not be entitled to any other compensation/credit. Guests selecting Option 2 shall not be entitled to any additional refund (other than the initial refund as set forth in Option 2) at any time. All FCC's expire on December 31, 2020 if not applied to a booking sailing by December 31, 2021 and are subject to published terms, conditions, and restrictions. Offer and its terms are subject to change.

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Couldn't you check your previous credit card statements to see whether the payment went to HAL or to your TA?  That way you should know whether you need to contact them or not.

That's a good call thanks, I'll do that.

I'd like to get a refund on my 3rd June cruise but as it was booked via a TA, I'm not sure whether I should cancel using the form provided by HAL, or wait until my TA gets in touch - but my TA is only taking calls from people whose holidays were due to commence in the next 72 hours. My concern is that HAL says they'll put the refund on the original card, but I'm not sure whether my original payment on my card went to HAL via the TA, or to the TA themselves (who then subsequently paid for the booking from their own account). All balance payments have also gone via the TA. I don't want to complicate things/add further delay if HAL never actually received the original payment directly from me.

I paid my balance using discounted vouchers via my employer i.e. they run a scheme where I can buy vouchers for Virgin Cruises (who I booked the cruise through) at a 4% discount, I purchased vouchers and then paid the balance using them - having paid the deposit directly via credit card. I can't imagine what hoops I'll have to jump through in order to get a refund rather than a FCC, I'm happy to have the discount reclaimed but nevertheless, I'm sure it'll add complications.

13 hours ago, utahtea said:

We're waiting for HAL to cancel our cruise to Alaska but we did cancel the excursions on March 25th and have not received the refund on our charge cards yet.

 

Utahtea

We cancelled our excursions and massage treatments about a week earlier, and got a refund back on our card within a few days. Perhaps we managed to do so just in time.

Is that just a vibe DFD, or do you have a rationale for suggesting that?

Yes this was also going to be our first HAL cruise, we're due to sail from Vancouver on 3rd June. Clearly that cruise can't go ahead, we don't want a cruise credit because the timing of the cruise was relevant, we want a refund and if the ship isn't sailing, for whatever reason, we should be able to get our money back. The lack of/delayed communications regarding June cruises seems pretty cynical. Unfortunately we've fully paid for it, so we just have to wait for HAL to make their position public.

10 hours ago, Himself said:

Rich, hopefully the virus will become dormant and things can get back to normal by late April or early May.  Thanks for the report.

I think that's wishful thinking...

24 minutes ago, richwmn said:

 

They might not be able to. What I listed is what is currently scheduled. I am sure that many people at HAL headquarters are trying to get new schedules put together so that the ships can be used. Just as the restrictions went up quickly, they can come down just as quickly depending on the spread of the virus. I will try to update as the information becomes available.

 

Thanks Rich. It's this uncertainty that's causing problems for those of us with cruises booked from Canadian ports in May and June; HAL's guidance for customers doesn't stretch that far yet, but Canada hasn't given any indication that their freeze on ships visiting their ports is likely to be revisited before the end of June. Will be grateful for any updates you can post as and when you are able. Thanks.

4 minutes ago, howndder said:

Good morning, just curious. If ports in Canada are closed till July1st, how can the Zaandam sail in April from Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal?

I was thinking similar about the Volendam

3 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

I'm just wondering if some of the cruise lines are holding out for an early re-opening of the Canadian ports?

Yes that's possible, but not helpful where flights and hotel bookings have also been made. We need a concrete decision so that we can  re-arrange other parts of the holiday, or  seek refunds as appropriate.

33 minutes ago, kjjrnm said:

Have not gotten email yet for cruise starting on April 2 from Buenos Aires. It’s a  part of the larger trip from Ft Lauderdale to Vancouver (48 day South America) That group got money refund plus 100% FCC I believe (don’t quote me..) Hope to get our email and offer soon!!

Fingers crossed! Thanks. 

We have a HAL cruise booked to sail from Vancouver on 3rd June i.e. within the closedown that Canada is enforcing. Dates are important as we wanted to concentrate on whale watching, which is seasonal, so cruise credit and the option to re-book doesn’t really work for us. What are your thoughts on whether a refund will be offered in this circumstance i.e. the cancellation is caused by the Canadian closedown, rather than HAL decision?

3 hours ago, freestyling said:

Timing varies by ship. I would “expect” in a few weeks. We usually book any treatments on embarkation. The spa offers a “tour” or selling day and they usually have some specials. The only time we’ve had any issues was trying to book a sea day with only 24-48 hr inquiry. Have a great cruise. 

Thanks Freestyling, we know that if we leave it too late the appointments whilst at sea will get booked up, we’ll keep an eye on availability over the next few weeks. 

Hi, we're sailing on the Volendam on 3rd June 2020, does anybody know how long before departure the spa and massage bookings will open up online please?

Thanks.

1 hour ago, wyobean said:

I guess the thing to do is decide how much both packages would cost you and then decide how much it will cost you to drink what you want. That should make the decision for you on which way to proceed.

Yes, thanks wyobean. I think, as I'm not a heavy drinker, it's likely to be better if I just pay-as-I-go.

6 hours ago, whogo said:

Travel solo or with a fellow imbiber.

That's excellent and extremely practical advice whogo. Bearing in mind the cruise is already booked, I shall have to decide whether it is best to cancel my wife's part of the booking completely, or try to convert her into a drinker within the next three months. Wouldn't want to waste the opportunities provided by a beverage package.

That's a good tip Oaktreerb, thanks.

Hi,

I drink tea, coffee and alcohol but my wife only drinks mineral water and soft drinks/juices. It makes sense to buy a beverage package for me, but not for my wife. HAL have confirmed to me by email that everyone aged over 21 in a stateroom has to have the same beverage package - so if we don't buy one for my wife (which makes no financial sense to do), I can't buy one either.

I understand that the rule is there to stop people 'sharing' a single beverage package, but surely we're not the only couple who've ever sailed with HAL where one person drinks and the other doesn't. Is there any way around this? HAL's suggestion was that I'll have to pay-as-I-go, but I'll be missing out on the benefits of buying a package by doing that.

Thanks,

Jeremy

We're looking at using a similar service but at the end of the cruise, not the beginning - we'll disembark the ship in Vancouver by 10:00am but our international flight isn't until 9:00pm that evening, and we want to make the most of that final day in Vancouver without having to lug our suitcases around with us. We'relooking to use a service called Porter Genie to pick up our cases when we disembark, and deliver them back to us at a specified time at the airport. It's $10 per suitcase which sounds very reasonable. Anybody used that, or a similar service before? Any thoughts or recommendations?