CNSJ

I suggest booking a cabin that you would be happy with and NOT gambling on an upgrade. As Marty posted earlier, cruises are more popular than ever and are selling out earlier than ever. Book early. The savings of an oceanview over a balcony (on Volendam on suites are balcony cabins) could easily cover your drinks, shore excursions and other incidentals. The Canada/NE sailing has great ports to enjoy.

One of the primary reasons we sail HAL. Service is good on their oldest ship and newest ship. Consider that RCI has their newest "monstrosity" Icon of the Seas doing 7 day runs for the next 18 months or more, against itinerary focused lines such as HAL and Cunard who's newest vessels (Rotterdam and Queen Anne) travel the globe. True that HAL does the 7-day Alaska runs in the summer and many 7 day runs from Port Everglades in winter, but I think many of those runs are to attract new cruisers.

One thing that seems to be overlooked, at least from my vantage point, is actual usable square feet of floor space. The Passenger Space Ration(PSR) is all about volume to bodies. Huge soaring eight deck atriums that have one floor and eight levels of air don't contribute much to usable space. I'd like to see a measurement of square feet of public space to bodies. That would be more useful. HAL ships don't have massive useless space, in fact they are getting rid of some like the stairway in the casino. Confused? Consider a two story house that is 40 ft x 60 ft in size. Thats 2,400 square feet per floor or 4,800 square foot house (a big house). Assume 10 foot ceilings (easy math) and its 48,000 cubic feet of house. Now, build the same basic house, but use a "two story - 20 ft ceiling" great room/dining room that encompasses 1/4 of the first floor. The house still has 48,000 cubic feet, but only 4,200 square feet of floor space. Also, the big ships still only have one ship length x width "top deck" regardless of the number of decks below. Top deck space = sun areas. HAL, ships feel roomy compared to other lines I have sailed. the Vista class feels the roomiest, even at full capacity. For my metric friends - convert it meters. I found the calculation below for the discussed passenger to space ratio. HOW THE PASSENGER SPACE RATIO IS CALCULATED By definition, gross tonnage is the measurement of a ship’s internal volume, that is, its overall interior space. The measurement is, broadly, the capacity in cubic feet of the spaces within the hull and of the enclosed spaces above the deck available for cargo, stores, passengers and crew, with certain exceptions, divided by 100. Thus 100 cubic feet of capacity is equivalent to one gross ton. It is easy to calculate and get a feel for how crowded you might feel on a particular class of ship. It is the simple ratio between the size of the vessel Gross Tonnage divided by the number of passengers. Gross Tonnage (GT) is the number used for all ships built after 18th July 1982. The resulting magic number is called the Passenger to Space Ratio.

I find disappointment at times, and joy at others. Still won't take it out on the crew that works their tails off.

I guess that helps reduce the chance I will have to share a dinner table with you. I respect the hard work the ship's crew does with a smile. You must not.

I did the MIA rental car to Cruise ship trip in 2023 and had no issues. Taxis lined up at Rental Car Center.

According to the fine print with Chase Sapphire Reserve, $1 charged to the card is enough to cover the entire trip for trip insurance. This allows you to get coverage on award flights when you pay the taxes/fees with the card. I but gift cards for cruise fare to the nearest $500. Since you can only buy $2500 a month, buy them when you can for expensive trips. I bought MedJet to supplement the coverage with Chase, as Chase gets you to the nearest hospital. MedJet gets you to your hospital. Since we are talking about AARP note that AARP has a discount on MedJet, offers up to $200 OBC for HAL, and of course has the gift cards that are subject of this thread.

I'll take the one on the left. Sticking with HAL.

I would have enjoyed watching them move a piano off a cruise ship!

When doing the math on whether to buy HIA or HIA w/Early Booking Bonus, keep in mind that HIA with EBB usually includes a better "Premium" WIFI package and a better "Elite" Drinks package, and as stated the included gratuties. My last few cruises I have started to notice some drink prices creeping up. Elite solves that issue.

My preference is to do land touring prior to ship touring for a few reasons: 1. If you are delayed getting there you don't miss the ship 2. You can board ship with dirty laundry and get it done on the ship easily and at a reasonable cost (free 4 star and up). Harder to do laundry ashore in most cases. 3. You can relax a bit more on the ship than ashore (IMO) As for ships, other than Tamarind, no real differences. Noordam has more suites than NA, so the opportunity for upsell is a bit better. NA can feel a tiny bit more crowded as public spaces close to the same, but about 200 more passengers. Just my thoughts.

Is that for the current segment or those dong the entire WC? 1154 folks on a Vista Class is pretty empty!

That's fruit in the back. Pineapples and Grapes maybe.

This was easier when we just talked about how toilets flushed, and how "on the exact equator" you must not be able to flush at all.....

Thats good info, I prefer something besides the Spritz.

The Coupon, I have been told, is only good for a specific drink, which is the April Spritz. I understand they will make a non-alcoholic version is you don't drink alcohol.

This is why I insist (DW and I go back and forth on this) on arriving a few days before the cruise when it's a long haul, and at least the day before for cruises from South Florida.** The post on Oosterdam's next departure stated teh port was closed until the morning due to winds. If the port was not closed, would the Captain have departed on schedule even if a plane full of passengers had not yet arrived? I prefer not to take that chance. ** Also, less chance of not getting your luggage for the cruise when you arrive a few hours before you sail.

When I travel half way around the world, North to South, Cruise 22 days around the Horn and to Antarctica, I really hope to find better (or at least local) beer in the fridge at my five star hotel in Santiago. Budweiser? Really?

I found the Double Cut Pork Chop to be excellent and at times have ordered the King Salmon or Halibut to mix things up. The NY Strip has always been close to perfect. I have found that I always give a restaurant at least two tries and if a steak is not to my liking, they will prepare another.

Thank you for taking the time to put this great blog out. It not only confirmed our plans for booking this 22 day cruise in 2026, but helped me think about to/from/arrival logistics, tours, what to pack, and what to expect onboard. This is what cruise critic is all about.

Thanks for the info. A full ship charter of knitters would be great for Antarctica. Scarves and mittens for all!

Since retirement, my hourly rate has gone down some.....

I see Always Frantic beat me to the punch with the fine print. While we have not had the need for the Chase insurance, we do expect claims to be a Pain in the rear should we need to file one. To be honest, I think all travel insurance claims are probably a pain. We purchased MedJet Assist to back up the Chase coverage. Transport back to US from a far flung place could be the most expensive part. AARP has a MedJet discount.

Having walked the San Diego waterfront dozens of times, agree with crowd its a bit of a hike, but doable even with luggage. Just take your time....and...arrive the day before. Amtrak can be late and why worry? There are several hotels within a few blocks of the cruise pier. It's a great area. For dinner, walk a few blocks north to Little Italy. Very nice.

Well worth the small membership fee.