Double D Cruisers

1 hour ago, strickerj said:

I just got notification of my FCC from my canceled 5/24 cruise, but only for one passenger's fare rather than both. Anyone else have the same experience? I guess I'll give them a call and inquire tomorrow.

My husband received an e-mail this afternoon saying his FCC and was ready to use, 1/2 of the total fare.  I thought it was weird, but about an hour later I received an e-mail as well for my half of the fare.  We have to contact our PCC to have the FCC applied to our upcoming cruise.

I read your daily reports and enjoy them.  Yesterday my husband made then Chicken and sweet potato curry In a crock pot and it was ready for me when I got home from work.  It was delicious!  Thank you!

I believe the “Have It All” promotion is for cruises in 2021.

13 hours ago, cccole said:

Thanks for posting this.  Nice to hear directly from the ship.  I can picture crew throwing luggage off the ship to decrease weight.  Selling it would be even better.  I am hoping they are welcomed in Durban for refueling and supplies.  It is indeed a final voyage Captain Jonathan will not be able to forget.  Cherie

I think Captain Johnathan needs a redo 😆 

Amsterdam

Mystery Island, Vanuatu

November 2019

Ms Amsterdam

South Pacific Ocean

Thank you for sharing!  I look forward to reading your daily posts.  This cruise is on my bucket list as well, and I am anxiously waiting for the 2021 Voyage of the Viking itinerary.  

Thank you,

Debbie

On the Amsterdam we stayed on the Navigation deck for 7 weeks.  This is where all the Neptune/Pinnacle suites are located.  Over 50 of them. We were in one of the 4 or 5 cabin with inside or obstructed view at the stern of the ship.  We walked by the Neptune Suite several times a day.  The place was almost always a ghost town or 1 person sitting in there.  It had no windows.  Every ship and every cruise is different.  It could be that on the next cruise it would not be such a lonely place.  On our cruise most people on the Navigation Deck were quite elderly and needed motorized scooters to get around.  Many of them seemed to be on a stay-cation spending most of their time in their rooms with room service bring in all their food. 

We did a 50 day cruise with the Signature Beverage package.  At the end of the cruise I totaled up all the "free" drinks we got.

Free drinks included the bottled water and specialty coffees.  We would have saved over $1200 if we paid as we went.   This was to the South Pacific with many sea days.  If my wife had consumed as much as I had we would have been closer.  Also note the drink prices have gone up a couple bucks since our cruise but the Signature Beverage Package has stayed the same price.  I don't regret buying the package.  It was fun to do ONE time.  Tried many new drinks knowing I was not wasting any money if I did not like it.  I even had a Becks Beer Ice Cream float they offered at the pool when we crossed the Equator.  I think I was the only one that got one.  And as expected it was really terrible.  Fun to try though.

6 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Evenin' Debbie

 

The Hawaiian Ambassadors are not HAL employees so, as such, I don't have any personal info - read names - for them, sorry! Having said that, long voyages such as the Tales of the South Pacific, most always have 2-4 Hawaiian Ambassadors sailing, giving lectures, classes, as well as playing music. Enjoy that voyage!

Thank you Copper!  

Hi Copper,

by chance would you know if the Tales of the South Pacific Voyage this October will have any Hawaiian Ambassadors onboard?  If you do know, who would they be?  Thank you so much!

Debbie

21 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I'm sorry, I know it isn't funny to need something and the dog doesn't cooperate, but it made me laugh to picture a happy puppy  thinking he has a new toy. 

 

There was a study done about cats and dogs and how their interactions with people are different. If you point to something, a dog will look where you point. They'll even look at your face, see where you're looking and follow your line of sight. That's why they're good at fetching things for you. Cats don't do that, so they don't know what you're asking for. 

 

That is true of many dogs but not all.  For example if there are 2 inverted bowls but only one has a treat under it, you can point to that bowl and the dog will understand where the treat is.  But certain breeds (pugs for instance) pointing does no good.  They are clueless just like a cat.  Dogs look to humans for help when they are stymied.  However if there is no human around a dog may look to a cow or other animal thinking it could help them too. There are 200+ breeds of dogs. About 90% of todays breeds are only a couple hundred years old. They were "created" by us with selective breeding in the 1800s. A period known as the "Victorian Explosion."  We forced powerful changes in the dogs evolution. There are only 10 ancient breeds of dogs and most are wolf-like (Akita, Malamute, Siberian Husky, Samoyed, etc)  Those are the dogs helped the nomads spread across continents some 14,000  years ago. There are 10 more breeds that are pretty old.  They date back to around 1,000 BC. Pekingese, Pug, Lhasa Apso, and Shiba Inu  are examples.  All the rest are a result of human meddling. The dog is now the most physically diverse mammal on the planet (but they still behave pretty much the same.)  The reason for the diversity: They have a very simple genetic architecture controlling their physical traits. It is easily manipulated by man. 6 of 7 locations in the dogs entire genome (genetic blueprint) explain 80% of a dogs appearance.  With all other mammals, physical traits are controlled by hundreds if not thousands of complex variations in its genome.

Yes and no.  They have several cruises that are 10 days but they always seem to include a land trip to Denali National Park and then a flight home.  Time at sea is still about 7 days on these cruises.  As you mention there is a 14 day Great Alaskan Explorer on the Amsterdam in June from Seattle to Seattle that includes no land journey... all sailing.  It includes Homer and Kodiak (which other cruises rarely get to) before returning home.

5 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

(bold is mine) Or the people who used to post here bragging about how they got a big cabin at small-cabin prices by pretending to need a HA cabin. 

Cheaters gonna cheat.  Sad to think some people eagerly seek out the role of "perpetual victim." That way any perceived injustice will give them the excuse to lie, cheat or demand something they have not earned or do not qualify for.  This "entitlement" psychosis rarely existed in our parents/grandparents days.  It is rampant today.  

"Hard times create strong people.  Strong people create easy times.  Easy times create weak people. Weak people create hard times."

There are Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs and Therapy Dogs.  Only Service Dogs are not considered pets and only Service Dogs are protected by the Americans with Disability Act according to the Justice Department.  Only Service Dogs have protection under law to go wherever the owner goes and do whatever the owner is able to do.  The problems is there are dozens of places on the internet selling "fake" certificates,  proclaiming your dog to be whatever you want it to be.  Yet there is NO official licensing authority that credentials programs or individuals who actually provide the legitimate extensive training of Service Dogs.  The DOJ says only dogs can be service animals and they must be specifically trained to help a specific person with a specific disability.  Some confusion comes when certain classes of Service Dogs (one trained to aid someone with PTSD for example) is confused with an emotional support animal.  One has been specifically trained to help one person and the other has not. Therapy animals are pets with an ability or training to provide comfort to people in general.  For example sick children in the hospital.  These dogs/animals may be permitted by a particular hospital or other facility to comfort patients but they have no added rights under the ADA to go on planes, in restaurants or on cruise ships.  Emotional support pets have no specific training but can provide emotional support to their owner.  These owners and their animals have no rights at all under the ADA. These are considered normal pets owned by normal people according to the Justice Department. Until a national credentialing process is developed with a nationally recognized certifying authority issuing a government approved Service Dog License I can see this problem continuing to upset the general population.  As usual a few people think they have the right to game the system at everyone else's expense.  Reminds me of those who swipe their parent's and grandparent's handicapped parking placard so they don't have to walk a few more steps. 

Many HAL cruises includes the Inside Passage but not all.  It is one route to get to the glaciers and to where the popular port towns are located. Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Skagway.  I have been on cruises that did, and did not include the actual "inside passage."  One is is not superior to the other IMHO.  I think HAL has 9 ships doing Alaska this year.  I think the Oosterdam does not include the inside passage. To us the best part of any Alaskan cruise is seeing the glaciers (especially Hubbard Glacier) and visiting the towns.  Depending on the cruise they visit different Glaciers, and different towns, not always the same ones.  Luckily it looks like you are visiting Hubbard Glacier which was our favorite. When viewing the Glaciers the Ship's Captain usually has the ship do at least one 360 degree spin so that all get a good view. You are in a great Cabin that is located in my personal favorite part of a ship to be.  On a higher deck with a view that faces to the stern.  I love to watch and hear the prop wash.

The Signature Beverage Package is listed at $44.95 per day.  This price does not include the 15% service charge.  Your true cost with the service charge is $103.38 per day if you are traveling with any adult in your state room.  If one person buys the package the other adult must buy the package whether they use it or not.

Laundry and room service tips are not required however your final bill will show a "Hotel Service Charge" of $14.50/day for each adult in your cabin.  It will be $16.00/day per adult if you are in a Suite.  This is supposed to cover all tips for ship's service staff.   Although this is automatically added to the bill, it is not mandatory you pay it.  I have seen passengers at the front desk demanding the charges be removed.  Most people agree to the charge because they feel the wait staff and room service staff did a wonderful job and deserve it.  If you don't agree ,get the charges removed from your bill.

And of course you can tip your favorite people extra cash if you desire.  My wife has always tipped in the hair salon if she gets her hair done on a formal night. 

Other things to spend your money on is the excursions offered at your ports, and purchasing photo packages. The ship has several  photographers and will be busy taking  photos at your ports or having you pose for portraits on Formal Nights.  

Most new cruisers end up buying a few photos and going on a few excursions.

Before our very first cruise, we went to a presentation given by our travel agency.  He said to prepare for your first cruise Step 1 is to get out all the clothes you plan to take and lay them out on the bed.  Also get all the money you plan to take.  Step 2 is to put half your clothes back in the closet but bring twice as much money.  

1 hour ago, Underwatr said:

True for regular Medicare, but many Medicare Supplement ("Medigap") policies cover emergency care overseas (80% via reimbursement, so you still need a credit card with room on it in the interim, but that's also generally true for travel medical insurance).

Yes indeed. Thanks for the clarification.  Medicare Part C (supplemental) does/may cover some/all portions.  I am retired military so in my case Tricare for Life (supplemental)  would pay for all health care to include air evacuation to "the safest closest place" if I were anywhere in the world. However, I may have to pay out of pocket, and the be reimbursed later.  

31 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

The ADA (speaking of American law here; I don't know other countries' laws) does not provide for paperwork or licensing of a service dog, not does it permit an establishment to request any sort of license or paperwork. A service dog may be privately trained, so no "paperwork" may exist. An establishment may ask whether the dog is required due to a disability and what type of work or task the dog has been trained to do. The establishment may not ask about the disability or require a demonstration of the dog's training.

 

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html

Thanks for the information.  Did not know that.  Was speaking of military service dogs and assumed the ADA had something similar.  And if not why not?  It seems without clear guidance, regulations and certification, rampant abuse of the term "service animal" will remain unchecked.  If I were an agency or a professional conducting these valuable animal training programs I would certainly welcome an accreditation and official recognition of my program.  Does the ADA not want scrutiny? "Privately trained so no paperwork exists". You can't cut hair these days without a license, but you can train and sell "service dogs" to vulnerable people without any over sight?   It's a service dog just cuz I say its a service dog?  Sounds like the ADA needs to run a tighter ship (for the good of the disabled.)  All of us are either disabled now or will be disabled in the future (unless we get run over by a bus and die first.)  I want to know the ADA has their act together.

Alaska's inside passage is the one cruise you should take if you can only do one. The waters are usually calm if you are worried about sea sickness.  In fact more people take an Alaska cruise than any other cruise destination. There is an app that shows where all the Cruise Ships are located on any given day. Between May and October it seems most most all the them are doing Alaska.  Over and over ships do this 7-day cruise for about 14 weeks solid.  Then they all disappear, scattered to various other parts of the world until the next May.  We have been 3 times. It has been different every time.  If we can't do a long Cruise in any given year we will at least do a short 1 week cruise (Alaska or Mexican Riviera) to get the cruise-bug out of our system.  Best time to go is maybe late June-July when the bears are are active.  If you want to take an excursion to see them getting salmon out of the river.  Otherwise anytime.  Be aware that it rains a lot around Ketchikan.  The Ketchikan Peninsula is a rainforest, just not a tropical one.  Averages 165 inches a year.  We have always been lucky and visited on a dry day.

Any dog specifically trained and certified by a recognized authority can be a service dog. Anyone owning such a dog (helps with mobility issues, seizure warning detection, alerts to danger) is aware of this and has the necessary paperwork and license that comes with such an animal.  

I agree that "emotional support dogs" are not service dogs.  They have no special ability.  They have not had the months/years of training and evaluation by professional trainers that a true "service animal" has. Seeing eye dogs, military sentry dogs and police dogs are true service animals.   The typical owner of an emotional support dog has not been to a simple obedience class let alone the months of training with their dog that a blind person has had.  Travelors should make a choice.  Do I stay home with my beloved animal or do I take a cruise. Life is full of choices.  Its not cruel or unusual punishment to ask them to make that choice.  Your so called "emotional wellbeing" does not give you the right to deprive the rest of the passengers and crew of theirs. If you need emotional support bring a 2 legged friend.

Check to see if you don't have some sort of medical coverage from a credit card you use or from your existing health plan or from Medicare.   However Medicare will only cover you if you are in the U.S. or one of its territories.  They won't cover health care if you are on a cruise unless you happen to be in US waters. Other than that, ask your travel agent. They can offer plans to cover both trip cancelation coverage along with medical coverage including Air Evacuation to a medical facility or even back to the U.S. if medically necessary.  The plans we bought in the past had both trip cancelation, medical insurance and even lost luggage.

13 hours ago, dundeene said:

I will mention that I saw a bartender on HAL cut off a man after he hit his 15 drink limit. 

It was about 5 pm. near the pool on a sea day. 

The guy was; as my ship's captain father would say, " 3 sheets to the wind". He was not being rude or belligerent, but definitely having trouble with balance and heavily slurred speech. 

Under those circumstances the bartender was acting in the passengers best interest whether he had reached his 15 limit or not.  Not to mention HAL's  liability issues if this passenger fell down the stairs and it was shown the bartender had knowingly served a passenger when significant impairment was obvious.

QUESTION:  Is it 15 total beverages or 15 Alcoholic beverages and unlimited "other" beverages? 

There has been wide spread confusion on the "15 Beverage" issue for years.  Bar tender to bar tender, even beverage manager to beverage manager you could get a different answer. 

The correct answer is you are limited to 15 Alcoholic beverages.  I had HAL send me a letter on official letter head confirming it.  Below is a portion of that correspondence. 

"Thank you for your recent correspondence with Holland America Line regarding our Signature Beverage Package and Elite Beverage Packages.  You are correct in believing  if you were to purchase either of these beverage packages, that they would include unlimited non-alcoholic beverages and bottled waters 500ml and under."

I am bringing this letter with me on my next cruise.