Living the Dream 67

I read through all these responses and, yes, my head is spinning. It looks like HIA results in double points - 7 day cruise/7 bonus points. Similar but different question - I am going on a 14 day cruise next month. After much checking on rates, the travel advisor booked me in a higher cost fare without HIA (we dont drink alcohol so that package doesn't fit us) but with $1K of OBC and free gratuities. Ok, now in this scenario, will the $1K (that we have already spent on excursions) and the $448 of gratuity count in bonus points of 5? I, too, am close to moving from 3 star to 4 star and would like to be a 4 star by my next scheduled cruise later this year.

Shrine of St. Therese, Douglas Island, Alaska Brewery, Mendenhall and NOAA. NOAA does a great tour for free. Shrine of St. Therese is beautiful (a place I would get married if I had it to do all over again). Kicking back at Alaska Brewery and sampling was a great way to end the day (as long as one person refrains to be the designated driver).

Haljo - I'll do it right now. Thank you so much for the guidance.

Thank you both for your guidance. I agree, with the HIA, excursions fill up quickly before getting on ship. With $800 of OBC and prepaid gratuties, I'll just have to figure out when I board how to spend. I might end up on one of the lesser desirable excursions but I can do that at one or two ports and then book the "have to" excursions directly ahead just to be safe.

On my next B2B cruise, I have a fair amount of OBC - $800 and want to use at least half of it for an excursion but when I go to the HAL site, if you book an excursion, you have to pay for it at the time of booking. Of course, some of the most sought after excursions are booked before cruise. Is it possible to book excursions before the cruise and use the OBC and if so how does that work?

Good day all. I will be sailing in 7 days now. When I booked, I selected a guaranteed veranda. It seems odd that 7 days out they have not assigned. I've only done the guarantee a few times in the past and when I did, I think assignments were made at least a couple of weeks out. Is this the new normal? Given the RCL overbookings, I just starting to get a little concerned.

On one of my cruises, I rented a car in Juneau and it was a very nice day. I think there are two rental companies close to the port, one local and one a national. I'd stick with the national as I had a bit of an issue or miscommunication with the local one many years back. As for the drive, I would recommend driving up to NOAA. They do a nice free and interesting tour. I would also go to St. Therese Shrine. It is absolutely beautiful, a place I said I would get married at if I were ever to do that. Alaskan Brewing Company is always fun for tasting and hanging out. Of course Mendenhall Glacier visit is on the list. I'd get in a 1 - 2 mile hike either at Mendenhall or another location. Also there is the Alaska State Museum. Depending on the time of year, Glacier Gardens can be pretty. All in, renting a car for $100 for the day was a very nice day and one I would recommend.