MandB

Port Everglades web site says there is a good chance port will be closed by Wednesday.

On 10/27/2022 at 8:58 PM, Hlitner said:

This likely has nothing to do with being a 5 Star Mariner 4 Star or no Star.  It might be a mistake (HAL makes plenty of those) or it might be an issue with the credit limit on your card.  When you cruise on HAL they put a "credit hold" on your card and I believe it is $60 per passenger day (for cruises up to 24 days) and $30 per person/day for longer cruises  So a little math tells us that if you took a 24 day cruise, HAL would put (at embarkation) $2880 credit hold on your account.  If you do not have that kind of available credit limit then there is going to be an issue.  Consider that a couple doing a World Cruise would have over $6000 put on hold.

 

Just so folks understand, you are not actually charged a credit hold amount, but the credit card company may show it as a "pending charge" and reserve that amount out of your credit limit.  That credit hold may not be released until well after your cruise has finished.

 

Hank

On our recent 7 day HAL cruise from Boston to Montreal the ship put the normal credit card hold on our card when we boarded. After boarding we bought the drink package for the two of us. The next morning I got a text from my credit card company that HAL had put through an additional $1,600 charge (hold).  When I ask the front desk about this they said the hold was adjusted based on our actual spending (the only charge had been for the drink packages; $148.27 each).   They said an additional hold would be added based on any further spending.  At my request they input something to block any further hold amounts being added. As it was I think a hold of over $2,000 for a 7 day cruise for 2 was a bit much.  Our only other charges for the cruise were the daily gratuity charges.

I left the casino one night without losing any money. Does that count? :o

We are on the 25 Mar 18 Silhouette cruise. When I check the Celebrity website for this cruise the "View Ports and Map" section shows the ship sailing from Miami, while the "View Itinerary Details" section shows the ship sailing from Fort Lauderdale (which is correct). Not sure why Celebrity has so many problems trying to run their website.

Reading many of the posts since I started this thread shows why Celebrity (and all the other cruise lines) are able to make changes like this. Most people say "oh well, just pay the extra price" I agree, that is certainly an option. However, I still say that it is not too much to ask to get a can of soda if you are paying $55/day for a package (I know most people don't add this as an option and get it as a 'perk' but you are still paying for it in the price you paid for the cruise one way or another). I, for one, would love for Celebrity to keep their Classic drink package and reduce my fare by $55/day. I can then buy the drinks I want while on board.

Crown Royal was included in the Classic package. We just returned from a 10 day on Monday. This is all my hubby drinks.

We just got off the 15-day on Infinity and Crown Royal was definitely not included in the classic package. I tried but had to downgrade to Canadian Club to keep in under the classic package.

We just got off the Infinity (LA-Ft Lauderdale) and I am not at all happy with what they are doing with the drink packages. As with our past several cruises we had the classic package but found it is of much less value than it used to be. Seems like they raised the prices of many drinks so they no longer fall under $9/drink limit and, for me, the biggest change is that you can no longer get a can of soda. The new rule is that the classic package only allows for fountain drinks (by the glass). Although, in almost all cases, I watched as they poured by glass of soda out of a can. This seems to be a bit much for a package Celebrity says is worth $55/day. My guess is that it is yet another way for them to convince passengers to pay that extra $10/day for the premium package. Wine at dinner was also a challenge as there are almost no choices that now be had with "only" the classic package. Yes, I know I could just pay the extra $10/day and upgrade! However, I don't think it is too much to ask to get a can of soda when paying $55/day for a package. By the way I checked the Celebrity website while on board and found that it still indicated the classic package included "can or fountain" drinks. When I discussed this with a supervisor in the bar department I was told that they had no control over the Celebrity website and could only follow the verbal directions they were given by corporate.

When we have to cruise out of Miami we always park at the port. However, is it just me or do others have a real problem finding their way out of the parking garage? I swear they have few or no exit signs and it is not at all easy to navigate out of that building.

Only problem we ever had on Princess was the time the head waiter refused to serve our 30th anniversary celebration cake after presenting cakes to straight couples on either side of us. He had our regular waiter quietly bring the cake over and just sit it on our table (a little different than the fuss he made over the other couples).

Max and Bob here. We decided to take this quick cruise to get enough Captains Club points to move up a level after our cruise next May.

Max

We were on a QM2 TA (because I won't fly) in 2014 and somehow ended up with so much OBC we bought jewelry to use as Christmas presents.

We will be on that cruise also. I would be delighted to help you spend your $600 OBC. No problem.

How thoughtful, thanks :). Last cruise we actually ended up buying shirts on board to use up the OBC.

We just booked the May 5th Equinox 10 night sailing. Category 2D with all 4 perks and an additional $200 OBC....$2700 total for 2. I think this is my best deal in the last few years.

We also booked the 5 May cruise yesterday with all 4 perks. Not sure what we will do with the $600 OBC. We are also from Fort Myers area.

I think part of the problem is that many in the U.S. are just getting tired of the ever expanding tipping environment. We all realize waiters' salaries are less than the minimum wage rate, with the balance expected to be made up through tips. What drives me nuts is how everyone who deals with the public now seems to believe they are entitled to a tip. I'm sorry but in my mind the clerk in the cupcake store who simply puts a cupcake in a bag, hands it to me and collects the money does not 'deserve' a gratuity.

My only question when the cruise lines instituted the "mandatory" gratuities line on your bill as a daily charge was how they implemented it through the employees' wages. In other words, did their salaries remain the same, with the gratuities added to that amount? Or, did the cruise lines reduce the wages they were paying the employees by the amount they were now going to get as part of the mandatory gratuities so the employees simply received the same salary they had gotten before (this would especially apply to workers who had not, in the past, received tips such as kitchen workers)? If this happened to be the case then the cruise lines simply shifted part of their cost structure to their customers outside the stated price of their product (much the way our local utility recently added a monthly charge for "managing the customers' accounts"; something they had always done as part of running their business, and they certainly didn't lower what I was paying for the actual utilities provided).

Well the wedding is over and our house guests have departed (Bob's brother and his wife with their son). The wedding was very small but was great as we both had family there as well as a couple from Dublin Ireland we met on a cruise in 2014. We probably won't even pack until Thursday. Really looking forward to the cruise and meeting everyone I have "met" on this and the main board. Think the cruise will make a nice anniversary/honeymoon trip.

We are still trying to decide what to do for the summer this year. All we have so far is a trip back to Ohio to have a tooth implant/crown completed (we do lead exciting lives!).

Bob

Drop me an email at maxcyhall@earthlink.net and I will email you my cell number and maybe we could text each other after we get on the ship.

Do you guys ever eat at Mel's Diner up on Pine Island Road?

Max

Maybe we could meet up at the sail-away somehow to have a drink.

Max

Can't think of a mean-spirited comment that would fit into this discourse so I will simply add the following:

In 2014 we had the privilege of taking a coach trip through England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Everyone we met was warm and friendly, and the countries were beautiful (although, Scotland was a bit chilly). So, whoever might get the better deals on cruises, I say -- Thank you Great Britain and Ireland for a trip we will never forget.

OK, now you can all jump on me for getting off topic. :rolleyes:

Hi Max,

 

We have lived in the SW section of Cape Coral since 1994 (in the 8 lakes area) and in Florida since 1980. We plan to move to a condo in Ft. Myers after we retire.

 

I am following the thread on the regular Equinox roll call board and have posted on the spreadsheet. We are usually at the Martini Bar before dinner. Hope to see you there.

 

Bob

Hi Bob,

Before which dinner? We actually like to partake of the early seating for dinner. Bob retired in 2012 and I retired in 2013. We bought our home here in Florida in December 2013 and moved here permanently when we sold our home in Ohio in March of 2015 (I actually changed my permanent residence in 2013). We really like the area around here.

Max

Was at McDonalds today and, no surprise, there was a person 2 tables over that had her "support" dog (a very, very small dog) sitting on the table while she hand fed it a hamburger. Letting everyone and their dogs into every venue is bad enough but I think it is a bit much that they are now sitting on dining tables where others have to put their food.

Hi. We are Max and Bob and are also on this cruise (for our 36th anniversary and honeymoon). We are from the Fort Myers area. Not sure how much action you will get on this thread since there is such an active thread on the regular roll call board. Just noticed it says you are from Cape Coral; we are in North Fort Myers, up near the Shell Factory.

Max :)

Then it must not have been on Celebrity. Only one bar where smoking is in close proximity. You know which one that is?

No, it was Holland America - and the lady was about 90 (in both age and proof).

We have yet to see nor meet them on our last few sailings. But on the Ruby Princess at the Aft Pool in 2012.

Some of the smokers had to have help lighting up.

We had one of them on one of our cruises. But she also had a problem with her oxygen tank (she kept knocking it over every time she reached for her drink or the ashtray.

The only thing I have learned from this thread is that there will probably be a lot more drunks sitting at the bars (sucking down medium priced drinks) all day on my next cruise.

For me every time but one the customs clearance at Ft Lauderdale has been very smooth and the agents have been very polite. That one time, though, was an event. I clearly picked the wrong line because all the others were going along very smoothly. For some reason there was a person in a military type uniform grilling every passenger going through the line. This was in addition to the agent behind the counter. By the time he got done with the father, mother, and teenage daughter in front of me the mother and daughter were sobbing. He spent 10 minutes grilling me on why I had taken the cruise and did I enjoy myself (I was on the cruise by myself so I assume that had something to do with it). He went on and on as if he was trying to get me to break down and say I had gone to get drugs or something. It was humiliating but at least I was not alone in getting this treatment.