gilboman

there is no extra charge for additional app in MDR on HAL... only in specialty dining like pinacle grill

There's just too many mariners..no different than airlines all cutting back on their high(er) tier flyers..eg Delta and AC, United etc are cutting lounge access for some of their higher tier Frequent flyers and require them to be on paid J ticket to access lounges as for the tiles..i got them on my last trip (sept on Zaandam) in my cabin ..didn't know they mailed them out before? definitely can see them cutting that with how heavy they are and mailing them out seems huge waste

I'm booked for Alaska balcony 7 day for $1200 cad with 300 USD obc in May on Konigsdam It's so cheap..and .. meanwhile princess is offering 10 day Alaska for 1500 cad for balcony

meh..sounds like cruising is not for you then. this is pretty common regardless of cruiseline just like airlines changing flight times.

Konigsdam and statendam also have the NY deli which is great and order ahead on app. We were on konigsdam for Alaska in May and Zaandam in Sept for New England cruise and we much prefer the bigger variety of food choices on the konigsdam (along with on demand tv but those should be installed on Zaandam by now?) We just booked the konigsdam again for may 2023.. exact same itinerary too ..and yvr embarkation is great for us since we love Vancouver anyways and

Wow...so glad I'm in Canada!

I'm in Canada and none of my 6+ credit cards have that .. guess very different in the US and as I said...TICO covers me as well as the travel insurance included on my cc that specifically states insolvency is included as covered item

for us.. we do HAL over say carnival or RCL not because of service because service is fine ..but for less activities, more quiet vibe and way less busy ships and fewer kids. we find service pretty comparable across the mainlines... main difference we notice is say on princess and HAL, celebrity etc..they are more attentive in the buffet in terms of drinks..but we don't really care..i prefer getting my own drink anyways

ya, on our last two cruises, we had option to choose to have turndown service or not and we declined both times, and just asked they refill our ice bucket from morning. we never liked turndown service as it was another hassle for us to get out of the room for them to give us some chocolates and make/open the bed.

or just pay with a credit card and you're protected if the provider does go belly up. it's happened many times before in the past where travel providers go out of business and those who paid with cc are made whole and those who didn't aren't. Also depending on where you live, there maybe additional protection as well..eg i live in ontario, canada. if you use a TA, you are also protected by TICO compensation fund

vaccination is requrired still and they're expanding it to take place of the old sheets you filled out or filled out on arrival at kiosk. so they're going to expand it for custom declaration and etc as well as passport info and etc for pre flight review

yup lots has changed..but that's just how it's always been with passage of time i suppose, but after last couple of years, it's even more casual now and can't say i'm not happy about it... even lawyers don't suit up anymore unless they have to goto court, and even khakis is basically semi formal now... athleisure is in and you have "fitted" joggers as default for many places now whereas before it was at min khakis and button up ..everyone from ibankers and lawyers who used to suit up have gotten way more casual and obviously other professions as well. heck even NBA headcoaches don't need to suit up anymore after the league bubble games in 2020 and now are just sweatpants and polo shirt as cruiseline and and their customers get younger and older ones are dropping off, cruiselines have to adapt . We've packed a lot lighter than we used to thats for sure!

You can do it upon arrival at the cruise port from the bus (there is wifi there) You need to do it before you Board the ship, when I was going on Koningsdam, they had people check for arrivecan before they let you go on the boat (past check in , immigration etc) and people who didn't do it had to do it at terminal using the wifi there. Since all your info is saved already in terms of travelers/proof of vac in your arrivecan account, you just need to add the cruise.. shouldn't take more than 5 mins.. probably just a couple

you need arrivecan when you cross the border as you already know. you then delete that trip once you're in canada and add a new trip for your cruise and that's it, no more required even for return (arrivecan will ask when your cruise ends as well) stupid easy... i had zero problems doing it for my RT vancouver cruise and will be doing it for my NE canada cruise in couple of weeks.

for both times this was offered...it said to call HAL directly with number provided online...for my upcomming zaandam , i have option to just add it like any other gift/items you can purchase before boarding like internet or specialty dining

fwiw...i was offered it for my May 2022 konigsdam cruise and also for my upcoming Zaandam cruise in sept it's a big money maker for them and really costs them very little and may entice an extra few hudred per head from people who didn't want/wiling to pay HIA to begin with. i'm not getting it since we don't drink (at most 1-2 drinks a day...usually 0) strangely enough...for my konigsdam (even though RT YVR)...was offered it at $50USD and for zaandam $65cad... its essentially same after currency conversion but just found it interesting

it saves your personal info and travel companion...just the trip details (arrival, etc...) have to be done fresh since it's a "new" trip

Ships which visit Destinations like Bermuda, Bahamas and grand Cayman require testing regardless of length of cruise according to carnival https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-clarifies-which-sailings-require-testing/77920 Carnival Cruise Line’s testing requirements, stating that testing is still required for all passengers on all cruises, regardless of length, that call on any ports in Bermuda, The Bahamas, or Grand Cayman. To be clear, cruises sailing to Kings Wharf (Bermuda) as well as George Town (Grand Cayman), still require pre-cruise testing

Mid 2023 earliest. HAL doesn't do nearly as many short cruises as other lines and longer cruises can't dump pax off before they get that sick because pax will get sick while on board much more likely than a shorter cruise

Just like you..I sailed in May and uploaded my vax then...have a sailing sept (within 30 days) and also no option to upload vax (same for wife who's on my booking) I've uninstalled/reinstalled the app and retrieved account but same I'll try to see in a few more days and one more reinstall and if still no option..I guess I'll see 2 days before sailing lol

Arrivecan hadn't impeded travel based on volume and bookings though

not really...look at cathay pacific airline... passenger volume still down 95% from prepandemic as hong kong requires 7 day hotel quarantine and no leisure travel allowed but cathay have very healthy balance sheet and is still profitable . Cathay Pacific Airways is perhaps the world’s most beleaguered major airline. The Hong Kong-based carrier is at the mercy of its home's tough COVID rules, which force international arrivals to spend weeks in isolation. Cathay is flying just 2% of the passenger flights it operated before the pandemic. Staff have quit amid tough quarantine requirements. Local politicians berated the airline after two of its flight attendants were accused of sparking the city's worst-ever COVID outbreak. Yet investors are still flocking to the airline. Cathay Pacific is the world’s best-performing airline stock, outperforming its regional and global competitors. Shares in the Hong Kong-based airline are up 26.4% over the past twelve months. By comparison, the Dow Jones U.S. Airlines Index is down 30% over the same period. The STOXX Europe Total Market Airlines Index, which tracks ten European airlines like Ryanair, Deutsche Lufthansa, and British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group, is down 35%. Cathay Pacific has even outperformed other Asian airlines, whose shares have largely fared better than their Western counterparts. Shares of Singapore Airlines are up just 3% over the past 12 months, even though the Southeast Asian city-state has reopened to the outside world far more quickly than Hong Kong.

travel is a safe bet...but cruising (at least in it's current form especially the mainstream lines) is not.

Yup...so the major Carribean cruise ports will require them like Cayman, And also cruises may have different protocols Also fyi Cuba has randomized testing on arrival..so you need to check your sources

Because by time people get sick, they're kicked off the ship or voyage is over already You don't really get sick (if you do) till 5-7+ days after onset of symptoms Pre cruise testing isn't going anywhere when countries in carribean requires it as well as Canada and pretty much everywhere. Most Europe countries also requires it if you aren't boosted as well..so it's not going anywhere anytime soon