3rdGenCunarder

I really really wanted a T shirt that said Death in Paradise, maybe one with Richard or Richard and Camille on it. But I guess "Death in Paradise" isn't something a tropical island puts on a shirt. I ended up buying a shirt with little lizards on it.

I will have $400 OBC on a cruise I booked with the Early Booking HIA that includes crew appreciation. I don't know what I will spend the OBC on. Volendam doesn't have Tamarind, and I've already got 2 special dinners as part of HIA. I might wait and book a few tours on board, but if there's a tour I definitely want, I will book that before the cruise. I get the 4* laundry benefit. I rarely find anything in the ship that I want, and certainly not at that level. Maybe I'll send myself flowers.

Okay, how about 11:00? 😜

What's ominous, that someone would defect from HAL?

I may see you there. I'm looking at a land option for winter 2024, so still some research and thinking to do.

Those options were not on my survey. I had Alaska, Caribbean, Canada, and NY to Soton via Canada, Reykjavik and Alesund, Norway.

I have not done any of HAL's long cruises. For those who have, are the "Legendary" itineraries offering much that's new, or are they just rebranding existing long-ish itineraries? For example, I see that VOV has been labeled "legendary," but I know that isn't new.

There was a discussion of this recently. The chart in this thread is old prices. If the online price of the premium plan has gone up, the other plans probably have, too, but only premium can be pre-purchased online. Nobody has reported recent onboard internet prices.

No, but I don't send out anything irreplaceable or delicate. I've used laundry services for at least 5 cruises and only one thing was damaged--a tear in a pair of capris that I'd had for years. When they asked the value, I had to guess at what it would cost for a new pair. I don't travel with anything expensive, so it wasn't a big claim.

Thank you! The Feb departure looks good. It includes several of the less-visited islands that were on the HAL cruise.

It may not have been the last available cabin. The website doesn't show everything. I did the CO upgrade on a cruise for next summer. There was one A "vista suite" (Volendam) showing as available. When I contacted my TA about "playing the CO game," she sent me a list of more than a dozen cabins that were showing up as available on the site that agents use. I think Alaska books well because HAL has a reputation for good Alaska cruises. They have access to Glacier Bay on many of their cruises. With so many ports, an Alaska cruise is very active and excursions leave early, so fewer people are staying up late.

Pop tops on Eurodam in January. Useless on a tour because once it's open, you can't close it.

As I said earlier, I think internet is the decider. I travel solo and I want internet. But when I traveled with DH, we could share a plan, as we weren't online all the time, especially him. A quick email check once a day and he was done. So for two people who are light internet users, having two plans is a convenience, but not really necessary.

If they're coming here to post press releases, I'm hoping that they at least glance at the comments. Too optimistic? I just wish they were better at communicating with booked passengers. They have made a change in the itinerary. Tours for were different from what was shown on the booking page AND some of those tours have changed again. Not everyone checks the website or Cruise Critic to keep up on what's happening. A lot of people book and assume that they will get exactly what they booked. I know cruise lines can make changes. It happens. But they need to keep passengers informed. It isn't just AQV. HAL just cancelled a cruise. Some of the people on my roll call were notified on Tuesday. It's Friday and neither I nor my TA has received word of this from HAL. The only reason I know is from the roll call. Thank goodness for Cruise Critic and posters who share info about their cruises.

I got the survey this morning. It must not be totally "canned," because I had different questions about the Caribbean than @bluemarble had. Alternate port suggestions for a Caribbean cruise were Galveston or Miami. Perhaps I said something about preferring not to fly to an embarkation port or the convenience of a US port and it chose questions based on that. I did get the question about dressing up and I said strongly agree to that.

Before LC, was there a bar in Explorer's Lounge? It seems like a convenient place for a drink before dinner--just a short walk to the MDR.

It does include soft drinks, cans of water (no more plastic bottles), specialty coffees. I haven't done the math for HIA with only non-alcoholic beverages.

Did you buy both HIA and CO? I've never seen CO folded into HIA.

I rinse the sink to check for soap bits before I wash anything. I've never heard of people being bothered about this until now. Lots of people must wash things out in a sink when they travel. Tide and Woolite wouldn't make those little travel packets if there wasn't a market for them.

That sounds like a good choice for re-entry. And what a lovely memory it will make for you and your grandson.

The itinerary and tours have been updated to reflect the changes. Some tours are different from what was showing before. It's still wonky in places. The map shows a stop at Muskegon, which has never been on the itinerary. And my cruise says it departs from Chicago on one page and Chicago/Milwaukee on another page. I really hope it's Chicago. I'm not looking forward to a 2-hour bus ride. @uktog, I look forward to hearing about your experiences on AQV and how the real thing compares to the descriptions.

This time around they're only honoring the per diem for cruises of the same length or shorter.

That's a good question! The press release date is Feb 13. Passengers and agents should have been told before then, or at least, on that same date.

That question will not generate reliable information. People who like anytime dining might say they disagree, even if they like dressing up. Or people who like fixed dining might say disagree, if they don't like to dress up. I love Caribbean departures from Florida because I have lots of choices of inexpensive flights, or I can take the train. Having to fly to one of the islands makes things more complicated. But if the itinerary were right, I would do it, especially for Guadeloupe or Barbados.

Another thing that factors into the value is mariner perks. When I did the math, I forgot that 4* mariners get a discount on specialty restaurants and specialty coffees. I also get a discount on wine packages. So HIA may have been slightly less of a bargain than I initially thought.