BLH613

Hi @jayally1968! We were able to leave our luggage at the Auberge and explore a little more of Vancouver post-cruise. The staff were extremely helpful and professional, even getting us a taxi to the airport when we returned to pick up our bags. I emailed the hotel in advance to confirm it was a possibility and then asked again at check-in and they were very accommodating. We did tip when we picked up the bags. Canada Place is not a far walk from the hotel, Google Maps shows just a four-minute walk to the very front of the area, but there is a lot more walking once inside the building. If your parents have mobility issues that might be a consideration. We walked down to Canada Place the evening we arrived in Vancouver just to look around, and had breakfast at De Dutch while watching seaplanes come and go from the harbor. It's a pretty area to explore if the weather is nice. Have a wonderful cruise!!

Same! We were hoping for a deal for our 12-night TA and were so happy to find this. Having the premium package is a nice little luxury. We opted for wifi for only one of us since we do enjoy being disconnected but wanted the option to check email a few times just in case our dog sitter needs to reach us.

UPDATE: I did a web chat with a HAL representative and found out that not only is the partial transit understandably canceled, but so are the stops at Cartagena Columbia, and Limon Costa Rica. Substitutions are: 3/23 Sat Bridgetown, Barbados 3/24 Sun Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe 3/25 Mon Basseterre, Saint Kitts, St Kitts & Nevis Unfortunately, he said there was no fare adjustment shown, which I questioned since the port fees for the canal should have been high. We'll be canceling since we are far out from the final payment and booked on the $1 deposit sale. Other than Guadeloupe, these are ports we've already visited and we wanted something new. The rep couldn't answer my question as to why the website still shows the old itinerary nor why excursions were still available to book for the canceled ports but we all know of HAL's website issues. We will try again in the next few years for the canal transit. On the bright side, now I get to research a new trip, which is honestly great fun for me 🙂. Happy sailing!

Absolutely. I agree and completely understand the cancellation of the partial transit. We were anticipating this may be case. I do find it odd that we found out through an excursion cancellation (a ferry through the remainder of the canal) and not via an email about an itinerary change itself. The itinerary remains unchanged on the website at the moment but I’m sure we’ll see an update eventually.

We are booked on the 3/17/24 departure. The itinerary hasn’t changed yet on the website booking but the email states the call to Gatun Lake on 3/24 has been canceled. I’m still waiting to see what the replacement might be and if there is a significant price adjustment.

We had a feeling it was coming but today (coincidentally while onboard Koningsdam) we received an email from HAL canceling our Gatun Lake excursion due to an itinerary change as the call to Gatun Lake has been canceled. Oddly the booking on the website still shows the lake so i’m curious to see what the replacement might be “Dear Guest, Thank you for booking your upcoming voyage and shore excursions with Holland America Line. Due to a recent itinerary change, the Rotterdam's call to Gatun Lake on March 24, 2024 has been cancelled. We have refunded your prepaid shore excursion….” A bit disappointed but understand the reasoning. We will in all likelihood cancel the cruise as the canal was our main interest. Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to try again soon or book a full transit which seems to have less chance of cancellation.

@NewCruiser-2023Yes, hubby and I will be boarding after you disembark! We've sailed HAL before, but our first time on Koningsdam and the first time to Alaska. I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

@NewCruiser-2023Thanks so much for the update! We're cruising in mid-August so probably just after you? Coincidentally our pre-cruise hotel (the Auberge) also replied to an email and confirmed we could store luggage storage for a few hours (a week after our check-out!) and we'll try to take advantage of that but I'm glad to have a backup plan just in case! Our flight doesn't depart until after 5 pm and we can't even check bags at the airport until two hours prior. Glad to have someplace to drop luggage and get in a little more exploring.

Thank you! We'd also really enjoy the coveted Club Orange tote bag and Orange key card! The OBC is a perk, but we're more interested in the CO dining room. I'll keep checking the VQ cabin availability before committing but I understand we're walking a fine line between CO being sold out and the VQ cabins being sold out.

We have an aft-facing cabin on Rotterdam for a Panama Canal cruise next year. Do Verandah Spa (VQ) cabins not count as the next step up in the same category? We would like the other benefits of CO but don't want to move cabins so we'd decline the upgrade but the OBC would be nice if the VQ cabins are considered a category of their own.

@NewCruiser-2023 Curious if you received a response from the Pan Pacific Hotel about the post-cruise luggage storage? We are also taking a later flight after disembarking and looking into options. Bounce seems like a good option but the hotel would be more convenient.

We have also been on a US Thanksgiving week 7-day Caribbean cruise on HAL and found the ship to have many extended families and children onboard. "As you wish" dining had very long waits if you just showed up asking for a table. We understood when we booked that this was likely but did it anyway and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. I think the longer cruises would be different. On Thanksgiving Day they did serve a traditional US Thanksgiving meal in the MDR which was very nice.

I just spontaneously booked a Panama Canal cruise, aft cabin on the Rotterdam, which is not like me at all! I'm one who normally researches things to death and then still second-guesses! Maybe I'm getting a little more adventurous in my older years but I thought I have nothing to lose but $2. It's been a dream cruise for us and this promo tipped the scales. 🛳️

Perhaps Syrah but autocorrect "fixed" it? 😂

Ship: Summit Length of Cruise: 5 nights Cruise Sail Date: 12/12/22 Date email offer received: n/a - found info on MoveUp website page Captain’s Club Tier [“PREVIEW” = first Celebrity Cruise]: Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA Current Cabin: Veranda 2C Bid? Yes/No: No Royal Suite - $2000 min / $5000 max Celebrity Suite - $1500 min / $3750 max Sky Suite - $500 min / $1250 max Aqua Class - $150 min / $525 max Concierge Class - $100 min / $500 max Family Verandah - $100 min / $500 max Sunset Veranda - $100 min / $500 max If YES - Bidding Details: Cabin Category: place winning category, if accepted (all category offers, can be mentioned in comments) Bid Offer: Notification Date: Accepted / Rejected General Comments (offer details, etc.)