sunviking90

I have done this as recently as this past November. No problem at all. I didn’t have HIA, but I don’t think that would make a difference as you’d just be paying the difference. You could also let your TA or PCC if you have one know you are interested in any “upsell” offers that may come up, but they are usually not until a month or less before sailing.

I think I remember that during last year’s world cruise a gentleman travelling alone had passed away while they were cruising around Africa. The grandson (or nephew) had come here for some advice as far as how to proceed repatriating the remains. It sounded like this man had left good instructions with his family but things were made more difficult because of the part of the world the ship was in at the time. I can’t find the thread right now, but I think things did work out. A very sad situation, but it highlights how important it is for a solo traveller in particular to have full information and instructions for loved ones at home.

Beautiful pictures. Thank you!

I feel the same way regarding the “meh”. We follow some of the WC blogs and that only confirms my opinion.

This reminds me: when we first signed up we got free first rides on both apps. Not sure if they still do that, but I would look for those.

@Hogladyrider I don’t have a preference between Uber and Lyft and in fact many of the drivers are driving for both. You don’t have to deal with the cost or payment with the driver unlike a taxi. Download the app, store your CC in it and book thru that. I have both apps and just use which ever comes up cheaper. I wouldn’t pay more than $10-$15 to the HHV. There is also city bus that goes directly from a bus stop outside the port to the HHV. It’s only about 2.50 and I think less for seniors

I can answer if that’s ok. There are taxis and there is also a dedicated Uber/lyft/ ride share pickup area.

We are Elite on Princess with about 6 of those cruises post pandemic. We have about 17 HAL cruises too with about 3 post pandemic and 2 in the last 2 months. What I love about HAL: -Classic ship design with walkable promenade decks (also on some Princess Ships) -Staterooms “mostly” larger with sofas and better bathrooms (no nasty shower curtains). I do prefer Princess open large closet areas tho. HAL’s closets are poorly located IMO. -Activities for no cost such as bridge lessons, origami, etc. -Quieter more sedate environment with lots of quiet places to read. Princess seems to like noise and music everywhere! -Dive In burgers. Not as good as they used to be, but still the best burger at sea. -Berries! Seems a small thing, but they have them. You’re lucky to find a blueberry as a garnish with dessert on Princess. -Breakfast menu. Much more extensive than Princess. -Room service still free. What I don’t like about HAL: -Short Lido hours. We aren’t big buffet people, but it is completely closed between 10-11:30 am, 4-5:30 pm and dinner ends at 8 pm. Some ships have Pinnacle ships have a few other eateries to fill the gaps, but in the other ships, it’s a burger or room service and everyone else is doing the same thing so waits are long. -MDR food, service and menu options. After experiencing both lines on multiple ships in the last 2 years we agree Princess has HAL beat. -No laundry rooms anymore. Not that I want to do laundry, but nice to have if needed.

csteinke@princesscruises.com The emails for the top people can be found at Elliott.org.

No. They don’t really care anymore. Honestly there are so many viruses around the ships these days, people just have to be vigilant and protect themselves.

Your experience is similar to mine on the Emerald Panama Canal cruise in September. I had very mild symptoms and self reported. DH was fine and allowed to be out with a mask. I wasn’t told I had to test to be released from quarantine tho. I had no tests left anyway. I just had a call on the 6th day from when I had stated my symptoms started from medical saying I was released. I was also told I would get cruise credit for the days in quarantine, but I neglected to get a letter (too trusting). I hadn’t received anything after multiple emails and 3 months passing. I eventually sent emails to Colin Steinke cc’d to customer relations and got a phone call the next day that my credit was coming. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. You may want to do the same.

I agree it is annoying. We have LOT of OBC for our upcoming transpacific cruise and I had planned to use it to buy wifi once onboard. I may still wait for the sea days to buy. Will still be less than buying for the whole voyage now.

Other cruiselines including Celebrity do allow you to pre purchase onboard expenses such as spa, wifi, etc with OBC so that is why this question gets asked.

My feeling is that the decision has been made to go around the Cape, but exact routing, ports, etc are still being worked out.

We recently were moved to a cabin right by the elevators on Koningsdam when we had issues with our original one. I would never have chosen this location, but we were pleasantly surprised and weren’t bothered by noise at all. It was very quiet. You’ll be fine. We love the Zaandam and the smaller ships. Enjoy your cruise!

I’m not at all surprised. We recently took 2 HAL cruises and their wifi is $29.99 per day for the basic “surf” package and no discounts for higher loyalty tiers. We passed.

Dessert for me on a cruise is something I look forward to as we don’t have them at home. I love the desserts on Princess and they always seem to have an option I like. Our recent 2 cruises on HAL on 2 different ships I skipped dessert half the time, and when I had it I didn't finish it. The fruit crisps especially much, much better on Princess.We remembered HAL desserts as not being very exiting and not much has changed in my opinion.

We also love the noodle bar. Never busy and a hidden gem on the Majestic.

I certainly wouldnt be giving any toonies or loonies. Heavy and cumbersome. I avoid coins myself (and cash generally). If you’re talking about larger tips at the end of the cruise that will be in bills and your ship will be at Canadian ports soon, then I think it would be ok. I don’t think Zaandam is expected in Canada until April though. Remember, even more than tips the crew wants to be mentioned in your post cruise survey. Everyone we tipped recently mentioned how important that was.

If your bid is accepted, you are not necessarily “stuck” with the one given. Once it’s assigned check the availability and if there is another one you prefer in the same category, call Princess and they will change it for you. I’ve done this through Princess and my PCC. Keep it simple when calling Princess. Just say you want to switch your cabin and let them know which one you want. Don’t say anything about bids, upgrades, etc. The call centre staff are very inexperienced now and this will just confuse them. Most minisuites on Ruby Princess are on deck 9, with a few aft on Deck 8 also as far as I know, so you won’t be any higher than that. Some people prefer deck 8 as they have partial coverage.

Masks haven’t been required for quite some time. Your friend may need a new travel agent.

We had a priest onboard the Volendam in November and also last week on Koningsdam, so I don’t think the practice is ending, but rather there weren’t any available.

We booked a cruise for October while on the Volendam in December. I don’t have a “regular” TA, but had booked this particular cruise through one because the price had jumped a bit and she still had the lower pricing for some reason. When booking the new cruise onboard I had a choice of it being thru HAL or going to the TA. As my AARP wasn’t showing on the booking initially, I decided to give the booking to the TA, so she could sort that out rather than me. Of course once I completed the booking, the AARP OBC did show up just fine. I was told by the cruise consultant onboard that I would get an email from the TA shortly with the booking details. I never got anything, and had him print me out a booking confirmation before disembarking. We’ve been home now for over a month and I still haven’t received anything at all from the TA. I guess I will call her, but I am wondering now if I even want to give her the booking after all. Has anyone dealt with this before? Can I transfer this to another TA or to my HAL cruise planner?

Completely agree. We always complete the survey as we know its an important way to recognize certain crew members, but the survey is painful! Way too long. I wonder how many people mean well and start it, but give up. FWIW, we are just back from an HAL cruise and theirs was almost as bad. I would encourage you if you had any crew members who made your cruise better, to go back and complete it when you have time. This is the most important thing for them in regards to pay increases, renewed contracts, etc.

We had one of these a few years ago with our then 19 year old son. I ended up sleeping on the sofa bed as we thought it a bit “short” for our son. Depending how tall your sons are, this may be a good arrangement for you. It flips out lengthways as a single and I found it very comfortable.