Bill B

You are correct. However, remember the adage - "Don't believe everything you read on the internet." (especially HAL's website) 🚬

One good electromagnetic pulse from detonation of a relatively close nuclear device will solve the problem. 😉 Then of course, no one will be able to find their way back to their room because the Navigator App won't work. 🙄 So, maybe it's not a good idea. 🤣 I'm assuming Captain XXXXX still has: a sextant, chronometer, charts and a magnetic compass, thus will be able to find a port (somewhere). 🤔😓

No, but the Oak Room on the Noordam - designed as smoking lounge (where you can't smoke anymore) - has a beautiful fireplace. The woman who claims to be allergic to purified water 🤔 and can only drink spring water, is also allergic to wood. So, kindling has been banned. 🙄

You need a different accent - then it'll connect you to Costa's artificial 'mind'. 🙄

Why don't you ask them?

There is no universal percentage.

Good and bad on both. It depends on the ship, itinerary and how lucky you are.

I know a few sea shanties - In the year of '39, assembled here the volunteers In the days when lands were few Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn The sweetest sight ever seen And the night followed day And the story tellers say That the score brave souls inside For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried Don't you hear my call though you're many years away Don't you hear me calling you Write your letters in the sand For the day I take your hand In the land that our grandchildren knew In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue The volunteers came home that day And they bring good news of a world so newly born Though their hearts so heavily weigh For the Earth is old and grey, little darling, we'll away But my love, this cannot be Oh, so many years have gone though I'm older but a year Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me... Brian May (Can't talk about the good ship Venus though).

I've never thought about it (until now). Personally, it varies dramatically from zero to many hundreds of dollars for a helicopter tour. They always get my port charges.

Friday here in Vietnam. I've found something puzzling on the website when I log in and go to my booking under ITINERARY - Pre-Paid Crew Appreciation: Bill B I haven't pre-paid the crew appreciation and it is not included in my booking promo. Also, $500 OBC is included in my booking promo, plus $100 from AARP = $600. Yesterday, when my TA got my room changed from a Cat. L to Cat. MM (i.e. I downgraded myself to better room) the corresponding fare appears on my Booking Confirmation with a total of $700 OBC. When I asked my TA where the extra $100 came from, her reply was "I don't know and I'm afraid to ask." 🤔 As far as I can see, the only 'downside' is they have almost a year to fix the website before I sail. How good is their accounting department? 😏

All is flux, the only constant is change.* *May or may not not apply to sailings on, before or after February 1, 2024.

This is interesting. I've looked at the four Beverage Cards on the HAL website. The page for each card has DETAILS (which don't tell you much 😂) and under that, a link for a pop-up window - BEVERAGE PACKAGE FAQs - stating in part: "Below are the Terms and Conditions, not sure we need to add this, but may be helpful to add some of these notes?" (I can't figure out if that's that a statement or a question 🤣) and "Packages are non-transferable and non-refundable. No sharing is permitted." Now the question becomes - Is a Card a Package?

Ahh haa! That explains it. 😄

They will gratefully accept it (but prefer U.S. dollars). Yesterday, I made a one dollar deposit booking (in USD) charged to my RBC visa. It appears on my account as $1.38 CAD. 😧

Keel hauling is too drastic. Bring back the 'cat' - By USS Constitution Museum

Yes... and the bag comes back very clean. 😉

In that case all your 'gratuities' - drinks and grew appreciation - are included and you won't be billed anything for any 'gratuity' unless you order a drink priced at more than $15. If you do, you will pay the difference between $15 and the price of the drink, plus 18%. What remains to be seen is if those who pre-pay their crew appreciation (i.e. it is not included in the booking), at the current rate and sail after February 1, will be billed the increased amount. It seems in the past people who did so were 'locked in'. However, the wording is such that, even if crew appreciation is pre-paid, they could (I doubt it) be billed the increased amount when onboard. Stay tuned and check back on February 2. 😏

They must be important to get a window (even if the view is only of a lifeboat). 😉

I think the bags are now $35 (maybe the Caribbean is different).

Kind'a like going to Facebook 'jail'. 😂 Understandable though - Cruise Critic doesn't really exist for the discussion boards, it exists to sell cruises through links to advertisers (who pay to fund the discussion boards). Back to the original topic - I find the least labour intensive way of looking at all available rooms is to use a website (that cannot be named) showing all rooms in any given Cat. on any given deck (including accessible rooms) for the entire ship - just one (almost instantaneous) 'click' to change decks. On the HAL website, it's a PITA to change sections and decks to see what's available. If your cruise can be booked as part of a B-T-B etc., open a window for each 'cruise'. I have a booking now for a 28-day cruise that is sold as part of its preceding 41-day and antecedent 43-day cruises. I was able to get a room that was not shown as available for my cruise because I knew it could be booked for the 41-day.

It seems to me you have nothing to lose (except a pittance of interest) and everything to gain - guaranteed spot and locked-in price* - by pre-booking. I can see no reason you couldn't cancel once onboard and immediately re-book using OBC. * Read the 'fine print'.

It depends on what promo you booked under. You use the words "Premium" and "too" when referring to your beverage package so I assume (always a mistake) you booked under a HIA Early Booking Bonus promo that included the 'crew appreciation', upgraded beverage package - Signature to Elite (18% service charge included) - and upgraded wi-fi - Surf to Premium. If that's the case, your 'crew appreciation' is paid no matter how much the per diem rate changes. The 18% service charge on drinks has not changed (yet). It is different and separate from the 'crew appreciation'.

I remember the days of film when you had to think twice before pressing the shutter button. There is something to be said for the digital revolution. 📷

Thanks AQ! I was just curious. It really doesn't matter because I will spend more than $600 onboard.

How do you know if OBC is refundable or non-refundable? For my cruise, I have $500 OBC included as part of the booking and $100 AARP OBC. I assume the AARP $100 is non-refundable, but what about the $500 as part of the booking?