Sigyn

Here is what HAL is offering on Black Friday: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holland-america-lines-black-friday-offer-includes-crew-appreciation-and-up-to-40-off-cruise-fares-301674779.html Holland America Line is getting into the holiday spirit early this year with a "Black Friday Offer" that start Nov. 17 and runs through Nov. 27, 2022. Guests who book select cruises starting from 2022 holiday sailings will receive prepaid stateroom crew appreciation (gratuities) and have access to up to 40% off cruise-only fares.The offer is combinable with Holland America Line's Have It All premium cruise package that includes four popular perks: shore excursions, a beverage package, specialty dining and Wi-Fi. The crew appreciation is applicable for the first and second guest in a stateroom. Travelers can take advantage of the offer starting with the holiday 2022 sailings through open 2024 cruises, excluding Grand Voyages and itineraries less than five days. Reduced cruise fares up to 40% off are available on a variety of worldwide itineraries spanning Alaska, the Caribbean, northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Canada/New England, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, South America, Hawaii and Tahiti, Mexico, the Pacific Coast and Panama Canal. Alaska Cruisetours, which combine an Alaska cruise with an overland tour to Denali and the Yukon, also are included in the offer. Guests who book with the Have It All premium fare get even more amenities included in their booking. Based on the length of the cruise, guests receive up to three shore excursions valued at $100 each. Choose from among thousands of tours all over the world – from active adventures and immersive culinary experiences to historical explorations and cultural discoveries. With the Signature Beverage Package, guests enjoy a large selection of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, soda, coffee and more, including bar service charges. Depending on the ship and duration of the cruise, guests can indulge in Holland America Line's award-winning specialty dining up to three nights. Pinnacle Grill is the ultimate steakhouse at sea, while Tamarind showcases the traditions of Southeast Asia, China and Japan. Canaletto serves authentic Italian cuisine. A Wi-Fi Surf Package keeps travelers connected while away from home. With Holland America Line's most popular package, guests can visit their favorite sites, including e-mail, news, sports and more.

Awesome, thank you!

Right, they say it's a discount, plus OBC, but the discount is the same that they were already offering.

A cruise I pre-priced yesterday, before the sale, and today, with the sale, is the exact same price, but with an additional $600 of on-board credit since there are three of us sailing.

That's sad. People like that approach everything in life with that same attitude.

I wouldn't call it a class system, but it is creating a divide between those who are willing to use mobile devices and other technology on board a ship and those who are not. Technology is designed to make things easier for passengers, so it's going to become increasingly more difficult to cruise without using it. Change is difficult for some to accept, and this is one of those times that people will have to make the decision about what they are willing to do.

Why is that? I see that there are three more hours on HAL, but we're going there to dive, and we'll be done diving in plenty of time with the Celebrity schedule in port from 8 am to 8 pm.

I wonder if they flew to meet the ship at the first port?

Yikes, that's awful.

Which of these two itineraries would you choose, and why? This is for three people - my husband and myself and our teenager, who would be 16 at the time of this cruise for December 2023. The key port for us is Bonaire. It's my husband's favorite place to dive and he wants to show it to our teenager, who is recently certified. There's one other cruise during this timeframe (Holiday 2023) that goes to Bonaire and it's on Royal Caribbean but it places us at Bonaire on Christmas Day, so we've ruled that one out since we're doing a cruise this holiday season, too, and we've already learned it's harder to book things on Christmas Day (with good reason!) The Holland America cruise is about $1,000 less for three people than the Celebrity. It's one day less, and Holland America is typically less than Celebrity. I'm interested in people's opinions on these ports, and what people think of Celebrity vs. Holland America. I've never cruised either, although we are booked on Celebrity for the first time next summer. Celebrity 11 night - Panama Canal & Caribbean Holiday Dec. 22 - Jan. 2 - Departs Fort Lauderdale Ship: Celebrity Beyond Day 1: Fort Lauderdale - departs 4 pm Day 2: Day at Sea Day 3: Christmas Eve - George Town, Grand Cayman - 8 am - 6 pm Day 4: Christmas Day - Day at Sea Day 5: Panama Canal - Cruising and then Colon, Panama - 5 pm - 9 pm Day 6: Day at Sea Day 7: Oranjestad, Aruba - 8 am - 11 pm Day 8: Kralendijk, Bonaire - 8 am - 8 pm Day 9: Willemstad, Curacao - 7 am - 5 pm Day 10: Day at Sea Day 11: Day at Sea Day 12: Jan. 2 - Fort Lauderdale - 7 am Holland America 10 night - Southern Caribbean Seafarer Holiday Dec. 17- 27 - Departs Fort Lauderdale Ship: Nieuw Statendam Day 1: Fort Lauderdale - departs 3 pm Day 2: Half Moon Cay - 9 am - 4 pm Day 3: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos - 11:30 am - 7:30 pm Day 4: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic - 8 am - 5 pm Day 5 - Day at Sea Day 6 - Kralendijk, Bonaire - 8 am - 11 pm Day 7 - Willemstad, Curacao - 7 am - 11 pm Day 8 - Christmas Eve - Oranjestad, Aruba - 7 am - 4 pm Day 9 - Dec. 25 - Day at Sea Day 10 - Dec. 26 - Day at Sea Day 11 - Fort Lauderdale - arrive 7 am

Curious what the first thing you do when you board your ship for a cruise?

Curious how late you can show up for a cruise and still be allowed to board.

We booked with Off the Wall Divers in Grand Cayman. I've gotten several recommendations for them, including from our local dive shop.

Sometimes it happens unintentionally. My husband and I were on a cruise, and settled in on a daybed with a partial cover after a long day at port, and next thing we knew, we were asleep! The rocking of the ship, plus exhaustion...it happens.

I have made our specialty dining reservations: Onda, Le Bistro and Cagney's. Can't wait to try them! We're sailing to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios and Grand Stirrup Caye. We have booked our excursions - dune buggies in Cozumel through a ship excursion, scuba diving in Grand Cayman through a private excursion, and an ocean villa at GSC (staying on the ship in Jamaica), so I'm most interested in what to do on the ship, those little nuances with NCL that I wouldn't think about in advance. I chose NCL because of friends who have sailed it and highly recommended it. We were never happy with Carnival. We sailed it because of a couple that we were close friends with who sailed it with us and who loved it. They have since divorced so we're no longer sailing Carnival with them. We didn't like the atmosphere on Carnival, except the last time, when it was a cruise to the Mediterranean on the Vista, when it was brand new. You really cannot have a bad time going to Italy, Spain and France on a brand new ship, and if you do, there's something inherently wrong with you. 🙂 I do like to make reservations on vacation because I'm more comfortable having things booked that might fill up. Normally in life I'm a shoot from the hip kinda person. But vacation, I get a thrill out of researching in depth and choosing carefully among the many delicious options in advance. I read that the teen club has been eliminated from the Prima, that they just kind of meet in a meeting area, so I don't know if this will appeal to him. Yes, we have that, and we upgraded to the Premium drink package, which gave us another specialty meal. I did do dinner reservations already. We booked this cruise 89 days out, but I was still able to get the reservations I wanted. I suspect a lot of people cancelled right then, perhaps, rather than pay the fare at 90 days, perhaps? Not sure. I know that's one of the cancellation deadlines. Whatever the reason, I got lucky and scored 6 pm and 6:30 pm reservations at all the restaurants we wanted. This is super helpful, thank you! How does the teen club work now that it's not a specific location anymore for the teenagers? He's turning 15 in a week.

It looks like our 12/23 holiday sailing on the Prima is close to capacity. There are no cabins left in any category for 3 passengers, and if you are sailing with 2 passengers, you can only get a guaranteed balcony or a sailaway balcony, no specific ones left to choose. In Haven, the only thing left for 2 people is the Haven Penthouse with balcony, all other categories sold out. There are ocean views left in several categories with rooms available to choose, but for insides, it's only inside guarantees left.

I've cruised three times before, but on Carnival. What do I need to know about Norwegian? My husband, teenage son and I will be on the Prima for a holiday cruise on Dec. 23. Thanks!

This is helpful, thank you. I wonder if the 10% off applies on top of the 10% military discount. thank you!

Should I wait and book my next NCL cruise when I'm on board in December? What kind of deals do you get if you book while you're on a cruise?

It's what I get for posting late in the evening after running my teenager around town. I always think I have news when it's really not. 😏

I would absolutely get two cabins. We have three kids - ages 14, 19 and 21, and when we took all three to Italy five years ago, when they were 9, 14 and 16, we booked two rooms in every hotel. More expensive, but there was no way we were squeezing five people in one room, even hotel rooms that were much bigger than ship cabins. The only exception was in Rome, when we had a two-bedroom suite with a separate living room. I had booked us for one cruise, but had to cancel, and in that instance, I did what others are suggesting, booking an inside cabin and a balcony cabin. I put one adult in each cabin for booking purposes, and I was going to put all three kids in the inside and the adults in the balcony when it came time for sleeping arrangements. Another corridor is fine with your kids 14 and 16. Obviously you wouldn't do that with younger kids, but if they're responsible kiddos they can handle being down a different hallway on the ship.

usually

thanks! I always like to come back with info. It's weird to me when people help someone out and the original poster doesn't reappear! what a coincidence!!! and yes, we will have a great time! I would have rather not paid extra at all, but the standard veranda was just so blah in such a non-appealing spot. and everything else was partial view. now that I made the leap to Aqua Class it seems like a cool option and I'm looking forward to it.

Celebrity emailed travel agents and said that effective Nov. 2, passengers will no longer need to be tested for Covid before departure on a cruise. https://cruiseradio.net/celebrity-cruises-drops-testing-all-guests/

I had to google "Hoka Bondi 8"