VermeulT

I'd say only the middle of February is an issue with the influx of younger kids. HAL isn't an interest for the college rowdy Spring Break youngens.

I haven't rented from them but I've been looking and I've found better rates. FYI

When I did this in 2011, the 14 day person (me) had two booking numbers, and the others all had 1 for their appropriate week.

I believe these cabins are released once the cruise tours are announced.

The Mariner Bonus yes is on top of the early booking bonus HIA perks. I too wish HAL &/or my TA would break them out. I have two lines of OBC on my invoice... one is what we get from them, one is what we get from HAL - but that's a lump number so it's hard to figure out that I have everything I should.

Thanks all.

Can someone recall the date that the 2025-2026 Caribbean season was opened? And can someone confirm how much the Mariner bonus is? I booked Jan 2026 on 8/3/24 but only see $375 as OBC on the invoice from my TA. I should have AARP OBC as well.

eh. A little bummer IMO. I love Grand Turk, and find Aruba way to touristy. I'll probably just stay onboard and enjoy a quiet day on the ship.

There will be 3 of us in Bonaire on 12/4. Can someone recommend a company that has a golf cart for 3 or a rental car company? thank you.

or a sister or friend can tag along for "free". 🥸

Could you take advantage of Luggage Direct or similar service depending on the disembarkation port? That checks your bag through and gets you a boarding pass.

hhmmmm. No Glacier Bay on the 28 day Solstice. Looks very much like the modified itinerary for 2025.

The offer without crew appreciation was a "private fare". My sister has been getting them. I do not, yet we cruise together. There are multiple fares out at any given time. Some include perks like Crew Appreciation. Some have limited deposit. Some have non-refundable deposits...... Your travel agent can help you navigate what is the best for you for this booking.

Is it max $50 per cabin or are you assuming 2 person occupancy. Do all 3 in the cabin pay? (I assume)?

There will be 3 of us and Bonaire Cruisers only has golf carts for 3. Can anyone recommend another company or should I look at a car?

I've been part of a triple a couple of times now. I'm currently booked in a lengthwise I cabin on deck 5. This cabin (per pictures on Hal Facts) coverts the couch to a bed - but not a pull out. Prices have dropped and I can get a VH for us for the same price. I have hated the pull out. The mattress is like a cracker. Thin and hard. There are a couple of VH cabins with 2 lowers and 1 upper. I have no problems with the concept of the upper. But I'm wondering how comfortable the mattress is.... Anyone? Thanks much.

A few months ago I considered a quickie Alaska cruise. It weas like $349 plus port charges. Airfare was over $600... so much for my "cheap" getaway.

I took up an offer from someone else on our roll call this past Jan. what a surprise! One of my favorite cruise days ever. great communication before. tour guide was great. swimming w turtles was amazing. I love that they’ll customize the tour, so next time to the island, we can use them again but not redo the exact itinerary.

Insides can vary. I haven't seen any major difference between standard balconies (not suites), or ocean view. There are a couple of insides near the mid-ship elevators where the couch isn't big enough to pull out. I'm hoping the couch set up as a bed will be more comfortable than the pull outs have been. For the balconies - they are bed, couch, balcony. The vista suites are couch, bed, balcony. Hope that helps.

@POA1 @Crew News or anyone else that might know... what is the cost for this meal?

I think a lot of it is the passenger complement is different. I can already see some difference with the 10 day cruises from 7. I think HAL sees it too... you can see there are many many more 9+ day cruises in the Caribbean, only a few 7 day itineraries.

I'm not sure about patient.🤣. There's a reason why 3rd and 4th people are usually free.

The vista suite isn't all that different from a regular verandah except the couch/desk area and bed are reversed. The signature suite is bigger. How old is your son? I've been in a triple with 3 adults. The pull out isn't the best and when it's out it is difficult to maneuver around the room. A young person would probably not have an issue. If I could - I'd always go for the bigger room, but realistically, my wallet doesn't always allow that.

Update - my TA said they can’t add the Save On Sunshine promotion because we booked it several months ago and it’s only applies for recent bookings (since July something through Aug 20th or something close to that). We’d have to rebook. Which since there are no other inside triple available, we’d have to upgrade to another category. I understand what @c4car was saying, but we had a larger inside so the “upgrade” to an outside wouldn’t really be an upgrade to us. this was for the 9 day Rotterdam on 11/29. I’m considering the 11 day Eurodam on 11/27. It would be the same price for 2 extra days even before adding crew appreciation. Decisions, decisions.!

I have questions.... How does this work? I have a reservation for Nov 29, 2024 Rotterdam cruise (no HIA). A month ago I asked my TA to refare as the price went down by about $400 for the cabin. By the time she got back to me, there were no triples available for an inside. I was told that since it wasn't available for a new booking, they couldn't have the price adjusted. On another thread, several folks have contacted their TA to have the new promo that includes crew appreciation added to their booking. Could my TA get this done or no again, since there are no cabins available under by selected category? so basically - is a refare - keeping an existing booking and getting a discount applied, or is it a cancel and rebook? and if "it depends", what determines which needs to get done?