rodndonna

36 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Thanks but when I placed Holland in the format it came up Volendam & Zaandam not Nieuw Amsterdam 

That's because they are the only ships with "new release" cruises currently.

You can use a site to Cruiseplum to stay on top of newly released cruises  

https://www.cruiseplum.com/newly-released-cruises

50 minutes ago, pirate cruiser said:

We booked a 12 day cruise while we were on Oosterdam last Sept.-we got the aft verandah we wanted plus the upgraded HIA, AARP and teacher OBC-all for just a $100 refundable deposit so I think it's worth the time to at least check what's available while onboard.

Just to clarify though - you can purchase FCD (Future Cruise Deposit) on board for later use which gives you that same refundable $100 deposit option for a future booking.

As well - the OBC offered was the same on our bookings (whether we booked on board or just took FCD with OBC for use later) but I recall someone posting here there was a change (at least on their cruise) where the OBC associated with the FCD was a little less than the OBC if booked on board. I do wonder though if that difference is just the "come back and sail" additional OBC offer you get on return. 

16 hours ago, C 2 C said:

The best deals on HAL are getting OBC for:

Stock ownership

Military Discount

Teacher discount

AARP membership

 

I recently looked at a long cruise and all those do not qualify.

I don't know if booking onboard will get more than a $100 or if they cancel other OBC

 

They don't cancel the other OBC.

Just another note - we don't book "abroad" or on board - haha - but we do purchase the Future Cruise Certificates (FCD) which gets you the reduced discount and some OBC for a future booking, but you can wait and use it later.

Not sure if things have changed recently, but in our experience we would purchase FCD's and then if there is something we are interested in, there is a another small additional OBC (maybe $50) after you return home as a sort of come back offer. We would rather not sit with the consultant during our cruise and prefer to look at things and book after we get home so that works best for us,

8 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

I have only been on 3 cruises in the last 2 years. It is my experience that they don't reduce many cabins until after final payment.

I've been checking Cruiseplum for price histories of cruises similar to what I am looking for in 2025, In this case I am looking at Fall 2024 med cruises, and they all seem to have a pattern of price changes about 5-6 months out - BUT - for many (most) it is upward for non-insides and downward for any remaining insides (which then often seem to then just disappear - likely sold).

I think for an inside, there is a small window of "chance" of catching something, but for pretty much all other categories - unlikely.

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Exactly! Some of the big ships offer  really great amenities. It's all about how the space is used.

 

PS: I'm off to research this golf option you speak of!! 🙂 

 

Perry Golf Cruises - I'll warn you - it's not cheap - but we are going to bite the bullet (and may have to look for more deals for our other cruises and holidays to offset the cost).

4 hours ago, Ayden said:

Why not book your desired cabin and watch carefully for sales or downward price adjustments closer to booking and before final payment is due. A good travel agent is recommended and can handle this for you.

Lots of time but this hedges your bet.

Thanks!

Being new to looking at Azamara, I wasn't sure if they do that "re-faring" thing like some of the cruise lines. If we can refare with a drop in price (before final payment), then that would be the way to go for us - we like booking early and having all that time to think about our cruise. 😀

12 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

CCL has already placed new build orders. CCL announced last February they are building two new excel class ships for Carnival. These are big girls. 183K g/t and 5K passengers. I sailed the Celebration (an Excel class and sister to the ships currently on the order books).  It's a well designed ship with some innovative options for food choices. Think 'food truck' concept around the main lido pool which moves crowds away from the lido. They also offer an entire adult only deck area called Serenity complete with comfy padded loungers, a pool, a bar, a salad bar, and servers. All complimentary. I'd sail this class of ship again in a heartbeat, if only for the Serenity.

 

 

I'm with you in checking out new ships and their innovation - we sailed NCl's newest last year (Viva) and their indulge food hall, Ocean walk , Vibe are really nice innovations possible on larger/newer ships. That being said, we (and I expect you may) - like all ships sizes and sorts for the differences they offer. Our next sailing is on Volendam, so back to a smaller ship after our last 2 cruises being on newer large ships (NCL and Princess). I enjoyed them but am also looking forward to Volendam. Looking at a cruise next year on Azamara (700 passengers) but that is for the golf option they offer.

11 hours ago, Marylebone37 said:

All very interesting, thanks.  So it's the lowest-category cabins they are trying to sell at a bargain — which at those prices, they are!  If one could be comfortable in an inside room, there are some terrific deals to be had.

We typically sail insides, but for us (and many) the problem is rather timing (for us getting a dog scheduled in to board is difficult on short notice) and flight costs and schedules when booking last minute can be problematic. They all look great, but not suitable for the many.

A current example is we are looking at a PerryGolf cruise for 2025 in the Med and would happily take an inside. Price for an inside now is higher than "some' of the cruise for insides in 2024 (but many are just sold out for Perry Golf). If I really want that cruise and guarantee of the limited Perry Golf spots, we may have to eat the cost booking early. 

Edit: A final point would be this being our first foray into Azamara, and I find it surprising how little savings there are for an inside when you book early, no wonder they have them leftover for last minute bookings.

10 hours ago, SUESEABE said:

 

 

If you still want to cancel, use the chat feature on website. I used chat to cancel a cruise. The entire process took about 10 minutes and immediately received email confirmation. You may also request transcript of chat conversation at the end of dialogue. 

I second using the chat feature - I used it recently to cancel and was super-easy with quick email confirmation. 

With regards to booking onboard being a Canadian - on our first HAL  cruise we bought FCD's and were given US based FCD's (we had no idea how it worked). We are just gonna let those expire and have since only purchased Can$ FCD's (had to make a point to be sure it was correct)  (as I expect you may have noticed we Canucks do a little better on exchange rate booking in Can$ with HAL)

2 hours ago, MamaFej said:

PapaFej gets much more value out of golfing than my dad and brother do. He takes significantly more strokes per round than most folks. 

 

Nonetheless, it looks like we have finally convinced my dad to do Perry Golf cruises. He's been reluctant to be a "third wheel" traveling with us, no matter how many times we've told him he won't be and that lots of single folks cruise. He can afford the single supplement. He is now seeing someone and they are on a four day road trip. They are taking an Alaska cruise in August. If all goes well this week, I think we will be putting down deposits on cabins my TA friend is holding for us on B2Bs next year. We will be on a Perry Golf cruise, not golfing, in February, so we will get to see it from both sides. 

 

Anyway, here are some links that @rodndonna and others may find helpful. I believe these links meet the intent of the rules here, as they are informational, do not promote a TA (at least we are booking through our own), and are links, not "articles." If they are not okay, I imagine they will be removed quickly. My intentions are good. 

 

Perry Golf Cruising     

To find the golf pricing, go to the particular cruise you are interested in, scroll down, then select "Pricing" from right side of the horizontal menu.  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>⬇️

For our cruises, there are 5 rounds of golf for $4745, and $5745 for 6 rounds. Both are 12 day cruises, and include the Experience More package ($300 Shore Ex credit, Internet for ONE, and Premium beverages for two. No, I don't know why both people don't get internet, but that's what it says in multiple places).  Yes, it is VERY pricey. This is about making memories with my 82 year-old dad and my brother and SIL. Our family has decided that this opportunity makes sense for us. It will not make sense for everyone. 

 

Perry Golf What's Included

 

Perry Golf Cruise FAQs

 

I'm not sure where I've seen it in writing, but I know I have seen that non-golfing companions are invited to onboard social events for the golfers such as a welcome aboard cocktail party. The cocktail party is mentioned in this video. 

 

Your timing is good, @rodndonna, as I've been doing research for this the last few days, and the links were handy. 

If I am lucky enough at 82 to still be able to swing a golf club, there will be no effort required to convince me to go on a Perry Golf cruise! Its sounds like a wonderful way to make memories with your family,

You are right - at that price it's not for everyone - but it definitely offers a very unique holiday experience (especially for golfers).  We love cruise holidays and we love golf holidays .... what could be better.

The more research I do, I am pretty sure after our first PerryGolf (looked closely at Med next fall) we will be hooked and it will become an annual thing for us (at least until I am 83!)

4 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

The fee is $4.95 US a month but waived if you keep $3000 in it at all times. I've only had both cards just over a month so will see how it works for me when I cruise in October. 

It sounds like we have the same account - and I don't know why (I don't question it) but ever since we ran the balance down from all those cheap US dollars we accumulated years ago, it is now charged as $4.95, but then rebates us back $3.00, to we are only paying $1.95 with a balance of a few hundred. No idea why (maybe because we have a Canadian account that maintains $5K to avoid fees and a few other perks?)

If you're not in a rush - emailing  - Onboardbilling@hollandamerica.com works. I have used it in the past.

It's slower, but easier than phoning (at least for me).

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

What exchange rate does TD use when you place CAD funds into the USD account? I'm wondering how it compares to a purchase made in USD using a CAD credit card that charges no conversion fee.

I expect it would be the same rate then would it not? The rate TD gives when I move money from my Canadian to US account (or vice versa) is their daily posted exchange rate.

If I use my TD Canadian credit card (that has a conversion "fee") I expect I would be calculated at their daily rate PLUS a conversion fee. If I had a card without a conversion fee than I guess I pay that same posted exchange rate.

39 minutes ago, nordski said:

Totally agree with uktog.

 

In our experience, two members of a golfing couple are happy. The one has golf to enjoy and the other is off sightseeing or shopping. Almost all seem to be very happy indeed with the experience and their choice.

 

As a result they have a positive impact upon the whole cruise “vibe.”

And sometimes - both of them golf ...😀

1 hour ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

Has anyone been on a theme cruise (like a golf cruise) but only because you wanted to be on the cruise and had no interest in the "theme?" Wondering how it would be to not be a part of that group. (One of the cruises I'm looking at is a golf cruise but I don't golf).

If you type "Perry" into the search for this forum (Azamara) you will find quite a few folks that had/have that same question (I tripped on them looking for Perry Golf info on this forum). The short answer seems to be that it has no negative impact and they are a very well behaved and managed group (I am biased as a golfer although that seemed to be the answer).

Not sure about other themes though ....

3 hours ago, pvkatmom said:

Last October 2023, we did an Azamara Perry Golf cruise to France, Spain and Portugal. Four days of golf on a, I forget, but think it was a 10 day cruise. I talked to the Perry Golf people quite a bit, as I wanted to be assured of a cart. Perry Golf people are very responsive and will answer all your questions. You have to understand that they book all the tee times (some of which are at hard-to-get -into private clubs), transport your clubs to the course (in advance), transport you to the course where your clubs and cart are waiting for you (and then transport you and your clubs back to the ship, provide lunches and snacks and have several fun on- board events with your fellow golfers. We made friends with a couple that live near us  and we now play together quarterly, alternating hosting at our home courses. The trip's courses are often some distance from the port. If you were to try to do this all by yourself, it'd be quite tough. We thought it was worth every penny. This was our fourth Azamara cruise and our first Azamara/Perry Golf cruise. We'd definitely do another. We're going on Azamara again this October (Italy), but it is not a golf cruise.

Thanks for sharing your experience. What you have described is why we think it might be worth the splurge 😎

Spain/Portugal or maybe elsewhere in the Med for a fall cruise (2026 or 2027) is where we are leaning.

1 minute ago, royallondon said:

Wow, at that cost you’d want plenty of hits to get good value! 
 

On a more serious note, if you clock some Perry golf dates and then go on the relevant “roll calls” there may be some supplementary information around the golf content that may be useful.

 

Regards

Indeed - best not to just not think about "value" when it comes to "cruise" golfing  and why it would be a "one of" ... very hard to justify (even with my lackluster golf game allowing for plenty of shots!).

Never thought about the roll calls, that is a god idea and I will start stalking some of those.

8 minutes ago, Ithikan said:

We recently booked a Perry Golf cruise for 2026.  Working with our usual TA, we booked our cabin (with the benefits provided by the TA) and then, booked one of us as a single for the Perry Golf portion.

It took an exploratory email or two and then one phone call (probably not necessary, but I valued the reassurance of speaking with a Perry Golf rep) and the reservations went through without a hitch.

It's a splurge for sure and I SO wish that Perry would permit a ride-along, non-golf spouse on a few of the courses, but, we're on the books and very happy.

Thanks for providing your experience.

As you say, it's a splurge, so hoping "maybe" the cost for a couple is not quite double the single rate, but we don't expect much discount. I am surprised they don't provide at least some form of "ride-along" pricing for non-golfers as we typically see that on our land golf holidays with resort courses.

I get what you're saying about speaking with a rep at Perry Golf for that assurance. Maybe that is why I can't see any ability to quote or book the golf with Azamara direct or on-line TA sites (even though they flag the cruise as a Golf cruise).

One thing I am puzzled by though, is I can see "golf" cruises on Azamara (or on-line TA) that so not show up on Perry Golf website. In particular, there are cruises in the Caribbean labeled by Azamara as being a golf cruise, but no Caribbean cruises appear on Perry Golf site. 🤔

6 minutes ago, uktog said:

You can unsubscribe from emails so you should be able to get figures from Perry Golf and then say “opt out of marketing” 

Thanks - I think you are right and I may have to go that route for accurate quotes.

In the meantime - I have found a Youtube video where they are giving a figure of about $700/pp/per round which was about what I was guesstimating .. sadly $1000/pp/per round for us Canadians.

For now I can at least estimate - take the cruise cost total and then add $2000 (Can$) times the number of rounds of golf to the total. It definitely put it in the "one of splurge" experiences for us ... but at least we can ponder it....😊

For those of you that do Perry Golf cruises with Azamara, can you tell me if when you are researching, pricing  and booking do you typically deal with Azamara and then just "add-on" a golf package after (or while) booking, or do you just deal with Perry Golf?

Here is what I am trying to achieve, I would like to price out Perry Golf cruises for us (as a couple) for future budgeting/planning purposes. I am resistant to provide Perry Golf with our contact info to get pricing estimates, but it appears I would also have to provide full contact to Azamara to work through a mock booking (and get the golf price add-ons I am trying to see)

I am hesitant mostly because this would be a "one of splurge" for us in 2 or 3 years, and I don't want any more cruise line spam than I am already getting from cruiselines I am typically booking with.

Do I just have to accept 2-3 years worth of additional spam to get what I am looking for?

17 hours ago, ebtrip said:

I usually used a TA, but I receive casino rates and my PCC gives me the best rate. I was told by my TA that they can not discount casino rates.  Also I get Club Orange and my PCC has been able to get that for me.  For other cruise lines I use an online TA

I don't understand your TA saying they can't give you Casino discount?

We just booked a Casino discounted cruise last week through a TA . When I go on any big on-line TA site and I add in my Mariner number as past passenger, I get my Casino discounted fares.

We book the lowest inside GTY - so no downward options available! Everthing is an upgrade from that "N' category inside (don't think anyone is actually ever assigned those cabins) 😊

OK - Just tried the "chat" feature on the website - very pleasantly surprised - very responsive and easy peasy to cancel our booking (we were more than our 60 days past booking so transfer not an option).

Nice to avoid calling our PCC since it seems a waste of their time  🙃

We are looking to cancel our current 2 bookings with HAL so we can rebook through agency (looking for new maximizing reward  points). 

Do I need to contact our PCC for this?

I would rather not, since we are essentially ending our relationship at this point for the foreseeable future. 😏