Mom39

On 1/22/2019 at 8:19 PM, D & S said:

Thank you for all the directions and tips for going to Alcatraz.  SF will be our 2nd U.S. stop so that will help getting off on time without customs. Will make it much easier with our planning before when we arrive.   Ordering our tickets now.  Thanks for the help.

Hi.  I'm wondering how it worked out.  We are boarding a cruise from LA which stops overnight in San Francisco.  I must see Alcatraz!  The cruise excursion is fully booked.  Right now, Alcatraz has 3:50 tickets available for the day we arrive (and we arrive at 2 p.m.) and it has Noon tickets available for the day we leave San Fran (we leave at 5 p.m.).  So, either way I'm taking a chance but I figure I'd better order my tickets right away.  Which would you suggest?  I'm sailing Celebrity. 

I don't understand the question.  For the two cancelled nonstop return flights from Copenhagen to Chicago, which SAS cancelled the day before the flights: On 12/20, I received $1,278.00.  On 12/19, I received $1,270.00. SAS also reimbursed what I paid for the return seats which was $1,012.  Total rec’d: around $3,560.  Apparently SAS believes I should have gotten two people home from Copenhagen at the last minute with only $2,270.  Had that been the case, perhaps SAS would have booked us on alternative flights but they said at the time that nothing was available.  I'm not happy.

Looking forward to my HAL cruise (boarding 12/23), but, yep, I don't think I'll fly SAS again.  How on earth did they come up for $1,270!!!!!  I am angry.  Happy about the EU law of $600 per person for the inconvenience.  But, I won't be giving up.

This is the follow-up email I received today which is still a bit confusing but also infuriating (and does not explain whether the 1270 is for each passenger):

I received an email today and am upset.  It took SAS months to return the money I paid for the return flight home they cancelled.  Now I'm waiting for the mandatory compensation and the reimbursement for the flight I had to purchase with one day's notice.  This is what they wrote to me and, first, the amount they quote is significantly less than my out-of-pocket costs.  In addition, I'm not clear what they are going to deposit.  When they 1270, is that per person for the flight or did they in their wisdom decide that was total for both flights and the mandatory compensation under European law?  Frustrated.  Here's the latest email (and received after sending numerous emails and making numerous calls):

Thank you for your reply and I do understand your concern.

Further to your request for reimbursement of your alternate transportation, I see that your alternate transportation expense seem to be high. Hence, we had made an individual evaluation and we find USD 1270 is reasonable in this case.
Amount will take 8 to 9 business days to credit.

It is my hope that you will choose SAS for your future travel as we are looking forward to seeing you onboard again soon.

Since you've only been on the Zuiderdam, I'd recommend one of the three newer ships: Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, or Konigsdam.  

On 10/11/2022 at 8:39 PM, Mom39 said:

I just got one.  Same thing, it oddly doesn't show up when I log in.  I want to speak with my HAL Cruise Consultant about it anyway.  We're already booked on the 12/23 sailing (free ocean view) and this would add the 12/30 sailing (free interior).  I just don't want the hassle of switching rooms on 12/30....  

Update:  We've booked the 12/30 cruise.  It is an inside.  So, I'll follow the advice I've read here and see about upgrades closer to our sailing date.  Looking forward to the B2B cruises.

On 9/20/2022 at 4:11 PM, Charlene1985 said:

I'm just curious how old you were when you hit your 2 star 3 star, 4 star, and 5 star milestones?  At 37, I'm usually one of the youngest on the HAL cruises, my husband is 51.  My two star Mariner status slightly embarrasses me when I present my card.  I absolutely love HAL and cruising (this will be our 4th cruise, 3rd on Holland America since 2018) but my husband jokingly says I'll probably be 5 starts by the time I turn 50.  We've decided that cruising is a much more enjoyable way to travel and we are planning an Alaskan cruise as well as researching an Australia and New Zealand cruise for 2023 and 2024.  We both work for the airlines and I fly to various European cities 5X a month so I get my "city" vacations and sight-seeing done while at work, but we are still interested in doing a Mediterranean cruise at some point as well.  He's cruised Royal Carribean and we have both taken a Carnival cruise before (we took an AmaWaterways cruise in 2019) and after reading many reviews and watching hours of YouTube ship tour videos, we can confidently say we have zero desire to try any other cruise line (other than Ama for a Danube cruise).  

At 54, I've just become a three star.  My daughter has you beat though.  At 15, she's also a three star.  But, we had really good HAL deals when she was young because my sister was a nurse for HAL.  And, even though HAL is not what first comes to mind for kids, HAL has a decent kids club and for teenagers you really just need to help them meet.  

On 10/7/2022 at 4:44 AM, Crazy For Cats said:

I got an offer yesterday.  When I logged in the pricing didn’t show up on my account.  Hopefully it will today.

I just got one.  Same thing, it oddly doesn't show up when I log in.  I want to speak with my HAL Cruise Consultant about it anyway.  We're already booked on the 12/23 sailing (free ocean view) and this would add the 12/30 sailing (free interior).  I just don't want the hassle of switching rooms on 12/30....  

I think that the cruise lines will continue to clean daily.  There are safety issues on cruise ships and it is an excuse to check out the cabins.  

I also received an email that they will be reimbursing us the $600 or so per person as compensation.  The email did not address the $4.8K we paid for a last-minute flight home nor did it address reimbursement for what I paid to SAS.  I called (it is easier to get through now) and the SAS representative said he would document my call and ask for follow up.  He thinks that SAS will eventually reimburse our flights as well.  So far, I haven't received anything.  We are cruising again with HAL for Christmas and looking forward to it. It was a lovely cruise and obviously a great price, just not if I get stuck with the $4.8K cost for the flight home. 🙂 

I think he'll have a good time.  I'm taking my 15-year-old on the NA for Christmas.  She had a good time on a two-week cruise r/t Copenhagen in June.  My advice it to make sure that he goes to the meet and greet on the first day in order to connect with the other teens.  I agree with the others that teenagers might prefer some of the other lines but I also think that HAL has plenty to offer.  On the ship they get good food, music, and shows as well as tables/games in the observation lounge. Then, of course, there's the beaches!!!  Right now I will admit HAL has an unbeatable price and I never have a bad time because it is clean and everyone is nice.  

My guess is you are better off booking with the PCC.  I don't think the free casino offers can be beat.  But, if the cost isn't an issue and the free offers don't include your desired sailing, then you can book something else.

We are being spoiled with these offers.  We'll be on our third freebie for Christmas in the Caribbean.  Am already hoping to receive a free offer for the Oosterdam cruise r/t Trieste to Jerusalem, Greece, etc.  Has anyone been on the Oosterdam recently?  Been to Jerusalem?  Is it a good port?  

On 8/10/2022 at 10:18 AM, ScanTheHorizon said:

Hi,

We are considering a Norway cruise on the HAL Rotterdam with our kids, who will be 10 and 8 at the time of the cruise. Has anyone been on the ship with kids in a similar age group? We are planning on June 2023 and hope there might be a few other kids onboard, as well as some appropriate activities. It will be their first cruise so we'd like to get them started with something fun! 

Thanks for your thoughts!

Try to make the kids club the first night for the introductions.  Might be more important for the teens, who have less programming.  But, I felt it was important for my daughter to attend the first night in the teen club in order to meet people and it was smart to do so.  We were on a two-week cruise so there weren't a lot of kids.  But, you don't need a lot, just a few friends...  She had a wonderful time and I did to.  Good luck!  

On 8/11/2022 at 3:50 PM, rocksteady27 said:

@NCTribeFan that trip sounds great! I have a kid in HS so we can only go during school breaks but I’ve booked the NS for November and the NA for December.  I wish I could book more but in a few years I’ll have tons more flexibility.

Same boat.  We're doing the 12/23 on the NA w/ a teenager.  I'm hoping that they'll offer 12/30 so I can just stay on the ship.  

On 7/29/2022 at 4:06 PM, roxybear135 said:

Yes, that was us at the table.  I also filed the claim, received the confirmation email, and nothing since.  I've heard it can take months to receive the money, so I don't expect to hear anything soon from them.  I had booked a backup flight but fortunately was able to cancel that when I got them to rebook me because all of the flights out of CPH were insanely expensive.  Hopefully you get them to refund you.  Or perhaps you can look to see if you had trip cancellation insurance?  Some credit cards do cover that.  Good luck with getting your money back and hope your daughter had a fun time at camp!

Our business class flight from Copenhagen to Chicago were 4880 (two people) but when searched Kayak the day before our flight home (after receiving the email from SAS), that was around the same price as a coach on British Air.  Had I read the regulations before booking I would have seen that they require the flight to be in the same class, but I'd be happy to receive what British Air was charging for coach along with money for food, etc.  W/ business class we had lounge access, etc., and we did go from a nonstop Copenhagen-Chicago to two lengthy flights and a long layover.  Anyway, so I had purchased the premium insurance with HAL but I didn't book my SAS flights through them so I don't think it will help.  I also purchased our flights with AMEX, but strikes aren't covered apparently.  I'll seek reimbursement from both once I hear back from SAS.  Good luck to you!

On 7/8/2022 at 1:04 PM, roxybear135 said:

EU 261 states that the airline has to pay for this in the event that your flight is cancelled and you are rebooked on another flight.  It says you can spend up to 250 euro for a hotel each night and 50 per person a day on food (no alcohol).  You have to pay for it out of pocket and then submit receipts to SAS for reimbursement.  I have no idea how long it would take to get reimbursed.

 

Also, for everyone who had their flight cancelled - make sure to submit a claim under EU 261.  You should be entitled to 600 euro for the hassle.  You can submit your claim on the SAS website.  I plan to do that today.

 

Here's the info on this law:

 

https://www.flysas.com/en/legal-info/eu-passenger-rights/

 

And the form to fill out for compensation claims:

 

https://www.flysas.com/en/customer-service/contact/forms/claim-flights/

Thank you Roxy.  I filed my claim with SAS and received an email confirming that they received it, but that's it for now.  I think I sat by you and your fiancé at the table by the way 🙂. I had handled things differently.  I booked an expensive flight through Istanbul in order to get home.  I'm a little unclear about what I'm entitled to having flown business class, but it was all they had available.  I had a child and I had to get home (and was still a day later).  Fingers crossed as I'd love to get my money back.  Hoping that they act in good faith in responding to the claims.  The SAS email said they couldn't find an alternative flight and that I shouldn't go to the airport.  So, I booked what I could to get home from Copenhagen.

There was lobster on my 7-night Christmas 2021 Mexican Riviera cruise on the Konigsdam.  No free lobster in MDR on my 14-night r/t Copenhagen June 2022 cruise.  Not a big deal to me as the lobster isn't wasn't the best.  They had escargot and creme brûlée on both cruises. And, I learned that the creme brûlée is often available if you request it even when not on the menu.  Salmon was yummy.

Beautiful ship with lovely staff.  Loved the Blues club.  Not a good way to end a cruise though.  Not HAL's fault, but it was/is a very bad situation.

I booked my SAS non-stop Copenhagen-Chicago flights independently using AMEX but have HAL insurance (around $450 pp).  I had to get home to get my daughter to her $5K camp on time (they are traveling to the national parks so I couldn't just let her delay the camp for a few days).  I also had to get back for work.  Stuck on a cruise ship with long lines for the phone and poor internet service, I called AMEX travel and booked business class (all that was available) for a flight from Copenhagen to Istanbul and then to Chicago (around $2.4K pp).  I hope that I will receive reimbursement from SAS, the HAL insurance, and/or AMEX.  I'll be working on that next week.  Fingers crossed.  I had to get home and SAS only notified us of the cancellation the day before the flight while reporting that they had no other options to offer us and that we should not show up at the airport.

On 6/30/2022 at 11:52 AM, iramack said:

How was the airport in Copenhagen when you flew in? Crazy? Chaotic? Normal?  etc....

I'm flying in for a Seabourn Cruise on the 15th.

 

Thanks

Steve

Beware Steve if you are flying on SAS.  SAS canceled our flight the day before and did not offer an alternative.  Stated reason was a strike.  This impacted a number of cruisers and guest services was very busy.

Thankful for the freebies I've received but boy would I love to do your cruise.  

I wonder if the ship makes a difference.  I'll need to connect VPN while sailing from Scotland to Denmark next month. I hope I have good service on one of the newer ships.

If you do not see the offer when you log on to HAL's website, call the cruise consultant and ask if it is available.  I just booked a holiday cruise which did not appear on the website but the consultant was able to sell it to me.  Just and FYI.