colbe

I wish I could get credit for four sailings on Home Lines in 1972/73 (they were purchased by HAL in 1988) but I have no proof, nothing but memories. EM

Do you still have your old passports? That is what we used.

I am not sure that 'topless' is the same as 'clothing optional'. Mr Colbe says that he will check on this serious problem when we board in Papeete. He may need to do several checks just to be sure before he reports back.

I wonder about that "Non-refundable fare" bit? I thought it was the deposit that was non-refundable. Of course, the fare becomes non-refundable after final payment...

 

We booked the Prinsendam with a non-refundable deposit this Spring. That was my understanding.

This is what the restricted fare says:

This is a special fare offered for a limited time, and certain restrictions apply. Payment must be made in full at the time of booking. Fares are 100% non-refundable from the point of payment unless one of our Cancellation Protection Plans is purchased at time of booking.

I rang yesterday and changed from an OV to a balcony for a very small amount. We are 6 weeks out from sailing. It never hurts to politely ask - the worst that can happen is that HAL will politely say "no".

There is a lakeside town called Volendam.

I am sorry about your experience. I have taken many cruises on different lines, and have never had a bad experience. Have I just been fortunate? I really do not know. I do know that I feel very privileged to be able to take a cruise, to breathe in the sea air, to see different places, be pampered, and not have to cook. Ultimately, life is what we make it. I wish you well on another cruise line that may be more to your liking. Perhaps my expectations are lower than yours.

Totally agree. (y)(y)(y)

I am revisiting this post with an update on what I was able to do. (This may be helpful to someone in the future)

30 April 2018, I contacted HAL Australia to find out how to book a segment. They were unable to help, but passed my request on to World Cruise reservations in Seattle.

1 May 2018, WC reservations emailed saying that they would take a general pre-booking from me for a $100 fully refundable deposit per person.

2 May 2018 I was able to make a $100 future cruise deposit by phoning the Australian office of HAL.

3 May I received my booking with a temporary booking number. The cruise was listed as a future request of a segment "similar to" as the itinerary was not out yet.

18 July 2018, I was emailed a new booking number, and a message to say "We were instructed to convert your Futuredam booking ****** to a wait list booking for the segment of the 2020 Grand World Voyage from ******** to **********. "

No further deposit amount was required at this time.

We are now waiting to hear whether there is a cabin available for us. We were only able to request a guarantee category.

I will update this again when we know whether we have been successful or not.

I was hoping to put a Just married sigh on our door as we will be honeymooning in Alaska 9/8

 

On one cruise there was a couple celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. They were in the penthouse - one of the staff made a laminated sign 'Just Married' and attached it to their door!

Hi Bill. We had no problems with this cabin (or the one next door). If you google a site that is Hal facts dot com you will see pictures of the cabin and deck.

IS it sold out?

No, but it will only possible to get a guarantee for the segments. Full World cruisers can select their rooms. The segments are not open for sale yet, so it is only possible to have a Future Cruise request.

Thank you for your reply Nana. We have had a big discussion about the possibility of getting an inside as it will be our first in over 100 sea days of cruising. I feel that if we want to do this segment, then we need to make it as easy as possible for HAL to accept our booking.

We have a Future Cruise Request deposit for a segment of the World Cruise 2020.

I have a guarantee H category requested. I am now wondering whether I should make that a guarantee N category to make as many catagories as possible available for our placement. I understand that most of the cabins are taken by full cruise passengers, so I am trying to make sure that we have the best chance possible of getting on the ship. We are not worried about which cabin we get assigned to us. What do seasoned HAL cruisers think about this idea?

I totally agree!!! 😎😎😎

Have you tried real New Zealand butter? :):D:)

Not according to the email we got. Just a special OBC (for our category - OV) of $50 each .... not a great deal as far as we are concerned.

 

 

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Check your email. It says -

You will be re-accommodated to the below voyage in the same stateroom category at the rate already paid, or best available fare.

We do not cruise for the bread. :rolleyes:

See this thread also -

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2458101

I've been searching for photos of 7055 and haven't found any. Any help you can give would be appreciated. Do you have a photo of 7056?

This is the Volendam version of the same cabin.

http://halfacts.com/r-class/7086-volendam/

We have sailed 36 days in Amsterdam 7056. We really like it for the position - especially "our" big deck right outside. Having said that, we are not concerned about layout or size - we are not big people and we do not travel with much luggage, so it is perfect for us. This cabin is small and has an "interesting" layout. We have another cruise booked in this cabin as well.

We would certainly hope that the USA slaps reciprocal tourist tax on any Kiwi visitors. Their government neglected to mention that tourism adds about $34 Billion (NZ) to their economy.

 

Hank

You do know that we already pay into your economy when we apply for an ESTA? This is the same tax that you will pay when you apply for entry to NZ.

Is this a joke? Why did you not just make your own sandwich? There is bread and buns available plus meat, salad bar, cheeses, sauces, dressings etc. Do you have someone at home who makes your sandwiches? Can you guarantee that any other line that you cruise with will make your sandwich for you?

FTM have given us price drops when we notify them of changes.

 

Do you have a personal cruise consultant at the Australian office?

No.I complete the booking online. If I have a problem, or query, or I see a price drop, then I ring or email them. The friendly service is excellent. I have just had a reply to say that they can not find anyway to book or prebook for the 2020 cruise but that they have contacted Head Office in Seattle asking them to make contact with me. The reply to my email took 35 minutes - excellent service.

Have you tried to book through the HAL New Zealand agent in Auckland?

 

(Our travel agent arranges all of our HAL bookings via the Auckland agent.)

We have used Francis Marketing in the past, but now do our own bookings online through the Australian office. This way I can deal directly with HAL - very convenient when I see a price drop or a good promotion.

We missed out on this segment this year, so the cabin is the least of our worries :).We have had a big discussion and decided that we will be happy with whatever we can get, just so that we can do this cruise. The cabin cannot possibly be any smaller, or any noisier, than some of the train sleepers that we have travelled in!!! :rolleyes:

I will try ringing when the Aussies wake up and see in I can get anything yet. (We have to book through the Sydney Carnival office).

Thank you Ruth. I guess I will just keep checking until I see the segments come available.