dundeene

1 hour ago, DAllenTCY said:

Also extension cords, portable fans, helium balloons,  and irons not allowed.

 

But everyone knows this already.

 

David

Are you sure on the portable fans as I have brought them on a dozen cruises including 2 or more times with HAL?

38 minutes ago, catl331 said:

No.  You don't add the $800, that's not spending. It's a way to pay for your spending. If you don't spend anything more on board than the SBP and your $224 HSC ($16/d/p) that adds up to $924 spending, giving you 3 pts. The OBC pays $800 of that, leaving you $124 to be paid in cash or on a credit card.

 

HAL does a very generous round-up on the spending total, but I don't think the $24 over $900 is enough to give you a 4th pt.

Sorry Catll331,

I am still confused. The SBP was purchased and pd BEFORE my May 22  2019 cruise. The $800 OBC from TA is in addition and in my opinion separate from the SBP. I plan on using the OBC on spa and special bottles of wine, and maybe some slots;)

catl331

So if you are correct. . . 7 x 2 for one week in the Neptune   14 pts

Three day land tour (no suite credit )                                          3 pts

SBP @ 50/day x 7 days $350 x 2 person @$ 700

plus $800 TA OBC equals $1500 (1pt for ea $300 spent)       5 pts

So this equals 22 days of Mariner credit?

Thanks for helping me with this.

Christine

Help with the math. . . to any of you wonderful HAL pros?

First, thank you for all the prompt answers to the newer HAL cruisers like myself.

We have cruised HAL only 2 times, both in suites.

It appears we were awarded double days for being in a suite and a point for about each $300 we spent onboard.

My question is about an upcoming land/cruise Alaska trip.

10 day total, 7 on the ship in a Neptune Suite, with SBP.

Do we get double points just on the 7 day ship portion?  I had read on another thread that you get extra days for the SBP.  Also, do we get the extra points for onboard spending on our $800 OBC or just if we spend $300 or more above that amount? 

Thank you in advance.

Quite a few cruises under my belt in the last 5 years including a few to cold areas.

Meclazine, ginger chews, collapsible silicone water bottle, copy of my passport, a small flashlight (if the power goes out),  wool socks, Canadian cash for cabs etc in Vancouver, compact can of air freshener for cabin, a few safety pins, extra camera battery and card.

This should start off the conversation.  Also 2nd the curtain clips.  In northern Russia, during the white nights, we only had three hours of darkness each night.

Although I am from Nebraska I can dive into a whole lobster like a nor'easter. My dad was a ship's captain and taught me how to get every delicious morsel. I have always liked the claws best, so would have been sorely disappointed.

Although we sail HAL, Celebrity, and Oceania, I can honestly tell you the line who serves whole broiled lobster best is Oceania.  The cruises are more costly but all the lobster you can eat (without charge) breakfast lunch and dinner.  I think my 16-year-old daughter probably ate 2 lbs per day for 14 days, during our NY to London crossing.

Sue's Mom.

You will also have your larger regular luggage, which is stored under the bus or shipped in a separate truck,  delivered to your hotel room each evening.  The small "day bag" is all you are allowed on the bus and train to carry on your person. A backpack or purse/handbag is easily found in this size.  

Yes, the bus will likely have a rack above the seats.  In order to allow the most headroom, it will be quite close to the bus ceiling. Thick bags won't fit.  On our last bus tour the height was just enough for the measurements described to be easily stowed.

HAL also does this so time is not consumed with each passenger getting a large bag in and out of storage at each stop.  It could take 30 minutes just to unload a  bus if large bags were used.

 If you just need to take the small bag from under the seat in front of you, and place it on your lap at arrival, it cuts down on the horrid "waiting in the aisles" for all of those in front of you to retrieve their bags. (think exiting an aircraft).

I am stressing a bit because there are so many extras you might need in Alaska based on weather variations. (raincoat, umbrella, warm layers, etc.) I would also love to be allowed a larger bag;)

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

I have read posts on this in several CC threads that reports the upgrade cost for the EBP over SBP to be between $10 and $12pp/day, depending on the cruise, which is about the cost of one better glass of wine a day. Seems like a good deal for us.

It would be a good deal if my husband drank alcohol.  But for the  $24 extra cost, times 7 days, I think I will just purchase a couple of decent bottles of wine for myself.  Is there any discount on wine by the bottle if you have SBP?

I always find the topic of children in different spaces on the ship interesting.  Many people seem to question the appropriateness of children in an area that is formal or costly (suite lounges, specialty restaurants etc). 

The answer usually comes to the same conclusion whether on Crystal or HAL or RC.  Well supervised, well-behaved children should we welcome anywhere.  Unsupervised, $#%@ raising children are not appreciated on any part of the ship😀😉

I have not seen a poster who had personal experience of upgrading their SBP on-board share the upcharge amount. We have explore 4 with our Alaska cruise package and I am wondering if I can upgrade to EBP with husband still on SBP.  He does not drink alcohol so upgrading him would be ridiculous. 

If I understand correctly, if I ordered a $15 glass of wine on the SBP I would pay full price. The upgrade costs seems a no-brainer for myself because I do not see anything on the under $9 wine list that I enjoy drinking;)

CC really is a gold mine of information.  Thank you for all of the replies.

After the input from Catl331 I was able look at the Glacier Bay Park website and learn that the ship spends about 1 full hour at Menagerie Glacier.  This seems to be the main spot on our cruise to witness a glacier calving. This will be our first trip to Alaska and this is something we would love to see close-up!

To those of you who have been in Glacier Bay do they just sit in front of the glacier with the bow facing the ice until they turn to head back out of the bay?

In a Neptune it sounds as if all inquiries pass through the concierge in the Neptune Lounge.  Does this include dinner reservation and spa appts?

Can you have dinner from the MDR delivered course by course to your suite? (oops my past Oceania cruises are showing😉)

One last question, can I use OBC to give personal tips to favorite staff?  I know we can add to the general ship gratuity fund, but we prefer to recognize special staff we encounter on-board.

Thank you again for all the wonderful advice.

It may have been better for sales if HAL had just built the cost of the new Denali minisuites into the price of the land portion for those who booked suites.  We were disappointed that even with a Neptune or Pinnacle the land portion of an Alaska cruise included very basic hotel rooms.

2 hours ago, catl331 said:

When stopped at Margerie glacier, most of the time will be spent with the glacier at the opposite corner of the ship from you (i.e., port and forward) and then the ship will do a full rotation and leave.  Therefore, I suggest for that one place you leave your cabin and get to a forward viewing area, and/or walk around for different views.

Thank you for the information.  Are there any Neptune Suites on the front of the ship with wrap balconies?  It would be great to take turns with another couple as the scenery changes.

Just now, ottahand7 said:

If you are interested in taking part in the America's Test Kitchen  hands on class which is limited to about 10 participants head right to the Neptune Lounge and have your name put on the wait list.  All spots in those classes are held for 5 Star Mariners but we have been able to get into the hands on class both times I was in a Neptune Suite.   

Great news! I have tried to get into that twice without

 luck.

13 minutes ago, a.madruga said:

IMO SS SUITES ARE JUST AS GOOD AND YOU'LL SAVE MONEY FOR OTHER THINGS.....BREAKFAST AT PINNACLE IS NOT WORTH THE WAIT ALTHOUGH YES LESS CROWDED

ENJOY YOUR TRIP...

We have been in the SS twice and they were fine. 

We really went for the NS in Alaska based on the cabin, 5191 that has a balcony almost 400 sq feet total that is covered. We will have three scenic sea days in late May.  My sister has done almost this exact Alaska cruise 3x.

Her advice was for the aft wrap balcony based on seeing Glacier Bay and inside passage with a large covered area with 270 degree viewing. My TA suggested 5191 as the best for Alaska.  We will probably only cruise Alaska once, and we reserved this cabin at a very good price with Explore 4 and 3 day land tour. I had not heard the Pinnacle was crowded for breakfast.  Thanks for the heads-up.

We are traveling in a Neptune Suite for the 1st time.  I would love to hear what I don't know😉 

We have sailed once each on Rotterdam and Zuiderdam (signature suite, which just seemed like a slightly larger veranda cabin) and this cruise will be Westerdam to Alaska. We booked cabin 5191 at the recommendation of our TA. She suggested it because of the large covered balcony for glacier viewing. Has anyone sailed in this cabin and have feedback?

We have priority boarding, does that just mean a separate line, earlier boarding, separate waiting lounge?

We have breakfast in the Pinnacle, is the menu the same as MDR?

The suite includes laundry service, does that include dry cleaning?

Will there be fresh flowers in the room? Do they still bring corsage and boutonniere for formal nights?

Is there wine/champagne in the cabin?

We have SBP, but I don't believe that includes minibar. 

Can we order munchies for a group if we have friends on the balcony for glacier viewing?

Do we get one or two sets of binoculars? I am imagining passing them back and forth while looking for whales.

It used to be so easy to search topics on HAL in CC, now I have trouble finding what I want.

Thanks in advance to all who respond.  The HAL folks are always very helpful when I have had questions. 

My sister just took an Alaska trip as a 50th anniversary family-get-together for her inlaws. The family is slightly larger than your group of 20.

Even though her inlaws were paying the cost of the cruise package she spent over $3000 additional for her family (beverage packages, grats, tours, etc). Alaska prices are much higher; restaurant, tours, rental cars, sundries.

The land portion did not go well!

Each day the families had to have the kids dressed and fed by 7am. Luggage had to be outside the hotel room even earlier.  She felt most of the land portion was spent on a tour bus or train.  It rained almost everyday in August and the kids felt bottled up and cranky. There was very little free time to let the kids loose to play and run. One family caught a stomach bug and had to stay behind in the hotel room and get a very expensive rental car to try to catch up with the rest of the tour later. 

They arrived in Denali at 1 pm and left the next day before noon, not enough time to take the Tundra Wilderness tour (which is basically 8 hrs in a school bus).

The other travelers on the land portion lost patience with the small children who had no interest in listening to the guides.  Although they tried to encourage good behavior, no 2 year old is going to sit quietly for 4 hrs on a dome-topped train while the guide tries to point out wildlife and scenery.

The kids did enjoy the active tours such as panning for gold and lumberjack show. It all seemed to go much better when they got on the ship.

I agree with previous posters about the families with small children meeting the others at the ship.  The inlaws are being selfish if they insist that the entire family do the land portion. It is not conducive to small children!

Is there anything special for people at boarding in Neptune Suites?

I am an art history major and if you really want to see St Petersberg with an art historian I would consider Tzar Travel. Natalia is amazing and was able to get us into places average tourists cannot see.  We were a group of 3 couples and reserved her for 3 full days.  Pricey! but amazing. Out tour was completely customized and she lets you stay as long as you like in each place you decide to visit.  

9 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

Actually, the best cappuccinos are in the Neptune Lounge ... they are free 😉

Thank you for that info.  We are in a Neptune Suite for the first time in May.  I assumed I would need to go to the Explorations Cafe to get a good cappuccino (as I usually do).

You also may be impacted if you planned to enter any National Parks.

In my experience, a casino offer and a casino discount are very different.  The casino discount is a set percentage off based on your past casino action and is valid on certain cruises you book.

The "casino offers" are greatly discounted specific sailings ex. a $1099 cruise for 399 and are usually guarantees only. 

We are still 17 days out but all of our guar category appears to have disappeared from inventory online. There were still 12 cabins (Vista Suites ) yesterday

Might I expect my assignment soon?

I prepurchased the spa Well-Being Package.  Does anyone have any recent input as to spa and services?

We are in a Vista on Rotterdam in less than 30 days.  I plan on writing a CC review when we return.  😉