crystalspin

Make sure your address as shown on the statement agrees with current mailing address. And be sure to send the page that shows the actual number of shares! (I missed both of these requirements...)

Yup. Only if you are willing to forfeit your attempt.

So I looked up the itineraries and I would vote for Jewels -- leaving and returning to Barbados!

Actually, the lower (Main) deck insides are very nice. Our one cruise on N.Amsterdam, we had an Inside Guarantee and I got spooked about a tiny cabin with no place to sit but the bed, and "upgraded" to an OceanView -- we ended up under the Queen's Lounge AKA BBKingsBlues Club! Booming bass until 11pm or later! So really I recommend well-fitted earplugs for any cabin -- there are many sources of noise on a ship. I would stay with the GTY. Go here to look at any room with "I" indicated, to see what range of layouts you might end up with. And there are many. Then plot your quickest way to the promenades on Decks 3 and 10, or the Crows Nest on Deck 11. The layout of the Lido Deck is also good to scope out! You have made a good choice to go to Alaska on Holland America; they do it very well. (Three times for us!) And to save your money for shore excursions. ETA: Looks like N.A. is sailing from Vancouver in May 2023, so I amend my advice to say you made a VERY good choice, to cruise up the inside passage between Vancouver Island and Br.Columbia.

48! (45 until we leave home to drive to coast)

I actually do not know as I have not done so! I would suppose so, but ASSUME makes... Once you have a booking number you can Click on Cruise Activities, choose Beverages, choose Beverage Cards in the left column and proceed from there.

"All important decisions must be made on the basis of insufficent data." (Sheldon Kopp, 1974)

Understand: the Premium Internet is the same internet as Social and Surf, just fewer sites and apps are blocked. Hawaii should be better than Alaska, though, because the ship's path will be closer to the the equatorial orbits of more communication satellites. My husband was able to make a conference call using VOIP (with no video, and it paused and stammered sometimes) from north of France. We did have Premium but don't know if it was necessary! If your friend wants to go forward with this, he should definitely plan on Premium. It is possible to buy Premium ahead of time for just a little more than Surf on board. If you are booked with HIA, it is possible to upgrade the Surf to Premium on board; I do not know the cost. Finally, I would take @Mary229at her word! She has done the research... Maybe 4am on the ship will be late enough in the morning for an Eastern Time zone's class to tune in?

Ask about using The Hub here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/133-carnival-cruise-lines/ I suspect the "unreliable" aspect is that it does not alert the recipient. That is the case for HAL's Navigator messaging. So your other members will have to be checking their cellphones! I suggest Sticky Notes to leave on your own and your party's doors.

Minibar is inflated price. I have heard (and believe) that the bartender MUST use a card -- there is no other way to "charge you". If you present your room card and have beverage package, the soda will come out of it. The way around this is to buy one or more beverage cards, to use for the lower-cost non-alcoholic beverages or waters. These are available as follows: $50 NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CARD, $50 BEVERAGE CARD, $100 BEVERAGE CARD, $250 BEVERAGE CARD

Ask here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/370-antarctica/ I would pack silk longies, merino wool midlayers, plus a fleece jacket, perhaps a rain-proof top layer. Don't forget hat(s) and gloves. Imagine you are going to Alaska in May and want to be spending time on deck. Remember it is their spring-to-summer and you are not going to the pole. We sailed around the Horn in November, not to Antarctica but I packed like we were! Never used the heavy longjohns OR the down vests!

The Drake Passage is known for storms and rough waters, called the Drake Shake, but can be as calm as can be -- when it is called the Drake Lake. Our reverse cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires encountered Drake Lake. It was beautiful! But it is the luck of the draw.

Hi! Looking at the two cruises @Essiesmomfound in post #4, I see these factors: Emerald Princess: 3100pax at double occupancy. Ports -- LA, Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, San Juan del Sur (Nic), Puntarenas (CR), Cartagena (Col), FLL. New Locks. 15 days. Zaandam: 1400pax at double occupancy. Ports -- SAN, Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Puerto Quetzal (Gua), Cartagena (Col), FLL. Old Locks. This cruise sails on April 4 not 9. 14 days. Looking at your interests, I'd have to recommend Princess. Have not been to Nicaragua, but Puntarenas is a great port (recommend a crocodile boat excursion!). You get one more west coast port stop. I personally would go with HAL: smaller ship that I have cruised on twice, and I have not been to Puerto Quetzal. I liked the old locks! Also much prefer SAN to LA for a few days before the cruise!

In 2018 with a group of my family totally nine, we booked a van+guide with Sourdough Tours in Ketchikan. This was the Wildlife/City/Saxman Native Village tour. It was my third time in Ketchikan and by far the best! Our guide was of native heritage and told us many things about totems that I had not learned in self-guided visits to Totem Bight SP and Saxman itself. If you book it, ask if Stormin'Norman is still guiding!!! https://aksourdoughtours.com/ Souvenir shop on Creek Street (have the tour drop you off there), and walk down to The Alaska Fish House for late lunch! Juneau must always be about whale watching. The only time we did not "do" whales in Juneau it was because we were going to stay on in Seward and do a whole day boat trip in the Kenai Fjords! We went with the ship's tours both times. One was the "scientific" ShoreEx which was interesting. But the other saw more whales! If the clouds are not too low, the tram to the top will also fill an hour or two, but don't buy it ahead of time, because it could be a dud in the rain. Did not visit Skagway in 2018, but did in 2009 and 2016. Took the train through ship, both times: roundtrip in '09 and train-up/bus-down in '16. Recommend the latter! Two different viewpoints, and we did the lunch? show? at the gold-panning Camp which was a little "campy" but the family really did enjoy. We also ate at one of the brewpubs in town which makes me think that the Camp was maybe just a snack...

I had the same experience as @rodndonnawhen I was trying (and finally succeeding) to buy the HAL giftcards during the Anniversary Promotion in October. Had to type in the whole form and not let anything be auto-filled.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the HAL board! We too prefer HAL. We did enjoy our one RCI transAtlantic on the older/smaller Rhapsody OTS and found it more like HAL than different. Like HAL with activities in the Attrium! The crew and staff were very close if not equal to HAL's. The buffet food was notably worse for lunch (but acceptable for breakfast). So we would have a late lunch, a snack from the coffee bar, and an early dinner. I would sail again on the Rhapsody or her sisters, but oddly, RCI does not send me any marketing, so I cannot book what I do not know about!

My husband has a history of motion sickness. With patches in hand, we booked a top-floor forward cabin (just behind the Crows Nest) for a TransAtlantic, on the Noordam's sister Zuiderdam. He never had to use the patch! Please, disgard your "knowledge" about the location of cabin and MOVE.

I have never had SBP and NOT rec'd the additional points up to the number of days of the cruise. Since the beverage package in the HIA is the SBP, I was hoping that would also prove the same. Several people including @VMax1700have said it seems to be true. When it was just the SBP I calculated that they were giving credit not just for the drinks we had at full price, but for the limit of 15 @$11! I can't swear to this but it is HARD to spend $300/day even with two people in relaxed vacation mode! So if this continues to be the practice, you will surely reach your star! I'm counting on getting the triple points for days/spending/suite on our B2B!

Hi Bick! The Roll Call for the first leg of your linked B2B is here: You are welcome to pop in and hook up with several people who are also doing your combo-cruise!

Gary, welcome to Cruise Critic, sorry it's under these circumstances. What is the cruiseline. My familiarity is with HAL and most Final Payment dates at 90-days before sailing. So if that were the case, you'll be coming right up on it. Now, my HAL Personal Cruise Consultant never lets me book with a non-refundable deposit when it is far out... but my one cruise with Carnival, the refundable deposit fare was hidden, and their "planner" let me book anyway. So it does matter what line and what convention or promotion you booked under. Possibly also if you booked with a TA (including big-box, or on-line), through the line's Consultant, or just on a website.

Have not sailed with any luxury lines. We are mostly loyal to HAL. They have apparently abandoned 'production shows', but found them pretty cheesy when they did do them. We like their classical ensembles, which have gone from being piano+violin (named Adagio on all ships), to a quartet or quartet+piano called Lincoln Center Stage. The larger ships have more music types/venues and also a third specialty restaurant (Asian-Fusion as well as Steakhouse and Italian) in addition to the included food options. The smaller ships (Zaandam and Volendam specifically) have fewer music venues, no Asian Fusion, but obviously -- fewer passengers! Also more a feeling of being on a ship, not a floating resort. When I pointed out an Oceania or maybe Seabourne ship in one of our Alaska ports, and said to my MIL: that's a luxury line (ten members of my family were on the Zaandam). She said, what could be more luxury than what we have!

Hi Balsam! We like the HIA and specifically the SBP. If you like better wines or top shelf liquors, I understand upgrading to the Elite package costs US$11.80 per person per day, all persons in cabin must buy. This is more than the $5pd they are if bought in advance and without HIA, and that is because the HIA value for SBP is "discounted". However, as any drink over $11 is charged at full value + 18% service, the cost to upgrade is paid for by one drink/day/person! I have been told to see a bar tender, not a server, to upgrade before buying (or accepting from a server) any sailaway drinks! If bartender thinks it's not possible, either ask for a manager or go to a different bar -- people HAVE reported success quite recently. As far as exceeding the 15-drink limit -- stock up on water (it will be canned not bottled) on first day or any day that you have not reached 15. You may want to bring or obtain your own reusable water bottle for when you don't want to down a whole can at once! You can also get beers and have them not be opened, to save in your room fridge.

@Mandalay1903is getting ready for an outrageous cruise -- all the way around Australia! Should be nice late-spring weather there! Look at all those ports -- your days are going to be packed! (Guessing about every other day a port?) Come back at tell us all about it -- we need the vicarious thrills!

@vic1949 is sailing on a 7-Day Southern Caribbean! A short visit to the Netherlands! (i.e. Aruba and Curaçao). A nice way to spend a week. Looks like you'll have some sea-days in there too, hope your weather is fine and your seas are smooth! Bon Voyage!

I like your and Ferry-Watcher's ideas. How about small-to-medium posty notepads for leaving notes on their own or others' doors. Some people like a highlighter (one per cabin?) to mark up the Daily schedule with things they want to do.