mattR

How do I book a refundable fare on NCL? 

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If you are going to Alaska, you're not going for the main show entertainment,,, unless you mean what is outside.

 

You want a cruise that calls in Glacier Bay (not Dawes or Hubbard),,, regardless of cruise line. 

 

For Norwegian, you'll want to look at the Norwegian Encore (Bliss does a few trips early/late season to Glacier Bay, but Encore does the bulk of those cruises). 

The problem with Encore is the rest of the itinerary sucks only 2 days in port. 

Looking at Alaska 2024 any clear winners between these ships?

NCL Bliss

RCL Brilliance of the Seas

Celebrity Edge

Celebrity Solstice

Majestic Princess

Looking for good food good main show entertainment and activities

Contemplating the Bill for next Aug 2024.  What should I expect for evening entertainment in the main theater?

Cool sounds like entertainment is pretty good on the Edge then?

6 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

The shows, especially the new ones on the Beyond, are simply stunning and you are sorely mistaken that they aren't popular. 

Not trying to say they aren't popular just saying it didn't look like the theater holds as many people as the traditional style of theaters on ships does it?  Do they do a different show each night ? 

Just looking at the deck plans of the Edge theater doesn't look like it would accommodate the traditional Broadway style shows that are on so many cruises.  Just wondering what types of shows happen here  Didn't look like it had enough seating to be a big draw in the evenings? 

9 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I totally respect your personal perspective on TA's, and your related expectations, but not everyone has the same wants or needs. Moreover, what someone is looking for in a TA can change over time. Having used a TA for a good number of years who gave nothing more than a bottle of cheap wine as a perk for our continued loyalty, I was quite happy to switch to our current TA when it opened in Canada offering very generous perks. Yes, I do all the research and know exactly what I want before making a booking, but as a retiree I have the time and I enjoy the research. 

Wish you could tell me which one 😞

10 hours ago, Woofbite said:

And usually a couple of nights a week with nothing in the main theater unless things have improved recently.

To me this is crazy

18 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

What exactly do you mean by "main theater shows"? There are entertainment shows in the main theaters as described in previous posts. The entertainment has been described in the best way I can think of in post #2.  The other ships seem to offer pretty much the same main stage shows based on reviews here on CC.  The larger Pinnacle ships do have more choices for evening music and restaurants than the smaller ships.

 

Maybe you could elaborate on what you want to know about the shows that hasn't been explained.  I'll try to answer!

 

~Nancy

Shows like they have on NCL or RCCL.  Large dance production shows, Acrobats, Magicians, Comedians ect.   On those other cruise lines it's a main part of the evening entertainment they have two shows and probably 60%+ of the ship attends one of the two shows.  A main show in the big theater not side shows with a hundred people or so in a lounge. 

Is no main theater show entertainment standard across all HAL ships or do they still do main Theater shows on the older ships?   

Watched a tour of the ship the main theater looks a lot different than all the other cruises I have been on.  What type of shows do they do here?  Can't see them really doing Broadway type shows here? 

Have always booked my cruises directly with the cruise line but I head people seem to get better deals going through a TA lots of times.  How do I find a good Canadian TA?  

10 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

Did both the cruise price and the deposit amount increase?

 

The price of the cruise went from $1500 to $2000 and we would have had to pay the normal deposit as it was the day after $1 deposit day. 

Do any other mainstream lines offer CFAR insurance like HAL?  The HAL insurance is perfect for want we need and the price is right, however the price of the cruise went up by 25% after $1 deposit day yesterday:( 

Thanks for the answers!  I read through the first 25 pages of the HAL board so far.  I'm sure I will be back with more questions 🙂  Like what's club orange.

We have just booked a family cruise on the Zuiderdam for Oct 2024 and have some questions.

Are the extra add on's that you prebook like spa booking refundable if you cancel?  What happens if they go on sale can you cancel and rebook the item to get the cheaper price? Do they still do high tea?  Do they do MDR lunch on embarkation day? Is there an app that you use to check out activities ect while onboard or is it still papers left on your bed at night?   Do they still turndown your cabin at night?  Is room service still free?  Can you order items off the main dining room menu or limited to only what's on the room service menu (non-suite) How much is dinner at the Pinnacle Grill now? Can you request a MDR table for 12?  

Are boarding time assigned randomly or based on when you check-in online for the cruise? 

Looking at doing a family cruise Canada New England next October.  Half the family is vaccinated for Covid the other half isn't.  Where can they find insurance that would allow them to cancel if Covid requirements come back into effect?  

24 minutes ago, sweetsand said:

We were on the Zuiderdam in July, on the 20 day Viking crossing. We purchased the whole cruise pass on the very first day and were a bit disappointed at the end. We love thermal suits in general, I specifically love sauna/s. It was ok on Zuiderdam overall for us but I guess it really depends on what you like. Thermal suite is broken down into 2 areas: one with heated loungers, 5-6 of them, 1 sauna, 1 steam room + few showers (regular and fancy, like tropical) and the other area - hydra pool area, which has no natural light and for me it was a bit of a waste as I found that area too dark for my liking. As I mentioned earlier - I love saunas. Zuiderdam has a free one which I didn’t see mentioned in the reviews or maybe I didn’t notice. It’s right next to the indoor/outdoor pool and I did much prefer it to the one in the thermal suite. Reason was that TS sauna was either too hot or too cold with no option to regulate the heat, no stones to pour water over. View from the TS sauna was amazing but that’s about it. Showers in the 1st area of TS flooded the floor constantly, staff had to put towels all the time on it to keep water under control, I think there is a problem with floor level. And there is 0 music in the TS, zero. For me TS experience always has a nice relaxing music on the background. I asked at reception about it and apparently wiring went wrong at the last dry dock so no music. At the end of the day, the amenities Zuiderdam has for you for free are really great - free fab sauna, both pools, hot tubs, changing areas outside of the gym that both TS users and gym goers can use, and there is a lovely relaxation area just outside of the gym that not a lot of people seem to know about. Depending on your itinerary you might have a different experience. I loved the aft outdoor pool a lot, no matter the weather 🙂

Did the showers have different scents?  Was there a nice view from the heated tile loungers?

52 minutes ago, Cruisin4now said:

Yes, we enjoyed the thermal spa on Zuiderdam just last week!  The sailing was at 100% capacity and weekly thermal spa passes sold well enough that they did not allow for any day passes.  Purchasing pre-cruise will save you ~$20. 

Ok cool didn't realize you could prepurchase them last time we were on a ship with one you had to hurry to the spa to get a pass on embarkation day.  What all was in the Thermal Suite on the Zuiderdam?  

Is there a Thermal Suite on the Zuiderdam?  If so do they offer week passes? 

Do they still sell week passes for the Thermal suite on the Gem?  If so how much usually for a week?

Looking at doing a family cruise Canada New England next October.  Half the family is vaccinated for Covid the other half isn't.  Where can they find insurance that would allow them to cancel if Covid requirements come back into effect?  

Looking at a cruise( Caribbean Princess ) that departs Quebec City and heads to Fort Lauderdale.  It has two days at see before making it's first port of call in Hallifax.  Will the days at sea be in the St Lawrence Seaway or will they cruise up to the open ocean the first night?  Would hate to miss seeing the seaway if they have to get out of the seaway the first night?