Roz

There are rarely, if ever, solo deals for balconies, especially in Alaska.

@LAFFNVEGAS, my sister and I had the same conversation a few nights ago about the Rotterdam that we sailed back in March. We were both disappointed with various aspects of the ship, but mostly the cabin and service in the DR. Also the lines, crowding, and wait times at things like the Dive In. We would have been satisfied with an outside cabin vs. paying the extra for the veranda. The beds were narrow (like a gurney!) and too close together. The cabin was crowded and poorly arranged. We were both looking forward to sailing on a new ship and came up disappointed.

I've only done one back-to-back. Never again. It was a disaster. Staff didn't know how to handle us. I had to pack everything up for the cabin move. No communication from the ship as to what to do. This was at Canada Place. Told us not to leave the terminal as it would be hours before we could get back on (no bypass lane for current passengers).

I have 2 HAL cruises booked that require international airfare. FlightEase was worthless with both of them. Not worth the effort and all the associated glitches.

Amsterdam to Basel was the last river cruise I took pre-Covid. It's a great itinerary. Will you be able to spend a few days pre-cruise in Amsterdam? I think I was on the River Empress and there were low water levels on the Rhine. We were one of the last ships to make it all the way down to Basel. Uniworld had to substitute a few ports and rearrange things, but we were just glad we made it to Basel on time and didn't have to change air reservations. Our captain looked to be about 25 yrs. old but he did a fantastic job.

I was wondering the same thing. If you have to pay in full by 9/30/22, it's not a deal.

San Diego, hands down. A beautiful, interesting city with lots to do pre-cruise. I've literally walked over to the cruise terminal from my hotel.

@julia, I noticed no excursions are available for booking in Astoria and SF. Looks like they're still sorting things out. Maybe in a week or so you will be able to get things resolved. If worse comes to worse, you may have to call HAL and wait on hold for hours. 😣 My excursion in SF is a visit with a dear friend who's driving up from San Jose to see me. I sent her the change and she's OK with it.

When I've sailed with my sister, we've been able to check in independently and print out our own boarding passes and luggage tags. By any chance did your SIL pay for both of them? That may have something to do with it. I'm sorry for your loss.

@cruisingrob21, I've been to Astoria 3 times, once on a land trip and the other 2 times on cruises. I agree, it's a charming little town. I always find something to do.

There are distinct differences between ocean and river cruising. As previous posters have already suggested, it would be a good idea to read the "stickies" at the top of this forum. Lots of good info and things to consider. Things are more structured than ocean cruises, and entertainment is minimal. Tours are included in the fare, and if you decide to go off on your own, the ship may or may not be at the dock when you return.

Do you have to change terminals?

I received the following from HAL today: Dear Roz, ITINERARY CHANGE NOTIFICATION Due to port availability, the day at sea on October 4 has been replaced with a call to Astoria, OR from 7:00 to 17:00; the call to San Francisco, CA on October 5 has been replaced with a a day at sea; the day at sea on October 6 has been replaced with a call to San Francisco, CA from 7:00 to 23:00; and the call to Santa Barbara, CA on October 7 has been replaced with a day at sea. So basically we pick up Astoria and lose Santa Barbara, and change days for San Francisco.

Can you provide some specific examples?

@Bxianesq, I've done ocean cruises on Carnival, Princess, and Holland America. Mostly on HAL. My TA recommended Uniworld to me. She had just come back from one of their cruises and sang their praises. I wasn't disappointed. So far I've done 3 river cruises with them and am going to try Tauck this coming December. I've walked off a Uniworld cruise with nothing on my onboard account. I know Viking does a lot of marketing and advertising, but they're not the only game in town. I learned a lot by reading thru the stickies at the top of this forum.

@bluesplayer, I'm sorry my response upset you. I was just trying to help.

Age has its privileges. 😁

If you faxed it, not your TA, you should receive a confirmation email. Did you give them your email? It's still early. Give them a few more days or weeks.

@grest, I have 3 cruises booked that require international travel, and I was disappointed with what Flight Ease offered. I didn't find the deals that others post about.

Update, for anyone interested. 😁 Tauck finally came through, and gave me full credit for last year's canceled flights. This speaks well of them as a company, and shows the value of having a TA who goes to bat for their clients. I will continue to do business with both of them.

As stated above, SW opened its schedule yesterday for flights thru Jan. 4, 2023. On July 21, schedules are supposed to open thru March 8, 2023.

I had the same issue looking for reviews. Don't know why CC lists it that way. @Nukesquad, one of the review is mine from my recent March 20 -27 sailing.

I sailed on the Rotterdam in March - no Captain's Party, no Mariner's Reception, and no Orange Party. We were at 92% capacity. Service wasn't good in DR or bars.

Yes, they can refuse to serve you if you're loud, obnoxious, combative, and/or belligerent due to alcohol consumption.

Hallelujah, and pass the collection plate! 😇