Roz

A Neptune suite can be booked as a guarantee, so I agree with you, where's the classism?

This is not directed at anyone in particular, just a general comment. Why the reluctance to make the transition to a smartphone? It's 2023, soon to be 2024. There are inexpensive models and you can get service from low cost providers such as TracFone and Mint Mobile.

Thank you for an honest review.

Posters keep talking about all these "deals", but if the website isn't functional over Cyber Friday weekend, how do we take advantage of them? I kept getting the 400 and 405 error message, and it won't let me manage my current bookings, only previous bookings. What good is that?

@cbr663, thank you for your comments and observations. I debated whether to write a review after my September Alaska sailing on HAL, but didn't for fear of being skewered by those for whom HAL can do no wrong. I'm in my 70s, but find myself aging out of HAL due to lack of onboard activities (adult coloring and knitting basics, really?) and overall lackluster entertainment. I've never been on a cruise with so many passengers using mobility devices, to the extent that they created problems in public areas. While I'm upright and able, I'd prefer to sail with a more active and energetic passenger contingent. I may have been born in the 1950s, but I don't limit my entertainment choices to music, plays, and performers from that era. When I see posts on this board looking for swing bands instead of rock bands, I know I'm on the wrong line.

For me that's a bunch of BS. 😠

To get the cash discount you have to pay the entire fare upfront. That's what I meant by tying up cash. If passengers want to do that it's their prerogative. I prefer to wait until a few months before the cruise to make final payment. I'm obviously in the minority, given the popularity of Viking's cruises.

I don't see those changes as improvements, but I guess you have to go with the flow.

When I mentioned cash payment in my previous post, I didn't literally mean cash. The cruise lines that offer the discount require you to do an ACH from your checking account. I will never sail Viking river or Viking ocean due to their onerous final payment policies and policies toward solo passengers.

There are river cruise companies that offer the discount for cash option, and it usually has to be paid upfront. River cruises tend to be more expensive than ocean cruises, and I don't like having thousands of dollars of cash tied up like that. Plus I prefer the protection a credit card provides.

I'm confused....😵‍💫

@cresswindcruiser, I leave December 20 from Amsterdam. You'll love Tauck. Lots of nice little touches and attention to detail. Last year I got off the ship with a zero account balance.

The agents that work for the airlines aren't any better. I've spent hours on the phone with AA trying to sort out messes they created.

I assume solos pay $98 per day.

Easy to do with Southwest.

@TiogaCruiser, that was my interpretation. I was questioning why @ChinaShrek didn't want to put money down with no guarantee.

@BermudaBound2014, thank you for posting this. I wasn't aware of it. If I lived in or near a port city I would definitely take advantage of it.

You don't get the money back if you don't clear the list?

I don't see any reason why a Lyft or Uber driver can't drop you off at the proper area for your ship. Port Everglades is very well organized.

@Cruise NH, the transfer from Canada Place to Seatac isn't considered to be a shore excursion. Go into your booking and look for pre and post cruise. There you'll see the transfers and hotels. If you can't find it contact your TA and have them add it.

Uniworld used the Radisson Blu in Bucharest. Stayed there for 2 nights and really enjoyed it. Fabulous breakfast buffet. Where else can you get eggplant salad for breakfast?

On last year's cruise I enjoyed putting my shoe outside my cabin door, and the next morning finding Sinterklaas 🎅 had left me a chocolate. 😋

@Steerpike58, sorry your first river cruise was so disappointing. I did a Bucharest to Budapest cruise on Uniworld, and Eastern Europe is definitely different than Western Europe. It's not the same as visiting Germany, France, Switzerland, etc. You have to adjust your expectations. 50 years of Communist rule did them no favors. They're still trying to catch up with the West. I grew up in a large northern city with Croats, Slovaks, Serbs, Czechs, Poles, Hungarians, and other Eastern Europeans. I would hear people talk about their families still there and how they could never visit them, and in some cases, didn't even know if they were still alive. I assumed I would never get to see these fascinating, hidden countries. You have to take things at face value and not compare Eastern Europe to other parts of Europe. A half day in Budapest isn't nearly enough time and I'm sorry you didn't get to experience more of what it has to offer. I've been there twice, both times on a river cruise. I think a Budapest to Passau itinerary would have offered you more of what you were looking for.

I have b2b river cruises booked next month over Christmas and New Year's. The other day FedEx delivered a pkg. from Tauck. I was kind of surprised because my TA had just mailed me my cruise docs and luggage tags. Inside the pkg. was a small change wallet containing a 10 euro bill. The following message was on a card: "We hope you are looking forward to your upcoming river cruise. The enclosed wallet makes it easier to keep your foreign currency handy - take a look inside, and enjoy your first refreshment ashore on us. See you soon!" I've only done one other Tauck cruise and that was last year. Is this something new or is it something they do for repeat customers?

Even though I have a smartphone, and know how to use it 😜 , I would still prefer to use a website.