wyobean

We cruise for the ports. It is the best way to see a lot of places that would be too expensive for us to do on our own(flying, motel, car rental, etc). Don’t get me wrong, we like sea days, too, and all the other things people have mentioned already. We like 25+ day cruises and really look for repositioning ones. They seem to give us the best bang for our buck. We cruise once a year. We are retired...live in Wyoming, spend 4-5 winter months in Mexico for obvious reasons...lol. We also have a small RV and spend time traveling around in that also. We are having a blast!

We tip extra to our room stewards. We rarely eat in the dining room so do not leave any extra for them. On one of our cruises I tipped a gal at one of the breakfast stations in the Lido extra. After the first morning she remembered what I wanted and always greeted me and asked if I would like that today. I can’t even remember what it was now (lol) but I was so impressed with her friendliness and the fact she remembered me everyday that I thought she deserved something extra. 

Not everyone has to fly. I am also willing to bet that some people who had this week scheduled off work will stay for the week. Many people cannot reschedule vacation. 

32 minutes ago, Samanthac25 said:

I am sailing NA next week on the Christmas cruise too. I will have a breakdown if our Christmas is ruined 😭🤦🏻‍♀️

While I would probably prefer OBC also I am sure that even though we do not live close to a store we do travel where there are stores sometimes and I certainly order on line for delivery. They have everything from tires, appliances, clothes, sheets...the list goes on forever. Sooner or later I am going to need tires, an appliance, deck furniture, a new computer/IPad, etc. If you already have their membership you probably spend some money there besides travel. The OBC is great but, I am not sure this change would cause me to change TA’s.

I am curious to know if the passengers were sent a letter about what time to be there for boarding. There is so much talk about everyone disregarding the assigned times. If they were told when to be there it might have been a good time to heed what the letter said.

2 hours ago, ColoRockiesFan said:

I am not impressed with this particular spa. The constant pushing of products is endless (they tried to sell me some shoe inserts for $199 or $350 for 2 pairs) and the masseuse (reflexology) tried to sell me about $450 worth of gels and other potions to fix my foot/neck and back issues.

 

 

I stopped going to the spas years ago. When I get a massage I want to relax...not be bombarded with sales pitches. 

Never had a price increase...have used it twice.

I guess the thing to do is decide how much both packages would cost you and then decide how much it will cost you to drink what you want. That should make the decision for you on which way to proceed.

Ours show up that way a lot...no big deal.

FYI...there is a charge when you get chips at the table. Maybe there was a communication error in understanding the question?

The safety drill on all the ships could be a breeze if people would follow the directions.

Not living close to a BB store is not a big deal. Our closest one is 5 hours away. We order online all the time, stop when we are traveling, book travel, etc. it would be interesting to know if the card can be used when you book travel.

Our Advantage program reimburses us for medical outside the US. You must pay and then present an itemized statement in English.

We choose our cruises for the places we want to visit. We are perfectly happy reading a book, visiting with other passengers, playing a game in the Crow’s nest or watching a movie in our room. If I can’t find something to do I just walk around the ship. We do not have to be entertained. If the show is something that interests us we will go. Totally enjoy having someone to do the cleaning, cooking and laundry. I hope I never get to the point where I complain about a lack of entertainment. I am just thankful I am able to cruise...many people are not.

I really don’t understand why it is that big of a deal. If you are using them as a TA then you are certainly a member, so I would assume you shop there. Either way you get the money. One way you buy drinks the other you buy toilet paper.....

I don’t know what EZ Air is. If it is an online TA like Expedia then you will be dealing with them, not the airlines. I did that once...never again. 

We booked our cruise onboard in July. Got prepaid gratuities on an inside cabin and extra OBC and the price has stayed the same. Not looking like there will be much for me to spend all day on the phone for. Good...lol

You already pay a tax to go to Mexico. It is included in the price of your plane ticket. App $30 in Q Roo depending on the exchange rate. That does not include cruise ships. We had to pay that tax when we disembarked in Cozumel a couple years ago. I am only posting this as many people who travel by plane do not realize the charge is included in the ticket price, 

I am not sure I understand the confusion. We book normally while onboard. It automatically gets transferred to our Big Box TA. I send in my request for the stockholder OBC and everything shows up on my confirmation. This is what shows on my current reservation...the $650 includes my stockholder OBC. This is a second confirmation from them...after I added the stockholder OBC.

My reservation through a big box TA lists everything under “Included Extras”. The OBC from them, OBC from the cruise line including my stockholder OBC and anything else like prepaid gratuities, beverage package, etc. 

Guess things have changed in 2 years. I am only telling you my experience. Also, maybe because it was Mexico. When I called I was told to make arrangements with GS.  I did not submit nor receive anything in writing from that phone call. I am not saying you shouldn’t call, just that it didn’t do anything for us. 

When we called they would not do anything. Said it all had to be done onboard through guest services.

We disembarked in Cozumel one year. I called and was told to make arrangements through Guest Services when we boarded. They made arrangements for us and had customs/immigration on board. We did have to haul our luggage ourselves and find our own transportation. Not a big deal but something to be aware of. 

We will be on the Veendam for 31 days starting 4-22-20 ending in Amsterdam. The price was great. This will be our first TA cruise. Really looking forward to it. We really don’t look at the ship so much. We look at the itinerary and price. We have liked all the HAL ships we have been on.