I need some Cruise advice.

[MarWaves86]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am new to this forum, and I have some basic questions about cruising options. I am active duty military, and want to purchase a cruise for myself and my girlfriend. In order to take the cruise I must have my requested leave days approved by my Commanding Officer. I do not want to purchase the cruise without having my leave request at least close to being approved. I know my leave will not be approved very far in advance, so does anyone have any advice about how I can reserve a cruise space (boat space, haha).

 

I have been on a cruise before, but i did not fork out the dough for it, so I am little confused on how everything works.....Thank's a lot!

[jtl513]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the HAL forum! :)

 

I'm afraid I have some discouraging news for you: final payment for any HAL cruise will be due 75 days before sailing, and if you have to cancel inside that 75 days you are going to lose some money, even if it's only the cost of the insurance. (Unless possibly HAL makes some special provisions for active military that I am unaware of. Maybe others will comment on that.)

 

I see that you're stationed in Okinawa. Would you be sailing from a Japanese port, or fly back to the US first? Where is your girlfriend? What I'm getting at here is how long a lead time do you need before the ship sailing to get to the port? If you were near a US port city it might be possible to get on a "last minute" list, but there aren't that many cruise ships that call on Japanese ports.

 

How much longer will you be on active duty? Maybe it would be better to postpone a cruise until afterward? :confused:

[MarWaves86]

Thank's A lot for your response! I will be coming back to the states; ending my tour here in Okinawa, in October of this year. If my duty station preferences are granted, I will be stationed somewhere in Florida. My girfriend is currently a student at University of Florida, so we will likely be embarking at a Florida port. I plan on taking the actuall cruise in Decemeber, sometime right before Christmas, as I have noticed the prices drop considerably. I would really like to know how you can get on a last minute list, because that seems like the perfect solution. My girlfriend has not traveled much, and I really wanted to show her a great time on a 10 day cruise. I have been on a Carnival cruise, and although I do enjoy them, I don't think that atmosphere would be suitable for the type of romantic ambiance, I hope to show her. I am thinking about traveling either on the Noordam, or on the upcoming Eurodam....I can't make up my mind!!!!

[jtl513]

Unless you're planning a surprise cruise, I would suggest that you have your GF find a TA in Gainesville to be put on a "short notice" list. Of course you would have to be sure that your passports were current. I believe that HAL has a "short list" service too, but I'm not quite sure how to get on it. (We plan waaaay in advance usually!) As I understand them, you have to be willing to go on about a 1 week's notice.

 

We've been on two Dec cruises, one out of Tampa and one out of Port Everglades, and we think it is an ideal time to go for anyone not busy with Christmas preparations. Very few kids at that time! And, as you say, cheaper. :)

 

Of the ships we've been on so far the Noordam is my favorite ... but I expect the Eurodam will take over in October because of the added features. And IMO, the newer the ship is the better! (Not larger, but newer. To get on new ships on most lines you have to choose the behemoths that we don't like.) Unfortunately the Eurodam will only be doing 7-day cruises in Dec. Either ship would be great, IMO.

 

You could also consider sailing Carnival or Disney out of Port Canaveral. Although Disney is more oriented toward kids, they do give a very nice cruise for adults ... but at a higher price than HAL. We've never been on a Disney cruise ourselves (yet) but our DSiL works for them and our DD has told us much about the cruises that they've been on.

 

GO GATORS! I've got two daughter-Gators, classes of 1990 and 1993! :D

[cactusmo]

You can go to an interline travel website - check out google for addresses, they also have military rates and allow you to book at the last minute, the rates will be cheaper than a regular travel agent. As you noted December cruises are the best value. Whatever you do, dont make this a surprise, half the fun of cruising is the shopping and planning for the trip! Good luck and thankyou, we appreciate all you guys.

[Bill S]

First, thank you for your service to your nation--we appreciate it!

Second, you might want to consider purchasing a travel insurance policy that includes a "cancel for any reason" clause--such policies may be a bit more expensive than others if they contain such a clause. IIRC, HAL also has a policy that would reimburse you most of your cruise fare if you have to cancel at the last minute and you would also not recover the cost of such a policy.

There is a web-site that compares coverages and premium costs for various travel insurance plans-it is pretty good. Try www.insuremytrip.com

Hope this helps and that you will be able to take your GF on a great cruise!

[chees]

My son is active duty on his way to The Gulf and only 19. FYI -- HAL's rules to book a cabin are:

 

Guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or chaperone who is at least 25 years old; one adult chaperone is required for every five people under the age of 21.

[RetiredMustang]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am new to this forum, and I have some basic questions about cruising options. I am active duty military, and want to purchase a cruise for myself and my girlfriend. In order to take the cruise I must have my requested leave days approved by my Commanding Officer. I do not want to purchase the cruise without having my leave request at least close to being approved. I know my leave will not be approved very far in advance, so does anyone have any advice about how I can reserve a cruise space (boat space, haha).

 

I have been on a cruise before, but i did not fork out the dough for it, so I am little confused on how everything works.....Thank's a lot!

 

Hey Devil Dog, (as I presume; if not, hail fellow squid),

 

As you may guess from the on-line name, I'm retired Navy. I did several HAL cruises when active, and I know about trying to get the CO to approve the leave in enough time to work with the cruise companies.

 

But, as jtl513 has said, the final payment is due several weeks before sailing and it's the same for most lines not just HAL, so if you decide to book something, you really should buy insurance either from HAL (or other cruise line) or a separate insurance company. And, you need to be prepared to write off the cost of the insurance if need be if you have to cancel because your leave was not approved.

 

I can see your quandry -- you want to set up something really nice now for you and your GF, but we who have been there know how orders can change in a heartbeat. HAL and other lines usually have short-term sales of cruises, and some travel companies specialize in short-term specials.

 

Also, we have in the past booked cruises through MWR travel agents in Bremerton and Norfolk, but I'm not sure they have them any more, or will have them where you end up being assigned.

 

You may want to wait until you are sure you are going to Florida and maybe even until you really, no-stuff, get there. Lejuene, Norfolk or Quantico would not be so bad for a Florida cruise, but what if you end up in San Diego? You would have to then figure in air travel. And, of course, if you book last minute (in cruise terms, as much as a couple of months before sailing) you would have to take what was left, and may not get your first choice of cabin type or location.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope you and GF have a great cruise! Best of luck!

 

Dave

USN (Ret.)

Honorary Marine (a title I am very proud of)

[jscdagourmet]

No thoughts on the subject, but we thank you for your service to our country and the sacrifices your family and friends have gone thru.

Ken and Jane

[gizmo]

No thoughts on the subject, but we thank you for your service to our country and the sacrifices your family and friends have gone thru.

 

I couldn't have said it better. :)