crystalspin

Welcome to Cruise Critic! and, congrats on keeping your leg!!! I just booked a cruise for January 2026! But, be sure to book with a refundable deposit because many things can happen. Then, about 3 months before the cruise sails you will come to the Final Payment Date. Before that happens, you should have researched how (and how much) you want to protect yourself from developments after they have all your money, which is nonrefundable from there out. Keep asking questions here, to help you narrow down your choices.

HAL created the "Spa" category a few years back to charge more for poorly-selling cabins (for the reasons you state). Genius marketing I guess! I actually like the locations even though I am not a spa user, but not the higher tariff. But I do look and compare rates... ETA: We like to be near the Crows Nest!

GeoBlue Trekker is medical insurance for when you travel (I think it kicks in if you are 150 miles from home). It is not CFAR. My memory is that they do not rule out pre-existing conditions. You can insure (for higher rates as you age) up to 95 years old! The Blue in GeoBlue is because they are a division of Blue-Cross-Blue-Shield. Here is Steve's (Trip Insurance Store's) intro page for the two levels of GeoBlue Trekker: https://tripinsurancestore.com/geo-blue-voyager-travel-medical-plans/

Forgot to say, welcome to Cruise Critic! Glad you stopped lurking!

Mine are on page 3, alone.

I may have been too emphatic. I re-read and you are after final payment. But you can surely ask, and I hope you only have to cancel one cabin and keep the other. If you do have to cancel both, your PCC can do it without risking the one you want to keep.

If you get HIA with Surf level Wifi, you can upgrade to Premium level on board. You can upgrade just one device.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I'm not sure anyone here will be able to help with your question -- we are all just cruisers here. Keeping in mind what @mom says, perhaps your boss would be happy to have a credentialled travel agent on the payroll. There will be expenses to get to that position; you might work out sharing some of them!

You have to confirm your membership before making the booking. They recommend 3-4 days I think. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/community-appreciation-cruise-offers/aarp-member-benefit-offer

You can surely cancel one room, and move the Dad to your husband's room. As long as one name remains the same. But I wouldn't try to do it today, headquarters is pretty busy with the $1pp deposit birthday promo! Go to however you made the booking: TA or HAL. If you did it on the HAL main line (or online), you will have been assigned a Personal Cruise Consultant, whose name and extension will be in or just below the Blue Banner of your confirmation or any emailed 'ads' from HAL you have rec'd since booking. That person will be your easiest bet to do the changes. But again, not today!

That would be my guess as well. Although I have been able to check on the way-far-out itinerary I booked, yay for me.

I love to book a sailing while still under Early Booking Bonus, but it's very hard to give HAL $14,000 to hold for two years (B2B cruises for 2 cabins)!!! Our six FCD are already busy holding VOV-25... Jane's announcement let me look at late 2025 & early 2026 and find a cruise on my bucket list, sailing with (so far) the cabins I want to take my DB and SIL to the Panama Canal! Have email in to my PCC and waiting by the phone!

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I am sorry your Dad is so poorly, but I am right there with you. Last fall, I obtained Holland America's Standard Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) cancellation protection for a 35-day cruise that would have sailed in mid-February. There is no medical included with this plan, so pre-existing conditions had no bearing. The closer the cruise got the hollower my stomach felt! At the last possible moment (24-hours) I cancelled. The amount I calculated for refund was repaid to the penny within a week. Note, it being such a long cruise, with the protection premium and the amount withheld from refunding, it still cost us about $5,000 to cancel, but my family members' health did proceed to decline, and I was happy not to have been in the middle of the Pacific all last month! "Worry for family members" is not covered in any plan, of course. Does Oceania not have CFAR cancellation plans? No? Maybe @iamtrustworthy knows of a third-party plan. Good luck to you and your Dad.

Coule it be May 18? https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2960902-may-18-25-2024-volendam-montreal-boston/#comment-66021503

Here is your roll call. Not too active, but there are a few months to go! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2934179-island-princess-august-15-2024-10-day-grand-mediterranean/#comment-65292439