7 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

Mary229 - How can I find the list of HAL's charters and groups onboard that VMax1700 keeps? I looked on these boards and couldn't find it.

We rent a car to go to the airport!  It is sometimes cheaper than Uber.   It is a good plan if you can get a reasonable rate .  
 

heads up on NOLA - I go there frequently since it is where my family is.  Drop your rental at the airport and plan for an Uber van to take you to the port.  
 

another thought is to look at flights to other cities.  Houston is a 5 hour drive and sometimes their prices are much cheaper. 

42 minutes ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

When will the shows be, is what I am wondering. Will they adjust those so this huge group will all go at say 7pm?  Seating will then be impossible! Ugh! I would be so peeved!  The un-Christian thoughts in my head would peel paint!

The shows have recently changed to 6 and 8 on many ships.  Go to the 6. 
 

the other option I did was to set up a reservation for a very specific time for anytime dining.  What is your preferred time?  See the dining room manager at your first opportunity and set that up.  Mine was for 6:30

My guest booking confirmation aka the HAL invoice showed very specific details. Scroll through that document 

58 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I do get we all have our pet peeves.  But running shoes in the MDR?  Really?

 

Hank

Daytime for sure but I have not seen “running shoes” in the evening.  I can imagine there might be people with stability or foot issues who might as @albingirl mentioned 

15 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

LonelySaxophone - HAL should tell anyone who is booking a cruise if there will be a large group onboard. Your experience will not be the same.  If people are told in advance about a large group, they can decide if they still want to book the cruise. It's very unfair to you in my opinion.

Often the group picks the cruise after it is announced publicly, some are in fact withdrawn from the public.  I agree however and I think they should have a guarantee, with a compensatory package, in place to handle situations like this.  

19 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Snip “?  Or maybe the group is so large and they all want to eat at 8PM, that it totally fills the upper dining room so they are going to use part of the lower dining room for the group as fixed time seating?”

 

 

Thats the way I read it 

If the group is that big I would reconsider rebooking to another date 

You can use them to book Denali shore excursions once your cruise tour begins.  You should be able to see those excursions on your manage my cruise page. 

4 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

But anyone can join: there is no age restriction.

Only caveat is you must have a US address 

3 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

This post reminded me to ask a similar question. Maybe it will help someone else, as well.

 

We recently became aware that we are now 3* members after having taken a cruise in May of 2023.  I noticed that we should be getting 25% off of Specialty Dining reservations (outside of HIA).    Before receiving info on being a 3* member, I booked and paid for a reservation in Canaletto for an upcoming cruise.  Payment made 1/17 of $59 for 2 persons.  How do I get the 25% off?

 

Also saw the following and wondered if it is automatic when booking, or do we need to ask for the OBC?  For our upcoming cruise (booked back in 8/2023), we should get a $200 OBC, if eligible, but I mainly want to know for any future bookings. For future bookings, are any of the Mariner benefits automatic?

NEW Mariner Society Loyalty Benefit

Exclusive Mariner Society® Early Booking Bonus: Mariner Society® loyalty members can enjoy this new exclusive benefit of up to $400 onboard credit per stateroom, when select cruises open for sale.

 

 

You will have to handle this in person at the restaurant.  Best practice is to book onboard when it seems to be automatically credited. I never have a hard time booking onboard and often simply walk up without a reservation. 

1 hour ago, mfjj said:

Thanks so much everyone! Yes, I was talking about the additional dinings and excursions beyond HIA. I'm not sure where I read that there would be a 10% penalty if I cancel the prepaid excursions after I get on onboard. It sounds like that's not the case. I think I will go to the excursion desk first.
Mike

Some excursions, but very few, do incur a penalty and all have a penalty if you don’t cancel at least 48 hours in advance.  

Agree 100% - get fixed late dining. Nobody minds if you miss it a few times, just notify in advance if you can 

1 hour ago, clo said:

I couldn't agree with you more...and would like to elect you to Czar of CC!

 

I am the object of some of those replies and honestly believe that they're intended to be offensive. Recently I've reported a couple and they were actually removed. Enough said and thanks.

I am a bit of a sarcastic person at times and was always leaving an emoji to indicate the response was in jest until someone called me out for being a “grown woman using comic features”. Not that I cared that much what they said but it did reduce my use of emojis temporarily 😉

10 hours ago, retird said:

A quick phone call to your TA or HAL upgrade department would give you a definitive answer

Exactly, it depends on the terms of the offer and your mariner status. Some bookings come with free 3,4 passengers.

4 minutes ago, ldubs said:

If I had to name my most enjoyable vacations they would likely be those that combined a cruise with a DIY land trip.   

That is the best of both worlds. Using the ship for the big distances and land for the touring.  We often sandwich land tours between two cruises. 

The smallest cabin on a decent ship is far better than the best seat on any jet.  It is a great value in travel.  I agree it is not the best but it is on par with other pleasant styles of travel 

I would check land options too.  We have been considering that cruise for a while and once there I am going to stay a while. Princess does offer land and sea combinations for Japan. 
 

overall I like HAL better, in general - more ports, longer periods in port

42 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

You are correct that people must do their own due diligence.

 

If a representative from a cruise line gave inaccurate information to a booked passenger, and this passenger showed up without the correct documents, it would not matter what the cruise line rep had said (even if the rep put it in an email).  If that passenger didn't have the required documents, then they would be denied boarding.

 

Let me give you an example:  During the restart of the post pandemic Alaska season (July 2021), Canada was refusing to allow the typical large cruise ship to visit/stop at Canadian ports.  And as you know. all these ships have to stop at a foreign port (US law).  But, to save tourism in Alaska, and to help save the cruise industry, the US Senate voted to suspend that required foreign stop. So now we had ships allowed to sail from Seattle to Alaska without stopping in Canada. 

 

However, passengers still needed their passports or birth certificates.  But, many passengers were arriving at the pier without these documents, having been told they didn't need them because the ship wasn't going to Canada.  It didn't matter that they were given incorrect information - they still needed the proof of citizenship documents.  Many were able to get copies of their US gov't issued birth certificates sent to the port, but if they couldn't, they were denied boarding.  No doubt they received a refund from the cruise line - especially if the incorrect info came from a cruise rep, but they didn't sail. 

 

I remember that 2021 season (especially early in the season) as the worst year for document issues - so many people arrived without passports and/or their birth certificates.  It was a mess.

I don’t think it is a good fit to give legal advice on a social media platform, not good for the person asking not good for the website’s integrity.  I am a firm believer in pointing someone to a higher authority and leaving it at that.  

45 minutes ago, puckliny said:

Hi folks.   I see lots of opinions and I believe the ones who say it’s down to the ship is correct.  The countries may not need it but a cruise personnel could be a stickler especially with the open loop issue.  I’ve made an appointment at a Passport Agency hopefully they can crank it out same day.  RC won’t say anything other than 6 months citing from the “book”.  If it goes to a contract reading I’m sure they will have themselves covered.   My question is really has anyone been on this route with this particular problem and know what happens.   In any case if I get the passports tomorrow it’s all moot.  Thanks everyone.  

Excellent choice 

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

And they can even be helpful when not doing a cruise. In it was either 2021 or 2022, we did a land vacation in Boston. I asked in the East Coast forum how to get from the airport to our hotel and got really specific directions that worked perfectly.

CC is excellent for travel recommendations, reviews, logistics and so on.  I enjoy those topics myself.  

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

But the contract is the legally binding provision, while the website is basically marketing. And to make things worse, they basically say it's your responsibility, don't count on us for an answer.

 

Maybe the best thing is to go by what experiences other passengers have had with this question. 

I think it is foolhardy to give or take legal advice on a social media website.  The person should be directed to the cruise line and the contract.  
This is different than giving an opinion on a flight, hotel, shore excursion or cabin, this is a request for legal advice.  

12 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Some of us have actually read the Royal information on the OP's question and have provided him an answer based on that reading, while also suggesting that they read if for themselves. There is nothing wrong with seeking input/information from those who have "been there/done that". Yes, there may be misinformation given, but that is usually winnowed out fairly easily by the number of correct answers given. So to sum up- none of the ports on OP's itinerary require six months of validity remaining. Fact, not opinion. The cruise line may impose a stricter standard than that required by law, rule or regulations. Fact, not opinion. Royal's language is strongly indicative of the fact that they do require 6 months validity. Fact, not opinion. Therefore my opinion is that if I were in OP's shoes I would make sure that our passports had 6 months validity. (And having read Royal's FAQ I have to agree with @Charles4515 that they are being intentionally vague, probably hoping that guests will just get a passport. If I were a new cruiser though it would only serve to push me into the arms of a cruise line whose guidance is clearer.)

 

The only bone of contention, I think, is that you would call the cruise line for info and my opinion is that is an exercise in futility for all of the reasons previously stated in this thread. 

So your answer summarized is “read the cruise contract” ?

On 4/12/2024 at 12:36 PM, Reina del Mar said:

Thanks for all your answers. Have returned from our 26 night cruise with pre and post cruise stays making 35 nights.  I struggled to cut down on shoes and took eight pairs. However, I tried hard to avoid wearing all of them, as an experiment, and managed to use only five pairs. A lot more than many would take, but a target for me in the future.

 

Many thanks.

Thanks for following up

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

I don't worry about what other people choose to use for documentation, it's their choice so why should I care? 

That is the OP’s question.  We are all only merely stating our opinion as none of us have authority in this situation.  
 

as to the others in this thread who think they know the answer , their opinion is theirs.  They state there is no way to know but then boldly state what the OP should do. Can I ask - on what basis?

I have been very clear that I have no authority in this case and would not advise the OP except to say this is the wrong place to ask.  

10 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

How do you propose to determine what documentation is required for your cruise by reading the contract ? 

As @sparks1093 noted hours ago and documented by quoting the Carnival contract cruise contracts generally do not contain the specifics of what passenger documents are required beyond saying that it's the passenger's responsibility to have the appropriate documentation.

Showing up at the dock and saying some guy on cruise critic said so is not going to cut it.  As I have stated at least three times I would call the cruise line and get it in writing.  Personally I have a valid passport and won’t travel with others who don’t.