richwmn

Its more secure than non-encrypted email. The phone connection is temporary point-to-point connection between source and the destination fax machine, nothing is doing store and forward type operations and once you terminate it, its all over.

 

When you send an email, even to someone in the same household, you really have no idea how many servers it landed on and for how long it is retained there. There could be copies of your emails sitting around in Server Cache or even be deliberately copied and saved for later viewing.

In addition the PDF format (as well as many others) has been used to place viruses on computers. Since this happens upon opening the PDF, it is difficult to stop. For more information on this, please click HERE.

You don't get any cruise day credits until after the cruise. Only exception seems to be on a Grand Voyage, if a segment puts you over and you're staying for the next segment, they do give you the next star instead of waiting.

 

Getting credit for pre-buying OBC would be a double dip. Both passengers in a cabin get cruise credit day credit for the combined total of all charges to the cabin (including gratuities) plus all pre-bought things, and it makes no difference where the funds come from to settle the bill.

 

Sorry for the confusion earlier. My pre-cruise spending was for things. Specialty dinners for both cruises, the laundry package for both cruises, and the Quench Package for just the first four days since we had the SBP for the last seven.

Thought that - thank you for clearing that up...

On the "Grand Voyages" HAL will bump you up to your next star level if your actual days would qualify you. Spending bonus days are not calculated until the cruise ends. The Hotel Manager does seem to have some discretion on this, however.

We have no plans to scam anyone. My only thought is since HAL does not allow you to prebook excursions and then later pay for them with OBC once onboard, like some cruise lines do, this sounded like a reasonable alternative. The only reason we would "cancel" an excursion onboard, except in the case of a physical injury, is to turn right around in a matter of seconds and "refare" the excursion with OBC.

 

However, I am curious if someone who has actually tried this approach was still charged a 10% fee since they were just "refaring" the excursion with OBC rather than canceling it completely? The HAL statement you're quoting sounds like a 10% fee is charged if you simply cancel the excursion and walk away. I can understand why they would charge that fee in that case.

 

BTW this is a 40 day cruise on the Maasdam in Oct 2019 so the excursions would not be posted yet. We're just trying to formulate a strategy once they do become available.

One thing to consider is that if you were able to do this, it would be refunded as "refundable on board credit", which you would not get back until the end of the cruise. It would not be refunded to the credit card used to purchase the excursion initially.

We will be disembarking from Zuiderdam in Copenhagen in July, and will be spending an overnight there. We want to use AirLuggage Copenhagen to transfer our luggage from port to hotel. I need to give them a time to meet us at the dock to hand over our luggage. We want to carry our luggage off ourselves because we think it will be more convenient and spare us time. So if we are self disembarking can we choose the time, so that we leave our cabin around 9am. Will there be a long wait at Customs at that time? We don't want to get off at 7am when it appears some self disembarkation starts, since we really don't need to be anywhere that early.

Thanks for your advice.

I can only answer the highlighted portion. Anyone doing self disembarcation is supposed to exit the ship prior to anyone else. This is to insure that those carrying several bags do not conflict with those not carrying bags.

I can't speak for Copenhagen, but at most ports it is not that difficult to find your luggage.

I am sitting in the Kiel terminal right now, best port Wi-Fi we have had. The Koningsdam internet manager calls the ship internet a disaster! So do not expect much. Just wanted to give future passengers some advance warning.

I am surprised that Koningsdam had an internet manager. That position went away quite some time ago.

That being said, when I was on Koningsdam a little over a year ago, the internet was no better or worse than any other HAL ship. YMMV

Which of the ports that you visited have free wifi?

I had often thought that it would be great for the HAL forum to have a resource which listed wifi access points in various ports or cities (Any volunteers?) ;p

 

 

P.S. Before anyone mentions that ATT give free roaming, please remember that HAL cruises worldwide! I personally, do not need wifi in EU as EU residents have mostly free roaming within EU, but visitors from N. America could benefit from free wifi in Europe, just as Europeans could benefit from free wifi in USA/Caribbean/Asia etc

just google "free wifi access" and you will find several sites that list locations worldwide that allow free access for everyone - not just ship passengers.

That list is not always correct. For example it shows San Juan and Monaco as tender ports and we docked at both.

While I have always docked at San Juan, but tendered at Monaco last year.

If you book and pay in full, I believe you can no longer transfer the reservation to a TA for whatever perks they would give you, as one example.

You are correct, in order to transfer it to a TA, you have to owe something, but that something can be $100 out of a $15,000 fare.

So no one has first (or immediate second) hand experience with one person in a 2-person room (both having the Platinum CPP) not making the cruise? Am I even correct in thinking that both people in a cabin must have the same cancellation plan, even though you sign up individually on the on-line form?

Although it was 10 years ago, the information I posted above was first hand.

1. Both passengers had Platinum CPP.

2. I was advised that if one person canceled, their fare would be refunded per the terms of the CPP Platinum policy.

3. My fare would be changed to the single rate. This would have caused my fare to be about $200 more than the combined fare that had been paid for the two passengers.

Since I had paid for both passengers, I chose to not cancel and just have the second as a "no show". I received a refund of the taxes and port charges for the second passenger.

I believe HAL's policies are still the same, but I have not had the situation come up again.

OK, I have searched, I have read a dozen likely-sounding threads -- none have answered my question. If one person of a non-couple reservation may not be able to come on the cruise, and they booked under a promotional the remaining person doesn't want to lose -- is it better for the remaining person just to show up and say "my friend missed her plane"? Would she get charged the single supplement IN ADDITION TO losing the fare of the friend???

 

What effect would one or both of them having Platinum CPP have? Like, does the PCPP re-pay 90% for the one, while the other gets hit with essentially double fare? Would that be the best possible outcome after all?

 

Hopefully this is just theoretical.

My experience is 10 years old, so as the saying goes - YMMV.

I had a cruise booked with a friend. That particular cruise solo price was the same as 2 people would pay so no discount at all for solo. Several weeks out it appeared they would not be going. I discussed the situation with my PCC and it was determined that showing up alone and telling the people at embarkation that the other person was traveling separately would be the best course of action. If we canceled the other person, single supplement would kick in and I would owe a bunch more. They ended up not showing and I was refunded the taxes and port fees, not a lot but at least something.

Wow, it is almost a year away and they might only have guarantee cabins? That would indicate a majority of the rooms are guarantee only. On the all the lines I have sailed on , I have never ever been forced to buy a guarantee, in fact they are usually sold out first which is fine by me; I want to know what I am paying for. But thanks for that thought...if true I'm regretting the selection of HAL for the trip.

The short cruise is also being sold as part of a longer, most likely repositioning, cruise. The people who book the entire cruse have first choice of cabins. The ones that are left will be assigned to the people booking only the 4 day portion.

Edit --

Looks like you may be trying to book either Eurodam or Oosterdam. The Eurodam is being sold as either a 16 or 20 day circle Hawaii, the 4 day portion is to fill cabins that were booked only for the 16 day portion. The Oosterdam is being sold a 17, 21, or 22 day cruise, again with the 4 day portion filling the cabins of the people who booked the shorter segment.

Just some additional notes on Solo Dining. I have been on many cruises, mostly solo. For the first few I was on fixed - the only thing available at that time. One success was a table of 8 which was all solo passengers. Another success was a table of 6, one couple with her mother, and another couple. I am still in contact with the family and have visited their home as part of cruises. One failure was being the 5th person at a table where the other 4 were traveling together. Despite the fact that we lived near each other and were familiar with each others home cities, early on I realized that I was the 5th wheel and stopped attending and just went to the Lido.

More recently I have done anytime dining. It has allowed me to join whoever might ask during the day, or eat alone.

I must note, however, that even having anytime dining I was able to join friends that had fixed dining on some evenings if a place a the table was open. On my last cruise 7 friends were on fixed dining at a table of 8 and the dining room manager assured me I was welcome to join them any night I wished. I did so on 3 or 4 of the 13 nights.

I am on a cruise starting in Civitavecchia and I just went to the reservation and found (under purchase flights . . . ) an offer for pre cruise transfer from FCO for $69.00 per person.

I would suspect that the transfer from the port to FCO would be around the same price.

Alternatively, you can book a private Van or SUV from Rome Cabs for 130 euros for the vehicle seating al least 4.

The private Van doesn't need to wait for fill a bus, while the HAL transfer might.

Just spoke to someone on Amsterdam. Upper deck is being cleaned, so no passengers up there for sali away

Hi, can someone please tell me how many there are and if there is a USB port also? Sorry, when I searched I was only coming up with older posts. Thank you!

I was on the Westerdam in Sept, in an outside cabin. Looking back at a picture I took, I see my tablet directly plugged into a usb outlet, so there was at least one on the desk, but most likely two. I believe there were also two sets of plugs, each containing 1 US and 1 European outlet.

 

5*I want to buy some OBC ahead of time to cover gratuities' date=' plus a few other purchases (drinks, last minute excursion purchases, souvenirs on the ship, specialty dining, spa) that we may make. Buying ahead of time allows me to have almost everything paid off before our trip (less surprise at the end), and will earn me 3x travel points (my credit card will only give 1x points for purchases made while on board for some reason). If we end up not using all of the OBC, will it be refunded or will I lose it? I saw one thread from late 2017 that said it is refunded, but when I spoke to ship services, the rep said no![/font']

thanks :)

regarding this. Any OBC you purchase or which is provided by a TA (other than pass thru from HAL) is fully refundable. You may get the refund in cash the last evening, or by refund to your credit card if one was provided.

In some ports, a private van and driver can be purchased as an excursion. For example on the Voyage of the Vikings you can rent a driver and van for $1699 for up to 6 people and 7.5 hours. Here is the description

Explore at your own pace

Flexibility to create a custom itinerary

Driver and English-speaking guide at your service

 

About the Excursion

 

Explore at your own pace with a private vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide at your service. This exclusive tour is designed to allow you the chance to customize your time ashore and discover the most interesting sights in the comfort and privacy of your own vehicle. With your private vehicle, and the personalized attention of your driver and English-speaking guide, you will have the flexibility and independence to design your itinerary ashore according to your own interests, and take in the sights at your own pace. See the famous sights, or go beyond to create your own intimate connections and unique cultural encounters. The Signature Collection is recommended for the single/solo traveler, couples, family, friends, and special interest groups traveling together. It can also be an excellent choice for guests with mobility limitations.

 

Capacity:6 guests. Your private party may be of any size up to the maximum capacity.

Malaga for 8 hours up to 6 guests $1499

Malaga for 4 hours up to 15 guests $1299

these would be booked thru shore excursions

Great to know. I assume that this is just by accessing a website rather than via an app. I assume that this includes the daily schedule of events - yes?

That is correct. Each ship now has an internal website that can be accessed without cost. Daily menus and activities are included, as are links to reserve dining and access paid internet.

Is anyone willing to share the link so we can all take the survey?

Each email gets a unique token. I just tried mine again and was reminded that I have already taken the survey.

It could also be a partial refund for an excursion that a number of people complained about in the post cruise survey.

While stopping in NYC I did a tour bus excursion along with some friends. The next day we got a letter saying that we were being refunded somewhere around 25% of the excursion cost because so many people complained. This might also happen if the complaints were during the post cruise survey.

I just received another survey from HAL. It starts out thanking me for a recent booking, but mentions a booking made several months ago.

The first few questions concerned advertising, then some about various features such as America's Test Kitchen, BB King, Oprah ahd Lincoln Center. The last were the normal age, income, etc.

All questions are in the attached pdf

survey.pdf

I'm trying to think of any other US port we've departed from that even has any security for the entire port area. In our second most common port, Tampa, the terminals are right on city streets or unguarded drive loops. Same in Manhattan. In Port Canaveral there are signs that that say "commercial vehicles only" going up to the terminals we've used, but everybody simply ignores them when picking up or dropping off friends. So I wonder why PE bothers, considering that it's really pretty lax.

The ports at Charleston, SC and Boston are also right on city streets, so the only security is what the terminal building provides.

A recent discussion of port fees and taxes can be found at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2625899

Thank You. Do you know how do I purchase OBC for HAL? I am booked via TA. Do I call HAL directly or is there a way to do it on-line? ( This would be in addition to redeeming above mentioned points through credit card rewards).

You can purchase OBC on the website under indulgences (at least the old one), or by calling ships services.

on the website -

log in, go to my reservations, pick the cruise, pick purchase, then gifts & indulgences, then shipboard credit.

Sort of like the subprime mortgage crisis and the following increase in mortgage delinquencies ???

 

My point is that a lot of people are booking cruises that they will likely later cancel. This gives a false impression that the cruises are really selling better than they actually are and maintains cruise prices at a higher level for everyone ...UNTIL final payment and then the cruise line has an overabundance of cabins from cancelled cruises. They then have to lower the prices to fill the ship and recoup the funds elsewhere by raising prices everywhere else.

Well Mr. TaxMantoo, I've never defaulted on a loan in my life weather it be school loans, mortgage loans, car loans/leases or credit card bills and I don't think I will default on this future cruise payment.

 

You like so many others misrepresent the Great Recession of 2007/08 it was a complete Real Estate, credit and financial market collapse. The straw that broke the camel's back was the Sub-prime crisis but it was not the leading cause of the crash, the entire overheated and over-valued real estate market that wall street bundled into crap investment bonds that the casino economy players jumped on and went sour because they where fraudulent crap.

 

Back to the point of this thread, HAL rarely if ever offers $1 deposits which is why me and other HAL loyalist took the bait.

 

-Paul

I suspect that the "bean counters" at HAL HQ in Seattle have a pretty good idea of how many of the cruises booked with the $1 deposit will go unclaimed. Just like they know how many FCD will be refunded after 4 years and how many cruises booked at a full deposit will be canceled.

Very glad to see you found your information!