cruisetheworld67

I have done a little research on this and now see  that HAL  gives the option to check  the prepay gratuities box when checking  in. 

I assume that if one does NOT do this , HAL will simply add the daily  gratuity to the final bill while on board  as in the past?

We would prefer to have it added while on board  as if we had to cancel last minute; this would be one less thing to be refunded  and we would not want to overlook it.

We have the Platinum insurance plan.  Thank  you.

One of the reasons I take a cruise is "to get fawned over."  I enjoy the twice a day make up of the room and fresh towels, especially if I go the gym and want to shower with a fresh towel in the afternoon before dinner. No, I do not change towels at home every day , but THAT is the reason I pay to go on vacation. Otherwise, I could just stay home.

I know from the HAL website that after Sept. 6 cruises less than 16 days will no longer require  pre boarding testing if fully vaccinated.

As this was the only requirement holding us back from  resuming cruising; just to clarify:

If my wife and I both received the initial 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine ( last year) and then each one booster; we have met this requirement and do not need to test prior to a cruise after Sept. 6 that is less than 16 days.

Is this correct? We did not get a second booster.  Just 3 shots  each.   Thank you.

15 hours ago, kangforpres said:

This came in today. For me it's a free Verandah, $500 free play and drinks in the Casinos. Judging by the offers I would say Alaska trips sailing out of Vancouver are not selling very well.

 

-Paul

 

 

HEP2228CO1_SAILINGS_USD1.pdf 183.24 kB · 61 downloads

So  OP....how much do you need to gamble  ( what is your average bet size) , at what games  to receive this kind of an offer?

Ok  forgive me if this has been asked numerous  times before.  We are going on a Caribbean Cruise departing  Ft.  LAuderdale later this month.

My question is : Do we still need to present proof of a negative Covid  test 2- 3 days prior to the departure date?    YEs or No?

Thank  you.

On 5/5/2022 at 11:07 AM, Hlitner said:

All  the comments are fine but why the Big Lie from HAL about circumstances beyond their control.  They certainly can administer Antigen tests if they wanted to offer the tests.  Seabourn, who is part of the HAL group, had no problem providing those tests on the Ovation to disembarking guests who wanted the tests when we disembarked at Lisbon or Monte Carlo.  If HAL “chooses”,not to provide testing that is one thing, but to claim lack of testing is beyond their control is a pile of you know what.

 

Hank

Seabourn is a luxury cruise line.  HAL is not.

On 2/10/2022 at 2:01 PM, mcrcruiser said:

We feel that cruises for people who are elderly & have  other medical issues will be out of the question . We fit that category  . We will have to wear masks the rest of our lives  when shopping .We won't go to a movie or indoor restaurant 

 

 Unless this virus   leaves  within the year ,we are finished with cruises . Why take the risk  where there are many people congregating  . A lot of  space between people is the answer  for safety  .There are no ventilating systems designed that can completely stop a virus 

I don't get this.  If I was in my 80's  with medical issues; I figure I am nearing the end of my life anyway and would want to enjoy the little time I had left.

Would I rather go cruising and enjoy life and risk getting a disease which may kill me  OR live like a hermit; almost never leaving home ; never eating out; never going to see a movie, etc.   and trying to squeeze another year or two out of life?

LOL! HAL may cover it   BUT    will you want to stay in the hotel they stick you in. 

It certainly will NOT be luxury. 

I could not see  myself lingering in a motel 6   somewhere!

I have found  "Lobster night"  to be a huge disappointment on HAL ships.

The lobster tail is small  and horribly  over cooked.  Tastes like a dried  rubber ball.

Then again I am from New England and know what good lobster is.

So if you do miss 'Lobster night"......you won't be missing much!

Much more enjoyable is a properly cooked steak from the Pinnacle.

The reason we will not cruise right now  is the testing requirement. Which is just beyond stupid.

Whether it is mandated or not by the CDC.

As someone else stated; one could test neg.  48 hrs before the cruise and come in contact with hundreds of people travelling thru airports, etc.  and contract the virus en route.

In addition, there is the possibility of a FALSE positive  ruining one's vacation.

We have been vaccinated. And would even wear a mask ( a surgical mask NOT an N95 mask).

But NO WAY will we cruise with the testing requirement!

Let these ships sail at 50-60% capacity.

They will either merge with other lines or go bankrupt in short order.

We could care less.

I have just read the posts in this thread and I find it amazing that people are willing to jump thru all these hoops just to cruise again. And now with the Omnicron variant....things will get worse before they get better. As if planning a cruise along with airfares, hotels, etc. isn't stressful enough; now there is the issue with these tests.

And with these ships, from what I have read here, sailing at only 40-60%  capacity; I do not see how long the cruise lines can continue to operate. 

We have decided to wait until things return to pre pandemic status. No masks or pre boarding tests....which could result in false + tests.

And if things never return to pre pandemic conditions?

We will spend our vacation $$$$$ elsewhere.

I and many others REFUSE to jump thru these hoops. 

Have fun.

On 9/29/2021 at 11:56 AM, AKJonesy said:

I agree.  We are in our early 60s but I admit, I still felt the pressure.  The hardest part was not really knowing all of the options even though there has been a significant amount of information shared by cruisers.  That is why I went into great detail and hope that my information will help someone else.  IMHO the CDC is against the cruise industry and the cruise industry needs to help out it's cruisers as we have been helping support them.  I also forgot to mention we did not have insurance for our trip, and I will reconsider that for the future and that forced us to jump through hoops to get these tests done.  Two days is cutting it too close IMO.  

Hopefully,   HAL will either test at the pier  or this "48  NEg Covid Test"  becomes a thing of the past.

Just not worth the extra stress and BS. If enough people refuse to cruise under these circumstances;   the cruise lines can go out of business or push back.

We will definitely not cruise until things settle down.

Too much BS at this point.

17 hours ago, zgscl said:

I think it really depends where you live. We had absolutely no trouble getting a test through my primary care doctor with results back in 24 hours and now with the emed/Binax Now ag home kit it is even easier. $150 for a pack of 6 which you can do from the comfort of your own home or any other place.

 

I am definitely of the mind that I want a negative result in hand before leaving home. It is one thing to test positive and need to cancel the trip, but arriving at the pier only to test positive and then need to quarantine in a far away city? No thank you.

So here is what I want to know.

If you DO test + just before your cruise.....you have to cancel the cruise. Now, does HAL provide a FULL refund or only if you have the Cancellation Plan? Which provides for only 80 - 90% of the cost.

Also, what about non refundable airline fares and/or hotel reservations? Flying cross country this could amount to $$$$.

And what about the "stress" already present when getting ready to depart for a cruise? 

Worrying about the weather, having taken care of all the little details ( the mail, pets, work schedules, etc).

These Covid guidelines just add another layer of stress. I bet everyone is just praying "Please don't let the test come back +!" 

I "get" that you would want to know; but I am of the opinion that we are just going to REALLy need to get back to normal....NORMAL! And just learn to live with this virus. Get vaccinated when appropriate , but these new testing restrictions 72 hours before one cruises has TOTALLY  turned us off to cruising as I am sure it has others. There will be some pent up demand in the near future and passengers  will put up with these restrictions, but I believe as time goes on and more and more ships come to the market  and demand fades; many will seek alternatives to cruising. Just not worth the headaches.

I agree with another poster.....if this is truly the future of cruising....forget it!  Better to book a condo  by the beach/ lake/ in the mountains, whatever....within driving distance  and bypass airports / cruise  ships/ etc. Yes , yes  I know more cruising space for you but if this is the NEW cruising  you can have it!   And I can guarantee you....I am not alone in my feelings on this!

LOL! I am laughing at this! Can't help it! So THIS is an enjoyable vacation? Too funny!

This reminds me of all the endless threads on "appropriate" attire for formal ( now GALA nights) and how some expressed that their cruise was just "ruined" because of how others dressed during dinner!

Chill out.   Some people may not be clear on the rules. Some may not have a mask covering their mouth AND nose. I see this ALL the time and it is mostly with the elderly! 

Some do not wear a mask correctly. HAL recommends a "medical grade " mask. What the hell is that? I wear a cheap  surgical mask. Especially if I need to wear a new one every day. Buy them in bulk.

I am sure some will wear 2  or even 3 masks. Some will wear only N 95 masks. Guarantee there are those that will criticize others for only wearing a "cheap"  mask. "THEY ARE NOT DOING THEIR PART TO PROTECT OTHERS!"

Some will probably chose to bathe in gallons of sanitizer gel. Whatever. This is getting ridiculous!

Believe me, I am one to follow the rules; but if this  is what it takes to cruise......I will wait.  As I am sure many others will.  Just NOT worth my time or money. HAve fun!

Ok. SO what happens if the test come back +? You cannot cruise?

Do you get a refund from HAL or only if you purchased insurance?

Also, your airfare and hotel reservation may be lost as well?

Seems like a VERY stressful situation to endure.

Personally not worth it. 

Willing to wait until these draconian restrictions ease.

So I'm confused. HAL is testing at the Pier and you must have a neg Covid test within the previous 72 hours? IS this correct?  But this makes NO sense!

You can be fully vaccinated and test + for Covid. This is what happened to Gov. Abbot of TExas.

Any one of us who is vaccinated can test + for Covid. So what is the point of getting vaccinated pertaining to cruises?  Are we all just supposed to roll the dice and hope we don't have a + test 72 hours before we cruise?

And IF we do test +   what about refunds? Not just from HAL....but one would lose money on air travel and non refundable hotel deposits.

This is bogus. Who wants to cruise under these restrictions? All set to go; you have gotten the vaccine and at the 11th hour you test +. Who wants that stress? It is stressful enough just planning and travelling to GET to the cruise ship. Never mind this BS.

Also wanted to ask but forgot to.....we are also looking at SilverSea which has butler service. Is butler service really a big deal? I know they will serve a full course meal in the suite and maybe act much like your personal concierge. Just wondering  if any of you that have also cruised Silver Sea and how that experience compared with Seabourn. Thanks!

So....we  usually have cruised on Holland America and want to "try" one of the luxury lines. We like what we see so far from Seabourn. Smaller ships; more personalized  service, better food. At least that is what we will expect. We always look for a room with a veranda/ balcony so the 2 rooms that come to mind are either the veranda room or the penthouse suite.

Both come with a verandah and obviously the PH is larger (not a big deal for us) and the PH I see has a fully stocked bar ( not a big deal as we do not drink alcohol).

There is no butler service on Seabourn so if we are looking at a future Caribbean cruise with a price difference of $6,000   between a Veranda suite and a PH suite;  would we not be just as happy ( for less money) in a veranda suite?   What am I missing?

So here's what I want to know.

And just for reference I have been vaccinated.

If someone gets the test at the port the day of embarkation and it comes back + and they are denied boarding.....do they get a full refund? Or is this a way to force passengers to pay for the Platinum  protection Plan? Consider also there are both false + and false - test results.

And what if you are flying to a destination. The airline tests you and it comes back +. But you have been vaccinated. So now you can't fly. Refund from the airline? REfund from the cruise?  The hotel? Imagine the stress with everything else the day of a cruise and now you have to wait 15 mins for a test result that could be wrong.

What are the financial implications here? And who is out of luck? The passenger ?

I see 3 problems with the idea of requiring a vaccination to cruise.

Just to clarify I am getting the vaccine. HAd the first dose already. 

The first problem is what is "proof?" I received a Covid CArd from the pharmacy where I received the first dose. The pharmacist hand wrote in the dose, Lot #  , and date. With digital technology today, anyone could reproduce a blank card and fill it in. Not much to it. And don't put it past people.

The second problem, and probably the most important one as far as HAL is concerned, what if the competition does NOT require proof to cruise? How many younger cruises will HAL lose to the competition? After having these ships idle for a year, you can bet HAL and others want to  fill these ships ASAP. The bottom line is their profit margin and for HAL to have such a requirement may hurt their bottom line if some cruisers go to the competition. If they do not require proof, they would not lose many of you because you all have already been vaccinated. 

A third problem is say you book a cruise based on its itinerary. Months from now when you cruise, half the ports you were hoping to visit are closed. Those countries have a huge increase in the variant strains of the virus and out of 10 ports you were hoping to visit; you visit only 5 and the other days are spent at sea. Not bad because at least you are cruising. All I am saying is be ready for a LOT of flexibility in what future cruising looks like.

Just my 2 cents.

Well.....it would totally depend on how much the cruise line would be willing to pay me to go on such a cruise. If the cruise line met my price, I would go.

On 5/28/2020 at 9:43 PM, wyobean said:

Prescottbob...I am not even going to consider a cruise till 2022. I want to see what will actually happen by then. And you are tight about the tender boats.

Problem  is many passengers, especially HAL passengers, may not be alive or nursing home bound come 2022. Got to get in as much cruising as possible before then.

On 5/22/2020 at 1:47 PM, crusinbanjo said:

Ok I have been reading about cruise lines coming back and starting up and lots of medical evaluations before you can board yadda, yadda, yadda.  
 

So let’s do a what if. What if I book my cruise, make all my payments, get to the dock and am denied boarding because the medical examiner thinks I might be a risk, for whatever reason.  Does the cruise line refund my fare and return me home?  Or do they just keep my money and leave me crying portside?  What about Mrs Banjo?  Would she need to decide to cruise solo or loose the money we paid for her fare?

 

i am asking in all seriousness, because I have 2 cruises booked, one in September and another in January, that could Potentially put Mrs Banjo and I in this situation.  

Not only will HAL keep your money and leave you crying portside. They will gather the crew and point and laugh at you while shouting "No Refund!!! No Refund!!!"

WOuld Mrs. BAnjo cruise solo if she could? That is the bigger question.

22 hours ago, BobbiSox said:

You are right about everything. Of course we are nostalgic! The  main reason I continue to travel with HAL: I  am ten days shy of being bumped up to 5-star Mariner, after twenty years of sailing HAL, and I am too old to start another loyalty program on another line. I probably wouldn't live long enough to enjoy the benefits.

Well, I understand what you are saying but don't see the rationale behind it.  Why keep spending money on an experience which does not meet expectations regardless of MAriner status? I had an aunt who loved Italian food and used to patronize a local Italian restaurant where the food and service was usually sub par. I asked her why on earth she continued to go back to the same place if it was always not an enjoyable experience? Her response; "Well, it was a good deal. We usually have a free dessert coupon." HA!

The HAL mariner program is just a clever marketing program to keep you coming back until you achieve that ultimate level....in HAL's case  5 star. All the cruise lines have it. As well as big box stores. And the local coffee shops, etc. etc. etc. 

My local casino, where I play poker, has various card levels, gold, platinum, and diamond....where at the diamond level you get free rooms, food, etc. But you need to acquire enough points in a 12 month period to advance to the next level or all your points reset again. A buddy I know who plays the pit games was determined to get to the diamond level and had 3 more days to play enough hours to get there. I saw him (this was a few months ago before Covid 19) and I asked him if he made it to the diamond level. He said (with a little disgust):"YEah, I figured that Diamond CArd cost me $30,000 over the year! HA!

BTW....You are never to old to try a new cruise line. If you can cruise you can change.

I would rather take 1 Seabourn cruise every 18 months if I truly enjoy the experience rather than take 2 HAL cruises a year where I did not enjoy it. 

9 hours ago, Nymich said:

That FCC offer at the end tells me it will be awhile before any refunds are issued. They are still in sell mode.   At least April thru August HAL cancels know what to expect.

Of course they are still in sell mode. Typical Ponzi scheme. Slowly  paying  off those waiting for refunds with deposits from those currently booking future cruises.

Other threads talk about those putting down deposits on future cruises so they can "have something to look forward to."

That something may be waiting forever for a refund!😖

PT Barnum was right.