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My 4 year FCCs say "sail by" & the current 2 year ones say "book by". :)

Mine is a 2-year one and says "sail by date." I am well within the window if it said "book by date."

Thanks for the information, everyone. I hope to hear from the TA today.

I was ready to book my next cruise using a Future Cruise Deposit today. Took the paper out of the folder to discover that my sail-by date is one day (yes, one single day :o ) before the sail date of the cruise I want to book. My TA called in the reservation and says the Princess rep had to put in a request to a supervisor who has to contact another dept. to see if we'll be allowed to use the FCD or not.

Question: anyone used an FCD for a cruise after the sail-by date? If so, how many days past the date was it?

Don't worry--I'm still here and still anti-unnecessary apostrophe. ;)

We have enjoyed the tea service in our suite a few times. Just tell the Neptune Lounge concierge what day(s) and time you'd like the tray delivered and how many people will be at the tea.

They'll tell you that you have to be in the room when the delivery is made, but once we got tea we didn't order and they put it in the room while we were out.

You'll get pots of hot water, tea bags, sugar, lemon, maybe even honey, along with tasty pastries. It makes a nice mid-afternoon snack. :)

Many of these posts mention that crew are too scared for their jobs to steal stuff, and I agree, although I am sure a HAL crewmember somewhere at some time has stolen something.

But if they are THAT worried, then why do they leave cabin doors propped open when they can't keep an eye on the door/cabin to see if anyone enters? If the door's open and someone can get in to swipe something, the cabin steward would be the first one to get the blame, and certainly should get some of it for leaving the door open, whether or not he took the item.

I am not saying the door was propped open in this case (although it may have been at come point--we don't know).

And yes, I am aware that anyone could have walked in, although I also think that is a problem with a cruise security.

I agree. If a steward isn't in my room or in the hallway right outside my door, I would prefer my door be closed. Keeping it open with a door stop so he can walk a distance down the hall to retrieve something is not cool.

Or am I still missing the way to access the 125%?

I don't know about the UK website, but on the US website, click on "Special Offers" in the top navigation bar, wait for the page to open, and there's a link to "Savings for Singles."

My problem is that the 125% is not offered on the cruise I want, but the onboard booking consultant said it might come out later, so I'm waiting to see. If it doesn't, I'll cancel and just be out the $25 cancelation fee.

Hi Tom,

I am sorry we didn't have any foam for you Monday night! ;)

Thanks for sharing!

LOL, priceless! And you're right about talking into the wind - she never checks back.

Thanks for getting it. :)

I just drop one end of the chain thru a drinking straw, and fasten the clasp.....you can cut the straw to fit, if needed. They will not tangle!

At the risk of talking into the wind, I'll note that several of the necklaces shown in the photo in post 1 would need a pretty large straw. :rolleyes:

you were on the Journey.. the quest did it differently. 100 percent different. nothing came to stateroom you went to the show room and got a sticker by deck number.

 

weird@ both ships are so different!!!

For my event on the Quest in August, I received an envelope in my stateroom with directions and a sticker. We did not have to go to the showroom.

I just wish the judges didn't always change their minds. Last week they sent home two designers in a hurry and this week, despite saying, "We had to make tough decisions," they made no decision at all and sent everyone away to make collections. Get some cojones and send someone home so you have four making collections. Sheesh. ;)

It was very Japanese "street" fashion. I actually liked the pants outfit better.

I am fortunate not to live in Japan, then. ;)

I thought the monster dress looked like something a 3 year old would love to wear.

I agree--and maybe it was part of the design, but it looked crooked. Not asymmetrical on purpose, but crooked by mistake. And the mustache--totally in the wrong place, if you know what I mean. ;)

Bill:

Danke for the info. As you can see from my signature, I have indeed booked the August 7 Quest cruise! This information is welcome news.

Thanks for getting back to the thread with the info.

Thanks for the reference, and wish I could provide advice. Looks like a great cruise!

Yeah, I told you not before May 2015, but this one will work perfectly with my August break. And with the "sale" and the 125% single supplement, what's not to love?

Bill L., I shall keep my eyes peeled for your next post. Thanks in advance.

Neptune suites are worth every penny and the only way to cruise. It will allow you to fully relax, be pampered and feel like royalty. The Neptune Lounge can't be beat. My personal favorite is breakfast in the PG.

The OP is not asking about Neptune Suites but Signature Suites, which do not have access to the Neptune Lounge nor to breakfast in the Pinnacle.

As far as Signature Suites, I am quite sure double sinks are the secret to a happy marriage. :)

Thanks to nordski :), I am now thinking of booking the Aug. 7 Quest cruise from Hamburg to Southampton.

Can someone tell me about the logistics of boarding the ship in Hamburg? Where does the ship dock? Actually in Hamburg or on the outskirts somewhere? Can a single traveler who overpacks manage the trip from a Hamburg hotel?

Info appreciated. :)

There is not an entire deck for the dining room on the Noordam. A portion of 2 decks near the rear of the ship is for the dining room.

Right--and deck 2 is open seating whereas deck 3 is fixed seating. Sometimes they seat folks from open seating in fixed when they know the people are dining elsewhere and they are seating them at the start of the fixed seating session.

But not every table in open seating is on a walkway or near a serving station.

I am sorry you didn't have pleasant dining experiences; that makes a big part of the cruise a disappointment for sure.

is that now you pretty much have to have a passport to get back into the US from anything that stops out of country, closed loop or not. The first time I went to the Carribbian (Grenada) all you needed was a birth certificate. I wouldn't dream of trying it without a passport now.

Your understanding is incorrect.

From state.gov (my bold):

All U.S. citizens traveling outside of the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter the United States. This extended to all sea travel (except closed-loop cruises), including ferry service on June 1, 2009.

You probably have noticed the image has a clear "R" encircled indicating it is copyrighted.

Actually, it means registered trademark. And unless you are the one who registered it, you shouldn't be using it without express permission. Using it and not having been called on it doesn't make it right.

In regards to the OP's situation, I agree that nagging about having a passport 1) isn't helpful at this point and 2) isn't necessarily useful advice given that many, many cruise passengers cruise each year on closed-loop cruises without one.

If HAL doesn't wish its reps to get involved in issues of documentation, then when asked about it, they should decline to provide an answer. If they answer, certainly the cruiser should be able to expect that the HAL rep knows what he or she is talking about.

I agree with you 100% ... for the reason you wrote ... the drill needs to be held at each person's lifeboat. I can't imagine sitting in a dining room hearing a talk, and then knowing exactly where to go in case of an actual emergency.

You're missing the point: in the case of an emergency, passengers report to the dining room. That is the muster station. "Muster station" does not have to equal "under assigned lifeboat."

Forgive me, I understand that to many such questions are upsetting. But I'm finding that I take no joy in a vacation where workers are not adequately compensated for their work - and that is why I have an interest in what crew members are paid, and what happens with the gratuities we offer in appreciation for the hard work of behind the scene crew members we never even get to thank pesonally.

I don't think your questions are upsetting, but you're not going to find definitive answers because the whole compensation system is probably not intended to be entirely clear to the passengers. Cruise or don't cruise, but the contract between the cruiseline and its employees is really none of your concern.

And I think most workers, on a cruise ship or not, feel they are not adequately compensated for their work. I know I'm not. ;)

I think it's less important for all passengers to attend muster drill than for the captain not to be a showboating (ha!) idiot. :rolleyes:

(Please note the "less" above.)

Good to see that taking roll and sweep teams are (back) in place. People should certainly take the drill seriously. But in an actual emergency, less rational behavior will be rampant.

they might charge throughout the cruise, but I would bet dollars to donuts that there are holds in place until those charges are processed. It's automatic. And as soon as a charge is placed, there is a hold until it is processed. it's part of the system. they just don't tell you as the hold is an inconsequential amount:D

 

all hotels, tours, any booking of any sort will automatically place a hold of some amount on your card for their protection - otherwise if you have no room, they can't collect;)

I just got off the Magic less than 3 weeks ago, and I assure you my information is correct. If you frequent the DisBoards, you'll find plenty of anecdotes to corroborate my assertion. In fact, recent postings indicate that you can tell them you'll pay cash for your account and not even have to put down a deposit. Disney will extend a bit of a credit line before they will cut you off. Remember that they don't charge automatic gratuities, so theoretically you could cruise without having any charges on your account.

I'm not endorsing the idea of not using a hold, just reporting it.