Reagan0712

25 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Do you see the problem now?  Why would they give you an AARP benefit in 2025 when you have not paid for a 2025 membership.  

I understand and agree with what you are saying. However, (you knew that was coming 😉) the way I am reading the promotion is “Here’s your AARP approval now go book your cruise.” I could be wrong, but I don’t believe it reads “only book a cruise that sails during your validation period”. 

That being the case, if I get validated today for one year and book a cruise for 2025, according to the current promotion rules, they should give me the $100 OBC.

If I’m reading this incorrectly, someone please let me know because on Saturday I did just that and am waiting to see if I get the OBC.

What I’m finding when I try to call lately is it appears a majority of my calls are being routed to an off-shore call center. I can hear other people handling calls in the background, the representatives are usually difficult to understand, and it’s clear they haven’t been with HAL very long as every question results in my being put on hold while they check with a supervisor. This always leads to miscommunication because when they come back their answer never answers my question.

Yesterday, after getting the same runaround I tried a different approach. I kept calling and if it sounded like the call center I hung up and called again. I finally reached someone who had a clear connection and apparently has been with HAL for a while as she answered my question herself and gave me an email address where to send my AARP info. Something I’d not gotten from the first person. The email address was good and I had a reply later in the afternoon.

According to Google, it’s a Black-headed Gull.

I enjoyed your pictures once again.

I got sucked into applying for the Barclay HAL card because of the 15000 point offer. The hoops I had to jump through to get it were ridiculous. I already had a Barclay card but they still insisted I submit to them a utility bill, a copy of my driver’s license, and my social security card (which they weren’t getting even if I could find it). Several letters and phone calls later I got the card.

Aside from the no foreign transaction fees, it’s not a great card. I get much better points with my Discover card and local credit union card, both of which also have no foreign transaction fees.

I used the HAL card on one cruise and put it away.

Just read through all ten pages, and though I may have missed it, I didn’t see my question.

Does anyone know if this AARP OBC will be applied in addition to the Carnival Stock OBC or is it one or the other?

My AARP lapsed and I’ve been debating whether or not to renew. This plus the gift cards are pushing me toward renewal.

Lovely pictures! I remember visiting the Botanic Gardens about 8 years ago. I was amazed at all the flowers.

18 minutes ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

I agree with all that these small towns are quite walkable on your own, we do both.  The guided walking tours give us a lot more information than we would gather on our own.  Walking on our own after the tour gives us a bit more familiarity with the town and we are able to linger longer where we might want to.  We always try to end our visits with a stop for some local flavor, usually a local beer and snack.  The worst black flies we encountered last year were in Red Bay, Labrador.  

No longer need to worry about Red Bay. Received notification during the night that Red Bay is out and we are now stopping at Corner Brook.

Tours cancelled. Nets came yesterday.

Thanks for all your input. 😘

I do not think you will have any problems in Iceland, especially as the ship will be overnighting.

Several years ago I had a bad reaction to the Icelandic version of Dramamine while on a whale watching tour. The boat radioed back to have the EMTs waiting at the dock when we returned. They came on board to check me out, which by then fortunately the stuff was wearing off. Anyhow,  they checked heart rate, BP, had me stand up and walk. Asked if I wanted to be taked to ER. When I said I felt good enough to go back to the hotel they told me to make sure to call an ambulance later if I felt I needed it.  They never asked for any ID or medical information. I think if you go to Landspitali as soon as you can once the ship docks you’ll be ok.

@OlsSalt Yes, we are cruising Prince Christian Sound on our way to Greenland.

3 hours ago, lissie said:

Or black flies in Canada if the OP is on the same cruise as I  We have them from outback Australia - once you've experienced them you'll just keep them in a pocket - the flies are beyond annoying when you can't open your mouth without swallowing them. Amazon.com : Bug Head Net Mesh - Bug Face Netting for Hats - Insect Net Mask Cover from Gnats, No-See-Ums & Midges with Extra Fine Fly Screen Holes - Outdoor Protection for Men & Women : Patio, Lawn & Garden 

I ordered netting today from Amazon. I hope the mosquitos aren’t as big as the ones in Alaska last summer. You could have thrown a saddle on those.😂

3 hours ago, lissie said:

It's really hard to find you have to go to Western Europe and then go back to Europe and choose Northern Europe Northern Europe & Baltic Sea - Cruise Critic Community 

 

We haven't been yet but I've looked at Google street view and cant' see why  we need a tour either - we're going to walk around on our own 

Are you on the Zuiderdam leaving July 2nd?

Besides their websites, I looked at Google street view also that’s why I’m thinking of canceling the tours I’ve booked.

I looked in the Ports of Calls section and couldn’t find Greenland so I’ll ask here. Has anyone done the walking tours for the HAL stops in Greenland, Qaqortoq and Nanortalik.  I have them booked but after looking at the websites for each town I’m thinking maybe I could just walk around on my own. Thanks.

FYI…the email is navigator.support@hollandamerica.com

not that you’ll ever get a reply. I sent an email months ago and they’ve never replied.

And, the last five reviews in the Google Play Store are all one star with everyone complaining that the app is the worst. They are not wrong.

AT&T also has their $10 for 24 hours international plan. So if one is only going to be calling home even 4 or 5 times it is cheaper to go this route. This is the plan I have on my phone all the time.

Do the Top of the Dome excursion in Dawson City. Skip the $20 Diamond Gertie’s excursion and just walk up to Gertie’s on your own. There are three shows each evening and each is more bawdy. There is also a casino to play before the shows and food/drink is available. There is a CIBC branch on Second St with an ATM, just up from the Downtown Hotel, to get some Canadian money.

We booked a Family Cabana for the sea portion of our Land/Sea in Alaska last year. It was wonderful! Aside from an initial hiccup where the people who had the starboard cabana tried to get our port side cabana the first day everything else was perfect. Our guy, Gus, was very attentive and checked in constantly to see what we needed. Mid morning he’d bring up the Lido menu for us to make lunch selections. Every afternoon at 2 he brought us chocolate covered strawberries. One day it was rainy and we decamped to the Crow’s Nest and he found us there with the strawberries. It is definitely something I’d do again if I was traveling with a group, there were six of us. What was really nice was that we didn’t have to fight the crowds along the rails.

I was on the Rotterdam the past two October transatlantics and was on the Eurodam in March. Except for the Eurodam’s deck 2 being as cold as a meat locker either would be fine with me so it would come down to the itinerary.

So my advice is you need to do what you feel will make you happy for three weeks.

For me it was the Rotterdam inaugural cruise, Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale. And it wasn’t because of the itinerary. It was because about six months before the cruise we started Zooming on a weekly basis. This eventually whittled down to a core group of about 25 people. So, when we finally got to the ship it was like having a reunion of old friends. We’d do things together. Not the entire group but we’d always have little groups going to this or that on board. Then, last October a bunch of us were on the Rotterdam again for the 150th cruise. Many of us still Zoom once a month just to keep in touch.

@lissie The router was right outside my cabin. I even went and stood under it to see if it helped. Nope. Definitely some issue with connectivity away from public areas of ship.

Absolutely include Yukon, specifically several days in Dawson City. I was there last summer and loved the place.  

Just now, oakridger said:

 

iPhone 10X and my Windows 11 laptop.

Thanks. First I’ve heard of this issue with an iPhone or a laptop. I was on the Rotterdam last October and the Eurodam last month and experienced the same internet trouble with my android phone. It was especially bad on the Eurodam in my cabin. Then I ran into someone else on the Eurodam having the same problems with an Apple phone.  A young lady from Guest Services even came to my cabin to verify there was a problem.  The only thing she could think of was that there were too many pages open in Chrome but closing them still didn’t help in the cabin, as she found out.

On 4/6/2023 at 9:10 PM, oakridger said:

 

I was on the Rotterdam in November for 3 weeks.  The internet was intermittent and had spotty service in different areas of the ship (including my cabin)! I got disconnected quite often.  Would this be considered "normal" Starlink service?  I hope not, because I saw no difference on that cruise than any other cruise I have been on.

 

~Nancy

Were you getting disconnected on your phone or on laptop/iPad?  If phone, what type phone do you have? IPhone, Android, Apple?

Asking because I’ve experienced same issues.

FYI - You won’t all be seated at one table. Last October on the Rotterdam I was part of a group of 12 that was booked in the Pinnacle for a birthday dinner and we were seated at two tables.

On 7/11/2016 at 1:38 PM, Copper10-8 said:

 

Anyone know what the complete set consists of?

 

I currently have:

 

Alaska

Canada & New England

Caribbean

Mediterranean

Northern Europe

Panama Canal

South America

 

I have an extra Alaska, Canada & New England, Panama Canal and South America

 

 

 

 

 

I was on a Panama Canal cruise two weeks ago and ended up with three Caribbean pins. Do you have an extra Panama Canal pin you can part with?

My email is murphy7295 at outlook dot com

Thanks, Jo