SonomaMist

I know that when the ship is in Glacier Bay, the captain will turn 180 degrees for both port and starboard to get equal time -- but what about AFT cabins at the back of the ship?  It would seem both sides would get a very good view but not so sure about AFT cabin that we are considering.  Is it worth it?

Any comments are appreciated.  

Anyone else on the Norwegian Spirit Oct. 23-Nov. 4, 2024 cruise around Japan from Tokyo to Tokyo?

I have been questioning the arrival time with NCL in Osaka on Friday, Nov. 1. It was originally 7AM on the Norwegian Sun but changed to 7 PM on Norwegian Spirit when they changed ships. As of today, I again checked with Norwegian who indicated it is not a typo. 

Others also checked on Cruise Critic who received the same info. We leave Himeji, the port before Osaka, on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 7 pm. This really begs credulity, as I have taken the train from Himeji to Osaka in 2016 and it took less than an hour - and this a local train, not a bullet train. 

I am very disappointed by this news - seriously, spending a day at sea to go what can be done less than an hour by train? Others have confirmed that it is not possible to disembark the ship in Himeji and reboard in Osaka due to Japanese customs laws. I did check other cruises and none really match this itinerary -- but that doesn't mean other cruises won't be added. 

I will continue to track this development but just wanted to see if anyone experienced this?

Thursday, October 24 At Sea ~
Friday, October 25 Sapporo (Otaru), Japan 10:00AM to 7:00PM 
Saturday, October 26 Hakodate, Japan 9:00AM to 6:00PM 
Sunday, October 27 Akita, Japan7:00AM to 3:00PM
Monday, October 28 Kanazawa, Japan 7:00AM to 5:00PM
Tuesday, October 29 Busan, South Korea 2:30 PM to 9:00PM Wednesday, October 30 Cruise Kanmon Straight to Beppu 11:00AM - 4:00PM
Thursday, October 31 Himeji, Japan 11:15AM to 7:00PM 
Friday, November 1 Osaka, Japan 7:00PM (overnight)
Saturday, November 2 Osaka, Japan 5:00PM 
Sunday, November 3 Shimizu (Mount Fuji), Japan 10:00AM to 7:00PM
Monday, November 4 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 8:00AM

30 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

 

Agreed.  And, you can order room service for a nominal fee, the selections are actually quite good, order as much as you wish.  

 

Everyone discovered the MDR for breakfast, hostess asking couples whether they wish to share a table. Buffet upstairs is busy & full, prime spots taken ... ditto with the Waterfront on Deck 8.

Thank you for all your details posts on this voyage. We are on the Oct. 8-15 Escape.  While missing a port is always a possibility, I'm glad you were able to get in St. John.  Safe travels.

 

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

 

Escape

 

Seven Seas Mariner, Liberty of the Seas ( NJ ), Emerald Princess ( Red Hook )

 

Oceania Vista, Jewel of the Seas, and Silver Shadow ( Manhattan )

 

 

Will be on the Escape Oct 8-15, 2023 so have been watching this thread. 
 
As for the ships already in in port, here are their next scheduled sailings:

Emerald Princess: Sept 16 - Brooklyn
Liberty of the seas: Sept 16 - Bayonne
Escape: Sept. 17 - Manhattan 
Seven Seas Mariner - Sept 17 - Manhattan
Oceana Vista: Sept 18 - Brooklyn 
Jewel of the Seas: not scheduled until Sept 28 - must have interrupted a one way itinerary from NJ.
Silver Shadow: was probably today as next scheduled until Sep 26 from Quebec to NYC
 

4 minutes ago, goldmom said:

A shame you could't stay in international waters, but better safe than sorry.  So, shops and casino are closed.  NY tax on drinks (at least you have OBC!).  One other question.  Do you have regular TV channels?  Recently on the Joy, any time we were in a US port we had no regular TV service.

 

Also, interesting that the Royal Caribbean ship got a parking space in Manhattan as they sail from NJ.

 

Glad you're making the best of it!

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Sol's doing fine...medically.  But his balance is off...walks wobbly.  I was "the butler" for him last week.

 

A $50/pp obc and 10% fcc....not enuf compensation in my opinion.  I just hope they have some good entertainment planned for you guys.  

 

Question....Sol and I have discussed this at length.  Maybe you know.  If 2 friends share a cabin, just friends....who gets the 10% FCC?

10% FCC is assigned to an individual's Latitudes account so both would get it. 

Does anyone know the status of the 7-7-23 trial to ban large cruise ships from Bar Harbor?

The legal challenge of a town ordinance limiting the number of cruise ship passengers allowed in Bar Harbor will begin next week. 

After months of preparations, trial proceedings begin Tuesday for a lawsuit pitting Bar Harbor businesses against the town. The businesses sued the town over an ordinance that limits the number of visitors who arrive by cruise ship to 1,000 a day.

https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2023-07-07/trial-over-bar-harbor-cruise-ship-passenger-ordinance-to-begin-tuesday

Is there a guide to how tours activities are rated for determining easy, moderate and strenuous?  While each tour has a rating, is there are matrix type document into how these are determined?  For instance, everything for an upcoming port for Pompeii seems to be strenuous, likely due to the walking but it's relatively flat.  Just curious to see if such a thing exists.  Thanks for any feedback.  

3 hours ago, NavArch64 said:

Using a nominal estimate of $300 per person per day in expected revenue for the 10 day voyage of Ruby Princess, with a nominal 3000 guests onboard, this incident has already cost Princess Cruises (and therefore Carnival Corporation) at least $300 x 10 x 3000 x (0.75 + 0.75) = $13.5 million in guest compensation alone (refund + FCC). Add in the repair costs, less the fuel costs saved for the shorter voyage, and this incident is no doubt costing over $15 million. If I were in Santa Clarita or Miami, I would be more than curious.

 

(If I have made a mistake in my arithmetic, please let me know)

Jumping into the fray here - there are several coverages specific to the marine industry.
 

1. Princess likely has Protection and Indemnity insurance which is specific to marine operations. Liability to the dock will be assigned based on who caused the accident - the pilot or the captain.  
2. This will not cover damage to the hull itself as that is a separate coverage.
3. The biggie is business interruption for the cruise industry:  loss of use, loss of revenue, and unexpected additional costs.  
4. Due to the size of Carnival Corporation and worldwide fleets, there is an outside chance that they may choose to self insure or enter into a reinsurance transaction to partially insure part of the loss over a certain dollar amount.

https://www.thomasmillerspecialty.com/products/marine/business-interruption-cover-for-cruise-ships/
Thomas Miller Specialty's Cruise Cover Business Interruption insurance is tailor-made for owners, charterers and operators of cruise vessels. It protects the revenues of the participants of the cruise industry against the very special perils involved with this particular part of the marine and the tourist industry.

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/guides/what-is-protection-and-indemnity-insurance-164291.aspx

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

We ported in Victoria on Royal Princess last May.

We ported in Victoria this Wednesday, July 6, 2023 - Carnival Luminosa.

9 minutes ago, sfpd3000 said:

Most people are staying on

I would too and I live in the North Bay. 

For the out of towners, be sure to visit Baker Beach, the Presidio National Park Visitor Center, a walk to Golden Gate from Chrissy Fields -- and the park at Sales Force Tower right in town.  Amazing.  Also, consider taking a ferry to Sausalito!

51 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

The official letter from Princess.

This is a very fair offer, recognizing that people have planned their vacations well in advance and it is not the cruise they wanted.  

I just returned from Alaska yesterday on a Seattle cruise on Carnival -- and scheduled for Ruby Princess from San Francisco on August 15-25 2023.

Ketchikan is a great port with 12 hours.  This will allow those who are interested to go to Misty Fjords.  Believe it (or not) but when I was there July 4th, I spoke to a local who said he could arrange tours to Misty Fjords.  If any interest, let me know and I'll share the info.  I don't know the price but the one I booked with Princess was $225ish.

Best wishes to those who are going.    
 

The August 15-25, 2023 sailing is back on the Princess website - but not the August 5, 2023 sailing.

https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/results/?resType=C

5 hours ago, lstone19 said:

Nothing official I've seen and I don't know what the availability was before this morning but as of right now, all Ruby Princess cruises through the departure on 8/15 (which we are booked on) are unavailable to book.

Also on the 8/15 sailing - keeping fingers crossed.

We will be on the Ruby Princess in August and wanted to see what time normally Princess will normally bring the husky puppies aboard the ship.  Trying to plan our shore trip and would like to see this is possible.  

Thanks!

Question on non refundable OBC - can you use it to buy future cruise deposits or HAL gift certificates?

Thank you for all responses.

I'm fairly new to Holland America and have the following questions on Specialty dining:
 

1. HAL will offer a 1 specialty dinner as a perk - if you do not reserve ahead of time, will HAL assign a dining time and restaurant?

2. If you reserve ahead of time, and do not like the time or date, is there an opportunity to change? 

3. Are all dining times preserved prior to the cruise or does HAL set aside a number of days/times to book once on board?

4. On embarkation day, does HAL have a central location to book and reserve dining times?

5. Can you request to get on a waiting list prior to the cruise?

Thank you for your responses. 

Kathy
 

27 minutes ago, pamps2801 said:

Do you have free access to the Greenhouse Spa on the Koningsdam, if you have a Spa Room ?

From what I can tell, no.  I asked a similar question earlier for a Verandah Spa room.  It doesn't state it's included, I called HAL and they could not confirm that it's included.  

In looking at a Spa Verandah, it does not mention if it includes the thermal suite. Does anyone know if it's an additional charge and what it is for a 7 day cruise?  The HAL website mentions "Spa amenities, such as yoga mats and exclusive treatments from Greenhouse Spa & Salon" but does not indicate what those exclusive treatments are -- assuming it carries an additional fee as well.

Any feedback is very welcome.  Thank you.
Kathy

Thanks for all responses!  Much appreciated.  Kathy 

I understand that cruise lines are no longer sailing from Venice due to new regulations by Venice, but MSC indicated they are sailing from Venice.  Since they are an Italian line, not sure if they received a special waiver.

Can anyone confirm if MSC is still sailing from Venice?
Thank you!

6 hours ago, Milaandra said:

It would likely affect other ports, too.  I'm guessing that it isn't as simple as a single port change, but an actual reshuffling of the itinerary.  I don't blame the cruise line for taking their time.  If I were eliminating the Russian port, I'd add another day in Stockholm, and maybe a new port at the beginning or end of the itinerary...or just add a couple of new ports, but geographically, it's a challenge.

Don't you wish you could email Princess with a list of potential ports you would like to see 😊

SInce my 5-26-22 Copenhagen cruise to St. Petersburg has a first stop in Oslo, I would like to see Norwegian fjords included as an alternative.  

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

It is being reported everywhere how this war is coming at the worst possible time for the cruise lines and their potential for profits.  The embargo's that are being set are causing most cruise lines to start altering their itineraries substantially in regards to the Baltic and Black Sea sailings......it sounds like many in here are finding these discussions highly informative in regards to their upcoming cruises.....

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-is-impacting-the-cruise-industry/66571

I am finding this discussion very informative.  Even if this cruise line has not yet announced changes, you have to think the "what ifs" for alternative plans.

4 hours ago, NavArch64 said:

Clearly, no Carnival PLC assets (including Princess, HAL, Costa, Cunard, P&O, AIDA, Seabourn, Carnival Lines) will enter Russian territorial waters for the foreseeable future. Santa Clarita certainly knows that by now. They are just trying to figure out how to tell their Enchanted Princess guests, of which I am one.

Also, Miami CCL HQ must be weighing in on this. I trust that Arnold Donald is very busy this morning.

I agree.  While sanctions are currently at a very high level, it will mean Carnival PLC will run the risk of running afoul of US Treasury regulations with the US dollar for any transactions.  It is a very serious risk that will financially impact their worldwide operations.  Carnival PLC will cut their losses. 

I am also on the May 26 sailing.  My guess is that they will sail the Baltics but change the ports and times.  They could do the Norwegian fjords before or after Oslo.

22 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

That difference could just as easily be attributed to slight fluctuations in the exchange rate used and prices set for different target markets.

I think you're right.  In working out pricing scenarios for Feb. 2020, Sept 2020 and a tentative rate of .81 for Jan. 2021, when the AUD becomes closer in parity with the USD, the difference is much smaller and evens out between all categories.  

Thank you for all your replies.  One would think it would all even out but it doesn't in this case.  In looking at the April 15, 2022 sailing from Brisbane to Hawaii, the Australian cruise would be about $176 less with all fares, taxes and gratuities.  The snapshot below is based on an inside room for comparison purposes only.  

Since the Australian website indicates that the gratuities will be added at the time of cruise, I am still wondering if this may have been a post covid change.  

Thanks again.  Happy cruising to all of us in the not too distant future.