atexsix

Longer cruises aren't as easy as they sound and aren't for everybody. You can't just climb aboard for 2-3 months and forget about the world as much as we'd like to. But I'll get to that. For starters, longer trips tend to reflect 50+ aged passengers, not many working age people could be gone much more than a couple of weeks. The last lengthy cruise we took on Holland America had nobody under 18 at all, and the Club HAL facility wasn't even open. The activities will cater to the older crowd, so if belly flop contests and all night danceathons are your thing, you won't find it on "voyages" which are anything 30 to 45+ days, depending on the line. We find longer cruises to be much more relaxed, you certainly have a lot more time to get to know your fellow passengers and crew, and that part we really liked. And it's nice to only have to unpack once. With a few exceptions like world cruises, longer sailings can be quite a bargain at the base fare level, however once you add up all the extras like port fees, gratuities, spa/salon appointments, and drinks multiplied by number of days away from home then it's often way more than advertised. For example, most people will not be able to go more than a month without a haircut, somebody has to wash your clothes, and you'll need a lot of aspirin, gum, mouthwash, and anything else not provided. Oh and convincing the insurance company why you need two months worth of medication is a joyous affair! And life won't just stop while your away, somebody needs to watch your cat, pay the electric bill, and make the mortgage payment. 3 months away might sound amazing to a lot of people, but you have an equal number of bills to pay at home, it's not like the 1 or 2 week break of shorter cruises. There's also a lot of paperwork, as the passenger is responsible for entry requirements, visas, etc. A good travel agent that specializes in overseas trips is a must if you'll be visiting multiple 2nd and 3rd world countries with complicated rules. Illness spreading throughout a ship can be harder to control, but even without this, an occasional death on board is almost certainly going to occur based on statistics, sometimes you'll hear about it, sometimes not. I mention it not to be callous, but because it can cause delays while repatriation of the body is handled, not all countries have agreements in place for this. Reading a couple of the live from threads during world cruise season is a good way to get a lot of the behind the scenes details about things you won't think about. Some are more thorough than others, but I've found them to be quite informative, especially if you are going to be sailing on that exact ship.

Is that what happened? The $1 deposit was there one minute, gone the next, I assumed there was a cutoff time and I missed it. We don't use enough of the HIA items to make it worth it.

Good Afternoon, A few of you were asking, so here's our booking update: Well I spent the bulk of last evening and today tracking down accessible suites on HAL and Princess for this fall, I just don't want to chance Dad's ability to stand up and walk a few steps. Both sailings are in September, both to Alaska, and both fairly comparable; I have no suite experience on Princess, but I have stayed in Neptunes. So much was already booked up that it's a miracle we found something, particularly with HAL because accessible suites are pretty limited. And I had countless website issues with both lines, what would life be like if we didn't have website problems, it's amazing cruise lines manage to stay in business. Anyway, we just have to make a decision between the two, but we're leaning toward HAL of course, Eurodam is a favorite ship and we will never criticize the Crow's Nest again after not having it at all on our last cruise, honestly I'll get down and kiss the floor. But that's one reason we wanted to try another cruise line, it puts a lot in perspective. Incidentally we looked at the Haven and laughed, what NCL called a "penthouse" looked like a broom closet. Celebrity had no availability, and Royal Caribbean, a line we've never sailed was also pretty much sold out at the suite level. Carnival I wouldn't dream of trying. And Oceania didn't have anything in September. The HAL Alaska itinerary is a lot less expensive, but we like the Princess port stops better. The Princess penthouse suites on Royal have a nicer layout with being able to close off the bedroom area, however the size of the Neptune balcony compared to Princess is laughable. So I'll give it all a bit more thought, but I welcome everybody's opinions. It rained off/on all day and it's cold, much more January like than the last couple of weeks that were starting to feel like early spring. Dad's okay and we're meeting with two nurses tomorrow for another assessment, although this time it's with the V.A. and will be permanent rather than the shorter in duration Medicare home health. Hope all of you are having a good day. ~Bruno

They must have brought them back then. I thought it was a dumb decision if they are moving in the direction of "enrichment"....people that would take a cruise for that reason are the same people that sit up late doing crossword puzzles.

That's wonderful you have a longer voyage booked! We were looking at the 28 day to Alaska next June but I don't really want to be away from home or my cat for that long. We're considering maybe doing something in September, in addition to next May, but not sure yet. If we postpone our move we'll have to buy a chairlift (the kind that go up/down stairs) to get DD out of the townhouse. They are not cheap, $2,000 and up, we'd hate to buy it and then not need it after 6 months. Let's hope your Grand Australia has chamber music, with the money people pay for trips of that length it's deserved.

That's good news, I was afraid Rich was ill or something equally upsetting. It's in good hands from what I've have seen of your posts.

Good Evening, I'm going to try and check in every day, don't know if I can read through everything, but I'll try. I have a lot of catching up to do. I noticed @rafinmd is posting the daily, temporary, permanent? I don't know. And I see @kazu is back, I hope you are on the mend and that the situation wasn't too frightening being outside your country, I would have been if it had been me. On the booking update. We have a courtesy hold for an Alaska sailing, but it's not until May of next year. Hoping the covid rules will be relaxed even more by then, I read through the current info on HAL's website and it's as confusing as it ever was. @Sharon in AZ I spent most of the afternoon cruise shopping and booking. I had a good time after not doing it for awhile. @StLouisCruisers I heard about the twisters, I'm glad you did not have damage and that you and your family are okay. I used to know people in the Griffin area and I believe that's near where a few of them were. @Quartzsite Cruiser I have recently discovered a new port in Alaska called Klawock, it's supposed to be really undeveloped, like the way ISP used to be. I believe Oceania is the first line to get permission to stop there. @JazzyV <waving> hope you are doing well @dfish I didn't know you moved, oh my, how much I've missed! @Cruising-along hope everybody is healthy, any cruises in your future? For January the weather has been nice, although it rained all day yesterday and more on the way tomorrow. I'm not desperate for spring but I do miss everything being green. It's so nice having a cruise book, albeit a hold, but it's highly likely I'm going to put down a deposit as early as tomorrow. Have a good night!

It would be on the Eurodam, a ship that we're very familiar with, albeit not in a PS. We have a portable lift for bed issues and getting him in/out of the room since the wheelchair won't fit through the door. We did this on our last sailing and it was fine. My Dad won't be accessing the bathrooms, he has a catheter. The verandah, I doubt he'll go out there, we've both been to Alaska many times and the trip is more about getting us out of the house than anything. We'll be taking a lot of our meals in our room, so the dining room is very important in terms of space, as opposed to being pampered. If there's no alternative to Lincoln Center by then, well, he won't be out of the room much, although we love the Crow's Nest (we miss the old design) and the Ocean Bar, for hanging out during the day and Happy Hour....if only the ship brought back the free puzzles. I know it doesn't seem like much, but they were mistaken if they thought it was insignificant, because myself along with several others would be down there waiting for them at 6 in the morning. Speaking of our last cruise, I met a couple of blind people, fairly young, and I was amazed at how they didn't let their disability stop them from enjoying travel. The Princess staff were excellent, the moment they entered the Lido they'd come over to the table and ask them what they'd like. Holding a plate and a cane would have been tuff, although I would have done it if the steward hadn't offered.

I do remember the last time I was in a Neptune, the Lounge attendant greeted me by name from day one, and we had never been introduced, I'm assuming they have access to some type of computer program listing the names and photos of all suite guests.

Thanks. I have a courtesy hold and I'll probably put down a deposit, they seem to go fast, nothing was available for the sailings we were looking at for fall of this year, so we're down for spring of next year.

Not that I know of, but we can manage it because, well without going into details, Dear Dad does not require access to the bathroom, the only issue is entering and leaving the stateroom and that can be done with a simple transfer chair.

Thanks to both of you for the fresh take on the Pinnacles, there are many articles online, but it's extra special to hear about it from our HAL family. Due to disabilities we spend probably a lot more time in our rooms than most, especially in recent years, our last sailing on Princess was lovely, we had one of the largest balconies on the ship, but the room itself was awful, it felt like it was closing in on us. We have done research on the suites with every line that suits our itinerary and we keep coming back to the Pinnacles.

We're looking at suites for Alaska next spring (2024), a trip we've done countless times, but now that we'll be traveling with a wheelchair, we really need the largest stateroom we can find. If you've sailed at this level, sell me on it. What was it about the experience that you'd like to repeat if given the chance? Edit: spelling

Hi Lenda! So kind of you to reply. Yes, a lot of adjustments are having to be made. But I'm thrilled Dad's health is better, that means more opportunities to do things, including travel.

Good evening! It'd be terrible of me not to stop by and say hello, I was reading through the LCS thread and wow, am I disappointed in that bit of news. Hopefully some type of similar alternative will be available, the classical music was always the highlight of our cruises. Dear Dad and I are doing fine. We had a nice Christmas that we had to host and man was it a lot of work from the decorating to the cooking, although that part was a waste, we don't eat like we used to, and a lot of leftover food was thrown out in the end. We've already made the decision to cater if we do it again next year. Health-wise, No ER visits or hospital stays the last few months. Currently we're waiting for the V.A. to deliver a hoyer lift and wheelchair, then PT will come back in for a month or so and train us on the equipment. Even better news, a spot finally opened in the primary care at home program, I believe they got more funding, the need for better home health care is one of the few good things that came out of the pandemic. However, we still got the townhouse stairs to contend with and we're considering a move to a 55+ community where all floor plans are designed on one level, that'll be either this year or next. I'm trying to figure out if we can handle a cruise. Poor Dad has to sit there all day and watch commercial after commercial for wave season. I know he terribly wants to go somewhere, but I have mixed feelings about it. For one thing, it'll be far different than anything we've experienced in the past because of his disability, however if his CKD remains stable like it has been, it's possible. We're looking at Oceania for the smaller ships, we're looking at NCL because of the Haven. We're looking at Neptunes on HAL of course, anything that meets our wheelchair needs due to the lack of accessible staterooms, which never seem to be available on the sailings we're considering. We were really interested in the 28 day arctic circle itinerary in 2024, but....the cost to rent equipment for that length of time would almost get us another cruise, in reality that might be too long for DD to be away from his specialized bed and care team. This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are countless other issues too numerous to get into here. I sure hope all of you had a nice holiday season, whatever you celebrate. And I hope your enjoying your cruises as well. Take care, Bruno

@Quartzsite Cruiser Yes, it is very hard to find the time for recharging the battery, caregiving for somebody bedridden is a huge responsibility, he's 100% dependent on me, in fact, it's very much like having a dependent. I rarely get away from the house now. Hobbies and maintaining friendships are off the table, I've tried, and it's just too difficult, about the only thing I can manage is fiddling around with my Iphone because most things can be done in little tiny pockets of time. Thanks for taking the time to write. @dfish Did you move to another state? Was I reading that correctly? If so, I hope it went well for you. Wherever it is, the picture of the dusting of snow looks beautiful. @StLouisCruisers Thanks so much for writing. I've thought of you a couple of times because I know you've been on some cruises and unfortunately I was not in a position to follow along with your adventures, I hope they've been enjoyable and I hope even more I can return to cruising some day. I wanted to take some additional time and say hello to the rest of the dailies, when I posted I thought I was in yesterday's daily. I hope you are all doing well, taking lots of trips, and having a great time! Since I don't know when I'll be back, I'd like to wish you all Happy Holidays now!

I've been told several times by the V.A. how lucky my Dad is to have someone, the majority of their patients don't. The health care "system" has a ton of challenges and I try not to push too hard when advocating, but there are times when I'm sure the Home Health people are tired of me.

Karen, I heard a month or so back about your husband and I'm sorry about that, we enjoyed meeting him on, was it Alaska or Hawaii? Some cruise ago. Caregiving is NOT for the faint of heart. Dad is now destined for a wheelchair, the tilting kind like the late Stephen Hawking always used. We're also in the midst of acquiring a Hoyer lift. After that, and probably not until the spring...some type of stair chair and possible a smaller Hoyer lift for vehicle use and travel....a lot of investment in equipment. We are considering a sailing next fall to Hawaii, they are offering a RT Seattle on Princess similar to the 2020 Eurodam trip that never took place, but not sure yet, the extra responsibility of travel with someone 100% disabled might be too much for me. Much love and prayers!

We sailed both HAL and Princess since the restart and both have gotten skimpy with selection, I looked at menus from the restart on other cruise lines and couldn't believe the selection, and this was from day one. Blaming the supply chain or Covid is a favorite scapegoat that they've used to death. And like you, aside from some sporadic shortages, every grocery I shop at has had probably 99% of their normal inventory levels.

😱 No thanks. That's as bad as karaoke to me, I know a lot of people like it, but give me a live band or even a DJ before I subject myself to that.

Very well said. What is it? Food? Entertainment?

I haven't read through all 16 pages but I will say we think it's still worth it no matter how much they cut back, the benefits and conveniences we get compared to a land based trip are too numerous to list, but center around health and mobility related concerns. If something happened medically at sea, at least we have help nearby. I can't imagine trying to find help on land in a strange city, so that's the main reason we continue to cruise. Of course we miss the little luxuries from 20+ years ago, but the prices now are about the same and try to find that everywhere else in the world right now.

Reporting back I have not yet called Princess. However this may be a moot point by now since we've made up our minds on bringing the portable Hoyer lift. If we did bring bed rails, it'd be more to prevent a fall out of bed, than a practical use. And actually the rubber mats we use for repositioning at home can be packed and used for the same purpose. I'm toying with the idea of having both beds pushed together, normally we do twins, but I couldn't believe how small they were when we sailed on Princess for the first time last spring, it reminded me of a kid's bed. I'm considering booking a suite in the hope the beds are larger.

I don't yet know the name of the ship, it's a general question from someone that's never used or had reason to use an accessible room. If these were widely available, it should be known here. If it helps, we only sail Holland America and Princess.

We won't do it again unless it's an itinerary we can't pass up, free or not. While Princess took great care of us the one and only time we strayed, it was NOT the familiar HAL ship/routine for us. Although the Princess crew were excellent! But believe me, you'll notice you're not on HAL the moment you walk into the terminal.