sandiego1

I’ve been able to use them to buy excursions online. I haven’t been able to use them to pre-purchase gratuities.

On our 1st trip to New Zealand, we brought sandwiches, snacks, and fruit on the plane in a small insulated bag. We ate everything expect some chocolates. My DH was waiting for the bags to arrive. I was standing nearby with the nearly empty insulated bag on top of a luggage cart. A dog and its handler came right up to me. I was stunned when the handler asked me if I had any fruit or meat. I looked at her, pointed to my stomach and said “I ate it.” Then I realized the dog had smelled the bag, not my digestive tract 🤣 I opened the little bag and showed her the chocolates. We had a laugh together. I was amazed at how far away the dog was when it smelled the odor left in my bag from food we had eaten hours earlier.

1060 will be noisy from Rolling Stone Lounge. The K cabins have more vibration as they are in the aft of the ship. I thought there was more engine/machinery noise back there. Our friends were in K1119 and weren’t bothered by the noise or vibrations.

We were in 1024 for the World Cruise and loved the cabin. Very spacious. We could see the tv from the couch or bed. The foot of our bed faced the closets, not the side of the bed as in the HALfacts photos. It was quiet and we didn’t hear ROlling Stone lounge. Some of the large J cabins are directly underneath and are very noisy. 1063 is under the lounge. Friends were in K113 which is an adjoining cabin. The side of the bed faces the closets. It’s harder to see the TV from bed. I would avoid adjoining cabins if you want or watch tv.

Friends are going to be passengers on Villa Vie. They were told the ship has been delayed until 6/28. They were given a free trip to Tenerife while they wait.

Depends on the Chase card. I have many (gotten into travel hacking) and only some of them even have trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

Oops. Part of my comment is missing. Should have been: I believe only a few cards cover trip cancellation or interruption unless you charge the entire trip cost to the card. So if gift cards are used for part of the trip, the credit card wouldn’t cover you.

Working with Steve at the Trip Insurance Store, I have been able to purchase policies that cover us for the >90 day World Cruises. And I’ve been able to purchase policies that are primary, not secondary, coverage with substantially higher payouts than Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum - especially for medical evacuation.

@BermudaBound2014 most credit cards have low limits for coverage and top out at 60-80 days. They wouldn’t cover a World Cruise or a high cost cruise. I believe only a few cards cover trip cancellation or interruption.

That's a good point. Just because my insurance policy will cover a claim even though I used gift cards to purchase the cruise, doesn't mean all policies will cover it.

I have purchased over 120 of the gift cards (10/month in my name and DH). I used them to pay the majority of the cost for our next world cruise. According to Steve (Trip Insurance Store), the insurance we purchased WOULD cover the cost of the gift cards if we need to cancel for a covered reason after the final cancellation date. If we cancel before then, HAL would credit the gift cards (ie not refund to cash or my credit card). I received all gift cards via email within minutes after purchasing them. My TA did make a mistake and accidentally applied one of our gift cards to another person’s HAL booking. We purchased another card to make the final payment and are waiting for a refund from HAL/TA. I am confident it will be resolved satisfactorily. It is very important to keep detailed records of the gift card numbers and PINs, especially if you need to cancel. I intend to purchase more before the cruise to use for onboard spending and HAL excursions if I decide to book any through them. One caveat, you can not prepay gratuities with gift card, only a credit card. For the 2023 WC, I gave the gift card numbers to guest services when I boarded to pay for gratuities.

I have booked several Neptune Suites that were under the Lido deck. Lots of noise every time. Finally got fed up and swore never again. I’m very careful now to check above and below our selected cabin to ensure a quiet location.

The rumor is that it will leave from the West coast. We are hoping for San Diego (for obvious reasons 😀). I suggest you call the HAL World Cruise desk and submit a FCR. It was only $200 and is fully refundable. Then you will be notified automatically. Don’t call the regular HAL #. They don’t know how to do a FCR. Only the WC desk knows about it.

We heard a rumor that there may be one in Sep/Oct 2026. We have a future cruise request with HAL and paid the deposit.

I’ve never heard of a requirement for all people in the same cabin to buy WiFi. Yes, for a beverage package, but not WiFi. There are multiple levels of WiFi. The price varies depending on the number of days and level of service.

That’s great. My husband plays for several hours every day at home. We’ll be on the Volendam in 2025 for the Pole to Pole cruise. I didn’t realize it had 2 courts. Hopefully HAL will allocate them with 1 to lessons or beginners and the other to more advanced players. Or some other way to allow people to play at their skill level. on the 2023 WC, there was 1 court on the Zuiderdam. He played every sea day if the weather cooperated. On very windy days, they played Padel instead.

Which ships have 2 courts? We’ve only been on ships with a single court.

@Cruise Suzy thanks for referencing the HAL FAQ! I knew someone would have more info.

If this is a tender port, she won’t be able to get off the ship easily. HAL doesn’t permit wheelchairs or scooters on the tender. I have seen a few walkers that fold up on a tender, but never a scooter or wheelchair. The issue is getting on and off the tender. If someone isn’t mobile, they can’t get on a tender. On some ships, one must walk down a flight of stairs to access the tender. Perhaps others have more advice regarding mobility issues and tenders??

We did our 1st WC in an OV cabin in 2019. It wasn’t worth the premium over an inside as we were always hot. The sun reflecting off the water forced us to keep our curtains closed except when we were in Northern Europe. In 2023, we opted for a large inside “J” cabin for the WC and loved it. Not only was it much more spacious than all non-Neptune suite cabins, but it was much cooler. We didn’t miss the outside view at all. And, because of the darkness, it was easy to nap and to sleep at night. We booked the 2025 Pole to Pole cruise in another inside. In the past, we have only cruised in a Neptune suite or a handful of times in a balcony.

@mahdnc fabulous photos!! Thanks for sharing them.

You can also buy discounted HAL gift card from AARP. One must be a member of AARP now.

I only drink water - no alcohol, coffee, tea, soda, juice… I have been very content with the water on a cruise ship. No need to lug bottled water. Just being a refillable bottle. Most ships have a place where you can fill it.

We hired Elizabeth B through ToursByLocals.

I agree with others about Klein Bonaire, but my experience was about 20 yrs ago. More recently, the pink sand beach at Komodo Island. Nuku’alofa in Tonga had surprisingly clear water and abundant fish. Niki Hiva in the Marquesas was fantastic! In the US, Fishbowl and Aquarium in Maui are fantastic but they have been closed for many years. Two-step and Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island are pretty good. Our 1st trip to the Great Barrier Reef 15 years ago was awesome. However, our last trip in 2019 was quite disappointing. Much of the coral reef has been bleached and while the water is still clear, the amount of sea life was, sadly, greatly diminished. lastly, snorkeling at several of the Galápagos Islands was pretty awesome. And the sea life is not afraid of humans.