jsn55

I agree, talk with the TA management for help. It's possible the agency's Errors & Omissions insurance might cover your financial loss if you rebook the three cruises at the higher price. But with no confirmation from the TA or the cruise line, and no follow-up on your part, I doubt there would be any help there. You're really looking at a good-will gesture on the agency's part and it's doubtful that they'll do much more than that. This is a very expensive, disappointing way to learn one of today's rules ... you can no longer trust anyone to do anything correctly. It's wonderful when things work well, but you can't count on it. You have to be on top of every single component of booking travel every minute. I am so sorry this happened to you and hope you find an adequate solution.

Travel can be fraught with challenges and sometimes you just are unlucky. Not as unlucky as the person who fell, but your experience is one of those things that happens occasionally. On our first night in Paris six years ago, my husband fell and broke his hip. That was the end of the trip. It's a durn shame, but travel can be a little risky. I'm surprised that RCCL didn't at least extend some kind of a good-will gesture, but on a ship that size, they may think that it would be too expensive.

I have an older friend who used luggage services for years. But her last two cruises were nearly ruined by missing bags. Several years ago, I signed up with HAL for a service that removed our bags from the ship in Seattle, and checked them in at the airport. I thought that was a 'no brainer' test, if things didn't work, we wouldn't much care, and we'd get our luggage eventually. I happened to be down at Reception the day before we got back, and asked to verify all the info. HAL had no record and no interest in verifying that everything was set up correctly. Finally got someone in charge and was told ... "oh, we don't do that any more". I was stunned at the lack of concern about a service I had recently purchased through HAL. I suppose eventually someone would have done something about our bags left in our stateroom, so what did HAL care? I think you're right to be concerned about baggage at airports these days. I'd check into shipping a bag via DHL, UPS or FedX.

You're not mistaken about whether someone on CC might know the answers. But that is not the point. Smart travellers research their official issues directly with the officials. This is the internet after all, where most anyone can post most anything. Think about the consequences of getting the wrong information ... denied boarding of an airplane or a cruise ship is extremely serious for the traveller. Even if my TA gave me the answers, I'd verify them. I'm the one who will suffer if the answers are wrong or incomplete. Your friend should be doing this research directly.

We need to book NCL credits from a cancelled cruise and sail before 12/31/23. I see that Norwegian Viva will launch in July 2023. She has several sailings in the Med October to December that we would like. Am I naive to think that she will launch on schedule? With the travel turmoil of the last 3 years, I'm concerned to book now. The alternative is Epic, but my husband prefers smaller ships.

I remember arriving at the Frankfurt airport years ago and there had been some kind of kerfuffle involving Israelies. We arrived 3.5 hours before our flight. We barely made it through insane security ... thorough pat-downs ... in time for the flight. You just nevah know ... I'd always prefer to amuse myself at an airport gate after getting all the formalities out of the way. Today, I'd probably want a minimum of 4 hours; I hate glitches and being powerless to do anything to unscrew the issues. I prefer to serenely sail through an airport without any fuss at all ... and if you have plenty of time, fusses aren't a problem.

I didn't read anything about ballroom dancing only.

You bring up extremely valid points, Hank. I cannot imagine a top-shelf cruise line not issuing a credit for a future cruise. Why wouldn't they want to 'take care of their pax'? Personally, in the scenario you describe, I'd plan on arriving 3 days early, knowing the extra costs, just to avoid a disaster. Alternatively, I'd spend about the same amount to insure the trip with an independent policy, never the cruise line's coverage. Successful travel is often about good luck, even for the most well-prepared cruiser.

As I pack my black silk pants and velvet slippers with six 'looks' of scarves, jewelry and shawls in one tiny container, I hark back to the days when I thought anyone cared. All I care about is that looking presentable enough to generate a compliment from my husband and acceptable enough at the door so the maitre d' doesn't make a face. I might consider replacing my silk pants with a maxi skirt, that might be a fun change of pace when we travel.

Have you asked your travel agent to look into this? If you booked direct, call the cruise line with your specific itinerary and see if they can give you some guidance. Cruise lines must face this question often with Caribbean cruises. Whatever you find out, your friend needs to contact each country to confirm her status, she should not take anyone's word but must get the official requirements.

I'm laughing ... we always refer to Hiltons as 'the masters of ugly'. Horrendously patterned carpet, seriously ugly furnishings ... like each hotel tries to outdo the others. The Quebec Hilton is one of those tall bland towers with no redeeming architectural value whatsoever. We think that Hilton must have a whole team of people with no taste, and they source everything "they like" when building or renovating a hotel. But it's all VERY comfortable, and Hilton people receive the very best training in hospitality.

We spent a week at the Quebec Hilton ... I'm a 'Hilton person' and enjoy the way they take such good care of me. We could walk all over QC from there. That's usually my main criteria, just being able to walk out the door and 'see the sights'. Lots of people want more warmth and charm from a hotel, but we've been travelling for 40 years, and now we just want good service and comfort. Hilton always delivers.

What are your parameters for a hotel? QC has hundreds of them. Please tell us if you're looking for something specific.

Whaaaat? Give up that potential revenue?

I don't think you could do better than the Rhine/Mosel cruise. It was just magic. Sitting up at the bow one evening floating down a mirror-calm Rhine river was an experience I'll never forget. Happy Anniversary! We will celebrate ours at Christmastime ... kinda hard to believe, huh?

When it comes to packing, it's always rain that gets you. I travel with a heavy cotton cardigan and a weightless Totes windbreaker with a hood. In winter I also bring a calf-length raincoat. The 'raincoat' is somewhat waterproof. I've encountered little rain, but the raincoat has been comfortable. An umbrella keeps me fairly dry and I prefer that to hauling around bulky rain-proof jackets/coats that may never be needed.

Everyone travels for different reasons and in different ways. There is no right and wrong way to travel. For most of us, travelling has nothing to do with how awful our home life is. I don't think anyone needs your sympathy, we're too busy enjoying ourselves.

I pay no attention to fashion, but I think the long dresses look graceful and elegant. Can't think of a better 'look' on a cruise. Black would be fine for evening ... during the day perhaps other colors would be more appropriate.

I just remembered what I did with a HAL cruise where I had to print my own bag tags. I think that they were supposed to be green. I printed b/w and outlined the edges of the tags with a green marker. Probably pretty silly, but no problem getting the bags delivered. I've never had a baggage issue on a cruise.

Other than the Yangtze, a total disaster because of an incompetent Tour Leader, I haven't done a Viking river cruise. Avalon was recommended to me by a friend several years ago and we found them to be just what we wanted ... we came home with so many positive things from a Rhine/Mosel cruise and I can't think of a negative. The most outstanding thing was our Cruise Director who took care of every little thing every minute without any fuss. I felt that we could ask her help with anything, but rarely needed to. We've booked several Avalon cruises since, all cancelled of course. In the middle of the pandemic, Avalon refunded all our money from a cancelled Grand France with first-class air ... a considerable sum. We hadn't asked for a refund. Avalon just seems to take good care of its pax. We're rebooked for Grand France next spring and I can hardly wait.

Best to plan to get out at the time they ask you to. These guys work so hard ... we were a little lazy last cruise and 2 minutes after our debarkation time, a guy breezed in the door and started ripping all the sheets off the beds ... he was like a whirlwind. I felt really bad being in his way, even for five minutes. I expect if there were extenuating circumstances that you discussed with someone the day before, you might get an extra ten or fifteen minutes. Ship management seems to be in a race to have cabins ready for the next group as early as possible, and I'm sure they drive these guys hard.

Agree with you in principal, Hank ... but it takes a great deal of effort to make changes of this magnitude. And a cruise line is not going to cancel anything until new plans are in place. They want to keep as many customers as possible instead of having them switch over to a different company/cruise. The smart ones are offering a nice bonus to rebook.

That's a real shame. I find life onboard a ship is endlessly fascinating, pampering, interesting, comfortable. To me, the best part of a cruise is the mindless enjoyment. Just chose your activity and go do it. The ports are great, of course, but if you just want to go someplace, fly on an airplane.

Our NCL Christmas Japan cruise got cancelled a couple of months ago. I had already booked a different cruise on Princess. My advice is to move now to rebook your cruise on a different itinerary and/or ship before the cruise line cancels Japan and all the good cabins are gone. We are 'cabin-centric' so our preferred aft-facing mini suites go quickly. My clever TA booked the cruise and pounced on the first mini-suite aft that showed up a month or two later. I think she has 'friends' at Princess.

We do exactly the same ... want a mini-suite aft-facing balcony on a high deck. I spend a great deal of time sitting on that balcony sipping whatever (depends on the hour) and thinking about how wonderful it all is ...dreaming of the next one in a completely different place. Ah, so relaxing! We're doing a cruise to and around the Hawaiian Islands in that kind of cabin, and I would probably be very happy not even getting off the ship except to walk around for a couple of hours.