FlaMariner

The devastating news is being reported by @Cajuntraveler on another HAL thread about laundry. Cajun is reporting this downgrade news after his recent 7 night NS cruise. So sounds like USA prices. Between this info and no yumyum man to give me a mint, I'm just at a loss to how we will go on.......LOL.

Yahoo! Enjoy!

The business case for "using HAL laundry vs paying Delta baggage fee" just turned negative. Rethinking our "just bring one carry on" strategy. LOL

That is what we do also. And we put the two bucks in the card slot by the door the night before so we are quick about it in the morning.......

Keep us posted.....we board next week!

Our guarantee arrived 13 days before our 11/19 sailing.

LOL. Similar experience. We are 3 Stars and began cruising HAL in 2002. We are "table for two" folks but the last time we went to the Mariners Lunch we ended up at a table with a 5 Star couple.....The chit chat was us talking about how great the cruise was and them complaining about how things have drastically gone down hill. Basically, the "cut backs" sermon. All I know is we enjoy Holland America Line and it is our favorite by a long shot.......And life is too short for us to sit at a dinner table with whiny bears. LOL.

Enjoy the journey.......no matter what you wear.

Please correct me if I am wrong (LOL, I can count on that!): Verifly is used to upload vaccine proof and Covid test results. It also has the "health questionnaire" which is also apart of the online check in. Nothing else, correct? If my cruise does not require vaccine proof or Covid test results (yahoo!) and I complete the "health questionnaire" online.... .......what would be the purpose of Verifly and what would they be checking in a "verify" line? (Thanks in advance for enlightening me)

We are 3 star Mariners and long time cruisers of other lines before finding our HAL home.....We've been guarantee folks for probably 90% of our cruises and have yet to find a bad cabin on a ship. Most of the time we get what we pay for.....And are fine. Follow the guarantee rule of "only buy the minimum category you are comfortable" and enjoy the journey..... We are taking the family on a Thanksgiving cruise on the NS next week and I've bought us 3 inside guarantees and that is what we are assigned. All good!

As others have posted....We cruise with a carryon so everything goes with us thru the scanner....Never had an issue and what we put thru that scanner would never make it thru at the airport. They are looking for wine bottles and irons and extension cords...or so it seems. Not Her Majesty's bottles full of beauty enhancers!

We are on the NS 11/19 & 11/26 and we are scheduled to stop at Grand Turk (both cruises) and no communication about a change. Also, the 11/26 is scheduled for Key West and no change and fingers remained crossed (KW seems to be another one that gets scratched but so far, so good). (From our experience last year, substitute ports of Freeport and Bimini were not good........Nassau would have been a bonus...LOL)

BYO snacks are fine but we consider the lido deck our personal snack bar......LOL...Lots of stuff....just got me thinking..... potato chips nachos cheese celery tomatoes carrots salad bread ice cream french fries pizza wings sandwiches cold cuts pies custards BREAD PUDDING! burgers hot dogs nuts popcorn And if Dutch Cafe, lots of stuff including PEA SOUP (afternoon snack...LOL) Oh my....lots more for certain.....Enjoy that granola bar and bring it on board!.....We board snack-less and snack-onboard! Fun times! Love it!

My apologies....just tossing out cruise fares to show that they are low now.....whether sailing from Florida or California. Agree on the timing of "low" season...... Here is another crazy non HAL example..... I was looking at a MSC cruise for 8 nights from Rotterdam in February (shocked they would cruise from Northern Europe in the dead of winter).....and the fare was $189 for inside, $429 balcony....(yes, plus taxes & gratuities)........hope they can pay the Europe fuel bill for that one this winter.

Correct. $569 for balcony.....I included that. That's $81 a day! Awesome rate. Get a balcony....super low...That's the K'dam out of SD 12/10

Rate is $359 inside for K'dam 7 night on 12/10 Mariner rate (balcony is $539)....source is the large internet TA we use. Those seem low also. 24 night cruise on 1/7 to Hawaii and Cabo is only $63 a night pp. Great time to get out there........Go book 'em if you can!

..and you know it is "two bags check free" per person so load 'em up....that's 200 lbs of stuff flies free with a party of two checking two bags! (gotta luv Southwest...they are awesome)

Gotcha. Understood. (and the wine could not be transported off as you were flying home so really no other choice other than refund....or the credit). It's a cool story nevertheless. Enjoy finishing your 6 bottles soon!

That is so awesome!!!! Another reason to love HAL (if that ends up working out well!) I take back my previous comment when I thought you were holding on to a 23 year old promise for future wine! I'd love to hear how it goes and I'm going to ask the MDR waiter if I can do that as well.....I'll just keep buying the 8 bottle packages and roll them onto the next sailing! I'd love to have a wine bottle credit running with HAL!

My two cents..... do check out the insurance thread on cruise critic we are traveling a lot now so we bought the annual BlueCross/Blue Shield global travel plan (not sure of actual name) for medical...they have two plans....annual payment...reasonable. we pay for the cruise with our BofA credit card and are fine with the travel interruption/cancellation coverage (very limited but we are fine "self insuring" for whatever else

I'm trying to visualize this....As you sit down in the MDR on your next cruise, you tell your waiter that you have 6 bottles coming to you from your last cruise 23 years ago.....and you ask him to check the account....and then he confirms it and starts pouring wine? I'd really be quite impressed if that works out. I have my doubts. Good luck and please come back and let us know how that goes.

...not allowed in there...I'm certain that is better service....we hang with the regular peeps!

Me too! That's awesome! Free days at sea!

That's my experience with my wine package.....I was charged for the wine package + 18% - 25% (3 stars).

If the Celebrity Beyond is departing now then the port is NOT closed. That Coast Guard document was in government speak and I did not understand.