whee-sailing

https://www.cruiseplum.com/solo-supplement-deals

@topspotHow deep is the water that you snorkel in with them? I'm a real fraidy-cat snorkeler. I can handle floating on the surface but diving down freaks me out (and not being able to see the bottom would freak me out too!). Do you have to dive down a lot to see things (that's the impression I got from the video on their web site). Thanks!

Thanks to an amazing sale and no solo supplement a couple of months ago...I will be on the Celebrity Millennium for three southern Caribbean cruises Feb 11, 18, and 25 out of San Juan. This will be my first solo cruise, but I travel solo often (am travelling solo in Quebec right now.). Any other solos here on this cruise yet? So far the roll call is all couples and large groups. And it was pointed out that the first one is a Valentine's Day cruise. Yikes! I never thought of that. Won't be going to the MDR that night. 🙂

So true! When I occasionally travel with others I am so grateful to be able to go to the washroom in the airport or train station without my luggage and that I don't have to try to find another seat when I get out. Or that there's a second person to help boost my bag up into the overhead bins or luggage racks in the train (although last week on the train someone offered to help me before I even asked---the joy of getting and looking older, it seems).

I'm guessing it just came down to the relationship that the branch manager has with their contacts at the cruise line and them recognizing that an honest mistake was made and being able and willing to honour the original bookings. If there's more to the story I'll never know!

If anyone's curious, the bookings are being honoured at the original prices. Thanks again for your responses.

Thank you everyone. I'll give her office a call tomorrow and speak with the manager. Normally I would have been more on top of this, but I was packing and moving and wrapping up a job so things were crazy. I think I do have the email paper trail. I have the three booking numbers and PDFs of the bookings. She just forgot to make the deposit, it seems, so the cruise line cancelled them. I'll see what happens!

The TA I've had for years did not return to work after Covid and I continued with one of her coworkers. I booked three back-to-back Caribbean cruises for February next year on Celebrity at a phenomenal rate and with no single supplement. Or so I thought... The last communication I received from her was her confirming that she had the same room number booked for all three and then I replied saying to use the credit card she had already for the deposit (if she'd kept it from a different cruise she had recently booked for me) or otherwise to phone me when she needed the information. I never heard back and (foolishly) assumed she'd booked it with the same card. A couple weeks has passed and I realized I hadn't received anything from her. I checked my card and nothing was billed. I checked one of the cruises and my cabin is showing as available. I am clearly not booked on these cruises. She is currently on vacation until the second week of August. How would you proceed? Is the agency (I'm in Canada) obligated in any way to provide these cruises for me at the rate I thought I'd booked (the price has now doubled)? I'm feeling so dumb right now that I didn't follow up sooner. And I'm really, really missing my wonderful retired TA.

I just received confirmation that my shareholder OBC had been applied. I submitted the information by email and it took 20 days.

My acknowledging that cruise line CSRs are having a tough time right now doesn't mean I think other people in other jobs can't also be having a tough time.

I've been waiting just over two weeks so far. Not worried yet, but I'm also not doing it last minute so if there is a logical pile I assume I'm near the bottom of it. I can't even imagine how miserable it must be right now working in customer service for a cruise line.

Oh my goodness thank you for catching that! I haven't been on transit from the airport since March 2020 and my brain decided the name of the Canada Line station at Granville and Georgia was Burrard. Yeesh. Dumb for so many reasons. No more responding on the boards late at night. I wish it would let me correct my comment.

In 2020 I was upgraded from a verandah to a suite and did not get the double points. But it sounds like others have so you never know!

From your other post it sounds like you're staying there on July 1st. That's Canada Day (our 4th of July). So in addition to just the regular night before the cruise crowds, you've also got the first long weekend of summer crowds.

@HenryKisorDo you use TTY? HAL does have that available. Guest Accessibility Department TTY: 1-800-254-8669

If you call the Guest Accessibility Dep't I'm sure they can assign you an earlier boarding time and let you know about any special needs desk in Vancouver. I'm surprised they didn't do this for you whenever you originally contacted them with all the records for the dog.

Interesting. Thank you for the info.

Pardon my total ignorance, but does this mean a completely free cabin? Or does it mean you pay the lowest price but get a complimentary upgrade to veranda? If it's completely free, why would HAL offer this for people who don't have a history of spending on casino, spa, etc?

My understanding is: If your cruise is not stopping in Victoria before returning to Vancouver then your port of entry is Vancouver; otherwise, it's Victoria. Country of original departure is Canada. Date of embarkation is the start date of your cruise. Date of arrival is the date you are entering your first Canadian port. If your cruise does not stop in Victoria, then it would be the last date of your cruise (the day you get back to Vancouver); otherwise, it's the date you stop in Victoria.

Yes, you do. Everyone needs to do it within 72 hours of embarkation (including Canadians). It doesn't matter where you are from From the HAL web site: BEFORE CRUISING ArriveCAN Within 72 hours of your cruise embarkation, sign into ArriveCAN from a computer or download the mobile app to enter proof of vaccination and travel information. Please bring a digital copy of the email or print your receipt. Guests not from Canada who are starting their cruise in Canada will need to complete ArriveCAN 72 hours before arrival and fill it out again within 72 hours of embarkation. Canadian guests will need to complete ArriveCAN within 72 hours of embarkation.

They're not free, but the Forbidden Vancouver tours are great (if their themes appeal to you).

I don't know if it's the same for HAL (or the same post-C19), but I did this with Cunard once, joining the last segment of a cruise. It was in NYC. We boarded around 11 (there was no one in the terminal except us). Most of the existing passengers were out visiting NYC and we pretty much had the ship (almost) all to ourselves for the next few hours. It was fantastic! I hope you're able to enjoy the same experience.