Haljo1935

Yes and thank you!! Don't want to hijack this thread, but if you've done a TA, would love any tips/feedback. This is our first.

Yeah it should work that way, but HAL likes you better; I keep getting:

Hi - hoping @Traveling Dot @Hlitner and anyone else who has done a Trans Pacific will provide feedback/insights for a "crossing newbie." We are booked Q1 2024 Trans Pacific (Yokohama-> Seattle on Westerdam). This will be our first crossing; although this fall we're doing our first Trans Atlantic (Rome -> FLL), but as of this writing we have no experience on ocean crossings. So, internet aside, unless there's an update on status of the rumored internet upgrade, any tips, advice or just general info you can provide on doing a Trans Pacific is appreciated. Currently, we're in a Portside aft verandah, but there's availability to change if that is a poor choice. 4* who has also sailed Princess and Carnival, so I feel like I've got the cruising part down, lol. Just not the "crossing" part. Thanks! A search for Trans Pacific didn't net much, so I'm posting here, but will start a new thread if I should.

Is anyone able to provide the rate for unlimited laundry on Westerdam 14 day Trans Pacific and 14 day Trans Atlantic on Nieuw Amsterdam? Last month on Eurodam was a different rate than we paid in Feb on Nieuw Statendam so I'm hoping a current (or very recent) passenger can provide rates. Thanks!!

You will receive a form to fill 9ut regarding your flight info and other disembarkation plans. What you put on that form will determine the time slot you are assigned. There will be an option to select "walk off" meaning you're taking your own bags off. You'll be in the first group if you select walk off. Then just listen to the announcements indicating it's time for you to go.

Thanks - you "splained" it just fine, lol. We are not sure yet if the 3rd person will be joining, so I wanted to structure it for the best possible outcome if they do join us.

@Turtles06 you will be able to drop your bags at the door if you eat breakfast in MDR or you can leave them in your cabin while you eat then grab them to leave. If you do that, just let your steward know you're coming back but that they can start on your cabin - they'll apprehending able to get another cabin marked off. Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

And then what - what happens if you don't have the payment in another month? I'm considering my first cruise with Azamara so following along here to gauge my appetite for disappointment if things don't work out. Truly hope you receive your payment.

Perfect, SG, exactly what I need to know to make a decision. Love the write up, appreciate the link!

For AK cruises where we tend to get wetter and muddier on excursions, we get the unlimited plan & send a bag everyday when we get back on board. That we we can cycle through our "street" clothes every other day. For warmer itineraries like Caribbean, we usually do it by the bag since those clothes are less bulky we can bring more and fit more in the laundry bags. We send a bag halfway through then another at the end so we can get about 2 wearings per outfit and take home clean clothes. Saving on luggage fees and less juggling suitcases is a bonus. 🤭 Remember - if it came out of a suitcase case it has to go back in one and who wants to spend a lot of time packing at the end of a cruise?

What is a verandah priced at compared to the upgrade cost? Is it more or less than the $1400 + whatever you've already paid? Not asking you to tell us - just questions you want to ask yourself to help you determine if the $49pp/day is a good value to you. 35 days seems like a long time w/no window.

Now that there's been an actual cruise under Carnival, I'd be interested in reading feedback from someone who actually ate at Il Viaggio. What did you think? What was good/bad? Would you eat there again? B2B in Sept on Venezia and need to make a decision about booking Il Viaggio. Thanks for your feedback!

Slightly off topic, but related. 1) Can you add Club Orange to a free cruise or only to regular fares? 2) If adding Club Orange, since only pay it for 1st 2 passengers in the cabin, can you add another person later? Meaning, can I pick a cabin (#9999, for ex) that holds 3 people, add CO but book cabin #9999 with just 2 people, then later add a 3rd person? Or do all 3 have to be on the booking when CO is added? My very not-helpful PCC will never do CO for me, so I'm finally jumping in on my own without her and know this group has the answers to help me make the right moves at the right time and not screw things up, so thank you! I got 1 free cruise offer this year which I have booked and am looking to add CO - I don't want to mess it up.

Yep - that's them. And in post 4 you can see what they look like from the outside. Very tiny and no dividers between neighbors so everybody can see everything. 🤔

Feb Nieuw Amsterdam saw a guy with the cutest little tiny duck, it was covered in red hearts (we were on Feb 5-19 so Valentine's cruise). He was talking about how the craziest thing had happened in the elevator - looked up, saw this yellow thing, reached up to see what it was...blah, blah... He was smiling - you could tell he was so thrilled but trying to play it cool. He asked if we thought it was ok for him to keep it or if someone lost it. He didn't think it was lost since it was above his head, but just couldn't understand how/why a duck would be in the elevator. So cute. 🤭 Because it was the cutest duck, I wanted to take it and say "ooh, look - I found a duck!" But I resisted and instead explained to him about hiding/finding ducks on ships. And I'd already found one myself. Is it in keeping with the spirit of the game to trade one you find? Does that still count? 🤭

You will not be out of place if you don't wear a dress and heels on "dressy" nights; it's no longer called "formal" night. And laundry service is your friend - they do a great job; really cuts down on amount we take w/us. You can probably find several laundry threads... Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

How many cruises do you do each year?

And I would love to have so much OBC I couldn't find a way to spend it all, lol. And free cruise email would also be nice. 🤔

Have you booked Il Viaggio? We've had it in our cart a few times, but just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Wouldn't have paid for a spa cabin on 10, but the upgrade was nice getting us closer to the spa and also closer to the good coffee!! Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

Taxes and port fees have to be paid regardless, so that is a wash to both the passengers and HAL. When we got the offers last year, the cost to upgrade from free inside was minimal - most times we paid $25 - $75pp to move from inside to balcony (VB not obstructed). This year I have only received 1 offer; the cost to upgrade was $299 for Ocean view and $499 for balcony, so substantially more than last year, but still a good deal.

Congrats! That does sound like a pretty good deal. I say book what you want when you get these offers and don't fret if you don't receive them - life's too short to stress over something you can't control.

Nope - you have a lot of company on Worry Lane.

My only experience w/Guarantee on HAL was April this year. Did a verandah guarantee - cabin assigned about 2 weeks out; was a spa verandah so a very nice upgrade. One day before sailing got new cabin assignment to SS, so it turned out to be a very good deal. I feel like that's not the normal and would not be inclined to do a guarantee on a regular basis.

I'm sure your granddaughter will be so excited. We will not be participating during either of our cruises - we just aren't fun like that anymore. But it will be fun to see all the different masks as we people watch. We just don't like the packing and prepping required for theme and formal events anymore, but like that the ships continue to have them for the passengers that do participate. So, we hope we're so my killing our own fun, not others, lol.