2pbears
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Posts posted by 2pbears
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9 minutes ago, greenie082756 said:
It also says for any existing booking not yet pain full that is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Wow that's a lot of stipulations. Was your booking you are trying to use it on a refundable deposit?
The way I read the letter I believe they are referring to the 20% credit when they say it is non-refundable and non-transferable, not the existing booked cruise itself.
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We like to book early with the drink package. We would never purchase the drink package outright as it would not be a good value for us. Naysayers will tell you that you are paying a premium for the cruise when you book on Sip n Sail but in the several cruises we have booked at least a year in advance on the Sip n Sail the price of the cruise has never dropped below the price we paid on the promo.
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My feelings pretty much echo reedprincess. We sailed her a couple of years ago. The ship seemed to be in good condition but we just did not care for the layout. Hated the small casino and the lack of an international café is a big deal. We sailed her sister ship, the Coral, and loved it. Too bad they felt a need to dismantle the Island.
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21 hours ago, AlanF65 said:
I believe the back of the form has a place where you can state free bags or no charges for luggage. If you check / state that then its no charge, otherwise they assume you are on a flight where you pay for bags and the limit is 50 lbs so you get charged.
Thank you. We are onboard now and that is indeed the case.
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22 minutes ago, lindaler said:
I would think it is similar to the same soap they use on the towels and sheets. If that doesn't bother him then he should be fine.
That's what I'm thinking. If he doesn't react to the sheets we should be good to go.
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21 hours ago, 0bnxshs said:
It's not optional as the detergent has to meet the requirements for processing and getting rid of. That doesn't prevent you from also adding your own but I don't believe it'll be of much use along with the ship's detergent. You also want to be sure that upcoming drydocks aren't going to delete the self-serve laundry as they have on at least the Zaandam.
Used to be $2 per laundry load, $1 per dryer load, quarters only.
On that note, a friend of mine does laundry in a hand spun salad mixer, usually only delicates/intimates. Might be an idea for you as an option.
Thank you. That's what I was afraid of. I guess I will have to throw in one piece of my husband's clothing with my wash load as a test to see if he has a reaction to the detergent before I wash all of his clothes in it. Hopefully they use a non allergenic detergent.
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1 hour ago, Despegue said:
Most of the wines by the glass are actually fine.
Especially the Remole white is a good choice.
That's good to hear.
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25 minutes ago, dabear said:
Interesting that PG2 will not disclose the price she paid but she quickly tried to purchase 2 suites at that price. Yes, she received confirmations, but a sales agent doesn't know pricing except whats in front of them. Her $10,000 example makes no sense unless the buyer was incompetent. In fact it would not be a binding contract since there could not have been a mutual meeting of the minds.
I don't mean to say that I don't understand her disappointment, but one has to be realistic. Tell us what you paid and perhaps we could be more sympathetic.
If you read back, he did disclose that he paid 75% off of the actual price of the suite.
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On 6/2/2019 at 12:03 PM, crystalspin said:
To the OP:
We were on the Zuiderdam 4/21-5/7 (one month ago) with the SBP. It appeared the increase to $11 per drink had not caught up to the beverage menus yet! There were more wines available to us and the "boat drinks" like pina colada were still under $9. Note we are not wine experts and those that are probably wouldn't like the under $11 glasses, but after sampling most of those covered, we were both able to find a few we could drink!
I understand your cynicism! People on the Princess board love to say BUT Princess package is up to $12! when in fact, their drinks are priced that much higher.
We have primarily cruised Princess and will be on HAL for the first time next week. From my research it does not appear that the Princess drink prices are higher than the HAL drink prices. The big difference is in the cost of the beverage package. The Princess price is significantly higher per day. The biggest problem I have with the HAL package is their choice of wines that are included in the package. Princess actually offers some drinkable wines by the glass that fall within their beverage package. The fact that HAL charges $14 per glass for Clos du Bois Chardonnay is laughable! I hate to think what the wines that are priced below the $11 per glass price point will be like.
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On 5/29/2019 at 6:09 PM, Poulsbo Cruisers said:
We’ve also booked a cruise on the Statendam. We are new to HAL and like you have had trouble finding information on the Signature Beverage package. It’s a good thing we have this forum because trying to navigate the HAL website (for newbies) is a nightmare.
We are new to HAL as well and I totally agree with you!
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16 hours ago, hiccups said:
It's not OP's job to notice a "glaring" pricing error. Several years ago RCI had a glitch in their online pricing and grand suites for a particular cruise were listed at less than half their typical rate. We, along with a bunch of other cruisers, booked those cabins, and RCI never tried to take them away.
Azamara made the bookings, took the money, and now needs to man up and give the OP the cabins for which he paid. Perhaps when a few of these errors start hurting Azamara they might put a little more money into IT.hiccups - I did not mean to imply that it was the OP's job to notice a "glaring" pricing error. I simply meant to say that in my experience over the years, if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is. And from more recents posts, it appears that a 75% discount was too good to be true.
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49 minutes ago, richwmn said:
Amsterdam still has a Self-Service Laundry facility available. Someone else will chime in with costs, I'm sure.
I understand that the ship provides detergent for the washing machines. I am wondering if that is optional or if the detergent is automatically dispensed into the machine. My husband has skin allergies and so we always bring our own detergent to avoid issues. Would appreciate any info you could provide.
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On 6/8/2019 at 7:09 PM, cruises42 said:
We're staying there at the end of August. How are you planning to get to the ship, then from the port to the airport?
We called the Mayflower to see if they had a shuttle to the pier and they do not but they said that we could talk with the concierge upon arrival and he/she would be happy to arrange for a shuttle service with one of the companies that they have a relationship with. We will most likely do that as there will be four of us with luggage so we will need to make sure that we have a vehicle large enough to accommodate us.
From the port to the airport we will be using the Port Valet and therefore will not be carrying luggage so in that case we will most likely either use Uber or the fixed price taxi ($47).
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I have a great deal of compassion for the OP because I realize that he is in a very difficult position. My own experience with Azamara has been so completely different from this (I have found that they have generously compensated for any issue, whether it was their mistake or not) so I am wondering if this is a situation where the error in pricing was so glaring that it should have been obvious to everyone involved (including the OP, the third party company and the Azamara customer service rep) that the booking should never have taken place. If this is the case, I can kind of see Azamara's stance on this issue. However, I do believe that once this is expressed to the appropriate personnel at Azamara they will make a good faith effort to offer something that can be palatable for the OP. I hope that is the case.
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On 6/6/2019 at 8:41 AM, whitford said:
How far is the airport (SEATAC) and how much for a cab. What is the general feeling about this port? Recommended hotels?
We sail out of Seattle next week and will be staying one night pre-cruise at the Mayflower Park Hotel. We have never stayed there before but the friends that we are cruising with have stayed there and recommend it highly. It's located right near the Westlake light rail station so you can take the train from SEATAC to downtown and the hotel is a 5 minute walk from the train. Very easy and inexpensive to do. It is about a six block walk to Pike Market. Oh, just a note about the Mayflower, if you are uneasy about ghosts, the hotel is rumored to be haunted. We're not bothered by that but some people might be.
A recent post here showed signs at the taxi stand outside the ship that say the taxis are a flat rate of $47 from the cruise terminal to SEATAC.
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13 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:
Best to take Uber/Taxi directly to SeaTac. Taking light rail would only make sense if you were already in DT Seattle doing touristy things. SeaTac is south of DT Seattle, so you will be lighter traffic (as opposed to all the commuters heading north into the city).
Perfect. Thanks for this info.
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16 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:
You can use whatever ground transportation works for you (Airport transfers, Uber, taxi, etc). I was trying to explain that the free Luggage Port Valet service didn't include transportation to SeaTac. The idea behind Port Valet is that folks who have later flights can explore Seattle without lugging around their suitcases. It is such a great program for both passengers and the local economy. Even if you can't stay and spend time in Seattle, having the luggage transported thru the commercial gate relieves congestion at the airport. It is a win-win program!
OK Great. Thanks for clarifying that for me. One more question. We arrive at Port 91 on a Monday morning (the only ship in port that day). If our luggage is already taken care of with the Port Valet would we be better off to Uber to Westlake Center and take the train to SEATAC? I am worried that Monday morning traffic might be difficult and we have a flight at 11:50. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
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Ferry_Watcher - I read in one of your posts that if we use the Port Valet service we also need to purchase the ship's transfer service. Is that required or can we opt for Uber or taxi with the Port Valet service?
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On 6/3/2019 at 1:53 PM, va9276 said:
(We still paid normal baggage fees but used some of our OBC.)
Can you explain how the airline baggage fees are assessed when you using this Port Valet service? We are allowed two free bags as we are Alaska Airlines cardholders. Will we still be able to use this benefit or will we have to pay luggage fees?
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4 hours ago, laurieb said:
A new promotion started today, with up to 30% off cruise fares; we just saved several thousand dollars on a cruise in October 2020, that we booked onboard last year!! We were able to keep our cruise now discount and OBC. Our friends who are traveling in a Club World this cruise saved over 5000.00.
The cabin price on this cruise and the one before had not changed since we originally booked in 2018
I'm sure there are cruises whose original prices have gone up since they were released, but do check and see if you can save yourself some money 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this. We have had our eye on a 2020 Norwegian Fjords cruise for quite some time but have dragged our feet because of the price. The price of the cruise has dropped a little over $3,000 so we have contacted our travel agent and told her to book it. Cruise Critic is just the best!
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Sorry to read this. Hopefully they will introduce a revised program in the near future.
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For me, the must sees would be the Market Square and waterfront area, the Rock Church and Sibelius Monument.
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19 hours ago, kwb101 said:
I'm onboard Maasdam now, and there's still at least one self-service laundry. Washing costs $2 and drying $1 (but may take more than one cycle to dry completely). The wash cycle takes about 30 minutes, and each dryer cycle is 45 minutes. Liquid soap is provided (you're not supposed to use your own). It does an adequate job.
Good luck.
Do you happen to know if the liquid soap that is provided is free and clear (hypoallergenic)? My husband has super sensitive skin and using the wrong detergent could literally ruin our cruise (at least for a few days).
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18 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:
Copied from the HAL website just a minute ago:
Our convenient, affordable Signature Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails (including non-alcoholic), sodas, bottled water (sparkling 330ml or still 500ml) & coffee! Includes any beverage priced at $11.00 or lower (up to 15 beverages per day). Prices are per day at $44.95 if pre-booked online compared to $54.95 if purchased on board. A 15% service charge will be automatically applied to your purchase. The package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. All adults over 21 years old booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. Participants may order only one drink at a time and must be 21 years or older. Sharing is not permitted. Excludes Mini Bar, Honor Bar, Chocolate Seduction, In-Room Dining, beverages on Half Moon Cay, Freestyle Coca-Cola and any self-service draft beer. Packages are not transferable or refundable. Beverage management reserves the right to revoke the package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason; including refusing service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated customers.
An interesting change is the cost of purchasing the SBP onboard vs. buying it online ahead of the cruise. The price used to be (as of Jan 2019) $44.95 per day purchased online, and $49.95 per day purchased onboard. That was a $5 penalty for waiting to purchase onboard using your HAL issued OBC. Now the price is $54.95, a $10 penalty, all prices plus 15% service charge.
Thank you so much for posting this. As I said, I am finding this drink package to be quite confusing. Am I correct in thinking that if we get onboard the ship and find that Signature Package wines are not to our liking we can upgrade from the Signature Package that we pre-purchased to the Elite package?
Getting to Elite faster
in Princess Cruises
Posted
I totally agree. This is a pricey way to pick up a couple of extra perks. We have been Elite for a few years now and the price of an extra cabin (even for a one night cruise) will not be offset by the Elite perks. Unless, of course, you find personal value in having the "black card".