st.zoomer

I posted this on another thread by mistake this morning--meant to post it here:

We were on the Dec. 21, 2019, Le Champlain cruise out of Puerto Morelos--changed to Cozumel.  The change to Cozumel wasn't Ponant's fault but I thought they handled the related problems well.

The ship was beautiful, more of a large scale yacht than a cruise liner.  The only problem I had with the ship itself was that the seating in the bar area and the grill could get crowded and tables, especially for two, could become taken quickly.  The cabin was on the small side but functional, and the crew was great.

My main problem was the food which I felt was sub-standard.  The chef was from Haiti and the sous Chef from Guadeloupe--not sure if that had anything to do with the problem or not.  Another problem was the hours of service--evening meal was sometimes at 6:00 PM, sometimes 7:00 PM and sometimes 8:15 PM.  If you didn't eat during the short hours of service there was no other food option except a limited room service menu.  The open hours of the BlueEye and Observatory Lounge were also very limited.  (BTW, I understand that one's idea of food quality is subjective).

I enjoyed the itinerary since we went to several off-the-beaten-path ports and visited some places not normally seen by cruisers.  The two excursions we took were interesting, one to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and the other to Quirigua in Guatemals.  LIvingston was interesting to walk around but Belize City was completely closed, at least in the downtown area, because it was Boxing Day.

Overall I thought it was a good cruise, but not a great cruise because of the food issue plus the timing, and availability, of the meals.  

We were on the Dec. 21, 2019, Le Champlain cruise out of Puerto Morelos--changed to Cozumel.  The change to Cozumel wasn't Ponant's fault but I thought they handled the related problems well.

The ship was beautiful, more of a large scale yacht than a cruise liner.  The only problem I had with the ship itself was that the seating in the bar area and the grill could get crowded and tables, especially for two, could become taken quickly.  The cabin was on the small side but functional, and the crew was great.

My main problem was the food which I felt was sub-standard.  The chef was from Haiti and the sous Chef from Guadeloupe--not sure if that had anything to do with the problem or not.  Another problem was the hours of service--evening meal was sometimes at 6:00 PM, sometimes 7:00 PM and sometimes 8:15 PM.  If you didn't eat during the short hours of service there was no other food option except a limited room service menu.  The open hours of the BlueEye and Observatory Lounge were also very limited.  (BTW, I understand that one's idea of food quality is subjective).

I enjoyed the itinerary since we went to several off-the-beaten-path ports and visited some places not normally seen by cruisers.  The two excursions we took were interesting, one to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and the other to Quirigua in Guatemals.  LIvingston was interesting to walk around but Belize City was completely closed, at least in the downtown area, because it was Boxing Day.

Overall I thought it was a good cruise, but not a great cruise because of the food issue plus the timing, and availability, of the meals.  

3 hours ago, laurelguy said:

Hope all works out for your departure date. Let us know! Very much looking forward!

Unfortunately, our TA leaves a lot to be desired--she was supposed to contact Ponant yesterday to see if there were any changes in ports but apparently she didn't bother to do so--so, I will call Ponant Monday to see if there is a change. If not, I will just leave our current reservations intact and assume we are leaving from Puerto Morelos.

I will try to post our experience once we are on Ponant--assuming we get on and the WiFi is working...LOL...

39 minutes ago, laurelguy said:

Hi st.zoomer...we're going right after you on 12/28...I spoke with Ponant myself yesterday and was told every cruise thus far has changed to Cozumel so I'm thinking ours (yours) probably will too. I'm hoping they reach out with good advance so we know where to show up and when. We have one night precruise at hotel in Puerto Morelos...yikes..

Hey laurelguy...

Who knows what is going to happen?  We also have a pre-cruise Puerto Morelos hotel booked as well as transportation back and forth from the Cancun airport to Puerto Morelos.  Fortunately, we can cancel both if we need to until three days before the cruise.  I guess I'll wait until the last minute to decide if we want to do that or not.  However, if what has been posted before is accurate for our cruise I will try to change hotels to the Grand Hyatt Playa in PDC so we won't have so many different stops and rides to do...

Our TA said this morning that she has not heard anything concerning a change in the arrival and/or departure ports for the Dec. 21st sailing.  She is supposed to contact Ponant to see how things stand so, hopefully, we will know something later today--of course whatever she is told may still change before the cruise starts.  Oh well, "nimodo", as they say in Mexico...

Can someone tell me what you received from Ponant--hard copy of tickets, luggage tags, folder, etc.?  I'm not on good terms with our TA and apparently Ponant sent her these items a week ago and she never bothered forwarding them to us--and our cruise is next week.  She forwarded us the e-docs but nothing else.

BTW, I spoke to Ponant this morning and our cruise, Dec. 21st, is still scheduled to leave and return to Puerto Morelos.

34 minutes ago, laurelguy said:

Great info all! I guess it's hurry up and wait. We have a hotel in Puerto Morelos the night before our 12/28 embarkation. Would be silly to change now I guess since things are still up in the air...Que sera I guess. Good luck!

Yep, we are going to do the same since it could go either way.  In any case, it is only a 30 minute ride from our hotel in Puerto Morelos to Playa del Carmen.

Thanks for the update.  We are sailing on the 21st and I talked to a Ponant rep a couple of days ago who said everything was settled and our cruise would be departing and returning to Puerto Morelos.  However, she did add that if we had to leave from and return to Cozumel that all transportation to the Cancun airport would be paid by Ponant.  Of course anything can change in an instant in Mexico.

Too bad for Ponant and Puerto Morelos--I imagine if these problems continue Ponant will pull out of that market.

On 7/2/2019 at 8:22 AM, st.zoomer said:

Has anyone had any luck getting a refund when cancelling a cruise to Cuba on VV?  I called about 3 weeks ago and asked for a refund and was told I would get it within 10 business days.  They refunded $70 of the $570 deposit almost immediately but not the remaining $500.  So, I called last Monday and was told I would have it by Friday, June 28th, but today is Tuesday, July 2nd, and still no refund.

 

When I booked the cruise they were able to take my deposit the same day but they don't seem interested in making a refund with the same speed. 

Finally got my full refund back after several email, calls and waiting a month...I hope they are better organized on the ship...

Has anyone had any luck getting a refund when cancelling a cruise to Cuba on VV?  I called about 3 weeks ago and asked for a refund and was told I would get it within 10 business days.  They refunded $70 of the $570 deposit almost immediately but not the remaining $500.  So, I called last Monday and was told I would have it by Friday, June 28th, but today is Tuesday, July 2nd, and still no refund.

When I booked the cruise they were able to take my deposit the same day but they don't seem interested in making a refund with the same speed. 

First time back in several years and no sign of life at Chac-Chi...

A few pictures of Club Orange restaurant:

We just returned from a 5 day cruise on the Nieuw Statendam where the Club Orange was offered.  Initially we thought the cost was too high but later decided to give the Club Orange a try and paid the $400.00.  However, before the cruise began we received an upgrade offer for a Neptune suite at a reduced rate--which included the Club Orange perks--so we transferred the $400 we had paid for Club Orange as partial payment on the suite.

The initial boarding was a mess and it was a good thing for suite and Club Orange passengers that we had a priority window.  We were able to board quickly, through a separate entrance, instead of standing in line for an hour or two.

The main advantage of Club Orange was the private dining area for breakfast and diner which we used for every available meal.  I suppose it depends on how important the experience is to you personally to decide if it is worth the price or not, but we felt it was.  For example, if you like a Mimosa, or two, or three, or more for breakfast, they are all free--as many as you like.  Also, almost all the food is prepared in front of you and it comes from the grill piping hot, not after sitting under a warming lamp. For diner you have the same menu as The Dining Room but with one additional "specialty" entree, otherwise the menu is the same as in the MDR.  

The atmosphere in the Club Orange restaurant is very casual since it was initially intended to be an instructional cooking venue, but it was fine for us--I understand that will be changing in the future to a more traditional setting.  Also, the restaurant staff was excellent and, being so small, we soon came to know them all.  

For breakfast the restaurant could become crowded but for dinner it wasn't unusual to only see a few passengers eating, it just depended on the particular night and the hour; however, we always had great service and immediate attention.  We only ate one meal, lunch, in the MDR, and I found it extremely noisy--nothing like the Club Orange's much smaller and calmer atmosphere.

I talked to a few people who has purchased the Club Orange upgrade and they were all happy with their choice.  I didn't get to see the bag they received but one man told me it was very high quality.

I don't think there was an advantage to Club Orange priority debarkation since anyone can get off early; and, the main difference I saw between Club Orange vs. suite passengers perks was that Club Orange people couldn't use the Neptune Lounge.

Overall, for us, I would definitely pay for the Club Orange if I didn't have a Neptune or Pinnacle suite--the priority boarding and Club Orange restaurant experience made it worthwhile--for us it made the difference between a good trip and a great trip. However, if those things aren't so important to you, then it probably wouldn't be worth the extra expense.

I guess I'm the "odd man out" here.  It seems a bit high but I like priority boarding and disembarking, but mainly I like the idea of private dining with an extended menu.  Eating in the speciality restaurants is something we do a lot of so perhaps this could take the place of paying the extra money for those venues.

I called twice to get more details of the "upgrade" but all I got was "I think so", "I don't think so", and "I don't know".  It seems strange that HAL would promote a program and forget to tell the reps the details.  I guess I will wait a while and try again.

Obviously, this isn't for everyone, we all have different priorities and likes, but we may give it a try...

Just a note on FlightEase. I booked a cruise on HAL a couple of days ago and was able to see the flights I needed but didn't select any at that time. Today I tried to find a link to FlightEase on the HAL website but the only one I could fine took me to a page that said I had to make a telephone call to see about the fights they offered--for some reason there was no link I could find to check on the flights I had seen two days before.

Fortunately, I happened to look at the email confirmation HAL had sent me when I booked the cruise and there was a link to "Book Flights". I followed that link and was able to book the flights I wanted.

Well, we finally decided to make the upgrade! I talked to our TA this morning and she said we would get an additional $275 amenity from the agency if we booked the upgrade so that made it a little easier to decide. The suite was probably going to be gone fairly soon since there were only two still available this morning and by the time I called the TA there was only one remaining.

Thanks for all the information and suggestions--it helped make the decision easier.

We are sailing on the Regatta in a few weeks for a ten day cruise and are currently in a Penthouse 3 suite. About a month ago I was given an offer to upgrade to an Owner's Suite for $3,000, per person, but I declined. I then decided recently to make a counter offer of $1,000, per person, but Oceania said they would only let it go for $2,000 per person. We are paying around $3,500 per person for the PH3 and the initial "promotional fare" for the OS was $9,400 per person.

If you are still with me, LOL, PH3 $3,500 + upgrade of $2,000 = $5,500; original "promotional fare" OS = $9,400.

This would be about a 40% discount off the original OS price so I'm curious from those who have been in an Owner's suite, especially on the Regatta, if $2,000 per person upgrade price would be considered: exceptional, good, average, nothing great...

Thanks...

Can somebody tell me the benefit of getting a private tour vs just hiring a cab when getting off the ship? We are a family of 5 plus grandma so want the flexibility to go where we want but $400 seems high. Could we hire a cab to do the same thing right off the ship for less money? We have 4-5 stops we would like to do (most of them are on the Bernard's group tours but we want the flexibility in our time and choices so a group tour is not an option). I'd appreciate and help and feedback! Thanks!

We just got back a couple of days ago after taking the Benards tour in St. Martin. We saw enough in four hours and the guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. If you hire a taxi he won't necessarily be able to give you the correct information that a licensed tour guide could and won't give you free drinks (rum punch & beer--all you want), soft drinks or water.

We paid $40 each for the tour but I have no idea how much it would to hire a taxi for six people and make an equivalent tour.

To answer your question, I suppose it just boils down to how important flexibility is vs. a package deal once you know the taxi pricing. For us it was an easy choice since my wife had previously taken the Benard's tour a few years ago and wanted to take it again because she was so happy with it.

If you decide to go with Benard's the only caution is that their location at the port is a bit difficult to find since it is located outside of the main shopping area--maybe 10 minutes from the ships.

Indeed, as I mentioned before, they offered a two category upgrade or $1500 OBC for our Wind cruise next March. We booked months ago before the incentive but were able to add the $1500 OBC to our booking without any problem.

That would seem to fall in line with their guarantee that they would match a lower price once you book a cruise--although it is up to the customer to make sure this happens.

What I don't understand is the increase in prices as the sail date is almost upon us. Not many people can drop everything and hop on board a ship at the last minute--and there isn't much incentive to do so at the inflated prices IMO.

However, I suppose there is still some lingering demand as the prices have been slowly increasing over the last few weeks and the categories of cabins available has been steadily decreasing. Maybe they know what they are doing...

From what I see Silversea handles pricing different than other cruise lines. Lines like Carnival, RCL, or Norwegian lower the prices of their cabins as you get closer to the sail date if there are still some available; or they call you trying to entice you into an upgrade. Silversea appears to do just the opposite.

We booked the Spirit last summer for an upcoming trip in the next couple of weeks. At that time Silversea was offering as a bonus either a two category upgrade or $1000 OBC. Now the cabin prices are hundreds of dollars higher for all categories and there are no bonuses offered--even though there are several categories of cabins still available. (This is on their website so I don't know what a TA could offer).

I don't really understand why they would raise the prices when the cabins aren't sold unless they think they will be taken before the sail date.

According to the CDC as of Nov. 4, 2014, it is an issue: Chikungunya In the Caribbean. :eek:

Well, I went ahead and purchased the policy from AXA Assistance USA since it appeared to be a reliable company. It has a good record with the BBB and is the company used by both MetLife and Aetna for their travel insurance plans.

I would have used Steve if he had been within $100 or so but the difference was over $400 which was almost 50% higher.

Thanks for the info about Steve--hopefully, I won't have to find out how AXA pays their claims...

I did get a response from Steve but he said he didn't use AXA Assistance since he didn't know if they paid their claims or not and that he wasn't interested in trying out a new company.

He also said he couldn't match their price but that if I liked AXA's certificate I should just buy their plan.

A bit of research on AXA shows that it is a large world wide company and is used by some US companies like MetLife to handle their travel insurance plans. However, I can't seem to find any information, good or bad, about how AXA handles their claims. Guess I'll keep doing some research...

I'd suggest you contact Steve and the others at TripInsuranceStore.com by *phone* and discuss both your own needs/desires for insurance coverage AND ask them specifically about the AXA plan you have in mind.

GeezerCouple

I sent them an email with all the information about the trip--if I don't hear back I will call them to see what they can do.

Thanks...

We will stay with TravelInsured in the future, as the insurance isn't any good if the claims don't get paid.

And we thank TripInsuranceStore for recommending this insurer and specific policy as being most suitable for our needs.GeezerCouple

I looked that this site and it is more "personal" than the others I saw. The only problem I have is that they want $1262 for the coverage I want (including "cancel for any reason") and I can get a similar coverage for as low as $847 at AXA Assistance USA (InsureMyTrip.com) or a bit higher at a couple of other places. So, I'm still thinking about what to buy.

By the way, how does Squaremouth have "no physical telephones"? Do they just "talk into the air"?

Or did they mean no landlines? Or "just" earpieces and microphones/etc.?

GeezerCouple

That was a question I had. I suppose after a good workout in their gym, a couple of beers, and a nice nap, they can use "telepathic communication".

-----------------------------------------------

I don't know anything about Tinleg but I will say that reviews are worthless.

...

Myself,,, if I perceive I've received bad service or been wrongly treated,,,, I'll write a review. If everything goes as expected,,, I NEVER write a review.

I agree with that however in this case it is a bit different. Looking at the complaints Tin Leg had the person who responded to these complaints often agreed with the policy holder saying that Tin Leg had made a mistake, something was overlooked, or it was a computer problem on their end that caused the issue.

-----------------------------------------------

SquareMouth has a "Zero Complaint Guarantee" but I don't think it means much:

Since the complaint only has to be resolved to SquareMouth's satisfaction, and since Tin Leg is owned by SquareMouth, what's the chance of Tin Leg being removed from their site?