3rdGenCunarder

The midship Neptunes are larger and laid out better than the corner afts. I love the afts on Signature and Vista ships, but not on the PInnacles. I had a corner aft on K'dam (deck 6 or 7) and hated it. Odd layout, bad bathroom with a ridiculously small shower, long hike to the lounge, and on top of that, the ship rode badly at the back. Next time, I had a midship Neptune and couldn't believe how much nicer it was in all respects.

Only positive "reactions" are allowed. No thumbs-down button! On your post above, two people clicked the heart for "like," and I clicked the laughing face for "haha."

It's okay for only one to purchase the thermal pass.

Now that is ironic, isn't it??? If you haven't done your post-cruise survey yet, you have to include this comment! I'm glad to hear jazz is coming back--I always loved the combo in Ocean Bar. But that doesn't replace classical; it's another option.

I doubt you will be moved because someone needs an accessible cabin. Most people who need them book them early as they are in limited supply. At this late date, an unreserved accessible cabin goes into general inventory.

Lots of books, but it looks like only about two dozen titles. Better than nothing, but not a properly curated library. Of course, that takes time and somebody paying attention to the selection. This looks like someone bought cases of books off a best-seller list at wholesale prices and sent 6 or 7 to each ship. I could probably borrow these new books hard copy or e-reader from my local library. I want to browse and find something new or different. Like @fatcat04, I'm a book nerd and love real libraries. While travel books would be nice, someone who hasn't done their pre-cruise research will likely grab them and keep them for the duration. Cunard has a librarian who checks out books, and IIRC, puts cruise-specific books on hold to be used only in the library, so everyone has a chance to see them.

@2ferfun, it sounds like you are buying OBC to avoid the shock of the final bill. If so, it's refundable OBC and you should be able to use it for anything on board, except possibly the casino. Sometimes OBC given by HAL has strings attached, but if you bought it, it's yours to spend as you see fit.

You were lucky to be able to call at Sydney. Our stop (QM2) was supposed to be a few days before that and there was no way they wanted a bunch of tourists underfoot while they were clearing debris and fixing downed wires. It was disappointing, as I had booked a tour to the Heritage Village, but it was completely understandable. I didn't hear anyone complain about the missed port. @skittlebug83, your pictures are beautiful. It's too bad the Bell Museum was closed. It's excellent. Ah well, next time...

Ta da! You did it!!! And you're better than I am, getting your laundry done already. One of the good things about living alone is that I can dump the laundry in a pile and wait until I have recovered from the time changes to face up to it.

Yes, the CO upgrade is one of the few times solos don't get dinged for double charges.

Good luck. HAL does have some agents with a clue. I would ask about each OBC individually, and if you get a blanket response that, based on the posts here, you believe is wrong, ask to speak to a supervisor.

Ah yes, the "penalty phase" of travel--sorting through the accumulated mail, unpacking and washing clothes, reacquainting yourself with the kitchen. Yes, I have heard that river cruising attracts an older crowd. That doesn't bother me. I sail with HAL and Cunard, and although they aren't really God's Waiting Room, their average passenger age is not the young party demographic. I remember sitting on the pier with DH and my parents waiting to board QE2 many years ago. I looked around at the many people who looked older than my parents and hummed "You Make Me Feel So Young" until Mom shushed me. And now some young snip is looking at me and thinking that--although she probably doesn't remember an old Frank Sinatra song!

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Two weeks to go and, thanks to your helpful information, I feel like I'm ready. Well, except for packing...

That's true in customer service all over the place these days, unfortunately.

Are you enjoying Chicago? And did you dock there or Milwaukee?

The CO upgrade at $15 per day, is WAY LESS than the price difference if you book the more expensive cabin to begin with. I'm surprised at the difference between the cost of CO and the price of the upgraded cabin for just 2 weeks (on Zaandam). HAL might not be willing to give that expensive benefit for a long cruise.

That's a good way to handle it. My onboard spending is never near the limit.

Ugh, that means lining up twice. I've always found Bar Harbor immigration smooth, despite agents having to tender to the ship. But Boston has almost always been awful. They send too few agents and the few they send show up late and won't do anything until someone brings them coffee. I haven't seen much attention paid to the customs part of it in years. Was there that much good stuff to buy on the ship?

Thank you for taking us along! It's wonderful to see another cruiser successfully graduate to solo travel. I think overpacking may have been part of the adjustment. When you're on your own, there's a tendency to worry more about "just in case." It's nice that you bought some local art. I do that, too. A lovely reminder of a good trip.

Didn't you do immigration and customs in Bar Harbor?

It's amazing and sad how bad some TA's are. I worked with someone who was a part-time travel agent, probably working for a friend or relative. She was mainly in it for the opportunities for cheap/free TA travel. Having seen her organizational skills, I was NOT tempted to leave the TA I already had. I have been lucky with TAs. In 30+ years, I have had only two. The first one got us some great deals. That was back in the day when they had access to a lot of special fares, especially on sailings out of NYC. The agency would send out postcards for last-minute deals. When I saw one in the mail I would say to DH "Hey, we got a post card from [TA]!" and he would say "Where are we going?" When that TA retired, I changed agencies to use someone I had met through friends. Another gem. She knows my likes and dislikes and is great to work with. I am so happy that she and the agency she works for survived the Covid shutdown. That's what ebay is for! I am a bit concerned about @POA1's obsession with the tote bag. Perhaps you could send him your extras. 😜

I have something similar that folds itself into a strawberry. It lives in my purse. Amazon.com: YUYIKES 10PCS Fruits Reusable Grocery Shopping Tote Bags Folding Pouch Storage Bags Convenient Grocery Bags for Shopping Travel: Home & Kitchen

I think you would have to cancel the existing reservation and start over. If your deposit is nonrefundable, you'd lose that. And you might lose some OBC or other perks you got at the time of booking.

I first saw paying for a supermarket bag in England, probably as much as 10 years ago. I have carried sturdy reusable bags for groceries for years (I often buy them at supermarkets or farmers markets when I travel), but often got a plastic bag at other stores. Now my state has banned single-use plastic bags (except for the produce bags). I had to laugh at your comment about hoarding the plastic bags to use for rubbish. I'm about at the end of my stash, and I'll have to start buying bags. I'll have to remember to add folding shopping bag to my travel packing list.

I don't understand your question. If you're asking about one or two people getting CO, both people in the cabin have to pay the CO price.