Tampa Girl

I don't recall needing any visa for any of the Indonesian ports, but that was in 2018. As someone else suggested, rather than worrying about it, you should call your TA. That is what they are trained to know.

Thank you for posting the rule. I recognize that it says "new" bookings, but I don't see where it defines that as "within 7 days." Am I missing that? If not, and since there is no definition of "new", I would not characterize the people asking to have it applied after 7 days of booking as being "browbeating."

And, then, would you be complaining about incompetent, uncaring, staff? It is a well-trained, caring staff for which HAL has been most commended. I doubt that HAL would risk lowering that standard to save a few bucks. BTW, I found our staff on our recent 10-day Sunfarer cruise to be as helpful, well trained, and friendly as always, despite the fact that the dining room staff appeared to be shorthanded. So, yes, I am giving HAL a break by not speculating, based on mercenary grounds, as to why the DR staff may be shorthanded.

Would you please post a copy of this "community Appreciation Offer?" Where is this located? It is a little harsh to accuse people of "browbeating some poor staff person" for a benefit which has been earned by that person and is being questioned by an arbitrary corporate rule. The only purpose for such a rule appears to be to avoid having to give customers the $100 OBC. So muh for "community appreciation. There is no such requirement, for instance, for a Carnival OBC, which, perhaps, isn't classified as a "community Appreciation Offer.

Thank you all so much for this info. I know that it has been discussed in the past, many times, but I could not find it tonight. This has eased may concerns about having to wait until the embarkation time for the new batch. The info is most appreciated.

We just booked a 14-day Caribbean cruise on the NA, and I just realized that it appears to be a back to back. Each week has a different itinerary, except for the inevitable Half Moon Key. Two questions: Will we be required to temporarily disembark when the first week's passengers disembark, or can we stay in our cabin? Secondly, since the booking is for a 14-day cruise and we have only one booking number, does this qualify for a Carnival 14-day OBC or only a 7-day OBC? I apologize for asking this because I know that it has been asked before, but my research is not pulling it up. Thanks in advance.

Re-employing, training and re-training, obtaining the necessary visas in order to staff the ship as in pre-pandemic takes considerably longer than one year and four months. Resuming cruising is considerably different from restocking a restaurant or re-aligning civilian employees.

What are the Tamarind prices?

Even good leaders make mistakes, and this "mis-step" could be undone.

What has not been mentioned is any what, if any, additional tax liability on the cruise company if the gratuities were absorbed into their overall revenue. It may not be in HAL's best interest to include the gratuities as mandatory. A CPA opinion, pls?

Isn't Med-Jet a stand alone medevac company? It has been around for years. Regarding Chase Sapphire, does it have CFAR insurance and, if so, what is its limit for costs recovery, i.e. a % up a certain limit? HAL's protection plan is up to 90% and it costs around 10% of the cruise cost? But I don't think that there is a limit as to the amount to which 90% will apply.

From what I read from HAL, isn't it a "request" for a particular cabin number pending the actual opening of the cruise, but understanding that it would likely be honored?

However, in looking at HAL's website, both the Signature Suites and Neptune Suites have opened up during the last few weeks. We cancelled our full cruise booking in mid-March but rebooked for the first two segments. The website at that point showed no NS or SS cabins, although we got a guarantee for the FLL - Tokyo segment. Have since cancelled that, however. My point is that as hefty deposits are coming due around June 1st and final payment around September 1st, there may be way more than 150 available cabins. I am surprised that there are 150 open now. BTA, how did you come up with that number?

Thanks for responding. I don't think that I want to make a six-week out of the casino cruise.

How long is Zaandam's Amazon cruise that follows?

I just received a few days ago, an apparent casino offer for the Zaandam's a14-day Southern Caribbean cruise, February 3, 2024 - February 17, 2024. It appears that HAL cancelled the 21-day cruise of February 2, 2024, reduced it to a 14-day cruise, and added an Amazon cruise on February 17th. I will call my TA tomorrow to see if this "free" interior" offer is actually available. I like the itinerary.

Pack it. It takes little space and you have the soap that you want.

Where, please, does HAL provide for transforming a non-refundable into a refundable deposit? I was not aware of this.

We never got a receipt for our FCD's. It was sent to our TA. Perhaps your TA or PCC has that info.

I think that your suspicion that a dock would be of little help with high winds is well taken. We were docked in either a Fiji or a Samoan ports a few years ago. Fifty people had been allowed to disembark to wander around with their cameras poised. Unfortunately, about an hour later the winds caused one of the bow lines to break, and the captain had to leave the dock and anchor out a ways until all the wanderers could be rounded up. It took until noon. It was rather entertaining to watch them, from the safety of the Lido deck, being re-embarked under those circumstances. Fortunately, no mishaps; no injuries.

Thank you, Pete, for a very informative recitation of Gus's presentation. He certainly covered a lot of territory! Re other Grand Voyages, apart from a possible Grand Med, has there been any talk or speculation about when or if another Grand Asia would take place?

Scratch the above. I was thinking of the '25 WC.

Announcement should be made next week, per The Inside Cabin.

Hmm... I wonder if the 2024 WC will be on the Zaandam, of which the "Legendary Voyage" might be a segment? The announcement for the '24 WC should be next week.

I thought that I had seen a "History" section, but the history volumes might have been included in the non-fiction section. DH read a very interesting history of the Vikings, and one World War II book. He reads only non-fiction and was able to find and finish two very interesting volumes. You appear to have been looking for something relevant to your trip, which could narrow your choice a bit. Had you considered loading your Kindle with books relevant to your cruise? I am just delighted to find something which intrigues me. I had loaded our ebooks with sufficient material to carry us through a 30-day cruise. Never touched them during this 10-day cruise. So glad to have a library back!