LBCABob

Have you noticed the HAL IT folks made some changes to the Standby Program web page? 

They added additional wording and now promise a minimum 2-day notice.  Also, a FAQ.

The "big" news (for some folks) is the new 2x $49 for Solo cruisers. 

>> JUST looked and they have put it back to original $49 for Solo (see FAQ) << 

I am still kinda surprised they have not added any sailings beyond the current 04/30.  No Alaska; perhaps they feel confident they can fill the ships with the usual fare drops. 

Good Luck to Laurie59 and drtravel47!  Bon Voyage! 

FYI, TiogaCruiser, I was on the HAL Tales of South Pacific cruise RT San Diego last year and had booked Amtrak each way.  A day or so before departure the landslide hit and I had to scramble for a way to get to SD (even booked a refundable flight for $$$).

I then found FlixBus.com and decided to give it a try (the website provided for reserved seats and even booking an extra seat if you are Solo like me).  It left from the same place as Amtrak in Anaheim and took exactly 2 hours to get to SD.  I hoped the track would be repaired by the time I returned XX weeks later but it had not so I took the bus again (this time to downtown Long Beach).  It was OK.  Not as comfy as the train but had mostly well-behaved SD college students on board.  Would do it again if Amtrak does not get repaired by 2025.

Hope my experience is of some use to you.

And, Bon Voyage to hmmm!

Great news on your clearing the List! 

Quick question:

How is HAL communicating with you?  All via email?  Phone?  You must check your booking online yourself to learn what's happening?

Thanks and Bon Voyage! 

Thank you for your post(s).  However, my point is the current list STILL shows sailings that have already sailed (or will sail today or tomorrow).  More importantly, has HAL ever added cruises to the list?  The 04/30/2024 sailing might be an indicator that this is a test program and may not be extended into May 2024 or beyond.

Does anyone remember when/if HAL updated the list of eligible cruises?  They are not exactly rushing to keep the list current (e.g. today is 02/03/2024 and the list still shows 01/30 - 02/03 - 02/04 sailings).  Have they added any sailings since the first announcement back in 11/2023? 

I am not planning for a cruise this year but this program might work for me in 2025 (if it still exists then).

Good Luck and Bon Voyage to All who have taken the plunge!  

Good Morning! 

I had pretty much the same experience on the Sapphire as SeaCBear.  Other than the long walk to pretty much anywhere, this cabin is perfect (especially for a solo cruiser).

Was surprised as to the size of the balcony - much larger than expected - and with new furniture, too!

Would book again if had the opportunity.

Bon Voyage, Everyone! 

I am booked in one of the 10 Ocean View Category O5 cabins on the 10/08 Sapphire sailing and was able to use the Princess Upgrade bid process to switch from an Inside at a (for me) reasonable cost ($130 pp).  Booking it directly would have been, IMHO, very expensive - more than some Balcony categories! 

Having even a tiny balcony is, for me, better than no window at all.

I like the fact the cabins are all the way forward AND thus should have minimal traffic outside my cabin door albeit a long walk to anywhere (the more exercise, the better). Many folks do NOT want to walk, for various reasons, and thus avoid these cabins. 

A Google search provided a link to photos of these cabins but it is at a website that sells cruises so it cannot be mentioned here.

Postings here on other threads mentioned that even though the balcony door is to be locked when not in port, it was never locked in their experience.  Obviously, when the ship is in motion, the wind would be a problem.

Hope this info helps.  Bon Voyage! 

8 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

My cruise is Oct 1.  Upgrade still says " Pending".  See what awaits me when I get to the pier.

This happened to me 09/08 on Sapphire 10/08 sailing.  My first time with the bidding process so did not know what to expect beyond the "We got your bid" email.  When I thought I should up my bid amount (by $1 above the min), I tried the provided  Change/Cancel link and all I got was a summary of my bid with status of "Pending".

Within 24 hours, I got the "Your bid has been accepted" email and my CC charged the expected amount.  My guess is the bidding computer had locked my bid while it was processing it and assigning a cabin, processing the CC charge, etc. 

Perhaps this will happen to you.  Bon Voyage 

10/08 Sapphire Vancouver to LA

Made [minimum] bid yesterday afternoon so it was accepted in just under 24 hours.

1 hour ago, LBCABob said:

Just checked with my TA who tells me their bookings are eligible so I'm back to the Universe not wanting me to spend any more $ on this cruise.

 

 

Well, it is Universe 0, Princess 1

I just got my minimum bid accepted email and my CC has indeed been charged.

My "big box" TA has already sent me an updated Princess Booking Confirmation with my new cabin # (I hope he gets his commission on the upgrade cost).

It appears I was right with my guess that the bidding computer had "locked" my bid while it was being processed.

As the saying goes, "All's well that ends well." 

Bon Voyage, Everyone! 

Since I have never used this bidding process before, I do not know exactly what to expect beyond what is described in the Princess website (i.e. get confirmation email, wait, get accepted email w/CC charge OR nothing).

The "Modify your offer" webpage gives correct info (Offer Details w/cruise information+date+duration+booking #; Pending with Your Offer $ and Upgrade Type) but no way that I can find to go to another step for making a change.

Perhaps having a TA booking with the "Do No Upgrade" box checked is blocking the bidding process?

OR, the Universe is telling me not to spend any more money on this cruise? 

And that is exactly what I have done to get the summary webpage that does not have any way to initiate a change/delete.  Thanks for your time, anyway.

Placed my first ever bid yesterday afternoon and received the "We got your Princess Upgrade bid!" email as expected.

I now wish to increase my bid (since I made the minimum) and find the link in the email just displays a summary of my bid with a "Modify your offer" page title but no button or anything I can find to click on to make a change.

Same result if I go to the Princess website and enter my name and booking # in the Upgrade section (which is how I got the bid made initially).

Am I having a [Chrome] browser issue?  Does it take X hours after a bid is submitted for the "modify / cancel" function to become available?  The cruise is exactly 30 days away if that means anything.  Also, my booking was made in July through a TA who was asked to mark it "No Upgrade" since I have had problems in the past with Princess changing my cabin assignment without notice to one I did not care for.

It would be wishful thinking that the system is in the process of accepting my offer and my CC will be taking the hit any second now.

Any assistance in making a change to my bid would be greatly appreciated!

On 4/12/2023 at 1:24 PM, JimmyVWine said:

The exact same thing happened to me, and it took me a little over a month to get it straightened out.  I had an unbelievably helpful advocate from AARP working with me and she went above and beyond in her attempts to help me.  In the end, it the problem was found to be on the Princess end.  Eventually Princess could see that I had tried to redeem the card (24 times!! as I thought I was doing something wrong.)  They could see that at no point was the card redeemed for its value, and they credited my account the $500.  But if hadn't been for the person at AARP, I don't know what I would have done.  So my advice is to continue to work with them and ask them to escalate this if possible, and let them know that you are aware of this issue happening in the past, and that it can be fixed if the right people get involved.  Also, I think it helped when I send a very detailed email with documentation showing all of my purchases, the amount of my outstanding balance before I used each card, and the amount of the current balance.  Had everything gone as planned, I would have had a $600 balance after using the cards that I bought, and my balance clearly showed $1,100 remaining.  I was able to get it sorted out about 3 weeks before final payment.  The email address I was instructed to send the detailed information to was customerrelations@princesscruises.com.  I was told that the people manning this email box have far more ability to fix problems than anyone on the phone. I wish that I could give you the name and email address of the person at AARP who helped me, but I don't think that would be fair to her, as she would probably have a full-time job dealing with people from Cruise Critic.  

 

Edit to add one more fact.  The people in Princess accounting can see when you tried to use your gift card.  To the minute.  Included in the information that I sent to them in my email was a printout showing the confirmation email from AARP confirming my purchase as well as the email that had the e-card link in it.  For me, it was literally only seconds between my purchase and my first failed attempt to use the card.  Well, maybe a minute or two.  But from this they could see that I bought the card at time "x", received the e-card at "x+20 seconds", and tried to redeem it at "x+one minute".  So they could tell that the card was an immediate failure and that I wasn't trying to defraud them by having already used the card value. 

AND, same/similar problem on Fri 07/21 when my TA was posting the 3rd GC to my new booking.  He got a message something to the effect "Record being updated by another user..."  My years of experience programming computers suggests the previous GC posting had not quite finished when the current GC tried to post its $100.  The Princess software has no logic to allow for this possibility - it just updates the GC record to $0 and then stops.

Per JimmyVWine's suggestion, I have emailed Princess with all the facts and can only hope the $100 will get returned to the GC (or posted to my booking as OBC, which is what I was going to do with the GC anyway).  A loss of $100 would just about equal the savings of getting the AARP GC's. 

I would suggest anyone posting multiple GC's to the Princess system "count to 10" between entries to allow the GC to completely process before starting another one.  (I am not holding my breath waiting for Princess to update their software.) 

Bon Voyage to Everyone!

On a somewhat related subject: 

When I asked [via email] my assigned CVP if he would make a booking for me with the same OBC offered by a national TA [per their website and confirmed by a 24-hour HOLD booking to my account], his response was [in an email] that per a Princess rule "we're not allowed to compete with our outside agencies."  Has this been your experience? 

Given that the cabin fare, taxes, and insurance are identical with the TA, why would I want to book with the CVP and give up OBC that I could otherwise have? 

The TA booking has since expired and I am waiting to see if the CVP comes back with a booking containing the requested OBC but unsure if he has "written me off" and moved on to other potential customers.  He has previously admonished me for looking at outside TA's because of all the great deals and service he can provide but so far, he has done virtually nil. 

I was in 6102 on the Volendam for the Jan-Mar Grand Voyage.  Space is limited (the area to the left of the bed when facing the windows is useless due to the tiny space between the bed and the desk chair) but was OK for me as a solo traveler as I had no need to go to that side of the cabin.

The BIG problem (at least for me) was the "noise" from the theater directly below.  You will hear every performance AND every rehearsal.  Not a problem if you are someone who spends little time in the cabin.

Loved the location and the long walk to/from most anywhere.  Was easy to get to the Crow's Nest.

Great to have a view out the windows rather than get dressed and go outside via the nearby door (especially in Antarctica).

On a side note, the toilet only worked when it was in the mood.  Became on a first name basis with the plumber.  Guest Services was very concerned about this and (without being asked or me complaining) I was given bottles of wine, a $100 beverage card, chocolate-covered strawberries and, near the end of the cruise, a $500 credit to my on board account.  Again, as a solo traveler, it did not bother me much -- with 2 people it would have been a major disaster.  Kinda doubt this has been completely fixed - the ship is (like me) getting old and plumbing problems happen. 

I would book it again but you may want to look elsewhere.

Bon Voyage! 

1 hour ago, med02 said:

I started to read through this thread but I don't know if this question was answered: Can a husband and a wife each purchase five $500 AARP gift cards per month and apply as payment for a cruise? We are looking at booking a cruise this week and final payment is due immediately as the cruise leaves August 21st. We each are AARP members. 

This was addressed somewhere in this thread.  IF you can book and still use the Courtesy HOLD function (which holds for just a few hours, not days) then go into the booking payment page and Gift Card is an option like credit cards and PayPal.  Note that someone mentioned to pace yourself when posting 10+ cards, the Princess computer may get confused.  Maybe just do 5 then leave the page and come back?  Someone will correct me on this as I have NOT personally done more than 2 GC's at a time.

And, yes, you and your husband would need to create your own [free] AARP Rewards account (which is different than AARP itself and is NOT required to use their rewards feature) and each purchase the 5/month limit.  Same CC if you want.

Bon Voyage! 

Last Fall I had a RT cruise out of SD so I planned to take Amtrak from the Anaheim station there and back. Then the tracks were damaged with all the rain and trains were cancelled.  I looked at all the alternatives (e.g. flying, renting a car, etc.) but decided to take a chance on something called FlixBus.  It was not bad, most other pax were well-behaved college students, paid a little extra for an empty seat next to me (I travel solo), and the drive took exactly 2 hours.  Only problem was that the specific seats I reserved were non-existent but driver allowed me to sit in the (normally empty) 1st row (this happened in both directions so I think the seat assignment process is a myth/not enforced). 

The bus leaves from downtown Long Beach (as well as Anaheim) so easy to get to from San Pedro. 

All in all, I would take Amtrak even with the $$ Uber cost to get to the station but I much prefer the train over the bus. 

YMMV

On 11/29/2022 at 3:22 PM, StLouisCruisers said:

I don’t have any photos of the ship but did visit my friend in a Vista suite room and their TV was a wall mounted larger TV on the wall opposite the bed. Public areas have brand new carpet. The chairs in the MDR look brand new. Carpet in our oceanview room looks new. Bathroom mirror is very nice. It has lights in the mirror so well lit. Instead of a tub we have a full shower with glass doors. Too hot for me to walk the promenade in the Amazon bit I plan on doing it before we get off.

Sorry to be treating you like our own personal spy while you should be relaxing and enjoying the cruise, but about the big screen TV's:  OK, upgraded in Vista's, but what about your cabin (Inside or OV)?  I would think all cabins were upgraded X months ago but common sense and cruise lines are seldom found together.  And it's not like I'm going to cancel my booking if my cabin doesn't have one 😁.

One more thing: are you happy with the quality of the food?  Was on Zuiderdam last month and was rather disappointed (wide selection but just so-so quality).

Thanks for all your efforts on the behalf of us other CC folks!

What is the latest you can call (after checking for available cabins first)?  The day before sailing?  The morning of sailing? 

Have done S/E w/butterfly garden and found it to be not worth the time.  Especially when you include waiting for the next bus to stop and take you on to Butchart.  Just my opinion, YMMV.

On 9/24/2021 at 5:32 AM, kazu said:

 

Yes, items purchased before your cruise such as shore excursions, specialty dining, beverage packages, etc all count towards your Mariner day status 🙂 

 Anyone happen to know when the credit for such pre-cruise purchases post to your Mariner account?  Before the cruise or not until you are on board?

On 10/4/2021 at 8:11 PM, Crew News said:

$300 in onboard charges for one additional cruise day BUT at the end of the cruise, HAL rounds up to the next $300.

Do you mean that a charge of exactly $300 = 1 credit; but $301 yields 2 credits?  Would be generous of HAL to give 2.

I am on the 2023 GV South America+A+A and plan to purchase $~365 in S/E's in advance - currently just 2 credits shy of getting to next level (which will happen during the cruise, of course).  Would be nice to start out with the higher level.

Thanks to everyone for all the excellent info in this thread!

Thanks for the info, richwmn + RuthC.  I can now better plan my disembarkation from my upcoming cruise on the Volendam.

Could someone explain the why behind the "You must disembark between 7:45am and 8:00am" requirement?  I seem to recall pax using LD could disembark early but doesn't "must" just guarantee you will be waiting around FLL for at least 3 hours (e.g. your flight departs at 11:30). And a 15 minute window for XXX passengers to get ashore seems odd.

A great service (and reasonable priced at $25 per person (not bag) - hope to use when next I sail on HAL. 

Had this same situation in December 2016:  NCL cruise ended in early AM but flight back to USA not until late PM.  As this was my 2nd visit to Rio, I had already seen all the "usual" tourist sights.

I booked Julio C. from Tours By Locals.com for a $300 8 hour tour (current price is $350).  He picked me up at the cruise terminal, stored my luggage in his vehicle and we went to lots of places in Rio that were new to me.  Had a nice lunch, visited the park/forest that's within the city limits (don't recall the name), Copacabana Beach, etc. and he dropped me off at the airport in plenty of time to check-in for my flight (and, if you happen to fly 1st/Business Class, you can take a shower in the lounge and change into clothes from your carry-on).

Was my first experience with TBL and have booked many, many tours with them since.

Hope this helps you in your planning.  Bon Voyage!