LSEA

Could this be a reference to the sale of tobacco in the shops?

Yep, and I've enjoyed every HAL cruise I've taken, but being "wheelchair bound" has nothing to do with being in bed by 8. Wheelchairs neither discriminate against age nor do they dictate what time I go to bed. Cruising is a wonderful vacation option for us "wheelchair bound". Hopefully you will never have to be "wheelchair bound" to find out how limited our options are.

 

Thank You! Fabulous picture!

I simply appreciate all the input you have here on the boards.

 

This! I always look forward to your opinions and experiences Joanie. You are a treasure on this board. Best Christmas and New Year wishes to you and your family.

Gross. Unacceptable to have that in any bathroom on the ship. Inside to suite. You paid a lot and I understand your disappointment. You should be compensated. Only you can determine the appropriate amount. You are a clean freak. So am I. That means I'm often disappointed by the cleanliness of my accommodations. I am trying to change because I don't like being disappointed. But there is a limit to how low I'm willing to lower my standards. Honestly, if I were you and they called me back, I would take anything above 20%. Maybe that's not enough but how much time and emotional energy are you willing to invest in this? Take what they offer you and chalk it up as a mediocre experience. Carnival isn't for everyone, cruising isn't for everyone, and it's not realistic to expect a fantastic experience on every adventure we take in life.

Boarded the Amsterdam to find someone else living in our booked cabin. Oh – front desk says we moved you from Port to Starboard. Person in your room has been there for 70 days and is staying on. Well good for them. But I did pay for THIS cruise and that cabin. Finally said ok – went to new cabin. Everything I ordered is missing. Rental oxygen machine rejected by occupant of MY cabin. Oh goodie. DH out looking for it. No refrig for meds. No distilled water. No luggage. No help. 4 trips to front office. Lots of smiles – again no one seems to care.

 

All talk is of the Grand Trip. No talk of this new 14 day trip. Not even a Mariner’s Luncheon. The staff acts like they never heard of one. Seems this is the end of a voyage – not a new exciting one for us!

 

HAL – what have you done to us?

I admire how you express yourself with tact & class. If it were me in your shoes I'm afraid instead of Oh Dear! I would be saying Oh... something else!

Hope things improve for you soon!

Yes, those are good points. The original poster said “child” so I was thinking it wouldn't be as tight a fit as it would be with an adult as a 3rd passenger. Holland America knows what is possible, or not, in terms of temporary modifications to a cabin. The point I was trying to make, subtlety, and I guess unsuccessfully, is coming on Cruise Critic making accusations of discrimination might be premature. I understand the poster’s frustration and have given into it many times myself, but truly, I think it is quite possible that Holland America can offer them some choices. They aren't sailing next week. It’s possible there are some 2 passenger accessible cabins that are still available and can work with a child as a 3rd passenger. Or even better that the deck plans aren't exactly accurate yet and a 3 person modified cabin does truly exist. Just like 2 parents with a child who isn't using a wheel chair, I think this family could have options other than booking a suite. Again, the sail date is pretty far out.

 

Even though I'm certain sea conditions were known, we did temporarily anchor in Belize only to soon leave. If conditions were bad, I can't imagine why we pulled in and anchored. To make matters worse, there were 2 other NCL ships also in port. It was sad to have an aft cabin and watch us leave based on what the captain described as rough seas for using tenders yet the NCL ships clearly felt differently. I watched the ships in pretty sunny weather as we left, and later talked with passengers on the NCL Dawn the next day. They remarked how the day turned out sunny and nice, and how they enjoyed. Belize. Although I'm not the biggest fan of the NCL experience, I do recognize they have a stellar safety record and feel they made the right call that day.

 

I feel a much better choice would have been for the captain to inform the passengers that they would likely have a rough ride using the tenders and left the choice up to the passengers. Instead we headed south where it was clear that the next 48 hours would have far worse weather. This was known to me, so it certainly was known to the officers of the Pride. I will also add that I was part of a navigation crew aboard a submarine for 10 years, and feel very well versed in this area.

 

OK, so the Captain gives you the choice about a rough tender ride into Belize. You decide to go for it. Fast forward to the end of your experience and you are ready to return on the tender to the ship. But wait... conditions have gotten worse and they are not able to run return tenders to the ship. How long would you have been content "hanging out" at the port?

As a parent of a child living with a disability I am sensitive to this family’s dilemma. 15+ years into this experience and there are still challenges that are new and I never anticipated. Yes, there are certainly 2 passenger modified cabins on every ship. Those will not work for this family, 2 parents + child using wheelchair. I would suggest that the poster contact HAL and see what can be worked out. Perhaps some furniture / closets can be temporarily removed from a 2 passenger modified cabin to accommodate the child living with a disability. The "well, book a suite" response doesn't sit well with me. Of course there are individuals and organizations that are discriminatory, but for the most part the disconnect is just because not many people have been in my shoes. It is my experience that most people are compassionate, generous and really willing to do whatever reasonable to accommodate our situation. It just takes time and a calm, reasoned dialog.

why is this any different then commuting to work an hour and half away while your kids are at school or daycare? Bring a cell phone and if any issues they will get a hold of you.

The difference for me is that if I couldn't make it home from my work commute (if I had one) there would be relatives/friends/neighbors who could step in and offer comfort and supervision for my children. The poster did say they wanted to leave their "younger" children on the ship while they went zip lining with their older kids.

OP, yes you can do it. The odds are slim that there would be a problem. Decide for yourself if you can accept the very remote possibility that your younger children may be left in the care of strangers and make your own choice.

After being married for 52 years and working together every day for 20 years, they are often described as “so cute”, and people are often drawn to them. If you did, your good thoughts/prayers are appreciated.

"So cute" indeed. Give yourself a pat on the back for being such a loving daughter. My good thoughts to you, your mother and your father.

I failed to notice that there was a first and last name change. That is probably more complicated, and less common scenario. At the least I think you would need to present documentation of the change.

 

I still don't think I heard from anyone who's actually DONE a closed-circuit cruise without the passport - anybody? Would love to know how much of a PITA it is when you're boarding and then getting on/off the ship at ports.

I have a passport but on 3 occasions I cruised with someone who didn't. There was no PITA, she presented her bc and photo id the same as I presented my passport. Good to go. As for the name discrepancy between a bc and photo id, that isn't an uncommon scenario and should not be a problem. Just my opinion though.

When I needed a quick turn around on my passport name change I was able to walk it through the passport office in Chicago. I didn't get it back immediately, but it was less than a week. Do you live near a city with a passport office? Also, I can't claim that I know for a fact this is still an option. Rules may have changed.

I really appreciate all your responses! Lots of really good insight and many things to think about. I think we are leaning towards taking a short 3-day cruise with just the two of us to use up the credit we have and then doing a land vacation with the little one. I felt like the walls were closing in on me in our cabin without a crib, etc. lol.

 

 

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That sounds like an excellent plan. Enjoy!

Fantastic photo. One of the best ship taken photos I have seen on these boards. Not a fan of the "faux" backgrounds that are offered and long ago stopped using ship photographers on formal night, or even perusing the printed photos. Will have to start paying attention to the offerings in the future, would love to have something like this of me and DH.

Thanks so much for sharing your review!

I am Scots and when eating in a NY diner returned my main course and asked them to reduce the portion by 2/3rds. The portion size was obscene and totally unnecessary.

 

An American friend of mine who is a retired director of Medicine blames the growing obesity epidemic in the world on lack of portion control. Unfortunately the practice of oversized portions is spreading.

 

Quality over quantity every time...... please.

 

Annie

I can't help but think when an American makes a point of correcting a Scottish restaurateur concerning the operation of their establishment, that American is labeled "ugly".

I don’t know you at all but I have the impression that you are well known and loved by the Holland America family. A little anonymity your first time back at sea might be a good thing? It might be difficult for you to experience other's sorrow for your loss. Well-meaning and sincere as people are, you might just be overwhelmed by kindness. Does that make sense? I hope my meaning is clear. I had a completely different situation, but a similar experience recently and it was too much. Best wishes.

This is a great review. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for posting your review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Maasdam!

....continuing to angst over this suite dropping. We are hosting our daughters and their husbands in insides on the Verandah deck. Another couple they know has booked on that deck, and my daughter's in laws (cruise newbies) have booked a balcony right next to us, so I was thinking it would be more private for us too. Selfish, I know.

Bolding is mine. Selfish? Hardly. Generous is more like it. And there is nothing wrong with wanting some privacy. If the suite appeals to you, go for it.

I would also encourage your traveling partner to contact ship services. It's very likely her request will be accommodated with pleasure.

If not, or as a just in case, there are shelf stable, individual serving hummus packs available. I believe the name is Wild Garden and can be purchased on Amazon. We have enjoyed these in our travels and found them to be tasty.

I don't like to answer my phone if I don't know the number. Are these calls coming from an 800 or other toll free number? I thought I had read somewhere in the past they may come from a 305 Miami number?

This is exactly why I asked the question above. Carnival from area code 305 has been ringing my phone off the hook lately. I don't answer because I am busy and don't want to talk cruising right now. But if its an offer like DKane recieved, well then, I just might find the time to pick up ;) I know the 305 is from Carnival because occasionally a person leaves a voice mail about wanting to talk to me. I just figured it was a sales call.

I was offered a free cruise last fall and my husband and I sailed in January 2014. Just got a call on Thursday night offering me another free cruise (3 to 4 days), or a 7-day cruise costing "next to nothing."

 

I opted for the 7-day cruise for $120.00 and will be sailing next month, and yes, this one they admit is a casino promotion. On the free cruise in January, I hit a small jackpot of $5k and my husband says they are looking to get their money back:)

Well they are not getting their money back but my sailing companion, my dear SIL, loves the casino even more than I do and I'm sure Carnival will absolutely love her.

 

Today I received another call from another PVP asking if I was thinking of making some cruise plans. Bottom line is that I think a lot of folks will be getting these calls if they haven't already.

Sounds great! Enjoy. Question - the offer you got last fall, how was it made? Also by phone? Thanks.

Thanks OP for your pre Alaska report. If this is an example of the kind of reporting you'll be doing when you actually do your cruise, I can't wait.:D

Yes. Well said!

Thank you Bumperoo for starting this thread. Looking forward to following along! Very much appreciate you taking the time during your vacation to share your experiences with us!

DON -

 

On behalf of everyone here, please accept my apologies. We strive to create content that meets your specific needs, and yours alone. Occasionally things fall through the cracks and someone DONates a piece of writing that doesn't quite meet with your personal needs. DON't feel abanDONed. Just be kind and extend a parDON to the original poster. Bumperoo was simply being an enthusiastic traveler and wanted to share the adventure with the HAL CC readership. I DON't think he or she (Sorry Bumperoo, I can't see your profile while I post.) meant to offend you.

 

Since the post is already here and cannot be unDONe, might I respectfully suggest that you forgive and be DONe with it?

 

Thanks!

And the Post of the Day Award goes to...POA1! Love it!

I would be frustrated too and I'm a pretty laid back customer. So glad it worked out to your satisfaction. Enjoy!