REOVA

29 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

We use a big box TA, and the perks work out to about 10% of the booking fee. They charge the same fare as HAL, so with the 10% perks, we're well ahead of the game.

Except you have to spend the 10% at the big box store via a shop card. We had a lot of balance on the card since we book longer cruises and ended up giving cards to family that might use them. We liked the old way of receiving checks which they don't do anymore. We found a TA who gives same discount upfront on price plus OBC so we switched. 

2 minutes ago, Bean na mara said:

Yes we booked under early booking Have it all

Then they will be able to help you onboard. 

It's worth it to choose your own if under Lido or above/near active areas (casino, world stage, bars). The Lido pool area (depending on ship) has chairs and tables (and cabanas) which crew drag and clean the deck at night and drag in morning for set up. The Lido buffet also has chairs dragged and vacuuming and cleaning mostly at night but the early morning could also by less. Pick your own under less traveled areas, like Canaletto. 

There is a work around and they can help you on the ship. Are you planning on getting wifi? 

Some people have used their PCC for many years and built a relationship, others have had PCC retire/quit and got someone that wasn't trained properly. I have previously used a PCC, Big Box, National Auto agency and now a small family TA that does alot of cruise bookings and passes on discounts (as lower price) at booking that beats all of my prior relationships. When I need something, I can call, email, or text and if my contact is not there, her team is available to help to get something done. They are located 1000 miles from me but so are PCCs (if they are even in US). So price and service tops distance for my choice. 

55 minutes ago, talpostal said:

What changed on ships that went from BB Kings to Rolling Stone? Did they swap R&B bands for classic rock?

It was announced last year that BB King band would not be on HAL (except Pinnacle ships). As of January the other ships were converting BB King to Rock Room but combining some of the songs. 

Dolly 😇🙏

You should be able to cancel on website. Make sure you are not past any non refundable payments. Also match up any offers on the current booking with what TA is providing. 

15 hours ago, POA1 said:

The country code for the US, Canada and most of the Caribbean is 1.

 

If you store phone numbers with a preceding 1, your carrier will drop it when dialing from the USA.

 

If you really, really want to have the old timey, just like grandma used to do dialing experience, it's

 

011+ Country Code + NPA + NXX

 

NPA is numbering plan area, or as you youngsters call it, "Area Code."

 

NXX is the phone number. 7 digits in the US.

 

 

Actually we only had 4 digits (before they went to 7) on grandma's phone 😉

Try going to spa desk once onboard and see if they will recharge it under OBC and refund the credit card charge to your account. You may have to pay more (30%) or maybe not but it may allow use of the OBC, depending on which you are trying to do (use up OBC or save 30%). 

It would be difficult to get a 100% accurate list. You may have a general idea from your booking but there may be a change at the Port due to other ships docking or something else that would make you change to tender. Now finding which pier/dock is even more challenging these days. 

8 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

I'm hoping this is true on our upcoming cruise.  I didn't want to make HIA reservations before I see what's on the menus in the MDR.

Suggest booking a time you want and then once onboard try to change if needed. With full cruises and HIA booked, getting a time onboard can be difficult unless you eat before 6 pm or after 8 pm. Also depending on ship, they may be short staffed and not fill times due to service. We were once told we couldn't book 6:30 but could 6. While we were eating restaurant was mostly empty but they didn't have staff for kitchen and service. Another time it was full and service was over 2.5 hours to get through. It's a toss up but if you can get a time you want now, do it. 

I would say prior to 2019, the grand voyages (which usually total 75+ days but do sell segments, which you are seeing) had unique entertainment/speakers, food, onboard activities and best crew. The food starting falling off as did some of the entertainment and events (which you could hear from annual cruises in their complaints of the Ole days). We also found a few crew members that were new to cruising which we thought was odd and 1 particular person was home sick the first month. Generally HAL has tried to make the experience "grand" by adding extra features and ports not seen on regular itineraries. Depending on who you ask will result in yea or nay if they succeed. Many cruisers do the World every year and some don't even get off at some of the ports. It's more of a winter home (or reunion). We look for specific ports to travel to and if a Grand has them (Grand Asia, where art thou?) we'd do it (or a segment) but otherwise it's hard to value. Beginning and ending in US port is a plus (if you live in US) so no international flights (except in 2020 🤪) and there may be added incentives if paying by a certain date or cabin bookings. 

10 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

Thanks everyone, sadly as I suspected 🙂  Appreciate everyone's prompt replies.  I'll be back if my friends and I book it!

If you do, please opine your experience. Especially as it compares to current NCL. 

29 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

This was disgusted last week.

It's still disgusting 😉

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I went to Bruce Springsteen gig last week and had been to one a few years ago.  Even he played a lot of the same songs each night.  It is the nature of the beast.  Going to Van Morrison at the end of the month and he just better be singing the same songs as last time 😉

Lol. They have their own songs and set list and usually (although I have seen it) don't cover other people's songs.  When you are a cover band with decades of songs to choose from, usually you don't play the same 30 songs every night. They have an approved list of 100+ to choose from.  A cruise ship is a captive audience for 7 plus nights so there should be variety, even the Dead change up their sets each night since many follows went multiple nights. Most artists don't expect people to come every night (many do)  but on ships it limits the options of entertainment and it becomes redundant. From posts, that has been a complaint but there are people that just like music and then others just like to sit and drink. 

4 hours ago, POA1 said:

The more I read these threads, the more I realize that everyone misses the HAL Cats. 😎 They were all the rage 10 years ago.

Even then half the passengers said they were too loud or couldn't sing.  Adagio everyone misses, especially in the MDR. 

The "new" push for families and younger crowd began more than a decade ago when the Pinnacle Class ships were ordered. We've always cruised with children (before being empty nesters) and HAL'S always had kids onboard during school breaks, summer and the obvious times when kids could travel, as well as the popular short itineraries (Carribean, Alaska, Europe, etc) that kids can travel on. (Even on World cruises there were kids). The Pinnacle Class ships were designed (pre 2014) to attract a different cruiser (which it does, but not us) and sail short, popular itineraries that more passengers could sail on. It's HALs alter ego which brings better profit margin (more music, more bars, more paid food, etc). The smaller ships still sail where we want on HAL and longer itineraries and we haven't notice any increase in families on those itineraries. 2019 brought a redirection of entertainment which may or may not have worked had 2020 not stopped things. HAL got stuck with its contracts, a loss of 40% of its vendors/entertainment/crew and a struggle to maintain,  which after 3 years of redundant entertainment, new life is growing (according to recent posts). Also HAL seems to be neglected child of its Corporate parent. Maybe because it assumed long time cruisers weren't going to leave (they did but "they can be replaced") or a lack of identity/direction for the brand (or both). The video seems to just be propaganda on a recurring "new" mantra, that really has been evolving for a long time. But it creates buzz, 👍, clicks and chatter. 

While it's nice to have the multiple bands on Pinnacle ships, it gets a bit redundant if the RR band plays the same songs each night, and of course the quality of the musicians varies on each cruise. (Like any place). I prefer the ocean bar bands or even the old HAL cats/ship band they used to have on stage or in Crows Nest and single piano,  quality musicians. In the Lido it was usually special events from a visiting group or the ship musicians that would play but not a regular venue. While Pinnacle still has Blues Band, the Rock band on smaller ships was supposed to incorporate some of the songs but it loses appeal without the horn section or R&B factor. But there are a few musicians we've seen that scan pick up a song (if on HAL'S approved list) and make it shine. HAL switched its old entertainment dept after 2018 and entered in contracts (costly) with agencies that have been slowly expiring. Things do change and some of the old and new will be shuffled as Corp gets its bearings (and feedback). 

3 hours ago, Dutchman48 said:

 

To me the 10%is fair, will probably not get to use it as I have 3 cruises on the books already for the next 12 months, but still fair. 

 

If you haven't paid in full (or past final payment date) you can apply the FCC to any of those 3. If it's not showing in your account yet, a call to HAL can get it expedited and applied. 

They did it many years ago until passengers complained and then they stopped, until passengers complained. 🤷‍♂️

4 hours ago, asebastian said:

At least not Captain Wouter van Hoogdalem who stuffed up our stop at Komodo Island (Singapore Indonesia Discovery cruise) in Nov-Dec last year by disallowing anyone not on a ship excursion from taking the tender to the island (vague safety reasons were provided even though people with mobility issues were seen getting into the tender). After a lot of complaints, we received a letter of apology signed by the captain as well as USD250 non-refundable OBC to each passenger. We were literally 2 days from ending the cruise in Singapore so there was a rush to the shops to spend the OBC! I would have preferred the money to be in the form of FCC.

This was a recent policy change (a few years ago) of the island any time we went there. If you don't have either a HAL tour or a private tour, they don't want you on the island. They were trying to limit the tourist and maintain the environmental aspect of the dragons so they could have some control of people walking around. Nothing to do with the Captain. Lucky they gave you OBC. 

17 minutes ago, LJanet said:

I don’t see the benefit of CO if the stateroom upgrade is not available.  CO for priority boarding, separate dining doesn’t justify extra $

 

 

If it's a Pinnacle Ship, CO in separate dining is worth it for us (and the separate line comes in handy). We don’t like MDR on these larger ships. 

Yes someone on CC in the past few years posted that the Mariner Discount and preboard wifi discount cannot be combined. I pre-purchase the lower wifi. Once onboard they will offer discount to upgrade at which time you can use the $30 benefit to lower the cost. 

1 hour ago, LJanet said:

Our Alaska cruise is July 2025.  Do we need to book shore excursion now in fear of selling out. I know there will be Black Friday sale of some sort.  

No sales on excursions except pre booking may be cheaper on some excursions. If you find an excursion, book it. If you find a better one you can try switching later but HIA excursion credits are use it or lose it for excursions only, any unused credits don't transfer to other credits.