terrydtx

When did this happen? Last November we had the staggered check in, but we had CO so we got onboard before noon, but at that time the MDR was still open for lunch.

Yes I know all about that too well. That was why our flight to Amsterdam got changed last year, the aircraft change had 20 fewer BC seats so we got moved to the next available flight with open BC seats 2 days later and a day after our cruise was to leave. This change was made the week before we were supposed to leave. When I called AA they moved us to flights on British Airways that left the same original day and got us to Amsterdam the day before our cruise, as we planned. They did us a huge favor even with the extra stop in London from DFW. The BA flight and service was so much better going over than the flight home on American.

That is most likely your only option if it only lets you book PG.

I guess to each his own, I was glad there was no music and far fewer people in the MDR for a quiet leisurely lunch. We always found something to eat on the limited menu. We prefer having a table without having to walk around the Lido among the throngs of passengers with a tray of food waiting for someone to leave a table.

Once ticketed I have never not been able to call AA and get changes made after flight changes made by AA, didn't matter if I booked direct or with a cruise line as 3rd party. Since the 30-minute connection is not legal, AA has no choice but to make changes at no cost to you. Last year AA made changes to our Flights to Amsterdam that got us there after our cruise was scheduled to leave, 2 days after our original arrival date. The AA changes this month were the 4th change since we were ticketed in April, but the latest was the first that gave us unacceptable connections. I also have found that AA customer service has vastly improved when calling them directly over a few years ago. The last time I called I only had to wait for a live CS rep less than 10 minutes. BTW, you may know this, but AA makes the majority of their flight changes on Sunday mornings. First thing I do when I get up on Sundays, is check my flights with AA.

First thing a 30-minute layover is NOT a legal connection with AA in DFW. Have you called AA to get this changed? We booked our flights for our August Volendam cruise with FE on AA round trip. We went ahead in April and had FE pay for our flights and ticket us. Earlier this month AA changed flights and our return flight to Philly from Quebec City changed leaving us a 60 minute connection which was not possible as we have to clear US customs and change terminals. I called AA and they agreed 60 minutes was not enough time for this connection and they changed our flights at no cost, BTW we are booked in FC.

When we boarded the Kongingsdam last November, we were directed to the Lido for lunch by crew members greeting us. We knew better and after dropping off our carry-ons, we headed to the MDR for a nice quiet lunch. The MDR was not crowded as I am sure many boarding had no idea it was open.

Closing the MDR for lunch on embarkation day was done to save on food costs and waste, according to HAL management. It made no sense as we never want to eat lunch in the Lido or any buffets on Embarkation. Long lines and finding tables can be next to impossible unless you board early. Dive-In can also have a long line and then finding a table nearby is another problem. When we board the Volendam in August we will be doing room service and enjoying our lunch from our Vista Suite balcony. We depart from Boston at 3:00pm which means passengers will have to be onboard earlier than normal, which will make the Lido even more crowded.

On ships that have both Tamarind and PG you can use one HIA credit for either one, if you have 2 credits, one has to be used for PG or Tamarind and the other has to be used for Canaletto. That was the case for us last year on the Koningsdam. In August we are on the Volendam and our 2 HIA credits can only be used for 1 in PG and the other for Canaletto. When you book a reservation online before you board your options are as I said above. Like others have said, we have never had a bad meal in PG, but when given a choice between PG and Tamarind, we book Tamarind every time.

We paid up front when making reservations

We were on the Oosterdam on a Greek cruise in 2022. There was a passenger directly below our balcony who smoked all day long on his verandah. We reported him to Guest Services, and he was warned and caught several times but kept smoking. About halfway into the cruise he and his wife were escorted off the ship at one of our ports. Breaking the rules can have consequences.

Not until you board will you know the dressy nights. The first sea day is almost always a dressy night. On a 14 night cruise you will have 4, usually 2 each 7 days of the cruise.

Nothing will be on the Luggage tags about CO, but it will be noted on your sail pass room card when you board.

Look on your invoice from HAL, it will show CO under the list of what's included.

Last November we cruised on Koningsdam from San Diego and the ship was 100% capacity. It never felt any more crowded than our previous Signature and Vista class cruises that were also at capacity. In August we are on a sold out Volendam which could feel crowded. I have always believed that the 2 Signature class ship were a mistake by HAL. They had about the same passenger capacity as the Vistas and one more specialty restaurant, but there just wasn't that much difference. After the 2 were built and delivered it didn't take long for HAL to pivot and announce the future construction of the Pinnacle ships.

We have sailed on both the Koningsdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam and much prefer the Koningsdam and any other Pinnacle class ships. The NA is close to 14 years old and has no Club Orange Dining room or Grand Dutch Cafe, which IMO sets the Koningsdam heads above the NA.

I would never book any of the older R class ships for same reason I do not book Azamara, old small ships with smaller cabins and less dining options. We would only book Marina and newer class ships. On the Marina Jacques still has the traditional Escargo in the menu, I would hope every night. We booked one Viking Ocean cruise and were totally dissapointed with the limited dining options. We would never book VO again.

If you saw the menus on the O website, those are only sample menus not the ones for every night in the GDR. Until you board, menus can change at any time. I would not trust any menu you see on the O website.

Our TA is aware that we are interested in a PH move up if and when available. I agree any PH is a good choice.

For our last January Aus/NZ trip we booked with AA from San Antonio to Sydney in Premium Economy. The day after Thanksgiving we got an offer from AA to upgrade to BC for $1200pp. The airfare cost less than $6000pp with the upgrade cost, which was about half of what BC was selling for at the time. We booked in late April with AA for our South America cruise next March RT BC for $3889pp, those same flights today are anywhere from $5500 to $7200pp. We fly to Santiago Chile and return from Buenos Ares.

Thank you for your insights, they are very helpful. I am with your DW we never have, nor would we book a cruise in an inside cabin, if we can't afford at least a verandah, we do not need the cruise. I know some people are very happy with an inside cabin, that's why they sell them, but we are not those people. We have friends who have booked many cruises on Oceania, and they have told us stories about getting upgrades to suites even higher than PH ones. On one of the first post Covid cruises with Celebrity we got a free upgrade from an Aqua Class cabin to a Sky Suite, which we loved so much the next 6 cruises with them were all in suites and their Retreat class.

That is the kind of upgrade I would jump at too. I bet this doesn't happen very often. My TA told me the Marina is only about 60% booked for our cruise and the PH cabins are sold even less. Unless there are a lot of late bookings there could be a number of nice suites available. In January we had Premium Economy seats on American for our flights to Sydney Australia. The day after Thanksgiving we got an email from AA offering us a BC upgrade for $1200pp for seats that were selling $8000 more than our PE cost. That was also an upgrade we jumped on.

We are booked on the Marina for next March in an A2 Concierge cabin. I can see that there are plenty of PH cabins available for this cruise, how does O handle moving up to them as we get closer to sailing? Having sailed extensively with Celebrity, they do move up bids which sometimes can snag a great cabin for less than the booking price. If the price was right we could be interested in moving up to a PH cabin.

Our kids say the same to us, so we now fly BC or FC and tend to stay at higher end hotels and suites in cruise ships. We call these trips SKI vacations, Spending the Kids Inheritance.

We spent 6 weeks in Australia in January and February, both on a cruise and extensive driving land trips. In Australia all pricing has to include taxes, fees and gratuities, the price you see is the price you pay. A $100 meal will cost $100 when you pay the bill. Here in Texas a $100 meal will cost about $134, after you pay sales tax, liquor tax and a 20% gratuity. This was nice for hotels and restaurants, no hidden fess like a hotel room in the US that can add over 20% in tax and fees when you check out. We are doing a cruise in South America next March and when we were booking hotels for our trip in Chile and Argentina, prices shown included all taxes and fees. Now while booking our hotels in Montreal and Quebec City for our cruise in August I was shocked how much extra they charge for added taxes and fees, a $400 per night room can end up costing closer to $500 with taxes added. About time the Cruise lines are forced to show pricing that includes taxes and fees. The Airline industry has been doing this for years. This new California law is one of the very few things California has done that I can agree with.