sambamama

Well, you can't make dining reservations with Chrome. What a bunch of junk this website is! When I logged onto Chat today, there were 76 people ahead of me! 76!!!

Apparently, it DOES NOT WORK WITH FIREFOX, at least with Windows 11 at all. Imagine telling your customers you need to use a different browser. What the Heck!!? How can you even say this? this is JUST LIKE my local bank. They have great service, but the worst IT. Their mobile deposit goes wacko all the time, as does the log in!!! And since they are closing all the branches, and taking away the ATMs, it is a real problem. Especially when I go away for two months.

I can log in. But my account now has no address, or sex. Worse, I HAVE NO BOOKINGS WHEN I HAVE TWO! One is a month, and I was going to book 4 Pinnacle dinners as I have $1100 shipboard credit. HAL always has the worst IT people!

Its my understanding you can't change your booking, that only the TA can. HAL on their own upgraded my inside guarantee to a C outside due to some issues from the cruise being cancelled three times and its being paid in full since December 2019, and I had to agree to let them do it without my TA.

I always have booked with a TA. Yes, free laundry is absolutely the best thing about being 4 star! I get up sells just about every cruise. To make sure I don't miss out, about 2 months out, I email my TA and tell her an amount not to exceed and what I want. I usually have an outside guarantee and am trying for a balcony. I am a lawyer, and I am not always available by phone or even text. This way she can grab something right away.

You are also forgetting that now many airlines fly the plane in from a previous flight. What if that plane does not come? What if your flight crew worked a previous flight and times out? I ALWAYS fly a day early, and usually in the morning and many times two. It just isn't worth it. The money you save isn't worth it. When you miss your cruise, you will be regretting ignoring this advice. One cruise my friend and I flew in 2 nights early. We were the last flight out of our airport. All the rest of the flights along the East Coast the next day never made it for the cruise. Another cruise I took out of San Diego. There was a big problem in TX. They held the sailing for 4 hours for 200 passengers. Most did not have their luggage and we sailed to Hawaii.

There used to be a roasted or grilled chicken breast, but that's gone. I think Caesar salad is available nightly. There is fruit crisp usually available every second night, but sometimes it is pineapple or strawberry and not a traditional fruit crisp. I've always managed to get whipped cream on the side for mine. And I always seem to be able to get broccoli or a baked potato even if it isn't listed.

I am on the Westerdam 14 night Singapore to Hong Kong January sailing. I am booked in a C outside and got offers to up sell to a Signature Suite at $999 pp or a Neptune at $1999 pp. First time I've gotten offers that jump one category. I might have been tempted, but I am sailing solo, my cruise is part of a 5 week trip, and there are still lots of balconies left.

Why would they need two Asian restaurants??? This seems like a nonsensical decision. Honestly, I just don't understand most all of the new HAL management decisions. No libraries, getting rid of Lincoln Center- the best idea they had in a long time, now two Asian restaurants?? It isn't like HAL has 5 restaurants to begin with. I wouldn't be spending extra money to go to two Asian restaurants. So many other choices to pick from. I think a classic continental restaurant or a seafood restaurant would be a better choice.

This is NOT SOMETHING I WOULD DO! If you do that, be prepared to miss your flight! And there aren't that many flights from Anchorage. Sure the ship can get there, but will they let you off? What if there is a storm? What if your private transport can't make the tunnel? What if there is an issue with the ship being cleared? What if there is an accident in the tunnel?

I would go with HAL or Princess. Me, I like the smaller ships. I would be picking HAL. Any tender is a no go. I've sailed with HAL lots-Princess once. I would not sail with anyone other than HAL or Princess. And I would not trust Viking or Oceania based on past history of what they've done to their cruisers in the past. Also, I prefer independent ship excursions as well-smaller, usually better quality, and cheaper.

Me, I would book either Princess or HAL or Alaska. They both have been doing it the longest. Also, I would go from Vancouver (more scenic) and absolutely book one that goes to Glacier Bay.

If Dyea Dave is still running his tour to Carcross, I did it that way. Absolutely amazing-highly recommended! He added about 3 hours extra to my tour for free, and I was lucky enough to get him. (he does not do many tours himself any more!) The one tour worth doing the ship (because you can't do it any other way) is the train up to Carcross.

Mr. Samui arranges wonderful private tours for 2 people or more. I just spent about two weeks on the island. For the price of a taxi to Grandmother and Grandfather rocks, you can probably arrange a tour for not too much more and see lots more. You can go around the island, and see stuff, and have a lovely lunch. See waterfalls, beaches, temples, go to local markets, ride an elephant if you want, get a super cheap massage-those are everywhere. I booked many taxi rides with Mr. Samui and was very happy. He can fit up to 9 in a van, I think. I find tour by locals usually are pretty high priced.

The main dining room steaks are hit and miss. All are Ok, some are pretty good. A few are a little tough or fairly fatty. None compare to what you get in the Pinnacle. For me they serve as a good alternate when I don't like the other dinner options. I freely admit I am picky, and I hate salmon, and get sick of chicken as that is what I usually eat at home. Here is where I wish HAL was like Princess and always had a pasta option every night.

Its especially important if you are going on a special cruise. For instance, I am doing a 14 day Asia cruise Singapore to Hong Kong. It is alot harder to get to Singapore than Fort Lauderdale, and I paid in full in December 2019! So classical music is much more important on this cruise! I'm crossing my fingers!!

Hi Kazu, I am sailing on the January 20,,2024 Westerdam Asia Singapore to Hong Kong. First time to Asia, and long awaited as I paid in full December 2019. I just booked the May 2025 Noordam 7 night Vancouver to Whittier cruise.2nd time Alaska, 1st time one way, and doing a 20 land tour afterward, but not with HAL. Hoping to see grizzly bears! Stephanie-,sambamama

Flyertalker, You are reading assumptions into what was said. I never said I asked for his money back. You assumed that on your one. I never said that AT ALL! You shouldn't do that. I never considered asking him, nor would I have, asking him to refund fees for work that was done. What happened was miles got parked in airlines that eroded drastically in value during Covid. That wasn't his fault. But when I had been a long term customer, paying for several trips that got canceled, and then the trip I wanted to book went up 600% or more in his consulting fees, I don't think it was unfair to ask for some price consideration. He refused as he had a right to. Do I think he should have done that? I didn't expect him to do it at the same price, but I thought it fair to meet in the middle. No, I think it was bad customer service. But then he told me there was no way I would be able to do the booking without him, as I was totally incapable of managing it. That was uncalled for. And no one's cost of business increases 600% in a couple of years. And when you are in a service business, sometimes you do give price consideration. That is not abnormal. I work in a service business, and I will give discounts, or agree to a payment plan. As to your example, it would be like a big Mac that costs $4 going to $24.

There are airlines that fly nonstop from Newark. Emirates flies nonstop from Newark to Athens. And for me, its much easier to take Amtrak right to Newark than to get to JFK. There are no easy ways for me to get to JFK or LaGuardia or Boston from where I live and Bradley has extremely limited international options. All I am telling you is every time that I have to use the shuttle and I can't use the Airtrain directly, it takes 90 minutes or more. Perhaps that is because I'm using it doing rush hour. People from outside the NY area may not realize the Airtrain is not running directly to each tunnel and they need to add extra time. That was my point.

Princess switched to these crown shaped discs you wear on a lanyard provided by them. They automatically unlock your door, you can check your standing bill, pay bills, do laundry on the machines, etc. I really liked them and thought they were a great idea. Of course they sent out emails promoting that you customize them at a cost. It was weird walking up the hall and hearing your cabin unlock, though.

I've done it from T8 and it still took 90 minutes. There were waiting lines for the shuttles. Every single time I've used the shuttle it takes 90 minutes to 2 hours. Every time! It turns a 35 minute trip from Penn Station to JFK or the reverse into a nightmare. Maybe going from another airport is not the answer. But perhaps taking an Uber from Jamaica Station if you are traveling inbound speeds up the time. Right now I wish they still had the Airporter.

You can easily do Ketchikan on your own. It is small and rains about 350 days a year. I just went in, walked around for awhile, and came back to the ship. I took Harv and Marc's whale watch and it was awful. Our captain decided to do her own thing, and all we saw was a brief tail. I would book elsewhere. In Skagway, I recommend either the railway or a van drive to the Yukon territory and back, which is what I did. That was fantastic!

I found it was more expensive to combine two flights than to fly directly to Vancouver. And then you run into the added chance of delays and chance of lost luggage. But everyone makes choices. I've been to Vancouver many times. The mass transit is great there. If you truly are worried about money, stay further off the grid and use mass transit. You can find something for $200 or so. I stayed at the YMCA before. It was fine. That being said, the fancy hotels are gorgeous and Vancouver is a wonderful city. If you have extra time, come in 3 nights early and go to Victoria by ferry, and then come back.

Or Paris or Madrid or London. Or you can get shot while at a bowling alley in Maine. Everyone has their own comfort levels. I went to the Riviera Maya the summer of swine flu and drug cartels, and had no issues. I went to Morocco and Egypt this fall and Madrid right when the Israel/ Gaza fight began. I had no issues any of those times either . However, I was cautious, didn't wear expensive jewelry, and was careful where I went. I also traveled during COVID, but I was very careful where I went. Me, I will keep traveling and going to ports.

I booked Harv and Marv and it was awful. The boat was small, the captain was nice. But every boat that day saw whales BUT US!!! And a fair many. Our captain thought she didn't want to be around anyone and we were not. But we did not see whales, we saw nothing until in the last 10 minutes we saw a tail fin. Yup, that was it. No orcas, no seals, no sea otters, no eagles, one tail fin for 30 seconds.