FengShui@Sea

At $180 pp they would have to be serving me gold bricks on a plate. DH is very much a foodie, but a side order of MickyD's French fries and I am full. Wish that weren't the case. 😕

I also don't worry about what others choose to wear for evening dress. I like to dress-up and try to go elegant casual with silk trousers and top every evening, but on formal nights I will pull out a dress. We are (reluctantly) on the Celebrity Eclipse next August, and recent reports from that ship of shorts, muscle shirts, etc. in the dining room is quite shocking. But again, each to their own. Loving the observations, dining reviews, and photos. Thank you!

I also don't worry about what others choose to wear for evening dress. I like to dress-up and try to go elegant casual with silk trousers and top every evening, but on formal nights I will opt for a dress. We are (reluctantly) on the Celebrity Eclipse next August, and recent reports from that ship of shorts, muscle shirts, sandals, etc. in the dining room at dinner time is quite shocking. But again, each to their own. Loving the observations, dining reviews, and photos. Thank you!

I want to thank you all so much for your information and comments. We have only been on the Shadow. I booked a B2B on the Ray totalling 23 days. Based on some comparisons and observations here I just switched our first leg to the Moon. I thought the Ray (sister to the Nova) would be the ‘be all to end all’ but now realize it’s a good idea to check out all the ships. Happy sailing and thanks again!

I first heard about it on the HAL CC Board, and then did a search on Holland's website to read more about what is included. You can call HAL directly, or have your travel agent call. If you want the cabin upgrade you need to pay for Club Orange when you add it to your reservation. And if there is a particular cabin you want to upgrade to (doing a mock booking on HAL's website will show you what's available) it is best to let them know when you put CO on your reservation.

So wow! $765.60 reduction in price to get the same VB cabin on Deck 4 (after the $420 cost of CO). My poor agent must have spent a lot of time with HAL, and in the end they had to make a new booking. A huge thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

I am learning so much from all of you. Thank you! We are in a Deck 4 VB, with the really deep balcony. HAL cabins are smaller than most other lines so that big balcony will give us more space. There is only one other deck 4 VB available and ours has the opposite direction the bed faces, which I prefer. (Yes, I really am that picky!) Oh well, first world problems I guess. Thanks again.

Good to know Dee. That would be worth it to me. The HAL agent I spoke to yesterday was so nice I am sure she would have allowed me to rebook to a lower verandah but my booking was through an agency so I am sure she wouldn't have been allowed to.

Wow, that would be fantastic. I have reached out to my TA to see if she can swing it. It’s about $500 difference so fingers crossed!

I wasn't sure if the three lower suites were considered under one category of 'suites', but it was wishful thinking. Unfortunately, I did it backwards. I booked the exact verandah cabin that we wanted, and later learned about Club Orange. Today I called to have CO added to our booking, but don't want to change cabins. To take advantage of the upgrade I will have to cancel and rebook a lower verandah, and then request the cabin we have now. But I would just hate to lose our current cabin so it is probably not worth it. Thanks all for your comments. P.S. You may see this response duplicated as I tried to post it earlier and it seemed to get 'hung up' needing approval. (?)

I wasn't sure if the three lower suites were considered under one category of 'suites', but it was wishful thinking. Unfortunately, I did it backwards. I booked the exact verandah cabin that we wanted, and later learned about Club Orange. I called to have CO added to our booking, but don't want to change cabins. To take advantage of the upgrade I will have to cancel and rebook a lower verandah, and then request the cabin we have now. But I would just hate to lose our current cabin so it is probably not worth it. Thanks all for your comments.

I have searched and couldn’t find the answer for this. If we book a Vista suite and then purchase CO, would we be able to upgrade to any Signature suite that was available? TIA

I called HAL this morning and had CO added to my reservation that was booked through a TA. She told me was that if you want the cabin upgrade you need to pay the CO fee in advance. I want to keep the cabin I booked so will just pay the CO extra amount with my final payment.

Those were my thoughts exactly. He had a screenshot off of Seabourn's website showing the promotion and pricing. Why he didn't make more of an effort is beyond me. It's a new TA I am working with, and not very impressed so far.

Thank you all for your comments. Unfortunately, my window of opportunity has passed. I very recently made a reservation with Seabourn using a travel agent. Over the weekend I noticed that Seabourn was offering my cruise at the same price but with a $1,000 shipboard credit. I contacted my TA to ask if I could rebook to get the credit. However, even though I sent screenshots of the promotion to him, Seabourn told my agent they knew nothing of that promotion. So my plan was to book directly with Seabourn online and transfer the booking back to my TA. However, as Murphys Law would have it they changed the promotion yesterday to an air credit, which I don't need. 🙄

If we make a reservation directly with Seabourn will we be able to have it transferred to a travel agent? If so, does anyone know within what period of time we have to make the transfer?

You are absolutely correct. A ten percent penalty kicks in on July 21st. But final payment is August 20th, at which time a 50% penalty kicks in. 😳

Turns out the deposit was only 10% so no big deal. Also, no admin fee for cancelling before final payment. We are really looking forward to our first Seabourn cruise!

Thank you for your comments ~ great appreciated! I will ask our TA regarding the cancellation conditions.

We are considering a transatlantic on the Ovation that doesn't sail until November 2025. Can anyone please tell me: 1) Does Seabourn ever run promotions offering reduced deposits (we have never sailed with them before)? 2) If you need to cancel before final payment is the deposit fully refundable, or do they hold back an administration fee? At the moment the 25% deposit would be substantial for a cruise that is more than two years out, so I am hoping to reduce the financial outlay if possible.

We need a hotel in Rio de Janeiro for one night post cruise on December 30th of this year. We don’t want to be in a beach area as we live on a beach year round. We would like to be in an ‘safe’ area where there are restaurants and shopping if possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

A Tuscon Guy ~ thank you so much for taking us along on you journey. We won't be on the sister ship (Silver Ray) until Spring of 2025, but your posts helped me imagine how wonderful it is going to be. I have what may be an odd question but I was wondering if when you enter your suite (#6011) was the bed on the left side or the right side? I ask because I have a particular direction I like to sleep so try to choose a suite with the bed on the right side. Depending on your response I should be able to figure out the layout of other suites. Thanks again, and happy cruising come November!

I really hate 'bait and switch' and I feel that is what Explora Journey is doing. I have had two itineraries cancelled over the past six months, and both were very specific to our needs. Now when I read the onboard experiences there seem to be just too many things that need to be fixed. Fortunately our most recent cancellation allows us to get a refund of our deposit. Our best cruise experience recently has been Silversea so we will most likely stick with them.

We much prefer to have the option of a second toilet, as well as double sinks in the main bathroom. The Onward is doing a similar itinerary to the Journey in November 2024, so if the Journey bathroom is not going to be updated we will probably switch.

The Journey and Quest have the same Owner's Suite bathroom: "I was just on the Pursuit and Quest in an Owner's suite. The bathroom in the Pursuit (6088) was wonderful. It had a large shower, toilet and double sinks. There was a mirrored cabinet above each sink with lots of storage space and two large cabinets beneath the sinks. There were also recessed shelves near the door for additional handy storage. There was a separate powder room (toilet and sink) off the entry to the suite. (Two toilets total.) The bathroom in the Quest (6091) had the large bathtub, large shower and one sink with almost no storage. The only storage space was a narrow shelf above the sink and a shelf beneath the sink almost at floor level. There was a sliding door to the toilet. There was a little sink by the toilet with a similar lack of storage space. There was a door to the entry to the suite. (Just one toilet.) The good news is that Ryszard, the hotel director, told me that the Quest will be in drydock in March or April 2024 and the Owner's suite bathrooms will be redone to be the same as on the Pursuit."