mcrcruiser

We have not had any glitches for some time noe . It seems to us that HAL has  improved the web site , Knock on wood .

Anycruise ship could feel crowded when they are filled to capacity .  The space ratios are published .The larger the number the  more space between passengers  . Most often  the feeling of being crowded is at the Lido & MDR  .The luxury cruise lines have the greatest space ratios . Like Seaborn ,Vlking ie 

I was curious so I looked at the March 22,2025  HAL cruise  on Koningsdam under the $2 deposit & the price for a veranda state room  is $2728.00 . when I nooked it with HAL ,it was $2118 .00 & mY TA got it for us @ $1986 .00 with $300 un on board credit 7 vthat is not uet counting the $100 we get from our CCL stock 

Hmm so it seems that the $2 deposit sale has some higher prices 

2 hours ago, TRLD said:

Trap them into higher prices. too funny. According to you they are either all going to cancel and not use the bookings causing the cruise line to resell the cabins at lower fares or are too stupid to cancel the $2 dollar booking and rebook if the fares drop before final payment.

 

 

As I said earlier . Cruise Critic members on this  HAL board know what they are doing & for $2 bucks  no loss .   We will see how successful this promo is down stream  . When I looked at some Mexican Riviera & West coastal cruises  ,it seemed to me the pricing was higher than I booked earlier paying the usual deposits .. 

It is alway the test of time whether these promos work or not . BTW . I waant  to see all of CCL's cruuse lines do well  as  I own a lot of their shares . Our CCL shares will leave a good  amount when we are gone ,so our adult children can sell or keep them 

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

It’s likely all the bean counters at HAL have done their homework and offering these low deposits ‘work’. What we don’t know is their definition of ‘work’.  

 

I have always suspected these low deposits are a way to inflate future booking numbers so that when CCL reports their quarterlies to the SEC the future looks bright. 

 

The last SEC report looked all nice a rosy on the surface but if you dig deeper it’s obvious that debt continues to be a very serious problem. Their revenue maybe showing higher but their expenses are tied to inflation and energy pricing. Not to mention, with long term debt at nearly 30 Billion, the interest only payments are brutal.

 

CCL can’t afford to report lower future bookings to the SEC at the next quarterly. Perhaps the dollar deposits do bring in future passengers (who actually sail), but it doesn’t hurt the company to report that their 2026 bookings are at ‘record levels’. 

Agree with what you stated . The other sde of the coin is to get a cabin availability what a person wants they may have to wait to after final payment when those who placed a $1deposit turn in that cabin hold  .Then  there are enough of those that do not book ,the cruise line may need to drop the price ,like the $49 deal . Yes I own CCL stock & I do not sell my core holding 

I never liked this $1 deposit ,it benefits aome but most people are not on  cruise critic

44 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I love to book a sailing while still under Early Booking Bonus, but it's very hard to give HAL $14,000 to hold for two years (B2B cruises for 2 cabins)!!! Our six FCD are already busy holding VOV-25...

 

Jane's announcement let me look at late 2025 & early 2026 and find a cruise on my bucket list, sailing with (so far) the cabins I want to take my DB and SIL to the Panama Canal! Have email in to my PCC and waiting by the phone!

Crystal then this $1 deposit would work for you . I assume that in some cases this promo is a good deal not to tie up a lot  of cash in deposits . however ,too many people will hold a cabin because it only costs  $1 pp & then they cancel before final payment . imo it  makes a lot of cabins coming back into inventory  & then they need to drop the prices to resell those same cabins  .does this truly make any sene for many people to cancel before final payment ? 

1 hour ago, Torquer said:

I am not a doctor and know nothing about this.  However, since you are asking, I presume you have needed this procedure before or have a medical condition where you think you might.  The most important thing is you really need to ensure your cardiologist agrees that it is OK for you to travel and have a very high likelihood of not needing it while on board.  The medical facilities aboard HAL ships are very good, but they don't have all the equipment of even a small rural hospital in the US.  If you get sick on a cruise, it might be many hours or even days until you can be transported to a shore-side hospital.  Then, depending where you are cruising, you could be left off in a hospital in a 3rd world country with poor quality health care.

And then try to get home if you did not buy med jet insurance 

imo these $1 deposit promotions are to trap people with higher prices .  Additionally ,after final payment there will be price drops & good cabins to select from . We checked several cruises & for sure the  price  has been elevated 

30 minutes ago, POA1 said:

If it's a medical issue, the Lido or room service can accommodate you just about any time they are open.

The Lido &  room service can not do  what the MDR does .The night before the ass't mitre 'd  gives us a menu & we select the next evening meal so that they can prepare it for us  to meet our medical needs 

1 hour ago, scooter6139 said:

We are also Waitlisted for our cruise on the 2nd time dining slot.  Our PCC said it was because they were "full" for that time of dining but we likely will get it anyway closer to the sail date.

 

 

Sorry, don't know if medically necessary meal times will work.  I would suggest you call HAL and let them know of your specific medical needs.

 We contacted the  shops services department  , Because we are in handicap cabins & being diabetic  they placed us in early dining on all 3 cruises , We have low salt & no sugar diets .We know that carbs elevate  A1C levels  . Actually knowledge of what to eat is 80% of the battle  .More vefies  & lower carbs . 

I also think that they know I have a electric scooter also  maked it better for the early dining slot 

We booked a cruise oj HAL & requested early dining . We then get a message that we are wait listed . what does wait lisred actually mean to be able to get early dining ?  Being disabled with meals needed at certain times  wait listed does not mean any thing to us 

 so can we get HAL to get us on early dining with medical needs ?

 TIA

5 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Probably easier and less chance of error for the TA to do it from shoreside. If you e-mail her the  confirmation, she can cut and paste and not transcribe AND you won't have to stand in line at the Front Desk on board.

thanks Crystal . We will send the TA the e-mail as we get closer in to the Jan 28 ,2025 Hawaii cruise . Your 35 day cruise to Hawaii & Tahiti  follows us . Wish we could have done that cruise but ,after die consideration Iwe came to the conclusion our ages would not work for such a distant cruise if in the event od illness how would we get back . you will have a grand time on that ctuise .I followed the one earlier this year on the board here & people had a wonderful time . toy certainly will enjoy your cruise 

Cliff

We will buy $800  AARP  gift cards to pay gratuities for our 18 day Hawaii cruise & some OBCs for speciality restaurants . Our question is should we have our TA apply the Gift Cards for on board credit or to take the gift cards numbers & pin numbers & when on board go to customer relations  & have them apply the gift cards ?

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We booked our upcoming Volendam cruise with CO for the free upgrade and other nice amenities,  not having the CO dining room was no problem on this cruise.

Smart move . The upgrade is definitely worth it alone 

On 4/12/2024 at 3:50 PM, kazu said:

 

LOL my hearing is very sharp.  Perhaps that’s the issue.  I don’t like a lot of noise.  My hearing hasn’t dulled yet. 😉 

 

Each to their own.  I didn’t hear anyone argue at our table about the intolerable noise.  We were all in agreement and said thank heavens we have CO.

I was on the Koningsdam for 19 days and the Roterdam for 15.  I only went to the MDR a very few times and after a lunch, dinner and Mariner’s reception I was one and done.

True that CO is much quieter  because it is a lot smaller restaurant  than the MDR & the same is true in land based restaurant sizes ,The only problem is the Club Orange sells out rather quickly as experienced people know not just the dining benefit but the cabin upgrade & priority boarding & rendering & a special line at customer relations . Simple answer is " whats not to like " 

 Very sad .Prayers for his family & fellow crew members

On 4/12/2024 at 10:33 AM, LAFFNVEGAS said:

I honestly do not believe this is correct unless your Travel Agent has a negotiated special rate that is extremely low or high $ SBC, I know of several instances of Travel Agent SBC from group pricing and personal gift from Travel Agent where the AARP credit was added with no problems. I have found that adding AARP credit takes a lot more persistence. The Over Seas Call Centers people tend to give NO quickly and not willing to try to add it, mostly due to they cannot and they must call into a supervisor. I have found that they do not like doing that and may even just hang up on you if it is something they cannot handle.  Basically to get the AARP credit added it takes in most cases several phone calls and reaching someone that is willing to call their "Lead" supervisor to get it added. The Travel Agent must be willing to not take NO for an answer and must be persistence in telling the agent that you have already sent in everything needed to qualify. Saying you have not sent in required proof is the next thing they give an excuse for after saying it is not combinable.

We just told our TA to speak with a HAL supervisor to get the  $200 in AARO credit added to our in board credits on our Jan 2025 Hawaii cruise .Thanks for the tip 

24 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

For me it is about the percentages.  What percentage of sea days to shore days overall?  And on sea days is  there scenic cruising?  On my recent Tahiti cruise the 60% of sea days with only vast swaths of the Pacific Ocean was confining for me.  I wasn’t bored as much as I didn’t like the lack of physical activity.   Then again I also recently went to Antartica with 50% sea days, these sea days were broken up a bit more and some “sea days” were enthralling scenic cruising.   On my regularly scheduled transatlantics there are usually only 5 sea days back to back  but they are followed by days and days of intense shore touring.

 

 The only one I will never repeat is the Transpacific and that would include a round trip to Hawaii.  I would happily sail one way to Hawaii but not round trip as there would be balance with the one way trip. 

Mary would you do the Japan /Korea itinerary  ?  About a one way to Hawaii or from Hawaii as far as we know it is done by Celebrity but from Vancouver only   

Do Mariner discounts work in this new Fish restaurant  ?

 We know that Koningsdam will leave the SD market during 2025 to the East Coast  doing a Panama Canal cruise . does any one know when or if koningsdam will  be back to San Diego  & will Nieuw Amsterdam be staying in the SD port as well ?

TIA

Hard to understand that X leaves the west coast maeket to other cruise lines . Perhaps one day we will see a X ship working the West coast .Hawaii , South Pacific , Japan .Korea ie 

As flying becomes  more burdensome & expensive  ,people who can drive to West coast ports will then skip the East coast  cruises

Thanks to every one for their input 😃

We have done the Hawaii  Cruise R/T SD many times . Walking & meeting fellow passengers ,gym time & pool time  . Sauna & Steam room time & may be a massage  .  Going to lectures . On cthe way ti Hawaii , Ukulele classes , Hula classes & making   Hawaiian leis  ie 

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I agree with you about only sailing on the PC ships with CO. Last November on the Koningsdam we had CO and every night the line to enter the MDR was running down the hall past the CO dining room. We were so glad we had CO. The food and service also seemed to be much better than the MDR.

All that is true for open seating . The cruise line needs to get their act together but mthat is not that uncommon on other lines as well . The CO dining room is small & that is the primary reason for the sound levels .It also has low ceiling & most likely a  acoustic material 

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Since you only sail Koningsdam now, your experience in MDR’s of the other ships is somewhat limited.

 

All of the Pinnacle Class ships’ MDR’s are VERY loud.  Much louder and noisier than the other ships in the fleet.  Fixed dining is not as bad but open dining is horrific.  We could barely hear the person next to us at the Mariner’s reception.  The sound just reverberates like an echo chamber.

 

I have been on Koningsdam for 3 segments B2B2B and Rotterdam for a longer cruise and my experience was the same.  Dining rooms are much quieter on the other ships in my experience.

 

I will not cruise on a Pinnacle Class ship unless I have Club Orange and can use that dining room.  

 

In  the past we sailed on Ryndam ,Osterdam  & Eurodam . Truly I did not notice a huge  difference in the MDR acoustics  . We had open seating dining ion  that pre Christmas cruise  on Koningsdam  & there was no problem in holding a conversation . Some people's hearing is different thsn others is the inly thing that comes to mind .

Another item that impacts cruise lines is the surging  fuel costs . Thus ,imo the reasons were several why the stock went down once again ,Add surging fuel to a possible recession today & high debt that needs to be serviced & thus creates a storm