eggemon

We got our COVID expense reimbursement from HAL -- after much back-and-forth -- when we returned from our 2023 "make-up" cruise, which was exactly one year after we came down with COVID and missed out on our 2022 cruise. So, if you persevere, you may eventually succeed 😀

The property has many buildings; I believe the suites are concentrated in a few. In any case, rooms can be separated by quite a distance. There is a shuttle that circles the property frequently, as well as walking paths that connect everything. It is a beautiful place...

That is great news for all of us still waiting these many months! Thanks for sharing!

I applaud your attitude! Hope we all can continue to appreciate the "good" and not let the "less good" get in the way...

We were on the same basic itinerary in 2022, with the same luggage restrictions. We were advised that you couldn't really ship a bag to Whittier, so we shipped it to our hotel in Anchorage (via UPS, not Luggage Direct). Indeed, a bit pricy, but we had the cruise and other destinations after, so it was worth it to us to expand our wardrobe at that point. Our extra suitcase was waiting for us in Anchorage. Alas, we did not make it to the ship, because we tested positive for COVID at the end of the land tour. We quarantined and then continued the rest of our trip. (And we are now booked for the cruise only this summer.) (BTW, ecosense, we are also from Tallahassee...)

You might want to check out other threads on this topic... A lot of people have waited a lot longer for their FCC -- in my case, the wait was just over 6 months.

Getting refunds, credits, etc., is definitely a struggle… but it is not hopeless… Our story: We planned an Alaska/Yukon/Denali land-sea cruise tour for 2020. Due to COVID, that was cancelled and we rebooked for 2021. That was cancelled as well, and we rebooked for 2022. Off we go, finally, in 2022… only to come down with COVID at the very end of the land portion of our HAL trip. We quarantined, following HAL’s guidance, then (fortunately) were able to proceed with the non-HAL part of our vacation after that – so we just missed out on the cruise itself. Our reimbursements were slowed in part due to my delay in submitting the requests, and I cannot fault anyone else for that. When we did file, our travel insurance proved to be nearly worthless – it paid for a flight we needed to take in lieu of the cruise, but covered almost nothing else. As for HAL, they told us we would get credit for our cruise in a few weeks, but, in fact, it was early March (approximately 8 months post-cruise) before we received credit. I was also VERY disappointed that the future cruise credits they provided expire in March 2024, which means that they can only be used for Alaska in 2023 – and it came so late that we could not book exactly what we wanted. (However, we were ultimately able to find something that fit well enough, so we will be taking our Alaska cruise this summer.) I will note that HAL did refund our shore excursions immediately (while we were in quarantine, in fact!). However, we STILL have not received the Mariner credit for the days we were on the trip. (Inconsistency abounds...) And then we have our other COVID-related expenses – including the expensive quarantine lodging that HAL promotes. We waited to file our claim with HAL until the travel insurance was resolved, per HAL’s direction. But here we are, still awaiting whatever payment HAL will grant us. We believe we are due a few thousand dollars (based on their published policy) but we will see what HAL decides to reimburse. I an truly sympathetic to HAL’s situation – a lot of requests, coming at a time when revenues were lower due to pandemic conditions and cautious travelers. BUT, those of us who DID travel felt confident in doing so, in part, due to HAL’s commitment to cover the unexpected expenses if we did come down with COVID. I am hopeful they will come through for us, eventually, but sure wish it did not take so long. Gary

Somewhat similar story to others... We were quarantined in the middle of a July land-sea tour - at the end of the land portion and just before we got to the ship - and we are now almost 4 months later with no reimbursement (except for our excursions, which happened almost immediately with no effort on our part). This is partly our fault for not pursuing it with appropriate vigor, but it is still a bit frustrating that HAL has been holding our $$$ for a long time (getting close to 3 years, actually, since we were originally scheduled for July 2020). I *hope* we will see some reimbursement/credit at some point - and pretty sure we won't be cruising again until we do.

(I know we are a bit off the original topic here, but...) Your opinion is as legit as mine - we all see the world in our own way - but I do have a different perspective. As a native of Key West, i.e., a Conch, I do not agree that there is not much to see. I will totally agree that it can be difficult to see it if you arrive on a cruise ship - the things that are within easy walking distance are not necessarily the best things to see. There is much history, beauty, good food, excellent adventures, and generally great weather to experience; not all of it is in the downtown area. So, by way of agreeing with several others, you will likely enjoy a land visit more than a rushed cruise ship stop. Note, it has been almost 50 years since I lived in Key West, but I do have family there, own property there, and visit often. It is a hard - and expensive - place to live, but an interesting place to visit IMHO. (End of my unpaid commercial for the Conch Republic... 🙂) I feel for the OP - it is unfortunate that the cruise lines keep pushing Key West itineraries and then change them later. The new "one ship a day" rule is the reason for that, but it certainly creates an aggravation for cruisers and it seems there should be a better "system" to figure out which sailings will get the chance to actually dock in Key West.

We are on Y1L starting July 6, and there is no indication (yet) that our cruisetour is canceled. Not that I want it to be canceled -- it would be the third year in a row for that -- but I would not mind all that much if I found out ASAP. I would not be very happy to learn it was canceled a week from now, but that seems more likely (based on the experience of others). In any case, we will be understanding and go with the flow (not much else we can do, after all 😃

Indeed, thank you for sharing your trip with all of us! It has been a great way for DW and I to prepare for our Y1L journey in a couple of weeks (assuming it isn't canceled).

So sorry to hear... We are supposed to do Y1L starting July 6 - wonder if we will be next? (And, yes, we were originally booked for 2020, too.)

I had somehow missed that info... would be a nice change 😁

There are those who have heard or experienced differently, but what I understand, experienced, and have seen in writing, is that the Elite (high-end) package includes unlimited "zero-proof" beverages, along with up to 15 drinks priced at $15 or less; and the Signature package provides 15 beverages of any type with a cost up to $11. In both cases, any drinks over the dollar limit, and any drinks over the daily count, are charged at full price (plus gratuity). Gary

Thanks! That is a bit less strict than what HAL states...