cruisencrazy

If I remember correctly, Delta no longer allows upgrades to Comfort. You have to purchase them from the get-go.

That is incorrect. No problem purchasing upgrades.

We were on Kdam last month. I almost always book a guarantee and I did for that cruise. Well, I will NEVER book a guarantee again. Been on over 35 cruises and this was the worst assignment ever. Had to fight everyone to get our cabin changed.Nobody wanted to help us and they waited so long to post our assignment that there was nearly nothing to switch to. I don't care about the view in the Caribbean, but we had a room assigned over the Queen's Lounge. The 4th floor shakes and booms while the band plays. Do not get a room on the 4th floor anywhere mid ship!!! Do not leave this up to chance, as I was not the only one who wasn't happy. It ended up being a great cruise, but it's the first time I actually dreaded going on vacation. I was worried that we wouldn't get any sleep. Thankfully I was able to change my cabin a few days before. We walked by our original assignment and it was even worse than I had imagined.

If you have a Skymiles account, your flights should be in there. That's where Delta will offer you a discounted rate to upgrade. If you don't have one, that's a lot of miles, get one. If you try to buy and upgrade at the gate, you will pay a lot more.

I used to think that the later the assignment came, the better the cabin we would get. Until our last cruise :eek: That nearly convinced me to choose our cabin, instead of playing the guarantee lottery.... nearly but not quite :)

I thought that too, but we leave Sunday and got our assignment last week. It was not good and will probably never book another guarantee. I was finally able to change it, but nobody helped me. Over 35 cruises and ¾ of those have been guarantees, but I don't think I would do it again. Because of the way I was treated, I'm no longer looking forward to this cruise or sailing on HAL. They will have to wow me to keep me as a future cruiser. We are 3 star and I've never been more disappointed. Trying Windstar Star Breeze in a couple of months and booked a nice suite, no guarantee.

we often book a guarantee and usually get assignment about 2-3 weeks out but not this time. We have had an offer to upgrade from Neptune to Pinnacle for $1500 pp.Maybe if the don't get any takers we might get it as a free upgrade.

Did you get a cabin assignment yet?

We sail next Sunday and we got our cabin assignment last week.

We were on Princess for Christmas and we leave on HAL next week. We have sailed many times on each. They both do formal nights. I give an edge to Princess with entertainment. Food is better, with greater variety in the main dining rooms for all meals on HAL. One thing to keep in mind is that Jamaica is having some "issues" with crime. I would look closer at how much time you have in port and if you tender in on either trip. If you go on Princess I would highly suggest traveling Club Class if you can swing it. The dining experience is worth it.

GREAT update! Have a wonderful cruise!! Did your TA have to make the change or did you call direct?

I found the available cabins online, emailed my agent and she made the call. Lots of cabins are suddenly becoming available. I just wanted one that was quiet and had fresh air. I don't need a suite for a caribbean cruise, but I have one for the med on our next trip;p

Update. Was able to change my cabin. Same category with a much better location. I didn't receive an upsell, but that is ok. I was just concerned about noise being over the Queen's Lounge. That will no longer be a problem. I have for sure learned my lesson. No more guarantee bookings.

We have taken over 35 cruises and I would say that about ¾ of those have been guarantee cabins. We are not very picky, depending on the destination. Well, fast forward to this sailing and we received an awful cabin right above the Queen's Lounge. I have sleep issues as of late and I'm very anxious about this location. I am even thinking about forfeting what was paid and not going at all if I can't figure out a way to get a different cabin. Or...I will give it a go and just get off and fly home if it doesn't work out. My travel agent is not being helpful in my opinion. We are 3 star on Holland and will probably not make it to 4. Already booked with Windstar for our next trip; not in a guarantee cabin.

1 888-628-8107

Phone number directly to the paid upgrade department. I call them all the time to check if there's anything available because sometimes I've been told that I was should have gotten an email and I never got it.

 

They seem to be ok with the calls[/quote

 

Can you do this even if you are booked through a travel agency?

How do you put yourself on HAL's radar to receive an upsell? We are not overjoyed (to put it mildly) with our current cabin situation. Our ship sails Feb 25.

Thanks for the reply. We ended up booking Windstar, primarily because of the itinerary. We also had a problem with issues on the SeaDream web site, which hampered our research. They were not great at getting back to us.

I am also curious about this answer so I am bumping this thread

Thanks for your reply. We booked Windstar :)

We have sailed 35++ cruises, but have yet to sail on Windstar or Sea Dream. Would love input as we are considering two very similar itineraries. The first is Windstar on the Star Breeze sailing Lisbon round trip for 10 days and the next is SD1 sailing Malaga to Lisbon 9 days.

We have sailed 35++ cruises, but have yet to sail on Windstar or Sea Dream. Would love input as we are considering two very similar itineraries. The first is Windstar on the Star Breeze sailing Lisbon round trip for 10 days and the next is SD1 sailing Malaga to Lisbon 9 days.

We are sailing on the Koningsdam next month. Was wondering about a pass on our 10 day cruise, to use the heated tables and therapy pool. Has anyone done this? Did you like it? Do you recall the price? Did the spa feel crowded? Thanks in advance for your replies :)

Thank you so much for all of the great information in this particular thread. We are sailing on her next month. Question...does anyone know how much it is to add the spa therapy pool and such for the 10 day cruise? Thanks in advance for your answer :)

Verizon worked fine in December

Maybe we need to go back to the old days of travellers checks. ugh

On the plus side, I love my ring :)

Our bank offers a prepaid Visa Spending Card with a separate number not linked to your credit card. That way a hacker can only get the money you loaded on it.

 

 

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Sorry, but that sounds awful. That puts you on the hook. Yes, my card # was stolen, but I don't have to pay any of it. The credit card company takes care of it. If it were a prepaid visa, which has minimal fees, you would be out whatever was taken. My inconvenience is being without my card for a week while they send me a new one.

Bank Manager here - this service is available, but it requires a change in computers and machinery that most restaurants do not want to pay. I have a very hard time trying to introduce this to my customers, especially those who are not large businesses.

 

As for the fraud, charges can always be disputed, especially cash advance charges. Be wary of ATMs and anyplace you have to swipe your card. Banks check our machinery every day for a pea sized skimmer that will read your card as it slides and records the information. The scammers then create blank cards to be used anywhere. Likewise, any time you enter your card numbers in online or give it over the phone it's in danger of being recorded and later used.

 

My take on it is that preventing fraud is important, but more important is checking your online banking every day while you are gone and knowing how to dispute. Set up text alerts that will tell you when a card has been used for more than a certain amount.

My husband is an international airline pilot. We understand credit safety and receive alerts on cards that have that as an option. We used a card with a low credit limit on purpose. Thankfully we weren’t using our platinum Amex. I did give the cc company the salesman’s name, computer terminal number and store info. May also pursue a case with the police. Credit card company was great and took care of our end immediately. These things happen. I just thought that if I could prevent one theft with my post, then I should try. Happy New Year all.

friendly warning. Just back from Caribbean cruise. Used a credit card ONE time in port. It was used at Little Switzerland in Havensight Mall in St Thomas. After our modest purchase, which seemed to take an unusually long time we went back to the ship. When we got home we found the credit card account hacked, on that day, and large cash advance purchased on the same card. Buyers beware!

Only posted here because we were on a Princess Cruise

Posted also in ports of call

friendly warning. Just back from Caribbean cruise. Used a credit card ONE time in port. It was used at Little Switzerland in Havensight Mall in St Thomas. After our modest purchase, which seemed to take an unusually long time we went back to the ship. When we got home we found the credit card account hacked, on that day, and large cash advance purchased on the same card. Buyers beware!