Roz

I think you have to go thru customs and immigration with your bag before you're able to meet up with the cruise line reps.

Have you considered taking a European river cruise? English is widely used and spoken in Europe due to the EU.

On my most recent cruise in a Neptune, my assigned time was 10 am. The HAL transfer bus at YVR broke down on the way to pick us up so I was late getting to Canada Place. Once inside I was directed to the priority line and boarded before a lot of others. Sometimes you get there when you get there, regardless of the time on your boarding pass.

I posted it so that those unfamiliar with HAL's policy can see it for themselves in writing. If you think it's offensive you can ask a host to remove it. I wasn't trying to make any particular point, just provide information.

From the HAL website: All onboard purchases and services are charged to your account by using your stateroom keycard. Cash is not accepted for individual transactions, e.g. bars, the shops, spa, shore excursions. Cash is accepted in our casinos. Registering a credit card(s) (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, and Discover®) as part of your pre-cruise check-in process activates your keycard. The day you board, Holland America Line places an initial hold on your credit card for $60 per person per cruise day ($30.00 per person per day for cruises longer than 25 days). Once you’ve spent the initial hold amount, we will authorize your card for the total of your onboard purchases to date plus an additional $60 per person per day for the remainder of your cruise. Please note that there may be multiple authorizations throughout your cruise, and that some banks may keep the hold in place for up to 30 days. Please keep in mind to change your settings for your credit card to ‘World’ prior to the start of your cruise, even if your cruise is within Europe. If you do not want to use a credit card, on the day of boarding, you will need to visit Guest Services and deposit $60 cash per person per cruise day (applies to all guests 18 years of age and over). Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Traveler's checks may be cashed at Guest Services. Personal checks are not accepted on board. At the end of your cruise, you will receive a final statement, and your card will be charged only for the actual amount of your purchases. Refunds for purchases of onboard products and services will be credited to your onboard account whether purchased prior to or during your cruise. The final amount billed may take up to 24-hours following disembarkation. For questions about how long the hold remains in effect or how your available credit is affected, please contact your card issuer.

I can't imagine a cruise line allowing someone to charge $7,000 in the casino without determining first if they're good for the money.

I have a Hilton Honors AMEX and the only 2 travel offers I see are for RV rentals and hotel stays.

There are issues with Verifly. CCers on my Oct. 2 cruise are reporting problems with entering data and have given up.

I used mine to buy two really nice pairs of earrings from the onboard gift shop.

A quick check shows a 7-day cruise in May in a balcony cabin on the Volendam for $2,698. I don't know that you're going to find a cruise that meets your criteria for under $1,000. Alaska cruises pretty much all have a 100% single supplement.

International flights often involve a terminal change, and I've found 40-45 min. is not enough time at major airports like O'Hare and Bush.

It's near the Neptune lounge, stairs, and elevators.

On the Coastal voyages, it's impossible to get anything but a Neptune guarantee. Just got my assignment (SA) for my upcoming Oct. 2 6-day Coastal on Noordam.

I faxed mine on Sept. 4 for an Oct. 2 cruise but still don't have a confirmation. @Florida_gal_50, faxing is the only way certain legal and medical information can be securely transmitted.

This was in my inbox this morning: IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION We are pleased to share that Transport Canada has amended its COVID-19 protocols for cruise ship guests effective October 1, 2022. As a result, the pre-cruise testing and vaccination requirements for this voyage have changed. Guests ages 5 and above who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 do not require pre-cruise COVID-19 testing for this voyage. To be considered fully vaccinated a guest must have completed their final dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days prior to embarkation. Guests ages 5 and above who have not been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to take a viral COVID-19 test within three days of embarkation and attest to a negative result. A self-administered Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is accepted. Guests are no longer required to complete ArriveCAN in advance of travel.

Nice, even handed review. Thank you for taking the time to write it and post it. I found the service on my March cruise on the Rotterdam to be lacking, first time that's happened on a HAL cruise.

In general you're better off with a 3rd party insurer. As @Daisi just mentioned, you need to compare coverage. One big thing to consider is whether your health insurance offers coverage outside of the US.

This is from my Rotterdam review back in March: "We were in VE and it was crowded. It would have been tight if I was in there by myself let alone with someone else. There was 2 ft. between the end of the beds and the wall. The beds are smaller than a regular twin bed. The cabin door, bathroom door, and closet doors all converge, so we had to be careful coming back to the cabin that we didn't slam into the other person coming out of the bathroom or getting something out of the closet. There's a semi-sofa in an awkward position next to the sliding glass door, and a tiny coffee table. Both useless. We hardly ever used the balcony, and I would never book a balcony cabin again unless it was part of a suite. Very small bathroom and a person of size would have difficulty using it."

Why? Where are seeing Neptunes with adjoining cabins?

I personally don't think there are any bad Neptune locations. After all, it's a Neptune Suite.

Holding my breath.....

The requirement to have a Covid test before flying back into the USA was one of the reasons I deferred a European river cruise I had booked for last December. I was going to need a test to get into the Netherlands, another to get on the ship, and a 3rd to fly back after the cruise, all with tight timeframes. Way too much, and who wants to spend their time in Amsterdam searching out testing sites and waiting in line for a test?

@Mary229, you have mail. 😁

@CurlerRob, the website link you provided is still showing I need to submit ArriveCAN info twice - once to fly in and once to board the ship. Will be monitoring closely.

I've done 3 European river cruises (2 on the Danube and 1 on the Rhine) and at most stops there are interesting places to visit within walking distance of the pier or just a short bus ride away.