reserving specific cabins

[RuthC]

I WANTED to do the round trip from Vancouver to Anchorage and BACK ... 14 days ... in 2009, but HAL wouldn't cooperate with a ship doing it departing on a day other than Sunday. I didn't want to miss 3 Sundays in a row just to get two weeks ... but HAL wouldn't cooperate. :(

I'm sorry you couldn't get that routing. In other years (IIRC) three of the S-class ships have done that route, so at least one of them could have accommodated you. Are there only two ships going that way this year? On an opposite track?

[RuthC]

Maybe you know the answer to still another email that I am still waiting on. I know I have read that the HAL ships usually have a Catholic priest on their cruises and a Mass is celebrated each day. However, I read that on days of embarking or disembarking that may not be the case. I will be on a NB Volendam which will be leaving Vancouver on a Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Do you know the likelihood of a Mass being celebrated on that day? I figure your answer will likely be more accurate than the one I will get in my email.

No guarantee here, but there's a good chance there will be a Mass that night.

Many's the time that sail-away has been on a Saturday night, and there was a Mass at 5:00. Since Sunday is the holy day there may be a Mass that day, too.

Can you go on Saturday night to fulfill the obligation?

Or, do what I do---when I can't get to Sunday (or Saturday night) Mass due to travelling, go twice during the week to make up for it! :D

[vbmom87]

No guarantee here, but there's a good chance there will be a Mass that night.

Many's the time that sail-away has been on a Saturday night, and there was a Mass at 5:00. Since Sunday is the holy day there may be a Mass that day, too.

Can you go on Saturday night to fulfill the obligation?

 

Or, do what I do---when I can't get to Sunday (or Saturday night) Mass due to travelling, go twice during the week to make up for it! :D

 

Yes we can go in Vancouver on Saturday night. I have the church's schedules. It looks like we can walk to two churches from our B&B or take a short drive. I just thought if I could find out for sure that a Mass would be celebrated, it would leave us a little more time to tour in Vancouver.

[Opinions]

 

 

If I wanted to get a Verandah and couldn't due to this practice, I would ask to be placed on the waitlist for one of them, and then book one of my favorite inside Js on the Lower Promenade deck.

 

 

We had a inside J on the Rotterdam deck on the Zuiderdam recently...It was quite small...I understand that some of the J's and K's are large...Is there any way to determine which are large?

[RevNeal]

We had a inside J on the Rotterdam deck on the Zuiderdam recently...It was quite small...I understand that some of the J's and K's are large...Is there any way to determine which are large?

 

You have to be careful about the differences between Js on the S&R ships as opposed to the Js on the Vistas. The Js on the Vistas are TINY if they're not those "Large" Js found on Main Deck, just forward the Atrium. Hence, the Js on Main Deck are the ones to go after on any Vista ship.

 

On the S&R ships the Js on the Lower Promenade deck, just abaft the Atrium, are LOVELY cabins ... good sized, great location.

[RevNeal]

I'm sorry you couldn't get that routing. In other years (IIRC) three of the S-class ships have done that route, so at least one of them could have accommodated you. Are there only two ships going that way this year? On an opposite track?

 

My only non-negotiable requirement was a departure date OTHER THAN Sunday. As of right now next year's fleet schedule has S ships heading north and south between Vancouver and Anchorage embarking and disembarking ONLY on Sundays. I can't afford 3 Sundays off to get 2 weeks aboard ship ... it's just not an equitable use of my Sundays-off.

 

If I'm taking 3 Sundays, I'm also taking as many days as possible prior to and after those Sundays ... as in this coming Summer on the Eurodam. I fly out on June 29th, which is a Sunday evening, after morning services. I arrive back home on Saturday July 26, almost 4 weeks later, but having missed only 3 Sunday while maximizing the amount of time spent board ship. :) Yes, there is a Methodist in my madness. ;)

[sail7seas]

Blocked Space

 

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Heavenly is right. In most cases if a TA holds a block of cabins it's the cabin category, not the specific cabin. At a certain point of deposit (when a certain amount of $$ has been placed on the booking), the TA can in many cases get an actual cabin assignment from some cruise lines.

 

Cruise lines also hold back space on some sailings in interesting ways. For example, when a sailing is a 14-day, it may also sometimes be booked as the beginning/end of what's also shown as a 28-30 day cruise. They may show some types of cabins being available for the 28-30 day, but NOT for the 14-day (which is part of the longer cruise). I hope that sentence makes sense to those reading this. I guess they want to keep options open for the people who book the longer (i.e.: more expensive) cruise.

 

Add to that the fact that the average cabin is indeed sold 8 times before sailing, and that may help explain the vagaries of cruise cabin availability. Here today, gone tomorrow ...

 

 

 

 

 

Just today, I was inquiring about a particular ten day cruise. Looking at the brochure, I had no idea that pages later it showed as part of a twenty day cruise. While discussing it and seeing which cabins were available, I was told some Suites were available for booking ten days but not all. They hold some Suites to be sold only for the twenty days.

 

[refman]

with the exception of one trip we`ve always gotten a specific cabin number and now we have to get two cabins and our HAL REP always keeps us together. oh yeah, the one time we did`nt get the specific cabin we requested was the time we let a travel agent handle our trip, never again. we always use HAL and won`t be dissapointed again.

[schoolinmy3]

with the exception of one trip we`ve always gotten a specific cabin number and now we have to get two cabins and our HAL REP always keeps us together. oh yeah, the one time we did`nt get the specific cabin we requested was the time we let a travel agent handle our trip, never again. we always use HAL and won`t be dissapointed again.

 

So far booking directly with HAL is working great. Any changes I've made have been followed by immediate email confirmation with attached pdf documents. When we upgraded our room to a SZ guarantee the transaction took five minutes and we were able to keep the same booking number.

 

diane

[vbmom87]

No guarantee here, but there's a good chance there will be a Mass that night.

Many's the time that sail-away has been on a Saturday night, and there was a Mass at 5:00. Since Sunday is the holy day there may be a Mass that day, too.

Can you go on Saturday night to fulfill the obligation?

 

Or, do what I do---when I can't get to Sunday (or Saturday night) Mass due to travelling, go twice during the week to make up for it! :D

 

I finally got my email response from HAL. They said there would not be a Mass on Sunday since it was embarking day. I can't say I believe them. I just wish there was some way to know for sure, but that will not happen.

[RuthC]

I just wish there was some way to know for sure, but that will not happen.

You just have to do the best you can---that's all God expects of you.

[airlink diva]

When I booked my upcoming cruise, my ta told me what cabins that she had blocked for her. She gave me the cabin numbers for the pricing that I was paying. I sailed on the Maasdam before and that help me alot. I also pulled up the deck map and viewed the cabins and picked the one that I want.

When I go to HAL website and pull up my cruise info, my cabin number that I pick is showing.

Some of my co-workers sailed on the smooth jazz cruise on the Westerdam earlier this year and they were able to book the same cabin for a sailing next year.

Happy sailing!!