bsa250cc
September 11th, 2006, 12:03 PM
Hi Everyone,
I have been asked to copy my reply from the 700 thread, as it contains important information for anyone going on the Zuiderdam on the 2nd December.
Here we go.
Hi everyone,
Were also booked on this cruise, and as we have also booked our air fare from the UK we are in a more difficult predicament than most.
Our air is non refundable or changeable so we have no choice in this matter. The other ships leaving on the 2nd December from either FLL or Miami are either Carnival RCI or Princess ??. As UK citizens we are barred from booking this line with a US TA, as they control the sale of bookings in the UK and ramp up the prices accordingly. Carnival would only be jumping from the frying pan into the fire, and the Behemoths of RCI have no appeal whatsoever.
So - what do we do??
I have phoned the Alumni Travel Group as they are the arrangers for this particular package. The arranger for this package is Denise, and she was quite informative about the group.
Firstly age - This is aimed at ages 28up. The age profile sits well in the HAL scenario.
Secondly Numbers - HAL has sold them the deal with an availability of up to 700. THE TOTAL BOOKINGS RECEIVED TO DATE IS LESS THAN FIFTY
She also went on to say these were in the main professional people who are too busy to find their partners in the normal course of the day.
If you look on any of the online TA's you can still find remarkable bargains, and pretty well have whatever choice of deck and cabin arrangement to suit. Our $900 suites are still being sold, and the availability has increased somewhat as their are now more specific cabins available rather than gaurantee's.
My first instinct was to look elsewhere as although I,m just a spring chicken in HAL terms(51), tribes of drunken yobs holds no appeal. The alternatives for us are no alternative, so thats when a little investigation was deemed necessary. If HAL cannot fill the ship themselves over the next ten weeks I really cannot see the Alumni group making a huge impact on the numbers on board, and of those who book, will they be shacking up with a complete stranger, or have a cabin to themselves as single occupants. If I were going on a singles cruise the last thing I would want is to bring a new partner back to the cabin and see my "roomie" treating his boils. This would defeat the object of a "Singles Cruise".
So, we are going to stick to our plans, make our own arrangements at all the ports of call, and enjoy ourselves regardless. You never know I might just be able to loose my dear wife on the formal nights for an hour or so and get a fair maiden interested in whats under my kilt....LOL
Life is what you make it at the end of the day.
Bob & Dee
I have been asked to copy my reply from the 700 thread, as it contains important information for anyone going on the Zuiderdam on the 2nd December.
Here we go.
Hi everyone,
Were also booked on this cruise, and as we have also booked our air fare from the UK we are in a more difficult predicament than most.
Our air is non refundable or changeable so we have no choice in this matter. The other ships leaving on the 2nd December from either FLL or Miami are either Carnival RCI or Princess ??. As UK citizens we are barred from booking this line with a US TA, as they control the sale of bookings in the UK and ramp up the prices accordingly. Carnival would only be jumping from the frying pan into the fire, and the Behemoths of RCI have no appeal whatsoever.
So - what do we do??
I have phoned the Alumni Travel Group as they are the arrangers for this particular package. The arranger for this package is Denise, and she was quite informative about the group.
Firstly age - This is aimed at ages 28up. The age profile sits well in the HAL scenario.
Secondly Numbers - HAL has sold them the deal with an availability of up to 700. THE TOTAL BOOKINGS RECEIVED TO DATE IS LESS THAN FIFTY
She also went on to say these were in the main professional people who are too busy to find their partners in the normal course of the day.
If you look on any of the online TA's you can still find remarkable bargains, and pretty well have whatever choice of deck and cabin arrangement to suit. Our $900 suites are still being sold, and the availability has increased somewhat as their are now more specific cabins available rather than gaurantee's.
My first instinct was to look elsewhere as although I,m just a spring chicken in HAL terms(51), tribes of drunken yobs holds no appeal. The alternatives for us are no alternative, so thats when a little investigation was deemed necessary. If HAL cannot fill the ship themselves over the next ten weeks I really cannot see the Alumni group making a huge impact on the numbers on board, and of those who book, will they be shacking up with a complete stranger, or have a cabin to themselves as single occupants. If I were going on a singles cruise the last thing I would want is to bring a new partner back to the cabin and see my "roomie" treating his boils. This would defeat the object of a "Singles Cruise".
So, we are going to stick to our plans, make our own arrangements at all the ports of call, and enjoy ourselves regardless. You never know I might just be able to loose my dear wife on the formal nights for an hour or so and get a fair maiden interested in whats under my kilt....LOL
Life is what you make it at the end of the day.
Bob & Dee