jimdee3636

Correction: "confirms all the negative things... (not "conforms"). Sorry.

@DonnaMWThat's intolerable! I know you'll have your hands full in the weeks ahead dealing with Vantage (or trying to), but please let us know how it turns out. Your experience so far just conforms all the negative things I've heard about vantage in recent years. Jim

I own a tuxedo and I love to wear it---I mean, how else can a guy who looks like me be instantly transformed into the second coming of Cary Grant?---but I only wear it when we sail on Cunard. Ten or fifteen years ago, I'd wear it on HAL cruises, but it just isn't much fun these days to be in a 2% minority. However, I do always pack a sport coat or two, even on hot weather sailings.

I agree with @philsuarezand @Jonem2001. I usually cruise with my wife, but a few times I've gone on very short solo cruises when my wife couldn't get away. One of those was on the Norwegian Bliss, which has 99 sq. ft. "studio" (single occupancy) inside cabins. I tried one to see what it would be like. Well, I found out. For the five nights I was on the ship, I spent every minute wishing I had paid a little more for a "regular" (about 160 sq. ft.) inside cabin, which would have seemed palatial compared to the studio. Norwegian and certain other lines often have no (or extremely low) single supplements, and not only for inside cabins. If you're traveling solo, you should look for those rates rather than squeezing yourself into something that's the size of a prison cell.

Because of many other stories I've heard about Vantage's shady business practices, I wouldn't touch that company with a ten-foot pole. The only good thing from the O.P.'s point of view is that they're HQ'd in Massachusetts and can thus be sued in American courts. Before I retired, I practiced law in Massachusetts, and at least back then they had one of the toughest consumer protection laws in the country, allowing up to triple damages to be awarded in particularly outrageous cases. This might be one such case.

I'm a fan of those smaller HAL ships, and I like what the French company is planning. But you'd better be fluent in French (or close to fluent) if you want to enjoy one of their cruises.

Sorry---the headline should read "Do you still HAVE Hotel Status Perks..." Jim

We usually make our own pre- and post-cruise air and hotel arrangements, but I'm thinking of letting HAL do it for a 2023 cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires. I have "Lifetime Platinum" status with Marriott and "Gold" status with Hilton, so I normally get concierge lounge access or free breakfasts, along with upgraded rooms and other perks when staying at those hotel brands. If HAL makes the reservation at a Hilton or Marriott, can I still enjoy the status perks? I hate to sound greedy or "entitled," and I realize that HAL is paying the hotel directly, but the money initially came from me. Has anyone dealt with this issue? Thanks! Jim

@Lirio You traveled a long way from Brazil for just a seven-day cruise! What did you think of the Greenland stops? We're on a somewhat longer (12 night) sailing in September of 2023 (Reykjavik to Halifax, NS), on the Cloud, and I'm eager to know about how the Zodiac landings went, and in general what you liked (or didn't like) about Greenland. Thanks! Jim

Occasionally I'll see zero single supplement offers. When you have such an offer, is there anything that would prevent a married couple (or any two people who would normally share a cabin) from each booking a separate cabin, thus doubling their space and allowing, say, one person to get up early without disturbing the other person who likes to sleep late? In the case of a married couple, I'm wondering if cruise lines automatically reject such bookings from people with the same last names and addresses. If not, it would seem crazy not to do it, if for no other reason than to get more space and some occasional "alone time." Has anyone had any experience with this kind of booking?

I'm 4-star with HAL, and also a big Tanqueray martini drinker. I sometimes get the Signature beverage package, and have always found that my martinis are included. I think they're $12 if you don't have the package (or at least they used to be).

@Cruising-alongand @canadarocks Thanks for your helpful information. I'll follow up on your suggestions. Jim

I haven't seen anything here recently about HAL's wines-by-the-bottle packages, and there doesn't seem to be any details about them on the HAL website. As a four star Mariner, I get a 50% discount on the list price of such packages, and it certainly was a great benefit the one time I used it (back in December 2019). My wife and I will be going on a 35 night cruise on the Koningsdam in February, so we'd be purchasing such a package, probably multiple times. Does anyone have any more-or-less current information on the packages offered, the wines included, the prices, etc. Last time, there were two packages offered, one costing (I think) about 25% more than the other, although both represented good value, even without the 50% discount. I realize that the makeup of these packages can change suddenly based on a particular wine's availability, but any information would be helpful, even if not totally accurate. Thanks. Jim

Just off 14 nights on the QE (Panama Canal). It sailed at only two-thirds capacity (1,400 out of about 2,100) due to staffing shortages, but I never noticed any venues to be short-staffed or any crew members to be noticeably stressed-out. Except for the mask requirement (you must wear them in all indoor venues except while actually eating or drinking or exercising in the gym) and the fact that certain venues seemed less crowded than usual, it was a perfectly "normal" cruise experience.

Mark Twain had a famous line: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco!"

I am so glad we got off the QE in Fort Lauderdale yesterday before it continued on to Barcelona. The whole Bermuda thing was ridiculous. At least you're getting a refund (it seems) of your out-of-pocket costs, but, of course, the wasted time in filling out the Bermuda forms will never be recovered.

@kshannon5 We had a similar Deck 6 sheltered balcony on our 21-night QM2 round-trip out of NY in July of 2019. My guess is you won't be on the balcony much in January, but it's a great location. Have fun! Jim

@elmsliebev Glad to get this information. We're late dining too, so maybe we'll meet onboard. Jim

@MarkBearSF My wife and I get on the QE Tuesday (July 26) in L.A. I know your time on the ship is limited, but anything---and I mean anything---you can post about the ship would be gratefully received. For example, it was good to learn that they're back to two dinner seatings. But if you learn how many guests are on board, that would be helpful, too, as well as whether the ship is obviously short-staffed in the restaurants and bars. Have a great time! Jim

@DCThunderLet me first say that I've cruised on both lines, but quite a bit more on HAL (four-star Mariner with them vs. only four short cruises with Princess). But I have future bookings on both lines, so I think I have an open mind. Overall, I think the Oosterdam voyage is the better choice. In part, that's because of the ship; the Oosterdam is my favorite HAL ship, and one of my future HAL bookings is on it. If you can spring for a Signature Suite, I think they're the nicest cabins I've ever been in on any ship. But it's also because you wouldn't be duplicating that long Mexico/ Central America stretch if you were to first go all the way up to L.A. and then turn around and do a Panama Canal cruise. Yes, you'd be missing some nice ports in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, or wherever, but you'll see plenty of great places on a 31-day trip from BA to FLL (and, as you yourself point out) save some money in the bargain. Jim

@DCThunder Which ships and what dates? The answers might make a big difference in what advice people can offer.

From what I can tell, it's going to depend on the dictates of the countries to be visited on a particular cruise. Case in point: I'm boarding the QE in one week (July 26) for 14 days, disembarking in Fort Lauderdale. However, the ship continues on to Barcelona, with a stop in Bermuda. Bermuda evidently has very strict vaccination and testing requirements for cruise ship passengers, with various forms required for the passengers and strict "dictates" for cruise ships. Because of Bermuda's strict policies, Cunard is still requiring negative covid test results for all those boarding in L.A. and is requiring everyone boarding in L.A. to wear masks in all non-eating or drinking indoor venues for at least the first four days after embarkation (despite the CDC's latest order dropping such mandates). (Those boarding earlier----in Vancouver or San Francisco---have to stay masked even longer). The frustrating thing for me is I'm not even going to Bermuda! But Cunard evidently feels it's more important to placate Bermuda in this matter, even if it means inconveniencing guests who won't be going there at all or those who may not want to get off the ship that day. My guess is there'll be more of these kinds of things for months to come.

I can't reply to all of your questions, but I can say that I've done three Silversea cruises (non-expedition ones) but none on Lindblad. I'm booked, however, on a Silver Cloud expedition sailing in September of 2023---Reykjavik to Halifax, with six stops in Greenland. On the Silversea cruises I've been on, the average age was definitely 60+, although I've heard that it's more like 50+ on expedition voyages. But I would expect that, due to the physical demands of expedition cruises, the typical passenger is likely to be a "young" 50+.

@AndieSF Why is it "too late to change to another cruise line"? You haven't reached the final payment date yet, have you? I'm not necessarily saying you should cancel, but if you did you wouldn't be losing much. Are all other options for Antarctica completely sold out?

I think the "American inferiority complex" regarding accents---at least for people my age (I'm 74)---is due to the fact that when we were young and impressionable the only English accent we'd hear on TV or in the movies was an educated one---a BBC accent, basically. It wasn't until I started watching a lot of English football and I would hear players and managers interviewed that I realized that the vast majority of English people don't sound like Lawrence Olivier, John Gielgud, or the art historian Kenneth Clark. For me, the only truly impenetrable U.K. accent is the Scottish one. Most of the time, I can only guess at what they're saying.