OHCruiser

We only take guarantees on free cruises [no, I'm not kidding]. If I'm paying, I'm picking--but then again, I rarely book anything more than an oceanview cabin anymore, so the upcharge for choosing my own room is in the $100-150 range. Yes, we've sailed in Neptune Suites, aft balconies, etc. They're lovely, but we spend so little time in the room that we've decided it's no longer worth it to us--especially if the cruise is port intensive. I can't even imagine paying an additional $1400 to choose a Neptune Suite. That's absurd. The whole idea of Neptune Suites is that they're the best rooms in the balcony suite category outside of the Pinnacle. Ideally, there is no "bad" Neptune Suite, but giving such an option surely makes people think that they have to pay a lot more to get the best of the best. Quite the marketing psyop, in my opinion.

I NEVER travel without my meclizine. You never know when things might get rough. I purchase child dosage generic meclizine from Amazon. It's much, much cheaper than Bonine--the same drug but without the expensive advertising. I listen/watch the weather & seas report on the ship. If it's going to be windy or choppy, I take one pill because it's a preventative, not a curative. You need it in your system before it gets iffy. This protocol has never failed me. The lower dosage doesn't make me drowsy or thirsty. Amazon.com: Rugby Meclizine Hcl 12.5 mg 100 Cplts : Everything Else

Looking quickly at Google, the train seems to be a very civilized option--quick, comfortable, frequent, and cheap.

We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia, a Best Western property. It's on a canal across from the transportation center for the vaporetto, train, etc. It was wonderful, the breakfast superb, quiet and comfortable. When we return, we'll stay there again.

Your TA or HAL should be handling this, so it looks to me like someone dropped the ball. We canceled an Oct. cruise through our TA on Aug. 30 using the Platinum Plan. In addition to her notifying them, I also emailed HAL as requested in the FAQs on their page describing the plan. We never received any claim number. When we didn't receive our refund in14 days, I called her and she contacted HAL again. I also emailed my request to HAL again, and this time I got a personal response from them telling me that the refund should be in my credit card account by 9/30. It arrived on 9/28. Unfortunately, it's the squeaky wheel that gets what they paid for...In talking with my TA, she said that unless HAL is nudged, it's out of sight, out of mind.

And next will come the announcements of understaffed, or even canceled, cruises.... I feel so sorry for the staff. They live in cramped quarters and have thousands of interactions every day--almost impossible to avoid infection as the fall wave of vaccination & immunity-escaping variants grows. I hope that many of them will continue to use this extra layer of protection in the face of pressure. So sad.

I think it's very uneven across the fleet. On the Konigsdam last April, the topper we were given was a nice thick piece of memory foam. It was wonderful. On the Zaandam in August, we were given a completely worthless, worn out, egg crate topper that might as well have just been another bottom sheet --I suggested that they throw it out. I, too, travel with memory foam. I got a 2" pack n play topper a few years back that I really like. It rolls up--it has a strap to hold it into a roll--and fits perfectly lengthwise into my 28" suitcase. To that I add 4 pieces of memory foam cut to the size of the suitcase and put those on top when it's completely packed. Neither adds much to the weight, but I'm always prepared to cover the sleeping area of a full/queen bed for me & my DH. It makes all the difference in the world to me. Amazon.com : Milliard Memory Foam Pack N Play Mattress Topper (2 inch) : Baby

I always rely on http://www.cruisedeckplans.com to choose rooms. Membership is $15 for several years--3 or 5, I forget--and with membership you can access photos posted by members. We've taken offers for several free inside rooms and been able to book our preferred room. Haven't hit a dud yet.

I follow a guy on Youtube who cruises to create content and he has an awful time--across many cruise lines--when it comes to getting consistent wifi. It depends on so many variables. He often has to wait until the ship is docked to finally post. Personally, I wouldn't depend on it for necessary work product.

Oh, believe you me, a year later and THEY ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS anymore. As of now, you're pretty much on your own. You'll pay for EVERYTHING, including cough meds, pain meds, etc., and that is ALL you'll be offered--no anitvirals, no antibodies. You may be able to get Paxlovid--at over $500/Rx. You will get a daily phone call to see if you have a fever anymore. You will get tested ONCE. If you are <5 days in quarantine at disembarkation, they'll likely arrange transport at the pier to a hotel that YOU will pay for and then have to beg for reimbursement from YOUR insurance. YOU will have to make your arrangements to return home and deal with the financial consequences and efforts to get reimbursement from YOUR insurance. If you want cruise credits for days missed, YOU will have to beg for those. YES, people are testing & treating & not isolating & not reporting because of some of the above---because the cruise lines are no longer doing anything but isolating them. In our case, I had to fight to go into isolation with my DH because I wasn't YET positive. We were well equipped to handle it on our own the right way. We would have stayed in the room & ordered room service. MANY WON'T DO THAT. Many aren't doing that. Now that testing/mask/vax/land quarantine mandates have dropped, IT WILL GET WORSE.

My "Covid Kit" is in a clear zippered bag. It contains 10 tests, pulse oximeter, thermometer, sore throat drops, a DM cough suppressant, pain killers, cough drops, nose drops, & antihistamine. We were also able to get an Rx for Paxlovid and [thankfully], had it with us on our cruise in Aug. when we got Covid. I advise against using a menthol or lemon flavored cough drop when taking Paxlovid. It amplified the metallic taste and made it so much worse. I found that having a sweet candy, like a LifeSaver, helped a lot. We also carry 7 days of our extra Rx meds.

Our big splurge as seniors is to pay $160/mo. for a "direct primary care physician"--a doc who has no affiliation with an insurance company or hospital network. It's like having a good, old fashioned, MD. She has a small general practice, can prescribes & fills meds, does blood work, etc. for that fee. We pay about 10% over wholesale for basic cholesterol, thyroid, & HBP meds. We can see her as often as we need/want to for that fee. She manages our basic cares and refers us to specialists, should we need them. Because she's not beholding to anyone, she does what SHE feels is best for her patients. No one is telling her what she can't do. It's made a huge difference in our care. No 10-20 mins. with a doc who has 5 rooms with patients waiting, a facility fee, an insurance company telling him what he can & cannot do, etc. I LOVE IT. It's the best $160/mo that we spend--the cost of 3 dinners out or 1 seat for a great show. We have Medicare & we can still get any other care that we require. They're not available everywhere, but I think very worth it if you can find one.

I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I hope that you're both doing well & fully recovered. When we were going on the Zaandam in mid-August, we had our PCP do our pre-cruise tests. I requested scrips for Paxlovid, as we both have conditions that warrant taking it. She didn't think it would be necessary, but gave them to us anyway. We had them filled at Costco for $0 [we have Medicare]. I took a "Covid Kit" with us that included the Paxlovid, 10 tests, thermometer, pulse oximeter, dextromethorphan cough med, sore throat drops, pain meds, antihistamines, nose drops, & cough drops. Lo and behold, we got Covid on day 9 of a 14 day cruise. Started the Paxlovid immediately. Yes, the metallic taste was awful, but our symptoms remained very, very minimal. My DH is very prone to hideous chest congestion & pneumonias, and it was great that although he had a wet cough, it wasn't constant or very strong. We completed our 5 day isolation and flew home masked in N95s. I had a negative rapid test the next day. DH took 14+ days to go negative. I WON'T cruise again without a filled Rx for Paxlovid--even though I'll have travel insurance--simply because I don't think that all ships will have it on hand. It certainly was never offered to us by Zaandam medical--and no, they didn't know that we had it or that we took it. On our next MD visit, we'll be getting kidney function test, just in case we're away from home & would need an Rx filled out of our regular area.

I'm going through this right now...and I'm NOT happy with HAL. My TA canceled an October cruise on August 30 using the Platinum Protection Plan we'd purchased. I was told 10 -14 days for the refund. I waited 21 days--yesterday-- before re-submitting the claim myself using the email provided on the HAL website. Only that re-submission seemed to get them moving. I got an email this morning telling me that I should have the refund "by the end of the month"--a magical 10 days away. I tried faxing the info too, BUT THE FAX # DOESN'T WORK. In this day & age, there's no reason for ANY refund to take 10-14 days, let alone the 30 DAYS that I'm experiencing. These companies turn customers into dunning harpies just so we can get what we're owed and there's no reason for that. It just infuriates me. Press a button. Refund $. Easy peasy.

We sailed on the Zaandam 3 weeks ago. Internet was fine, but I wouldn't rely on it to do real business. TV was a disaster. We were on the East Coast & the St. Lawrence, so the TV thing never made sense to me.

We were in the Galapagos on a small ship--75 to 100 passengers--and the seas were like glass. One woman wore a patch 24/7 [NOT recommended] and about 3 days in she started acting strangely. We went on a hike one morning and she suddenly sat down in the sand and seemed to be actively hallucinating. My DH is an MD/anesthesiologist and he told her husband that they'd better remove the patch immediately because she seemed to be having scopolamine toxicity. Problems compound when alcohol is involved, too...

Yep. Lowest deck, midship w/ the room type you want. I also recommend generic meclizine over brand name Bonine--much cheaper. I'm very sensitive to meds, so I bought children's dosing [12.5mg vs. 25mg adult dose] and I find that it's perfect. I can take half a pill "just in case" and then another half if the seas kick up. You can also get chewables in adult 25mg. It's a preventative, not a curative, so it needs to be taken in advance of any motion illness. https://www.amazon.com/Meclizine-Hcl-12-5-Milligrams-Cplts/dp/B00P03F1LU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3FFHMMRPZCE13&keywords=rugby+meclizine+12.5mg&qid=1662159165&s=hpc&sprefix=rugby+meclizine+12.%2Chpc%2C120&sr=1-3 I tried the scopolamine patches and I couldn't take the side effects--or the price.

Sadly, no, I don't know if they were infected. They were 2 from a family of 6....including 2 teen daughters, one of whom seemed extremely tired and curled up sleeping most of the time on the bus--my husband's primary initial symptom was extreme fatigue. I won't lie, it makes me wonder if she was infectious at the time.... Let's face it, the prospect of onboard and portside quarantine is a bit scary. We honestly debated self-quarantine without reporting it when we tested ourselves & my DH was +. We had exactly 5 days left on the cruise. We knew that per US policy, we could disembark, wear masks, and head home. We had medication, more tests, a pulse oximeter, and Paxlovid--probably the only people on the ship with such an extensive "Covid Kit" just in case. BUT, we also knew that wasn't the right thing to do [we were probably pollyanna-ish in thinking that the ship might do some tracing & notification of close contacts.....like a bus full of people...haha]. We also figured that days of in room dining would trigger a call or visit from someone and we weren't going to lie about the circumstance. I guarantee you that there were people on the ship doing just that--having no tests themselves, attributing their illness to allergies or cold, and going about their business because....if it's not confirmed then they don't have it. This is what we've come to and it's pretty sad.

This ^^^^^^^ is what I find so terribly unacceptable. This ^^^^^^^ is why--if, and when, we cruise again during Covid that is "surging" [and I doubt that]--we will not embark or debark in Canada, or any other country that requires >5 days of quarantine. Please keep us posted on how the charges for your quarantine are handled--by HAL, by travel insurance [thru HAL or other], etc. I hope your wife had/has an uneventful recovery.

This is exactly what we did and I'm extremely grateful for having done so.

We just did the same on the Zaandam. The cabin was assigned 2-3 wks. before embarkation and we were kept in the same room. It was exactly what we'd have chosen. We did make it clear when booking that we didn't want to do the cruise unless the reservations were combined and the same room retained for the 14 days. Person at HAL taking our reservation looked at both trips and said that she anticipated no problem.

Our rapid tests--proctored by our MD--were rejected. We just got into line with our printed, negative results and were waved into the check in line. Verifly is a joke as an app. I don't think it's worth the worry and the effort. I told the shore staff this same thing.

Yes, boosters are wonderful things. I believe that having had the 2 available to us led to "mild" infections. That said, boosters don't prevent you from being infected. They merely make it less likely to develop severe disease or death. If the cruise lines continue to drop vaccine requirements......well, they'll have to deal with even sicker cruisers--and after our experience, it's clear that they're in no way prepared to do that.

Well, thank you for your very thoughtful comment. You hear my sarcasm, don't you? I did a ton of research. I know how Covid SHOULD have been handled--and has been handled on other ships. It was handled POORLY in our case because there is NO consistency between ships/cruise lines, etc. I don't think that consistency is too much to ask at this point. Feel free to ignore any of my future posts.

Docs vary a lot on this issue. Even though it's technically free, it's ideally to be dispensed to people with an active infection. I'm sure the government doesn't really want people to have it "just in case", but we were uncomfortable traveling to Canada, on a ship, without it, and with no way to get it. I'm very thankful that I nudged our PCP, believe me. We are confident that we got infected on a shore excursion. We were on a bus all day--about 35 people--where only 10 of us wore masks. It was a wet, rainy day. Air circulation was poor. The servers at lunch were not masked and for the first time, we were forced to have 2 table mates [neither wearing masks]. We went to an historic home that was packed to the gills--again, poor air circulation, many unmasked "strangers" passing through rooms--and then to an overcrowded creamery where we had to stand in a long line for ice cream with more "strangers". When not eating ice cream--which we did outside--we remained masked. We've since canceled 2 cruises that originate & terminate in Canada because of their 10 day quarantine should we be infected again. When we cruise again, we'll embark & debark in the US and we won't go on any excursion that requires an enclosed bus, a common lunch where we have to sit with others [especially inside], or a venue that is small/tight that will be crowded with other tourists. We did everything the way we should have, short of not going on the cruise at all and/or not going on any shore excursions with others. We masked everywhere, including public restrooms, ate outside, used the stairs most of the time, etc. It's a real crapshoot with the super infectious circulating variants, & we lost this round--and it's infuriating at this point, 2.5 yrs. into this cluster.