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If a change is made on the fly, would a cruise line let you modify your booking? For example if there is a segment that ends in CapeTown or another port (that would have proceeded to the Red Sea area), would you be able to terminate the cruise at that point (and get a credit or refund)? Perhaps you don't want to stay on board to go around Africa, and miss some ports because of the longer Africa travel? Also, incurring many more sea days perhaps. Anyone have any insights?

Do you have any idea if Visa/ Mastercard debit cards are also treated the same - no refund? That would be the Visa/MC cards you see at Staples, grocery stores, CVS, etc. and are frequently given as gifts. Would insurance companies reimburse those payments? TIA

can you point me to the discussion of refunds (or non refunds) regarding gift cards? TIA

Can you post a picture of the magnet and dowel setup you refer to? Thank you

On the Volendam I had a cabin at the rear elevator 1917 - perfect and no noise. Volendam is a smaller ship and it was a Grand Voyage probably = older people + longer cruise. I never hear anyone even talking. It may be different for larger ships, shorter itineraries that appeal to younger people, and other elevator locations.

From a journal book to nothing at all?

I was also surprised. I booked while on board the Volendam on a Tuesday I think, got the confirmation email on Wed and cancellation email on Thursday. Since arriving home I think I saw the itinerary for 2025 but not sure. I've seen something different for now. I especially liked that that trip was in a circle - meaning you weren't backtracking to FLL 2 times for the 3 weeks (like 3 b2b cruises) 😞

I haven't done a WC previously as itineraries didn't interest me. Now I see one that looks interesting. My questions - for anyone booking a 'guarantee cabin', is there usually something better/upgrade? For example from inside to obstructed? Or are the outside cabins totally booked, so that if you do a guarantee inside, you will only get a guarantee inside? Should I be only booking a cabin level I want? I am told that HAL prevents the various companies from discounting or offering perks - is that true, or is it list price until the 90 day final payment? And out of curiosity, were there many pillow gifts on the world 2023? Everyone on my GVSA was complaining about the lack of most everything. I got on for the 2nd segment - got the journal + that's it. not much grand with all the movies instead of entertainers, and so on.

For those looking for segment info for 2025, I saw it at the bottom of the page in small print for the 124 day 2025 world. I assume similar info would be found on the page for the longer pole to pole.

I can't say for the Vista suites but my mundane deck 1 ocean view cabin did have the floor motion sensor lighting

Never saw anything in my Volendam ocean view cabin on deck 1. Grand South America in Feb/March

Volendam had pickleball in Feb/March. Ran into players frequently in the Lido after their games. Pickleball is directly above the Lido dining at least from the noise.

As for charging, it's not always paying double. It may be 40% or 60% or 70%, whatever. I don't know if there is some sort of breakdown by cruise or cabin type but it's possibly less than double. As HIA, I don't find that it pays as a solo. The price difference vs Advantage fare was $800 for one cruise. That's a lot of drinks, etc. I think I figured I would end up paying 1/2 of the 800 for my needs. But I'm not a big drinker... I would suggest following the cruise critic roll call for your cruise - and perhaps there are people who are arranging more independent tours. Join them if you are interested. Sometimes 1 spouse wants to do it but not the other so it's easier to join as a single. You may well find another solo to explore independently with. Excursions are a crap shoot - where are you and what is covered by the excursions? Is that port safe or easy to walk around? Are you with a small group vs totally solo? There will be many single women, as least in my experience. Use open seating for dinner to meet various people + go to the singles/solo luncheons + happy hours. On the Lido, you will frequently share tables with others so start talking. Find out if anyone plays cards if that's your thing. Canasta, etc. I have also made friends in the theater - sitting in the same area each time (left balcony), and chatting before a show or presentation. You'll see that many people go to the same area of the theater each time, whether the balcony or other areas, generally not the front rows in my experience. Women will be more likely to go to the culture presentations and port talks. Many bring their books, crocheting/knitting with them. Go early to get seats and you have 15 minutes to make friends.

They offered this last year for Mother's Day - directly from HAL You can also get 10% off on $100 or $500 electronic gift cards if you are an AARP member. You can purchase 5 cards per month of any denomination. I used this to pay for a good portion of the last cruise + purchased another online when I my bill was high enough for another card while onboard.

Entertainment has not recovered from pandemic. Sad list on the Grand Voyage in February/March on Volendam. Those who were on the 1st part of the cruise complained about lack of entertainment. There was 1 standing ovation during my 34 days - the guy was a mime !! Kind of says it all. And his 2nd show wasn't that great. Singers dancers seemed to only have to do 1 show each week. No scenery or costumes, just some lighting changes. Brind your Kindles! Comedian was not a joke - not many laughs. repeated himself a lot - like what should I say now? My 1st grand voyage was not so grand. Wajang played the same movie 3 days out of my 1st 12 onboard - multiple showings each day.