rebeccatp

Yep, same for us on our March Getaway cruise, except we get Nassau instead of Bermuda and 2 days in Orlando. Final payment was due yesterday, then they announced the change today. Not at all happy about it.

We have done 3 cruises in the past 9 months. No issues in Sept or Nov 2021. But last month, both my husband and I tested positive for COVID the day after we got off the ship. My parents had a similar experience, no issues last fall, but in April they both think they caught COVID on their cruise (but didn't test). But it hasn't stopped any of us from booking several additional cruises.

Yeah, $73 for our May 14 sailing on Explorer. Over $1300 total for 8 days, including gratuity. They are calling that a buy one get one half off deal. Since we only just booked the cruise, we didn't have the option of taking advantage of any earlier deals (if any). I think we will skip prepaying for the package and see what they are offering it at when we get on board. Then we will make a decision whether or not it makes sense for us.

12 minutes ago, GEORGIEGIRL said:

They were doing "Art" auctions on the "Allure" last week. I didn't attend (not my thing). However, I did hear someone complaining that there wasn't any Champagne being offered. Not sure if that's true or not, but what I heard.

This is true. Park West was holding art auctions on my cruises on Freedom in Sept and Allure in Nov 2021, and on neither were they "allowed" to offer free champagne. It was unclear where the rule came from, so not sure if it's happening on other cruise lines.

Interesting... We are booked on the Allure Nov 27. Last week they dropped St. Kitts & Nevis from our itinerary, but still going to St. Thomas (as of now). 

In my experience, when I have cancelled cruise planner purchases myself, I received the refund quickly. But, I am waiting on 3 refunds totaling almost $3k from Cruise Planner purchases on cruises that were canceled on July 26 and Aug 20. I emailed almost a month ago asking for a status. Yesterday finally got a response saying that because I booked through TA they cannot speak to me about any financial details. Even though I made all Cruise Planner purchases myself on Royal's website, paying them directly with my credit card. It's extremely frustrating. I have already replaced the cancelled cruises with new ones and made additional Cruise Planner purchases.

Yeah, we also received check in reminders 2-3 weeks ago. I was also confused, as our next cruise with NCL isn't until April 2022. Then I realized that it must be for the cancelled cruise we were going to be on later this month. It's too bad they haven't deactivated the check in reminders on cancelled cruises. Hope your upcoming cruises aren't cancelled. I have doubts on some of what we have booked. 

On 7/14/2021 at 12:44 AM, tallnthensome said:

We did the Bliss full transit a couple years ago and it was spectacular. There is great viewing all around the ship. The locks themselves, to me, is a slow boring process. The canal itself is beautiful. We had thermal spa passes and sat in the heated stone loungers in in the spa which face directly aft for spectacular and most comfortable viewing of the canal transit. I wouldn't want to to take any other ship through the canal than the Bliss. Perfect combo .....

We did the same. Watched some from our balcony, some on the in room tv, but most from the heated loungers in the thermal spa on the Bliss, giving us the perfect aft view. We had originally booked the Haven on that cruise, but downgraded ourselves to Spa Balcony at final payment (after having spent way too much on our wedding). For us, it was great. We did tour the Haven with some guests who we made friends with and were staying there. Looked nice, if that's the vibe you're going for. Maybe we'll give the Haven a try one of these days.

Another vote for EZ Cruise. Used them many times and they have always been great!

If you’re currently a Platinum, Gold or Silver Castaway Club member, take advantage of the opportunity to book our new UK staycation sailings before they go on sale to the general public on 19th April 2021. Book by phone during a designated window.
 

When to Book

• 14th April 2021: Platinum Members (By Phone Only)
• 15th April 2021: Platinum and Gold Members (By Phone Only)
• 16th April 2021: Platinum, Gold and Silver Members (By Phone Only)
• 19th April 2021: All Guests (By Phone and Online)

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/featured/advance-booking-uk-staycations/

On 4/1/2021 at 2:44 PM, alistairg said:

Does anyone know when these go on sale? They just say April on the website and I want to compare the prices to MSC.

From their website:

When to Book

• 14th April 2021: Platinum Members (By Phone Only)
• 15th April 2021: Platinum and Gold Members (By Phone Only)
• 16th April 2021: Platinum, Gold and Silver Members (By Phone Only)
• 19th April 2021: All Guests (By Phone and Online)

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/featured/advance-booking-uk-staycations/

My husband and I stayed in 15274 and didn't have any issues with noise. Plus we loved taking full advantage of the spa!

We have already applied all our FCC's to future cruises. Currently we have 4 booked. I was feeling pretty confident about 3 of the 4 sailing, but with NCL cancelling Star through March 2021, I am no longer as confident on our July 2021 cruise. If we have any more affected by cancellations, I am not sure if we will rebook again before the cruise lines get back up and running. But, then again, I like having something booked to look forward to, even when I know there are no guarantees we will be able to sail as booked.

We actually took a cruise to nowhere several years ago, but not on purpose. The fog had delayed the previous cruise from coming in by a day and a half, so a 5 day cruise was reduced to 3. We were told before boarding that we would not be stopping in any ports, and were given the option to cancel for a full refund and FCC. My mom and I decided to go anyway, and we enjoyed it. The ship just did circles in the Gulf of Mexico.

My husband and I have talked about booking a cheap cruise, on an itinerary we have already done, and not get off the ship, once cruising restarts. So no ports would be no problem for us. BUT, my concern is what will cruising be like when it resumes? Will it still be as enjoyable with masks and social distancing and any other changes that will be in place? For now, we are just waiting to see what happens. 

Thanks for the information. We’re looking into exchanging our USD here, so we don’t have to spend time doing it in the port in Cuba.

You won't be able to exchange money outside of Cuba, so definitely try to get off the ship as early as possible. We ended up missing our morning walking tour because we misjudged the amount of time it would take to get through customs and exchange our money. At least it was a free tour anyway, so no big deal. Instead, we took a classic car tour in the morning, and a night life walking tour in the evening. I was advised to check "Support the Cuban People", as we did not book any excursions through NCL.