localady

I have noticed a serious decline in the Cruise Industry ever since the Beatles broke up.

 

It's all Yoko Ono's fault.

It's always the woman's fault! ;) :eek:

One of the reasons DH and I prefer either dining with friends or dining alone for set dining on HAL is because we have been stuck with whining table mates before.

I am not saying that HAL is the same line it was 10 or 20 years ago, but sometimes a trip can be ruined by listening to repeated remarks about falling quality.

We so often hear from 2 cruisers on the same ship and their varying experiences and satisfaction. We try to judge a cruise on our own experience and try not to let others affect our trips in a negative fashion.

Your pictures and descriptions just whet my appetite even further for our impending trip..... ;):D

Thank you for taking the time to post such skillful images!!:D:D:D

What do you see as the difference between the two?

Isn't a Meet & Greet just a get-together by another name?

During our last TA a group of CCer's met just about nightly to enjoy the 2 for 1 happy hour. It actually was so enjoyable to see who would be joining the party, as each night brought a different mix of CCer's. We had a huge roll call, the nightly group was far fewer, yet all were welcome. :D

Sounds like a good plan. :)

 

Happy you added a 'porch'. I love expressing it that way.

Enjoy it. Good idea to have a nice place to breath clean, sea air.

Hope you have a great cruise. :)

 

Thanks Sails, we intend to spend many hours enjoying the scenery from the porch, rain or shine! Love, love, love the clean sea air! :D

HAL is not responsible for a flu outbreak and has no requirement to refund cruisers' fares should they choose to cancel their cruise.. HAL did the responsible thing by notifying (most) cruisers who could be impacted and other than keeping a clean ship, which they always do, what more should be expected of them?

 

I don't believe that HAL needs to refund our fare. It's up to us to make our choices on how we handle the issue.

We have no plans to cancel. We are going to be more proactive. We added a "porch" onto our cabin and have elected to move to a veranda. Yes it's a costly "porch", but I figured that a bit more fresh air vs. entirely recycled air might be prudent for our situation at this time.

I am sure there is no one answer, other than wash the hands, wash the hands, wash the hands! Oh and cover your sneeze/cough if you have one...:rolleyes:

**Notation - I am not a stalker, haha.** :p

 

 

You can give you local County Health & Human Services a call as well. If nothing else, they may be able to assist in one of the county wellness clinics. You can also go private/for profit as well. It looks like http://flushot.healthmap.org/ has two locations in your county that offer them. And here's teh info for the wellness clinics (Copy and Paste below):

 

Placer County holds regular clinics at two convenient locations in the county. A wide range of child and adult immunizations are available, including flu vaccines. Travel immunizations are available by appointment only.

 

Auburn

Medical Clinic, Auburn Annex

11584 B Avenue

Auburn, CA 95603

 

Phone: 530-889-7172

 

Hours of Operation: Immunizations are held on Fridays from 8:00am- 11:30am. No appointment necessary.

Travel Immunizations are by appointment only. Please call clinic to make an appointment.

Hours are subject to change, please call for schedule.

 

Tahoe area

Tahoe Area Medical Clinic

8665 Salmon Avenue

Kings Beach, CA 96143

 

Phone: 530-546-1970

 

Hours of Operation: Immunizations are held on Fridays from 8:00am- 11:30am AND 1:00pm- 3:30pm. No appointment necessary.

Travel Immunizations are by appointment only. Please call to make an appointment.

Hours are subject to change, please call for schedule.

Thank you for the *detailed* information. Will wait on feedback from our GP.

Our Walgreens gives flu shots year round, I don't know if that would help.

Thanks Melodie! I will check with them, I checked our local Rite Aid and was told late August/early September.

Problem is that flu shots aren't even available in this area until Late August/ Early September. I have sent a note to my GP to see what he suggests.

DH has immune system issues, which makes this a concern to me.

This is a new one to me - note this is not in reference to Norovirus but to respiratory illness - and no offer to let us out of our cruise contract - we received the following notification (a pdf from HAL) from our TA that was sent to her today from HAL to share with us.

 

To what end are they sharing this if there is no offer to cancel our booking?

Has anyone seen something like this before?

 

We are booked to sail the Amsterdam 7 day Alaska round trip Seattle on July 13.

 

Statement Date: Embark Date: Ship::

Jun 27, 2014 Jul 13, 2014 Amsterdam

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION:

Voyage: From Port: To Port:

Ships' Registry: The Netherlands

Page 1 of 2

The Alaskan Public Health Service has notified us of higher than normal summer influenza activity in Alaska. They recommend taking the usual precautions against flu such as covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, washing hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Also obtaining flu vaccination and early reporting of respiratory illness to a

health provider are encouraged. Certain persons are at higher risk of complications. Please visit the following webpage for more information: http://www.epi.alaska.gov/id/influenza/fluinfo.htm.

We recommend if you have any questions or concerns to contact your personal physician.

Wow. I suspect regulatory compliance caused them to send out this notice. DH and I have had flu shots, though they were last fall. Not sure they are even effective this late.

Thanks for advising us of the notice.

Hope you are feeling better really soon Kazu!

Trying to figure out where I said "you" actually live in the boonies, but from your reply I'm sure the area in which you live is very, very nice and cosmopolitan.

 

I used to be a TA and as one had no problem at all with someone coming in just wanting a brochure. I'd staple my card to it and ask them to give me a call if they would like to use me as their travel planner.

 

All that said, if anyone is wanting an HAL (or any other cruise line) brochure and is having problems getting one, just stop by a travel agent and ask!

Respectfully, I'd have no problem requested a brochure from any travel agent.

But this is a bit more than a brochure. The Cruise Atlas last year weighed in at appx. 213 pages and is more like a novel than a brochure.

Knowing I would in all likelihood not use that TA to book, I would be more reluctant to request a copy.

But then again, I have always been an strange duck! ;)

Wouldn't it be nice, that as a part of the Mariner program, Cruise Atlas's were sent to 5 Star and even 4 Star Mariners?

It's brilliant marketing, as many of those Mariners are already committed to the product, and are generally looking for the more unusual itineraries, being that many have done the standard itineraries and seek the more exotic, longer cruises.

One can dream! :cool:

One could just assume the negative angle on this one and start shouting "CUTBACK".

But we all know that anagram of the word "Assume".

Although it is hard to understand how a dish made primarily with leftover stale bread )that is normally thrown away) could be part of a cutback program.

 

Or one could ask the staff and find out that the US Public Health Service is cracking down on any buffet food items that are not located behind / under the required sneeze guards.

Leaving an uncovered chafing dish on a buffet counter for self service is no longer allowed.

Several cruise ships recently lost points on USPH inspections for this very reason.

Gosh, I wish I was a gambling woman! ;)

Thanks for confirming what I suspected, HAL was complying with new and improved health regulations.

I'd bet it was health inspectors/regulations or a concern to keep Noro at bay that lead to the decision to keep it behind glass if I was a gambling woman. :cool:

I too feel better knowing that it is being dished by someone who is presumably trained in correct food handling techniques! :D ;)

Unfortunately, I suspect that this is pretty much a "done deal" in the future. HAL has been keeping track of our room service usage for years, I have seen it on some of the printouts of our charges with a "zero" next to them. It's another revenue stream too tempting not to tap. :D

We will complain and push back, but in the end, the majority of us will accept the charge, still enjoy our breakfast on the balcony or late night snacks. Many of us will also continue to tip because I can't imagine not tipping after all of these years......;)

I think I can answer a bit about this, the problem with using a Future Cruise Deposit really depends more on the cruise line rather than the Insurance (although it really is just Travel Guard that is in question)...Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are really the only problem in this situation. When you purchase their Future Cruise Deposit they issue a reservation number at that time and state that is when the cruise is booked. The cruise purchased date will always be the date you purchased the Future Cruise deposit no matter how often you change to a different voyage. RCI and Celebrity basically lock it in that if you want cruise insurance you will need to either book their cruise insurance by final and or immediately purchase insurance such as Travel Guard. It is true of the major travel insurance companies Travel Guard is pretty much the only one that has the pre-existing clause that insurance be purchased within 15 days of the deposit. Now in the case of HAL and NCL and Princesses those future cruise deposits are just monies/credit sitting on your past passenger number with no reservation so when you actually make your reservation and purchase Travel Guard then it must be purchased within 15 days. It actually shows on the reservation the date that deposit was applied so does not hurt you in anyway like RCI and Celebrity. There are also travel insurance companies like like Allianz that cover pre-existing as long as you purchase prior to final payment.

For Holland America, Travel Guard when filing a claim goes by the date cruise was booked and the date it shows the Future Cruise Deposit was applied. Which is the date the cruise was actually purchased.

Thanks very much for the clarification! :D

Just spoke to my TA, who is very knowledgeable on these matters. ;)

She assures me that we are going to be fine, that our policy should still cover us if the need arises.

Now I can breathe a bit easier but will be mindful of this issue in the future.:rolleyes:

Thanks Sails for bringing this to our attention! :cool:

Wow !!!

To consider the day you bought a FCC the day you booked your voyage for pre-existing conditions coverage on your travel policy is insane on the part of the travel insurance companies! It's a very lucrative loophole for them, and a costly loophole for the rest of us. :mad:

I will have to look at my policy for the upcoming cruise, but darn, it just gives me something else to fret about. :o Of course we booked with FCC's. I pray it doesn't void the pre-existing condition clause. It is hard enough to travel when dealing with long-term illnesses, this just makes it harder..... :o :o

Thank you for bringing this to our attention Sails, I would be totally floored to have pre-existing coverage denied based on the use of an FCC. Frankly, it's the best reason I have heard to not purchase another FCC.

I sure enjoyed the Zaandam for the 3 weeks we were aboard her last year. :D

So glad your trip was just as stellar and that the weather was so exceptional!

Nothing like coming back from Alaska with a tan! ;):D

So enjoyed being a passenger in your travels.:D

Your writing and attitude are so refreshing, you traveled to several of my favorite ports. Appreciate you taking the time and money to do so.

Safe travels home and thanks for taking us along!

Fantastic review, looking forward to future installments! :D :D

We are heading to Alaska in an OV after having cruised there with a balcony numerous times. The difference in price on the Amsterdam was $100 per day per person, or $200 per cabin per day, a total of $1400 for the week. For us, that saving is almost the cost for one of us on another cruise we are seriously eyeing for next winter. :eek: ;)

We love Alaska, and are thrilled to be returning once again. An OV on the main deck (on an S or R class ship) works well for us. Last year we found that we actually could afford to do a 2 week cruise (Vancouver to Seward and back) in an OV for the price of 1 week cruise with a balcony, we chose the extra days and experiences.

I think having a balcony is nice, but not mandatory. A cruise day in Alaska will be a treat for you either way.

So glad to hear that they were able to retrieve the hard drive. :) I assume you had numerous pictures of your travels on it and I can only imagine that having it located and returned is truly priceless!!

Please add:

Localady & DH- Aug.10, 2014 Amsterdam 7 day Alaska

Thanks!!