SeaMatesNYC

12 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

If you are referring to the paint on the sheep, it was done on purpose to identify the owner.

Also to identify when a ram has “done its duty” according to a Lerwick tour last month. 

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

It's very easy to move a reservation booking agent within 60 days of the initial booking. One page, no more than 5 lines to fill out just like was stated above. It really couldn't be simpler. 

 

You can transfer booking agents outside of 60 days of the initial booking but that process requires documentation. I did this one time as I had ample documentation showing the TA to be pretty much incompetent. 

 

Personally, I would never move a booking to HAL as I am a firm believer in using an agent for the substantial perks they offer, but some prefer to deal directly with HAL and that's ok too :). 

 

 

Lastly, it’s the same form used to move from HAL to a TA or from one TA to another. 

20 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

It's not easy ...

It can take a week to 10 days, but it is one single-page form with basic info that’s emailed to HAL. That’s it. They do the rest (contact TA etc).  Easy if you meet the requirements. But does not happen overnight and TA can drag feet (for up to 72 hours).  

Fill out the booking transfer form.  Send to HAL (email is on the form). Wait. If you are within 60 days of initial booking and not fully paid, TA cannot stop it. You will lose any goodies coming from TA. Why you want to do this is your business. Ignore the clamoring naysayers. 

1 hour ago, drowelf said:

Was confused by this too. The navigator shows all 7 nights as casual, but my final docs state that we have 2 formal nights. I expect them to be the 2nd and 6th, as those are both days we are not in a port (Inside Passage on the 2nd and Glacier or Hubbard) on the 6th. So we will see. 

 

Now the real question will be, are they serving anything in the Dining Room that makes it worth it to spend the 2 hours it generally takes for dinner. Over the years we have gravitated to the Lido, as we just don't want to sit through a 90-120 minute dinner. 

Ask to be expedited. We’ve been in and out for dinner in 45 minutes. I’ve watched tables move on in less. Just ask. 

16 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

So if one has HIA and they don’t want to keep the glass, is it served in a different glass, or is the glass just returned like normal?

Cannot get it without the glass. With SBP the charge will be $3.83. Even if you already got one, you must buy the glass every time. Not very enviro friendly if you have no use for the glass. Collect the set!  There are several, we got three different ones. Maybe your experience will differ and they will ease up on multiple buyers re: the glass. I hope so. 

19 minutes ago, POA1 said:

You get email confirmations, so there is a paper trail

Yes, but word to the wise, check your reservations once you board for the first couple days to prevent what happened to us which was some reservationist bumping us from a prime spot to a garbage date and time (last night at 8:30pm).  

When making reservations with your HIA dining credits, look for the HIA credit redemption button (or toggle) for one or more diners as you proceed through the reservation steps. I don’t have any credits available to me right now on bookings with open speciality dining, so I can’t screen shot the steps for you, but if you pay attention as you go through reservation, you will see the option to use your credit(s).  

1 hour ago, ChinaShrek said:

All dinner reservations made in advance of a cruise should be checked in person once you are on the cruise. Not only can there be internet glitches but they may change things to accommodate groups. 

You are so correct. Two cruises ago my Rudi’s reservation went from Sea day prime spot to last day at 8:30 as someone bumped me AFTER boarding. After much discussion Maitre ‘D staff was able to return to original date time, but not before being offered “5:30 or 8:30”. Always keep an eye on your reservations lest games are played and your slots given to other priority passengers. 

On 6/6/2024 at 9:42 PM, QuattroRomeo said:

Went to the comedian show last night, Johnny Cardinale. The first half was cliche Italian jokes,

Less offensive than “old people and cruise ship” routines??  I really wish they would replace all these comedians with pianists or even floutists (thinking of Paul Steppien).

If you can produce a statement with you named as beneficial owner then you should be fine. Although you may not be within the window for making a specific cruise OBC request, you can get the stock perks account set up and see how it reacts to your statement. Of course if the cruise is way, way out, you could be asked to re-verify, but you sound familiar with that process per your post above. Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy your PS!

On 5/21/2024 at 4:29 AM, julia said:

Frankly, I would not book a Vista at any price... I do NOT prefer the bed near the balcony, with the sitting area enclosed from the ocean view. No. Nope. Not for me.

Of course it is a matter of personal preference. For us, the early or late sleeper is less disturbed by the other moving about from desk to bathroom, closet and exit door. When we want to watch the ocean, we move onto the veranda or pull the chair over in front of the glass door if the temps or wind are too much. It’s great that there is variety to meet lots of needs/wants. 

Generally the premium is nowhere near the percentage you are seeing, which is artificial given your voyage choice and the likely inventory remaining in the two categories. We have found Vistas for $20 pppd over veranda. A veranda guarantee can easily yield an obstructed view while it would not for a Vista. The layout of the Vista we find much more appealing on Pinnacles than the Veranda (arrangement of sitting and desk closer to entry door rather than bed). More storage too. The extra space, although small, feels large in context. Plus the benefits of location noted above. 

I guess since she’s early, the shoreside staff are finishing up coffee and cake?

3 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Bahamas 😉

I see now. Some research showed me that this is St George cross (knew that) and this configuration is the Bahamian civil ensign, flown by privately owned boats at sea. As always, I learn something new when you are around, sir. Thank you. 

Looks like Bahamas sitting in Denmark. 

22 hours ago, dockman said:

As far as i can recall u can order  drink off the app to be delivered to you on an outside deck....never tried to order to my room so don't know and don't care as i prefer to sit on outside deck somewhere but not sit in a bar

Are you sure?  This sounds like Princess with that Medallion thingy. Never seen this on HAL, but hey, I don’t order alcohol any more😆. I would like it if I could summon a Heineken 0.0 when there are no beverage servers around. This would make a wonderful cruise questionnaire suggestion, but with the HAL IT that can’t properly run a website, I’m not so sure…🤪

3 hours ago, SusiejaneUK said:

If you book an OV or even an Inside cabin, are the accommodations on the land tour part of the trip, correspondingly less attractive ?

If your land includes Denali (and perhaps at other stops) you will be offered a room upgrade option. I assume it is offered to all cruise cabin categories. 

I think confirming with Ships Services is a great idea. And then snapshot a picture of the purchase you choose to make and be sure the bottle size shows and take this with you on the cruise. Ask for a price adjustment if they pull some other trick at product delivery. 

16 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

$6.99.

But is it $25 on the ship??

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

 

But back to the OP’s original question…why the inconsistency?

 

Wish I was cruising and could ask the Food & Beverage department for the answer.

My most recent cruise in April, it was slip every time.  But where there is not a check presented, it is possibly 1) forgetfulness, 2) inattentiveness, 3) opposition, 4) or some other answer(s), none of which we can know the answer to even were the F&B department (manager?) available to answer.  The poster above reports that they were told by a bartender that it is bar manager's discretion whether to present slips to pax for signature, which seems a reasonable reply,  

The more interesting question for me, which you brought us to in post #4 above (and has been the topic of discussion for the remainder of the thread), is signing versus not signing, when a slip is presented along with a pen.  This we each can answer for ourselves with our own reasons, as opposed to guessing (as I was doing ad nauseam in post 18 above, that being the point; there are as many reasons why the slip is given and why maybe it's not as our creative imaginations can come up with, none of which may be true).

For me, I am now ready to sign off on this thread. Bon voyage and sign your chits! 😉

10 hours ago, DFWGUYZ said:

It's so you can add an additional tip...and we do...

That’s a good theory. And in fact one can do so. One can also put one larger tip on a check near the voyage end. Another theory is that the accountants want it. A third is to provide proof when someone reaches 15 drinks. A fourth is that there is no function on POS terminal to omit the printed receipt and bartenders/servers are just in the habit of presenting the check. I’ve seen many people waste their breath and vacation time arguing with staff about why they need not sign. Good entertainment on a slow day on a barstool. 

26 minutes ago, Skicruiser55 said:

Figured that was the case and the trade for a bottle of wine won’t be much better - thanks 

And the non sparkling wine won’t clear potential bathroom sink drain clogs (I’ll get me coat…)

4 minutes ago, cccole said:

0106, I'm with you on minimizing our footprint on the world and support your post #7.  But if there is already a paper charge slip but you will not sign...how does this stop the charge slip from being printed?  It won't be signed and the bar tenders deal with it but it does not eliminate the paper printed.  Hopefully HAL will figure this out.  Cherie  

Tap to pay from Navigator would be great! With signed slips as a backup. 

1 minute ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Lisa, I don’t ever remember having star status printed on the luggage tag.

It’s on the boarding pass.