msmayor

My husband is a 'third', and his passport shows III after his last name while his driver's license has 3rd.  When we book a plane ticket, the system takes his suffix and runs it right into his last name like this.  Assume our last name is Smith...

Smithiii

Not even close to what our last name is.

First time it happened I called American Airlines in a panic.  They had a space for the suffix when we booked the tickets, but the system ran it right into the last name in lower case.  They said not to worry - TSA is used to seeing it and knows why its there.  Sure enough, never an issue...even traveling internationally (US to Canada).

Last time that situation happened to us we were booked in an inside on the Westerdam, and the price dropped $50pp after final payment.  I called my PCC and she apologized saying she couldn't get us the price drop, but they offered me a balcony guarantee if I was willing to pay $25pp more.  For just about $7/day I thought that was a great deal to jump from an inside to a balcony and took it.

Once I got our assignment (a deep-balcony aft on deck 5) I was more than thrilled.  We haven't been back to an inside since.

We did a 10-night Zuiderdam a couple of years ago in mid-March, not too far from Easter.  There were definitely kids on board but not nearly as many as one might see on a 7-night cruise or one of the other lines more popular with families.

I'd say there were at least two dozen or so - we ran into one group on a 'field excursion' through the ship one sea day...all very well behaved.

This past October we were on an 11-night on Eurodam and there were also children, though I don't think I ever saw more than 12-18 or so.  Also well behaved and not bothersome at all. 

Rather than worry about paying a fee, does NCL offer the opportunity to open a marker?

Currently, Charleston is only in the 60's during the day - chillier at night.  We sailed out of NY when it was 65 degrees during the day and within 15 minutes of being underway it was positively freezing on the outer decks from the wind and ship movement.

I wouldn't be looking for much in the way of shorts weather until FL.

There's no problem at all with that.

A good-size section along that side of the ship has tables for diners at the Dive-In, and we never saw any type of line at all stretching down toward the cabanas.  One or two tables was near the 'wall' of the last cabana in the line; no idea whether that affected the individuals who had booked that particular one.

We had a cabana booked for our entire 11-day last October and absolutely loved it...we had a one more toward the center of the lineup.

This situation would seem to underscore how valuable Cancel for Any Reason trip insurance can be.  This would mean that no matter what happens, if you personally are unwilling to risk overseas travel (or any travel, for that matter) based on current conditions you control the ability to cancel.

Something to think about for those who are contemplating booking today for the future, and the importance of a close read to the terms and conditions and available options of policies.

23 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

That's an important point.   If your daughter hears "disembarkation starts at 7:00" and waits til 7:00 to leave her cabin, she could find that 1. she has difficulty getting an elevator that isn't already full of people and luggage, and 2. that the line to disembark is already quite long.    We almost always self disembark as soon as it starts and it's a crapshoot.  Sometimes we go down and walk right off; other times we go down and find the line is already wrapped around the ship. 

When disembarking Serenade a couple years ago, we had an 11 am flight and opted to self-disembark.  We went to enter the line around 7am and it was already down the promenade deck around the aft...I still remember a family coming out and trying to cut the line, saying "But we have an early international flight to catch"...and I replied..."So do a lot of these people".

I like to work backwards on these things, and in a very perfect scenario, here's what the timeline might look like for this to work:

• Step off the ship at 7:00 am
• Step out of the terminal after clearing customs 7:20 am (and this only if you are in the first part of the line of people doing self-debarkation...note this means standing in line much earlier than 7:00am)
• Get into cab line and get taxi - sitting in cab pulling away by 7:30am
• 15 minutes to the airport - arrive curbside 7:45am
• Enter terminal, check bags (if needed), clear TSA screening, walk to gate - on an average day 35 minutes.  
• Arrive at boarding gate 8:20am
• Boarding flight begins 8:35am

So yes, it's possible.  But it is absolutely not guaranteed, and just because it worked for 100 people doesn't mean it's going to work for your daughter.  This would need to work like clockwork and allows very little room for error.  

Personally, I would not do it.  I've sailed three ships that arrived back to FLL late, one that had debarkation held up for medical debarks first.  The one time we did self-debarkation for what we were told was 7:00am return the first people on line were out there at 6:00am - there were a couple hundred people ahead of us by 7:00. 

I'm not willing to kill the good mojo of a week's vacation with a stress-filled morning trying to make an early flight.

Taking our first NCL cruise in December 2020 and wondering when shore excursions may start to show up on the website to review.  Also wondering if anyone knows about how far out cabanas on Great Stirrup Cay start to be available to reserve?  Thanks in advance!

Berthing space in Bermuda is limited - NCL and Celebrity generally take up most of the time available.  Ships traveling there usually stay overnight 2-3 nights, so that severely limits the number of ships that can be there on a Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun cruise.

I can't imagine the frustration I'd feel, but based on everything I've read...if you booked with a TA, isn't that where HAL should have reached out?  Much like the fact that upgrade offers come through your TA (if you booked that way), wouldn't this information about the cancellation and re-booking also go first to your TA, and not to you directly?

As the PP said, you should call and ask...but it is likely that the reimbursement will be based on the $399 fare.  You will be required to provide receipts, and if he is listed as the #3 or #4 person on the booking, then the reimbursement may be based on the rate paid for that person.

Insurance is designed to make you whole, not provide more than you would have paid had your son not been booked at all.

A world cruise blog by Bill and MaryAnn is a wonderful post-holiday gift to us all...thank you for continuing to share your travels.  It makes me excited about the possibilities to come once my husband and I have the time to experience longer cruises to more exotic locations.

Happy sailing!!

Thank you for taking precious time out of your vacation to share your adventures with us!  Looking forward to 'sailing along' with all the World Cruisers!!

Bon voyage!!

Already bookmarked, along with all the other World Cruiser's blogs...I love reading them and learning about your adventures!  Distracts me from the cold gray skies outside my windows.

Happy sailing to all!!

We did a re-positioning cruise on Celebrity in 2018 in October...just six nights from Cape Liberty in NJ to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We live in NJ so just an uber ride to the port.

Three sea days then stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and then debark in San Juan.  We booked it as the perfect getaway right after our daughter's wedding to relax.  It was a perfect trip!

We found it to be an amazing value (just $500pp for a Concierge-level stateroom) and we got an AMAZING deal using Celebrity Air for the flight home...one way from San Juan to Philadelphia in first class for just $319pp.  Well worth it considering the coach price was $250.

I'll add my own wishes for a wonderful New Year to all.  I truly appreciate all the help everyone on this board has given me over the years, much of which converted my husband and I to HAL fans!

Enjoy your celebrations!!

3 hours ago, cruisegus said:

I am not talking about your "Personal item" which must fit under the seat in front of you.  I am talking about an actual carry on bag that would normally go into the overhead.  If you are "Basic Economy" on AA you will also have boarding group 9 and they will not let you bring a cary on with you unless all your bag fits under the seat.  If you have a bag that must be gate check they will charge you that fee right at the gate.

This is old information.

Basic Economy is now permitted one personal item AND one carry on, just like any other passenger.  The chances of that carry on actually being brought on board, though, is slim...almost every single AA flight I've taken has required passengers in the last couple of boarding groups to gate-check.  

No one is charged a fee for gate-checking.

Basic economy is brutally restrictive.  

I've seen folks in that group unable to get seats until checking in at the gate.  Basic economy DOES not get the option for a carry-on plus a personal item (this is a change), but in all the AA flights I've taken no one in those boarding groups has ever been able to actually carry on their overhead bag - it is always gate-checked.

You have zero options at all to make any changes to your flights, even for the $200 fee.  Never refundable.  

Even at $75 x 5, I'd pay just for the added flexibility it offers.

I think it's more about realistic expectations for a cruise vacations vs. a land vacation.

If you choose to spend your hard-earned money on a cruise vacation then you need to go in with the expectation that if things happen - like a flooded room, internet problems, mechanical issues that cause missed ports - they are much more challenging to fix than if the same thing happens on land.

On land, there is a much larger population of repair services, spare parts, technicians, etc. who can fix things.  Issue with your hotel room?  There are usually many more things a property can provide to make your holiday better - including walking you to another property nearby.  On the ship, there is a finite number of options available to fix problems while at sea, and the traveler needs expect that options really ARE limited.

Would I be disappointed if my cruise didn't turn out as I'd imagined and planned?  I'm sure there would be a tinge of sadness that the holiday didn't meet my original expectations.  But my husband and I go more for the chance to find a comfortable deck chair with a good book and some adult beverages to just relax and reconnect.  The rest is all bonus.

Surprising that, with all the folks who want holes punched, they have not yet redesigned the card to come automatically with holes.

Our last cruise on HAL, there was already a hole in one end of the card when it was handed to us for attaching to lanyards with clips.

8 hours ago, leerathje said:

Sorry for the ignorance, but how do you book a retreat cabana?

 

L.

 

If I remember correctly, before the cruise you can book cabanas only for the entire voyage.  Once on board you can book individual days or for the whole voyage based on what is available.

On Eurodam, individual days were $50 while the entire 11 night voyage was $399.  We booked on board at embarkation and at that time, there were three Lido cabanas that had full-voyage availability; not sure how many Retreat cabanas on the upper deck were available.  We booked on the Lido as it was more protected from the weather (a good idea coming down the coast of California in October) and usable the entire trip.

We had a Lido cabana on Eurodam for an 11-night cruise and absolutely loved it...used it all but one day of the trip for some period of time.  Sea days, of course, we used it the most.  Our attendant made sure we had a daily paper before we arrived, always offered to get anything (including the lunch) from the Lido and of course wonderful bar service.  

We handed him an envelope on the last day that had $175 and he was genuinely appreciative.  We also tipped the server who covered during his breaks (usually for about 90 minutes each day) another $40.  It was well worth the wonderful service.

As others have said, no issue here.  We did the reverse this fall on Eurodam -  Vancouver to San Diego.  Booked as one 11-night cruise but one could also book them separately:

• 4-night Pacific Coastal Vancouver to San Diego
• 7-night Mexican Riviera R/T San Diego

We loved the itinerary!