Bethcb

On 1/29/2024 at 9:35 AM, anniegb said:

Same experience.

Navigator App confirmed 0900 GMT that OBC was visible.

At 1700 GMT OBC has disappeared from Navigator App.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

Where did you see the OBC on navigator app?

On 2/29/2024 at 11:31 PM, Grand Duchess said:

"We hope this letter finds you well. Today, we would like to provide you with an update and details regarding your accommodations upon the ship's arrival to Mahe on 26% February.

Please be aware that after evaluating inventory in the area and to ensure convenience and ultra-luxury comfort in the lead-up to your departure from Mahe, Silversea has arranged for the ship to remain in port in Mahe until 29th February.

As such, all guests awaiting flights over those days can extend their stay in their suite while enjoying stunning Mahe. You may also visit the shore excursion desk on board for tour opportunities to immerse in the discovery of this island paradise.

All guests will have airport transfers provided in alignment with their specific flight arrangements. You can visit the Guest Relations Desk on board if you have any additional questions.

We appreciate your understanding. It has indeed been an honour to host you for this unforgettable adventure, and on behalf of my entire team, we look forward to additional time together.

Sincerely,"

 

Back from the GV that never was since yesterday night, had to wait two additional nights until I could fly out. It was pretty clear that the originally promised hotel accomodation would not happen at such short notice since it is the high season in the Seychelles. It would have been a refreshing change if management could have been upfront about this, but it seems a recurring pattern now that head office treats their dear esteemed guests like fools.

The "ultra-luxury comfort" consisted in very reduced service (only Atlantide open for dinner with same old same old menu) and we were not docked but anchored, tender to shore took 30 minutes. Not the usual lovely island scent of vanilla and spices either, instead we got heavy whiffs of garbage bin mixed with dead fish, since we were parked right next to a fish factory. 
No entertainment apart from the band in the evening in Panorama. Excursions were so so, nothing to get excited about. I was just glad that I had been to the Seychelles before and have happy memories. 
The remaining crew went above and beyond, I do not blame them in the least. However, that corporate has still not uttered a single beep ever since it was decided to abort the GV, this I find very disappointing and highly unprofessional.

We were on the same GV with a much different perspective. There were many options on the Atlantide menu and flavor and service was excellent. The ship had to tender because we were not supposed to be in port for 3 days. There were container ships in our dock space. We were happy to be tendered so we didn’t smell the dead fish by the dock. SS has no control over these odors. We did 3 excursions and SS didn’t charge us. They were all very good including a snorkel catamaran and an all day excursion to a Hilton resort on a beautiful island with nice lunch. Remember, we all got our money back after the 30 days and paid nothing for the 3 days on the ship. So food, excursions, transfers and hotel(4 days for us) was no charge. We got great flights home. SS did a great job in a bad situation. 

2 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

It is too wide to go through the old locks.

 

Roy

Duh!  You are so right! Can’t believe I didn’t figure that out. Thanks! 

On 11/6/2023 at 9:31 AM, rafinmd said:

I leave in about 2 hours to work my way down to Fort Lauderdale to board MS Rotterdam for a cruise through the new locks into Lake Gatun and back.  I will stay in Lorton VA today and board the Auto Train Thursday for the big part of the journey.

 

I've been in the canal many times but always through the original locks so this will be a partial first to me.

 

I normally post about once a day the following day unless something urgent comes up but will try to respond to questions in a pretty timely basis.

 

There is a companion blog https://morethangetaways.wordpress.com/

 

which will be the same content but hopefully daily programs and menus as well as perhaps a few more photos.

 

Roy

We will be on the Rotterdam November 24 on b2b2b and was wondering how you know the ship is going through the new locks. 

Who are the entertainers on your ship? We board Oct 7. 

We will use Luggage Forward in January from San Diego to Capetown. Can we use Apple AirTags? They are lithium batteries. When I emailed Luggage Forward they said they are not allowed but all airlines accept them now. Has anyone had experience with this? 

When going through the locks the times can vary with each ship/voyage. You would not know what time you are going through the locks. It could be windy and look at time of sunset that time of year. Going through the locks is a good time to roam to different decks and parts of the ship to get different vantage points. I would not want to be confined to my balcony while transiting the locks. Just my opinion...

I was able to get the HC Worker $100 credit for a cruise  thisDecember. When I tried to get the credit for 2 cruises this year in August and November, I was unable. So I called HAL and was told that I am only eligible for the credit once per year. Is this true? The representative also told me that you apply for 1 HC credit, and after you sail you apply for the next. So which one is true? I have no idea. I then asked if I could get the credits added to the August and November cruises and she said "no'.  I thought the credit was for all eligible cruises. 

Do any of you have different information?

On 6/16/2023 at 5:05 AM, GenaSTaylor said:

Anyone done this cruise?  Thoughts?

We are doing the Capetown to Athens next January. We looked at the land extension but booked a private tour company instead for 12 days before cruise. Includes Victoria falls. We had the time and it seemed less rushed and more flexible. We were also able to customize things we wanted to include. 

I have used it in casino and gotten cash back too from casino cashier. This worked for my non refundable OBC. Guess at some point princess will no longer allow that. 

Surprised to see that November 17, 2023 Sojourn itinerary (Caribbean), has no excursions listed. We usually do independent excursions, but wondering why there's nothing posted yet on the SB page. 

1 hour ago, NavyCruiser said:

I paid a little over $700 for 100 shares a few months back.  Already received $600 OBC applied on previous & upcoming HAL, Princess, Carnival cruises.  So will break even on our next P&O booking...

I bought 100 shares about 12 years ago. Paid over $4100.  I stopped counting the OBC after I received over $6000. Another $1000  for this year coming up. I use it on Princess, HAL and Seabourn. 

Thanks for the info. I submitted to the email address from the new PDF and got a response for all 3 of my upcoming cruises within 2 hours. 

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Many thanks for pointing this out!
 

I truly appreciate people who post useful things like this.

35 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said:

Yes, we sent in request last Thurs, & we received email confirmation on Fri for our upcoming Aug 26, 2023 HAL cruise.

Here's the email reply:

"Thank you for contacting Holland America Line in regards to your Carnival Shareholder benefit. Holland America Line has applied the shipboard credit amount of $100.00 to your reservation _____, and it will be credited to your onboard account upon embarkation."

I sent mine in last Wednesday. It’s been a week. No response. 

The current PDF for CCL shareholder benefits says its for sailings by July 31, 2023. I submitted a request for an August sailing and haven’t heard back from them. Usually it’s a fast response. Does anyone know if the Board extended these benefits for cruises starting August 1? 

2 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

South Africa has mandated that passengers carry their passports. 

 

Can we carry a US passport card instead and leave passport book in safe on ship? 

We took taxis there many times from ship to Jolly Harbor. Never an issue. Lots of taxis fir return. We also stayed there for a month and taxis were great. There’s also a public bus walking distance from port and goes to beaches, etc. That works great too. 

1 hour ago, northbeachgirl said:

We are going to be dining in the International dining room, are you able to get the same table each night, and is there a waiter or waitress you can recommend 

Ask for Mia!

We are on Diamond. Spoke to someone yesterday who requested inside to balcony upgrade upon boarding. Not allowed. Shop only 40% full. 

21 minutes ago, wrongwaywatson said:

We are currently on the Enchanted and we have quite a large non-refundable balance on our OBC.  I have read of people using it to play in the casino and getting it cashed out.  I know NOTHING about playing in the casino or how any of that works.  Could someone please walk me through the steps?  I was told I play with my medallion, but will it use my non-refundable credits first?  How do I get it cashed out?   Thank you!

I have gone to slot machines. Load maybe $200 into machine from your account. Do 1 pull. Cash out. Take receipt to cashier. Voila!!!

I do t do more that $200/night. Did it with no -refundable OBC many times. 

On 11/24/2022 at 8:11 PM, Florida_gal_50 said:

It makes me wonder what the problem is.  I’ve been on the ship for almost 2 weeks.  Same thing happened last week except there was no notice, just a nasty surprise in the middle of the night. There is no way that it  is because someone flushed something they shouldn’t.  This is super annoying.

We were on the ship last week and got a written notice the day before. 

HIA and what you spend with OBC all counts. Not sure about casino. I can’t figure out how they calculate HIA, but I always get the maximum and we get the HIA and do very little extra spending  onboard. Gratuities count too. They seem to always round upwards. 

Money credits spent for excursions will be automatically applied. There is a limit though. You can credits get up to the number of cruise nights. So on a 7 day cruise, you can get up to 14 credits. 

2 hours ago, 510picker said:

Same issue here. HAL's quality website strikes again 🙂 I'm sure it will clear up later.

Not working yet. Hopefully soon to ensure quick embarkation.