KAKcruiser

Julia - Many people did contact HAL in writing about wanting to keep the Priests onboard. They obviously don't care and responded with some excuse about not having sufficient crew which doesn't make any sense.

I would be willing to do that. However, again, I don't think the price of the cabin is the reason the Priests are being discontinued.

I disagree with the capacity of the two Hudson rooms. There have been many more people than 64 attending Mass. People would often be standing in the back and in the aisles. Mass was celebrated in the BB Kings lounge on my last two cruises on the Rotterdam.

One of the reasons I have sailed Holland America is because Mass is important to me and having a Priest onboard was appreciated. I can't believe it was discontinued because of money. What could it cost to supply a cabin for the Priest? They paid their own transportation costs.

Thanks. It was so good.

There is no shortage of Priests willing to serve as chaplains on ships. The Apostalate of the Seas arranges for the Priests and they have reported that this was HAL's decision.

I'll miss the scalloped potatoes for lunch and also the brownie with coffee ice cream.

That's great news. These cruises were originally all supposed to be ABC islands.

I have not had good luck with getting Club Orange when it was full. I would be tempted to cancel the one room and only book if two spots were available. You might have trouble doing this because I think you are not able to cancel Club Orange once you book. But, they might make an exception in your situation. If you decide to keep your Club Orange reservation, I would check with them on a regular basis because I wouldn't count on them calling you if a position became available.

If you book the $25 deposit with a private (mariner) rate, it is nonrefundable.

Why not have grandmother switch to a cabin for 3 and list herself and the two kids in her room.

It seems like most of the cruises have 3rd and 4th guests free nowadays.

Maybe they can fix the lifeboat situation during drydock.

I agree 100% that a Pricing Specialist is the way to go. But, I always have trouble being connected to one. The reps try to handle things themselves.

I would try to get a price adjustment for your inside cabin.

My apple iphone says version 4.39. Is that the one before 4.40? Is it good enough?

I have been complaining for a few years that the Caribbean cruises have reduced number of ports especially the Rotterdam 9 day and 12 day itineraries.

I agree with you WDW1972 that the Neptune Suites were always for 4 people so marking them was unnecessary. But it has been reported that the Neptune Suites on the Pinnacle class ships are for only two people unless they are marked for three. Does anyone know for sure?

Wow. This is a change I was not aware of. The Neptune suites always slept four people. It must be because they reduced the size of the cabin and maybe could no longer have the pull out sofa.

I'm not so sure that Club Orange is irrelevant. When you originally booked, did you pay for a lower category cabin and then get upgraded to a higher category cabin when you paid for Club Orange? If so, I'm not sure where you would end up if they gave away your cabin and moved you. I would definitely try talking to the Club Orange department and try to straighten this out sooner rather than later.

This is one of those '"life is not fair" situations. I agree with you that HAL should let people who booked before the new policy stay in their reserved cabins. But they can do whatever they want and this is what they have decided. I would be upset also but in the end would try to change to a 2 person cabin to avoid any hassle. But, good luck with that now the choices are slim. Also, good luck with finding a HAL rep who can accomplish the change. I think I would call the Club Orange people though sometimes you get a call center there, too.

I think they like to come back to Fort Lauderdale so they can sell individual 7 day cruises in addition to the 14 day.

Maybe you could find a very good rate on an inside cabin for your granddaughter. Though you could manage with three in a cabin, it would be much more comfortable to have separate cabins.

I can't believe they just added the club orange charge. Shouldn't they contact you first to make sure you are still interested?

SummerSlope - Maybe the site you were looking for the other day was Marinetraffic.com.