kwb101

I had the same question when we were on a Y3L trip in '17. IIRC, our HAL tour host said not to worry because the flight from Fairbanks to Dawson was a charter, so any surcharges were waived. 

Good luck, enjoy the beautiful scenery! 

Thanks to all for all your information and experience: you've answered my questions and touched on some things I hadn't considered (like more complete medical). Fortunately for the latter, I think our medical plan also works out of the country to some degree, but I have to read through our evidence of coverage to make sure.

One last question: has anyone been able to download the full policy info through the HAL site? I get sent to another site, but, after I select my state, nothing happens. Thanks! [Note: it turns out I had some scripts turned off for the site to which HAL posts the link, and all is now well.]

From View Plan Details link on the Cruise Protection Plan link on the booking's page:

If you purchased Holland America Line's Flight Ease Plan and/or our pre-/post-packages, you'll get 80% of your air and package cancellation fees refunded when canceling up to 24 hours prior to the start of your scheduled travel (90% with CPP Platinum when canceling right up to the start of your scheduled travel).

Looks like you take a little hit on the refund, but it beats losing it all.

40 minutes ago, JohnDG said:

From the contract: “The Standard and Platinum Cancellation Protection Plans (CPP or CPPP) are optional and are available for purchase prior to the date on which cancellation fees begin to accrue.”

 

Normally this is 90 days from the start of the cruise if you have a refundable deposit.  Do check the contract to make sure. One of our longer cruises started cancellation fees at 120 days from the start of the cruise.

Thanks, saw that clause, but wanted to make sure it was accurate. I can get to the View Plan Details page, but get an error message (404) when trying to see the Cancellation Policy, and the link to the state-specific terms, conditions, and exclusions at http://www.affinitytravelcert.com/docs/nwehal01 is unresponsive. Woe is I.

Also, wanted to make sure the cost doesn't increase as the final payment date approaches.

17 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

The cost is based on the cost of the trip, not timing.  Also be aware if any portion of your trip, including deposit, is non-refundable you cannot buy this insurance after you make that deposit.

.  Your flights will need to be insured separately or be refundable fares.   

Thanks Mary, for the useful info. Fortunately, we booked both trips with Have It All, so our deposits are refundable.

18 minutes ago, abbiep said:

I have used Princess protection and the price only increased a small amt once I add flights thru Flight ease.  From my research and discussion with Princess and Hal it does cover flights if booked through them. Also, you may want to ck the medical coverage.  It’s not very much and a lot of health ins don’t cover out of country medical care.  I used this because I liked the idea of not having to pay until final payment but I did pick up additional medical coverage thru Geoblu.  

Thank you, abbiep. One of our trips is late next year, and the other is mid-'25, so we have a fair amount of leeway. We expect to have our air booked well before the final payment dates. However, because we're departing the first trip from San Diego, and live in Sacramento, it's entirely possible that Flight Ease will not have the best flight for us (Southwest offers non-stops from Sacramento, but I think they only book through their own site).

Thanks also for the info on medical. HAL's coverage is adequate (our medical seems to be available in one form or another) in the places we'll be going). I have to investigate this more.

Being able to delay payment until much closer to departure was what made HAL a better choice for us. I had a neurological condition last year that resulted in being in a wheelchair for several months, but, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine, I'm now walking, climbing stairs, and being a menace on the highway. Still, recent progress has been slow, so not having to buy a policy now (coverage from our Big Box TA has to be bought within 21 days of trip deposit) lets us see how things are going without having to commit early.

Hello.

We have a couple of voyages booked for the next two years, and, for the first time, will buy trip insurance. We will likely go with HAL's Cruise Protection Program because it includes pre-existing medical conditions at the time of purchase, and because (if I read the materials right) it can be bought any time before the final payment date.

However, there's one thing I don't see: whether the cost changes (presumably upward) the closer the purchase is before the final payment date.

Can anyone cast some light on this? I apologize if this has been covered here, but I couldn't find anything using the keyword search, rather than a proper search engine.

Thanks!

19 hours ago, disneyochem said:

Thanks for the heads up!  We’ve been waiting to book the 2025 Voyage of the Viking until we had FCC.  Didn’t want to put down a $3500 deposit on a cruise in 2025.

I just started the Roll Call for the VoV:

I forgot to mention that a couple of the HAL Westmark hotels had something I'd never seen before: at breakfast, you could buy one all-you-want item for $3 or $4. My wife's an oatmeal fan, so we saved a lot by just getting that one. I don't recall that this option was available in Anchorage or Fairbanks, pretty sure it wasn't at McKinley Chalet in Denali, but was offered in Dawson City and Skagway.

Oops, hit Submit too soon. 

We're from California, and food prices were about the samein Alaska as here: Definitely not cheap, but certainly more than many states. 

We took the Y3L Yukon package several years ago, starting in Anchorage. The only meal included was lunch between Dawson City and Whitehorse. 

The HAL meal package (which we didn't get) was very expensive, but did include appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage. 

I just checked the itinerary for our Yukon trip in 2017, and see that only some days have times shown. I recall that our Journey Host would give us meeting times the evening before we needed a time. Since HAL was entirely in charge of the trip, it didn't really matter beforehand what place and time we needed to be there.

9 hours ago, tundra1 said:

 We land in Whitehorse at 5:20pm, which is 4:20pm in Skagway.  I don't think we will make to Skagway in time for the 5pm train.

Have you checked the schedule in your boarding documents? They're usually quite thorough. 

44 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

That must be an oversight.  Post in the technical section with your screenshot.  I bet that is a quick fix. 

I think this is how the software handles the mobile version, and is designed this way (or is an option CC chooses not to make  available). As I mentioned above, using the desktop version of the page shows the Search This Forum option. (Although I use Brave browser, the desktop option is also available on Firefox.) Good luck.

10 hours ago, tundra1 said:

I am assuming that the entire tour group has the same travel arrangements, and if we wait until the journey host meets us, will that person have enough notice to get us all on an earlier flight?  There used to be an Air North flight from Dawson City to Whitehorse departing at 10:40 am and arriving in Whitehorse at 11:20 am, but that flight is no longer listed on the Air North website.

I am hopeful that HAL will come up with a solution for us!

When we took this trip in 2017, the flight was on Yukon Air, and we were told the fight was a charter for us.

I presume you'll have a Journey Host (HAL tour guide) with you on land. This person will made sure that your connections happen on time, and much more.

We took the Y3L trip five years ago, and everything ran like clockwork (we were on a bus from Dawson to Whitehorse for one, night, then bus to Fraser, and train to Skagway for two nights). Our host was with us until we boarded Volendam on day 10. She was a gem.

If your browser allows you to select "desktop site" for the CC page from which you want to search, the "this forum" option should be available (but I'm using Brave browser). Good luck. 

I think you will receive this information in your boarding pass packet. If I remember right, it will cost the caller $16 per minute. 

The Grand Australia & New Zealand Voyage, departing January 3, 2024, was posted in early February. 

Sorry, wrong thread.

Might you be thinking of Grand and World Voyages, where, if you pay by a certain date (about six months), you get a 3% discount, but otherwise the final payment is due on the usual schedule (with no discount)? I've not heard of a grace period. We book through a big box TA, and their final payment date is two weeks earlier than HAL's, but it's not a grace period, just their way of making sure they have your money in time to pay HAL.

Re: waitlist. They may schedule another section/bus right before the excursion runs. We were on a waitlist on an Alaska voyage, and were notified after dinner the night before that another bus had been added. We'd already decided to do something at that port, and hadn't taken our names of the waitlist. It turned out to be the worst excursion we've had, a waste of time and money.

Anyway, the bottom line is that you may get a chance to go, thanks to the waitlist at the last minute. Good luck!

6 hours ago, rsldonk said:

If 4000 other people can manage to be on time, and you can't, you deserve to be mocked.

In German, there's the perfect word for this: schadenfreude, pleasure at the misfortune of others. 

YT shows this video was posted two weeks ago, so is about a current as you can get. As mentioned above, Gary's an unemotional straight-shooter, with a considered view and delivery, always worth watching about cruising. 

Be careful of the daily limits. Last February, both Social and Surf plans had 300MB limits, a fair amount if you're visiting sites that aren't heavily graphic.