terrydtx

We tried the big box agency one time a few years back and it was a total nightmare for us, zero after purchase customer service.

Thank you for your live report. We are doing the same cruise on the Volendam in August but for 11 days, I agree with you 7 days is just to short. We are going to take the train back to Quebec City and spend 3 nights there before flying home. We have 2 other couples with us all in Vista Suites in a row. Your blog has us even more excited for this cruise.

That is the primary reason we book with FE, you can make changes and cancel anytime until final payment with no penalty. We used FE for our upcoming August cruise on the Volendam for BC seats. We are flying from San Antonio to Boston and then home from Quebec City, 4days after we get off the ship in Montreal. Originally we booked outbound to Boston on United connecting in Houston and home from QC on American. We got a good BC fare but then United changed flights and left us with less than 45 minutes connection in Houston. With FE we were able to make changes and then book RT on American at the same cost. Then two weeks from final payment last month, American ran a sale, and we could book the same tickets for $600 less and we canceled FE booking and booked direct with AA. All of this could not have been done with booking direct with the airlines.

I use a TA I met when I lived in another state and trusted her very much for the past 15 years. I now live in Texas 800 miles away but dealing with her by phone and internet is no different than being back in my old location. Most of my family and friends also use her after my referrals. She is a franchisee of a bigger national travel agency that deals primarily with cruising. They also have their own independent travel insurance that usually costs less than the cruise lines charge with more benefits. I can reach her 24/7 by her cell phone which came in handy when we caught covid on a cruise in 2022 and had to quarantine on the ship and in Italy. She got us home and then filed all of the insurance claims without me having to do a thing. I can call her over a weekend to book a trip if needed. No PCC can do this for me. Since she doesn't work for a cruise line, I can use her to book with any cruise line that best fits our needs and budget. This probably the best reason for using a TA over a cruise line PCC. I look at it this way, no matter what you think, a PCC who works for a cruise line has their employer's best interests in mind as they sign the paychecks. I want someone who works for me and my best interests and it independent of the cruise line. For the same reason I would never buy a home from the seller's Reat estate agent who works only for the seller.

If DH won't sail in anything less than a Verandah, you may want to look at a different cruise and date. Sounds like the cruise you want is nearly sold out. Do you use a TA, if so have them answer this question for you.

If some ADA enhancements are needed the walk-in showers would make sense.

The issue in the thread isn't about the value of or buying questionable quality art on a ship. The real issue is that a minority of guests are participating in an event that denies the majority access to some popular ship facilities on multiple days of any cruise. I could care less what you do with your time on the ship, but when it comes to closing a very popular facility like the Crow's Nest to the majority of passengers, Park West needs to go away. The Crow's Nest is one of the things we love about HAL, and I do not think any vendor should have the right or ability to close it off to me or any other passengers.

The Edge does not have a open bar in the Retreat Lounge, all the drinks are mixed in secret behind closed doors, so you can't verify what is being used. I would never book a suite on the Edge either again.

Your invoice from HAL will have your itinerary and list any tender ports. This is what it looks like. This is from our Koningsdam cruise last November The Santa Barbara port was tendered and is indicated as that on the invoice.

You will feel right at home with a scooter on any HAL ship, and the crew will be there to assist you in any way you need. Since Covid the muster drill have become so easy and next to nothing. Watch the TV video and then go to the muster station to get checked in which takes a minute or two.

We always opt for Tamarind if on our ship, IMO it is the best specialty restaurant of any cruise line. The N. Statendam has Tamarind and a separate CO dining room. This would be a great ship for your first HAL cruise.

We will be on the Volendam in August in a Vista Suite. We added CO for the upgrade in cabin category. We booked a Category B Vista with CO and got upgraded to a Category A in the cabin we would have taken without CO. The cost difference between the B and A cabin paid for the cost of CO, so for us it was a no brainer. We have anytime dinning and with CO we will not have to wait to be seated in the MDR as we will have priority seating and the extra CO daily entree menu.

No soap and cleaned with rocks in a local stream.

Too late to keep our business. We had 22 days on the Edge in January with NO butler and a terrible inept room attendant. It took several complaints to the Retreat managers to get the sorry room attendant replaced and the replacement was much better but the change wasn't mad until we were 9 days into the cruise. We had the same breakfast room service delivery guy the whole 22 days but he was not allowed to add any espresso shots to the pots of coffee he delivered.

Our last 3 Celebrity cruises in Sky Suites, we had no butlers to bring coffee to us in the mornings. Before Celebrity took away butlers for Sky Suites we had butlers that would add several shots of espresso to our morning pot of coffee brought with our breakfasts We are also excited about Oceania.

Used Wi-Fi calling with just premium plan on the K'Dam last November.

On our sold-out Edge cruises in January the lines at Cafe Al Bacio were horrendous in the mornings and afternoons. I opted to use the machines in the Edge Lounge many times. I did find at times the wait times were better in the OVC smaller Cafe Al Bacio. Those cruises had many more Aussie passengers and as I found out they love their expresso coffees, that may have been why the waits were so much longer than normal.

Our last 6 Celebrity cruises were in the Retreat and the Retreat lounges had self-serve expresso machines. While they were not as good as the Cafe Al Bacio, it was acceptable, without having to wait in a long line. The lines in prime times at Cafe Al Bacio could be 30 minutes or more for a good coffee drink. I would hope the machine in the Concierge lounge on Marina is close in quality.

I believe HAL has always had hairdryers in every cabin for years.

Maybe one day our cruising paths will cross. May you both have fantastic and favorable sailing for the future.

Jim, good to see you are venturing ourside of Celebriity as well. Our first Oceania cruise is 18 days on Marina in March. Also doing a HAL cruise of NE and Canada in August. We are throwing loyalty out the window and booking by most favorable longer itineraries.

Thanks, we have a cabin on deck 9 close to the lounge and I was hoping I could go there in the morning for my caffein fix. Since this will also be a colder cruise a hot cup of expresso infused coffee would be nice later in the days too. I have been spoiled by the Celebrity Retreat lounge and the nice coffee and espressos that were available.

Our first, hopefully not last, Oceania cruise is next March on the Marina in South America. We are in a Concierge Class cabin, and we have access to the Concierge Lounge. I see that we can get soft drinks, coffee and tea in the lounge, is there a self-serve espresso machine? Are specialty coffees, like espresso drinks, available elsewhere on the ship and are they complimentary?

Day 2 of having our Volendam menus available on the App.

That time of year the St Lawrence may have whales to see, they prefer the colder water there in Summer.