mcrcruiser

If you want a toy stick with Carnival Fun Ships but ,if you want a all around excellent cruise sail with Holland America line .Just don't expect the dazzling activities & up all night type activities

We have sailed Celebrity quite often in the past when we were flying to Europe from San Diego & into the Caribbean through the Florida ports .now we decided because of the hassles of flying ^ accelerated costs we only want to cruise from our two southern California ports . Whether Celebrity ever decides to sail E/T itineraries to Hawaii remains to be seen . Because I won't wait & hope for X to accommodate my desire for a R/T Hawaii cruise ,we just ,yesterday ,booked a 18 night Hawaii R/T San Diego Hawaii cruise on Holland's Kpningsdam built in 2018 & she will be dry docked before the Jan 30 ,2024 cruise ,This vessel us a tad smaller than the Soltice class but a tad larger than the Millenium class .she has great entertainment ,great speciality restaurants & a ambiance much like Celebrity but lower prices . since we need a handicap cabin now we book as soon as the ship lists the cruise we want .with Holland we can upgrade with Cliub Orange for a better cabin & dining in the club Orange restaurant vs the MDR . The extra cost is well worth the upgrade alone . On this Jan 30 ,2024 Hawaii cruise HAL is giving a $600 OBC & since we has 100 shares of Carnival stock we get another $260 on board credit .We cover all the tips for the 18 day cruise plus left over to cover special restaurants The tip is book into a balcony at the lowest price point & for just $ 270 each we get a much more expensive cabin plus the special restaurant Yes I like Holland America a lot because it serves us well out of our home port & truly has the flavor of a Celebrity cruise as well . now I am working on getting those really long cruise deal s for a pittance through the casino deals ,like a 34 & a 35 day cruise for $200 each inside cabin but I always upgrade & pay the differences for Balcony cabins handicap .We are also members of Celebrity /EDL Blue Chip casino club ,so we get many great deals there as well . We truly find that Holland America has been our go to cruise line ever since X does not sail the West coast ports on a continual basis Whether sailing on a Celebrity ship or a Holland America ship you can't go wrong .😀

I recently booked several speciality restaurants on line into my booking & I did not pay in advance for those bookings nor would I .I want my Mariner discounts . HAK's prices are high enough ,we Mariners deserve our discount breaks LOL😁

Good advice as long as they are not deeply into the higher level of cancellation & that they can get a cabin of their preferences .Generally speaking appealing to HAL through their TA may be a better option for some OBCs & a upgrade being the sailing is lagging in pax booked There are many cruises I have booked after final payment & saved from our home port .However ,I have been retired 23 years so we can do this B/4 being retired I had to suck it up when the prices broke down but ,i was still very content with our ship cabin & location .The higher the better .doesn't a;; ways work that way now because we seek a handicap cabin on cruises We have had memorable cruise like others on these threads .what comes to mind are TAs from rear balcony cabins over looking the wake , Australia & the the south pacific islands Alaska 5 times pus weeks in the interior self planned ,twice full transits through the Panama Canal watching the new longer wider locks being built .Many TAs ie

Mary you are taking to the quire . Did that done that & made profits in selling the shares . Can not see going long in this stock market so we are shorting .not every day is a winner but ,this economy is telling investors watch out below & it is world wide for at least the next 2 years . Look the bull has run a long time so it is now the time for the bear

We have 3 more HAL cruises booked . 2 more with Celebrity booked & 2 with Royal Caribbean booked between now & early 2024 .Our cruising is now from either San Diego or San Pedro ,world Cruise Center ,LA county location .We avoid flying in todays crazy airport congestion & higher airline prices than ever before

We are Elite Plus with Celebrity & Dimond with Royal Caribbean . We did most of our 87 cruises with Celebrity when we were flying from San diego to Florida & Europe .I liked Celebrity a lot in the earlier years & always was able to get my Ahi tuna in the lite lunch cafe (forgot the nam) .Then X decided to delete the Aji tuna . That turned me off U saw the big brother RCL 's influence . We then decided to try HAL & we are 3 star going quickly to 4 star Mariners . I can honestly tell any one HAL imo is just as good as Celebrity & lower cost to boot with better & longer itineraries . We been to Sydney Australia on Noordam in 2015 ,a great cruise from SD .That is a long cruise but really nice for all the port stops You will not be sorry with HAL😀 PS we are headed toward the 100 cruise mark quickly now

Yes it very well depends on the cruise & cabin toy need from the get go . I can tell you that we just booked the first day out was October 21 ,2022 that HAL released the Jan 30 ,2024 Hawaii cruise on Koningsdam from San Diego Round Trip . I jumped on this because I wanted the cheapest Handicap balcony to nook .got it at a decent price & then told my TA to upgrade to a V or VA handicap balcony on decks 5 or 8 & now we can fine in club Orange restaurant with less people than the MDR I can honestly tell you that this Hawaii route for handicap & preferred cabins sells very quickly .So it really depends on where the ship is headed . some routes are far more popular & thus sell better than others . We have 87 cruises behind us bit not all HAL .More with Celebrity & Elite Plus there / We are also 3 star Mariners rushing to get to 4 star level .We should be there soon as we are booked on earlier cruises with HAL The bottom line is to follow closely the activity with that pre selected route before booking . Now imo HAL may give you a upgrade & even some OBC but ,at this time after final payment consider it a gift of good will . We all must read the contracts we sign Wishing you the very best of luck . Let us know what comes from HAL in this situation .

Just submitted request for a $250 On board credit for a 18 night cruise ,Prior to that got 3 shorter cruises doe another total $ 250 in OBCs .so getting a total of $500 in OBCs .Mind you can not pocket this cash but got to use it on the cruises or loose it . We can use it for tips .One $250 OBC plus HAL is giving us another $500 OBC for our Hawaii cruise will nicely take care of the $576 in tips & we will have $174 left over for dinners in the speciality restaurants like Tamarins ,Pinnacle ie , on our 18 night Hawaii cruise Imo it all depends on the benefit you can get & holding the stock for the shortest time period now ;because of both this stocks volatility & the market in general

Thanks to whom ever told us that HAL would release this cruiseOctober 21st We know that the handicap cabins go fast & especially on a Hawaii cruise .so we were able to get a VH handicap .Then I told our TA to apply Club Orange at just $270 each to get the upgrade to a V or VA category ;which saves a ton of money plus we get our meals in Club Orange Are there any other perks that come with Club Orange then I listed above ? With all these extras we are moving faster & faster to 4 star Mariner 😀 PS the roll call is started

We like to know if HAL still offers Club Orange & if so what is the up charge & benefits ? I can't find it on HAL's web site Thanks in advance

Was wondering if HAL offered a tour to the Polynesian cultural Center mainly for the transportation part Also does HAL offer a tour to ,The Road to Hana in Maui ? TIA

I just want to clear my unwanted spam e-mails, so when I get home I am not sitting fr a long time clearing the unwanted e mails . B.$ leaving on a cruise or trip I send out a e-mail to all on my list to not e-mail me from date to date ;as we are on vacation . The rest of e0mails are non wanted & easily cleared , just ,I hate coming home to them . So I want to just clear e-mails once per week ,Thus ,can we buy one days worth ? TIA

We have read all the foregoing posts . Seems to me HAL keeps increasing the cost of tips & decreases service simultaneously . That never worked for me in the past & it surely doesn't work for me now . Surely if we don't get the service then I surely will reduce my tips in kind . We stopped sailing Celebrity ships for a very long time because they sut back on food that we enjoyed . for the prices that the cruise lines charge plus the tip increases I will stay in a all inclusive land resort before I ever give up my expectations . We also feel accepting less gets less ^ less gets less employment ,just ask those bean counters

Agree . The TA that I used for our Dec Cruises on koningsdam is a good YA but do they keep checking a cruise line balance sheet ,I doubt it .i say this is because their business is to sell travel . Like all of us on this thread we all wish things were pre pandemic normal ,not this craziness . but ,who said that life would always be clear sailing with no storms It is what it is & we will all deal with it . FWIW right now CCL is up .34 cents in a down market ,so p maybe there is hope c

What you say may be true ;but ,if the economy turns into a stagflation yupe economy ( inflation with no growth) then where do you see the cruise lines balance sheets ?

All the publicly traded cruise lines are trying yo make a decent profit , where they fail & will fail are in cut backs of quality ,food & or services .so if that happens obviously they will slowly go the way of other once giants . Today .consumers will change much more quickly that evet in the past . They feel that to get the most bank for their vacation dollars they can do alternative trips than cruises .

Thanks every one for your contributions to this topic😀

There was the Renissance cruise line back some time ago when the creditors closed down on the line operators ,the pax had to vacate all ships the same day . Many of those smaller ships were sold off to Azamara & one to Princess The point I am making here is that it has become rather uncomfortable to have to check financials of these cruise lines just to take one of their vacation cruises . The question then begs how will this uncomfortable feeling spread among the pax considering cruises as a vacation option or do they look more toward other vacations ? Word of mouth can bear a good or a bad impact on any business . We have 6 future cruises booked ,starting Dec 10th on Kpningsdam for a B3B ,12 night total Mexican Riviera . then 2 B2B 7 night cruises on Celebrity March 2023 & finally ,RCL 2 cruises B2B in October 2023 We are hoping to see HAL open up a R/T Hawaii from San Diego around October 21st for the 2024 season ;which I would book immediately if I feel comfortable about the future of the cruise industry . Yes we now have doubts & maybe just maybe we should have given more thought to the finacial future of these cruise lines . Thus ,there are alternative all inclusive land vacations & even other privately held cruise lines .Just saying So if these thoughts are in my mind could they also be in the minds of other propspective customers ? We won;'t know that answer for awhile yet

So what happens to the pax on board a cruise if a cruise line files for BK i filed when a ship is on it's itinerary cruising ?

Most any Celebrity ship is good for Alaska , The main questions i would have is are you booking a balcony cabin or one with out a balcony ;because then you need a ship with a good veranda to walk & view the Alaska scenery . Another question to ask is there a naturalist /ranger . Marine biologist aboard to explain what you are seeing Imo a cruise to Alaska is like the topping on a sundae . The real taste of Alaska is traveling the interior . We have been to Alaska 5 times ^ would welcome another interior trip by flying directly into Anchorage or Fairbanks then renting a car . A great month is May before the tundra becomes water pools for the state bird ,the mosquito .There are also black flies later in the year that can sting To see Denali National Park must make reservations 6 yo 9 months in advance ,Take powerful binoculars & a camera that has 200 & 300 millimeter lense capability Best place to stay near to the park is the Denali Lake View Inn ,a triple A AA 3 diamond bed & breakfast just about 10 to 15 minute drive from the park entrance , The management is great Ask for a box lunch to take on the tour of the park , ask them where best to eat lunches & dinners .They are locals . This B&B over looks a amazing lake Otto with Geese Swans & ducks .Next door is a ATV place ,Take the tundra tour . Mt Mckinley is 20 ,300 feet tall . I was able to get clear pictures ,no clouds of both the North & south summits . The tour is wonderful , don't forget to ask about the dog sled demo at the information building in the park One last thing google :discount books in Alaska .We had one & it saved us a bunch in separate tours . We did several Wear layered clothing like a short sleeve shirt /blouse ,slacks , bring a sweater ,a wind breaker , wool gloves & a umbrella , Alaska weather can change quickly ,We were lucky in May have mid 70s & low 89s temps Best of Alaska is both a cruise & then inland .imo one with out the other is leaving short the real beauty & majesty 😀

We won;'t speculate which of the big 3 will go into BK or reorganize first ,2nd ie . That simply is a guessing game . what is important will be if & when a cruise line files BK & protection for reorganizing what happens to deposits on the cruises ? for people who are physically sailing are they told to get off the ships some where in a foreign land ? These seem to me to me the most important questions going forward So mow folks can speculate on the above possibilities

See my post above

Feel so sorry for those 41 people just thinking if it was us on that bus .May God protect them all 🙏

The time Micky the chairman at that time broke the deal that RCL had to buy Princess cruise line .He planed the deal break where RCL wound up getting a paltry 35 million for the break up . with out the Princess line reputation CCL will never have been the company they became before the pandemic .so just imagine how the management of RCL felt loosing Princess . I am sure if I dug into the financials I could come up with other examples but ,if you are curious please have at it . All I did was take out with my insurance default /BK to protect my investment for my 2 Holland Cruises . My other 4 cruises are with Celebrity & RCL ships I truly like HAL cruise line & hope it survives in it's very long sea faring traditions . CCL like all big corporation s are in it to get what ever they can get out of it & the top people "never " get hurt or the shaft