NorthWestPassage

Thank you.

24 minutes ago, westcoastBC said:

We boarded on Aug 26. Green line took less than 5 minutes. Never broke our stride just kept walking. An agent escorted us to the elite/suite waiting area and when boarding opened an agent escorted us to the front of the line.

First on board.

Extremely well organized and smoothly done.

What time did they start boarding on your August 26 sailing from Seattle? (I will be there later this month.)

On 8/16/2023 at 9:00 AM, Schmoe38 said:

That may have changed with the most recent sailing of Caribbean Princess. Someone currently on board suggested Planks and Steamers are open for casual dining business, however, are not open every night.

 

We’re on Caribbean Princess in mid September, so I guess we’ll be able to see first hand.

I just got off the Caribbean Princess four days ago. There were no indications or rumors that Planks and Steams will reopen, as branded dining venues, anytime soon. However, things may have suddenly changed this week. 😏

Does the Caribbean Princess have an adult card/dominoes game room? Other premium category cruise lines often have such a room (ideally with a view outdoors and a bar nearby, where Mexican Train (& the Chicken Foot variation) can be played on appropriate sized tables. It has been a long time since I sailed on Princess but I will be doing so twice in the next few months. I know that this tends to appeal more to a somewhat older crowd but are such game equipment and facilities available? I know that the (less desirable) packing alternative is to bring our own game and improvise on playing accommodations.

My wife and I are Platinum on Princess and within 34 days of sailing on the Caribbean Princess. Yesterday, the App let us book 1 specialty dining reservation (for the first night), using our package dining credits. However, no additional $0 cost reservations could be made, since then. Is it supposed to work that way (where you have to wait until you are on board to make the second (credit/no-pay) reservation, in the new system? It has been about 5 years since we last sailed on Princess and now we have 2 premium package sailings ahead in the next few months.

For the Princess Plus Package (drinks component) is the cost for liquor drinks that exceed $15 "prorated" or not? For example, would a $25 aged single malt scotch drink be charged $11.80 (for being $10 over the package limit plus the related $1.80 [18%] tip) or charged the full tipped non-discounted price ($29.50) for not being qualified under the package limit? I could not find a current answer to the question on this forum or the Princess web site.

The captain just told me that we will have until midnight in Sydney tomorrow (at the Quay). Everyone must be on board at that time for immigration purposes and repositioning. An announcement will be made soon.

Just now, Btimmer said:

It's 7:35am and the Captain just announced  that due to wind and swell conditions the Moreton Island port call has been cancelled.  The anchor will be raised, the test tender be raised and stowed, and we'll continue our cruise on to Sydney.

I spoke with the first officer, on deck, a few minutes ago. He told me the captain is now working on getting us to Sydney a day early… so that we will have an extra day in Sydney, at the Quay (the preferred convenient docking location) on November 7. However, they would have to move overnight to the other White Bay location overnight. Pending plan news should be announced soon. Personally, if it happens, I think this could be good news (since I would rather have an extra day in Sydney).

2 hours ago, kazu said:

Unlike you I am not in panic mode - in fact I might buy more with the dividends from CCL & do a mini gamble.  Waiting to see how low it goes.  LOL.
 

I never considered this stock an investment - I bought it literally for the OBC and between the dividends and OBC I have received (tax free and in USD) I have more than broken even.

I don’t think Carnival pays a dividend…..certainly not this year.

3 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Thanks for giving me the heads up. I called Polk County and it turned out they had emailed me the ballot, but Google sent it to my spam folder. I got it out and mailed my vote today.  Easy peasy. Yea!!!

Congratulations.

On 9/12/2022 at 3:44 PM, WriterOnDeck said:

Not always true. In Texas you have about 3 weeks between early voting and absentee ballots.....I leave from the country on a cruise on Sept. 30 -- too early for the absentee ballot or early voting -- and return on Thanksgiving day. And if you sail on World cruises, you are gone for months. Thus why I work hard to find a way to vote from overseas. No judgment, please...

You might have other options. I am on the same Westerdam sailing as you are and I live in Lindale, east Texas (Smith County). Check with your County Elections Administrator. You must provide proper ID by email and they will email you a ballot. Print it, fill it out and mail it from home or Seattle or Hawaii or somewhere abroad. (Free postage is provided if you mail it from a US Embassy in Samoa or Fiji, etc.) That is what I am doing. My wife and I are mailing our completed ballots in, tomorrow, in small town America.

Good news. Thanks.

What brand of soap, shampoo and conditioner does HAL provide in a Westerdam signature suite?

Good point. I was distracted by the big ticket drink component of the HIA package.   Crew Appreciation tips are not included on any HAL deal unless it explicitly states otherwise. I wish that my HIA deal had an attractively prices deal that includes it.

9 hours ago, Btimmer said:

Be very careful in booking the HIA package.  For our upcoming 51 day Australia cruise, the HIA promotion DOES NOT include the crew appreciation which makes it not a very good deal.

I am not sure that is the case for that 51 day Westerdam sailing. I will be on it and the Navigator app (in the HIA link) clearly states that “service charge” is fully covered,  in at least 2 places.

26 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

The only exception has been on the Westerdam this summer when HAL ran a test by charging only the difference plus gratuity. Only time will tell if that becomes the standard.

That exception is continuing on the Westerdam at least through November 23.

I am not a tea person but the classy place to have it, in prior years, was high tea service at the Empress Hotel. That is served in their lounge from 11 AM to 4 PM. However, that might not work with your port hours schedule.

7 hours ago, crystalspin said:

You pay the whole price unless you on one ship in Alaska (Westerdam?) which is test-driving a Have-It-All-And-More plan where only the difference is paid.

That test drive extends to the subsequent 51 night transpacific voyage the follows the Alaska season from Seattle on the Westerdam.

Is the $20 (stuff in as much as you can) laundry bag rate available as often as you want on very long HAL cruises or is that just a special promo rate offered occasionally on the voyage? I am trying to determine if the unlimited laundry (no dry cleaning) package could be cost justified for us. Thanks.

We use the tiles as interesting drink coasters.

Does the Westerdam have one or more Coke Freestyle Machines on board and if so, how does an HIA (drinks included) passenger access it (at no additional charge)? Hopefully it does not require a special RFID chip enabled plastic cup.

Yes, indeed. I will be boarding that ship in October.

It does apply to the 51 night HAL transpacific sailing in October. I just confirmed on my Navigator app.

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

So perhaps at the moment there are simply more ships in inventory than places where they can be deployed.

 

That seems "spot on" believable and the most likely scenario. However, I do come full circle back the existing sailings, departing from or debarking at ports in the next sixty to ninety days, that have been closed to cruise ships. Wishful thinking and good intentions will not circumvent the major itinerary changes that will be needed for those sailings. The honest thing (and best long term PR) would be to just revise those itineraries sooner (and certainly before final payment is due).

I suspect that I am not the only one who is reluctant to book some of the more exotic sailings, at this time, when I can't trust the stated itinerary. Revising those (unlikely) itineraries sooner could restore confidence, particularly for itinerary focused passengers.

I understand that line of thinking by the cruise lines and have unfortunately experienced that situation personally on several occasions. However, surprise altering of the point of embarkation or disembarkation to other countries is placing a major risk on the impacted passengers. It would seem more prudent for long term business relationships to start managing itinerary change expectations openly earlier (certainly within 90 days); especially if the lines have to remarket/resell those sailings. Also, that still begs the questions about the unassigned ("keeper") ships. If cruise bookings are so good (well beyond future cruise credit rebookings), why are their other ships being held back, out of service for this Autumn?