KrausHaus

If anyone is interested in this 'hobby' that some of us enjoy you may want to check out travelfreely dot com. I used to have to keep a spreadsheet but the guy who set up that website has made it much easier to keep track of it all.

Thank you alwayscruisetime,.. I had read that there were workarounds with the statement dates etc. and I will check my due date. But I'm wondering how you have been able to keep the Companion Pass for so many years.🤔 That's incredible. I am expecting that now we have both churned enough SW credit cards, that we might actually have to start flying enough SW to keep it going but that's not likely. Personally, I think that we will likely dump our SW cards after we get our next Companion Pass and move on to the next big bonus offering.

I am one of those people who 'churns' credit cards. Get a new card every few months and I turn those huge signup bonuses into free travel. My latest card is a Southwest Airlines card that will give us free companion travel for 2024 and 2025. I have a big $11k final payment due on December 23rd on a HAL cruise. I need the cruise charge to post to my new SW card in 2024 in order to get the bonus. Does anyone know if HAL offers a grace period on final payment? I only need nine days grace period.

No need for a long list. Bartenders are all great and can make anything you like. Never found one who couldn't come up with a cocktail I wanted.

Icystorms: With two 20+ day cruises within the past year, I haven't heard nor can't imagine a whole group from a shore excursion getting quarantined, seems unlikely. Medical Area is normally on the lowest deck and there are no staterooms on that deck. Kcool: Of course there will be mostly couples but there are plenty of singles. Male and female. We almost always meet new ones when dining at a large table in the main dining room. It's easy to make new friends that way.

We have been getting the 'have it all' package which gives you among other things, fifteen drinks a day. Per person. So we cannot order bottles but instead everything is by the glass. Works well for us. No need to have a bottle follow us around. (as if😂) If we ask nicely, they'll let us order a 'double'.

Here's what I found a few weeks ago, haven't submitted mine yet: Carnival Corporation is the parent company of cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Cunard and luxury line Seabourn. If you hold a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock, you’ll receive an onboard credit of $250 per cabin for cruises of 14 days or longer, $100 for cruises of seven to 13 days and $50 for cruises of six days or fewer. (Note that by “days,” Carnival means nights on board.) The current benefit is available on sailings through July 31, 2023; reservations must be made by Feb. 28, 2023. You can use the credit for drinks, gift shop purchases, spa treatments or other onboard expenditures. You can’t use the credit in the casino, for gratuities or to get cash. The credit applies only to the shareholder-occupied stateroom; you won’t get additional credits if you book multiple cabins. Related: Cruise onboard credit: What it is, where to get it and how best to use it To receive the credit, first book your cruise vacation, then send the specific cruise line an email, fax or mailed letter with your legal name, reservation/booking number, ship and sailing date. You’ll also need to provide proof — such as a copy of your proxy card or a dividend tax voucher — that you own 100 or more shares of stock. The request needs to be made no later than four weeks before your sail date. You’ll find emails and addresses for each Carnival Corporation brand and specific rules on the company’s website. For Carnival Cruise Line, the email is shareholders@carnival.com, the fax number is 305-406-6102, and the address is Guest Administration, 3655 N.W. 87th Avenue, Miami, FL 33178.

You could decide to do just that. HAL has an option where you have the same time every night--with the same people. Call them now and tell them that is what you want. Or you can wait in line. Our last two cruises (11/21 & 7/22) we never waited more than three minutes to be able to sit with different people which is a lot more fun.

Don't actually wear PJs. Or even have a pair. 😄 More like a track suit to breakfast. I shudder when I see what some people wear at dinner in the Main Dining Room.

Are you speaking of the aft portion below the pool? Or are you categorically denying all cabins below the Lido area. We were almost amidship below the Lido and loved our situation. Being a very light sleeper it was perfectly quiet. And it was easy to pop upstairs for breakfast in our PJs. We never heard any noise at all. Never say never.

Hello mysweetsmile03, A good place to view cabins is https://cruisedeckplans.com/. Attached is a screenshot from their site showing deck plans . We were on the Nieuw Statendam for two and a half weeks in July/August. We had cabin 8112 which had a HUGE balcony, see photo. Quiet, very convenient to Lido food. Loved the NS. We really liked the music at Rolling Stone Rock Room as well as Lincoln Center Stage. Dutch Cafe and Tamarind are nice.

Yes you can bring your own wine aboard and you will pay the $20 corkage for each bottle when you board. In the past it was my normal process to bring a case or two on every cruise insuring that I would get to drink what I like to drink. However our last two cruises we have been offered a great deal on the 'have it all' package and have opted for that instead. There are several more than adequate choices of reds and whites and bubblies which provide a nice variety to choose from with 'have it all'. Without 'have it all' I would certainly bring my own wine instead of paying the exorbitant prices they charge for single bottles.

Just before Covid we started a cruise from Auckland. Found 'The Good Wine Co." online, an Auckland business who did not have a storefront but an excellent website with nice prices. They shipped wine directly to front desk of our hotel. Their website with great wine descriptions made it easier to decide what we would like rather than walking around a store with mostly unknown labels.

I get a mixed case (or two) before embarking. The hotel will hold it until departure day. Hotel loads it into taxi. Porters unload it as luggage and carry to ship. Ship bills me for corkage and delivers it to my cabin. Add to cabin fridge as needed. Bring bottle to dinner or bring a full glass to various venues. Works like a charm.

But you can bring as many bottles as you would like. I have happily brought more than a case aboard and paid corkage. That way I can drink what I prefer and not pay exorbitant prices for inexpensive wine. Some of that inexpensive wine they offer is decent enough but they often run out of my favorites.