HALrunner
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Posts posted by HALrunner
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5 minutes ago, trout62 said:
While I certainly appreciate the seriousness of this situation and the concerns of all aboard, including me and my wife, I think it is important that we strive to be very precise with the verbiage we use on these boards. Misleading, incomplete or inaccurate information will spread faster than the Coronavirus!
To the best of my knowledge, we were not denied entry to St. Kitts, as stated in the subject line of this thread.
Per the announcement of the Captain, St Kitts authorities we waffling as to the conditions under which ships would be allowed to disembark. Rather than wait for a decision, the Captain made a decision to go to Antigua.
if anyone has additional information, please share.
Also, this...
“the cruise director, captain and medical staff are holding a briefing for all in the main theatre at 10:00am.”
...could be misconstrued as meaning the meaning is mandatory.
Our take on this was...“the cruise director, captain and medical staff are holding an informal Q&A in the main theatre at 10:00am. All are invited to attend. “
For sure, this is serious business. But accuracy in reporting is important.
Trout
Thank you clarifying, Trout. Please continue to update us as you are able! Wishing you a happy and healthy end to your trip!
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11 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:
We sail in 4 days on a 48-day. I see some of our scheduled Ports-o-Call have pulled the Welcome Mat. I wonder when it becomes a valid case for a Refund?https://ticotimes.net/2020/03/09/two-cruises-to-costa-rica-cancelled-amid-coronavirus-fears-report-says
Hey LocoLoco, greetings from fellow roll call member! A current passenger on the Koningsdam just reported that they have been denied in St. Kitts and Antigua. The captain is having a meeting at 10am to discuss this, stay tuned.
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Thank you for this update, please report back after the meeting this morning. We are boarding the Koningsdam on Sunday and trying to remain optimistic.
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9 minutes ago, lostchild said:
To me, it seems wrong to treat the crew differently than the passengers. To Princess, the crew are employees and passengers are customers, but to the United States, they should be just people on the ship. Not sure how they could justify the difference in treatment. I guess they could say that most of the passengers are Americans and most of the crew are not Americans...
I completely agree that the health of a crew member is equally as important as the health of a guest. I do wonder if the kind of visa, the mostly international, crew might hold has something to do with them staying on the ship. I recall learning that the visa type (seamen's visa, perhaps?) does not allow them to remain in the US for more than 24 hours.
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1 hour ago, tk2fast said:
Just received this from Princess...
We continue to implement increased monitoring, screening and sanitation protocols to protect the health of our guests, crew and the residents of the destinations we serve. Our measures are designed to be flexible to adapt to changing conditions and recommended best practices. For your reference, you can read our Guest Travel Advisory.
Nevertheless, we know you have questions about your upcoming cruise. Princess would like to share some policy updates that provide options and flexibility should you want to reschedule your currently booked vacation that sails between now and May 31, 2020.
- Sailings departing between March 9 and April 3*: booked guests can cancel up to 3 days prior to departure, receive a Future Cruise Credit for 100% of the cancellation fee amount, and move your booking to any voyage that departs by December 31, 2021.
- Sailings departing between April 4 and May 31*: booked guests can cancel by March 31, 2020, receive a Future Cruise Credit for 100% of the cancellation fee amount, and move your booking to any voyage that departs by December 31, 2021.
*Date of departure is from the start date of your cruise or cruisetour, whichever is earlier.
If you choose to keep your booking as currently scheduled for departures between March 9 and May 31, you will receive the following Onboard Credit amounts:- $100 USD/ $150 AUD per cabin for 3 and 4 day cruises
- $150 USD / $225 AUD per cabin for 5 day cruises
- $200 USD / $300 AUD per cabin for 6 day and longer cruises
For our guests booked on Crown Princess Mediterranean
itineraries, we are finalizing some itinerary changes and a special offer that we will be sharing early next week.Please note that Future Cruise Credits will automatically be applied to each guest's Captain's Circle account after they have cancelled. The Future Cruise Credit will not be available instantly and may take up to 10 business days to be processed. Guests with Princess Vacation Protection should file a claim via www.aontravelclaim.com in the first instance.
We appreciate your loyalty and look forward to welcoming you onboard.
I feel this is very generous of Princess. Hoping the other lines will follow suit.
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I have been getting this when using Chrome on my laptop. However, using safari on my ipad works consistently. I think it is just HALs unreliable website.
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On 2/25/2020 at 8:04 AM, Fear-the-turtle said:
I share that concern. When is your cruise? Ours leaves Santiago March 5.
We depart March 15, hopefully. I'm more concerned now that Brazil has confirmed it's first case, approx 5 hours from Rio. The patient just returned from Italy, so it is possible he connected through Rio.
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Father, how long will you be sailing on the Koningsdam?
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Any educated guesses as to who the next entertainment director will be?
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With the dramatic increases in Italy over the last few days, I am glad we skipped our usual spring transatlantic and booked a SA cruise instead. If an outbreak happens in the US before our cruise, I am concerned that certain ports might not allow our ship to port.
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I had a different OBC request denied for an upcoming cruise for the following reason:
"not applicable to bookings made under mariner/campaign fares". I wasn't aware that I booked such a fare (or even what that is), perhaps they are getting more stingy with OBC?
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How many outlets and/or USB ports were there in your cabin on the Sky?
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We are booked on a Pope Francis tour with Cultura Cercana. A few vendors offered a tour, but the Cultura Cercana tour is private and all day, so I suppose it could be tailored to fit your needs.
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This update from HAL an hour ago on FB:
Westerdam Update: Westerdam remains alongside in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where officials from the Cambodian Health Ministry are on board today to complete testing for COVID-19 on the 255 guests and 747 crew that are awaiting clearance. We anticipate this will take several days and greatly appreciate the thoroughness of all authorities involved in resolving this situation.
Guests at a hotel in Phnom Penh have all completed the COVID-19 screening. Results are being returned when completed, with the first batch of 406 all being negative. Cleared guests may travel home, and arrangements are being made for those guests.
Guests in both locations are being very well cared for, including assistance with any medications needed. A full team is on the ground in both Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh, including Holland America Line’s President Orlando Ashford. We are communicating updates regularly as new information becomes available. A special hotline has been established for families.
One female guest remains in a hospital in Malaysia with a reported positive result for COVID-19 according to Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. She is currently in stable condition. Her traveling companion tested negative for COVID-19.
"We are in close coordination with some of the leading health experts from around the world," said Dr. Grant Tarling, Chief Medical Officer for Holland America Line. "These experts are working with the appropriate national health authorities to investigate and follow-up with any individuals who may have come in contact with the guest."
Holland America Line continues to work closely and in compliance with government and health officials in Malaysia and Cambodia, as well as experts in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). At this time, no other guests or crew on board or at the hotel have reported any symptoms of the illness. Guests who have already returned home will be contacted by their local health department and provided further information.
Prior to arrival in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Holland America Line undertook significant precautions to ensure the health and safety of our guests and crew. On Feb. 10, 2020, all 2,257 passengers and crew were screened for illness including the taking of individual temperatures. No individual at that time was identified with an elevated temperature. Guests who were able to disembark in Cambodia underwent additional health screening and temperature checks. Furthermore, the passports of everyone on board were reviewed to ensure no one had traveled through mainland China in the 14 days prior to the cruise.
During the voyage there was no indication of COVID-19 on the ship. The guest who tested positive did not visit the ship’s medical center to report any symptoms of illness. An additional 20 guests who reported to the medical center during the cruise were tested by health officials for COVID-19, and all results were confirmed negative.
Holland America Line will provide a further update once we have more information.
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Has their been any indication that those still on the Westerdam would now be quarantined to their cabins?
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I recall passengers were being disembarked in waves. Are any of the passengers still on the Westerdam?
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Indeed! We have a very active roll call and a member has graciously made and maintained a spreadsheet to help coordinate shared excursions and activities on this sailing. Be sure to look back a page or two to find information on the spreadsheet and how to access it.
Welcome aboard!
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As 4 star mariners who have booked an Aqua class suite on the Apex later this year, we very much enjoyed reading your review. Change can be difficult, but hearing your positive experience is very reassuring! Thank you for taking the time to post your comparison of the two lines.
Did you need to make reservations for Blu and/or the MDR? Any other surprising differences that caught you off guard?
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Thanks for all of this helpful advice!
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I'm looking for a tour recommendation for either Juanico Winery or Bouza Bodega? Are their any others you would recommend? Thank you!
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On 3/16/2018 at 8:00 AM, Keith1010 said:
The dock is not near the downtown area.
It's been awhile since we were there but if I remember correctly downtown was about 30 minutes away.
They have a beautiful beach fairly close to the pier.
Keith
I hope you are still reading these, Keith!
Do you happen to know the name of beautiful beach near the pier?
Does anyone else have a suggestion for a nearby beach? It looks like all the excursions to beaches involve and hour or two each way.
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On 1/13/2020 at 4:06 PM, Happy_Traveler_2008 said:
I just saw this offer from my American Express Gold card. I'm going to buy $525 of onboard credit since I've already paid for my cruise in full and see if I can get the $100 statement credit.
Get a one-time $100 statement credit by using your enrolled Card to spend $500+ on cruise line sailings with Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, or Cunard by 3/31/2020. See wlcl.com/amex. For reservations only. Terms and exclusions apply.
The term "For Reservations only" above.....does that mean the $100 statement credit is for reservations only? Or can we pre purchase shipboard credit and earn the statement credit?
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Walking to the falls is not too strenuous if you are reasonably fit and active. If I recall, there is a walk around option on most of the falls so you can politely decline to jump or slide if you.....aren't feeling up to it. The guides were amazing and very helpful in all situations (we did this on our own, not with the ship or a tour company). Is it dangerous? Yes. Looking back now I can't believe we did it, especially considering how remote and relatively primitive health care is in the area. We did the full 27 falls, and although it was amazing, we were battered, bruised and exhausted for the evening and into the next day. And to put it in perspective, we were in our thirties when we did it.
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On 9/1/2019 at 3:32 PM, AncientWanderer said:
Roz, I bet it's not as selective as all that. I think they do special things, like dinners with captain, stuff like that, in a small, intimate group. By saying it's by invitation only, they at least have an out if there is some really unruly person who cruises a lot, but they might spoil these nice events for others. I bet they in reality invite everyone with the 1400 days! 😊
I have never read about someone with that many days not being invited. Has anyone? Surely that would have been discussed on this forum!
'What if..' Ports are closed.
in Holland America Line
Posted
Himself....we are boarding the Koningsdam on Sunday. If the scheduled priest cancels, please join us!!