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Taters

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    Multiple Sea Days , Yes or No?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Hubby and I love days at sea and the more, the better!  We do love ports, but when there are 5 port days in a row it becomes too much.  We've been on 6 transatlantics and will board Westerdam in Yokohama in 2 weeks for our first transpacific cruise.  

     

    The days at sea are a luxury for us.  We can forget what day of the week it is, catch up with each other like we cannot do at home because we are both so busy (still working).  We play cards, dominoes, and other games together (something we never get to do at home).  We enjoy any lectures and shows that might interest us.  We walk the decks, read, take naps, hang out with friends, new and old.  We love enjoying our meals and savoring our coffee in the mornings.  It never gets old for us.

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 2

    Bread pudding

    in Holland America Line

    Posted · Edited by Taters

    I LOVE the bread pudding!  However, I only like a little bit of the vanilla sauce it is served with.  A couple of tablespoons is more than enough.  I always ask for just a tiny bit of sauce, but inevitably they dump way too much on my portion.  So many times, after asking for a very small bit of the sauce and getting handed an absolutely drenched bowl of the bread pudding, I have to hand it back.  First world problems, I know....

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1

    Carnival Luminosa, Feb 23, 2025. 11-Day South Pacific

    in Carnival Luminosa Roll Calls

    Posted

    On 3/8/2024 at 9:45 AM, thereselevels said:

    Hi, guys,

     

    I have the same itinerary for February 2026 on Luminosa. Do you have any tips, what do you recommend on each island, was the weather nice? I was reading somewhere (I think on Carnival website) that we might need travel insurance for New Caledonia, maybe it was supposed only for Australian citizens, but I wanna be sure.

     

    Regards, 

     

    Vlad

    Hi Vlad,

     

    We haven't gone on this cruise yet.   It's for 2025.  We are going to be watching for guidance regarding the Covid insurance requirements for New Caledonia closely.  Nothing on sites for US citizens visiting New Caledonia mentions this requirement.  I've only been able to find that info on sites for Australian citizens.  But we will have that insurance if it is still required for Australians because we won't know how well the staff at the embarkation port in Brisbane are trained in these policies.  We don't want to be turned away!

     

    Cheers,

     

    Annie

    Carnival Luminosa, Feb 23, 2025. 11-Day South Pacific

    in Carnival Luminosa Roll Calls

    Posted

    On 2/24/2024 at 5:40 AM, pault76 said:

    My wife and I will be on this cruise.    Hopefully flights don't get to crazy expensive.

    We are hoping to use our Alaska Airlines miles to get to Brisbane and back.  We are going to be watching the fares closely, and also checking into Carnival's air program to see what kind of fares they might offer.  Another thing we'll be doing is watching fares from Honolulu to Brisbane.  In the past we could have used miles to get to Honolulu, then purchased tickets from there to Brisbane for around $400 one way.  Alaska Airlines is trying to buy Hawaiian Airlines, so things may be very different once the fares become available.  There is a lot to consider and we do not want to have to pay $2000 USD for coach fares each way.  Oy!  But we're going and just can't wait!

    Pre-cruise hotel in Ft Lauderdale - Nothing showing on HAL site for early November cruise

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    On 2/21/2024 at 2:49 AM, Ready2go11 said:

    There are no pre or post cruise hotels showing for my October cruise either. I read somewhere that there is a Taylor Swift concert the day I arrive at FLL. So maybe, HAL could not secure hotels for their program because demand and prices are up. 
     

    Is there something going on in the area on your date(s)?

    We will arrive into Ft. Lauderdale on Volendam on October 19, 2024.  We wanted to spend one night there before flying home and I was stunned to see rates for IHG hotels (Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, etc.) in the $500 per night range.  I did a quick search and found that Taylor Swift is performing at the Hard Rock Arena on October 18th and 19th.  Needless to say we decided to just fly home.

    • Like 1

    Any idea why cruises to Australia are so cheap?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    We haven't been on a Carnival ship since 2019.  I was looking for an Australia/South Pacific cruise for a 3 week vacation in February, 2025 for our anniversary.  Carnival Luminosa fit the bill for us!  7 night Australia (Arlie Beach, Cairns, and Port Douglas) followed by an 11 night South Pacific (2 ports in Fiji, 2 ports in Vanuatu, and 1 port in New Caledonia), for a total of 18 nights.  Perfect!  No other cruise line on a non-mega ship is offering this type of itinerary that is affordable.  We booked it!  We are going to use miles to get there and back, so the cost of the air is minimal and will be around 40,000 miles each way.  It can cost us 30,000 miles just to get to Dallas or Ft. Lauderdale, so getting to Brisbane is a bargain.  Australia can be done, but you need to do your research and check out all of your options.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    Non refundable deposits

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    23 hours ago, Judy Reano said:

    I booked a non-refundable, 7-day cruise on Holland America’ Noordam from Anchorage to Vancouver for which we paid a deposit of $464. Four days later, we tried to switch to a different, more expensive, 10-day tour/cruise but we were told we would lose our deposit. We aren’t willing to lose that money so will stick with what we booked. We were hoping our loyalty to the Holland America Line (4-star Mariners) would make a difference but it didn’t. 

    You can easily create you own tour of Alaska prior to the cruise. 🙂 Rent a car and book your hotels.  You can't get lost, as our road system is minimal.

    • Haha 1

    Proof of travel insurance required for New Caledonia?

    in Pacific Islands, All

    Posted

    2 hours ago, KKB said:

    I got IMG/Squaremouth I found via a Forbes link.

    $40 (no airfare—it was points), shows COVID coverage.

    Annoying. Did NOT need it.

    i could have cancelled everything today & got refunds/credit for everything but $100.

    I charge all travel to Chase Sapphire Reserve because of the travel insurance & our med insurance covers overseas. 
    But whatever…

    What do you mean when you say you didn't need the insurance?  Did they not ask for the paperwork when you checked in for your cruise?

    Proof of travel insurance required for New Caledonia?

    in Pacific Islands, All

    Posted

    On 12/25/2023 at 7:31 PM, KKB said:

    Ok…on another social media site people from my upcoming New Caledonia cruise are saying we need proof of travel insurance with a COVID rider.

    My travel insurance is thru Chase Sapphire Reserve (I use it to pay for all travel).

    I imagine I can print that off.

    How do I go about getting insurance JUST for COVID?

     

     

    I am also interested in finding coverage for COVID for our Carnival Luminosa cruise to New Caledonia in February, 2025.  We have a yearly Allainz policy, but am not sure if it is sufficient for visiting New Caledonia.  We are flying from Fairbanks to Brisbane for B2B cruises, with the second one going to New Caledonia and I don't want to get kicked off after the first 7 night cruise.  Looking over Carnival's policy details, I do NOT see COVID mentioned anywhere.  

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