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Thanks!

Welcome! I checked out your channel and subscribed to you as well. We RV'ed full time for 2 years when I retired. Check out my blog for that time on adventureonthehorizon.net or by going to our webpage at mytravelwindow.net.

I appreciate that! Thanks!

Great! Enjoy the trip! If you are a Beatles fan, make sure you get to the shows in the Cavern Club venue at least an hour early!

Thank you for updating us on the standby program in Europe. I hope HAL improves the program going forward. We did a cruise around the British Isles on Princess and would love to do that trip again. Every stop was memorable. I will do another update on our standby that is scheduled for Nov 9. The ship is sold out, and it is unlikely that we will get on, but still possible.

As you can see, the QM2 is built for sea days. You will love it. Let us know what you think of Carnival.

@@mytravelwindow3061 This will be our 11th Carnival cruise. We've also sailed Princess and Norwegian. All three lines are more alike than different, and we aren't brand loyal. In my opinion, Carnival has much better free casual food, but Princess has a much better buffet. I have no use for water slides, etc. so we have been enjoying Princess and like the more laid back vibe. We will also try HAL one of these days when the right opportunity presents itself. We started on Carnival when we still had kids at home, and then kind of stuck with them because it's hard to beat their price on some itineraries.

I agree that lines are more alike than different. In fact, you have given me an idea for a video, because each of the 7 lines that we have taken have at least one uniqueness that I like and I could probably find at least one annoying thing that I don't. That might make an interesting topic. We have 3 trips currently booked: a standby Holland America transatlantic, a Princess Panama Canal, and a Royal Caribbean to Alaska with our grandson. Clearly we are not brand loyal either. In each case we chose the line as a result of the itinerary and the people with whom we are sharing the journey.

Sorry, I didn't do a great job of explaining that. If a ship doesn't look like it is going to sell out, HAL is jumping in with prices that are as good as standby or better. So for most of the standard winter season cruises you are better off just waiting for them to drop the price. But there are certain cruises where it is pretty certain that they are not going to drop the price, because they don't have to. The ship will either sell out or be close. Alaska cruises almost all sold out this year. Christmas time cruises sell out. Some Panama canal trips will sell out. So if you want to sail on one of these, the standby pricing will represent a better deal. But the question is whether the hassles of standby are worth it. "Crushed glass" was just a metaphor for how they abuse the standby passengers by not giving them any information on status. Does that make more sense?

@@mytravelwindow3061 Yes, thank you so much for that. During the holidays, the ship will likely sell out anyway so your standby offer won't be activated and you've now been through the hassle of the program.

Glad you enjoyed it! I use my "evil twin" as a way to be more candid in a somewhat humorous way, but it does take some work, especially when i make them argue.

No, don't cancel yet! I'm looking forward to meeting you on the ship! Yes, I am on the same 42-day cruise. In fact, you purchased the same cruise insurance, because my fee was also $5544. So two key things. First, you CAN purchase the have it all package while in standby mode. It is the one exception to not being able to purchase things before the 2 day point, and it was a change along the way. Look at the third paragraph on the page that describes the program. But I think you have to call HAL to add it. I also think it does not include gratuities. Secondly, if you cancel, you will lose 10% of the fare in addition to the cost of the travel insurance. Or at least that is the way the travel agent explained it to me. If they cancel you because they can't find you a cabin, you don't lose that 10%. We have plane tickets and hotel and will be there ready if they call our name. If not, we will have a plan B. Originally, it was Disney World. But now we are thinking of a last minute Caribbean cruise instead. You can do what you want, I just want to make sure you know the details before you pull the trigger. Reach out if more questions. Ken

Ken , thanks for the good ideas and response. I will call to see if I can add the have it all as soon as I finish this. There was a lot of damage on west coast, but tornadoes did damage on East coast. Whatever your plan B is call ahead and check. You are right HAL tips aren’t included in have it all.ill let you know if I’m able to add it today🤞 this is my biggest concern. Thanks Rick

Ken just called HAL finally got some information. Two days before cruise will get e-mail ( which we knew ) I can add the have it all, gratuities,and fill out all information,passports . You’re the only way I found. out any information. HAL said 7 to 2 days originally . Two days is a nail bitter, especially you flying in. Here’s wishing us luck👍 I booked March 3 rd we will see. Hope to meet you onboard, Thanks again , Rick

@@mytravelwindow3061 Hi Ken ... I didn't think standby could cancel without losing the full amount paid? Great video by the way. So unfortunate HAL has taken on wrong turn on promoting this program.

@@RichardGilbride we booked end of March. Will be interesting to see how the two day window plays out for all of us stand by people. I've tried to get a handle on if this cruise is sold out ... I didn't think it was going to be but has been showing as unavailable for several weeks. Good luck to us all for sure.

Sorry, our channel won't get into politics. This isn't about Medicare or political parties. California has forever been in the forefront of consumer protection. The law is what it is. My point is that it caused HAL to consider how to react, and they ultimately chose to implement in a way that wrecked this program.

@@mytravelwindow3061YOU are the one who waded into the political pool with your comments. Now you are being called out and don’t like it! 😂

Thanks. That is exactly what it feels like. We will fly to Florida in 4 weeks for our second standby trip. I don't expect to get on, and if that is the case we will try for a last minute cruise out of Florida since we are there. Will do a video on the experience.

I suspect that there is or soon will be an unpleasant catch in the program for solo travelers, too. I don't see why HAL would want to incentivize solo travel.

Yes, when they set the $99 rate the majority of the trips were Alaska. I knew then that the real test would be the fall bookings. Caribbean trips are cheaper and the market is softer because of the huge capacity. It seems clear to me that nobody at HAL actually manages this program. They just set it in place and expect it to generate money with no work. I found two errors on the webpage as I was doing the analysis. One had a wrong date and another a wrong ship. And this is after they have been posted for months.

I booked a solo standby11 day Mexican Riviera cruise for next year. I believe I commented on one of your other Videos about this. This video got me thinking why would they choose a solo cruiser for standby over two people? The two people may spend more money onboard??

Well the rules state they take whoever is next in line. I hope they really do it that way.

Same here! Give me the Crow's Nest and a morning latte, and I'm a happy cruiser!

I totally agree! I think it has become clear that this is an "orphan" system within Holland America. They came up with the idea, but haven't invested anything into making it work.

Yes, California's "Honest Pricing Law" (SB 478) went into effect on July 1, 2024. It requires businesses to include all required fees and charges in their advertised prices. This law applies to cruise lines, and major cruise operators like HAL are disclosing all mandatory fees and taxes upfront. It is impossible to price for California differently, so the cruise lines everywhere changed all pricing to please California. This pricing disclosure has been required of European countries for a long time, and it does make price comparison easier. But like most of the California initiatives, it has really annoying side effects like this one.

I hope you enjoy the trip! As I mentioned in the video, QM2 is fast. It has a top speed of 29 knots. Most cruise ships top out in the 22-23 range. That is comforting when you do a transatlantic in hurricane season.

Thank you for the excellent comments. Regarding the "always available" entrees, how would we ever know this is available? I would be curious to know how much it resembles the Princess options: a steak, a pasta dish, a shrimp appetizer, a salad, and a few more. If memory serves, there are about 7 items. Regarding formal wear, your perspective on clothes matches the zeitgeist of my youth. In many ways I appreciate the formality, but we have two issues with dressing this way on a trip. The first is that our holidays are lengthy and almost always involve both land and sea components, so we have to bring things that can be worn multiple times. On this trip we were gone 5 weeks, and wore the tuxedo twice, but had to haul it everywhere. Formal clothes are simply not practical for us. But the bigger issue is that "dressing up" has become so foreign to our current culture that I don't even own clothes that I could pack. Of the hundreds of people that I know, I am relatively certain that none of them own 2 tuxedos. I bought 2 tuxedo shirts for this trip, a blue and a white. The latter is the only white dress shirt that I own. To sum up, I appreciate and actually enjoy formal nights. For you, it is a rich part of current life. For me it is a glimpse into a different world. Perhaps we can both share the experience on a future transatlantic.

@@mytravelwindow3061 I'm told steak, chicken etc. I recall Princess had them displayed on left of menu many years ago. We haven't needed it and I only know due to the Cunard boards on Cruise Critic.

Thanks! I will check there if we book a transatlantic, like I hope to do in the next 2 years.

Absolutely! The cruise is often a small part of our total vacation. On this trip, for example, we were gone 34 days; the cruise was 8. We wore the formal clothes a total of twice and had to lug them all over Europe the rest of the time. Our norm is to travel "Rick Steves" style: a small carry-on and a back pack, with about 7-10 day's worth of clothes. We have traveled for 6-7 weeks at a time that way, with clothes we launder along the way or wash in the sink if we must. But on this trip, we upgraded one of the carry-ons to a full-size (checked) suitcase. It reminded me every time we flew how much I hate checked luggage. I heard that Cunard does have a shop that will rent formal wear, but you pay for a tux on the second day's rental, so we decided to bite the bullet and bring it with us. We also looked into renting a locker, but that only works in certain instances and there are a lot of logistics involved. Let me know if you find any better solution. As of now, Cunard is the only line for which this is a problem for us.

Great! Maybe we will meet you there!

Norway was great! We were surprised at how small the towns were (except for Bergen), and the fjords that we traveled through weren't as steep as we expected, although our son on another ship did see more of that. But the scenery that we saw was wonderful. People were friendly, and everything was very laid back. With 4 ports and 4 sea days, the trip was relaxing. Bergen is the rainiest city in Norway, and we got a beautiful day for the second straight time! So fortunate!

Yes! I can count on one hand the number of young children I saw, but we were also surprised at the diversity of ages. I expected the ship to be Brits, Germans, and Americans. But there were fewer Brits and Americans than I expected and more Germans. Thanks for the feedback on lateness of events. We are morning people, so did not sample the late night music very much. If you watch the video I just did today, I'm afraid it is skewed to what we heard. I'd be interested in what you think of my ratings of the 10 categories.

Great! Are you doing the land part first or the sea? And are you doing Princess?

We remember talking with you! How is the school year going? I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I plan another one next week on our "5 Loves and 5 Hates" of QM2 (although there is rarely ever a true "hate" on any ship). We have a QM2 transatlantic on our bucket list.

School year is going well, look forward to your video next week, you never know we might meet again on a transatlantic!

That would be great!

Great comments. Kefalonia sounds like a place worth checking out. Not only is Athens hot in the summer, but the acropolis is SO crowded. The way the new entry system works, trying to get off the acropolis can be horribly frustrating when new people are coming up, because incoming and departing tourists are funneled into the same area. Athens is hot. The Acropolis can be the hottest. And when you are unable to get off the hill it is the worst of all combinations. Go as early as possible or late.

Thank you for the positive comments. Our transatlantic on the Epic had some rough weather in our path -- the aftermath of a hurricane. The captain did a pretty good job of avoiding it, but we missed the port stops (Azores and Bermuda) in the process, so were at sea for 8 straight days. I hope the trip goes well for you.

Thanks, Craig and Jackie! Glad you enjoyed it. We are on a home exchange right now! According to the website this is our 37th exchange and every one has been a success. Enjoying a lovely waterfront home for a week to celebrate my birthday. We did one in Germany last month and are working on one for a family reunion next summer. So many possibilities!

Yes. The original price ($49 and $79) did not include taxes and fees, which were charged over and above the room rates. So when a new law went into effect on July 1 that said that cruise companies had to quote all prices inclusive of these things, HAL was forced to change the quoted prices. There is a later video describing this. The problem is that taxes and fees are really high for Alaska cruises (about $50 per day). For other destinations they are much lower. Rather that have a different set of rates for different markets, HAL just added $50 a day into the rate for ALL standby cruises. So Alaska standby cruises are almost exactly the same FINAL price as they were before. But for other itineraries, most notably Caribbean and transatlantic, the new standby rates are nowhere as good a deal as they were before. It is still a killer deal for solo travelers, but not so much for everyone else.

I'm glad the trip made an impression! It was great adventure.

The easiest way is directly with Holland America. The info is all at this site: www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/standby-program But your first question when you get a representative should be "Do you know how to book a standby cruise?" I still hear reports of agents who don't know how to do it, and you will save a lot of time making sure. What they will want to know is the cruise id, which is in the far right column of the page above (e.g. X472). Remember you have to pay up front.

@@drewtube1587 Yeah, my wife told me that she thought my ending was a little over the top. What I was trying to do was show how much a couple could pack into a 30-day trip, even as a 70-year-old pair. To be fair, we are spending 2 months at home, planning trips. And yes, watching some tv. :-)

@@mytravelwindow3061 I think it was great - it provided a good contrast of options

Sorry, Dawn, we can't afford it. There are 24 kennels on the ship, and the cost is $800 for a small dog and $1000 for a large one -- for a 7-day cruise. Despite that, the kennels are usually full and you need to reserve almost a year in advance!

Yes it was! We normally like to travel in the spring and fall, but family invited us to join them in London in summer, so we built a trip around that. It is our 50th anniversary, so we are kind of pulling out all the stops this year.

@@mytravelwindow3061 Wonderful! Happy Anniversary! 💞

Good observations! My wife felt that staff interactions were a little stiffer and "unsure" compared to other recent cruises, and I concur with your final comments about "seasoning." On every recent cruise I make it a practice to ask several of the staff how long they have worked for the cruise line. On recent HAL and Princess ships the average (stewards and dining room waiters) seemed to be about 10 years, and rarely anyone under 3. In fact, the steward on our last HAL ship was on his 25th contract! On this trip two different waiters answered that they were on their first contract: one in the main dining room and one at a specialty restaurant. At least one of those two was counting the days to go home, and I sensed that he's not planning to come back. Having said all that, service was never bad. The "Breakfast in Bed" room service in the morning was outstanding, and we did that most of the days of our trip. There were some very skilled veterans, particularly in some of the management roles. We were on Discovery Princess when she was new in 2022. Many staff said they were assigned as rewards for serving well on other ships. The captain revealed he was one of them. So this re-shuffling idea makes sense. Who better to work out kinks than seasoned veterans? I share the hope that everything will improve as the staff work together for a longer time.

@@mytravelwindow3061 Interesting that our observations and experiences would be so similar. And, I agree, breakfast in bed on Cunard is a luxury--and it's absolutely free! I dearly love having freshly brewed coffee and a breakfast roll or croissant delivered to my cabin and at no additional cost!

Agreed! In addition to all that, they always delivered on time or slightly early. If we said 7 to 7:30, it always came from 6:45 to 7. When we ordered room service breakfast on Princess the delivery times varied wildly. Part of that may be the difference of 900 fewer passengers!

We do, too. We are standby for a 42-day trip in November out of Fort Lauderdale. It leaves 60 days from today. About 10 days ago none of the categories were sold out. Then suddenly, overnight, the whole ship shows as sold out. This just reinforces for us how necessary it is to have a solid plan "b" if you don't get on. Also, the new pricing is not as advantageous as the old pricing, except for Alaska, so shop carefully. It is still really beneficial for a solo.

Thanks for the encouragement! Yes, they have kennels on board for dogs (and cats). The last I saw, the cost is $800 for a smaller dog and $1000 for larger. The dogs can't roam the ship, but you can go see them every day and take them for a walk on a doggie promenade. They have 24 spaces on board, and one note I read says they are usually about 90 per cent full. Check it out! Another quirk of a very different ship.

That is great! Was your cruise listed as sold out? Our 42-day cruise in November had all cabin types open, then suddenly showed up as sold out overnight. I assume it is related to guaranty cabins, but I'm not sure. Did you both wind up with interior cabins?

We both had ocean view cabins. I did not check the ship status prior as we were just letting the adventure evolve; what will be will be.

I agree with your assessment. My wife and I have an ongoing discussion about which is our favorite cruise line. We have been on 7 different lines (Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, HAL and Cunard). Princess and HAL are easily our favorites, but who is on top probably depends on which one we did last. I love Music Walk and the Crow's Nest and the size on HAL. On Princess it is the Piazza and the entertainment.

Thanks, I'll work on that.

Hey, I get it! Not everyone clicks with my style, but I appreciate you stopping by to share your thoughts!

When HAL adjusted prices to include taxes and port fees, they priced things so that Alaska cruises were about the same as before the change. But Alaska has higher taxes and fees than anywhere else. So all other cruises are now overpriced (in my opinion) relative to the standby risk. For some (if not many) of their newly listed Caribbean cruises, you can book an inside cabin for LESS than the standby fare. So it ONLY makes sense for singles. As far as flying in to San Diego, you are following our strategy with our standby in Fort Lauderdale. Once we fly in, if we don't get on the ship we will rent a car and go to Disney World for a few days as our plan b.

Yeah, I agree it is stressful. We have a standby on a 42-day trip out of Fort Lauderdale in November. I felt sure we would get on, as there were still 90 open cabins with just over 60 days to go. But suddenly the ship shows as sold out less than a week later. I think it has to do with guarantee cabins. Now that they have changed the pricing to include port fees, it makes everything other than Alaska less attractive. We won't book a future standby. Too much stress, to little reward.

Yes, I agree that the biggest risk is cancellation by the other party. Home Exchange counts exchanges by either party as one (i.e. a guest exchange counts as 1, a mutual as 2). By that count, we have done 34 over more than a decade. We canceled once, the other parties twice. Two were medical-related and one was a family issue. It happens enough that it is worth having a contingent plan. We are on a home exchange as I write this, staying in Bamberg, Germany, our fifth Home Exchange country. For us, it is not just about saving money, but about the experience of living life like a local or having an experience that we could never have arranged in a hotel or Airbnb. And we find the exchanges to generally be nicer and have more amenities than the Airbnb. It is not for everyone, but for us the risks are worth it.

Not to meantion that you need to move a bunch of personal items and stove it away… also if you have expensive furniture /tv etc all of this sounds very very risky to the point that it does not make sense.

I appreciate your perspective. In 2018, when I retired, we sold our house, cars, and furniture. We bought a 5th wheel trailer and toured the country for 2 years. In essence, we traded our "stuff" for experiences. We have never regretted that decision for a moment, and look on Home Exchange as another avenue to continue doing that. In this case, we trade the use of "stuff" for more travel experience. Not everyone shares that point of view.

I like your "kiss a lot of frogs" comment. It is true that you usually need to make several contacts and sometimes need to go back and forth to get the arrangements in place. But we calculate that we have saved about $20,000 in housing costs over the past decade. This has allowed us to budget an extra trip or two that we could not have afforded otherwise. Now that the "clock is ticking" (knowing we soon will not be physically able to travel), we appreciate each trip all the more.

I hope you make the ship! Our 42-day November sailing still shows as not sold out, so I'm hoping we make it. But like you, we have a continent plan for vacation near Fort Lauderdale if it doesn't work. We are in Europe for the month of August, so I missed the fact that HAL posted their fall itinerary cruises. Your posting caused me to check out the new trips. They have some great itineraries. But one of the trips that I checked out actually has a discounted fare lower than the standby. Their program won't work going forward if they keep pricing it that way!

That is the most incredible standby story I have yet heard. I knew people might not sail because of travel, health, or work issues. But rejection by the cruise line was never on my horizon.

Yes, it is a good ship, but worth pointing out uniqueness. We just disembarked Queen Mary 2. Also a great ship that is not for everyone.