togacath

My specific trip is Holland America departing on July 22nd which is a Saturday.  Thank you, Rubyfisch, for the input on Sumner Tunnel.  Will definitely plan on extra time and patience!

Our cruise line just sent an advisory warning about traffic delays getting to the Boston pier for our July departure.  We are staying the night before at a hotel near the airport.  Is it really going to be an issue?

Riga is definitely a must see!

We just did this on the Eurodam in February right before COVID started shutting everything down.  We had previously done a full transit of the canal a couple of years ago.  The partial was 99% as good as the full transit.  You can take a shore excursion to see more of the canal or you can stay on board and watch the exit from the locks (the shore excursions return you by bus to a port outside of the canal).  Either way, you'll like it.  The canal is humid so if you are not a fan of humidity, stay on-board and enjoy seeing the exit from the canal.  There's the benefit of also seeing big ships enter the new locks.  Agree with poster who recommended the book to read before your trip.  They have someone come on board to provide narration/history, but it is hard to hear them sometimes depending on where you are on the ship.  Please, walk around the ship to see canal transit from all levels.  They will open the bow but don't forget to walk aft and look behind, as well as viewing it from upper decks and the promenade.  If your cabin is on a lower deck, pop back into your cabin so you can see out the window looking at the wall of the canal.

Cartagena - you can do a shore excursion and see some of the town or you can go to a little zoo they have right on the pier to see some wildlife close up.  Lots of birds, little monkeys, an anteater (never seen one before) and I think there were even capybaras.  Easy walk or there's a shuttle bus from the pier to the gift shop/zoo area.

Aruba - no problem with the late arrival.  You dock in town or close so you can walk around very easily.

We booked this cruise mainly to get away but both my husband and were surprised at how much we enjoyed it.  I think it ended up in the top 5 list of all of our cruises.  Would book it again in a heartbeat!

When I traveled with my mother, we would each leave books on the exchange shelf.  Our daily excitement was swinging back by the exchange shelf to see if "our" books had been taken.  Mine usually had been selected by another guest and mom's were usually still sitting there.  Even more fun was when you saw someone in the Lido with the book you had donated!!!

We received an offer for our 14 day upcoming Alaska trip on the Zaandam (two weeks out). Go from a Vista (Category A) to a Neptune for the low low low price of only $1,359 per person! Too much for us...for that price, I'd want someone to come to my house and pack my bags for me. :-)

Has anyone stayed at the Movenpick this summer before leaving on a cruise? We booked our stay through Holland America and I'm curious if breakfast was included. Also, check-in time is 3:00pm. Was anyone able to check in early? Thanks.

And, if you can't find anything appealing on the dinner menu or if you want some comfort food, ask for the Kid's Menu!

The Neptune Lounge on the Noordam had a drawer under the television filled with paperbacks. Was a much larger selection that what was on the paperback exchange shelf in the library. I don't know if the other ships do anything similar.

Don't forget handi-wipes and you might want to remember to take some toilet paper from the ship with you. The public restroom in Santorini comes to mind...

Dear OP,

Am so sorry to hear of your injury on your trip. Please, if you cruise again, remember the Infirmary on board. I had another passenger (not my husband) step on my foot during a Dancing with the Stars class. I was in immediate pain and hobbled off the dance floor. Made it back to my cabin and iced it. When I still couldn't put weight on it a couple of hours later, my husband took me to the Infirmary. While I was lectured about not reporting the injury immediately, I did receive the best care, at no charge. They took x-rays to make sure nothing was broken and then offered me both crutches and a cane. For the rest of the trip, I hobbled around but received excellent care and attention from the crew. My room stewards brought ice multiple times a day and I had Front Office people calling me daily to make sure I was fine. Yes, an injury does put a damper on a vacation, but Holland America did its best by me and I can't praise them enough.

And, yes, it took months to heal. My colleagues laughed so hard when I returned to work with a cane! They can't wait to see what injury I return with after my next trip!

My best wishes for a complete recovery to you! I do hope you try Holland America again in the future and get to experience some of the wonderful service that keeps so many of us going back again and again.

Hi All,

Do the ships dock (or tender) right in town or do you need to take a shuttle bus just to walk around Kirkwall?

Thanks in advance!

The cruise director is Mark Brignone. Very nice. Outgoing and gregarious without being obnoxious.

Am also on board. Have to agree, Cathy in the Neptune Lounge is fantastic. The cruise director is Mark. He was supposed to be on the Prinsendam but got sent here as a last minute sub. He will be joining the Prinsendam in Amsterdam in mid May and will be with her all summer.

We had a mooring line break when we were docking in Corinto, Nicaragua.

The sommelier is Csaba. He's running some very interesting programs on board.

Hi CanadianBear,

We will be joking you on the Noordam for the portion of the trip to San Diego. I haven't started packing yet. Am an accountant so I have to deal with the dreaded April 15th tax deadline before I can even think about the trip!

We were on the Noordam last year and loved her. Can't wait to see how spiffy and new everything looks after the dry dock. Plus, I think Copper John is working on our cruise.

See you soon! Cath and Dick

Hi CruzChic - can you tell me how the Noordam is holding up? We join her on April 20th and are getting super excited. There's been reports that she's heading to dry dock before our sailing but I think it's just for refreshing. Would love to hear how you think the lovely lady is holding up. Meanwhile, enjoy the cabana life!

My full size iPad fit in the Noordam safe when I was creative. It didn't fit in flat but if I tilted it, I could get it in there. Enjoy!

Yes, that was her up top right before the bow went out of the frame. She was on the phone at the same time and was really excited that people could see her.

Thanks for making her send off so special!!!!!

making the turn right now . bon voyage!

she's BJWTravels and she's with Margaret from Australia who I think is Itry39

she's at the front of the ship toward the port side above the flying bridge and can see the Capt and Pilot

she'll call back when they are passing the condos, so at least we'll know when it's okay to stop trying to watch. She is flashing B Y E in morse code at the condos. Should I be a nice daughter and say that everyone saw it?

Phone call from the ship. They are moving! Mom is flashing her flashlight if anyone has a visual.

sorry, false alarm earlier. definitely not moving...per Mom on ship. They are still waiting. But no announcements...

little symbol map shows she's moving...was that a horn?