borasue

This is such great information to be available to us.  Thank you for compiling it!

Just saw this one on social media - Koningsdam, Sept 21st, 2024 - Alaska - "Cruise Alaska with Travel Expert Christine Kesteloo and special guest Holly Daniels Christensen, Dune Jewelry"

I’ve followed along with you since your pre and post dry dock cruises on the Nieuw Statendam and now this journey.  (Actually, we sailed with you on the TA 🙂)  I applaud the way you just roll with whatever seems to be thrown your way and mark it all up to “firsts” and new experiences, stories to tell, and memories made!  Not only are your posts entertaining but they’re also informative and bring to light the “what ifs.”  Thank you!  

Just got off the Nieuw Statendam this morning (14 days).  It was available every morning in the Lido.  

Haljo1935 - We're on this sailing, too, and had the same issue with the TV, twice.  We reported it via the app and within about an hour they responded.  First time was a simple reset.  Same issue the next day and they sent up a tech.  We agree about the service in the dining areas and bars (we're not CO), although our stateroom attendants have been outstanding.  Hope things begin to improve for you.  🙂  Given the movement from the ship last night and this morning, we're trying to roll with it!  LOL  

I've given up even trying to log in to HAL on my laptop.  DW has no problem getting on so I just use hers. 😉  We both have Macs, but she upgraded her browser to Safari 16.6 while I'm still using Safari 15.0.  I'm thinking that could be my culprit.   

Our PCC had been with HAL over 9 years.  Just heard from her that she was among those that were laid off.  As sad as we are about not being able to cruise these days, my sadness runs ten times deeper for those who've just lost their livelihood.  😔 

We did the "HOHO" in Montego Bay.  What a waste!  It's exactly as tja273 described.  Those who used it to get to Rose Hall early in the day found themselves stranded there later in the afternoon, as the bus was filled by the time it reached that stop.  Some folks said they saw 3 buses come & go with no availability.  They gave up and took a taxi.  Definitely would not recommend it.  

In 2015 we booked Naples Tour Service for a private tour of Sorrento & Positano. It was absolutely a fabulous, memorable experience. In 2016 we booked them again to arrange a tour of Pompeii and Naples. Because we loved our driver so much the first time, Sergio arranged it so we had Franco again on the second trip, too! He's SO personable and thoughtful! Sergio is fantastic to work with and their company is competitively priced. https://www.naplestoursservice.com

We had a port stop in Sarande back in 2016. While the port and some areas accepted Euros, we were on a HAL excursion that took us up to the village of Himara. While the shopkeepers did hesitantly accept Euros, they could only give change back in Albanian lek. On the upside, when I told them to just keep the change, the wonderful little woman tending the shop gave me my change in the equivalent of Albania cookies. :)

We did the Viking Passage last year on the Zuiderdam. Incredible voyage. The speaker was outstanding! His lectures were "standing room only" every single time. Highly recommend this cruise... our favorite so far!

We absolutely enjoyed Christmas aboard the Koningsdam! While the decorations were a little understated (not much in the Lido area), the spirit of the crew and the activities more than made up for it! The Christmas Eve crew show and Santa's arrival Christmas morning, accompanied by the fantastic 12 Days of Cruising video (led by our phenomenal Cruise Director, Christina Purcell) were outstanding. And the holiday menus were great! We decorated our cabin a little... we even took a 2' tree. Some fellow cruisers decorated their doors. All in all, it was fun! We're already planning to go again in a year or two! Yes, there were a few more kids on board than usual, but watching them was all part of the fun!

Thank you! We leave Saturday for Copenhagen. Very excited!! Bucket list trip! :-)

Looking forward to your posts! We leave for Copenhagen on the 19th and board on the 23rd! :)

I wanted to report back on my trip with FabTravel on my Disney Norway Iceland cruise this June. I booked the combo package with Akureyri and Reykjavik. The instructions were they would meet us 30 minutes after docking which was 8:15 in Akureyri and 12:30 in Reykjavik. Both meet ups were extremely smooth, the company was right off this ship holding a sign for both and it was very easy to walk right over to the buses. I was amazed by how knowledgeable and friendly both guides were. Of course the sights in Iceland were spectacular but their knowledge and extra information was fantastic. I learned an Iceland horse can never return if it leaves the Island! Every site was visited and easily accessible. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this company. I want to go back for Northern lights at some point and will book a tour with them again. We easily got back to the ship in time in Akureyri and we had another day in Reykjavik, so that was not an issue.

Thank you for your review! We've booked the same tours with FAB for our cruise next month, so I was very happy to hear you had a good experience. :)

Thank you all for your input, . Although I am still not sure what we will do your information has been very helpful and informative.

We were relatively new to cruising when we did our first Med trip in 2015, and it was our first trip outside the US in many years. We got a few euro to start off with before leaving Boston. We flew direct into Venice, found the ticket machine to get a bus to Piazza Roma. We stayed at Hotel Olimpia, which we LOVED, and it was a short, one bridge walk from where the bus dropped us off. Piazza Roma is also where you get on the People Mover to go from Piazza Roma to the ship. We even ventured onto the vaporetto (water taxi) to see a bit of Venice. We're two 50/60 something ladies and it was all easy enough for us to do. ;) Whatever you decide, have a fantastic trip!

In addition to the Cruise Critic links mentioned earlier, check out Tom's Port Guides. Excellent info for many ports, including Copenhagen. Here's the link: http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/copenhagen-09-30-2012.pdf

Sent ours off for renewal on Jan 21... Got 'em back on 2/13. Just about 3 weeks.

Here's all three of the new commercials:

Thanks for sharing the link. I haven't seen them yet, but I do think they were well done and are appealing. :)

The announcement from P&O and Cunard came out a couple of days ago, so I'm not surprised. Our stop in Kusadasi and visit to Ephesus was the highlight of our cruise in 2015. We were scheduled for Istanbul and Kusadasi this past October and, of course, the itinerary changed. Such a sad situation for the wonderful people of Turkey. So much of the country is dependent on tourism. :(

Thanks for letting us tag along vicariously! Enjoyed your "Live" reports and I'm so happy you loved the Kdam so much. We were on her in October and we felt the same way. But then, we love all those Dam ships! :D

Bon Voyage and we hope you enjoy the Koningsdam as much as we did! :) Looking forward to your reports!

Bon Voyage to all, but especially to SuznJune! :) Wishing you & Sylvia a smooth cruise & Happy Thanksgiving!

We stayed in Rome pre-cruise and booked RomeCabs for the transfer from our hotel to the port. 150 EU for 4 adults. Since we were just 2, we jumped on our roll call and offered up to share our transport with another couple, splitting the cost in half. The other couple had planned to take the train, but decided to join us instead. They were SO happy they made that decision, because on Sept 30th, our embarkation day, there was one of those infamous transportation strikes and the trains didn't run. :eek: MANY cruisers had to scramble at the last minute to get alternative transportation from Rome to Civitavecchia. We were onboard by noon. :D

I had no problem getting extras from our attendant. :)

Appreciate all the info on Rome Cabs.

We have booked two services (airport to hotel and hotel to port) and received an email after booking, asking to confirm. We immediately did so.

We have not yet been asked to provide our credit card number to guarantee services. I thought that was a requirement. Should I be contacting Rome Cabs or not?

 

Thanks,

 

Marion

Marion. Just wanted to chime in about RomeCabs. We used them on 9/28 from the airport in Rome to our hotel in Rome, on 9/30 from Rome to Civitavecchia, and again on 10/13 from Civitavecchia back to Rome. Communication was flawless, as was the service. Payment was in Euro at the end of the service, no deposit required. The drivers were friendly and easy to find. The cost from the airport to the hotel in Rome was 50 euro.... cabs are a flat rate of 48. It's SO much easier to go with RomeCabs!! We had a second couple share the ride with us to/from Civitavecchia. There was absolutely no issue with having 2 different pickup/dropoff spots. I would definitely recommend them! Have a wonderful trip!