P&PNH

Jacqui, We are so glad to hear you made it to Amsterdam safely. Your hotel looks great! We took the canal cruise the first night we were in Amsterdam after flying all night. It included wine and cheese for everyone, needless to say none us had a problem getting to sleep that night. Getting up the next morning was the problem. Enjoy the city, we certainly did when we were there. Especially the national museum. Peter & Paula

We did the triple Denali last year in May, and it was wonderful. Would do it again in a heartbeat. The train south to Anchorage, and then on to Whittier is amazing. The cruise south on N. Amsterdam was fantastic.

Jacqui, Have a wonderful cruise, stay well, and be happy. Give Ivan a kiss for us. We leave next Sat. for a brief Bermuda cruise on Carnival Pride. Petr & Paula

We renewed our vows onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam for 0ur 25th anniversary 9 years ago. It was a wonderful service like the one above. We told some friends when we on the N Amsterdam in 2022 on an Alaska cruise, and they did the same thing while onboard. Encourage others to do the same, you never know what life will throw at you.

We did a partial transit of the canal back in 2020 on the Zuiderdam. Our last cruise before Covid shut things down. IMHO if you have not been all the way though the canal before, and don't know if you get the chance again, than take the excursion where you get onto a smaller boat and go all the to Panama City. We did it, and it was well worth the time and money. You see a lot more, and it is an amazing adventure. You are noting going on a cruise to sit in your cabin, but to explore the world around you.

Greetings to all. I don't know where this picture came from, but the dog looks just like our PoohBear that we lost a few ago. He was the kindest soul, and loved kids. He had a 48" chest and weighed in at 138 lbs. He would drag you across the street to say HI to a child. Every kid in the neighborhood knew him. Paula and I were PoohBear's parents. He truly was a great dog, and the kindest of souls.

Read this thread and found the match program very interesting. So, I looked up MSC ships. Looks like MSC goes for the floating city route with large capacity vessels. That killed my interest in MSC. Like smaller ships with less people. Different folks, different stokes.

Greetings from a warm, soggy NH. Thank you all for the FR &D. You guys do a great job, and I know it is a lot of work. Good collection of days, I have a bag of Vadallia sweet onions waiting for me to make French Onion Soup. Karen @luvteaching our deepest condolences on the passing of your DH Phil. We are glad you have your son, and mother for support. Hold tight to the memories. Terry @smitty34877, hope your DH gets a regular room soon. Nothing worse than sitting in an ER with all sorts of sick people. Did it yesterday. Jack, @Heartgrove Sam is a beautiful dog. Nice to know he has a caring owner. Roy @rafinmd Call the pharmacist and tell them you do not need the drugs, they will return them to stock. Peter

Happy Birthday Roy from a closet Daily-ite. I hope you got yourself a nice birthday cake at Wegmans. Easy to chew and fun to eat. P&PNH

Thank you. I just found it myself in the annual report under shareholder benefits. Valid through July 31, 2024 so far.

Hello, I have been viewing this tread and trying to find out more about onboard cruise credits for shareholders. Is there anywhere this program is spelled out on the Carnival website? Does it work on HAL also? Thanks for your help.

Thanks for input, it is always good to hear from someone who has been there done that. The TripAdvisor review were up/down.

Thanks for the response. My guess is your car was safe while you were gone, and the shuttle picked you up after the cruise OK. Just need a clean bed, and towels for a night.

Hello Jacqui, Two cruises to add to you list. May 13 2023 Zaandam 7 day Canada/new England The second one is the same as yours for October 20 2024, 25 day Oosterdam - 20-Oct-24 - 25 day Meditteranean Romance & Spanish Farewell kazu Guess we will finally get to meet you in person.

Looking forward to your review! New Zealand and Australia are on our bucket list also. Hope to be there in 2024. Enjoy your cruise, and keep the pictures coming, we can watch for now!

Thanks to everyone for their responses. We will check them out. Has anyone stayed at the Best Western Conference center on the north side of town? Seems to have mixed reviews.

We stayed at the Movenpick Hotel a few ago and it was very nice. The have a great breakfast buffet, and the bar has the best Heineken drafts I have ever had. There is also a trolley stop just outside the hotel that will take you into the center of town. If you have the option, go to Amsterdam a couple of days early and explore. They have a national art museum that is well worth seeing. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInPbIg8646QIVmovICh1a1Q_8EAAYASAAEgK8WfD_BwE Enjoy your visit and cruise.

Hello everyone. We are looking for a hotel in the Baltimore area that we could stay at prior to our cruise in October. We would like one where we could leave our car safely, and they supply a shuttle to/from the port. If any one has has a recommendation for a clean safe place, we would appreciate it. Thanks!

Hello Denise, welcome to HAL. You have chosen a great trip and a wonderful ship for your first cruise. We sailed the Nieuw Amsterdam from Whittier to Vancouver ourselves the end of last May and had a wonderful time. The scenery is breathtaking, take a lot of pictures. That was our second cruise on the NA and we really like the ship. I know food quality is a subjective opinion, but I thought the food was good. I never went hungry that's for sure. The ports are small so be sure to check out the excursions. White Pass railway in Skagway is worth the time. Have fun and enjoy!!

We did a Triple Denali land/sea tour on HAL last May. It as a wonderful trip and we enjoyed it. We started in Seattle where we spent a few days exploring the area. The light rail system is a great way to get around the area. HAL flew us to Fairbanks from there. Note of caution here, make sure you get an early flight from Seattle to Fairbanks. Some people did not get into the Westmark hotel in Fairbanks till after midnight, and there is an early start the next day. Two nights in Fairbanks would be better. Call HAL if you need to get the flight fixed if necessary. We did the riverboat cruise the next day which was fun, there was a lunch included. We then bussed up to Denali for 3 nights in the McKinley lodge to explore the area. The Princess lodge is just up the street, and we ate dinner there one night. Many of the evening tours and shows include dinner, so the meal package from HAL is not worth the price. The package includes a Tundra tour into the park with wildlife sightings and history of the area with a park ranger. Note here, this was one of first tours of the season after Covid shutdown. Some people did not wear masks in tight spaces and we were tested for Covid before the next phase of the trip. There was a 20% positive result in people so their trip was cut short. Train ride from Denali to Anchorage was great as stated above. One night in Anchorage seemed short, then train again down to Whittier to board the N. Amsterdam. From there to Vancouver with stops along the way. Others fell ill on the ship and were quarantined in their cabins, so make sure you are up to date on vaccinations, and be safe. The trip was a bucket list item for us, and it was well worth it. HAL did a great job with luggage,and the Westmark hotels were OK Remember it is Alaska and there is not a lot to choose from in some areas. There is an Alaska tour thread on CC somewhere that has a great deal of information. Good luck.

We sailed N. Amsterdam from Whittier to Vancouver last May, and it was a wonderful ship for viewing the sights. You could go the opposite way north. Our friends on board had a handicapped balcony and it worked out great for them. They moved the ship so both sides had viewing of glaciers etc.

We sailed the Pride last Nov. out of Tampa. We have split our crises between Carnival an HAL over the years, it all depends on the itineraries. We had a good time and the ship and crew were fine. The passengers seemed to be an older crowd that short cruises out of Miami. The cruise will be what you make of it. If it fits your time slot, go for it.

HAL is very good about moving luggage around Alaska. They will give you tags to separate luggage that you need for land and that you don't. Everything will end up with you on the last day. At least it did for us last year. Book the cruise, you will love it!