Woofbite
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Everything posted by Woofbite
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Yep, and we hit a wave to prove it. You will note they were also in the process of replacing the rubber matting on the bow that was totally stripped off.
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There are expeditions now that fly you across the Drake Passage.
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Difference between stars and medallions
Woofbite replied to summer slope's topic in Holland America Line
Ask your travel agent to call HAL a couple of weeks before your next cruise. Sometimes, HAL will award your 4th star in advance if you are close. This was advice an on-board future cruise consultant suggested and it worked for me. -
Difference between stars and medallions
Woofbite replied to summer slope's topic in Holland America Line
Oops. Answered wrong message. -
I absolutely agree with not renting them.
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Having been to Antarctica a few times, I wouldn't want to pack boots in my luggage coming home after traipsing around the penguin rookeries but maybe the smell washes off easily or I'm just overly picky. I've always just bought cheap tall rubber boots for $25 or so and left them behind.
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Ship and crew won't be any different. They sail continuously, have probably sailed to Alaska before and only go ashore infrequently anyway and tend to rush to Walmart or some place similar to pick up snacks and items they need. They aren't really tourists although a few may be excited about going on a tour. The only kinks might be something operational, (landslides in Sitka and Ketchikan come to mind), or winds and current messing up tenders or port docking but those can happen anytime, anywhere. Captains and crews are experienced in dealing with the unplanned and unexpected and get pretty creative in arranging alternate ports or sightseeing if possible. Given the time of year, you probably got a great fare, the ship likely won't be full which makes the on-board experience more relaxed and enjoyable plus port towns won't be as crowded. Have a great trip. (reports would be appreciated by all.)
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Don't get too attached to the cabin you selected!
Woofbite replied to Windsailer's topic in Holland America Line
My goodness. I'm impressed with folks who have perfection in every area of their lives. Cruise lines carry millions of passengers over time, how often does someone get moved out of their booked cabin? I'll bet it is a lot fewer than airlines lose their luggage. -
Ditto and the food wasn't anything near better for the $75 per person surcharge. Overall one of the most disappointing cruises ever for a lot of reasons.
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To further confuse the SS dress code they have this to say about expedition cruises: For Silversea Expeditions guests, casual resort wear is appropriate at all times when on board, with the exception of two evenings when Informal attire is required. For men, this means a jacket, tie optional. Sounds like informal attire means the same as elegant casual and I don't know why they bother with Formal Optional since passengers are always free to dress formal.
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Live from Nieuw Stat sailing from A to A!
Woofbite replied to Mike B Landlubber's topic in Holland America Line
What was the going price for a ride? And the return and dismount which I've heard some crooks try to collect if that wasn't a joke! -
I thought the crêpes Suzette served in the last Rudi's I ate at was equally terrible. A leftover crepe from the lido with marmalade. Not even very warm. I think some other companies still flame desserts.
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I'd suggest including the Falklands and South Georgia in an Antarctica trip. Elephant Island is really tough to visit. I haven't managed a landing in three attempts. As pointed out, it really is a highlight for Shackleton fans so rate it accordingly. One interesting non-Antarctica site we visited on a trip out of Chile was to climb up Cape Horn to visit the small military station, chapel and albatross statue on top. The islands around Antarctica are as fascinating as the continent but I suppose there is a certain cachet in being able to say you've visited all seven continents and have the certificate to prove it.
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Airlines are such a hassle these days we consider 14 days almost a minimum cruise to be worth the effort. With Alaska especially, sitting on your private balcony watching the scenery pass by is worth the price difference to us and a lot of other cruisers. We grab those longer cruises when possible since there aren't many of them compared to the 7 day ones.
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We were on the QM2. Sight lines for many seats in the theater were blocked by huge poles all over the place. There were lines for practically every event to get good seats and nowhere for mobility impaired people to wait. We were only able to eat in the Golden Lion pub one time and that was by sitting through trivia and bingo because almost no one ever left. Food in the main dining room was very ordinary and service so slow we gave up and ate in the buffet most of the time. The specialty steakhouse with its $75 surcharge was a lot to pay for a not very special steak dinner. There were a lot of pretentious people around but the true class acts stood out without the show.
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Good luck with Cunard, Oceania and Viking. We did Viking Ocean three years ago, Cunard about 5 years ago and just got off our first Oceania cruise. All had a few things we liked better than HAL and a lot more that we didn't. Cunard was relatively cheap but nothing matched their beautiful ship or evocative advertising. The others we thought were just plain overhyped and overpriced. Of course everyone has their own expectations and opinions.
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People really seem to like them. What makes them so much better than a fresh cooked one in Dive-In?
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Experience $$ Booking When Itinerary First Release
Woofbite replied to poffles's topic in Holland America Line
I plum forgot about that site. Thanks for all the suggestions! -
Experience $$ Booking When Itinerary First Release
Woofbite replied to poffles's topic in Holland America Line
How do you do that? -
We just got off them the end of August and they still have them - for now.
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Happened on our Glacier and Greenland cruise that ended August 22
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LIVE from the Rotterdam’s Best of Norway: August 17-31, 2024
Woofbite replied to 0106's topic in Holland America Line
I'm not sure HAL will go there in the future given the severe limits on how they have to operate: https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/ /cruises/articles/norways-svalbard-archipelago-sets-strict-cruise-limits