ShaniBell

27 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

Awesome, I will be on the 3/12 Panorama!!!

Cool!  We were on her first run in December 2019 but it was a three day to Ensenada.  Looking forward to a full week onboard.

We've got three booked currently 🙂

Mardi Gras 7/31/21

Panorama 3/12/22

and then a third on NCL for Greece and Italy the summer of 2023

Most of the specifics are for Club Ocean since none of those kids can be vaccinated.  Looks like the teen clubs are still up in the air to some degree but I'm going to go on the assumption that they will not be available to us on the Mardi Gras on the 31st. 

The over 12 crowd would be vaccinated so :: crossing fingers :: they leave those areas in tact so the teens can at least meet up.  if not, we'll manage.  Between the message boards, facebook groups and the Hub app we'll figure out some way for the few teens on board to meet up.

15 hours ago, cowboy$fan said:

• For guests traveling with children, you should know that we do not plan to offer our supervised children’s programs on your cruise in order to minimize the risk for children under 12 who were granted an exemption because they could not be vaccinated..

 

This is from John's page on Facebook.  I posted with my booking number since we will be travelling with a 14 year old and he said he would have someone contact me Monday with options.  

11 minutes ago, sailingships said:

Which means if people dont have the proof they are vaxxed or their card is fraudulent they will be denied boarding. How does that work for the 95%/5% which will change since Carnival had counted the answers to the EMail question to get there.

I believe this is why the had stated previously that the actual approval would be <5% to allow for this type of scenario.  I think it was John Heald that posted the information a couple of weeks ago.  I'll try to find it.

Following as well.  Just booked last night and am seeing limited specialty dining options as well as no excursions posted yet for Nassau.  I am assuming they are scrambling to get all of the last details in place quickly now that they got the green lignt to cruise.

We are travelling as well.  Just not to Asia but that wasnt' really on our horizon for this year anyway.  We are going to be in Disney World next month for our daughter's 13th Birthday, in June we had Boston/Cape Cod planned for a week and just this morning added a cruise from Boston to Montreal for DH and I and then in December we will be cruising the Mexican Riviera for my 50th birthday.  

I'll admit, Disney World has me a bit worried but that place is a petri dish on a good day anyway.  We go with the "touch nothing and wash your hands constantly" mentality.

Thanks everyone!  We are looking forward to trying out another line.  I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds their website to be completely worthless.  My teen keeps telling me it must be me because apparently I'm just "old" and dont' know how to use the internet!  1.  49 is not OLD and 2.  my generation invented the internet.  But I digress.  

On 2/15/2020 at 5:16 PM, ATC said:

We just booked the Amsterdam for June 13-27, Bos-Montrael-Bos. This is the 10th year in a row we have taken this very relaxing NE/Canada trip. We also wanted to experience the Amsterdam after its drydock in May. We will be going on a long cruise on it in the fall.

That sounds lovely!  Wish I could do the return trip but we would have already spe nt a week in the Boston area before boarding and I'm not sure I could convince my boss to let me have a 3rd week of PTO.

1 hour ago, sail7seas said:

 

I live  very nearBoston and my late dh and I sailed Boston to Montealb-to-b many  times and loved it. IMO it is one of HAL's bes short itineraries.  For a 7 day cruise, with a port very day but one, you get  to see so m

uch and learn about Atlantic Canada and New England.  some really  great ports. 

I'm originally from the Boston area, we'll be there visiting family for a week in June.  Our daughter will be staying for longer so we'll be taking advantage of the opportunity to travel sans kiddo.

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

It is the premium package (the top option - NOT the lowest).  I do have it included on one cruise and this is copied and pasted from my confirmation (in bold) :  14-Day Premium Internet Pkg Promo

 

 

That's a pleasant suprise.  Thanks for confirming for me.

Good morning,

My husband and I are considering take the 7 day cruise out of Boston in June.  We'll be on that side of the country for other reasons and thought it would be a nice option since we'll be there.  We have never cruised Holland America before.  We've been on Carnival, Disney, Norwegian and I was on RC eons ago.  

I usually just book online myself directly through the cruiseline website but I am having the hardest time with their website.   Every time I try to choose a specific room the site blanks out.  I've tried to book through Costco and Expedia to see if the same issue persists and it does not.  Is this a common problem with the website or is it just me (I have tried different browsers, clearing cookies, all the standard trouble shooting efforts).

That aside, anything you would like to share about the line would be appreck iated. It'll just be me (49) and DH (47) for the week.  We're looking at a suite in order to get a balcony/veranda.  Probably won't do a drink package this time around as neither of us are big drinkers and this seems like a pretty laid back itinerary but may opt for wine.

Does anyone which one is included in their "free wifi" offer?  I'm assuming it would be the lowest end option.

Thanks everyone!  At this point we are playing musical staterooms.  We now have four rooms booked for this cruise across multiple friends and family members.  Three of the rooms are in the Havana area and one is on Deck 8. 

We want to move from our extended aft to the wrap aft.  We want to move "deck 8" to a Havana Room.

At this point, I'm thinking to just move the deck 8 to the Aft Wrap cabin and then switch rooms around on board so that they end up taking my current cabin and we take the aft wrap cabin that is if my PVP can't just do it ahead of time without charging me multiple times for upgrading rooms.  

2 hours ago, jdemps said:

Worth it for me depends on the price so I would need that to comment...

It's about $400 more total.

45 minutes ago, JaniceB said:

It may not be needed.  I had a Havana Cabana cabin and we never used our patio area, we just went to the Havana area to meet or hang out.  

Not everyone in our group will be staying in Havana Cabins so that may not be an option during certain times of the day.

3 minutes ago, Beachiekeen said:

This is the cabin we had for my 50th this past April. We loved it, loved the room, the balcony, the Havana, everything. We traveled with another couple and watched several sunsets on the balcony.

 

I don’t know the differences between this cabin and the one you currently have however. 

Thank you!  I was actually just looking at your pictures from your birthday trip recap.  The only real difference, that I can see, is the larger balcony.  Square footage on the room is identical just laid out a bit differently.  Where was the sofa situated in your cabin?  From the floor plan it looks like it's almost in an entry hallway and not really useful.

Title pretty much says it all.  We are currently booked in a Havana Aft View Extended Balcony.  I was browsing and noticed a Havana Premium Vista Balcony cabin is available two doors over from our current cabin.  Is worth upgrading to?  We are sailing for my 50th birthday with several other people and I'm thinking the larger balcony would be a nice option for gatherings during the week or for just hanging out as there are three sea days on our itinerary.

I read your whole review and cant remember if you said you purchased FTTF.

 

If so, did you find it helpful?

 

Thank you

We did and we did :) Keeping in mind that it was relatively inexpensive for the 4 day cruise, approximately $50. It allowed us on the ship earlier with access to our stateroom. It also came in handy the 2 or 3 times we needed to use guest services. It also allowed us immediate access to a tender when leaving the ship in Catalina. We were also able to leave the ship pretty much at our leisure upon return to Long Beach as it gave us debarkation tags with the #2 on them. We waited very briefly in the show room while the ship was cleared and we were off the ship by 9:30.

Overall, I found it helpful and useful at the $50 price point. I'm still debating its value for a longer trip but am leaning towards it being a perk I would purchase again, especially since only one person in the cabin needs it.

I discovered and drank Ting Mojitos on our last Carnival Cruise. Grapefruit based Mojito. You have to like Mojitos and grapefruit to like this one. DH thought it tasted like 'a backyard'. Hubby discovered the Twilight Zone which is a Pina Colada with a shot of blue curacao. Too sweet for my tastes but DH loved them.

Thankyou

 

Does it take long to go through customs etc

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

On our way out of the luggage area and to the Customs line, we came across the group of porters. We didn't really need assistance and we were prepared to carry everything out to the garage ourselves until the following proclamation was made by the porter supervisor...

 

IF YOU USE A PORTER, YOU CAN USE THIS EXPEDITED CUSTOMS LINE WHERE THERE IS CURRENTLY NO WAIT!

We didn't use the actual line and walked right through. I have no idea how long it took to get through the line that had developed though. It was fairly long when we came out.

Love it! Have a great cruise.

Day 4 - Day at Sea Continued...

 

Again, our interactions with Camilo and Margo were the highlight of the day. We spent some time earlier during dinner, before the huge rush, getting to know Camilo and eagerly soak up stories about his family. His wife was actually one of the two bartenders at the Atrium Bar. I can only imagine how this might take off the edge of being on a ship for months at a time. I also relish these human connections as it provides me with a healthy dose of perspective and provides me with the essential reminder that the world, in fact, does not revolve around my little slice of Earth.

One thing my husband didn't mention is that while Camilo and his wife are on board for months at a time, his young boys are back in the Philipines with grandparents. I couldn't imagine being away from my daughter for such long periods of time like they are. It touched my heart in a way I hadn't anticipated and made me even happier to see our own daughter when she returned from her own adventures a few days after we completed ours.

We are on the Imagination just now. Were looking for Camilo to show him he is an internet star.

 

We tracked him to the Red Frog Rum bar and talked to Yosep- another really nice guy. Camilo never showed up.

 

Looking forward to wine tasting as well in Mexico.

 

BTW - FTTF has been disappointing- they did not let us go to our room upon arrival on the ship and our luggage is still not here - though they have stated to deliver all luggage. We have FTTF printed on every document so we did everything correctly. We even polity challenged. Nope. Not worth it so far.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you hang on the Lido deck long enough watching other passengers embark, especially with a drink in hnd, he will find you soon enough. When you do see him, tell him Rob and Shani said "hello and that we missed him terribly while we were hanging by our pool with no one to bring us tasty drinks and tell us fun stories."

Are you talking about the Inaugural 12/11/19 cruise??

We are booked for the inaugural cruise on 12/11/19 and again a year later (12/12/20 - 12/29/20) for my 50th birthday.

Great review!

 

I hope your second winery wasn't Donna Lupe's. She's a very nice woman and the jams and jellies they serve are wonderful, but the wine is awful. I've literally bought better stuff from a gas station.

It was and I was sorely disappointed in the wine. I think I had a punch ticket to try 4 - 6 and I tried 2 before giving up. The wine was terrible. I'm glad I bought at the L.A. Cetto because we would have gone home empty handed otherwise.

I will say the ambiance at Donna Lupe's was fun and I did end up buying some jam and some vanilla from their shop but no wine from them.