bleacher04

Well, that is disappointing. What are your ports? The cruise sounds interesting.

Cozumel; Banana Coast (Trujillo), Honduras; Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala; & Costa Maya. The Honduras and Guatemala ports are the ones I referred to as less developed; the two Mexican ports are probably over-developed!

But we didn't pick this cruise for the ports; it was a relatively affordable Holiday cruise (compared to other itineraries in that season), conveniently to places we hadn't visited before, and which were unaffected by the Eastern Caribbean hurricanes. Mainly it's an opportunity to get away with the family.

And as a bonus, this short 7-day cruise will push me up to 4-star Mariner status :D

BTW, did you check your roll call to see if there were similar third-party excursions?

Our roll call has 10 posts, LOL -- and three of them are CruiseCritic auto-posts :D

It's a 7-day Holiday cruise, so not a lot of roll call activity. Two of the four ports are not very developed, and online searches didn't turn up anything very attractive, which is why we went for HAL excursions.

If you have 5-6 days and are comfortable with driving, then I would agree with some of the above posters -- fly to Calgary and rent a car, and make your way up to Jasper via Banff. It's really not that far, the scenery is spectacular (I never get tired of it), and you can do the trip at your own pace. The money you save on the Rocky Mountaineer or other tour company can be used to book lodging (well in advance) at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge :D

Visit Lake Louise, but I would not recommend the Chateau there; unless things have changed it's one of the poorer-managed Fairmont properties IMO.

From Jasper, you can either re-trace your tracks back to Calgary, or take the shorter (but infinitely more boring) drive to Edmonton.

So I called ShoreEx, and yes, the excursion in question was cancelled for that date. But they have no record of an email notice being sent to me (or to the other two booking numbers in our party). So it was probably a systems error, as all of our email addresses are correct.

Anyway, we have our refund, and all of our other HAL excursions are intact, so that appears to have been our only issue.

Wine is good!:D Hope you and your DW have a happy Christmas and cruise.

Thanks Ann! Merry Christmas to you and Pat as well. And have a great cruise in January with T&M

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Hi, Paul. That is too bad that the shore excursion you chose has been cancelled. But good that you noticed in time, and I hope you find a really great alternative.

Thanks Ann. There isn't much to do in this port, it's fairly new as I understand, so we may just walk into the nearby town, which is only 5 minutes from the terminal. Another website describes it as "a really quaint Spanish colonial town." :) And the ShoreEx money we save can be put to good use towards wine! :D

I will call our PCC when the offices re-open on Monday. I think that ShoreEx is a separate department, but I want to find out what happened, and try to ensure that it doesn't happen again, closer to the cruise!

(and in a little touch of irony, because we sail in 30 days, we just received an auto-email from HAL, saying "Don't forget to book shore excursions!")

What I don't understand, in this day and age, is why HAL requires the shareholder benefit be FAXED or SNAIL MAILED but not emailed? The other lines accept email proof & application.

 

How many individuals have a fax machine at home? I don't have a home land line to fax something even if I had that antiquated machine.

HAL does accept email. This past year I have edited a PDF of my investment statement using Adobe Acrobat, to blank out all information except my name & address and CCL holdings, and then emailed that document to our PCC. I have received confirmation, in the form of a new HAL booking statement, within 30 minutes each time.

That is strange. We have been notified by HAL if an excursion was cancelled -- if there was time before the sailing. A few times we were notified by letter once we were on the ship.

A phone call next week will probably clear things up. I just wondered if this was typical, and it sounds like it's not.

Did you use a TA? Some have been known to drop the ball after HAL has sent a notification of changes to them.

Nope; booked the cruise with our HAL PCC, and booked the excursion online with HAL.

Or maybe check your spam folder? Sometimes email I've been receiving for years ends up there. :confused:

That was the second thing I checked! Last month all of my emails to a client were going to his spam folder; he was getting irate, and I couldn't understand why!

But that folder is empty...

So I happened to be looking online at my credit card charges today -- US$ card, which doesn't get used much -- and I see five equal-amount credits from HAL, posted 8 days ago. And the amounts happen to match the cost of one of the HAL shore excursions that we had booked for a cruise over Christmas. Sure enough, I check our online itinerary, and that port (Honduras) now shows nothing booked for the day. And that particular ShoreEx is no longer available for our sailing.

I understand that tours can get cancelled, and that is beyond HAL's control, but I do think it's a little shabby of HAL not to inform people. I tried to phone them, but offices are closed for US Thanksgiving...

My sister is Celiac and a 4-star Mariner, and we've sailed together several times. HAL can be very accommodating, but you also have to do your part and be watchful; as other posters have said, you have to verify. And as the previous poster said, some staff seem to be better-trained or more aware than others, so just be persistent.

If you notify HAL before you sail, they will send you a general disability form to complete, to indicate the food allergy. Once on-board, they will tell you to go see the dining room manager, mainly just to review.

For dinner in the MDR, you will get the next night's menu at the end of your meal, and the celiac person will make their choices in advance. The dining stewards also bring GF bread each night. We've also eaten in the Tamarind and the Pinnacle Grill, which have GF selections.

For lunches, my sister usually eats the daily "food of the world" and selects appropriately. I've never seen her get a Dive-In burger or dog, so I can't comment on that. I doubt that the Dive-In fries are GF, as they appear to be coated with something to make them crispy, but you should definitely ask!

You can ask your room steward to stock whatever you choose. I often have them take out the liquor and add more soft drinks.

Yes, tell your cabin steward what you'd like (and get rid of what you don't want). They don't seem to take care of this personally -- there is a mini-bar beverage service that comes around every 1-2 days? -- but your cabin steward will pass on your requests. Or tell the Neptune Concierge, they are extremely reliable.

The content does vary; sometimes the fridge is packed, and other times half-empty. We often get a gin & tonic package on longer cruises, which only comes with 3 cans of tonic, so we have them replace the Coke and Sprite with more tonic water.

I only play Blackjack. Just curious, what is the minimum slot wager?

Nickel slots, sometimes pennies. But you just insert your room card, add $200 from your room account, pull the handle a couple of times, and then go cash out. Presto -- cash to take to the blackjack table!

This also works well to cash out OBC that you can't spend and won't get refunded.

Will be on the Oosterdam in November. My husband and I each have an Internet OBC listed separately (under each of our names) on our cruise documents. So how does this work if only one of us signs up for and uses the Internet? Do we have to sign up for Internet twice: once under his name to use his Internet OBC and once under my name? I want to use both of the Internet OBCs but only one of us is using the Internet...

We had this same offer on the N. Amsterdam this summer, $50 pp. I bought a package, and then renewed it, and only got a single $50 credit. When I brought it to the attention of the front desk, they said it was per person. I argued that this was ridiculous, all other charges were per cabin, regardless of who made the purchase, and all other OBC's were charged to the cabin, not the person. They relented and gave me both credits. Just be prepared to argue if you go this route...

...SRV was exceptionally loud, as was Buddy Guy and B.B. King.

I think Stevie Ray in '85 will be cited as the main reason if I ever need a cochlear implant :D

I don't think it's on your list, but we were on the N. Amsterdam this summer, and took the HAL excursion "Alaska's Whales, Glacier & Rain Forest Trails", which was provided by Gastineau Guiding. The guide and captain did a truly excellent job, finding us killer whales as well as a large group of humpbacks doing "bubble net fishing" (hope I have the term right). We even saw a double breach.

About 20 people in a small-ish enclosed boat, with large windows that folded up.

So Juneau -- highly recommended.

hi I am very excited about this venue on Eurodam. Do they take requests? Thinking Sam and Dave and Stax Volt revue , as per my age lol

We really enjoy the BB King's bands; they are invariably very talented musicians who play well together, and we've never found them too loud. But as with everything musical, it all depends on one's tastes.

They typically have three pre-determined sets, the order of which gets rotated on different nights. I've never seen them take requests from the floor. As Stpatsirish said, more Motown and R&B than Blues. Mainly standards, I would say 60's and 70's, but it can really vary from band to band and cruise to cruise. Re: Stax/Volt, I have heard "Soul Man" performed, and "Green Onions" more than once.

Definitely wait until you're on-board. And always ask about availability of the different wines first, as several times some of the wines have been in short supply. So while we usually take the Admiral's package, if all of the "good" wines (in our opinion) are missing, it's been better to step down to the Navigator package.

Also on our South American cruise earlier this year, they had a special South American wine package, which was both a good deal and an opportunity to sample some new wines.

And FYI, wine stewards receive a gratuity based on who opens each bottle of wine, not based on who sells you the wine package.

Glad that you and Pat had a good cruise, Ann. We are sailing on the Rotterdam in December -- post-drydock!! (which is sometime around Nov. 4, according to online deck plan info). Hopefully the ship gets a thorough refurbishment!

We had the same issue with a toilet air-lock and flooding on the Zuiderdam in Europe a couple of years back -- fortunately the toilet was clean! The maintenance worker had to go into the wall from an access panel out in the hallway. It happened while we were preparing for a gala night dinner, so we received a bottle of wine for our troubles!

Hi Fellow Cruisers!

Can anyone tell me if the DVD players in the Neptune suites on the Zaandam will also play blu-ray discs? I'm guessing no, but asking is better than guessing.

Thank you!

As the ship approaches San Juan, you will want to be out on the deck -- especially port side -- to see El Moro Castle as you head towards the dock.

Then take the shuttle up to it and tour the Castle and walk back to the ship.

And on your way back from the castle, go through town and stop at Barrachina's for the best Mojito you've ever had. Sit at the bar to watch the bartender in action.

Also birthplace of the Piña Colada if that's your preference.

Vancouver airport is about 30 minutes' drive from the cruise terminal. It's never crossed my mind to take anything but a taxi. Even with Vancouver traffic at its stupidest, it's never taken more than 45 minutes.

However you don't list your country of origin, so I will also post these caveats:

- If you are flying to the US, then you will have to clear customs at YVR. This can take 10 minutes if there's no one else there, but if there are several cruise ships that have just disgorged their passengers, it can take well over an hour. Unless you all have NEXUS / Global Entry cards. If you don't, and you have time before you sail, go get one! You won't regret it!

- If you don't have priority status with your airline and there are a lot of people (cruise ship passengers again) flying out at similar times, you will spend another hour in the line to check your bags.

So a 2pm flight boards at 1:30 pm, and under the above circumstances I would want to be at the airport no later than 11:30 am.

The ship is probably going to push you off by 9:00 am anyway, so take a taxi to the airport, check in, clear customs, and have a leisurely lunch! :D

And if you have lots of time (and lots of spare cash), walk all the way down to the other end of the terminal and have lunch at the Fairmont! :cool:

We were on the Eurodam last August, which I believe has the same Lido layout as the NA. There is still an extensive salad bar, but you don't get to personally grab your own items now -- you tell the server what you'd like, and he or she adds it to a bowl and then tosses it up as rkacruiser already said aboe. In the end it works out just fine, except you can't easily go back to just get a little more of something. The first time it's annoying, and then you get used to it.

The one thing to keep in mind is that you also do not get to apply your own salad dressing. So unless you like drinking a bottle of salad dressing with your meal, always ask for the dressing on the side!!

And yes, I think they had Ahi tuna every day I went to the salad bar, although I seem to recall that it had an odd marinade, and so I would often go to another station and get a piece of hot fish or chicken on my salad.

As we get older, we have the time, and hopefully the money, for a longer vacation.

Does HAL dock at the Venezia Terminal in Venice or is that the only cruise terminal?

It looks like you will be on the Westerdam so you will dock at the Venice Cruise Terminal, on the western end of the "islands". From here you can either take the "people mover" to Piazzale Roma, or else a vaporetto (water bus) to the heart of the city.

We haven't done this exact route, but we've been to almost all of these ports on three different cruises in the last three years. You've already received a lot of great advice above, but here's my two cents worth:

VENICE is a fascinating city, and you should try to spend a couple of days there pre-cruise. In October you should be able to get some good hotel rates in central areas -- we like Ca' Angeli in San Polo.

SARANDE was injected into our itinerary last year when the Turkish ports were dropped. There's nothing in the town itself, a pebbled beach and lots of Soviet-Bloc-style architecture (much of it unfinished, up on the hills). People who went to the "castle" or the blue grotto weren't impressed, but those who went to Butrint said it was worthwhile.

ARGOSTOLI was a pleasant surprise for us. You won't find much information on it in the guidebooks, but you can do a very pleasant hike around the lagoon -- maybe the same walk that OleSat described? -- and you can also rent kayaks in the lagoon.

In KATAKOLON we took a HAL excursion to ancient Olympia, very worthwhile to have the guided tour, and then to a winery (Mercouri's Vineyard) for wine and snacks. Very good.

ATHENS has a lot to see and do. If you don't mind some extra walking, you can take the subway from Piraeus port to the Acropolis and the Agora. Outside the Acropolis you can find a lot of small tavernas for eating and drinking.

MYKONOS and SANTORINI are your stereotypical white-building Greek islands. Both will be crowded, but less so in October. Walk around Mykonos and get lost in the maze-like streets. October is also end of season so you can pick up some good deals on jewellery.

In Santorini you will probably tender at Fira, so I would suggest taking one of the ferries to Oia; they are right at the tender dock. Oia is the classic white, blue-domed town you see in all the Greek photos. The price of the ferry (20 euros pp I think) also includes a bus back to Fira. Lunches will be (slightly) more reasonably priced in Fira. Santorini is also a caldera, which is interesting, and if you're lucky enough to be there at sunset they can be spectacular.

In NAPLES we went to Vesuvius, which involved an articulated bus ride part-way up and then a hike to the top; my Fitbit registered 110 floors climbed that day. There are guides at the top who provide good explanations, and a local guy selling his own beer and wine! Great views if you're lucky enough to get a clear day (we were).

If we went back to Naples we would go to Pompeii or Herculaneum. And there's also Capri (and Naples itself of course).

ROME became one of my favourite European cities, and I would suggest spending three days there at the end if you can. So much history, so much to see and do. If you don't mind a walk, I would suggest staying in Trastevere (the Greenwich Village of Rome!), on the other side of the river; about 20-25 minutes walk to the Vatican and the Spanish Steps. Great restaurants in the area.

It looks like a great itinerary!