Fairgarth

16 hours ago, decrepit old man said:

I asked in the roll call forum and someone on the May 13-20 sailing said they did go through the inside passage northbound

Thank you, kind Sir, that is encouraging.  And, may I add, I seriously doubt your degree of decrepitude.  And to the OP may I say thank you for a most interesting and informative review.

I was interested and disappointed that you did not take the inside passage northbound.  Since we will be on the same cruise shortly, I am wondering why not.  My nasty, suspicious mind says that maybe they save the cost of a pilot?  But I don't know if they need a pilot.  Maybe they want to dump some sewage in the wide open ocean which is not allowed in Canadian waters?  But I don't know if they dump sewage at all.  Going around the outside looks like a longer haul and rougher water so they would burn more gas and upset the passengers.  So what is the point and was that a one-off?

21 hours ago, Host Kat said:

 

 

Hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

Whoops!  I'm sorry, thank you Host Kat for reminding me of the rules.  I did some research.  I tracked reviews for around a dozen ships.  Most of them, indeed, did take me to the newest review.  I guess the ship I was researching originally was one of the few that didn't.  There are some but I now think that it is working as intended most of the time.

Speaking from memory, I used to be able to go straight to the most recent ship review and then page back through reviews progressively older.  Either I have lost the plot or Cruise Critic has screwed up something that was working just fine.  Now when I select a ship for review it takes me I know not where.  Then I have the choice of 'previous' or 'next'.  Is 'next' older or newer?  Why not say older or newer?  How do I land on the most recent review and go from there?

12 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

We played Scrabble at Magnums (hello, French Raspberry!) and my dad challenged the word “tay.” I said I’d had tay berry jam before but I wasn’t willing to use precious internet minutes to confirm.  

I grew up on the banks of the river Tay.  The Carse of Gowrie is a great fruit growing area.  It's on the north bank of the Tay between Dundee and Perth.  The tayberry was developed by the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute at Invergowrie.  The tayberry didn't exist when I was a kid.  Mind you, your dad would agree, there's an awful lot of things now that didn't exist when we were kids.  Still, I'm sure he would welcome the fact that neither of us have to put up with nightly visits from the Luftwaffe any more.

2 hours ago, xlxo said:

While arriving around 3pm to avoid the crowds sounds like a plan...

• what time is your hotel check out time?  What are you going to do with your luggage between check out time and boarding time for those hours?  Do expensive laps and loops in the taxi?
• you are going to miss out on the embarkation lunch that you paid for.
• are you going to be able to find a seat at the buffet feedings easily with a late board?  Will the buffet still be open?
• will it feel rushed to watch the safety video and make your way to the mustard station for check-in?
• what if you forget something and need to go back to the car or home?  Having that contingency time with an early board has been a life saver for me.

In contrast, I have seen advice from Vancouver locals which we intend to follow next month.  Drop your baggage off any time you like, you don't have to proceed to boarding.  Wander along the waterfront, find a nice restaurant for lunch, watch the float planes.  Then head back to boarding two hours before sailaway.  That's probably your best chance of avoiding great long lineups.  We have learned from experience that the one place to avoid on boarding day is the lunch buffet.  Yes, we paid for it but it's usually a zoo.

17 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

Showed up at MDR at 6:30 PM and asked for a table for 5. We were seated immediately. Service has been great. So sorry the OP had such a lousy experience.

Now that is really weird.  On the previous departure, Dr. Koob reported on his day 1 that there were no reservations available earlier than 8:30 for the entire cruise.  Why would one week be so different from the next?

On 5/2/2023 at 10:57 AM, mnocket said:

I used to prefer printed boarding passes to relying on my phone.  I've become a convert and never had a problem with electronic boarding passes on my phone.  It seems to me that the overwhelming majority of travelers have adopted them.  Might be worth giving it a try?

Glad to hear it works for you.  I always carry the paper too.  I have seen too many people fiddling with their phones at boarding and holding up the whole process.

2 hours ago, DrKoob said:

At 11:30, the crew member showed up and started taking reservations. I was thrilled that I was second in line until she told the couple that was first in line that there were no reservations available for Select Dining before 8:30 pm for the balance of the cruise. It seems that on the first day of the cruise (while we were getting on), they allowed folks to reserve dining times for the entire week. So today, there was nothing available to reserve until late. 

 

Just to clarify, did you need a table for eight?  Would that have made a difference?  So when you boarded the ship, it was already too late to get any reservations in the MDR for the entire voyage.  What on earth is HAL up to?  In 20 cruises, we have never had a situation where we had to wait till 8:30 in the MDR.  We are booked on Koningsdam for 10th June but I'm not liking the reports I have seen so far.  But, OTOH, may I say a heartfelt 'thank you' for your honest and detailed reports.

To add fuel to the fire, there's a new thread on the Holland America forum by Dr.Koob:  "Live from Koningsdam on a Pacific coastal".

They boarded the Koningsdam two days ago.  He goes into great detail but here's the summary: out of 35 cruises this was his worst experience ever.  It took 3:15 to get on the ship.  It was so bad, the ship left two hours late.  So maybe I was right the first time.  This has to be a shambles, it is absolutely disgraceful and a big black eye for Vancouver.

Many thanks, martincath, that sounds like a scheme.  We will be two couples so we can drop our baggage and wander the waterfront, find a nice spot for lunch and watch the float planes.  On previous cruises we went with the herd and so the crush was trying to get lunch at the buffet on board.  We don't need it that badly.  The Koningsdam and Majestic Princess are boarding on the same day so that could be 6210 passengers.

There's another report today of excessive boarding line-ups at the port of Los Angeles.  Google 'Cranky Flier'.  He and his family were boarding Norwegian Bliss for the trip to Vancouver.  There's no US pre-clearance on that one but it was most unpleasant anyway.  And, yes, shambles is probably the wrong word.

I have read on other forums that boarding in Vancouver can be a real pain.  Massive snaking queues and nobody going anywhere for a long time.  We live in Vancouver but have never boarded a cruise ship here.  However, we are now booked on an Alaska cruise so would appreciate any helpful advice.  There are two big ships boarding on our day of departure.  It looks like the problem is pre-clearance, nothing to do with the cruise line  i.e. everybody has to go through US Customs and Immigration before boarding.  Is it always like this?  Does arrival time make a difference?  Is there seating before or after US pre-clearance?  Any helpful suggestions?  Thank you in advance.

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

- I agree that boarding at Vancouver can be a nightmare.  Security and the US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) process slows things down considerably but this is a port issue and not something any of the cruise lines can control.  I really hope the authorities see your comments and are in a position to make some changes.

 

It's more like an airport with pre-clearance.  Oh boy, that bad, eh?  When the ship sails away from Vancouver, the first port of call is in the USA so you have to clear US Customs and Immigration before boarding in Vancouver  So when you get to Juneau, you can just hop off.

We sail the Koningsdam on 10th June.  Majestic Princess is also in port that day so this could be, emm.., interesting.  Could be worse - there are days where Vancouver has four ships on turnaround.

2 hours ago, NoleFan2U said:

My family has taken a catamaran sail around the island in the past (probably 10 years ago) and I can't seem to find any companies that do it. 

Check out Adventure Antigua and Wadadli Cats.  I have taken both.

On 3/23/2023 at 9:51 PM, Alabaster Cruiser said:

Update...we were there today and their beach is gone!  Completely eroded away.

 

Not to worry, it will come back, hasn't gone very far.  I am familiar with Dickensen Beach.  Normally it is quite wide but on one trip there, the water was almost up to the Sandals fence.  One of the locals explained that it happens from time to time.  Some combination of winds or tides sucks out all the sand but it doesn't go very far.  Some other combination of winds or tides pushes it all back again. Right enough, on my next trip the beach was wide once more.

Then there was the old boy in Italy who thought it was an awful long flight to Taranto who ended up in Toronto.

On 2/21/2023 at 10:53 AM, Zach1213 said:

If you're flying to the US, which you don't state, it will likely be cheaper to fly out of Seattle than out of Vancouver, largely due to taxes.

Flying into the U.S. from Canada you get hosed on the taxes.  To illustrate, a flight from Vancouver to Seattle would attract CAD $98 in taxes, $46 in Canadian departure taxes and $52 in U.S. arrival taxes.  You can readily see why millions of Canadians every year drive across the border to take a domestic flight within the U.S. which doesn't do Westjet or Air Canada any good.  Mum, Dad and two kids, it adds up.

1 hour ago, nini said:

 

Look at it this way... your life is in the "hands" of the flight crew.

So pilots of cargo planes get paid a lot less?

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

Depends on the airline. Most standard US airlines the fares are available 330 days out. A couple of the low cost carriers, like Southwest, its usually 6 or 7 months. Not aware of any airline that any airline that does it more than 365 days out, but some international carriers do sell at 365 days.

I think it goes back to the early days of computers where data storage had to be minimized.  So if you called and wanted a flight to Venice on 4th June, there was only one 4th June in the system and you did not have to specify the year.  It also makes a lot of sense and prevents major errors.  If 4th June 2023 and 4th June 2024 were both in the res system you can quickly see what happens next.  Big ooops!

3 hours ago, CarolRoy said:

 Do you know where the bus station is in town to get to Dickenson Bay.  We have taken the bus near the fist market to get to Darkwood beach.

Same bus station.  From the port, head into town, turn right on Market Street (the main drag), at the VC Bird monument fork right and just past the fish market is the bus station.  Five minutes walk, maybe?  Bus frequency to Dickensen is not that great.

Taxi rates in Antigua are regulated.  If you go to the 'Antigua Nice' website you will find current prices for various trips.  I won't quote them so you can get the latest rates in case they change at some point.

On 1/22/2023 at 3:31 PM, eddieg07410 said:

 Actually we are not just interested in price but food quality and service are also important to us.

Just as well.  In general, trans-At cruises don't start or finish in Iceland.  You might find a luxury line doing it but it's very rare.

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I'm a firm believer in AirTags

We have not tried those yet but all reports seem to be well worth while.  So next time we go travelling we'll get them.  In the meantime, I have always put two labels on our checked bags: one on the top handle and one on the side handle.  Labels do get ripped off.

A speedboat ride will take you out to the stingrays.  There you will be standing on sand with water up to your waist (adult).  The stingrays are not captive, they are wild but they hear the boats coming over and show up for food.  The first time one brushes past your leg is frightening but it is as soft as a kitten.  If you snorkel you can swim with them.   The guides have a name for each one and will show you how to feed them.  They don't have teeth but do have a very hard gum so they show you how to offer the food but not get chomped on.  They also show you how to hold one while they take your photo.  Does anybody get stung?  They say never.  Great experience, very memorable I found.

Norris, very sorry to hear that you both acquired the dreaded COVID.  I wish you a complete recovery, presto.  I really doubt that you got it on the ship.  As I understand it, you came off the ship on the 27th and had symptoms on the 1st.  That is five days.  The incubation period for Omicron is less than that i.e. around 3 days, give or take.  It is highly unlikely that you would get it on a flight so I'm thinking you most probably got infected somewhere in San Diego or at an airport, San Diego or Chicago.  Or even at your local watering hole after you got home.  But not from the cats.