Naismith

I was there last year in early April. We used the "GPSmyCity" phone app, that had several articles and walking tours. We did the downtown tour including climbing up the tower for a great view (entrance to the right of city hall.) We also visited the Sao Bras Fort and military museum (which was the only place we visited with fee). After picking up lunch at a local mercado, we went up to a park/botanical garden for a picnic. On the way back, my husband was able to get a much-needed haircut at a local shop, so I walked back to the ship by myself. We were on a much smaller vessel, and could walk on and off (no tendering). It was overcast and drizzly in the morning, but was fine during our hike around the garden. But for those that cannot do all that walking or if the weather was bad, I like the idea of hiring a taxi.

My issue with the MDR is that I never have enough veggies, unless I order multiple appetizers and perhaps not even then. At the Lido, the Asian station has stir-fried veggies in addition to whatever entree they are featuring. Or, I would grab a piece of that grilled fish, and then go over to the Italian station which had excellent veggies and 3 salads, including beets and asparagus and garbanzo beans, etc. The Lido was much easier to keep the ratio of vegetables to protein that my body prefers.

Well, just to add a wrinkle...all of the ships I've been on, one checks in for Anytime on the lower level. But more than once on Nieuw Amsterdam, we were asked if we were able to walk up the stairs. And so we followed up to the higher level for our seating.

Assuming that is for two people, not each? Is there a surcharge for more than 2?

I agree that the boarding times are not closely adhered at Ft. Lauderdale. You should be fine. But other ports (San Diego) are picky about boarding times, so I don't want anyone to think that it is fleetwide practice.

Does the 3 pm 50% off Happy Hour in Billboard include soft drinks?

Are soft drinks included only in dining room venues, or also at the buffet/deli spots? Thanks.

I don't know about the other countries, but Indonesia dropped their Covid vaccine requirement this summer. I had a lot of "recommended" vaccinations before moving to Indonesia, but the reality for short-term visitors is that the most important thing is to be diligent in your mosquito protection. Some of the nastier diseases like dengue (no vaccination available) and Japanese encephalitis (the vaccination available in North America is pricey and not very good) are mosquito borne, so if you can protect against those bites you can protect against the diseases. The Hepatitis A and B vaccinations are good for decades if not a lifetime, and are generally covered by insurance so it is a wise idea for travelers to have them at some point.

Well said. I reached my PCC today, and booked a great deal. The terminology they use is like a different language. What my email from HAL called a "private fare" is considered a "Mariner discount." And is indeed eligible for the free prepaid crew incentive of the Black Friday sale.

Thanks, that is so interesting. I had clicked from an email and had a "private sale" price.

I called HAL because I was thinking about booking....the person that I spoke with informed me that the "free crew appreciation" is ONLY available if one gets the HIA package. But that is NOT the impression given by their press release, the email that I received, nor the "terms and conditions" on the website under the "Black Friday Sale" which states: Terms & Conditions ... Black Friday Offer: Crew Appreciation: Receive prepaid stateroom gratuities on board. Limit one (1) Crew Appreciation Offer for 1st/2nd guests only per stateroom, per booking. Gratuities for other services, including, but not limited to, bar, dining room, wine accounts and spa/salon services, are not included. ..... Nothing about HIA.

Another plus of using a TA is that sometimes they offer a much better deal on insurance. We still have an elderly parent at home, and of course medical evacuation is always a concern. On our last cruise, we found out that our TA could add the coverage to a week before the actual cruise for a pittance, so that was a huge advantage.

Um yeah, as much as I love HAL, the fruity drinks in the buffet on the Norwegian ships that I have sailed are a step above. (The lemonade on HAL has too much sugar for me.) And yes, I do bring a squeeze bottle to flavor my icewater. But I am not going to claim that is as good as the Nestle Vitality drinks on the Norwegian buffets.

When I was younger, I read Robert Heinlein's book, PODKAYNE OF MARS. It was a silly, sexist book in many ways, but one of Podkayne's goals in a resort setting was to be able to say "thank you" in the language of everyone who serves her. I thought that was a very good idea, and so I have tried to apply it throughout my life. And it really does have some benefits. When my older sister had an issue with her cell phone, we made the call on speaker so that all three sisters could listen and advise as necessary. When we got to the end, I said "Salamat," knowing that the company's customer service hires a lot of Filipino workers. It was like magic: He perked up, asked if he could help with anything else....and my sisters started at me--what was that word? On our last cruise (another line) we had a waiter from Macedonia; I saw the flag on his tag, and was able to remember the appropriate word. Sometimes I can guess the nationality by a common first name. But not always, and with so many Indonesians and Filipino on HAL, it really would be nice to have that indicated in some way. On one HAL cruise, up in the buffet, I said, "Terimah kasih!" and the server corrected me that he was Filipino. Other lines do this, it would seem to take little effort and would be a plus for me.

Of course the ships embarking NYC tend to be larger, which is a whole 'nother experience than these smaller ships. But NCL is now sailing out of Baltmore (with an expansion in the next year), which might be an easy option for you. I am not sure if I mentioned that about 25% of pax disembarked in NYC, while the rest of us stayed through to Miami. So if you can catch a train or short flight or whatever home from NYC, flying one-way to Europe and taking the cruise back to NYC is a great option. It was such a relief not to be facing the long flight at the end, and to be able to buy more stuff along the way because we didn't have to worry about number of bags.