hjrell

We have been to St Maarten 3 times so instead of taking an excursion, we are hoping to take a water taxi to Phillipsburg but are confused about which stop to get off at.

If I read correctly on other threads, we keep to the left at the end of the pier to catch the water taxi, but how do we know which stop to get off? We are really just wanting to walk through the shops and see what is there.

We have already been to Orient Beach and Maho (highly recommend both) so this time we just want to check out Phillipsburg.

Thank you for all the helpful hints! It's a good problem to have!

Yes, we will most likely do an internet package. Any idea of the cost on those?

IF we were to buy a bottle of liquor in the gift shop, can they ship it to our house or would we have to carry it off the last day ourselves? We are flying in so that wouldn't be practical if we have to take it with us.

Thank you for all the replies!

Our onboard credit is $500 and came from HAL - the cruise is 7 days. We are planning on at least $200 of that going to gratuities.

Our package also includes 2 dinners - 1 in the Pinnacle and 1 in the Canaletto so none will be spent on the specialty restaurants

We will not "max out" our drink package so will not be using any obc for drinks.

I asked Holland if it could be used at the Casino and was told they weren't sure.

We have been on several cruises so usually don't buy the pictures and very little trinkets on board.

Great ideas about using it for an internet package or laundry! And I may be 'forced' to get a massage!! :)

One thing is for sure - I'm not letting any go unused!

I just thought that maybe someone knew a way around being able to use this for our excursions.

I appreciate all the suggestions!

This is our first time on HAL. If I understand correctly, if I book my shore excursions prior to the cruise I can not use my on-board credit to pay for them?

I was really hoping to do this - is there any way around this other than booking them once we are on-board?

What happens if I do not use all of my onboard credit? Do I just lose them?

We have a drink program so I won't be using the credits for that...

Thoughts?

Looking for a hotel near the airport with free airport shuttle...how do I bid for this on Priceline?

I have been calling hotels and 3 are sold out. I have a reservation at Holiday Inn Express on Federal Way but it is more than I want to pay.

This is for 1 night on Jan 30th.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Stayed at Sleep Inn last year and staying again next week. Very nice. Shuttle from airport and also to cruise port. Hot breakfast in morning. Drug store right next to hotel and also across the street mall with grocery store, Ital. mexican, Chinese Rest. hotel was clean and very nice. Shuttle service was prompt. Really enjoyed my stay.

Thank you for your quick reply! It's a relief to hear that this is a nice place....was really dreading starting over hunting for a hotel. It sounds like this will be perfect for what we need.

Has anyone stayed at the Sleep Inn & Suites on 5th Avenue in Dania, FL? We currently have reservations there pre-cruise and still have time to cancel it this is not a good place to stay. Thanks!

Yes I've had that happen on a few of them. Sometimes I can see the basic detail of the reservation but can't do any changes. All depends on the hotel's reservation system. But have always called because I usually need 2 beds and the reservation is there and they note my requests with no problems.

 

Susan :)

Thanks, Susan. I think I will make a phone call just to be sure!

Thinking it was way too early to have a chance of being accepted and after much nail biting I decided to a "practice" run on bidding for SanPedro on Priceline. Much to my surprise I got my first ever bid accepted:

Date: Jan. 29 -31, 2010

Number of rooms: 3

Number of nights - 2 nights pre-cruise

Hotel: Crowne Plaza

Rating: 3 1/2 *'s

Area: SanPedro

Site: Priceline

Winning bid: $65

I do have 1 question - when I enter my confirmation number from Priceline on Crowne Plaza's website, it tells me that this confirmation number can not be viewed on the internet and that I need to call the hotel directly for any information on my reservation - is this normal?

Are you better off waiting to book a room with PriceLine close to your sail date? We don't cruise until Jan. 31, 2010 so what are my chances of winning a bid at this point? We are looking at trying to get Crowne Plaze or Double Tree in San Pedro for $65.