Destiny0315

In 2003 we were on a CCL excursion in Martinque(with around 25-30 other pax)that took us to infamous Mt. Pelee volcano amongst other sites. Our bus got caught in late afternoon traffic on the narrow streets of the capital of Fort de France during a rain storm and there was constant communications with the ship which was being held for us in the port. Because it was one of Carnival's own excursions it made sense for them to hold rather than sail away and then have to foot the bill for the transportation to have us rejoin them at another point. If we were on an independent tour, especially back then, I think things would have been much different.

And maybe ready to be embalmed!😉

Well they are ready for us, I just don't know why CCL ain't ready for them!🤔https://cruisefever.net/caribbean-cruise-port-expecting-record-season/

50 Shades of HAL...😉

Plenty of days ahead @john57 to get more thoughts and ideas from others on a M&G and sharing of their plans.

Just some thoughts here: That first sea day(Sat)might be better with the thinking that by the time we get further South later on Saturday and then on Sunday that the weather will be warmer and less people might get involved unless you decide to have it by one of the swimming pools.😎 Also after that first Saturday night who knows how long the hangovers might last on Sunday!🤪

Here is part 2. Worth printing up and you can be like a travel host for friends and family.😀

Here is a detailed listing of things to see from any cruise ship that sails from the Manhattan terminal. It was posted on CC seven years ago back in 2016. I don't think much if anything has changed since:

Yes I was generically using the term port which covers the three NYC metropolitan area ports as all are within 5-10 miles of each other and cruise ships from all three have to sail out the same way to leave the area.

Yes but there is something about the word free that always seems to make things taste better.😉

Yes when you go into your cruise manager under specialty dining you will see the details on this offer. They have been doing it for many years but haven't promoted it like now. They have also extended it to other specialty restaurants onboard too. Now you also have the choice of their "free" bottle of wine or 50% off select bottles up to $100(which they extend to the 2nd night also). They will offer you a choice of a red or white wine bottle. Here are photos of the bottle I chose on the Legend in May of '22 which was a Merlot. Oh and years ago they used to hold your unfinished bottle for you but now they just send it back with you to your cabin, for nightcaps I guess. 🤪

Well we are scheduled to be the first to sail on Friday 9/29 at 4pm(1600)ahead of the Queen Mary 2 which is also in port that day and is scheduled for a 5pm(1700)departure. So around 5pm we will have passed the SOL and lower Manhattan, and have gone or going under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge with Coney Island off the port side. So I think we might have a small window after that for a get together before people head out for the food/drink/entertainment onboard that evening. In the past on CCL ships I have sometimes gone to the steakhouse onboard the first night as it usually is not that busy and also I leave with the "free" bottle of wine that is offered on that first night. But this will be the longest CCL itinerary and largest ship I have sailed on yet with Carnival so that may factor into my personal activity plans. With the two sea days that follow I think planning a M&G sometime on that weekend(9/30-10/1)might make more sense imho...Rob

Great! Keep it up John. When your on the cruise the only testing will be of your appetite with all the good food around.😉

News from the Princess board is that the Captain of the Emerald Princess, currently heading to Hilo, Hawaii, has already announced the cancellation of any stop in Maui, and that marine operations was working on an alternative port.

The cruise would not be canceled, but calling on this port most likely will be. The Volendam, Noordam, and Koningsdam are all scheduled for stops in Lahaina during the second and third weeks of October. The Emerald Princess was the next scheduled cruise ship for that port on next Monday 8/14 so it will interesting to see what Princess does.

I would have to agree with that one for sure as HAL has done very little with it's Mariner program in recent years to improve it and make it more desirable even pre-covid.

Speaking of Boston's cruise port, next October/November Holland America Line is offering for the first time a roundtrip cruise to the Caribbean and Panama Canal from Boston. It is 21 days and includes a partial transit of the PC. I have that one booked myself already along with many others from the New England area. HAL is definitely a more laid back vibe than CCL, RCCL, NCL etc...but great food/drink and service for sure on a smaller ship with the ease of accessing the ship in Boston. https://gotravel.news/this-cruise-line-is-adding-two-new-caribbean-escapes-from-boston-in-2024-3/#:~:text=Travelers%20can%20book%20a%2021-day%20roundtrip%20cruise%20called,cruise%2C%20departing%20from%20Boston%20on%20Nov.%209%2C%202024.

That certainly sounds like an even better deal that you found. Hampton Inns overall are very nice and we first stayed at one outside of Washington DC back in 1985. A couple of times when we cruised out of Manhattan we stayed at a Hampton Inn in southwestern CT the night before than drove into NYC the next day. As for Boston I have found that parking in the small flat lots that sit in front of the bow of the docked ship are the cheapest to book ahead but are less available if at all during the summer months. As you head into the city the price goes up too easily 3 or 4 times as much. I have sailed with CCL out of Baltimore three times(2 x Pride, 1 Legend) and I always tell people how easy it is to navigate to and park at that port which is literally right off the highway. Yes we managed to keep the heat away this summer but we got stung by the rain for sure here in New England.

LOL! Myself and some others are missing your point totally. All I did was post a current review of cruise line restaurants. I don't source it out but you apparently feel the need to, so go for it! Show us the line for line text evidence. Some have even challenged the editorial conduct of CC over the years. I am in total agreement with everybody's remarks about Canaletto not belonging with that grouping and possibly one or two others. Other than that myself and most people just digest it(pun intended)for what it's worth and move along.

Welcome to the roll call Scott and Thomasina. I am Rob from Central MA and live less than an hour from Keene. I have cruised a few times from Manhattan in the past with my wife(now deceased)and like you I was surprised to see the $45 a day that they now charge for parking at the pier. I parked for two weeks in Boston for a HAL cruise and was just a three minute walk from the Black Falcon Pier for just $200 back in May. I have been looking at options and I have even considered using same day Amtrak train service out of the Rt. 128 station south of Boston to NYC and then transferring from the train station which would be an economical way of getting there. Because we sail on a Friday though I would still have to deal with the daily train commuter traffic which I am not familiar with. The other interesting option that I found is a stay, park and ride service through Trinity reservations online. It offers overnight pre-cruise one night reservations at hotels in New Jersey that are around 14 miles from the pier with some including two weeks+ of gated parking and car service to and from the pier, all for a price $100-200 less than the $650+ it would cost you just to park at the pier. Check it out and see what you think and they do allow cancellation up to one day before your schedule arrival. If anybody else has used this service(they cover all over the USA)or know someone who has I would be interested in hearing about how it worked. https://www.trinityreservations.com/hoteloptions.php

Sorry, but everybody getting $$ doesn't necessarily make something a scam. It is not like these people are working out of a call center in India trying to convince me to buy Target gift cards for them! Then in a related area there must be a lot of newly rich film critics who scammed the world and are feasting off of the billion+ that the Barbie movie has brought in. 🙂

In fact "Best" has a different meaning for many. In fact TPG very recently did a top nine best meals you can have at sea review and chose Eden from Celebrity. Then there is Cruise Radio which chose Guy's Burger Joint!

Just because you haven't heard of Tasting Table doesn't mean anything. They have been around since 2008 and claim 18 million website viewers per month worldwide. Do you have any idea of how many people have never even heard of Cruise Critic? This is NOT a paid advertorial. It covers restaurants on many different cruise lines at various levels that are not linked. Geez, even when HAL is given some positive press there are always armchair critics! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasting_Table

https://www.tastingtable.com/1357472/best-cruise-line-restaurants/

I give you credit @Blackduck59 as I too would be leery after reading some of the threads on here. What hurts is though many things have changed not only with HAL but with most cruise lines in recent years(especially in the post pandemic era), I think you will find the Zaandam and the ocean/river cruise that you will be on an overall good experience. Many of the people who are now sour on HAL started out many many years ago cruising with them on smaller ships just like the Zaandam and loved their experiences. As HAL's ships became bigger just as others did they have had some troubles keeping things up to the old standards and things that they were best known for and that is noticed most by the veteran HAL cruisers. Looking forward to reading about how you find things on your cruise either way.