john bowtie

Can you attend a show more than once if space is available from the standby line?

Also on an upcoming Harmony cruise, I booked my shows first and am now not able to book MDR on the nights that I have shows due to the strange 5 1/2 hour block. I was able to book a Solarium Bistro dinner one night at a very early time when I have a late time at the ice show. I would really like the early fixed seating but it is wait listed.

Thanks for posting the daily planners. I'm on the May 5 sailing and it's nice to get a feel for how the week is scheduled.

I would suggest doing the original rainforest canopy tram ride (the very long two level tram) in Costa Rica (though is does require a very long bus ride from Limon. For the partial Panama Canal transit--if your ship is too large for the old locks (like the Celebrity Beyond)--I would recommend a shore excursion on a small ferry boat that completes the transit to the pacific ocean though the old locks--it allows you to see the old locks up close and also experience a full transit--long tour/day but worth it.

I like how most Princess Shore Excursions include detailed tour information. https://www.princess.com/ports-excursions/fuerte-amador-panama-for-panama-city-excursions/panamas-rainforest-aerial-tram click to the excursion detail tab.

I purchased a collapsible, travel tea kettle from Amazon for road trips. (Hot water from hotel coffee makers often has a "coffee" taste.) It's very low voltage but does boil water (just takes some time) and has an automatic shut-off. Takes up very little space in my travel snack bag. I don't try to take on a cruise as I know it would be a no-no. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091Y9CNP7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Since I am more of an ice tea person (I prefer hot tea over ice--thanks Celebrity for spoiling me in Cafe al Banca--I am the person in the buffet with a cup of hot tea and multiple glasses of ice at the table--I like that Holland usually has English tea, either Tetley or PG Tips). I tend to take cold brew tea bags and a large plastic cup on a cruise to make okay iced tea for the room.

If time allows, there is a Galveston Attraction Pass that can save you 40% when you get tickets through it for 4 or more attractions. I did Ocean Star Offshore Rig Museum, Galveston Railroad Museum (these two are within walking distance of the port), Galveston Naval Museum, Moody Mansion and Bryan Museum. https://www.galvestonislandpass.com/

Note that different excursions can leave from different areas. During the busy season, they will run multiple trains each day. For the most popular trip, the train may park directly next to the ship on the pier. For the longer trips, the train may leave from the station a short walk away.

Wow--my first cruise post pandemic, the classic soda package was $9.95 plus 18% per day. Not only have they raised the price 3 times (it was 12.95 and 15.95 on my other two cruises since then) but about doubled in price.

Note that I love trains and was excited to get to try Brightline. I took the premium service from MCO/Orlando to the Fort Lauderdale station. There is a special lounge at the station from premium ticket holders with free beverages and snacks (thought the regular waiting area was very nice with a snack shop and a bar. The premium service on the train had very comfortable seats. After departure a cold towel was offered, followed by complementary beverages and snacks and then a light lunch of sandwich, salad, fruit and a sweet (similar items for purchase in the regular coaches. Electrical outlets and usb ports at the seat and on board internet. The premium fare also included one free checked bag and a complimentary uber (up to a few miles) from the Fort Lauderdale station to my hotel. I loved the experience and would do again. Premium was very nice, but probably not a necessity. Far better than driving.

Ad and deck plan for Pacific Princess from about that time.ic

I would be more comfortable with the later flight--disembarking MSC (especially if the ship is at capacity or you aren't staying in the Yacht Club) can be challenging. Better to have plenty of time and take it easy to Sanford.

This may also depend on the day of the week your cruise leaves. Take into account how busy roads may be the mourning of your cruise. Also, since you will have a car to park, you may wish to check out stay/park/cruise options were you could leave the car at the hotel for less than parking at the port.

On my recent Rotterdam cruise 12/3-15/2023--for the first part of the cruise fresh squeezed orange was included at the gelato stand but until 10 AM only (had it several days and was never charged). Mid-cruise a different person was at the stand and said it was never included at any time. Asking a manager in food and beverage, she it was only included only at the beverage location inside the lido for breakfast hours only. Who knows if the policy changed mid-cruise.

Still waiting for my cruise that ended 12/15/2023 to post. Note if you need the portfolio now you can e-mail onboardbilling@hollandamerica.com <onboardbilling@hollandamerica.com> and they will send it to you. I requested mine to get a medical claim started with my travel insurance. It was interesting that the portfolio sent included all the detail of every onboard purchase, even ones covered by the Have It All package.