PHXscuba

44 minutes ago, MrBill923 said:

 

"ENERTAINMENT: BBkings band was great. Problem is the venue is too small. One night there was a great comedian in there. What a mistake. That same time/night Holland played a movie in the World Stage. What a waste of space, there were more people trying to see and hear comedian then there were watching movie. He was at World Stage another night with several hundred watching and was hilarious. The two acts that were in the World Stage were a dance group and a singing group. Nothing close to a production show with a live band playing music. The ship was a graveyard after 10pm. "

 

Agree with you about the comedian/movie mismatch of venues. Especially since most of the people already in BBKIng's for trivia (?) stayed so very few seats opened up for the comedian. (Plus the movie showing was a bad match for the cruise/demographic IMO)

 

PHXscuba

We were on NA last week and visited Glacier Bay. The bow-camera TV channel in our cabin had the announcements so we left that on all day.

We had a forward port-side cabin (6014) and it was nice to mostly watch from our balcony, but also walk 30 feet to go onto the open bow on that level (although it did make the hallway chilly with the forward door open a lot).We could sort of hear the bow-speaker announcements from on our balcony and usually just ducked our head into the cabin to hear what they were saying. Very convenient.

PHXscuba

Ok I broke down and called the resort front desk and YES they are running the resort shuttle into the Park, making a full loop about every 30 minutes.

I forgot to ask how early it started as ours is an afternoon transit bus.

PHXscuba

We have booked independently on the transit bus into the park for our visit. The reservations person said we need to meet at the Denali Bus Depot in the park. We are staying at the McKinley Chalet resort with our HAL land tour. Is there a hotel/area shuttle that takes us to the bus depot or nearby? 

Thanks,

PHXscuba

Just now, RuthC said:

You can only book Pinnacle lunch on board. 
Excellent, and worth the price of admission. 

Thank you! I was making myself crazy looking for something that didn't exist! I think we will enjoy a lovely Pinnacle Grill lunch on our last sea day to ease the pain of vacation ending. 😉

PHXscuba

Lots of knowledgable people on this thread ... we first-time HAL cruisers and I cannot figure out how to pre-book Pinnacle Grill for lunch, it seems the only options I can see are for dinner. (I managed to book Cannaletto for dinner)

Can anyone direct me to the right place, or confirm if we can only do that onboard or as a walk-up?

(If it matters, Nieuw Amsterdam to Alaska in September)

PHXscuba

Thanks for your day-by-day! I've made a number of notes in my planning document for our September NA cruise.

PHXscuba

Where would I find info about this health care credit? We are new to HAL. My husband is a dentist and we are cruising Alaska in a a couple months.

PHXscuba

Before booking my land tour I called the HAL line and asked lots of questions. The agents I spoke to (twice) had much more info than the website -- hotel names, transportation, even estimated time of arrival for each leg.

PHXscuba

3 hours ago, kickboxrca said:

It was so nice to sit on the bus (or plane or train), and just listen to our bus driver and cruise tour guide talk about where we were going next and what we would do there.  ... We ran into a couple of people doing the land tours on their own, and they definitely looked worse for the wear.

 

THIS is why we are doing the cruisetour although I know I am perfectly capable of planning my own. If we drive ourselves I will do lots of worrying/navigating and my husband will do all the driving and he won't get to relax and enjoy.

PHXscuba

14 hours ago, oakridger said:

From HAL website FAQ (highlighting is mine):  Frequently Asked Questions | Holland America

 

 

"QUENCH PACKAGE   (NON-ALCOHOLIC)

Only $17.95 per guest/per day*

Quench your thirst with our nonalcoholic package which includes an unlimited variety of premium coffees such as espresso and cappuccino, juices, Coca-Cola™ products, our signature mocktails, Red Bull, and bottled waters 500ml and under.
 

COCA-COLA™ PACKAGE

Only $8.00 per guest/per day*

The Coca-Cola™ Package includes unlimited fountain sodas for $8.00 per person, per day. On the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam this package also includes the Coca-Cola™ Freestyle program with more than 100 unique Coca-Cola™ flavors available.
 

* Prices are per person per day. Please see your server or bartender for a full list of items included in each package.

An 18% Service Charge is automatically applied to all Beverage Purchases, Bar Retail Items, Specialty Restaurant Cover Charges and all For Purchase A La Carte Menu Items. Local Sales Taxes Applied where required.
All adults of legal drinking age for the respective itinerary that are booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the package."

I appreciate this list and the previous per-drink list. So am I reading this right -- if 2 adults are sharing a cabin, BOTH have to purchase the Coca-Cola package since we are "adults or legal drinking age" even though no alcohol is involved?

Thx,

PHXscuba

We were at Kennedy Space Center last Friday after getting off our cruise and it was fabulous. More than enough to fill your time. Even my skeptical kids admitted it was amazing. It's pricey to get in, but once you do just about everything is included in the admission price -- bus tour, simulator, IMAX movies, etc. We loved not being nickel-and-dimed.

PHXscuba

Thanks for the info; this is our cruise too.

One question not answered in the thread referenced: what do you think we can we use the $25 pp OBC on? We haven't paid our tips yet and I was thinking that might be a good use of it.

PHXscuba

Thanks to those who posted. I was about ready to pull the trigger on our (March) CocoCay excursions and they had all gone down during this sale. We saved $89 on our big day of fun!

PHXscuba

Another idea for Aruba that we absolutely loved: a Segway tour!

We did it through http://dannys2wheeladventure.com (formerly Segway Tours Aruba) and we had a blast. Four of us tourists (max of 6) and Danny, all along the coastline up to the lighthouse. Such a better view than a rental car or bus. The Segways are very user-friendly.

Danny picked us up just outside the cruise terminal gates in a van and took us to the location near Mambo Beach. After the tour we stayed at the beach for a couple hours, then Danny took us back to the port.

PHXscuba

Thanks BillOh. I had been wanting to confirm that Stuart Cove's was still the dive provider for our trip next spring.

We dove CocoCay 9 years ago; didn't know it was such a feat! You probably got a much better dive off New Providence ...

Great review and tips. Glad you had a fun time!

PHXscuba

I booked two connecting outside rooms for our similar family of 5. There aren't many bigger-family options on this ship.

PHXscuba

I'm looking at ordering one of these two entrees:

 

Filetto di Manzo alla Griglia, Patate Fritte all’Olio Agliato,

Salsa al Barolo o Burro di Gorgonzola*

8 ounces of grilled beef tenderloin, served with garlic fries

and your choice of Barolo reduction or Gorgonzola butter

 

Filett o di Pollo Ripieno di Ricott a e Funghi, Salsa alla Salvia e Chardonnay

Chicken breast filled with ricotta and mushroom, wrapped in prosciutto

and served with Chardonnay-sage sauce

 

Has anybody had either one?????

My DH's "grilled beef tenderloin" ended up being a filet mignon. He didn't realize it until they were confirming the order. He was worried because it's hard to cook well, but he said it was the best filet mignon he ever had! This was just last week.

I ate seafood and more seafood there, I think lobster or crab ravioli as a side or appetizer? Plus something seafood for main dish. I had so much good food there and in the MDR that it's all starting to run together.

PHXscuba

This is the most recent set I have seen posted on the boards, from May. They only run the itinerary every other week, so it's harder to find the compasses.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2206310

PHXscuba

My +1 thanks for posting Compasses for this itinerary. Good to know some likely times and to get me even more excited for our end-of-August trip!

PHXscuba

I've taken the one that goes to the airport. I also avoid excursions but found this a convenient way to a) see something interesting, and b) find a better place to stash myself and luggage than an airport lounge (I think any place is better than an airport lounge).

 

I think El Yunque is a fantastic place. I used this excursion as an inspiration to make longer visits, which I've done every chance I get.

 

The Royal excursion will take you to 2-3 of the highlights - probably Yokahu Tower, La Coca falls, 1 or 2 others. It only gives you a taste, but in my opinion visiting Puerto Rico without seeing El Yunque is like visiting the Louvre without bothering to see the Mona Lisa.

I appreciate the feedback too. We booked this tour for the same reasons you did. I haven't seen many reviews, so I am glad it's pretty much as promised.

PHXscuba

Not sure they offer milkshakes at breakfast, but if they did, you would have to pay.

Wait ... JR is open for breakfast?? And it's not a cover charge? What did I miss?

PHXscuba

Some people like to know which side the ship docks on. I tried to research this before we departed and not much info was available. So here it is:

San Juan -- port side against pier.

St. Thomas - the Captain backed the ship in, so Port side against the pier.

St. Kitts - Starboard against pier, but Jewel pulled in across from us - so we couldn't see anything!

Aruba - port side.

Curacao - port side.

I can tell you that our cabin was on starboard side, you will want Port!

Good to know ... now I want to exchange our starboard cabin for a portside.

PHXscuba

When we stay at Sapphire I see parasailing off in the distance to the south of Cabrita Point. I've never seen any off Sapphire Beach area so if the leave out of American Yacht Harbor they must head that way. But I may be wrong and have just never seen them. It would be nice if they could drop you at Sapphire after.

blue- Looks like you are correct on this one.:D The former parasail company picked up at almost all beaches, but it seems the new company picks up at the Havensight dock and Red Hook only.

 

To the OP: I still wouldn't walk it. Not because of the distance, but it is a very narrow and twisty section of road with cars parked on the side and no sidewalk. And speedy traffic!

Thanks to you both for the advice. That's the sort of thing you can't really see from a Google Map! I think the parasail co. leaves out of the Red Hook marina. We will have them help us get a taxi after our outing or see if they will run us down to Sapphire if it's not a busy day.

PHXscuba

DH and I (40s and active) are going to parasail out of Red Hook and then go to Sapphire Beach for awhile. Is the road/distance between Red Hook and the beach walkable? Google Maps says 20+ minutes and 2 km, but I have no idea what the conditions are like -- any sidewalk, up or downhill, etc.?

I don't mind hiring a cab, but I'd hate to pay $20 and then see that it was pointless for how little distance it was.

I'm sure someone here has driven this part of road (or tried to walk it themselves!)

TIA,

PHXscuba