Mary Ellen

Speaking from first hand experience, not supposition, there is NO problem with having the 2* card scanned and receiving the equal benefits of their 4* traveling companion. As was stated earlier, HAL gives the 4* benefits to all on the same booking with a 4*. Those benefits are also included on the card of the 2*. In my case I was traveling with a 1* friend. She was surprised to receive my discount at the Explorations Café - as was the crew scanning her card. She was entitled to every single 'perk' that my Mariner status gave.

It doesn't matter one iota how many stars are actually shown on the card. Don't listen to those who claim you'll have a problem when the 'lesser' card is scanned. I'd be shocked if they have shared a booking with someone with fewer stars. :rolleyes:

We've done two trans-Pacific cruises from Asia to North America. We never lost an hours sleep because the time changes were done at 2 p.m. rather than 2 a.m. So, dinner was a hour earlier - no big deal for us. That was much easier to handle than losing an hour of sleep.

It doesn't really matter, because if you're interested in going in the fall you'd be going westbound, rather than eastbound like us in the spring.

The only real differences from our trans-Atlantic cruises was we saw whales and the Aleutians. Also - the plane flight at one end was much longer than to/from Europe.

We own a Solax. We've not had any problems with private tour operators or taxis putting it in their trunk. HAL Shore Ex - that's a different experience. :mad: We also thought it shouldn't be a problem as large buses have plenty of storage space below. The Shore Ex staff on the Volendam thought otherwise.

I'd be happy to share our experiences with buying, owning, and using a folding travel scooter, but not here. I've temporarily added an email to my signature if you'd like to contact me privately.

They say experience is the best teacher. Sounds like she is due for a good lesson. I say let her learn it. ;)

You are sort of right. Ships are allowed to have only 100 passengers on land at a time. Can you imagine landing 3000 passengers in groups of 100.

No. I am right, not 'sort of right'. There is indeed a 'magic number' as I stated earlier. That number is 500. Even if HAL wanted to sell a limited number of shore excursion slots, with no more than 100 ashore at a time, it could not do so.

From: http://iaato.org/frequently-asked-questions#are-large-cruise-ships-allowed-antarctica

An additional regulation placed on the large cruise ships by IAATO and more recently the Antarctic Treaty Parties is that if the vessel is carrying more than 500 passengers on board, it is not allowed to land any passengers while in Antarctic waters. This means these operators are then cruise-only.

Personally I feel that a "drive by" Antarctica cruise is silly since it is the equivalent of visiting London by going up and down the Thames without stopping to let the passengers off.

WOW! I really hope you didn't intend to come off as judgemental and rude to not only me, but 1000's of other people. If someone wanted to see London by cruising the Thames, that is their business. Not mine. Not yours. I would have the courtesy to respect that they understand their own needs. I could say that I'm SO relieved that you've condescendingly given your approval of our vacation with "However, as I have said many times on CC - different strokes for different folks. What is important is that you enjoyed your trip and we enjoyed ours.", but I'm not a liar.

Thank you for reminding me why I rarely use the CC anymore.

Does Holland America send passengers over to the continent of Antarctica via Zodiacs or small boats, or is this a "drive by" cruise (scenic cruising)?

I believe the magic number of passengers on board for being able to have zodiac landings is somewhere in the 200-300 range. Way, WAY below what HAL ships will have.

After we spent 4-5 days in Antarctica, I was talking to another woman at an Internet Café in Ushuaia. She wasn't happy with her husband after she learned our cruise was twice as long as hers - and cost half as much. He hadn't told her a cruise like ours was an option. She hadn't been that impressed with the zodiac landings.

Going ashore wasn't important to us. For others that is extremely important. Even though we did a so-called "drive by" cruise, we could still see and smell :eek::eek::eek: the penguins. We had expected our Antarctica cruise to be a 'once in a lifetime' experience, we will be returning. After the 45+ foot seas on our way to Antarctica, DH won't even consider returning on a smaller, expedition type ship.

Groups having exclusive use of venues, such as the Crow's Nest does happen on HAL -- no matter what the President's office says. Our friend got her introduction to cruising by going with me on HAL. She loved it. Her next few cruises were with her DH and DB/SIL on Princess. Her birthday was coming around and she picked HAL, telling the others about how WONDERFUL it was in the Crow's Nest. Unfortunately her birthday cruise had a poker group on board. They had exclusive use of the Crow's Nest 24/7 - poker was available around the clock. They couldn't even get in to take a peek. While she's been back on HAL (with me), her DH and DB/SIL haven't set foot on a HAL ship in the 10+ years since.

Good luck!

The Global Entry (GOES) might take marginally longer during the appointment (because of the interview), and costs $15 more, or $3/yr more. However GOES provides the added benefit of smoother quicker re-entry from abroad if the port or airport supports the process. At the cost of $3/yr and a few minutes of my time I could see no reason not to go with GOES. If we are abroad once or twice a year and occasionally we get an advantage from the Global Entry, I will consider it to have been a useful investment. It is like having a passport; you may never be in a situation where it is helpful, but once you are already in that (rare?) situation, it is too late to do any more than wish you had applied for the passport or for that Global Entry card. No on-the-spot enrollment.

This is precisely why our neighbors went for Global Entry rather than just the TSA PreCheck. Unlike us, their only "international" flights involve YVR for occasional Alaska cruises. For $15 it was a 'no-brainer' as far as they were concerned.

For me the only advantage to booking directly with HAL is online access to their air program. This is one area where HAL really sucks. I get around that by booking directly, getting our air set up, and then transferring to our TA. Like 3rdGenCunarder, our reservations are marked 'do not upgrade' as we book the cabin we want in the first place.

According to my booking confirmation, it's the ms Amsterdam. Is that good or bad or just different?

I actually prefer the Amsterdam over the Nieuw Amsterdam. For the most part the cabins are larger and have more storage. She also has passenger self service laundry that the newer ships are missing. Since you're on board for just one night these won't have any impact for you though.

For us, what the Nieuw Amsterdam has going for her is the Tamarind restaurant and adjacent Silk Den lounge. We just prefer the atmosphere on the Amsterdam. To us it is more 'classic HAL'. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the timeline. We're in step 4 - waiting for the application review. Our nearest interview location is Denver, about 4 hours away.

We did our interviews at Denver about a year or so ago. Our wait was a few months. A few weeks ago our neighbors scheduled their appointments for there. They have to wait until September or October to get in. There are three of them which may be a factor. If they'd been willing to drive to Albuquerque, appointments were available the next week. Good luck with Denver. :)

Are you sure you're on the Amsterdam and not the Nieuw Amsterdam? They are very different classes of ships.

I've only done a 1-night cruise on Princess, but I suspect the experience is very similar to a HAL one nighter. The atmosphere is VERY different than a typical cruise. Very much a 'party' vibe. I'd hate to base my opinion of an entire cruise line from a 1-night cruise.

On that Princess cruise I was by myself. I ate in a specialty restaurant. Much easier and more relaxed. Without hesitation I would do so again in the same situation.

The service charge was indeed on my shipboard account. I actually went to the Front Desk to have extra added to it.

As to luggage - everyone just brought carry on bags. There was no delivery to the cabins and everyone carried off their own luggage.

We also used Alla in St. Petersburg, but I've read good things about lots of the approved tour operators there.

Yes they will -- it might take a bit more work but that is why there is a U.S. Consulate to help facilitate travel home if "something happens". Any U.S. citizen will not be stranded unable to ever return home, they just won't be able to get the first flight out.

Yes, they will get back home -- eventually. You may be surprised to see how few U.S. Embassies, Consulates, or even Diplomatic Missions there are in the Caribbean. :rolleyes: http://www.usembassy.gov/wha.html

Hi all,

 

Thanks for the replies! We were planning on going out independently as we don't like the lack of freedom that comes with a tour. Also, after breaking my ankle pretty badly a few years ago, I sometimes need breaks after extended periods of walking, which may not be provided with a tour. May I ask, Paul, why you say that we shouldn't explore on our own?

 

Thanks,

Alex

Just because you book a tour with a guide in St. Petersburg doesn't mean you give up your freedom. If you book the tour for just the two of you (or however many there are in your party), that's exactly how many there will be in your tour. You don't want extended periods of walking? NO problem. Our guide arranged for a wheelchair for DH at the Hermitage. She also had a pedicab meet us on the grounds of Peterhof to take DH to the hydrofoil. Neither of those would have happened on a tour through the ship - but can with a private tour.

My DB does speak Russian. He wanted to go thru the hassle (and expense) to get the visas and wander around on their own. I've never told him what to do since we were children, but for the first time as adults I played the 'older sister' card. Given the logistics of the distances and the early admission to sites available with a private guide, he finally listened to my sage advise. ;) Even now, several years later, he and his wife still thank me for putting my foot down on this one .

I would enclose copies of my medications from my provider, as well as having a copy in a folio with other paperwork.

 

If certain things such as the charger must be carried on, how is that handled?

We carry on our actual meds. Having a copy of them from a provider would mean nothing - if the ship doesn't have them. The pharmacy on board is pretty limited.

As to your charger - that is something we always have in a carry on bag. Luggage doesn't often go into the water - but it does happen. Not as often as bags getting lost/misplaced, but we won't risk not having a charger due to that either.

If for some reason I couldn't take DH's carry on bag, he would either put it under his scooter seat or roll it beside him as he drove his scooter on board. He would NEVER risk his meds or charger to the longshoremen getting that bag on the ship AND to the crew delivering them to the correct cabin. I've read about someone having an 'extra' bag delivered to their cabin and they didn't even notice until the end of the cruise. Not taking a chance on that!

First of all, if you aren't happy with the change of schedule, call your airline - NOW. You aren't stuck with the new flight(s). They can put you on a later flight (if there is one). We've had flights change to before our ship even docked and changing the flight wasn't a problem - even with the 'restricted' airfares.

Second - SeaTac has waiting areas for wheelchair assistance to the gates right across from the airline check-in counters. We just ask when checking in, dropping off bags, and are pointed to the nearest one. There will be an attendant there. One of the things they do is prioritize the passengers. The sooner your flight departs, the higher your priority.

Third - Yes the lines thru security can be long at SeaTac, but what major airport doesn't have long lines? Using wheelchair assistance at SeaTac we've never gone thru the regular line. Your wheelchair pusher will know what to do - and the shortest way to your gate. Well with worth the tips we give DH's pushers.

I believe HAL doesn't use their newest 7 ships for cruises of that length, so whatever ship you are considering should have a self laundry. I say should, because there have been rumors of laundries being removed from some, and it could happen before you sail.

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Somehow HAL still managed to have us on the NA for 42 straight days this past fall. At the time she was the newest ship in the fleet. There were a fair number of us on for 42-days --- or longer. A laundry room would have been much appreciated. My idea of a nice vacation doesn't involve doing hand laundry every few days in the bathroom sink. My idea of nice decor doesn't include wet laundry hanging around the cabin. We did send out some laundry, but we've had too many things ruined by the "great" HAL laundry to risk everything. :( We knew we'd have to 'make do' when we booked that ship. But I can't see us doing so again. My idea of a nice vacation doesn't involve 'making do'.

No. As the post you quoted stated, those who have sailed on other CCL companies are 1* Mariners - with 0 days. Zip. Zero. Zilch. All that gets you is 1 star on your key card. You can also go to the Mariner brunch held during the cruise if you wish. I don't consider that much of a perk as those who aren't attending the brunch aren't left to starve. Food is still available elsewhere - and more choices are available than the VERY limited selection on the Mariner menu. :rolleyes:

When I started sailing on Princess all of my HAL stars meant diddly squat. I had the blue key card - just like every other first timer.

So does HAL give you credit for the days you've sailed on Princess? Am I reading this correctly. I thought each cruiseline did it's own thing and there was no crossover. If so, I need to call and get some days added.

Hi! We stayed in Netune aft suite 7137 (on the level of the lounge and there is , only than rushing water low beneath. The aft suites are our favorites and we stayed on our 3 NA cruises 'only' 2 on the Neptune aft (first NA cruise was Neptune opposite the lounge booked, until we found out the lovely aft wraps). We did not care of the 'walk'. Have a look yourself and you can hear only the water rushing sounds: [YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]. As anyone else mentions: you have a view of nearly 180 degrees and views are great regardless the temperarure. Enjoy! :)

The concern the OP has is because they are a deck higher. Unlike your (quiet) cabin, they will have the Lido Deck directly above. I know that location wouldn't be our choice because of the wooden deck being hosed off early in the morning and people dragging chairs on our ceiling - quite likely as we are trying to sleep. The fact that you had "no sound" won't be necessarily applicable to their cabins.

Even though it will be an Alaskan cruise, the crew will still need to doing that early morning chore of washing down the deck. Good luck.

Either of us can lift 54 lbs., so getting our scooter in/out of our SUV isn't an issue. It is lighter with the battery out, but not down to 40 lbs. Taxi/shuttle drivers and hotel personnel haven't had a problem either. Everyone who's had to deal with lifting it has been impressed. We decided on this particular scooter due to DH's height. He's about 6'6" and the Solax Mobie fits him well. I'm more than a foot shorter and still find it comfortable if I have to drive it to him. The TravelScoot, mentioned earlier, is quite a bit smaller and lighter (well under 40 lbs.). For DH's height, it would have been quite uncomfortable as his knees would be up near his chin. In the Venice airport I saw a much shorter man on a TravelScoot. He looked like he was riding a clown tricycle. No way would DH have been comfortable riding that around the Forbidden City on an earlier cruise. A short woman would have been fine.

We considered quite a few different scooters. I'd suggest anyone looking to buy one to use their favorite search engine to look for 'folding travel scooter'. Things we took into consideration were weight, ground clearance, battery type, maximum slope (the Mobie had the best for that), if it had keys (we go to Disney World and didn't want it to 'walk off' with someone else), and size. Different things are going to be more important to others.

We have a Solax Mobie folding travel scooter. It weighs 54 lbs (25 kilos) with the battery. DH drives it up to the door of the plane (including international flights to both Asia and Europe). I remove the lithium battery to take in the cabin with us and fold the scooter. The gate agents and baggage handlers have been quite impressed with how easily it folds/unfolds along with the size and weight. On arrival we can either have the scooter delivered to the plane door or to baggage claim. We do need to let them know our preference when we gate check it. As a mobility device we've never been charged for flying with it, nor does it count against our baggage limit.

As our scooter folds to the size of a suitcase, we haven't had any problems storing it in any of our regular HAL inside cabins (don't need a HC cabin, but we require a shower stall). The large, square inside cabins on the Vista and Signature ships are great. There is plenty of room to move around in those even with scooter unfolded. On the R class ships we do need to fold scooter, but it easily fits out of the way next to the end table cabinet by the sofa. We do prefer Princess cabins though as their closet arrangement is such that scooter tucks away nicely in the closet.

Last year on the NA we did have the wife of someone who uses a Luggie approach us to learn about our scooter. Apparently they weren't happy with the Luggie and were interested in other options.

We usually take private tours in ports so we can go at our own pace. When arranging those, we let the company know about our scooter. This has never been a problem. If we have a sedan, the folded scooter has easily fit in the trunk. If we have a mini van the drivers usually haven't even bothered with having me fold the scooter. They just lift it up as is. The only time we've had a problem was when we took a "panoramic" HAL tour. This was a tour geared to those with mobility limitations. You would have thought we wanted to make a special stop or something when we asked the Shore Ex people (several days prior to that port) about being able to put the folded up scooter in the baggage area under the bus. We haven't bothered with a HAL tour since then.

Having our own scooter has been wonderful. DH was reluctant to admit he needed a scooter, but is SO glad he has one now. It makes travel easier - for both of us. ;)

Good news Canadians! You get to use a 1 litre bag. That's more than 5.6% more room than our puny, 1 quart US bags. Doesn't quite make up for the exchange rate difference, but at least it's something.

If you can get a 1 liter bag in the US, feel free to use that instead of the standard 1 quart. From the TSA:

You may carry liquids, gels and aerosols in your carry-on bags only if they adhere to the 3-1-1 rule: containers must be 3.4 ounces or less; stored in a 1 quart/liter zip-top bag; 1 zip-top bag per person, placed in the screening bin. Larger amounts of non-medicinal liquids, gels, and aerosols must be placed in checked baggage.

The bold is mine.

Well that's clearly changed.

 

I cruise Australia all the time, sealed commercial foods are not an issue.

We had the opportunity to chat with an Australian Agricultural Inspector while waiting to disembark at one of our ports. One of the things she told us was that the thing that surprised her the most when training to be an Inspector was that NO eggs are permitted in any form. It didn't matter if they were just an ingredient listed on a sealed commercial food package. If eggs were listed, that item was a definite NO. She also said that the people who gave her the hardest time were fellow Australians. [Her example: What to you mean I can't take this apple ashore?!?! I'm an Australian and brought it on board with me in Sydney!!!] I believe it is much easier and safer to just go with 'NO food items ashore'.

Seeing that you're with T-Mobile, that seems like a logical place to start. I googled Cellular at Sea T-Mobile and found: http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

According to T-Mobile, for the Norwegian Gem, you'll pay about $6/minute to talk.