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On 8/5/2019 at 9:26 AM, eatplayvacay said:

Other than avoiding the obstructed view rooms, does anyone have opinions on decks/areas that are good or not so good? 

We sailed the Empress to Cuba twice recently. Just aft of the elevators on Decks 7, 8 & 9 (7164, 7664, 8164, 8664, 9164 & 9664) there are larger cabins that say 'obstructed', but they are not. Our TA advised us not to book them because of the obstructed view on our first trip. While on the cruise I did a little investigating and the view wasn't any more obstructed than our cabin which was the first one behind it. One the second cruise, I tried to get it, but since it will accommodate 4, and the ship was full, we could not get it. 

If you are looking for a slightly larger balcony check out Deck 7 cabins 7173, 7175, 7177, 7176, 7178, 7180  or Deck 6 "sweet 16" cabins 6016 thru 6030 on starboard, and 6021 thru 6035 on port. 

The Deck 6 cabins are a little less expensive, but we really like the ones on deck 7. Hope this helps

Another vote for Hotel Le Priori. Within walking distance to everything we wanted to see. (we even saw Paul McCartney from our window as he was leaving the hotel near us). The staff was very friendly and helpful before and during our stay. I would surely stay there again if I'm ever fortunate enough to return to Quebec City

We (2 of us) were able to upgrade to a FV in July 2019 for our May 2020 cruise. 

A couple of things to do:

Book when the kids are in school (fewer families need them)

Do a mock booking every few days to see if one becomes available. Call immediately.

I never thought about the corner on the M class having the "bathtub" feeling. I'm glad that was mentioned as I've always wanted the corner. We've always had the one next to it.

Good luck!

Our experience is that our OBC has always been showing on our on-board account when we boarded the ship. We always bring all paperwork showing expected  OBC's just in case. Enjoy your cruise!

We always book aft balcony if one is available. Try to get a corner aft if possible though since you are cruising in the summer so you can have better air circulation.  We have had days where there was no breeze and it was too hot to sit out there (but not many). Aft balconies are so great, I would grab one regardless of temperatures. 

1 hour ago, Water709 said:

I did not see all the balconies on the ship, but the ones I could see (since our balcony stuck out further than most of the others) all had similar furniture to ours, and no loungers.  It's possible that higher level suites have them, but I don't know.  The butler told us when we left today that he is going to leave the lounger that we requested on the balcony for the next passengers.  He thought it was a great idea!  Maybe if everyone asks for one, X will get the hint.

Thanks for the reply and for all your great contributions re: The Summit.

Our cruise is May 2020, so maybe they will get the hint by then. I also looked online for inflatable loungers. Some weigh less than 2# and are around the $20 price point. I guess I could leave 1 pr of shoes out the suitcase!

We're booked in cabin # 7175 (2A) with a slightly larger balcony for our 2020 Bermuda cruise. One of the things we most enjoy about cruising is sitting on our balcony and reading (or daydreaming) while at sea. Am I correct in understanding that now there are no loungers on balconies no matter the size of the balcony? This may be a deal breaker! 

Take a look at Ollie's Trolley. We did a 4 hour tour with them last September and loved it! We're still laughing at some our driver, John's jokes. 

We had plenty of time to look around the harbor area before our tour, then after the tour we had a lobster lunch at Stedman's and took a walk all around the shoreline. 

The last time we were in Bonaire we rented a golf cart and toured along the coast. We had a wonderful day and felt perfectly safe. The carts can be picked up right outside the port entry. I'm sure I got the idea here on Cruise Critic, so you might check the Bonaire "ports of Call" 

Thanks for the good advice twangster. I'll document everything.

Thank you!

We just received a small "Future Cruise Credit" from RCCL because of some issues we had on our last cruise. Does anyone know if the credit can be applied to the final payment of a cruise we already have booked for October? Or, does it have to be used on a new booking?  Thanks in advance for any replies. 

I think I would wait until the second day if I had that option. You might save yourself a lot of stress. 😊

We just returned from our trip. Empress of the Seas got into port later than the time that was shown on the itinerary . We had to wait 1-1/2 hours in line to go thru immigration. We were 1 hour late meeting Yosel, but he was there waiting patiently for us. He extended our tour so we still had 6 hours with him. He charged us (4 people) $230 USD for the six hour tour which included cars and drivers. 1 hour in a great Edsel convertible and the other time in a 4 door Ford ('53, I think). We really got our money's worth.

We toured with Rey in 2017. We had a wonderful day.

We are leaving tomorrow to go back to Cuba on Empress of the Seas. We've booked I Love Cuba Photo Tours again and I think this time Yosel will be our guide. He has always responded quickly and positively to all my questions. I will post about our time in Havana when we return home.

Looking at booking with a small tour company, Blexie or such. My hubby and I do not speak any Spanish and know little to nothing about Cuba. I don't want to be embarrassed by our lack of knowledge and don't want to look like "silly Americans". Is there a tour group in particular that may be best suited for us? We really don't want to spend all day on a RCC bus either.... guess we're kinda fussy, but this is our once-in-a-lifetime cruise so we want to make the best of it. Suggestions?

We used "I Love Cuba Photo Tours" last year. (Look it up on tripadvisor.) Yosel was already booked so he set us up with another guide who was very nice and knowledgeable. We were extremely pleased. We've booked with them again for March 2019 and this time Yosel will be our guide. He's very quick to respond. I hope this helps.

We hired a taxi for 3 hours ($20 per hour in 2015) and went to Cavendish in the morning then walked around near the port for an hour or so in the afternoon. All the best, Tony

 

Did you pre-arrange for the taxi or just walk off the ship and find one? Thanks.

No there is not. You'd have to cab/uber. Now, depending on whether you're shuttling or cab/uber to the pier, there IS a liquor store at the shopping center adjacent to the port. Your driver MAY be willing to stop-you'd have to ask. Some Uber/Lyft drivers will, others get mad as it's an "extra trip' though not sure. There's a way to add stops in the apps but when I did it the driver got really bent out of shape but this was in a different city.

Thanks! My second option would have been to ask driver to stop. Oh well... we’ll just pack in luggage. Appreciate your reply

We're booked at ES prior to our upcoming Canada/NE cruise. Can anyone tell me if there is a place within walking distance to buy a couple bottles of wine to carry on? If so, how far? Thanks!

Thank you for your replies.....and earplug advice!

We're sailing on the Zuiderdam in January 2019. It has been several years since we sailed on HAL so we are not familiar with the new music venues that have come about since then. Is there any way to find out if there will be "B B King's" on our cruise? Also, How about Lincoln Center Stage? Would it possibly be found on the user friendly HAL website? :o:o:o:oThanks!

I do not live in Québec City but here is what I found according to the search I did on Google map. The Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church is in Lower Town, a 7 minutes walk from the Main Terminal. The Basilique Notre-Dame is in Upper Town, a 12 minutes walk away via the Funiculaire (elevator to get to Upper Town).

Thank you so much for your reply!

there is a small discount if you buy the beverage package on line ($5 discount approximately) - the one where it covers 15 drinks per day.

 

There is also a happy hour - twice a day on the ships I have been on. buy one drink and get the 2nd for $2.

 

Hope this helps. this is all that springs to mind and hopefully others can help too.

Thank you! This does help. The Buy one, get one for $2 would be better than nothing. I really don't drink enough to make the package worth the money.

I see you are from NB. We will be there on RCCL in September. Really looking forward to it.

We're sailing on the Zuiderdam next year. This will be our third cruise on the Zuiderdam, but it's been a long time since our last cruise with HAL. Does HAL ever offer discounts on drink packages like "Buy one, get on half" or percent discounts? Thanks!