sherifa

On 11/3/2021 at 1:56 PM, sansterre said:

I just realized that I never posted the Downton Abbey tea photos.  And now I seem to have lost the large group photo.  But here is Laurel who organized the tea.  The second photo is of  the "best dressed" couple.

Thank-you for the kind words! It was so much fun and Laurel did a great job with the trivia

On 10/28/2021 at 6:34 PM, sansterre said:

Something new to us......two of these were in our room when we arrived last week - a free drink.  Nearly everyone on the ship has sailed Holland America previously so it may have gone to most everyone, not just five star passengers.

It seems that most have the drink package on this cruise;  we do not.  So we look forward to a nice Rum Punch when we hit warmer waters.  

(Sorry the photo is sideways.)

 

We are 4 star and received these also and have never seen them before. We were told in the BBKing that it’s good for a champagne cocktail or a soft drink:

We are thoroughly enjoying the cruise and the beautiful ship but very disappointed with no lobster or jumbo shrimp on gala nights without a surcharge. Those were always highly anticipated.

On 11/28/2019 at 12:36 PM, eng58 said:

We will be in Nuku Hiva in March of this year on an Oceania cruise.

 

Looking for any suggestions of things to do, is there much to see at the port?

 

 

We have been to Nuku Hiva twice and enjoyed both visits very much. We did Temarama Tours the first time, explored the beautiful island and had no issues tendering nor docking.I recommend reading “Typee,”  by Herman Melville before you go. You will see the Taipei valley he visited and the location of the story. The second visit we toured with Nuku-Hiva Tours and were able to visit additional archeological sites, one of which had 3 original tikis, petroglyphs and were able to enjoy a light lunch at Yvonne’s. The Norte Dame Cathedral, Taiohae is also worth a visit and the hand carved wood crafts are the best in this part of the South Pacific. Getting out of the port to enjoy the natural beauty and archeological sites is a must IMO.

2 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

 

I’ve managed to find my previous post about Dravuni and Vanuatu. They were posted on May 30th on page 3 of the Roll Call. Hope this helps. 😎

I’ll check it out. The Diamond in 2018 I presume?

2 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Please don’t worry, I’m pleased to be of help. This roll call is getting very long so it needs a bit of investigating to find something previously written. I’m hopeless at finding things myself on CC!

 

There are photos of Dravuni on a previous page and some info and photos about Vanuatu which I posted a while ago.

 

If I can be of any further help just let me know!

 

 

 

Thanks, again! I see now why I was confused. I found your post on the “ports of call” South Pacific Islands thread , not a roll call. I haven’t even checked Roll calls for other cruises board for info. We will be on the Maasdam in Feb/March.

Do you have any thoughts for Vava u activities or excursions?

4 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

Here are some photos of the rainforest reserve in Savu Savu

 

 

Ellie 1145,

Thank-you for the info and photos. It is very helpful and will aid us in planning our ports!

Sorry if I asked for info you already posted. I didn’t see another post from you after Nextholiday?’s original question, Jan 2. Maybe I’m misunderstanding what a “thread” is as I thought that is where this one began. 

On 8/9/2019 at 6:32 PM, ellie1145 said:

We are also going on this cruise - for the second time. We first went on Diamond in 2018 and thought it was one of the best cruises we’d been on (and we’ve done over 60!]

 

I’m sure you will enjoy it, and we are really looking forward to experiencing all that Majestic Princess has to offer.  We love the big ships (including the RCI behemoths) and love the variety on offer, both with food, swimming pools, choice of cabins and entertainment. We would feel stifled on a very small ship, and love meeting a variety of people, but each to their own. Thank goodness some people prefer the very small ships, as otherwise there might not be room for us on the ‘big girls!’ As they say, one man’s meat is another man’s poison......

 

As for the ports,  well we fell in love with Dravuni, had an amazing day in Vanuatu, thought SavuSavu was idyllic, with a wonderful tender into the small dock, and are looking forward to returning to the other ports for a different view of them. We are a bit wiser this time so hopefully that will help. The only port we were really disappointed in was Suva, a big industrial port, but this time we hope to find a beach where I can swim. Last time we made the mistake of not booking a tour and walked round the town, which we though was scruffy, and we didn’t enjoy the department store, which was full of dated clothes and souvenirs. We high tailed it back to the comfort of the ship I’m afraid!

 

If if you have anymore questions about the ports then please do ask. 

 

 

May I ask what you did on Dravuni, Vanuatu and Suvasuva, or want you learned and plan to do this time? If you booked tours, with whom? We like to snorkel 

Thank-you!

On 8/20/2019 at 8:25 AM, OntarioCruiser38 said:

 

Hi Sherifa

tonigh2@yahoo.co.uk ask for Toni

Jonathan

 

 

Thank-you!

1 hour ago, OntarioCruiser38 said:

Hi all...

I have engaged a private guide with an air conditioned van for early April 2020.

It will be a tour of the island.   So I will post some feedback upon my return for the benefit of those planning for the future.

Thank you

J

Hello!

Would. You mind posting the name and/or contact info of your tour operator? We will be. There early March. Thank-you.

On 10/30/2018 at 11:33 AM, surfcitygirl said:

I had booked this tango show and paid in full for a show in November. Because of your post I contacted the vendor and they responded that the show was indeed closed and it is unknown when it might reopen. They had not contacted me at all and now they are processing my refund. Am now checking out the others for reservations.  This goes to show how helpful Cruise Critic members and their postings can be. thank you!

We loved Gala Tango in San Telno. Intimate and a great dinner

Thank-you so much, everyone, for all of the great ideas and taking the time to post. Much appreciated!

We have a friend who booked a private guide in Havana for the day. They are wondering what to do in the event that the guide doesn’t show up. Any suggestions?

I really enjoyed this review! It was so nice to see all of the photos and menus. We were supposed to be on her right now, but life intervened. Another time. Thank-you!

I like the packing cubes. Not only do they keep things organised, you can take them right out of the suitcase and pop them in a drawer in a hotel room or on a shelf in your cabin on a cruise.

 

Keeps things clean and organised and, if TSA decides to inspect your luggage en route it makes their job easy and prevents a mess in your suitcase.

Exactly. We've used Llbean and Eagle Creek packing cubes and envelopes for years

Hi, Sheri!

 

Planning my ports in the islands are bringing back great memories from the 2016 Westerdam cruise. The Captain says we should get some sun starting tomorrow afternoon so hopefully we will not get the rain like in 2016!:eek:

I'm caught up with your blog now! What fun to follow along! We did take the same cruise in 2017 and had great weather and were able to go to every island! Malia and Kanoe were aboard with a new Tahitian, Teuratua, and our beloved Kainoa. We became great friends and I spent a lot of time with them. Do you have an island team aboard? If so, who???

I wish you "fair winds and following seas!"

Hi Kathi!

I was perusing the HAL thread and came across this! I just want to wish you a wonderful cruise. We will be home this winter and I will enjoy reading about your adventures! Fun to see some familiar names from our 2016 HI/SP cruise! Have fun!!!

Hello!

Having fun reading your review! Do you know the names of the Hawaiian dancers/instructors and the ukulele player/teacher? We had a great team on our south pacific cruise and just wondered if any of the same people are onboard, other than Kainoa. We just love him!

Thanks!

There will be car rental reps as you exit the port building. Harper's Car Rental is closer than the airport and they have a shuttle at the port. You can reserve a vehicle by calling the number on their website. The falls are lovely!

Just off the Zaandam Feb. 21st. There is a culinary center but no BB King. A contemporary combo (nothing like a BBKING band) played late night in the crows nest and there is a small dance floor there. A good foursome form South America played in the Ocean Bar, ballroom with great latin and Argentine tango--great vocalist. There was also a DJ in the Crow's Nest at times-much more low key than a disco venue. Not a lot of dance venues on the Zaandam but the Ocean Bar is your best bet. 3 sets per night, 45 min each. We did have a tango duo who performed, taught in the Crow's nest at 3pm and danced with guests at milongos offered a few evenings in the Ocean Bar-very nice. Don't know if they'll be on your cruise.

Hi Jacqui!

We will be "returning to paradise" aboard the Mar 24, Maasdam 33 day Hawaii/Tahitian cruise. Hoping for clear skies this time around! Thanks!

Hi Jacqui,

Please add me to the 1/31/17 sailing of the Zaandam, South America/Antarctica. We will celebrate Terry's birthday aboard

Also, 8/2/17 Voyage of the Vikings, Rotterdam--anniversary celebration

Thank/you

Hi Jacqui,

Please add me to the 1/31/17 sailing of the Zaandam, South America/Antarctica. We will celebrate Terry's birthday aboard

Also, 8/2/17 Voyage of the Vikings, Rotterdam--anniversary celebration

Thank/you

Are any of my cruise critic friends out there considering an Easter Island excursion from Chile? Have any of you done it? We are traveling to SA March 2017 and we are beginning the planning. Thank you. :)

We are visiting EI prior to a SA/Antarctic cruise, January, 2017. We booked with Marc Shields, of green island tours, who comes highly recommended on trip advisor as well as personal friends. He arranges hotel, airport pickup, guided tours and history of the island. We are doing the Birdman tour, Moai tour with lunch (to many locations) and a 6 hr island hike. He came very highly recommended, if you want to really learn about the island and the moai.

Yes, Lantam airlines is the way to travel there from Santiago. They depart around 9:15am and return about 2:15pm. 3 nights seemed right for us. Good luck with your planning. Should be the trip of a lifetime.

What sparked your interest in cruising with HAL? For us, it was seeing the beautiful blue hull of the smaller HAL ship when we were boarding a Princess ship at the Port of San Diego.

This has been a fun thread to read!

We have enjoyed all of our cruises and each line/ship seems to have it's own unique offerings, but we chose our first HAL cruise based on itinerary and price. I had never been to many of the "famous" places in Europe, so we were able to see quite a few in one trip. It was wonderful. We enjoy the glitz of some of the lines, but also enjoyed the traditional decor of the Noordam. As someone said, it felt like an elegant ocean liner of the past. We loved being greeted with wet towels and water/lemonade after each port in August, and although it is just a fringe benefit, I like the navy hull of the ship, too. We also loved the BB King Blues Club, and do miss it on the smaller ships.

That being said, our Hawaii/South Pacific cruise was fabulous. The Hawaiian team aboard was so special as we were made to feel as if we were in the islands during the entire cruise and experienced many of the fine arts and crafts as well as wonderful lectures. Our sommelier was amazing and the staff in general is wonderful as is the food. Wonderful people we met aboard raved about itineraries we have booked for the future. So, many reasons!

We have also taken 2 excursions with him and were very happy. He will make sure you get back on time.