cruising_family

My husband has done this tour on a Vista class ship (Noordam) a few years ago. He is an engineer and was fascinated.

 

He said be prepared for a good bit of walking & stairs.

 

Thanks for the info. Do you happen to know the approx cost and how I book that type of tour?

Do any of you HAL/Eurodam experts know if HAL offers tours of the ship behind the scenes? I am trying to come up with something special as a surprise for my DH on our cruise as we will be on board during his birthday. On another thread I posted regarding birthday ideas, someone suggested this type of ship tour and that RC does this at a cost.

I did get suggestions abt a cake at dinner, having dinner at Pinnacle, couple massage and doing romantic dinner in our cabin. If you have any other ideas, please toss those in to.

Thanks a bunch.

It's hard to say. We got off to see Nassau the first time. It was interesting but honestly I wouldn't do it again. We aren't beach or gambling people. We walked around and found a place to eat but we probably just stay on board next time. I know there are some nice beaches or a few other things to see but for us it wasn't much. The straw market was nice for the first 10-15 minutes but the sellers were sad looking and some were pushy with hawking their goods. Also after a while we saw the same things over and over in the booths.

But if you don't get off, you won't know if you like it. That's why we do. If you get off the ship, look around a bit and don't find it enjoyable, you can always head back to the ship. I've wanted to do a less port intensive, longer cruise just so I don't feel the need to get off and can just enjoy all the ship has to offer.

I can't say specifically about this ship but I have been on other ships with RC, Carnival and HAL and only experienced seasickness one or twice, but not terribly bad. I know smaller ships can be problematic for seasickness. The larger and newer ships today have such great stabilization systems that the swaying is minimal, often during storms too.

I always wear seabands on my wrists and pack dramamine in case. The seabands have worked almost all of the time, then the dramimine for the other. Try to be prepared and follow the suggestions on seasickness prevention that are out there.

If memory serves, I think you are given beginning debarkation time on your paperwork. I know you have to wait for the ship to be released for any passengers to leave. My last cruise it was 7:00. You could check your paperwork. If there is a delay for the ship to be released that could be a problem for your friend. Others more experienced with Carnival and FLL might have more info on that issue.

I hope you have a great cruise.

We, and when I say we, I really mean me,;) like getting there early so the vacay can begin. I don't really care about the lines or crowd because to me it helps the anticipation to build and once on board I can get my beverage of choice and feel the stress and tension of everyday life disappear.:D The food is definitely not the draw for us getting on board early, but to get every minute on the ship that I can squeeze in. I see the point of waiting until the crowd thins but I'm too impatient for that.

 

All that said, if I was going on a large ship like RC Oasis or Allure, I might think a bit more on waiting but highly doubtful.

 

I also do worry that for some reason something will go wrong during the embarkation process :eek: and the more time to sort it out before the sail away, the better.

To add, We don't try to be the first in line but after checking out of the hotel and grabbing breakfast or any other errand necessary. Perhaps an hour or so after embarkation time begins. Our last embarkation time started at 1:00 and I believe we got there around 2:00.

We, and when I say we, I really mean me,;) like getting there early so the vacay can begin. I don't really care about the lines or crowd because to me it helps the anticipation to build and once on board I can get my beverage of choice and feel the stress and tension of everyday life disappear.:D The food is definitely not the draw for us getting on board early, but to get every minute on the ship that I can squeeze in. I see the point of waiting until the crowd thins but I'm too impatient for that.

All that said, if I was going on a large ship like RC Oasis or Allure, I might think a bit more on waiting but highly doubtful.

I also do worry that for some reason something will go wrong during the embarkation process :eek: and the more time to sort it out before the sail away, the better.

I tackled learning one in early this year on a shore excursion (some island in the eastern Caribbean). As long as you don't have some underlying balance issues, you should do fine. I'm a bit older and haven't roller skated in more years than I care to say, and I did fine. taking it slow helps and our tour guide was great at explaining how to do it and having each of us in our group do some test driving them around a small obstacle course and up and down a small slope so we would be capable on the road.

I had a blast and would love to do it again!!:D

I like the couples massage idea and maybe getting a romantic dinner in our room, if I can plan it right might be perfect. We eat out quite often at home at those unusual type places since he's a foodie, so just eating at one of the specialty restaurants might not be as interesting to him. If there was a celebrity chef there cooking, that would be great surprise.

I'll have to check on the behind the scenes tour as it sounds different. Don't know if it's offered. Since he has the newest car in our family and he picked it out with the bells and whistles, a new car won't be happening. It's my turn next. :) I love your help and ideas and I thank you so much.

I concur that French feta is milder. I do like blue cheese but not a feta that is strong. I was advised to try French feta and it was a world of difference.

What a fun idea to do just with your traveling partner/DW/DH. :) That's a great idea!!! :)

Thanks. I'm going to tweak the list a bit and present it to my DH the night before the cruise or at the port while waiting to embark. I think he'll really get into it with just the two of us playing. He likes quirky things and this is unexpected.

We don't do meet and greets as we're both a bit shy about meeting new people when in a larger group setting, so I don't know if people would do it. That said, I think this idea is great for other groups too like families or group cruisers. I hadn't heard of doing this type of scavenger hunt.

I'm thinking of how I can create or modify this one for my hubby and I to do on our next cruise. I think it would be a blast to try this over the course of the cruise and to see who the first one to complete the challenge is or who has the most at the end of the cruise. Also a great way to get some unusual pics during the cruise that one might normally get and have something to giggle at later.

We like to get to the port early as well so we depend on a taxi instead of a shuttle so we aren't at the shuttle's schedule. A taxi from the hotel to the port should be fairly reasonable unless you have a large group in your party.

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We like to get to the port early as well so we depend on a taxi instead of a shuttle so we are at the shuttle's schedule. A taxi from the hotel to the port should be fairly reasonable unless you have a large group in your party.

When I book my hotel depends on when the cruise is and what port I'm going out of. If the cruise is out of Ft. Lauderdale, I'm very familiar with the area and aware of the peak season so I book earlier if during peak season as soon after I book the cruise. If off season I feel comfortable waiting a bit.

If I don't know the departure port city, I book rather close to cruise booking time. I was very unsure for our second cruise (Alaska) so I did the RC transfer/hotel/flight all together so RC would be the organizer.

I too haven't posted in a bit. Just started a new position and am now rotating between 3 libraries so trying to get eating schedule on track. My hours are more variable and as I'm part time, only 15 minute break to munch. I've been trying to eat enough before work but when I get off I'm famished and we all know that's not a good thing. Everything goes in my mouth. lol

Yesterday we went to an all you can eat food festival with some top restaurants in the area. Well that also wasn't good for me. I tried to skip it, but my DH seemed disappointed at that suggestion. So for my weigh-in today, I'm up 2 something lbs. Last weigh-in I was down 8.6 if I recall correctly. So I've got to figure out how to make this work.

A little blip in the program so tomorrow is strategy time. Keep at it everyone. we can do this, little by little, step by step!!!

Love this thread and I've been making my list from all the suggestions. Luckily I had some but hadn't thought of using them.

For those that like the steel drum versions of some of the more popular songs associated with cruising, Amazon has some digital albums/singles from the Carnival steel drum band. Maybe they're on iTumes also but I don't use it. I searched in digital music for carnival steel drum and 4 show up under albums.

I don't have an opinion regarding the ship/itinerary, but my hubby surprised me with a cruise a few months back as a nice break from my Master's program classes. I knew something was up because he asked when my semester break was from school, but that's all I got. Then the day before we left for the cruise as he headed to work he told me we were going on a cruise the next morning but no other info. That gave me a chance to do what I needed to do and still had the surprise of the ship, ports, etc. He knew if he sprung it on me the morning of, or packed for me, things wouldn't have gone as nicely for me. He had done all the reservation and hotel bookings done. Give her only the info she needs to make her comfortable on the trip and keep the rest a surprise. Have fun.

Also, in Ft. Lauderdale, they wouldn't even let us in the terminal w/o showing our boarding passes and passports.

On our last cruise (HAL) earlier this year I somehow misplaced our boarding passes before we got to the Ft. Lauderdale/Port Everglades terminal. They did let us into the terminal, though I had most of our paperwork in hand and our names were on the list. They just confirmed once we were called to the desk for check-in. Needless to say, I was freaking out as I thought I had it all. I won't let that happen again!! I think they have that happen occasionally and could work something out, but perhaps RC is different.

As others mentioned, you can get luggage tags at the port, or put your own from RC on just before you get to the port, perhaps at the hotel if going earlier.

When I went on my last cruise with HAL, I printed my luggage tags and covered them with clear packing tape. I'm not sure if RC allows you to print your own as it's been a while since I cruised RC. This is the youtube video with instructions to do your own if you're interested. http://youtu.be/atMf2N0Agos. I liked the idea of these tags because they are pretty sturdy and won't come off too easily.

The only tip I would add is check that your passport and ID and wallet is in your hand for every cruiser with you, pull them out to actually see, before you leave your house. I've known people that thought it was in their purse or pocket and had actually put it down in their house and didn't pick it back up. I always look as we sit in the car, for tickets, passport etc, before pulling away from the house.

Then have fun, fun, FUN!!!

Please add me and my DH to your list. We will be on Eurodam March 1- 8 2015 to Eastern Caribbean. Smooth Jazz Cruise 2015.2 and celebrating my DH birthday also. This is our 2nd HAL/Eurodam cruise and looking forward to our return to it.

I haven't done the chef's dinner myself. You will get more information if you post on the Holland America boards.

Thanks. I'll do that.

Add my welcome to Rhonda and Dale too. Great to hear from everyone, struggles, suggestions and support. I feel less alone in my weight-loss journey and learn a thing or two. Because my hours changed this week because of Labor Day, I'm not able to do a meeting or even weigh-in until Thursday.

Went to our HOA BBQ yesterday and I did pretty good as I didn't indulge too much. It helped that the theme was a Hawaiian Luau and most brought some type of fruit dish and the main meat was pulled pork which my DH had made last weekend and I was tired of that.

I really want to get into exercising but it seems it's just not coming together. Frustrating on my part and totally my fault. I'm not used to a changing work schedule (I've been a 9-5 worker for decades) and it's hard to get into a routine.

I concur abt finding an alternative activity to avoid food. My library has book clubs and other activities that are free and fun. Maybe that's an option to be out and about and having another focus. Community center activities? Good luck for this week everyone.:)

I appreciate all your great ideas. Since my DH is a foodie, I'm torn. We eat out quite a bit as we live in Atlanta area so just regular reservation at one of the special restaurants might not be as special. However a chef dinner might really be special for him. Is this the type of setup where we watch them do the cooking? How could I find more info on this? I wonder if there are chef dinners on a fully chartered theme cruise. And how would I book something like that? We will be in St. Thomas on his bd so a special excursion would be fun too. Maybe I'll head over to those boards for more ideas on St. Thomas.

We have booked a theme Jazz cruise next year and I've realized that my DH's birthday will be during the cruise. I'm wondering how you all might have done something special for an adult's birthday. I don't want to make it a big deal in the main dining room as he might get embarrassed. I would be appreciative of your ideas/suggestions. FYI, we will be going on HAL for 1 week to Eastern Caribbean.

Thanks!