mexico8

I tried to buy a couple of hot dogs in a U.S.A. airport a few years ago with Canadian currency and they refused to accept it.   At that time our Canadian dollar was very strong and another traveller exchanged some US currency with me so I could eat.

There are all kinds of different restaurants along the boardwalk where the ship docks so you will have lots to choose from.

In Saguenay many years ago there was a big production show put on by the townspeople and it was excellent.   The ship sold the tickets to attend and they provided the bus to go to the theatre and back.   We loved the show.   If it's still on I highly recommend it.  You would still have time to do sightseeing as well.

On 9/11/2024 at 10:23 AM, FOPMan said:

It’s been a very long time since we’ve been in that cabin. NCL usually tries to keep extra furniture in the accessible cabins fairly light so that it can be easily moved to accommodate wheelchairs.D

Did you have a chair or sofa in the cabin when you were there?

On 8/26/2024 at 3:29 PM, luv2camp04 said:

This is for my client's booking in November.  There is really no tangible reason on the letter for the itinerary change.  I know this happens but it seems there should be some compensation given for this kind of change (5 ports deleted and only 3 ports added).  Note that this cruise leaves from LA and the first port is now San Diego.  They are sailing 118 miles between 4:00 pm and 7:00 am.  All I can think is that they will be sitting at sea for several hours.

 

Has anyone been offered any sort of compensation on these itinerary changes?  Just curious.  

Date: 08/21/2024           Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners, The itinerary for your upcoming vacation on board Norwegian Jewel on November 7, 2024, has changed. In addition, the departure time in Los Angeles, California, has been updated, and will now commence at 4:00 p.m. local time. Travel Partners are asked to share this information with impacted guests. We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue elevating the quality of the overall guest experience while positively impacting society and the environment. As we continue to optimize itineraries for enhanced port and shore excursion availability, as well as fuel efficiency, as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, we have adjusted the itinerary as shown below. We recognize the importance that destinations play in our guests' vacation decision-making process and assure you that these modifications were made with an optimal guest experience top-of-mind. As such, while we will no longer visit Manzanillo, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, and Puerto Chiapas, Mexico; Acajutla, El Salvador; and San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, we are pleased to share that we have added a visit to San Diego, California; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal), Panama. San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, a historic district in downtown, is known for its vibrant nightlife, excellent dining, and charming Victorian-era buildings. You can also explore Balboa Park, a massive cultural park that houses museums, theaters, gardens, and the famous San Diego Zoo. Guatemala is home to numerous volcanoes, such as Pacaya Volcano for stunning views, and is also famous for its coffee. You can enjoy local coffee plantations and gain insight into the production process, from bean to cup, as well as the chance to taste some of the world's best coffee. The historic district of Panama City, Casco Viejo, is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its charming colonial architecture, narrow streets, and vibrant cultural scene. It's filled with cafés, restaurants, and shops, making it perfect for exploring on foot. Additionally, we have extended our visits to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as well as Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Please note, we will now depart Los Angeles, California, at 4:00 p.m. local time. The modified itinerary is as follows:   Original Day Destination Arrive Depart   Thu LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA   5:00 pm   Fri AT SEA       Sat CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO 12:00 pm 8:00 pm   Sun PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO 1:00 pm 8:00 pm   Mon MANZANILLO, MEXICO 9:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue ZIHUATANEJO/IXTAPA, MEXICO 7:00 am 6:00 pm   Wed AT SEA       Thu PUERTO CHIAPAS, MEXICO 7:00 am 6:00 pm   Fri ACAJUTLA, EL SALVADOR 7:00 am 4:00 pm   Sat SAN JUAN DEL SUR, NICARAGUA 9:00 am 5:00 pm   Sun PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Mon AT SEA       Tue DAYLIGHT TRANSIT PANAMA CANAL       Wed CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA 10:30 am 6:00 pm   Thu AT SEA       Fri GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN 7:00 am 4:00 pm   Sat AT SEA       Sun TAMPA, FLORIDA 7:00 am     Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart   Thu LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA   4:00 pm   Fri SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Sat AT SEA       Sun CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Mon PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO 10:30 am 10:00 pm   Tue AT SEA       Wed AT SEA       Thu PUERTO QUETZAL, GUATEMALA 7:00 am 6:00 pm   Fri AT SEA       Sat PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA 7:00 am 6:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon PANAMA CITY (PACIFIC CRUISE TERMINAL), PANAMA 7:00 am 10:00 pm   Tue DAYLIGHT TRANSIT PANAMA CANAL       Wed CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA 10:30 am 6:00 pm   Thu AT SEA       Fri GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN 7:00 am 4:00 pm   Sat AT SEA       Sun TAMPA, FLORIDA 7:00 am

We are booked on this cruise and got that e-mail.   No compensation has been offered - not even a reduction or refund of port fees for the ports that were cancelled.   We are after the final payment date and have all our flights booked so we are stuck with taking it.   Not at all happy with the changes.

What a coincidence.   We are also booked in cabin 10144 on the Jewel in November.   Wondering also about the extra chair/loveseat etc?  Don't need it for sleeping but it would be nice to have a loveseat/sofa instead of a chair. 

I have flown numerous times with many different airlines and EVERY time I had to remove the lithion ion battery and put it in a special bag that came with my Travelscoot and bring it on the plane with me.  

You probably don't need a special bag but I am quite sure you will have to bring it on the plane with you and not leave it on the scooter.

I am hoping for better on the Jewel when we take a cruise in November for 17 days.   I am particularly worried about opening a folded towel after reading about what happened to someone.

We are past final payment so we would lose a lot of money if we cancelled and we have flights booked that can't be cancelled either without a big loss of $$.

I did enjoy reading all of the posts and enjoyed how well you treated your Dad.   My hat is off to you.  

Not too far from the port you can have a massage on the beach.   You would ask the taxi to take you to El Holi beach (right beside the huge La Isla mall).   You can walk to the beach area and you will see about 5 to 8 massage tables nearby.   I don't know the cost but they seem very popular.   

After your massage you could take a dip in the ocean that is right there and then you could have snack or lunch at the El Holi restaurant on the beach.

We stay at the Grand Venetian and see them everyday.   

The problem was with  the food on the buffet.   The water was boiling with the hot plates sitting in it and the food got overcooked and dried out.   You could see it so I am sure the staff knew the problem and were not able to rectify it.

I would guess that the onion soup in main DR does not have gruyere cheese and maybe the specialty restaurants do have the better {tastier} cheese?

We have hundreds of cruise days with HAL, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean etc.   We did cruise in June 2023 on the Azamara Journey.   We liked the smaller ship size and the crew were wonderful to deal with.  The service was excellent in the dining room and buffet and Guest Services etc.   We found the staff to be the friendliest we had encountered on any other cruise.

We did not enjoy the food.   Nearly everything on the buffet was overcooked and I am one person who orders their steak (or any meat) to be well done or medium well.   For me to complain the food was overcooked is rare.   The items were often dried out and practically inedible.   The seafood buffet was great but I don't really care for caviar and expensive seafood and prefer items like coq au vin or beef bourguignon etc.   I think that we always had a buffet for lunch  (no open dining room) and we had a hard time to find anything that we liked that was not dried out and overdone.

The breakfast items were also overdone and we felt the food on the ship was the worst in all of our cruises.

On 8/16/2024 at 6:36 PM, lauriedun said:

Thank you everyone! We are staying 2 1/2 days in Quebec City and 1 day in Montreal. Can't wait!

I think that is a good plan.   If there are any hop-on/hop-off buses that is a good way to see lots of the city and you can get off and explore at various stops the bus makes.   A good way to see places and decide what you want to visit when you have more time.

If you have Google translate it could come in handy if you need it.   

On 8/28/2024 at 2:09 AM, brillohead said:

I've often cruised with friends in wheelchairs and scooters, so I'll give you my experiences.

First question is actually about the rental process.  From what I've read in other posts, some companies say they will deliver the scooter to your room, others say they meet you on the dock.  Can I specifically request to pick the scooter up on the dock instead of the room.  That would actually be much more convenient for me.

 

It's port-specific whether you get the scooter before or after getting on the ship.  If walking onto the ship is too much for you, you can request wheelchair service when you enter the terminal (a staff member will push you up the ramp in a ship-owned wheelchair and deposit you in a public location).  You would then be responsible for getting yourself to your room to pick up your scooter.  If you don't have one already, you might think about getting yourself a Rollator-type walker with the seat attached.  You could be pushed up the ramp by an employee while sitting in the seat of the walker, and take breaks as needed until you get to your room to get the scooter.

 

 

2. On my last cruise, I noticed that there were many scooters parked outside the dining area.  I get that it would probably be a nightmare for the waiters if there were scooters parked next to tables and in the way in the dining room - but are you expected to park the scooter outside yourself and walk in?  Should I bring my cane along so I can make it to my table, or do they allow you to ride your scooter into the dining room and then a waiter takes it back out and parks it in the hall?   The last thing I want to be is a bother to anyone.

 

The assistant waiter will drive it out for you and retrieve it after the meal.  You may want to check on your table placement to make sure you can get to the table -- with my chair-bound friends, I always check the table number after boarding and get it changed if we're not on a main aisle (spacing between the tables can be too tight for a chair to get through).  

 

 

3.  What about going to see a show?  Is there an area designated for scooter and or wheelchair users?  Or seeing a comedian in the comedy lounge?  is it necessary to park out in the hallway for these venues also?  If necessary, I can navigate with a cane, but standing (in line) for long periods is not possible.

All of the venues have designated areas, typically behind the last row (so no steps to navigate).
 

 

4.  Are there areas that are totally not accessible with the scooter?  From videos I've seen, and personal experience, the hallways can be barely wide enough for two people to pass in opposite directions, and put a housekeeping cart in the hall and I imagine navigating in a scooter can be challenging.  What is the proper etiquette when encountering a housekeeping cart in the hall?  Turn around and go the opposite directions and find another route?

 

Any inaccessible areas are ship-specific... the "all access tour" involves walking up/down stairs, or some ships have a "chapel" area that is only accessible via stairway.  But all the "regular" parts of the ship are accessible.  And you should be able to get past a housekeeping cart.  If not, just holler for the room attendant to come move their cart.  But it's never been a problem for either of my wheelchair-using friends.

 

 

5.  What about shows in the Aqua theater?  From pictures and video I've seen of the Aqua Theater, there is seating, and stairs down to the seating.  I suspect I would have to sit at the very top area as the stairs would be difficult.  I guess I'm just wondering how other scooter/wheelchair users navigate.

Just like the theater and ice rink, there is designated parking behind the last row.
 

 

5.  To the mechanics of scooter use - how often does the scooter need charging?  ie - how long will I be able to explore the ship before having to plug in somewhere to recharge?  If I'm up in say, the Solarium and notice my charge is low, will I be able to plug in there somewhere, or need to head back to my room to recharge?

 

Unless you're driving the whole entire day without stopping, you'll only need to recharge overnight in your room.

 

 

6.  What about elevator use?  From comments I've read, and videos I've seen, sometimes people can react negatively towards people with scooters using the elevator?  I'm guessing I'll need a thick skin and to take extra time to be able to find an open elevator.  And what is the consensus - straight in or back in?

 

The negative reactions have to do with inconsiderate scooter drivers who ram into people or drive over their toes.  I would recommend driving in forward, and then backing out -- people can get out of the way if you're backing out, but if you're backing into the elevator you could smoosh people who have nowhere to move to get out of your way.

 

One thing you may want to consider is an electric wheelchair (powerchair) versus a scooter.  The WHILL chair is very maneuverable, with an innovated wheel structure.  My friend tried one on a cruise and he loved it so much he purchased one.  He used a powerchair originally, but the WHILL chair won him over.  

A benefit of a powerchair versus a scooter is that you don't have to get in and out of it at dinner -- you just wheel right up to your table and stay seated in your own chair.  A powerchair also takes up less space because you don't have the steering mechanism out in front of you.  

 

I hope that helps.

 

 

I have my own scooter and I agree with these comments about using  a scooter.

This is all new to me.   I was not aware of these discounts in our latitudes account.  Thanks for posting this information.   It could save some of us a lot of money!

I agree with the other posters - if you need that accessible cabin then ask for it.  They are hard to get so you have to book way ahead of time.    We try to book about a year in advance (I have a mobility scooter).   Good luck and don't fret about the "mean" people.

13 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

We have generally looked first to NCL but have sailed many times on Royal, Carnival  and Celebrity too.  Probably will not do any Carnivals again.  We are going to take a northbound Alaska and Southbound Alaska on Princess with some time on land on our own in between.  Their all-in pricing was a bit better than NCL and I do not like the way NCL has been playing fast and loose with itinerary changes. (We have been burnt several times and do not trust them not to skip Glacier Bay for some BS fuel consumption reason.)   Also do not like that NCL docks all the way out at Ward Cove.  Glad to hear others have liked Princess as this will be our first venture with them.

I agree.  NCL just cancelled about 3 ports on our upcoming November cruise.   Not happy about that and we have no recourse on it at all.

On 7/22/2024 at 4:37 PM, Fouremco said:

This is a heads up for anyone who has (or had!) a booking on PD264, Porter's direct flight from Vancouver to Ottawa departing at 12:20PM. I booked this flight in early February, thinking it to be the perfect time for a post-cruise flight home in October, arriving here in the early evening. Purely by accident, I discovered today that Porter no longer offers this flight beyond September 9, but never bothered to inform me by telephone, email or notification of the cancellation. Instead, they simply booked us on a mid-morning flight (see below) that I would never book myself. Oh, and to top it off, we had selected our seats back in February, but in changing our flight, they only re-reserved DW's seat, with the one beside her taken by some other passenger.

 

After September 9, they only offer a direct flight to Ottawa once a day, departing Vancouver at 7:35AM, then a couple of connecting flights at 10:10AM. I wouldn't book a post-cruise flight this early, even flying out of FLL, let alone VCR. So the only viable choice on disembarkation day in October is a connecting flight leaving at 1:40PM and arriving here at 12:28AM the following morning. 

 

While I'm very disappointed with the current options, I'm particularly annoyed with Porter making switches without bothering to inform passengers. I was playing with a new cruise/travel website that offers flight information, so I plugged in the information for our now cancelled flight and discovered that it was no longer offered. When flying with other airlines, I've always been informed of changes, even very minor ones, as soon as they were made, an easy thing for them to do with today's automated systems. A YOW-FLL-YOW flight earlier this year led to a number of issues that took a lot of time and effort to resolve with Porter. The resolution included a good sized credit voucher, which was the major reason we booked the October flights. They seem determined to increase their presence in Ottawa, but they'll have to up their game if they don't want to start losing customers.

For the first time ever I booked a flight to Las Vegas  a couple of weeks ago for end of Ocober leaving Ottawa around 9:30 a.m. and today they sent us an e-mail that they cancelled that flight and now have us booked on a flight leaving Ottawa at 6:30 a.m.    We have to spend over 3 hours in Toronto for the connecting flight to Vegas and will probably not have a hotel room ready when we arrive (too early for check-in).   Maybe the last time we reserve Porter!

On 9/12/2023 at 3:27 PM, BirdTravels said:

DESSERT

 

BLUEBERRY-VIOLET YOGURT MOUSSE

Red Velvet, Crystallized Violets, Macaron

 

DECADENT CHOCOLATE *

Devil's Fudge Cake, French Vanilla Ice Cream

 

"OMG" CARAMEL BUTTERSCOTCH CHEESECAKE

Vanilla Custard

 

ICE CREAM AND SORBET SELECTIONS

Wonderful pictures of the food.   Thank you so much.

A few years ago I tried to by some hot dogs at an airport in the US with Canadian currency and they absolutely refused to accept it.   At that time our Canadian $ was worth more than the US $.   A nearby customer was kind enough to exchange it for me so we could eat something.

I called HAL again and this time I did find the "code" that was on the flyer.  It was a tiny print on the bottom of page 4!   It was HAL2011CADG.   Easy to miss it and first time I knew about this kind of code.

To make a long story short, the bold price of $689 was only for August 31st and there is no accessible cabin.  I have a mobility scooter so I need the space for it in the cabin and to be able to charge the battery.

The price went up quite a bit for the accessible  cabin I needed and the date was mid- October.   We are giving it some thought.  Instead of $689 it would be $1159 each.

Thanks to everyone who posted here with information.  

16 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Is there a code that must be used?  Typically, it is in fine print.  Also, the offers are capacity controlled.

In the bottom corner there is the symbol that you can scan and it says " Visit grco.de/jun24deals or scan to reserve your exclusive fares".  When I typed in that info I got nothing.

I don't scan these things (I never have) but I will be contacting HAL about it).

On 7/3/2024 at 5:31 PM, Billthekid said:

I have noticed over the years, that the PRIVATE SALE offer is the same price available to anybody viewing the website.  If you sign/log in, the same price is available, instead of calling it a PRIVATE SALE, why not just call it a marketing gimmick.  I get a letter monthly with 20-plus cruises listed.  The website never reflects the prices in BOLD print. 

I got the Private sale offer but I called HAL today and could not get anything like the price on the  offer they sent me.   It is a lot higher (by hundreds of dollars) and they tell me it is a MISTAKE.

I am going to pursue it further and try to get the price they told me on their flyer.   The accompanying letter is from the President of Holland America.   I wonder if he knows that erroneous offers are going out under his name.

1 hour ago, Laminator said:

If it's a private sale I can assure you that it is not from the casino. The casino offers always look like this. I receive 6 to 8 a month.
And if you log in to your account you can tell that you have a casino discount on cruises by the price. It used to be much easier as the price always showed $100 but now with the pricing incuding fees and taxes the it's a wee bit more difficult. The highlighted fares are cruises I have casino offers on. 
And if you have an experienced PCC they know exactly how to find and handle your offers. 
There is actually a group of over 6500 Holland America Casino Players on another forum that can help anyone with casino related offers. I would consider at least 100 of them to be experts on casino offers. There is detailed information on what is needed to qualify for casino offers. 

I don't gamble or go into the Casino so it would not be them sending anything to me.

7 hours ago, DesertDogs said:

I would keep calling and send a copy of the letter. Someone should be able to figure it out.

That is a good idea.   I am going to do that on Monday.   I spent so much time checking for flights and trains etc. and I was all set to book the cruise and then to get the runaround.

12 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

You could remove your self on line from mailings . Just go into your Mariner's account.

It 

12 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

You could remove your self on line from mailings . Just go into your Mariner's account.

It was not an online mailing.   It came in the regular (Canada Post) mail.