sunviking90

This. There are no other sailings from San Diego from April until the ships go back down in September/October.

The fees are more related to that particular 5 star hotel than being “Canadian” fees.

This was happening for me too, until I logged out. Then everything was available again.

We are fortunate to have many happy memories of land vacations in Maui. We usually stayed in Kaanapali so we were also able enjoy Lahaina. Our last visit was on the Royal Princess in January of 2023. I was so eager to get out of the heat and back on the ship, sadly not knowing I’d never see Lahaina as it was ever again. We almost went to Kapalua last January but just couldn’t bear driving past the ruins of Lahaina. We docked in Kahului on the Volendam last November and walked about 10 minutes out the gate to rent a car from Avis (in a small hotel). Very reasonable and was really nice to be able to drive down to Paia, Makenna, etc. There are really a lot of options when docking in Kahului. I could be wrong but I think the Royal Class ships are too large to dock there?

Yes, just recently through my PVP. We were also able to keep our hefty OBC.

Bon Voyage! 🚢

Have a great trip! It sounds wonderful, especially having your family with you. We were very tempted in this itinerary, but we’re already committed on another cruise. Love the repositionings, but can’t do them all!

Great advice. Don’t wait for them to call you. Availability can change daily.

Yes, this is where my mind went at that particular word. It wasn’t a positive connotation for sure, but uncertain exactly what they mean.

Thank you for doing this trip report. We are booked on Oosterdam’s return voyage at the end of October, so we are eagerly following along. I’m glad to hear the Step One Dance Company is aboard.

We love the signature suites. I’m not sure if there are bad locations. We’ve always had them on guarantee and always been happy with the location. If you can get one for a good price, go for it. Is that price for 7 days?

Previous answers are likely correct that HAL has group space and that is waitlisted. Ask you TA (or do it yourself) to book separately and it will likely be cheaper. Register for Accor’s loyalty program first and you get 5-10 % off the rate and included wifi. Transfers are not really necessary in Vancouver IMHO. If you are mobile and able to manage your bags, there is the skytrain that goes from the airport right downtown. The taxis are also flat rate from YVR to downtown for about $41 CAD. I don’t know what they charge for transfers, but I’m sure it’s more than that and in USD, and per person. We like Uber, but are not fans of it here since we had a driver falling asleep while driving us to the airport at 4 am. Fairmont Waterfront is closest to Canada Place (across the street). Fairmont Vancouver Hotel is a beautiful classic hotel, but about 4 blocks up from the waterfront, more in the shopping area.

Here are some photos of Zaandam 1877: https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/stateroom-details.php?ship=Zaandam&cabin=1877 It looks quite spacious.

Even checking it before debarking they can muck it up. We had about $25 in port charges refund sitting on ours that somehow had been zeroed out when I got the email final bill. Creative accounting. I called to try to rectify, but I’m sure we can all imagine how well that went these days. In the end decided my time was worth more than the $25. Too frustrating speaking to idiots. This was months ago, so I’m sure there isn’t a check in the mail.

Aww, that’s very sweet.

Glad to see you’re doing a live trip report. We always enjoy following along. There is certainly room for more than one as they are often the most interesting content on these forums.

We blocked out our address too, and it was accepted. Stockperks is managing the OBC regardless of how you send it to them.

Agree. This is helpful info for those who are not comfortable using the app, but much harder. We blacked out personal info when submitting our original docs on the app, and found the process much easier than the old way.

We had our upcoming cruise refared a couple of times and most recently after final payment! Our CVP is great. We were able to keep the hefty OBC attached when we booked last year too. Of course now it’s on the Drop and Go even cheaper but it can’t be refared to that special she says. We are still about even with our OBC though. We have decided now that unless it’s a real bucket list cruise to wait until 2 months before sailing to book. I know most on here would disagree, but there are about 3 itineraries we are eying for 2025 and all of them went for about 40% less a couple of months before this year's sailing.

Same. I have tried audio books when my library only had that option of a particular book I wanted, but I find the reader’s voice a distraction, for fiction anyway. So much of the enjoyment of a good book to me is how you picture and hear things in your own mind while reading. I know many enjoy audio books though by choice or necessity, so they’re a great option to have.

I would not sail this itinerary without a balcony. Keep in mind it is almost a whole day transiting as you go through the first locks, into Gatun Lake, then through the second set of locks. In between it is beautiful and tropical and you can hear the birds, etc. Yes, it is nice to be out in the decks, but it is also nice to have your own private area to enjoy it. I actually ended up with Covid on our Panama Canal cruise last August and was confined to the room on the transit day. I was able to fully enjoy it from our balcony. I sat out there for hours.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/ca/cruise-deals/top-ten-cruises?camp=CME:20240404_HEP2418MP2_CAD&rmid=20240404_HEP2418MP2_CAD&rrid=11102582922&lid=primarycta&XID=EXTHEM202404044RD3MS63SQ Log in too. There are some amazing private fares that also come up.

This! We drove the Cabot trail as far as Cape Breton National Park. A beautiful drive. The rental car agency was a short taxi ride away from the port. People there are SO friendly too! Some agencies used to pick people up at the port but I’m not sure if they still do.

We usually show up around 10:15 and we’re on board for lunch. The main backlog at Canada Place is the US customs processing for Alaska cruises. Fortunately they now have a Nexus line.

We have had balconies aft on Baja deck and thought they were just fine. We are not overly picky, but do prefer aft cabins. You’re right that in your ship the “premium” will be the same, but likely larger balcony (Caribe deck I think, or full aft) Personally, I wouldn’t bother changing unless it was for a mini suite which will give you lots more space and a sofa in the cabin itself. If you’re not choosy about the location you could try to bid for a mini suite, but contact Princess first and ask how much to upgrade your cabin first.