cruisersMandW

We had an overnight in Reykjavik on another cruise line.  A member of our CC group put together tours of The Golden Circle and South Coast through a local tour operator. They were 2 of the best tour guides I've ever had the pleasure of seeing.  Just note that distances are rather long so you will spend considerable time on the bus/ van (ours was a brand new larger van). It was well worth it because we really got to see the area.  I don't know if this link will work but it gives you enough info to find them.

https://yourdaytours.is/iceland/tours/golden-circle-afternoon-tour/

I'm sorry you experienced this.  My first NCL cruise almost 25 years ago on the Wind was similar.  I thought that was it for NCL.  But then one cold winter we were enticed back by a great deal and had a wonderful cruise.  So here we are platinum heading to sapphire.  There are things we're still not always happy about- we learned the hard way that the large ships like Getaway don't suit us, and the food can be hit or miss.  But we've also had some great experiences along the way- especially on the Sun for a transatlantic and last Christmas on the Pearl.  Hope your next cruise, on whatever line you choose is a winner. 

I'm also interested in this topic.  We're doing one for the first time this summer.

We were just in a balcony on the Pearl in December. I'd so often read about bringing the over the door shoe rack but had never done it.  Since we're planning a longer cruise this summer I thought I'd try one out.  It worked beautifully. 

In our cabin there were 3 very small drawers in the desk/ vanity table, and 3 slightly larger ones in the closet below the safe. I used the over the door rack in the closet to store underclothes, socks and rolled gym shorts & T-shirts.  It gave us plenty of room for everything else.

As others have said our luggage fit nicely under the bed.

Have a great cruise!  The ship was in great shape and the crew was wonderful!

I read  a tip to put a sheet of white paper in the safe before you put anything in.  It's easier to see what's in there so you don't miss anything.

On 11/10/2022 at 4:16 PM, jelayne said:

For lunch:

 

Oceanview Cafe

Mast Grill

Spa Cafe

MDR for Concierge class only

Luminae for Suite class only

 

The Grand Bistro may also be open for lunch - fee is $30pp + 18% gratuity.

 

 

 

Thank you.  That's the info I was hoping for.

What restaurants are available on embarkation day?

Temperature is certainly subjective.  Some of us tend to be warmer than others.  But having said that, temperature may vary throughout the ship.  It would be best to bring a light wrap that is easy to take on and off as the need arises.

Wow! Thank you!  That is very helpful info.

On 5/4/2021 at 3:34 PM, sandiego1 said:

I created a spreadsheet when the 2023 WC 1st opened for booking. Many of the Vista suites categories were sold out as was all of the Neptune suites. So I wasn't able to get pricing on them. I got pricing from the the big box store website and included their OBC (I believe it is now a gift card). HAL prices are very similar  without the OBC. Other TAs have better pricing. These prices are for 2 people.

 

 

Inside	Cost	OBC	Net
I			$0
J	$52,028	$4,135	$47,893
K	$51,628	$4,110	$47,518
L	$51,228	$4,060	$47,168
M	$50,828	$4,015	$46,813
MM			$0
N			$0
Guarantee			$0
Ocean	Cost	OBC	Net
C	$70,628	$5,915	$64,713
D	$69,628	$5,820	$63,808
DA	$68,628	$5,725	$62,903
DD			$0
E	$66,428	$5,510	$60,918
EE	$65,228	$5,390	$59,838
F			$0
FF	$59,428	$4,845	$54,583
G	$58,628	$4,775	$53,853
H	$57,828	$4,680	$53,148
HH	$54,028	$4,325	$49,703
Guarantee			$0
Balcony	Cost	OBC	Net
A	$109,028	$9,550	$99,478
AA	$107,028	$9,360	$97,668
B	$104,028	$9,075	$94,953
BB			n/a
BC			n/a
Guarantee			$0
Neptune	Cost	OBC	Net
SA		$0	$0
SB		$0	$0
Guarantee		$0	$0

We're hoping to do a world cruise in the not too distant future.  I was wondering if anyone could give me an approximation of the cost for a neptune.  The HAL site shows it sold out with no pricing.

15 hours ago, sunsetsoon said:

I just returned from a 9 day Caribbean cruise on the Getaway out of New Orleans and would love to talk about it but not sure if there are any more nonagenarians on CC that would be interested in a 90 year old widow's idea of cruising fun. So I will keep it short and hopefully sweet.   My daughter, Aprille, does all the planning. My son-in-law, Marty goes along with whatever she plans - his only request is "don't tell me how much it costs". I go along with whatever she plans and my only request is "tell me where and when". The 3 of us have cruised on the Jade, the Bliss and the Getaway. We have stayed in the Haven each time. Which brings to mind - affordability. I only planned for 20 years of retirement and I'm almost up to 30 years so you can see why affordability comes to mind. But Aprille finds these deals where the 3rd party is free - had to fight Marty over who got to be third party but I won when I told him there was some kind of free drink package for guests 1 and 2. I didn't tell him (as so many have pointed out) it really isn't free but he never reads the fine print.   We were in a 2 bedroom suite on the Jade and thought it was grand. We splurged on a DOS on the Bliss and can you say "WOW!" Once again I was 3rd party and once again Aprille honored Marty's request and didn't tell him how much it cost. We stayed in a 2 bedroom on the Getaway and Aprille commented it was "a step down from that DOS on the Bliss" but it was quite nice. We had a great location - across the hall from the concierge desk, the lounge/bar and the restaurant.   Okay, that's enough background. I'm going to check my notes and write some more if there are any more nonagenarians out there - or any one else that just hopes to be a nonagenarian some day and wants to know what it's like from someone whose living it and loving it.

You're my hero!  May you continue to enjoy your travels for a long time to come!

We did that trip 2 years ago.  We took a coach first, then got on a small boat.  We really liked it- saw whales close up and nice scenery.  We thought it was well worth it.

We recently returned from a Celebrity Bermuda cruise and were lucky to have done a 5-hour tour with Lewis Fogg. Lewis really knows the island (and most of it's inhabitants)! He gave us a great tour of the island and made sure to include spots that were meaningful to us, including the Elbow Beach Hotel, where our SIL & BIL had honeymooned 60 years ago.

All 4 of us would highly recommend Lewis!

We were supposed to be on the 24 day Rotterdam too. It was the first time I ever booked a cruise more than a year in advance because of it's uncommon itinerary. DH would be able to go back to see the places he served in the USN.

We did get the e-mail on 7/2 and got misinformation on the first call. But luckily, a few calls later we're booked on another totally different bucket list cruise.

Good luck OP and others affected. Maybe you'll also end up with a dream trip.

Hello HAL Fam!

 

Because I am a huge nerd (in the best kind of way), I always try to read one fiction selection from each country I visit. I thought I'd share the one for my upcoming baltic cruise. I am looking for a good general book on the history of the area if anyone has any recommendations! To be clear, I read most of these before I go. Saving one or two to come with.

 

Deb's 2018 Baltic Cruise Reading List

Netherlands - Midnight Blue (van der Vlugt)

Denmark - Smilla's Sense of Snow (Hoeg)

Germany - Winter (Deighton)

Finland - Purge (Oksanen)

Russia - Midnight in St. Petersburg (Bennett)

Estonia - The Man Who Spoke Snakish (Kivirahk)

Sweden - Faceless Killers (Mankell)

General - Rick Steves Scandinavian & Northern Cruise Ports

Non-Fiction - The Amber Room (Clarke)

 

Enjoy!

 

Deb

 

X-Posted to Baltics thread

Love it! And you have company- I also like to read or bring a book that takes place anywhere I travel. Have a great cruise!!

We just did a Dora tour (with Dora herself) May 3rd. We thought it was done very well. There were 16 of us in a comfortable and air conditioned van. Dora made sure we really saw the city. Sometimes it is difficult to understand a guide's accent- not so with Dora. Wish I could speak Spanish a fraction as well as she speaks English! And she's pleasant.

We were also just off the first post-dry dock cruise - an 18-day Panama Canal cruise that ended Monday. Needless to say we were worried after seeing the extensive news coverage of the pre- dry dock cruise.

And we were still concerned when we boarded and found our room hadn't been cleaned and there was a bottle of some white powder with Russian lettering in a drawer.

But the good news is once that was take care of it was literally smooth sailing. The new furniture in public rooms was much more comfortable and the ship looks great.

The crew is wonderful! We especially enjoyed the Windjammer with Joel & Karen. They create a very Cheers like environment. The added bonus there is that there's also music, ranging from piano to guitar to duo with a keyboard.

Menus could have been more varied, especially at lunch on sea days where there were only 2 menus that alternated. But that won't affect you on a 3 or 4 day trip. And the servers in the dining room were very pleasant.

The poster's concern that you can't get somewhere easily probably refers to the Seven Seas Dining Room on 5 aft. You do need to use the aft elevator or stairs to access it. But that's really it. I think the ship is a great size and easy to get around.

Have a great time and give Joel & Karen our regards!

Thanks for the info! I've never been to Bermuda, but plan to remedy that this summer.:)

I booked, and paid for, several excursions online last week for an April sailing and received the discount.

We did the land & sea triple Denali in August with our neighbors. We each looked at the offerings on line for each port and narrowed it down to a couple that we thought we would like.

Then we called HAL and were lucky enough to speak to Lynn in Shorex. She was very patient and knowledgeable about the ports and excursions. She quickly understood that we were looking for scenery & wildlife more than physical adventures and helped us pick them.

We did a few ports at a time so we wouldn't get confused and overwhelmed. But in a few calls we got it done.

Frankly a few of her suggestions weren't even on out radar so we would have missed them otherwise. Except for one weather-related cancellation of a seaplane excursion, we loved every one.

In a nutshell, take your time and see what's out there first- including reviews from other travelers- then call HAL. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Here is one more that I also would like to do.

It sails on 9/3/19

 

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Thanks so much for posting this! I've been waiting for this itinerary and jumped on it.

What a great review! You had me laughing out loud.:loudcry:

Here is a link to a website with some tips

 

http://www.theinsidecabin.com/2018-world-cruise-faq/

 

 

www.theinsidecabin.com

Thank you so much. I love your site. The World Cruise is on our bucket list and I've bookmarked your site for future reference.

Yes, you use the GE card to prove you have GE, and will be allowed into the GE line. There is no visible note on your passport indicating you have GE.

 

Early on, it was pushed that the GE card had little or no use. However, there are now a number of uses, like getting into shorter, faster "trusted traveler" security lines at various airports.

 

By the way, your number is not on your boarding pass. It needs to be in your frequent flyer account, or given when you book the ticket. "TSA Pre" appears on your boarding pass.

Just wanted to reiterate that you should carry those GE cards as CruiserBruce said. When we disembark at PE (including as recently as 11/26) that card has gotten us into that Global Entry fast lane.