*Miss G*

37 minutes ago, Woofbite said:

I think NEXUS costs $50 for U.S. citizens. 

$50 for US citizens, Canadian citizens, US and Canadian Permanent Residents, and certain Mexican nationals.  But not for long.  As of October 1st, the price goes up to $120 and will be harmonized with GE.

6 minutes ago, vicd1969 said:

Glad to see that they now have kiosks to expedite the process.

Those kiosks rejected me and sent me to the back of the “World” line for a face-to-face…. After waiting a good 1.5-2 hours in the Canada/US line! 😠  Well, 😤.  That World line was slow-moving so I asked the roaming officer if GE people had to wait through yet another line.  He hesitated, then said I could go through the handicap line since there was no one there.  Others who had been rejected at the kiosk piped up and said “We’re GE too!”  So then we became another line.  😂

8 hours ago, NE John said:

I estimate 12k+ passengers could be in Ketchikan in day we visit. 

That sounds like a fun time.  😂  Any wonder they’re working on limits.

6 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

This makes it even more curious for Cunard to have made the decision to base Queen Elizabeth in Alaska for a full season each year. Anyone suggest the reasoning behind this?

 

Perhaps because an agreement was reached last year to limit the number of ships to Juneau in 2024.  I’m thinking this is the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and we can expect to see even tighter restrictions on numbers and sizes, etc, (akin to Venice and Norway).  Maintaining a presence to keep your foot in the door is probably easier than trying to break back into a popular market.

I would check HALfacts within the comment section of each linked room.  Sometimes the contributor provides good information along with the pictures.

HALfacts R-Class Ships

18 minutes ago, bundtkate said:

Do you know if Americans with Global Entry can use this line, by chance? I started traveling to Canada for work fairly often and know we get to use the Nexus lines at airports when returning to the U.S. Curious if the cruise would be the same since technically, we're getting cleared to go to the U.S. in that case too ..

Since it is a US CPB Pre-clearance for entry into the US, it is officially called the Global Entry line, which NEXUS Pass holders may use.  So, yes, you may use the line, providing you have either a NEXUS Pass or a Global Entry Pass.  If it is available.  On my Alaska cruise out of Vancouver, the Global Entry line was unavailable to passengers.  It is up to their (CBP) discretion whether they open it or not.

This topic made me go back to my cruise summary to count the physical sailing days I actually have.  I had never paid attention before!  It looks like they gave me my medallion two cruises after I attained the required # of days.

3 minutes ago, amandas friend said:

Please tell me what a Nexas line is. Thanks 

The NEXUS pass gives pre-screened travelers expedited processing when crossing a Canadian or US border.  You may know it as Global Entry, which is included as part of the program.

3 minutes ago, kelliebiz said:

That’s exactly my settings! Maybe it will work this trip. I just now changed Banner style Temporary to Persistent, Fingers crossed that will help

Maybe try turning it off and on?  😂

I know that’s a basic but sometimes when my iPhone and iPad aren’t cooperating, I turn them off, wait a minute, then turn them back on.  Other times I need to turn airplane mode on, then off, for certain issues.  It’s like giving them a shake and saying “WAKE UP”!!  I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

9 minutes ago, kelliebiz said:

 
My notifications are on, no idea why the notifications don’t come through. 

Apologies if this is too basic, but here is how I have notifications set for Navigator:

1 minute ago, Bostonjetset said:

Thanks everyone. I don’t have much interest in forts/military stuff so not sure that would be worth my time. We really wanted to just stay in the town for Sydney but it sounds likes most of you recommend getting out of the city haha. 
 

We plan on an Acadia excursion for Bar Harbor so will get some nature at that port. 

We really enjoyed the artisan shops in the terminal, as @Navybikermom has mentioned.  We took a walk through town and then back along the promenade.  There’s a little fish and chip shack, there, with really great fish and chips and a great view of the ship!  There was also a banjo player along the way, who we really enjoyed.

Loved the pewter in one of the shops.  I bought myself a maple leaf!

24 minutes ago, ilv4cruising said:

Thanks.

 

Since we have never been to Brooklyn we were wondering how safe it is.

 

Also, we plan on getting in 2 days before the crossing so we will have 1 free day.  Any suggestions on what to do (subway isn't an option for my husband though).

 

Thanks,

It’s amazingly safe.  Whenever my husband went on business I’d happen to be free that week.  😇  We stayed at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott and I took lovely walks through the elegant brownstone streets in Brooklyn Heights.  It’s also lovely walking the prom along the East River.  They have amazing bagel shops along the way!  (Gosh, I miss those bagels.) I would send you to my favourite Italian restaurant but it’s gone.  😭

You could take the ferry from Red Hook over to Manhattan, and I like @tv24’s suggestion of the museum.  Speaking of ferries…  For our last cruise out of NYC we stayed at the Residence Inn Central Park.  It was amazing!  (And I’m not easily amazed.) There are many pubs and restaurants a few steps from the door and it is right across the street from Studio 54!  Also across the street is The Ed Sullivan Theatre where they do The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Maybe you could get tickets to a show, if one strikes your fancy, at one of those venues.  Anyway, from there we had a car service drop us at Pier 11/Wall St to catch the ferry over to Red Hook.  Highly recommend!

On my last visit, I picked up a postcard of the twin towers and the Brooklyn bridge, found some nice frames at the dollar store, and now they’re in my powder room!  😄

3 minutes ago, dogo88 said:

 

Actually did get a response from HAL stating the post cruise review is where you do reviews. I replied that it was unfortunate because most of the reviews I've looked at, for tours we're interested in, were minimal at best and I wanted to put a more detailed review. Never heard back from them. So HAL loses a positive review and customers continue to get less information in order to make an informed decision. 

The person who responded gave erroneous information.  The reviews which show up on the excursion lists come from the excursion review requests sent separately from the cruise survey.

1 minute ago, dogo88 said:

I wanted to leave a review on a tour we took on the Eurodam cruise we just got off of in early March. Tried to find where I could write it up online because many tour reviews were either complaints or minimal positive info like "we had a good time". The tour was excellent and very informative but a long ride and the reviews on it were minimal, like 3. 

 

Contacted HAL and was told the place to do a tour review was on the cruise feedback after the cruise ended. I clearly missed it because it probably was a box with "Anything else you want to comment on?". They were clearly not interested in any review info.  

8 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Usually we get emails from HAL asking us to review excursions within a few weeks of returning home.

I was just about to write the same!  @dogo88, it may have disappeared into your junk mail folder.

14 hours ago, kelliebiz said:

I would like the Navigator app to give me a notification when I receive a message from a fellow passenger. 

13 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Ditto. For the sake of communication, the current process is ridiculous. We use WhatsApp when messaging another passenger, as it's hard to remember to check Navigator constantly.

I receive notifications on my iOS devices.  They need to be turned on in settings, though.

3 hours ago, crystalspin said:

"Whose hat is that and how did it get in my backpack?!?!?"

 

You people are making me nervous about our layover in Frankfurt next October.

The only problem I had with Frankfurt airport was their terrible signage and the crazy music overhead.  It sounded like the shower scene in Psycho.  🔪  Is this the impression you really want to leave with your visitors?  😳

4 hours ago, cbr663 said:

Tried searching this thread and couldn't find the answer so my apologies if this has been answered previously.  Does Avalon provide guests with refillable water bottles?  If so, are they complimentary or is there a charge?

Guest Services has a supply of stainless steel water bottles.  They are complimentary unless you don’t return them.  There are refilling stations available in various areas of the ship, or you can fill them from the supply they keep stocked in your room.  Now I’m kicking myself for not taking a pic of a water station.

10 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

 

One of the advantages of having the pusher from the airline is that they know exactly how to get from Point A to Point B, know all the short-cuts and how to navigate security and lines efficiently.  

Gotta love nesting.  @CDNPolar, this response was for you.

35 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

Which would only work when departing from YYZ.  Even when arriving, this would have them on the "wrong" side of security for an arrival.

At YYZ there are in-terminal shuttles available as passengers exit the jetway.  (Deplaning passengers are physically separated from those waiting at boarding gates.)  If a passenger needs to wait for the next available shuttle, there is seating at multiple points along the way.  These are clearly marked as seen in the picture in the attached link.  Or they can be flagged down if one happens to be between pickup points.

YYZ In-Terminal Shuttle Service

13 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

The reason we did not want to list her as "needing assistance" is my husband does not want the "pusher", he wants to take care of this himself.  I do suppose however that there are likely some liability issues for the airport if you are doing this on your own.

YYZ has self-service wheelchairs if you want to take your chances.

YYZ MOBILITY SERVICES

At YYZ you will want to have made the request through your airline.  Firstly, because it is a long walk to get to the mobility assistance area where wheelchairs and assistants have been pre-booked.  Secondly, because the assistant will take your party through an expedited process.  (Assuming by “we” that your party is no more than the three of you.)

If you do not pre-book, you can try to do a walk-up request (pre-security) but it is subject to availability and will impact timelines.  Without knowing your airline and/or terminal it is difficult to provide further information.

Wow.  What a shambles.  Thanks for the heads up.

Happy to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and thanks for bringing us along.  Enjoy your time on Maui.

7 hours ago, LAX said:

Thanks. While the offer for booking a future cruise is enticing, the offer for placing a deposit is underwhelming. $25USD? I guess it's better than nothing if you only need to put down $100 for that.

 

LAX

 

The onboard credit bonus used to be a lot higher.  The real benefit of the future cruise deposit, now, is that you can use them to book cruises which require a larger deposit.

I had to scroll up to the flyer to see what $25 gets you.  If you’re taking shorter cruises then it’s not as beneficial as the longer itineraries where the deposits can be quite healthy.

3 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Btw, you can't beat a "Broodje Kroket with frieten" at the Grand Dutch Cafe! 

I feel like this is something which needs to be eaten following all night happy hour.  I’m not sure I’m up to the challenge!

On 3/22/2024 at 4:25 PM, sambamama said:

You can't find out your current bill unless you go to Guest Services unless you use the app

Statements can be viewed on your TV.

On 3/22/2024 at 4:25 PM, sambamama said:

They used to have a handy machine that you could print a bill out on, but that is gone. 

I’ve seen the statement printer terminals on each of my sailings.  Which ship(s) are you not seeing them on?