I_r_a

Thanks for the helpful info, folks.

BTW, the 17x14x4 is the size of a large canvas tote bag.

Ira

Thanks for sharing, Laurino.

Excellent work.

Ira

Hi Flor,

>Oceania has DH's favorite white wine ....

Please, please, please. What is it?

Ira

Hey Terr,

>....if you also like Charles Shaw, your cost is $28 --$25 for the fee and $3 for the wine.<

The engineer in me just cannot accept paying a $25 screwage fee for a $3 bottle of anything.

I'd rather bribe the waiter to substitute a better glass of wine than that offered by the beverage package. :)

((I))

Thanks for sharing, Nana

Ira

A set of Flora Danica for 8, in 1971, for $2000.

See http://www.royalcopenhagen.com/en/shop/shop-series/1/dinnerware/129/flora-danica

Ira

A display of Dutch Treats created by a group of Dutch Uncles after imbibing Dutch Courage.

There could also be Double Dutch contests.

Ira

Hey TR,

You could do what we will be doing next year - The Oosterdam from Vancouver to Seward and the Princess cruisetour on The Pacific Princess from Anchorage to Vancouver.

Ira

Hey Cy,

Have you factored in the $1000 pp you don't have to pay for air fare?

Ira

Hi chi,

HAL's SBP wine list is awful.

However the spirits, cocktails, specialty coffees, soft drinks and water are almost all under $7.00.

Here is a pretty good list of what's available:

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/holland-america-drink-prices/

Ira

Hey Sail,

Go.

"Even a bad day on the water is better than a good day on land".

Ira

Thanks for sharing, AIP

Ira

Thanks for the review, T

Ira

Thanks a lot for a great report, Marla

Ira

Re "do you know so-and-so":

My Lady Wife had an Uncle Jack who was the sort of man who could walk into a bar in a new city and have people buying him drinks within an hour.

Whenever we visited a place that he might have been, we would ask (at irregular intervals), "BTW do you know Jack Watson".

More than once, the answer was "yes" and the person would tell us the story.

Jack loved hearing updates about people he had known.

Before you get cynical:

One afternoon we were talking with a fellow who began bragging about his adventures with a three-letter gov't agency.

Of course, he had known JW, and told us how he had met him.

When we mentioned it to JW, he said "Never could keep his mouth shut. That's why I fired him".

Ira

Thanks for sharing, LJ

Ira

Hey Jl

>I booked the OOsterdam land and sea because it was cheaper than just the cruise.

Where did you find this?

Ira

>I wonder how much OP paid for those earlier HAL cruises compared to the recent HAL cruise (in inflation adjusted prices)<

My first cruise was on Cunard's Queen of Bermuda in 1967 - OV cabin with a porthole.

At the time, I considered $100/nite pp to be a good price.

That's about $700 at today's rates

(http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=100&year1=1967&year2=2014)

Our verandah cabin on the Oceania Insignia will be less than 1/2 that.

Ira

Hey JV

>The only place I would be fearful of tourists in August would be Rome and Florence. <

You have not yet been to the French Riviera in the Summer. :)

One more vote for the Amsterdam/Barcelona cruise.

After you have done the 15 min Guggenheim tour in Bilbao, take the bus to San Sebastian. Enjoy the beach and the tapas.

Bon voyage

Ira

Hi JV,

With no more information than what you have written, I can only say the the temperatures along the Med coast will be somewhat higher than along the BoB.

Ira

Hi CT,

Check out

Ira

Thanks for sharing.

Ira

Hey HG,

One gets a national park passport by googling "national park passport".

It leads you to http://www.nps.gov/elca/planyourvisit/passport-program.htm

There is a link to how to purchase it.

Ira

Thanks Kell,

Appreciate your hard work.

Ira

PS: It's "SamBuca" :)

Prinsendam