cruiseaholic78

Just returned from the Westerdam and paid $100 for 28 days, DH said it was much quicker. The only problem we had was in Hong Kong where apparently there is a some sort of blocker by guess who. As we were already on board it didn’t matter but for those embarking there was a huge line at the service counter until they posted the “problem” on Navigator.

Any crisp/crumble in the MDR except banana. I always ask for vanilla sauce instead of ice cream.

On the Westerdam last week, was there for tea (really) and it looked as though they were just setting this up. They all looked great.

Book as soon as you possibly can as prices will definitely not go down, I booked our return flights to Asia in January and they are now double. You could also consider flying into Paris and taking the train as direct flights could be hard to find. You might br able to choose refundable flights so you can cancel if prices do go down but as you said with the Olympics this is unlikely to happen. Taking the above into consideration you might also look at booking your hotels sooner rather than later. Happy planning Rosalyn

I tried that but were not able to do so far in advance and I wanted to get it sorted earlier. Rosalyn

We have used this company for Sydney when our flight left late evening, we chose an hotel at the airport with a pool. It made leaving the ship and the wait for our flights so much more relaxing. https://au.dayuse.com/s/australia/queensland/brisbane-city Rosalyn

Nope I asked in the shop and they had no idea what I meant. Even cuter with a bow tie.! Rosalyn

Mission accomplished got two for my twin granddaughters too.They are $19.95 and adorable.

All, we are cruising at the moment (Westerdam Asia great) and have two cruises booked for next year. If I read this thread correctly I can have a welcome back promo applied to an already booked cruise. Is this right? Or is it only applicable for new bookings? Please enlighten me. Rosalyn

Thanks we will be there tomorrow.

Thanks so much now all set to tender to the island. Happy cruising

Hallo, we are following along more or less your route on the Westerdam, I have a small question, does the tender actually take you to the island? I thought we would have to take a boat across from the tender port. Reading your reports with interest hope your cruise is as good as ours.

I guess staff are trying to supplement their income, most plastic bottle and cans come with a deposit in The Netherlands!!

We have never booked in advance as one never knows exactly the time of arrival and getting baggage.

Is this what you are looking for? https://translation2.j-server.com/LUCYCAT/ns/tl.cgi/https://www.ycat.co.jp/route/haneda/?SLANG=ja&TLANG=en&XMODE=0&XPARAM=s,&XCHARSET=UTF-8&XPORG=,&XJSID=0 here is someone else’s post about lockers. Osanbashi Cruise Terminal had coin lockers on the 2nd floor the last time I was there. They also have one or two Takkyubin (luggage forwarding)counters. Yokohama Station also has many coin lockers for bags. happy planning Rosalyn

Congrats on booking the cruise, you will probably never look back and this could be the start of a continuing cruising adventure for you and your family. I am not sure about flights from USA but for flights from Europe the advise is always book asap preferably with refundable tickets. Check google flights and the IATA website for the possibilities before deciding which flights you prefer. Always fly in a day early. https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search Then after deciding dates for precruise also book hotel preferably refundable. Check the ports on Trip Advisor Then return to CC for further advise, we are a helpful bunch. I would also advise that you join your roll call to meet up with fellow cruisers. It will be one of these. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?type=forums_topic&search_and_or=or&search_in=titles&nodes=193&q=Jun June Happy planning Rosalyn

It will be crowded everywhere and Orange! but great fun.

I think this is the site you are looking for, always make sure you are using a government site and not a visa agency as they will charge you extra. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/overview Rosalyn

Following your post with great interest, I hope you are actually on board until 28th October not 26th! This is when we will be boarding and I do have a small question, as I am slowly getting into packing mode as we leave here earlier to spend some days in Tokyo with family. Did you get a tote bag on board? I have many here and it seems when I take one they are provided and when I don’t they are not. It is of course no big deal but just one less or more thing to pack. Enjoy the second half of your cruise and we will continue enjoying your posts. Rosalyn

This is a useful website for finding information regarding port information, tips for trips and maps. https://www.whatsinport.com/Manila.htm of course not just Manila but anywhere in the world! Happy planning Rosalyn

Welcome to CC. A few things first where are you flying to, Narita or Haneda, if you can choose book definitely Haneda its much nearer Tokyo. Where will your ship (which one and when) depart from Tokyo or Yokohama and where will you stay before boarding. For airport to hotel in Tokyo we use the Limousine bus (its more of a coach) its convenient, luggage loaded underneath sit back and relax. https://webservice.limousinebus.co.jp/web/en/ If you have already booked your cruise I suggest you join the roll call using the ‘find your roll call’ at the top of the CC. There you will hopefully find tips from your fellow cruisers. For hotel to cruise ship this depends on all of the above and where you have decided to stay. I suggest you do a bit more research first about the above and after making a few of the decisions maybe return here for some more tips. Happy planning Rosalyn

No idea if this helps and I can’t imagine that you will get the ESTA without paying. This is a “general” answer I got after posing a question (sorry forgot what). Thank you for contacting the Traveler Communications Center. This is a general email, and we recognize that it may not address your specific situation. Please review the information below and reply directly to this email if this general information does not resolve your inquiry. Error in your Date of Birth If you have made a mistake in your date of birth on your ESTA application, your incorrect application will need to be cancelled in order to re-apply. If this is the case, please respond to this email with your name, date of birth, and passport number to complete the cancellation request. You will then need to complete a new and correct application with the accompanying fee. When you have to apply for a new ESTA An ESTA application must contain correct pertinent biographical data. This includes full name, date of birth, citizenship, place of birth, gender, and passport information. Once an application has been submitted, no changes can be made because the ESTA application is considered an official document. If your application contains incorrect information for any of the above, you must submit a new application at: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta. If an application that contains incorrect data is part of a group application, only the application with the incorrect data needs to be resubmitted. There is a fee associated with each application submitted. Erroneous or incorrect information can cause delays at check-in and/or upon arrival in the United States. A new ESTA application is also required if your responses to any of the ESTA eligibility questions (page 5 of the ESTA application) change. If you are unable to submit a new application, please respond to this email with your name, date of birth, and passport number so that we can submit a cancellation request. You will then need to complete a new and correct application with the accompanying fee. When you DO NOT have to apply for a new ESTA: A change or error in employment, home address, work address, phone number, email address, travel itinerary, transit status, travel address, or in the point of contact information does not require that a new application be submitted, or that an existing application be updated. However, please have the correct information readily available, as it may be requested during the inspection process. Thank you again for contacting the CBP Traveler Communications Center. NOTE: The answers provided in this forum are for general information purposes only. Utilizing this forum does not constitute Reasonable Care under Informed Compliance guidelines. ref:_00Dt0LBIM._500t00F66j:ref Here is an official website with hopefully an answer to your questions. https://esta-america.com/is-a-fast-track-esta-possible/ I wish you good luck and hope you return with a positive result soon. Rosalyn

Someone on our roll call has used this one for a few ports for the end of this month, they have quite a few options to tailor tours. We are booked on one of them from Phu my. www.travelauthenticasia.com

Another vote for the SS Rotterdam, this is a one off experience, the Hotel New York is a close second as you are next to the cruise terminal.