cruiseaholic78

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.

Not sure which country you will be visiting but here are some tips for tips! https://www.starttravel.co.uk/news/did-you-know-tipping-is-rude-in-japan-and-china Happy planning Rosalyn

If all you need is a very simple place te relax/sleep etc for a max of eight hours you could also consider this capsule hotel. I have of course not compared hotel prices however you might need less time than 11 1/2 hours as you will (probably) have to get your luggage on landing and check it in before departure. Unless of course your luggage has been checked through. https://www.yotel.com/en/hotels/yotelair-amsterdam-schiphol Rosalyn

Roy, We have booked the 21day one a perfect cruise length and we also prefer a continuous one instead of two returns! I thought I would also mention the ones also starting in Boston and ending in FTL. Rosalyn

This is not about a transatlantic but a different possibility. We wanted to do a Caribbean cruise next year and I was pleased to be able to book one with a return departure from Boston. For us that is a much shorter (and hopefully cheaper!) flight than to FLL. When looking for a cruise I originally had put departure FLL into my searches so I only saw this by mistake! Not sure if the link works properly it could all be double dutch! happy planning Rosalyn https://www.hollandamerica.com/nl_NL/find-a-cruise.html#soldOut=&start=0&{!tag=destinationTag}destinationIds=C&{!tag=departTag}departDate=2024-10-01T00:00:00Z,2024-11-01T00:00:00Z&{!tag=durationTag}duration=&{!tag=embarkTag}embarkPortCode=BOS&{!tag=portsTag}portsOfCall=&{!tag=shipsTag}shipId=&{!tag=regionTag}regions=&{!tag=cruisetypeTag}cruiseType= just checked it is in Dutch but you can see the cruises I meant.

Last year the Hilton Shinjuku ran a shuttle service between their hotel and the Shinjuku station, we used it quite a few times. I suggest you check with the hotel for options and check which exit you will need, last year it was on the right hand side of the station We have also used the limousine bus to get from both Haneda and Narita to the Hilton in the past worked well, we bought the tickets after arrival and collecting luggage. The desk was well manned and I would not bother pre booking tickets. We also did the prebooking on Japan web, two Q codes each and we were through very quickly. There were guides at the airport pointing the right way every few meters or so, obviously one way to avoid unemployment! happy planning Rosalyn

Actually it seems we are both more or less right, its not the exact science I thought it was. It varies according to the airline. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-ticket-release-dates/

My advice is to book asap, flights should be available 360 days before your return date. Try using the IATA website and google flights to play around with dates, it can be cheaper to leave a day earlier or stay a day extra. I booked our flights to Asia as soon as they were available, now they are double. Do check with F.E. and if possible check for refundable flights so you can always cancel for a better deal. KLM now has a good P.E. offering. https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search happy planning Rosalyn

Good decision, if you do decide to stay in Rotterdam how about trying something “old style”. The SS Rotterdam is now an hotel quite a unique place to stay a night or two. https://ssrotterdam.com Happy Planning

As your flight seems to be at 11:35 I would honestly say it could be a problem it is on a Saturday which will improve the odds. The situation last year in Amsterdam (and others hubs) was hopeless to say the least but it has improved and we have left from there twice this year with no problems. International check in is 3 hours in advance. If at all possible I would rethink your flight or stay an extra day in Amsterdam or Rotterdam so you will not be worrying during your cruise. This info should help. https://www.schiphol.nl/en/

Another vite for Delft, its like a smaller version of Amsterdam with canals and beautiful old buildings, its also just a short hop from Amsterdam. By the way you should be able to pay for the train now with your credit card, one each though.

Don’t know about the book but this BBC mini series was extremely popular and many people went to visit Crete after watching it.

Gosh its a small world we also visited Alexandria on the Fantasia, no idea which year though. It was also a time that we all traveled without water or used sunscreen! Many years later we also visited the pyramids this time on a large convoy with armed guards front and back and a spare coach “in case of a breakdown” It is one time I would definitely not advise a private tour.

Do you have the HIA package which includes standard wifi? If so (see answers above) is that you only need to pay the difference between standard and premium wifi $5 per day.

Have you had a look at booking Club orange if it is available for your cruise? Basically you book and pay for the lowest veranda guarantee and get to choose the cabin of your choice which can be any sort of veranda, do make sure you know which cabin you want. You also get some other perks including separate dining room. We used this for our Nieuwe Statendam cruise and our end price was less expensive than booking without Club orange. Sorry for weird link but google kept giving me a Dutch one! https://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjclIL_z_SAAxW-_7sIHdgtDysQFnoECA8QAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollandamerica.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fhal%2Finventory-assets%2Factivity-types%2Fdining%2Fclub-orange%2FClub_Orange_Benefits.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2fDlfGk6vK0AM25BzacSH4&opi=89978449

Our cruise was not actually going to New Zealand it was a circumnavigation of Australia and the missed ports (two of them) were due to underwater hull cleaning.

We do not appreciate being lied to! On our Australian cruise last year Thursday Island was cancelled for “operational reasons” and some port times were reduced. The worst thing of all was losing two ports because Regatta had to ‘try’ to do hull cleaning needed for the next cruise to New Zealand. It was obvious that arranging companies to do hull cleaning was not something that was possible at a days notice! Posted February 14 (edited) Attached is an article dated 7th January in which an Oceania spokesperson said that the vessel would be missing two ports and was on her way to Philip Island. They KNEW at least on 7th (it might have been submitted earlier) that we would not be going so why did they not inform us until the morning on 8th and allow people to gather in the lounge awaiting non existent excursions. https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/queen-elizabeth-fourth-ship-to-fall-foul-of-new-zealands-environmental-laws/

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Slightly off topic but definitely worthwhile, preregistration for customs/immigration in Japan. Apply on you phone and sail through with your two Q codes. https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/ Rosalyn

Here is a useful link with Schiphol info. https://www.schiphol.nl/en/ Rosalyn

That was last year and there were many problems however we have flown through Schiphol twice this year and there were no delays at all. As you will already be in Amsterdam you can disembark as early as you like and there will be taxis waiting for you. Here is some further info. https://www.schiphol.nl/en/