Floridiana

6 hours ago, Bloomin Onion said:

Is it accurate that if we sign up for a shore excursion, we will be among the first tenders departing the ship? 

Not all excursions start at the same time. If you have an early excursion, yes you will be on one of the first tenders.

On all ships we have been on, the excursion ticket states when and where to meet. It is usually the theater.  In the designated room, they will call your group, give the participants a numbered and colored sticker and all go to the same exit together. A large ship may have two different exits, smaller ships usually have one.

Since shore excursions do not all depart at the same time, people without excursions can leave in between. In most cases, they had to get tender tickets which are also color coded and called with their color/letter/number.

I have priority on HAL ships, which means that we did not have to get tender tickets and therefore we did not have to wait for our color to be called. We just joined the end of whatever line there was. If you want specific information how NCL handles it, better ask on their board. Maybe their priority passengers cut into line. We never did.

According to the list provided by the captain of the Maasdam, Europeans and Canadians born before 1970 need no proof. That's a very late start of widespread measles vaccinations.

I checked American Samoa. They want proof if you come from Tonga or Samoa. But you are right, things might be different when we cruise next year. Right now, the measles outbreak also includes NZ and the Philippines.

The Maasdam is in the South Pacific and passengers were denied going ashore by Fiji authorities because of the measles outbreak. Negotiations with the authorities now have the following results: You bring proof of vaccination or blood test with the presence of measles antibodies or you were born before 1956 or 1970 depending on where you grew up.

It would never have occurred to me to suddenly be forced to produce a blood test result. "Luckily" I am old. Anyway, our world cruise is not going to Fiji and Samoa. I guess and hope that American Samoa has a thorough vaccination program because we are going to Pago Pago. 

What's my point? Bring your vaccination booklet on the cruise. You may need it suddenly.

I googled it, there is a blood test for the presence of measles antibodies.

3 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

2 vaccines they gave us in Germany

… or to be more precise, the 2 vaccinations I can remember.

It's a smallpox vaccination scar which I don't have, but I was vaccinated. All my friends had scars. Smallpox and Polio were the 2 vaccines they gave us in Germany.

When I was a kid, there was no vaccine and almost all kids got the measles, chicken pox and other childhood diseases against which we vaccinate today. My point is that I have no written proof of immunity. I think there is a blood test. 

1 hour ago, cruiselvr04 said:

I think in the meantime we need to try Viking and Oceania to test the waters

Don't forget Holland America. 

A small flashlight is useful. I also take a small travel clock. I like to see the time at night, my husband uses his watch. Very useful: his phone has an international T-Mobile plan that tells him " Welcome to Japan! - Welcome to Italy! etc. We needed the phone before and after the cruises for land tours, even short ones. I am assuming your father likes to take nature pictures? A long lens is a hassle to carry around in a city. Same with binoculars. 

You could purchase the wine package for his next cruise or the hotel for 2 nights before the cruise.

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Also Neptune and Pinnacle Suites can get off the ship whenever they want -- they do not have to wait for a tender ticket.

That is true and a wonderful perk. However, one Neptune passenger thought she could also skip the line and squeeze in up front at the exit. That's not how it works.

And like Wehwalt, we get off early and return before the heat builds up and small towns become crowded.

Thank goodness!

A Baltic cruise is heavy on culture. Teenagers may like it when there are some fun things included like a Segway tour, the amusement park in Copenhagen or Stockholm. The Vasa ship museum in Stockholm. The Vasa sank in port because the builders had made it top heavy.

As to the weather around the British Isles, don't scare me Darren. We are heading your way this summer and planning to bring our Florida winter clothes. 

Maybe make a late lunch or early dinner reservation in a beach hotel and use their facilities without booking a room? The hotel would have tobe a lot nicer than the ship for me to even consider such an option.

Thank you both of you for that information. The link is particularly helpful. Our vaccination would have become invalid in June this year and we thought we were lucky to travel to the Amazon basin just before in March. Now everything is good.

Today, the land excursion brochure for the Amazon part of the cruise arrived. There is one in Parintins, the famous Bomba show. If you are on this cruise and haven't seen the show yet, it is great! Definitely recommended.

There are many excursions in Manaus, lots of choices. If anyone is interested, I can comment on those we took last time. It looks like the providers are the same for all ships. Other than a turn-around port for many cruise lines, Manaus is not a tourist hub.

A brochure arrived for the Nature cruise from Papeete to Punta Arenas. You can use accumulated miles to pay. 

That sounds very good. The same vaccine you had in 2009 or a later, newer version?

4 hours ago, Crew News said:

 

Dinner in Club Orange is no faster than in the MDR

Judging by the slow speed of lunch in the main dining room, dinner is probably slow as well. Totally different in the CO dining room on the Koningsdam. We had MUCH better, faster and more attentive service. 

On 12/4/2019 at 12:44 PM, Sirlancelot said:

Having had the Yellow Fever vaccination, the certificate is valid for life.

Ours is for 10 years only.

If the kids like bike tours, hiking, walking, I would take them on a cruise to Norway. 5 days is too short. 

On 12/6/2019 at 2:42 PM, kgd said:

How formal (ie tuxes) are the gala nights or are most of the men just wearing suits

No, not overly formal. Suit is just fine. My husband doesn't own a suit any more. He wears a jacket, shirt and tie with his docker type trousers.

Devil's Islands French name is Iles du Salut. Devil's Island is just one of the three small islands. Only the largest one is open to visitors.

By the way, the gold chain snatching; for all those on South American cruises, don't wear precious looking jewelry on shore. It's common sense not to show any kind of riches with so much poverty around. Take a small camera and put it away after each shot. 

There were groups coming in, but they had formed before. Normally you don't share a table in the CO but you could tell the maître d' that you would like to. There is no rule against it. There are a few tables for 6. 

11 hours ago, Crew News said:

Club Orange has the same menu with roasted chicken added.

The roasted chicken is a Peruvian roasted chicken with a layer of spice, not quite the same preparation as your Southern mom's. It is just one of the extra dishes, a different one every day. 

We had the same positive experience with Club Orange as Name Taken on the Koningsdam.  I don't know how I would have survived the noisy and slow dining room or the busy Lido buffet for a month. We had lunch in both.  

Eating in the 'glass' CO is no different than eating in a top notch street café with personal service. I watched people walk by on their way to the main dining room, saw some great outfits, some 'what were you thinking', some wine glasses. My red wine bottle was already on the table. 

We are booked on the same cruise. Are you planning to return to the ship at 3 am in the morning? The ship will let you know how long and when the entrance is manned. And Ruth is correct, turn-over day may be one day only. Both days are treated like other port days for those who continue the cruise. When returning to the ship, there will be a separate line for transit passengers like you and me. We don't have to get in line with the newcomers who need to get checked in.