DLUT

We're going to grab the 100 shares tomorrow, but have a question: what will HAL accept as proof of ownership? My wife checked with her financial guy/broker, who said he didn't know how to get her an actual certficate, and asked if a photocopy of a statement showing the 100 shares would be sufficient.

Has anyone else had this problem (if it is a problem)? Thanks.

I just bought my stock a week or so ago. I sent them the purchase confirmation once the purchase went through, and the OBC is on my account for our upcoming cruise in a few days.

Hi all, we are contemplating the same thing at the moment (HAL VS NCL with our children, ages 6 and 8 and we have an infant). We have done both cruise lines before, and I think the NCL definitely beats out HAL in the kids club department. That being said, for a Haven suite its almost $5000 more than a very similar HAL cruise. Has anyone done the Jewels of the Baltic cruise with their children? If so, were there quite a few other kids on board?

I forgot to say in my last post that it was a Baltic cruise where all the kids of the same age met at a meet and greet organized on the Boards. It was even during May so I was surprised that all of the kids were taken out of school, but the schools don't mind when the kids are that young. There were about 15 kids in total in the kids area during the May cruise, but there weren't many more than that during our June cruises either.

Our son is 12. I think we've done 4 NCL and will be going on our 3rd HAL cruise shortly. There are definitely fewer kids on HAL so the counselors truly know the kids by the end of the cruise. I think my son actually preferred the HAL kids area a little more than NCL. NCL tends to structure their days for the 12 and younger kids more than HAL and always made the kids practice for the circus show. My son wanted no part of the circus so he opted out of many days on NCL. My husband and I personally like NCL's entertainment much better than HAL, but one of our best cruises was a HAL one in which we hooked up with other couples on the Boards who all had kids around the same ages. When we got on the ship, we all met in the Crow's Nest for a meet and greet. By the end of the cruise, the kids were all best friends and we had a big party group of adults that hung out. For the kids and adults alike, nothing compares to Disney if you can find a reasonably priced one (not lately!). We traveled mostly on Disney until the price difference stopped making sense.

My son and I slightly preferred the NCL food at the buffet better than HAL, but there isn't much of a difference with the buffets or MDRs on HAL and NCL. I cannot recall which cruise line it is that has the same food from the MDR also on the buffet each night.

Yes, the average age on HAL is higher so the entertainment level is lacking for us personally. I think your children will be happy though. We don't mind the lack of adult entertainment because we are usually traveling on HAL for port intensive cruises so we aren't on the ship much anyway.

Have a great cruise!

I never understood the Park West presence on cruise ships. Who would be shopping for random art for their home on a cruise.? I get buying local art at ports of call, but you can get Peter Max and general art at any gallery. And, JMO, most of the stuff is baaaad.

 

 

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You would be surprised with how much some spend at those art auctions. I will go for a short while when there is nothing else going on around the ship or when trying to escape the family :)! I cannot remember which cruise it was within the past couple of years, but there were some really big spenders. One couple spent over ten thousand on Peter Max work, and another couple spent over five thousand on their purchases. There were some really happy Park West employees that day.

Uncalled for comment..:rolleyes:

Just stating the facts as personally experienced on several occasions on different Holland cruises. I don't let it bother me because I paid the cruise fare too.

Some t-shirts for the kids are just as dressy nowadays as polos. There are nice striped and dressier t-shirts that many kids have worn in the MDR without a problem. The kids sometimes leave the MDR after they are done eating to go to the kids area so having to change out of really dressy clothes is a waste of time and effort. It is a vacation so no need to make the kids uncomfortable wearing something they wouldn't normally and possibly ruining your night. Let the kids be kids and enjoy their vacation as well. Have a wonderful trip!

FYI-You will get eye rolls just for having a kid on a Holland America cruise as we have many times before so it really doesn't matter what they wear :)

Depends on the ship and the cruise. For the small Prinsendam, not that long. It will take more time for larger ships. The higher the passenger capacity, the longer the wait for tenders unless there are large shoreside tenders in use. On cruises with a large population of 4 and 5 star Mariners, like a Grand cruise, there may be no priority tendering given to 4 and 5 star Mariners.

We are on the Zuiderdam June 13th Stonehenge Solstice 14 day cruise.

For those that didn't do a ship's excursion, how long did it take you to get a tender and get to the port once the ship anchored and allowed passengers to board the tenders. For someone that posted today from Guernsey, the ship gives priority to 4 and 5 star Mariners and to those with ship excursions. I was just wondering what that meant for the rest of us in terms of time. Thanks for your help!

We are three people arriving in Le Havre and looking for a private tour to Paris for the day or possibly a semi-private tour. Many hours searching has provided little information. Any suggestions and/or recommendations for companies would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!

Last year while doing research on Cruise Critic for our Northern Europe cruise, I found a thread that suggested and provided examples of "Dossiers" or "Scavenger Hunts" for kids in many of the Northern Europe ports. The "Dossiers" provided background on the cities and included a list of items to look for, things to do, or questions to answer to keep the kids engaged while touring. They were a wonderful idea, and my son loved them. I was wondering if anyone out there has some for the Eastern Mediterranean ports or knows where to locate something similar. I would love to create them myself, but I don't know that I will have time since we booked our cruise last minute again this year. Thanks in advance for any help!

The excursions offered by cruise ships are EXPENSIVE! Also you are on a bus with 45 other people, the bus NEVER veers from their itenerary, you are stuck. We went with Rome in Limo---They were excellent! I give them an A+++.

 

We did two tours with them and had Fabrizzio in Florence and Vinnie (Vincente) for Rome-- in comfortable, air conditioned limos. Both gentlemen were so excellent, punctual, funny, informative, and bent over backwards to make sure we had a great time and fit in as many things as possible that we wanted to do. We were met at the dock each morning at the ship, and had a great time for that second on. They had tickets in advance for the Academia and the Vatican.. we never waited in line. Plus they arranged for our fabulous guide Katrina at the Vatican. When we ate lunch at an outdoor cafe in Florence, it started to rain-- our driver showed up with umbrellas from his limo for us! It was so much more intimate, fun and interesting that a large tour on a bus from the cheap-- and more economical too! I give them my highest rating and regards. When we make it back to Italy some day-- you can be sure I will be contacting Rome In Limo. They made our trip special

 

The tour buses cannot go on the narrow streets of many European cities, but the Limos can! You can vary your tour depending on your mood or what strikes you fancy... no rigid iteneraries! The staff are super wonderful! Jany will take care of you! :)

We also used Rome in Limo for Amalfi Coast/Pompeii, Florence/Pisa, and Rome. All excursions and all drivers were wonderful! The drivers also function as guides unlike some companies. Vinnie and Katrina in particular, as mentioned above, were amazing. Don't tour the Vatican without Katrina. She offers so much info, covers all of the highlights, knows how to maneuver around the crowds, and her English is perfect.

What a frustrating process this has been to get accurate information! According to an e-mail from Stromma, the HOHO boat is not included with the Stockholm Card despite what the Visitor's Board rep stated in his e-mail.

DLUT, I would encourage you to email both Strömma and Red Sightseeing and ask about the Stockholm card.

 

http://www.stromma.se/sv/TopTopMenu/Kundservice/

http://www.stockholminfo.com/kontakt/

 

A few years ago I did a HoHo bus tour in Stockholm, despite that I had a Stockholm card I had to pay for the bus tour, although I got a small discount due to the card.

The Visitor Board's response to me was only that the Stromma HOHO boat was included and not the bus, but I will definitely e-mail the two companies as well to see if I get any different responses than the previous posts. I will keep you updated. Thanks.

What confuses me is that there seem to be 2 different passes: the Stockholm Pass (which is advertised on the Destination Stockholm website that is referred to on http://www.visitstockholm.com) and the Stockholm Card (which is what I purchased, which is also referred to on visitstockholm.com.) The website shows them as looking different and with different names, so I THINK they are different cards. Maybe not; maybe one is just showing an outdated photo!

 

Could the fact that there are different cards be the source of the confusion about where to pick them up and whether the HOHO boats are part of them?

 

I would love it if I could pick up my Stockholm Card just off the ship rather than having to pay for transport into the center of town to pick it up.

The Stockholm Pass that you are referring to is the public transportation pass whereas the Stockholm Card gets you public transportation, except for the ferry from Slussen to Djurgarden (Vasa Museum area), as well as museum entrance fees and other discounts. According to the Stockholm Visitors Board, the Stockholm Card also gets you use of the HOHO boat and both the SL transportation pass and the Stockholm Card can be picked up at the port during the summer hours.

as for nr2, according to Stockholm card website, the Stockholm card is only valid for two different boat sightseeing tours;

Djurgården runt (Royal canal tour) and Kungsholmen runt (historic canal tour). These are not HoHo lines but non-stop tours.

http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/stockholmcard/

 

That is exactly why I have stayed so confused! Their website says one thing, but posts I have read say no HOHO included and then others say yes HOHO included. I was hoping someone who actually did the trip recently could confirm one way or the other since you never know if a post you are reading contains outdated information.

 

Thanks again for the simplified public transportation info. We hope to take the HOHO boat to Vasa with the Stockholm Card if their info is accurate and then public transportation to our next stop whatever it may be. I will keep my fingers crossed.

1a. I don't think so, I think you need to go to the main tourist office at Sergelstorg.

1b. I am not sure but I would think so since they are an official sales point for bus tickets/cards.

2. No, HOHO services are not part of the public transport.

3. You found the answer yourself.

4. Yes. I don't have any price info for Strömma but I would guess a similar cost as Red Sightseeing.

5. Bus to Slussen and then either harbour ferry (Djurgårdsfärjan) to Allmänna Gränd or bus to Vasa (Djurgårdsbron).

There are no trams from Slussen, the trams departs from Hamngatan which is a 1.5km walk from Slussen.

Thanks so much for your response. I was hoping someone that recently did the trip would be able to answer my questions since I am still receiving conflicting information because I have read both yes and no answers to my questions all over CC, Trip Advisor, Viator, etc. After double and triple checking with the individuals at the Stockholm Visitors Board, here are their responses:

1) "There will be no problem for you to pick up your pre- ordered Stockholm Cards at the harbour when you arrive. I am very sorry for the confusion on the website and I will make sure that we add the information about the ports as well for our future visitors. We do not have staff working at the harbours in Stockholm during the winter season, that might be why other customers have claimed that they couldn’t pick up the cards at the dock. However; you are arriving in the middle of the summer season and will therefore meet staff from our Visitors center right outside your ship who can assist you with your voucher. Again I am terribly sorry about the lack of information on our website." As an added note, I double checked with them because their website does not say that you can pick up the cards at the dock, and their terms and conditions that you must agree to when purchasing online also do not say that you can pick them up at the port.

2) "The Stockholm card is valid on the Hop on Hop off boat from Stadsgården. See http://www.stromma.se/en/Stockholm/Sightseeing/Sightseeing-by-boat/hop-on-hop-off-boat/ for more information."

3) "Normally the Hop on Hop off boats and buses are waiting to take you around the city by your ship when you arrive. However; it is important to remember that even if the boats and buses have started to run that does not mean that the museums and attractions will be open at 8 AM! Most places open at 10.00 AM which is why the tours normally would start at that time." This response makes sense or they will be losing customers to the competitor who is. This is the one I am still wondering about because other CC members have said they contacted Stromma, and they said they would not be operating until 10:00. Has anyone out there used the Stromma HOHO boat earlier than 10:00?

4) They didn't respond to this question.

5) "For public transportation to Vasa. Take bus 53 from Stadsgården to Slussen. Then the metro 2 stop to T-centralen (centralstation) exit Sergels Torg. From sergels Torg the tram no. 7 to Vasa. The bus take 2 minutes. The metro 3 minutes and the tram 8 minute. If you buy a 24 hour card (or 72 hour) get off at Slussen and take the ferry Djurgårdslinjen to the island Djurgården. Take 10 minutes. Then you see the Vasamuseum on your left hand side. Just 5-6 minutes walk. They give you information at the tourist office at Stadsgården."

I hope this info helps.

We will be onboard Eurodam (Holland America) this summer. The ship will be in port at Copenhagen

Nordhavn: Quay C330 Oceankaj

for 2 days. However on the 2nd day we need to disembark the ship at around 4am inorder to catch a flight at 6am.

 

I think it will be a problem for us to find a taxi at the port at that time. What can we do?

 

Thanks.

Have you called HAL yet to ask about the airport transfer? When I called the other day, she said that they will make sure to get you to the airport whatever the time of the flight. Of course, I was calling about a 10:00 flight so it may be different for a flight that early. She said the bus would leave at 6:30 for flights between 9:00 and 10:00. It takes 30 minutes to get to the airport, and she said you need to be there at least 2 hours before your flight. With a flight as early as 6:00, there might be a comfort level in booking the HAL transfer if they run that early in the morning.

I know this topic has been discussed before, but I have seen a lot of outdated and potentially conflicting information so please help if you can, especially if you have traveled to Stockholm recently.

We're docking at S167 Stadsgarden in Stockholm. We're wanting to go from the port directly on the express boat to the Vasa museum. We're contemplating the Stockholm Card or the public transportation card.

Questions:

1) Can you pick up the Stockholm card at the visitor center right at S167? How about the transportation card?

2) Does the Stockholm card give you access to the HOHO boats from Stadsgarden as well? If so, which company?

3) Do both HOHO boat companies begin their routes once the ships dock even though their websites have later start times? From a recent post from someone who contacted both companies, Stromma does not, but Red Sightseeing does.

4) Can you purchase a one way trip on the HOHO boat over to the VASA from Stadsgarden? If so, how much does it cost? The same post mentioned above said 60 SEK for a one way on Red Sightseeing.

5) If not using the HOHO boat to Vasa, should you just catch the bus to Slussen and catch the public ferry or tram over to Vasa?

I would appreciate any help you can provide or any recommendations that you have. Thanks in advance!

Regarding the EpiPen question we have had two different experiences with this on HAL. When we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2013 the clubHAL staff would not take the EpiPen at all. They were much better on the Eurodam this past Feb. although we never did end up leaving the EpiPen with them. They always informed us when a snack was going to be served and what our options were for a peanut allergy. Disney definitely takes EpiPens.

That is unfortunate and disturbing that they would not take the Epi-pen on the Amsterdam. Thankfully, my son obsesses about asking if things are safe before he eats them so that part shouldn't be a problem. You touched on my questions and the reason for my phone call to guest services-do I leave the pen with ClubHal staff and do they keep it for the duration of the cruise since I usually bring a spare. Since I couldn't get an answer, I re-trained my son extensively on how to self-administer the pen. He will definitely have the Epi-pen with him whether they decide to take it or not.

Disney kids club staff usually keeps the pen in the kids area for the duration, and I just pick it up on the last night. NCL made us take it back each time.

DLUT, they changed the times on our cruise according to port times. Some days it did one earlier if we docked earlier.

Unfortunately, it does not surprise me that the info was not completely accurate that I rec'd from the HAL guest services line. I have called a couple of times and received "I don't really know" as a response for pretty much every question I have asked. For a question that I asked about how they handle a child's emergency Epi-pen and inhaler when in Club Hal, I was transferred to 5 people over a 2 day period, transferred back to the place where I started, and still never rec'd an answer. I finally gave up and will just get my answers when on board.

We have done many Disney cruises and love the flexibility that the kids club offers being open from morning until night even when in port and with no charges. I called about Club Hal and was told that the Club is only open from 8-5 with no charge when the ship is in port. I asked about it being open earlier or later in case an excursion leaves or arrives later, and I was told that is not an option since staff is not available. When my son was too young to enjoy or appreciate excursions in Europe, Disney's flexibility was nice on port days because we could put him in for a couple of hours while we took an excursion. Although we don't plan on using Club Hal for port days now that he is older, I still wanted to know my options.

Sent to you today. :)

Please forward to tluther5406@bellsouth.net. Thanks!