RuthC

Do NOT get in line to self-disembark until your group is called. It will be the first group, and unless delayed for some unexpected reason, will happen around 7:30, give or take 15 minutes or so. If people start to gang up at the expected exit, they block access to the stairs and elevators for those who are not getting in line to leave. Those who are disabled can't get to the elevators and go about their business. The ship asks people not to start to gather because it causes it mess for others. Please comply with that.

I suggest bringing along an extra set of clips for headgear. Last year, first night on a 24-night cruise, I must have rolled over and snapped the clip holding my headgear in place. I did manage to find both pieces, had one terrible night of sleep, and the wizards who maintain the ship were able to Super Glue it back together for the next night. Whew! That, and an extra filter, are about all I can think of as something critical.

Approximately, yes. Depending when disembarkation starts, and if there are any hold-ups, HAL will try to have the ship cleared by then. Trust me, you don't want to still be aboard when they start calling 'last call' to leave the ship, and later, start calling names!

The first time was a 'take what you can get' situation, so we did. I had a very hard time getting down the little hill from the road to the entrance to the cabana. And a worse time getting back up. Had there not been several strong people to help me, I don't know how I would have gotten back to the transportation. The Oasis, of course, is more like booking the Pinnacle Suite on the ship, so you are treated like royalty. The third time my mobility had decreased, so a cabana closer to the entrance was better. As noted by others, there is an accessible cabana, with an level entrance from the roadside.

My group had a cabana my first time at HMC, and it was well down the beach. I have some mobility problems, and was given a ride, both ways, on that visit. When my group had the Oasis on my second visit, many of us got a ride out and back. Third visit had a cabana near the start, so I was able to walk that far, IIRC.

I also addressed that possibility. I have been on several HAL 2-week Alaska cruises that included a stop in Anchorage, and we always had a shuttle. The first two times, it dropped off/picked up at the Egan Center. The third time the spot was at the Visitors' Center, which is pretty much around the corner from the Egan Center.

It's a long ride from Whittier to Anchorage, and then back again if this is a port stop. A real danger is if there is an accident on the highway, holding up traffic for possibly hours. I wouldn't want to be in a rental car that was a few minutes behind the last HAL tour bus when such an accident happened. If you really want to get into Anchorage, then I recommend taking a HAL tour. Or, is the port stop in Anchorage itself? If so, then it is not terribly far from downtown, and HAL has always had a shuttle from the port to the Egan Center.

If you are thinking about the PVSA, and that it could be a violation of that, it would not be. To board in Canada and disembark in the US is fine. As far as that goes. She would need to make arrangements in advance, however, since not all ports have the staffing to allow her to complete US Immigration and Customs requirements. Good luck to her. If she isn't able to to head from a US port to Denali, perhaps she can plan a land trip for her next Alaska visit. After all, once you see a portion of Alaska, you want to go back and see more.

The Pinnacle Grill follows the same breakfast hours as the dining room does. Check your Daily Program, as the hours vary a little on sea days from port days. The Westerdam has no Club Orange separate dining room, so you will use a separate entrance to the dining room when you go to dinner, assuming you have open seating and don't have a reservation. People using that entrance will be seated first, and given the menu with the additional selection on it.

Tracy Arm is a fjord that happens to have a glacier (actually two glaciers) at the ends. The main purpose of the ride is the scenery, and the glaciers are just the treat at the turn-around point. Just once I got to both, but from further away, since I was on the ship. The catamaran shore excursion gave a much better view of the glacier, as it got much, much closer. Plus, being a smaller boat, and so close to water level, produced a very different perspective. Glacier Bay is more wide open space, and the major purpose of sailing in there is to see glaciers (many, many glaciers!), and scenery is a fringe benefit. It is only done on a large ship, so I have no frame of reference how it would be in a small boat. Impressive, I am certain. I have been to Hubbard Glacier on the cruise ship, many times, and of course it is spectacular. The most impressive of the glaciers, as far as I'm concerned. I have also transferred to a smaller boat for a 'shore excursion' at Hubbard. Now THAT is an experience! We got much closer to the glacier than any ship I've been on ever did. When Hubbard calved, we felt it so much more than we would have on the ship. It was a thrill. I don't know if that answers your question, Roy, but it sure was fun strolling down this particular memory lane.

I just hold on to the door jam on each side and pull myself up. IIRC, there's a grab bar in the shower that is vertical, and reachable when trying to get in the BR.

Remember, no matter how late the offerings are released, if you can't book, no one else can either. So, just keep checking the website to see when they appear and be ready to grab the cabin you want. Remember, too, that depending on the ship there are inside non-accessible cabins that easily hold a scooter. You do have the step up into the bathroom, though, if that makes a difference.

I don't know if there is still an itinerary that includes the ship sailing up Tracy Arm, but it was definitely part of the selections up until at least several years ago. I have sailed up Tracy Arm on the cruise ship itself several times. It was these sailings, which didn't get all that close to the glaciers, that convinced me to book the Volendam one year. My sole purpose was to take the shore excursion from the ship to the smaller boat, and sail Tracy Arm.

Scroll down the list of topics, looking for a thread started by VMAX, and a title that will be a tip-off for what you are looking for. He does a list that includes latest drydocks, next scheduled drydock, and a couple of other topics. It's usually updated every couple of months.

Correct. And that sector includes cabins above and below you. That would include outside and inside cabins that don't have the luxury of getting fresh air without the HVAC system being fully functional.

It's a gorgeous ride. One of the world's best.

Can they fog a mirror.

Traditionally, when HAL has an early port stop, the Lido opens for breakfast very early so people can be fed and leave as soon as the ship is cleared. I won't swear to the time the Lido will open for a 7:00 AM arrival, but I wouldn't be surprised if it opened at 6:00 AM, or even earlier. Remember, not every one will be trying to leave the ship at 7:00 AM.

I've had a lot of solo dinners in specialty restaurants on many HAL ships. Frequently the waitstaff has gone out of their way to make sure I felt welcomed and comfortable. I will say that dining alone I was out much sooner than I am when I dine with several others, but that is also the nature of dining alone. Even smaller tables in the main dining room are finished sooner than tables for 6 or 8. This has not happened every time, but I have never felt rushed, either. The OP's experience is not the norm, in my experience. Go, and enjoy for yourself with balanced expectations.

Mass is held daily, assuming the assigned priest makes it on board. If it is a port day, Mass is at 5:00 PM; on a sea day Mass is at 8:00 AM. Location will be in the Daily Program, usually in a meeting room, depending on the particular ship.

I assume you will be using a scooter, wheelchair, or at minimum a walker to get around on the ship? If so, I have found that some public areas on the older ships are difficult to get to unless you have someone with you to open doors, and in some cases to get over thresholds. The Pinnacle ship I was on (Nieuw Statendam), for the most part had eliminated most of the obstructions; I don't know if the Rotterdam did, too, though. It's a consideration. On the Nieuw Statendam, I could ride my scooter straight out from the Lido dining area to the aft area. There was no 'lip' to get the scooter hung up on. The doors were electric eye, too. There were controls to push to open the outside doors to the promenade. On the other hand, the promenade was very narrow for someone in a mobility device. There wasn't a lot of extra room to maneuver a device in the dining room, either. Also worth mentioning is that the passageways in cabin areas are quite narrow, especially as compared to the Zaandam. My accessible cabin was a generous size, but because of the small size of non-accessible cabins this was the first time I had to book an accessible one. I just need room to store a scooter, and the Pinnacle cabins, other than accessible ones, don't have room for one; the Zaandam does have some that hold a scooter easily.

Try this website: https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search Enter your search criteria, and play away to your heart's content. I tried it last night for Doone's routing, using made up dates for this July. Not all airlines are on the site (such as Southwest, for example), but it has a generous selection of airlines.

Doone, perhaps it's because I have flown to Vancouver many times that I have developed a comfort level to heading there for a cruise without any involvement with HAL for flights, hotels, and getting to the port, but here is my suggestion: Check the options and costs for preferred flights, hotels, and transfers. Some hotels will necessitate a transfer to the port on embarkation day, while others are right there and will send your luggage to the ship for you. Boston to Vancouver is an easy enough flight to book on your own, as is getting a taxi to a downtown hotel. The time zone difference heading west is in your favor, but is also tiring. However, if you take the 8:00 AM flight, you can arrive late morning; there are some non-stop flights from Logan, making it very easy. Decide what is easier for you, comparing how much you want to spend on 'easier', then decide which---if any---pieces you want HAL to take care of. Remember, British Columbia speaks the same language, so that part is easy.

You could make your way back to the Amsterdam airport, and pretend you are just arriving, then take the HAL transfer to Rotterdam. I have done this many times in many cities. I just use my flight information as to flight number and time of arrival, just changing the date to the embarkation date when booking the transfer to Rotterdam. When arriving, pay attention to where the HAL representative is meeting those who are sailing that day, and head back there when it's your day to transfer.

Any priority you have as a 4* or 5* Mariner goes out the window if you need wheelchair assistance to board. Those needing assistance are all 'first come, first served'. People waiting for wheelchair assistance to begin are taken first, but again, it is not based on any individual priority. As the number of people waiting grows, the amount of time to wait also grows. There are only so many wheelchairs and pushers, donchaknow. I've been using wheelchair assistance for sufficient years, in any number of embarkation ports, to know that is the way it works. Last year I waited 3 hours to be wheeled aboard, which was shortly after all the signage was removed from the embarkation hall. I was getting more than a little nervous as there were only two of us left!