marco_polo11

A few suggestions I haven't seen yet ... ping pong, pickleball, basketball, shuffleboard, choir, and if it floats your boat, bikini watching (more likely monokinis though!).

I'll be on the Diamond Princess sailing from Kobe on June 13. Does anyone know if this ship has a pickleball/paddleball court? Also, are the pingpong tables in a sheltered area?

Well, I'll be sailing in just a few days and I still don't know if the ship offers pickleball. I don't want to pack my paddle for nothing. What a pickle I'm in! :*

I'll be on the Diamond Princess sailing from Kobe on June 13. Does anyone know if this ship has a pickleball/paddleball court? Also, are the pingpong tables in a sheltered area?

Hi, I live in Vancouver. As others have said here, it's easy taking the skytrain to the airport as long as you can manage your luggage by yourself. It is a few minutes walk from the port terminal to the skytrain Waterfront Station's main terminal. Ask someone (pedestrian, vendor) where it is if unsure.

Buy your ticket at a machine on the main floor of the terminal. Before 6:30pm the cost is $4 for an adult ticket, or $2.75 for a concession ticket for seniors 65+ yrs. After 6:30pm on weekdays or on weekends, it's $2.75 for adults and $1.75 for seniors. Take the escalator or elevator downstairs to the terminal. The ride to the airport is just under 30 mins. The skytrain is fast, safe, and clean. It stops right at the departure terminal. There is no need to hurry as the airport train leaves every 6 to 12 mins during the day, depending if it is during peak rush hours or not.

Coming from the airport to the port terminal (Waterfront Stn) is just as easy, except there is a $5 'YVR (airport) addfare' surcharge.

I'm not the best one to help with that as the last time I was using wheelchair assistance, and that brings its own delays.

The first time was so long ago that I really can't remember. I was using HAL tour w/transfer since my flight was at night.

 

If I were planning now, though, I would want at least 2 1/2-3 hours from the time I started to leave the ship until I wanted to arrive at the airport.

What does HAL recommend for a flight time? I would use that as a guideline, as they tend to allow at least enough time. You could maybe go a little less than their recommendation.

Yes, I was planning for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs to get to the airport. That means a 10 a.m. arrival at the airport and 2 hrs before my flight. I hope that's enough time to go through all the airport procedures!

Thanks again for your information.

When I disembarked in Valparaiso, I had to take a shuttle to the terminal. Then, we had to stand in a circle while a dog went by us, sniffing for contraband. Once cleared, I was allowed to proceed to my on-going transportation.

All this took a little extra time.

Thanks for your info, Ruth. How long did it take to get on a shuttle and get to the terminal? How long did it take to clear customs? I'm trying to figure out how much time to allow myself to get to the airport.

Unless there's something odd about Valparaiso specifically, HAL should offer early disembarkation for passengers who can carry off all their luggage. It sounds as if you'll qualify for that. The self-help (I forget what it's called) group goes off very early, before the suite and other priority passengers. You have to sign up for it on board, usually toward the end of your cruise. It's a while since I've done it, and I'm sure others can give you a better sense of time, but I think self-help usually is called around an hour after docking (the ship has to be cleared by local officials before anyone can disembark).

That's good to know. Thanks! So assuming I'm off the ship by 8 a.m. and customs goes smoothly, I should be on a taxi by 8:30 am. Arrive at the airport by 10 a.m. As I said, it's going to be tight and doesn't leave any room for delay. Sigh... I wish I had booked a later flight.

I hope I'll hear from someone who has disembarked at Valparaiso before so I'll have an idea of what I'll be facing there.

I don't belong to any 'priority' programme but do have a question about disembarkation. I'll be on a SA cruise this fall which ends at Valparaiso. We are scheduled to arrive at 7 a.m. I booked a noon flight out of Santiago, thinking 5 hours would be plenty of time to make it. Since then I've found that it's going to be tight, and I can't afford any kind of delay.

My question is, will I be able to walk off along with the priority groups if I only have carry-on luggage? Or will I have to wait till the priority groups are off? Needless to say, it's important that I get off the ship as soon as possible to make my way to customs. Then it's about a 1.5 hr taxi ride to the airport.

I'd appreciate hearing the thoughts of anyone who has disembarked at Valparaiso before.

You seem to be focusing on the 7:00 AM docking, but you won't be disembarking that early; 7:30 is closer to the estimated time for self-disembark. I have seen it as early as 7:15, and as late as 7:45, with the bulk of the times about that 7:30 mark.

 

I've disembarked in Valparaiso twice, and boarded there once, with the drive down from Santiago that morning.

Based on those rides, I would be nervous about a 12:00 noon flight. 2:00 PM is probably safe; I might even take a 1:00 PM flight, but that might be cutting it a little too close.

If you really want the noon flight, how about taking it the next day?

Thanks, Ruth. Yes, I've sailed often enough to know a 7am arrival doesn't mean a 7am walk-off. I was actually counting on an 8am walk-off. Then allowing myself 2 hrs to get to the airport, after going through immigration at the port. That makes it about a 10am arrival at the airport. From what I'm getting here, it's going to be very tight. It doesn't allow for any sort of hitch.

I do have the option of a later flight at 7:30pm. I might save myself the anxiety (and possibly the cost of a missed flight!) and change to that flight.

Other things to consider-do you arrive on a weekend as traffic may be slightly lighter?

 

Does everyone get off the ship here or are many people going out on HAL tours-they seem to be allowed off first.

 

In our case, sadly a passenger had died that morning so was disembarked first with the attendant paperwork, procedures etc.

 

This was the steepest gangway I have every used and it was taking lots of time and 4 staff with ropes to take many wheelchairs down the ramp-I don't know if this was peculiar to this port or the tide that day. Able bodied people were also needing to go down very slowly with their carry on bags.

 

I do remember now that someone else mentioned it, that airport check in was also a gong show-I even had trouble finding where to line up.

 

So if you are able to be off at 8-then you bus to the port for luggage and immigration( by now it will likely be close to 9), then drive for 90 minutes( now 10:30), then wait in line for I would say usually a min of an hr at the airport-check in,immigration and security there is no room for delays( there is also a final hand baggage search at the gate before you board).

 

For our private tour/transfer the guide said she would meet us at 9 a.m. after luggage pickup and in reality the last of our group of 12 did not get to the van until about 10:15 so that is when our tour started.

We disembark on Oct. 16, a Monday. So we definitely will have to contend with morning traffic. Yes, there will be tours as there will be passengers who are continuing on the second leg of this back-to-back cruise. However, my wife and I have only carry-on luggage and should be able to walk right off ahead of the tours.

I think it's a good thing that our ship is docking so early (7am) because there might be fewer people waiting for the bus at the port area and at immigration?

I am reading that the airport can be both a zoo or a breeze. I guess it's a crapshoot.

Thanks, everyone, for your input. The more I read, the more I wonder if I should change my flight to an evening one (the only other choice) even if it'll cost me to make the change. After all, it'll cost us more if we miss our flight! It'll be more peace of mind too.

I didn't choose the later flight initially because we have toured Valparaiso/Santiago before on a previous trip. Plus we didn't want to drag our luggage around all day.

I have plenty of time to make the change if needed. So I'll wait and see what other suggestions and tips I get here.

We disembarked in Jan with significant delays. Had a disembark time of around 8 a.m. and finally off around 9:30-and at that we just marched off as our colour had not been called yet and we had a tour/transfer waiting. It was a gong show with not enough buses to take us all to the customs/luggage pick up area. If you are a 4 star mariner or can manage your own luggage you get off first. The week after we disembarked there was a port workers strike. I expect a taxi would be the fastest way to the airport but I think it takes more than an hour. You will likely find the time very tight to allow a couple of hours for check in. If you take a HAL transfer they will only accept you if you have a flight booked after a certain time-perhaps around 1- 2 p.m. if I recall correctly but you can check with HAL. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks, Lizzie. Wow, 1.5 hrs to disembark. Maybe it would help that we will only have carry-on luggage with us and can walk straight off. Good point about HAL not taking transfers for flights booked before a certain time. I will look into that. However, my plan A is to find another couple to share a taxi with us.

It's been a while since we disembarked in Valpo but we did have to go through customs there when we did. They actually confiscated some maracas that my DW had bought in Cartegena, Columbia due to their belief that there were seeds inside them to make them rattle when shaken.

 

It's generally around a 90 minute drive to SCL from Valpo. The airport is on the other side of Santiago from Valpo. Traffic near Valpo and through Santiago can make that longer.

 

As I said, it's been 6 years since we've been, but we've gone both directions and it's been about 90 minutes. We were able to get off the ship on time and it was still past 10am before we were in Santiago. I would consider pre-booking just to be sure you have someone there when you get off the ship.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise, South America is absolutely beautiful!

Thanks, I will count on 90 mins to get to the airport. So if we get off the ship within an hour... say 8am (7am arrival), we should be able to get to the airport by 9:30-10am. It's tight but doesn't allow for any unforseen delays! Cross my fingers!

I have been on a SA cruise before. I agree... absolutely beautiful.

I'm cruising on the Zaandam in September from Vancouver to Valparaiso. Since my wife and I have been to Santiago before, we decided to fly straight home after we disembark.

We're scheduled to dock at 7am and our flight is at noon. Is 5 hrs enough time for us to make our flight?

To anyone who has done this cruise before, what time were passengers able to get off the ship? Was there immigration to go through at the port? Should I prebook a taxi or would it be easy to get one at the port? It would be ideal to share a taxi with one or two other passengers. The ship would probably provide transfer to the airport but I hesitate to go on a big bus because of the time it would take to wait for everyone. I would like the fastest way possible to the airport. Thoughts and suggestions?

I'm disembarking a Holland America cruise at Valparaiso at 7 a.m. on Oct. 16. I have a Copa airlines flight at noon to Panama City.

Do I have enough time to make the flight? I have read that there is immigration to clear at the port. The ride to the airport could take 90 minutes. Then at the airport, there are lineups for check-in, the departure tax, immigration, and security. I'm worried that even 5 hours could be a bit tight!

Some advice from travellers who have gone through this would be much appreciated.

I'm seeing different interpretations here of what is 'normal procedure' and 'etiquette' re seating. As I said earlier, the responsibility is with the tour guide to inform passengers of the rules of the cruise line (different cruise lines may vary in their practices). Common sense and courtesy should prevail when there are passengers who are disabled or have motion sickness.

With the bus incident, our issue was not that the guy wanted the seat back. It was the way he handled it. Had he just approached us directly and asked us if he could have his seat back, we would have graciously moved. Instead, he went straight to the tour guide and started yelling. That was what got my wife so upset and wanting to stand her ground about it. To top it off, at the second stop, he was late getting back on the bus. I overheard some of the passengers talking about how we should just leave him behind. So, he didn't seem to win very many friends for himself.

It should not be assumed that everyone knows the rules about seating. The tour guide should have made it clear at the beginning of the tour. This incident could have been avoided if that happened.

Having said that, there was no excuse for the boorish behavior of that rude passenger. Most certainly he could have handled the situation differently. I know he would have got my back up if it happened to me and I would not have given up the seat because of that.

I hope the tour guide was not intimidated by the passenger yelling at him/her. The passenger's behavior was unacceptable and he should have been put in his place... off the bus!

Too many sleeps to count till Sept. 24, 2017 sailing, Vancouver to Santiago.

So many that I can't sleep thinking about it! :)

Increases in prices may be accompanied but increases in quality but I can assure you that decreases in price will be accompanied by decreases in quality.

 

This phrase sums it up: TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

Just being the devil's advocate here but ... decreases in price does not necessarily mean decreases in quality, only quantity. :p

They supply it, and it's wiffle balls:

 

 

 

On Zaandam, there are 2 courts, one each side of the funnel. One side had a net and the pickle ball set, the other didn't have a net up (but did have the lines) and did have basketball hoops along the funnel side of the enclosure.

That's great! I'm looking forward to playing it! Thanks.

I disembarked 2 days ago, and yes, it does.

Awesome! Thanks a lot. Did the ship provide the equipment? Or did people bring their own paddles and balls? For those who don't know, pickleball is played with a solid paddle (usually graphite) and whiffle ball (plastic, hollow, holey ball). It's a mix of tennis and badminton.

They probably can't. People who like having a standard like to dress within the range of that standard. Just as there is such a thing as being underdressed, there is such a thing as being overdressed.

Actually, tuxedoes do fall within the range of the standard I was suggesting. I only suggested a minimum standard. Otherwise, people can wear what they want.

I cannot see anyone objecting to people dressed in tuxedoes. They might be celebrating a special occasion or they might just like to. That's nobody else's concern.

From all I've read about the change, it was made to give those who wish to have specific nights on which they wish to dress up a clear understanding of which nights those would be, while relieving the rest of the passengers from having to comply with a formal code. Everyone can therefore get what they wish (except those whose wish is to control what others decide to wear, I suppose).

Personally, I question the need to even have 'gala nights'. Why can't people simply dress the way they would for a nice restaurant back home any time they go to a dining room (buffet excluded)? There should be minimum requirements for men (open collared shirt, dress slacks) and women (blouse, skirt/slacks or dress); no t-shirts/shorts/grubby jeans - after all, we wouldn't normally dress that way to a nice restaurant.

It should be 'smart casual' all the time. People shouldn't have to comply to a formal code at any time. Those who do like dressing more formally in suits/ties or tuxedoes may do so all the time if they wish.

It shouldn't matter to anyone what others are wearing as long as they meet the minimum requirements.

We will be on the NA in January. Does anyone know if they offer pickleball on sea days? Last year on the Zuiderdam, pickleball was one of the activities. Trying to decide if we should bring our paddles. Thanks.

Same question about the Zaandam please!

I've yet to see pickleball on ANY cruise ship.

Quick question: is the internet on HAL (specifically Zaandam) reasonably fast? It's my first cruise with them coming up.

Anyone know if the Zaandam has a pickleball court? I'm booked on the Sept 24, 2017 sailing from Vancouver to Santiago. I'd love to be able to play pickleball with other enthusiasts on this cruise.