Ladyarli

Hello,

I've been to Hawaii 4 times: The first was 3 nights on Oahu and 3 nights on the Big Island, the second was on a 10 day trip - 4 nights Oahu, 1 night Kauai, 3 nights Big Island (1 Hilo, 2 Kona), and 2 nights Maui. The third was 3 nights in Oahu and the 7 night cruise, and the fourth was 8 nights on Oahu. We love all of the 4 main islands, but our favorites are Oahu and the Big Island. There is so much to do on Oahu, we still haven't seen everything! In my opinion, if you are doing a land vacation you should try to stay 5-7 nights on any one island. My reason is that driving to and from the airports and checking in and out of hotels eats up valuable time, and can be stressful. My second trip was on a land tour. We saw and did a lot, but it was a blur! My husband and I loved the cruise so much that we want to go again. We have it booked for next summer, with a 4 night pre-stay on Oahu at a hotel. The Pride of America is a beautiful ship. We can't wait to go again. As others have said, you need to decide what is important to you on your vacation. If Hawaiian culture and history are important, there is a lot on Oahu, and some good things on the other 3 islands as well. Oahu also has Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, great scenery, beaches, and more. Maui has great scenery, beaches, and Haleakala. The Big Island has the volcanos, the Place of Refuge, and the Hilton Waikoloa Resort is really nice. Kauai has great scenery, beaches, and three (at least) botanical gardens. 

Personally, I recommend the option of spending several days on Oahu, taking the cruise, and then the day at the end after you get back. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great vacation!

Yes, Charry is still onboard, and I agree. She is wonderful and does a great job!

Hello,

What is the procedure for putting together a Meet and Mingle on Royal Caribbean? The NCL board had a sticky with instructions, but I don't see anything like that on the Royal Caribbean board. Thanks for your help and advice. 

Ladyarli

Hello,

We were on the Norwegian Escape on the 2/17 sailing out of New York. Our meet and mingle was on 2/18 from Noon to 1 PM in the District Brew House. Boy, did NCL go all out! We had about 45-50 people show up. They gave us generous samples of different kinds of beer, soft drinks for the children and non-drinkers, and servers passed three kinds of hot hors d'oeuvres. They had a duo playing piano and singing, and several of the officers came and mingled with us! They gave out business cards, and said if you need anything, call me, etc. All I could say was, wow! On other cruise lines we were lucky to get a room and a pitcher of water, LOL. 

We did the excursion from Port Canaveral last Tuesday when we were on the Norwegian Escape. Our tour time was 1:30. We were told to meet in the Manhattan Room at 1:00. ALL of the tours met in the Manhattan Room at 1. We were about the 5th tour group to leave. We walked down two flights to the gangway, and walked off the ship and across the street to where the buses were parked. There were two buses for Universal. The bus took an hour and a half each way. The "tour guide" seemed like a teenage boy with Asberger's. I thought he was one of the passengers, and that the bus driver was being nice about letting him collect our tickets. He never introduced himself or said much of anything. When he did talk, he would say something we really needed to know, but mumbled into the microphone so softly I could barely hear him, and we were near the front of the bus! Before we got off the bus, he gave everyone on HIS side of the bus a lanyard with a printed card on it, and said we would leave "about 7-ish."  We asked the young man what the lanyards were for. He said they were the name and phone number of the bus company in case we were running late, or had an emergency. (At this point everyone had gotten off the bus.) We said no one on our side of the bus got one. He said that we could always "borrow one from someone and take a picture with your phone so you have the information." We got off the bus at 3:00. It took us about a half hour to walk through CityWalk and to the entrance of the park, go through security and enter. I had already purchased tickets, which were 1 day park-to-park, and more than I would have liked to pay. We only wanted to see the new Harry Potter area, which is all the way on the other side of USF from the entrance. We took pictures, walked around a bit, got a bottle of Gillywater (mistake), and looked at the posted wait for the Gringotts ride. 110 minutes. Yikes, we wouldn't have time. We shopped a little, heard one song by Celestina Warbeck, and got on the Hogwarts Express. It was a one hour wait, and the ride was a really good 5 minute ride. We shopped in Hogsmeade for a bit, then started walking back to the bus. We got back to the bus at 6:30. They left at 7:15, and we ran back on the ship just in time for our dinner and show at the Supper Club at 8:30. When we arrived back at the ship, the "tour guide" muttered something about gratuities, and my only thought was "You've got to be kidding." Needless to say, we will go back to Universal some day in the future when we can spend at least one whole day in the park, and not as a shore excursion from a ship that isn't even supposed to dock until 1 PM. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. I should have realized that we just wouldn't have enough time. The crowd level in the parks was 7 out of 10, and we didn't have quite as much time as I thought we would have. Live and learn. 

Hello, I volunteered to organize a Meet and Mingle for our sailing. I thought a few folks might be interested in a slot pull. How do you do this? I participated in one on a Carnival cruise about 10 years ago and I just paid my money, took my pulls at the machine, and left when it was done. I understand the concept. Everyone pays a set amount of money, and gets X number of pulls on the machine. Can someone who has run one or more of them successfully please give me advice on how to set one up? Thanks in advance. 

Ladyarli

To the poster who asked about Bar Harbor:

The immigration officials got onboard very early, and the process went quickly and efficiently for us. However, the line for non-US citizens was much longer than ours was. We went into the lounge a little while later and got tender tickets, and there was a 20-30 minute wait before they called our number. Once we got on the tender, it took a few minutes to get everyone seated. Then our boat broke down about half way to the dock! They sent out another boat with a repair man, and finally got the engine restarted. We ended up taking that tender back in the afternoon (just my luck, LOL) but it was fine on the way back.

We booked the 4 hour tour with Ollie's trolley, and it was great.

We also were on the June 9th Montreal to Boston sailing. We had a cabin on Deck 5, starboard side forward. Everything worked just fine, and the room was just big enough for all of our stuff. :DWe had lovely weather except for our day in Halifax, so no complaints there! The stateroom steward was one of the very best we've ever had.

The dining room staff was adequate, but unimpressive. It seemed to me that they were a little short-handed, or something. The food was good, but some nights I didn't like the selection. I know it's me, not them! I am probably the only girl who grew up in New England who doesn't like seafood. But I do appreciate the fact that they serve local specialties on their cruises. A lot of lines don't do that, and I know a lot of people expect it, and are disappointed. On this cruise they served lobster, PEI mussels, and other local specialties. One night they had lobster up at the lido buffet, but a different menu in the dining room, which I thought was unusual.

We went to the show the first night, and it was OK, not great. Then I went the second night and thought the ventriloquist wasn't very good. So I stopped going to the shows. Then on the 6th night, Jeff the Piano Bar entertainer recommended that night's show "Dance" very highly, so I went. It was wonderful! All of the dancers and singers did an excellent job. I was sad to hear that HAL is going to change their entertainment after the dry dock and discontinue the singers and dancers. I think this is a big mistake on HAL's part, but I have no power there. All I could do is put in my comments in the survey they sent that I loved the singers, dancers, and the piano bar entertainer. Also, the sight lines in the balcony are not good. There seemed to be a railing blocking my sight wherever I sat. I was disappointed that there was no karaoke at all! That is one of my favorite things to do on a cruise. I went to the piano bar, and enjoyed Jeff's act very much. He changes his songs to fit the crowd, and is very versatile. He is also very nice, and even let me sing a few songs and played accompaniment for me! I loved the fact that the bar waiters were always there if you wanted them, but never pushed us to buy drinks if we just wanted to sit and listen to the music. My friends really enjoyed the jazz group and the classical group who played on the ship.

One of our favorite things on the ship was the library/coffee bar. We spent WAY too much money in the spa, LOL.

When we booked our cruise, we got the "signature beverage package". I didn't realize that it didn't include the mini-bar. We really didn't use the beverage package except for a couple of glasses of wine and a couple of lattes in the coffee bar. They didn't lose money on us. :D

Anyone with questions, please fire away. I will be glad to try and answer them.

Sprockie,

Which nights of your cruise were your "gala nights"? We're going June 9th, and I'm trying to find out ahead of time, so I can plan which night to eat in the Pinnacle Grill. Thank you for your help.

To the original poster, we have been on several Canada/NE cruises, mostly in September/Early October, on Carnival and Princess. They were great cruises, but you don't really see too much foliage near the NE coast until mid-October. I did take one cruise from NY to Quebec in mid-October on MSC. We saw some really nice foliage, BUT Canada is really cold at that time of the year. Much colder than the NYC area. AND, the Canadian national parks are down to a skeleton crew in mid-October. I visited the Citadel in Halifax, and there was practically no one there. I didn't mind seeing less tourists, but there were hardly any staff, either. The MSC ship was really beautiful, but the entertainment, activities, were seriously lacking. The dining room portions were laughably small. Holland America has itineraries that go from Boston to Montreal, and Montreal to Boston. You can go earlier in the season, because the foliage peaks inland much sooner than on the coast. I would suggest mid to late September or early October. Of course, this is an educated guess, because it all depends on the weather, and changes each year. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great time.

The itinerary (with hours in port) is as follows:

Quebec City, PQ 7 AM - 5 PM

Charlottetown, PEI 9 AM - 6 PM

Sydney, NS 8 AM - 4 PM

Halifax, NS 8 AM - 4 PM

Bar Harbor, ME 8 AM - 5 PM

I was hoping that someone who had been on the Maasdam on this itinerary would reply. Thanks for your help!

Hi,

We're going on the June 9th sailing from Montreal to Boston. Can anyone tell me when the gala nights are? There is only one sea day, which is the third day of the cruise:

June 9th - Depart Montreal

June 10 - Quebec City

June 11 - at sea

June 12 - Charlottetown, P.E.I.

June 13 - Sidney, NS

June 14 - Halifax, NS

June 15 - Bar Harbor, ME

June 16 - Boston

I know that the gala nights would never be on the 1st or the last nights of the cruise, for obvious reasons. Does anyone out there know? Thank you for your help.:)

Does Holland America still give out the tote bags before the first port?

Here is a question for the locals:

We are going to be leaving on a cruise from T-3 on June 9th, which is during the big Formula 1 Race weekend. We will be staying in a hotel on the west-ish side of downtown, and will be taking a taxi to the pier. I looked it up, and the road the taxi will have to go to in order to access terminal 3 is Pie IX Boulevard. How long will it take to get to the pier from Rue Guy a couple of blocks south of Rue St Catherine? And how much (approximately) will the fare be? Thanks for any help or advice you can give.

Thank you very much for your wonderfully detailed review, and for answering my many questions, Dave.

Thank you so much for your detailed review! We are going in a month, so I really appreciate all of the great info on the ship. Can you please tell me:

1. Do they still serve you at the Lido Buffet, as opposed to everyone serving themselves?

2. Do they still show movies in the theater, and is there still popcorn available?

3. Do they still serve hors d'oeuvres in all of the lounges before dinner?

4. Do they still have the guy with the glockenspiel ringing the chimes to call people to dinner?

5. Do they still have warm or cold drinks on the dock while you wait for the tender, if the day is cool or warm?

6. Do they still have real (although small) cloth towels in the public washrooms aboard?

7. Do they still have little cookies, pastries, etc in the coffee bar? Is the regular coffee still free?

8. Did they ever have karaoke or some kind of sing along bar on the cruise?

9. Do the stateroom stewards learn your name, and greet you in the hallway by name?

Our first and only HAL cruise was in 2002 on the Zaandam in Alaska, and I wanted to see if they still did any of the many little things that made HAL "nicer".

I have been on both cruise lines, and like them both, although I think I like Norwegian a bit better. In my opinion, the entertainment is a bit better, and the beds are more comfortable. :D If you do choose NCL, try to get a room on the starboard side of the ship, so you can see the Statue of Liberty on your way past. Of course, you can always go up on deck and see it. RCCL sails out of Bayonne, so you can see it, but it's not the same. (My opinion. YMMV.) Whichever ship you choose, be sure to be up on deck when the ship sails under the Verrazano Bridge. It looks for all the world like you are going to scrape, but you won't! Oh, and it's COLD in Canada in mid-April, so bring warm clothing, a hat, and gloves!

Hello,

I am looking for advice. We are flying to Montreal on Thursday, June 7th in the evening. Our cruise leaves on Saturday afternoon, so that gives us One Whole Day to see what we can see in Montreal. Many months after I booked the cruise, I found out that the big Formula 1 race is that weekend. I'm looking for suggestions on what to do with our limited time. We love history, and museums. We are staying in a hotel on the west side of the downtown area. Would the Hop-on-hop-off bus be a good idea? Or do you think there will be too much traffic? Should we opt for tickets for the Metro instead? We definitely want to see the old Montreal and Notre Dame Cathedral, and St. Joseph's Oratory. We also want to try the local bagels, a sandwich from the Jewish Deli, and poutine. Thanks in advance for your help.:)

Cheryl D

Hi,

I've been on this itinerary a few times. Here are some thoughts:

Halifax is great, and there are lots of things to do for different interests. They have a Hop On Hop Off bus that makes a number of stops. The last time we went, we did that and got off at the Citadel, and then went down to the Maritime Museum. Both are very interesting. A lot of people like Peggy's Cove - but that's the problem. A LOT of people like Peggy's Cove. It's pretty, but usually very crowded. There is a very nice public garden in town. If anyone is a Titanic fan, there is an excellent exhibit in the Maritime Museum and a cemetery you can visit where several of the victims are buried. Their gravestones are laid out in a pattern like the bow of a ship. You can find all sorts of souvenirs right inside the cruise terminal. Lots of vendors with a variety of products.

St. John is a really nice place. I'm really fond of their indoor city market. All sorts of vendors selling fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and souvenirs. A couple of places to get lunch, too. St. John has very steep hills, so walking could be a challenge, BUT there is a building about 2 blocks (level ground) from the cruise dock with a series of escalators that will take you up to the top of the hill where the market and city park are. Besides not having to hike up a steep hill, being inside protects you from rain or cold. There are also some shops and restaurants in the building as you go up, including a Tim Horton's. If you've never been, Timmie's is like Dunkin' Donuts, only better, and with more variety.

In Bar Harbor, you should really try to visit Acadia National Park. It does often get foggy, but when it is clear, it's really beautiful.

Portland is very nice. The ships dock right near downtown. We did an excursion last time where we went out on a boat and they showed us lobster pots and taught us a few things about lobster fishing. The first time we went, we visited the Portland Head Light. It's very pretty. If you're into lighthouses, you want to see both that and Peggy's Cove in Halifax. If you really like lobster, you can get it in every one of the ports. This is going to sound odd, but don't assume you'll get it on the ship. Sometimes the lobster on the ship is sourced from Miami, and is Caribbean lobster!

You can rent a car in any of the ports. Usually right near the cruise dock.

One reminder: Don't forget to keep track of the time! Some ships change to Atlantic Time in Canada, and back to Eastern when they are in Maine, and some don't. You need to make sure you are back for the ship's all aboard time. If the ship stays on Eastern time, remember that the Noon gun (at the Citadel in Halifax) will be fired off at 11 o'clock Eastern time.

I hope this helps, and that you have a great time, whatever you choose to do.:)

We've done 3 Alaska cruises and about 7 Canada/NE cruises, and enjoyed all of them. My husband's favorite is AK, but Canada/NE is closer for us, so much more affordable. HAL is one of the only lines with small enough ships to get under the bridges between Quebec City and Montreal. I've only seen Quebec City on one of the C/NE cruises, and I can't wait to go back. Also love the other ports on HAL's itinerary. Having grown up in New England, I can tell you that the middle of October is the beginning of the foliage on the coast, but peak inland. So Montreal and Quebec will likely have peak foliage, but Halifax and St. John will be just starting. (It varies every year, but this is the average.) Right about the middle of October, the Canadian National Parks cut back to a skeleton crew. This affects the Fortress of Louisbourg near Sydney and the Citadel in Halifax. Also, bring warm clothing, because mid-October in Canada is COLD. (At least, it was when I was there.) Still, there are plenty of things to see and do, and the people are welcoming. We're booked on the Maasdam in June, and can't wait! (I fully expect it to be cold then, too. But I'm OK with that. We'll just bring sweaters.)

We sailed on the Zaandam to Alaska in 2002. We are sailing on the Maasdam in June on the Canada/New England itinerary. The last time we sailed HAL, I made a list of all of the little extra things they did, that the other cruise lines we had sailed on up to that time didn't. I've been trying to find out if these have changed or are still the same:

1. We were escorted to our cabin by one of the crew (an officer, I think.)

2. They had hot and cold hors d'oeuvres in all of the lounges before dinner.

3. Someone with a xylaphone would "call" us to dinner.

4. The buffet on the lido deck was not self-serve. The staff was there to put the items on your plates.

5. Five kinds of ice cream on the buffet, with "make your own sundae" ingredients - even Creme de Menthe at no additional cost!

6. Yummy baked goods at the coffee bar. Not the greatest coffee, but free, unless you wanted booze in it.

7. Bags of popcorn outside the movie theater just before the movie.

8. Beautiful artwork all over the ship - that I know they still have.

9. No annoying announcements every 5 minutes about bingo, etc, etc. They assume that you are smart enough to read the daily program.

10. In Glacier Bay, they went around the decks outside with a trolley of pea soup, and another with hot chocolate.

11. When it was our turn to tender, it was a chilly day. They had a crew member standing on the tender dock to offer HAL passengers a cup of Hot Chocolate while we waited for the tender.

You get the idea. I want to know the differences between HAL and the other lines.

Thank you in advance for any comments you care to share.

This may be a silly question. We are taking the shore excursion from Alesund. Does it matter which side of the bus we sit on? Thank you for all of your help, I-Cruiser.

Hi,

I would like to hear about your stateroom on the ship and how you liked it, any pre or post hotel stays, what you did in each port, what you liked or disliked and what you would do differently if you had it to do over again, where and what you ate and did for recreation on the ship. Also, how was embarkation/disembarkation, and getting to and from the ship? Also, did you eat in any alternative restaurants? How was the food and service? Did you go to any shows? Enquiring minds want to know! Whatever you do, I hope you all have a great time.

Thank you I-Cruiser, and the others who answered also. I appreciate the advice. We really love history, and are really looking forward to this trip. Do you have any ideas about what to do in Kristiansand? We are there on the last day of our cruise.

While watching them, we're getting excited for our cruise in August.

If you let your friend "take over the booking" as a travel agent, he or she will get a commission from the cruise line. He will be in charge of servicing the booking, and any changes you make or payments on it will be done through him.