teacher43

One!!! Yay! Alaska here we come!:D

Thanks to those of you who post on this site!!! We now have lots of information for our upcoming trip to lovely Vancouver!:D

i go by my middle name and booked under middle name/last name out of habit. even my house deed is first initial /middle/last

 

i have yet to get my passport but of course it will have first/middle/last on it

 

will this be an issue getting the ship if the reservation is just middle/last name?

Your airline ticket (if you are flying) also has to match your passport as does your driver's license.

I walked past the building site many times as it was going up and did a little digging as I hadn't heard of Blu Hotels before, so can confirm it is a split residence/hotel. Not as swank as L'Hermitage, but still quite nicely-appointed suites.

 

Location is right beside the Hampton Inn, though very slightly better located as it's that teeny bit further from the stadium but most importantly has most of the windows pointed away from the stadium rather than toward it, so I'd imagine the rooms are a touch quieter than the Hamptons are for actual stadium events. Crowds on foot before and after events will go right past the hotel.

 

More Pros than Cons on the location IMO - you have many food choices very close by, e.g. Back Forty right across the street (loud and busy, especially pre-game, but does surprisingly good BBQ for a sports bar - and has frequently-amusing wordplay on their outside sign which changes often).

 

I'd avoid Bogarts in the Hampton - while it looks much better since the reno, the food overpromises and underdelivers and the staff need a LOT more training (I visited ~six months post-reno and it still sucked). Lots of other dining options within a couple of blocks up Robson if you just want cheap & cheerful - Ramen Jinya is a fave for noodles, do have the premium pork broth. Fancier fare is available with five mins walk into Yaletown, and you're about 15mins on foot from Gastown or Chinatown eateries. Walking to the pier with luggage might be more than most want to do - a mile, with some slight uphill parts.

Thank you so much for you insights!! One of my guide books also recommended The Flying Pig or Frankie's Italian Kitchen and Bar. Do you know anything about either one of those?

We have reservations at Hotel Blu prior to our cruise, but does anyone here know anything about this hotel? Never seems to be recommended anywhere and I'm beginning to wonder why. :confused: Thanks!

I drink very little soda and when I do it is diet coke but my DH liked Orange Fanta. :) He didn't have it often but now and then he enjoyed it. :)

 

 

We love Coke Zero...does anyone know if the ships have this?

 

Thanks,

Susan

Laundry

While I don't know for sure, I would call ship services at 1-800-541-1576. They might be able to tell you if this is possible and maybe even the approximate cost should this be possible. Good luck and I hope your tests can be done.

Susan

I'm still wondering what motivated NCL to go to Free Style dining? Has it been popular with passengers? Did they change because the majority of their passengers preferred free style to formal? Just curious.

Having sailed NCL several times, I can say pretty assuredly that on the "dress up or not" nights most people smarten up their smart casual clothing. My DH puts on his grey sports coat (no tie) and I wear a long black skirt with a sparkly top. Smart casual is the order of the day for most of the evenings, but I must admit that we wear nice jeans with nice shirts usually. While the food is not great on NCL, at least we have been comfortable. For our upcoming HAL cruise that same long black skirt will be pulled out, but DH will be sporting his new suit (DS is getting married in September right before we leave on our cruise!).:D

So...my DH and I almost always wear jeans during the day. Are jeans allowed in all dining venues during breakfast or lunch (except PG, of course)? We will be on a 38 day cruise (Oosterdam) and need to start clothing planning. Thanks to all of you who help all the rest of us.

Yes, we are joining the cruise in Seattle. Thanks for doing this!

Oosterdam on September 29 to Auckland, NZ--38 days

Hey Hank,

We're on that exact cruise, too!! I hesitate to start a roll call because I don't want to be in charge of arranging the meet and greet. Nice to meet a fellow cruiser!!

Susan

Hank,

Thank you!!! I went to the cruise we have booked for the end of September and found it had dropped $1400. I called my TA and am enjoying a savings of that amount. Final payment isn't due until June 17th so I'll keep an eye out for further drops. Thanks to Cruise Critic and you!:D

Susan