Port Information Sheet?

[sail7seas]

All the years we have sailed HAL, they have always either delivered to our cabin or handed out at the gangway a sheet for each port giving some history of the port, where to shop/ship recommended stores, where to have lunch but most importantly it gave Port Agent's Name and Contact Information. We have found on our most recent cruises, those sheets are either hard to find or not available at all.

 

Anyone who has sailed in the last month or so....... Did you always have access to those sheets if you wanted one? Could you always find Port Agents Name on those sheets? Thanks. This is something that is important to me.

[mudscraper]

We didn`t receive the sheets on our Noordam cruise but that was three months ago.

[Copper10-8]

They were available daily on Maasdam; delivered along with the Daily Program to each cabin's mailbox. On the morning of, extras were available in a stand near the gangway (across from the stairwell that leads to B-Deck) positioned alongside our Port Shopping Ambassador. People who still didn't get one, had a 3rd option to pick one up at the Front Office daily

[Boytjie]

I am pretty sure we got them for all the ports on our February cruise on the Eurodam (Curacao, Aruba and HMC)

[Linda&Vern]

Sail - On the Westerdam cruise March 3-17 there was a "booklet" with approx 2 pages on each port we were visiting. All the info you mentioned in your post was in there. It was the same size as the daily Explorer, but called "Your Caribbean Explorer." It was on the desk with the coffee table type books ... and not easily visable. I only found it because I was keeping other papers on top of it.

[Love the beach]

Sail - On the Westerdam cruise March 3-17 there was a "booklet" with approx 2 pages on each port we were visiting. All the info you mentioned in your post was in there. It was the same size as the daily Explorer, but called "Your Caribbean Explorer." It was on the desk with the coffee table type books ... and not easily visable. I only found it because I was keeping other papers on top of it.

 

We had the same on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise (Feb 24-Mar 10th)----I thought they had done away with it as well until I found the booklet.

[Vict0riann]

On the Eurodam TA + W.Med Collector's last month, we received booklets of informational pages, one for each port of call. They had quite a bit of info, but the maps were very poor and we complained to our port specialist on the second leg (no one on the first - just shorex guy) and he said they were supposed to be just an "overview", but I'm sure they could do better. They have in the past. They also used to write something in the daily Explorer about the port, if I remember rightly, but not any more, purely advertising in "On Location"! I think they really want you to take one of their shore excursions - which, on the whole, we did, but there were a few ports we really wanted to do on our own. It's going to mean more research before a cruise, printing out one's own maps, etc.

[cruz chic]

Sail - On the Westerdam cruise March 3-17 there was a "booklet" with approx 2 pages on each port we were visiting. All the info you mentioned in your post was in there. It was the same size as the daily Explorer, but called "Your Caribbean Explorer." It was on the desk with the coffee table type books ... and not easily visable. I only found it because I was keeping other papers on top of it.

That has been my experience too.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our Alaskan cruise last summer we got the new Explorer -- it contained all the information about the poerts - shopping, what to see, recommended restaurants and even the port agent information for each port. You can tear out the various pages to take with you when you go ashore. There were no extra Port Guides sent to the cabins or at the gangway.

Now on our recent Westerdam cruise we did get the "Your Panama Canal Explorer" with all the above information. AND at the gangway there was a Port Guide for each port.

[sail7seas]

Sail - On the Westerdam cruise March 3-17 there was a "booklet" with approx 2 pages on each port we were visiting. All the info you mentioned in your post was in there. It was the same size as the daily Explorer, but called "Your Caribbean Explorer." It was on the desk with the coffee table type books ... and not easily visable. I only found it because I was keeping other papers on top of it.

 

 

Yes, they had the booklet in our cabin on Westerdam but that is a pain IMO

 

I liked getting the sheets we could fold and put in pocket or purse. We certainly didn't want to carry around the booklet. Anything that makes my vacation life less convenient is on the negative side of the ledger for me.

 

It was great when they delivered them to the cabins and happy to hear Maasdam still does that.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes, they had the booklet in our cabin on Westerdam but that is a pain IMO

 

I liked getting the sheets we could fold and put in pocket or purse. We certainly didn't want to carry around the booklet. Anything that makes my vacation life less convenient is on the negative side of the ledger for me.

 

It was great when they delivered them to the cabins and happy to hear Maasdam still does that.

Thanks everyone.

 

 

As I mentioned -- the pages can be torn out of the booklet.

[geoherb]

I've always found the port guides to be lacking in info. They're mainly a vehicle for the cruise line to make money by promoting shops that have paid to be included. That said, however, I have always taken them with me in case something makes it necessary for us to contact the port agent.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I've always found the port guides to be lacking in info. They're mainly a vehicle for the cruise line to make money by promoting shops that have paid to be included. That said, however, I have always taken them with me in case something makes it necessary for us to contact the port agent.

 

I just take the guide for the Port Agent information as well.

Nothing else interests me.

[sail7seas]

All I want from it is the Port Agents name and contact info.

 

Yes, I know I can take a pencil and paper and write it down from the Booklet but I liked getting the Port Info Sheet.

 

I even liked having the rough map though most of them aren't very good.

 

Yes, I know I can rip the booklet up but I prefer to leave it available for the next guest if the ship does repeating itineraries. I'm not sure how dependably that booklet gets replaced and I wouldn't want to rip it apart and the next guest has nothing.

 

[sail7seas]

As I mentioned -- the pages can be torn out of the booklet.

 

 

Yes, I know.

I saw the perforations.

[Typhoon1]

They were still around in February.

 

However, they were quickly discarded into the recycle container.

 

Not a bad idea to get rid of them, as I always thought they were of very little use.

[mamaofami]

Just off Maasdam, and that page was not delivered to our cabin and I never saw it at the gangway. I always like to have the port agent's name and phone number. If it was available at the front desk, I didn't know.

[sail7seas]

They were still around in February.

 

However, they were quickly discarded into the recycle container.

 

Not a bad idea to get rid of them, as I always thought they were of very little use.

 

 

Who would you call for help if you had an emergency while ashore in a foreign port?

 

Port Agent is your 'friend in town' and I never like to leave the ship without name and contact info.

 

Where do you get that info if not off that sheet? :confused:

A line up at front office...... or concierge's desk?

 

 

[iflyrc5]

On the Ryndam in February there was a small sheet of paper in the rack with the other stuff that had the port agent info for every port on the cruise. Very nice touch.

[cruz chic]

All I want from it is the Port Agents name and contact info.

 

Yes, I know I can take a pencil and paper and write it down from the Booklet but I liked getting the Port Info Sheet.

 

I even liked having the rough map though most of them aren't very good.

 

Yes, I know I can rip the booklet up but I prefer to leave it available for the next guest if the ship does repeating itineraries. I'm not sure how dependably that booklet gets replaced and I wouldn't want to rip it apart and the next guest has nothing.

 

 

I could be wrong but I thought they had the date on the cruise on the book. I'm positive they would replace it if you used it.

[sail7seas]

On the Ryndam in February there was a small sheet of paper in the rack with the other stuff that had the port agent info for every port on the cruise. Very nice touch.

 

 

That's what I'm interested in.

 

What rack?

Where?

Thanks.

 

[iflyrc5]

In our ocean view cabin it was in the rack on the desk near the makeup mirror. The Hardbound book and the services book were in there too.

[Richie2pies]

The usual handout only contains maps guiding you to their recommended shops. Why not a map of the port which includes ALL places to visit. HAL is only interested in getting you to their shops where they get a cut of the action.

[Vict0riann]

We were very disappointed with their maps in the new information booklet - and we certainly let them know it! I think for our upcoming cruise to Norway, I will print out maps before we go. I am a map afficionado and I really want to know where I am.

[NanaBnana]

We were on the Westerdam SA category in January; the booklet was on the desk. It had the port agent, maps, shopping info and history. We just took an iPhone photo of the map and of the agent info since we bring our phone with us into port in case of emergency.