HAL shuttles???

[chives]

We will be on the Veendam this summer going to the Baltics. We looked at the ports and decided to do most of them on our own. I know that some of the other cruise lines offer a shuttle to take passengers that are not going on a ship excursion into the towns. We emailed HAL and they said that they did not have a shuttle. I'm wondering if this is true or if they just want people to think that so that they will sign up for the ship sponsored excursions. If they don't provide a shuttle, what is the best way to get into the various towns?

 

Any help is appreciated. I'm also going to cross-post on the Europe forum.

[peaches from georgia]

Haven't been on a HAL European cruise, but they don't have shuttles in any Caribbean or Canadian ports we have been in.

[innlady1]

Haven't been on a HAL European cruise, but they don't have shuttles in any Caribbean or Canadian ports we have been in.

 

We asked specifically when we were docked at Crown Bay, and were told HAL does not provide shuttle service. One reason could be they don't want to infringe on the local taxi service.

[peaches from georgia]

I meant to add- one thing I wish HAL would have is a golf cart to shuttle pax who need help getting from the ship to the port terminal where they can get a taxi or meet their excursion. We have been in ports (Barbados comes to mind first) where HAL has been the 2nd or 3rd ship docking and the walk to the terminal has been more than a few pax could do. We have seen other cruiselines provide this transportation.

[innlady1]

I meant to add- one thing I wish HAL would have is a golf cart to shuttle pax who need help getting from the ship to the port terminal where they can get a taxi or meet their excursion. We have been in ports (Barbados comes to mind first) where HAL has been the 2nd or 3rd ship docking and the walk to the terminal has been more than a few pax could do. We have seen other cruiselines provide this transportation.

 

Who provides the golf cart transportation in St. Maarten? I'm assuming it's a "port perk" because I noticed they picked up passengers from each ship docked, including HAL.

 

It's a wonderful service to offer; I agree.

[Cruising Illini]

The concierge in the Neptune tried to arrange taxi pick-up for us at the gang plank -- at least she claimed she did -- but we never had any success. A few ports have shuttles provided by the local businesses but the ship doesn't advertise this and I think it is to keep the tour operators (a franchise) happy. The last time we were in Barbadoe (Jan. 07) we were the first ship but it was hot and a VERY long walk -- other ships behind us had bus but they wouldn't stop. There was ONE taxi at the gangplank and it picked us up with the agreement that we took it to town -- they also picked us up about 2 hours later in town and back to the ship. HAL needs much improvement in this respect even if there is a charge it would be much appreciated because often tour buses are a great distance from the ship. I have stayed on the ship just because the walk is too far and that is not much fun.

[grannynurse]

We had shuttles in all our European ports but they were not HAL's. The service is sporadic at best. Some ports, due to an arrangement with HAL, accepted our room card as payment and some only accepted local currency. Charges run from $3.00 to $8.00 pp one way. In my experience, the ship usually does not dock very close to the center of town. Many people walk to town. In Tromso Norway there is quite a walk to get out of the dock area and then you have to take a bus into town. In the Faroes there is a shuttle to take you from the dock area to the street, it's about 5 minutes and it's free. The shuttles in Europe used to be free as they still are in Sitka Alaska but that's a thing of the past. Our worst experience was in Reykjavik Iceland when after waiting an hour in the wind, we finally shared a cab with another couple back to the ship for $3.00 pp.

There is transportation: many cabs that come into the port areas, there are shuttles, but you are on your own.

GN

[eldercruser]

In the past three or four years we have had port shuttles in Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm and Barcelona on HAL cruises. Always a small charge was levied either in cash or charged to our shipboard account. We will see what is available this summer.

[Pincus]

In my experience, HAL does not provide shuttles from their ships in port to the center of town.

 

I have seen shuttles provided by merchants/businesses who will gladly drive you to the center of the city, with a stop at their place of business. We have used this sort of service rarely because they do not operate on a dependable schedule. However, if there is a Wal-mart or a Hilo Hatties (not likely in the Baltics) nearby, their shuttles are running often.

[RuthC]

My experience in the Baltics/northern Europe in the last few years is that there is shuttle service ultimately, but it is not advertised in advance. "All the better to get you on a shore ex, my dear." :rolleyes: You first hear about it when the ship is cleared in that port. :eek:

 

In most ports there was a charge---as grannynurse says, cash or a charge to your on-board account.

[chives]

Thanks for the responses. It sounds like we will be able to find some sort of shuttle service into town, whether through HAL or someone else. I'm not surprised about the charges. I'm willing to pay when some of the cruise terminals are located so far from the town centers.

[SuzCruise]

On our last HAL cruise in Europe there were rarely shuttles offered by HAL and when there were they were far more expensive and less convenient than taxi's. Look for another couple doing things on their own and just share a cab.

 

Have a great trip!

[dakrewser]

In the Baltics, you dock so close to the main part of town that you would rarely need a shuttle but when you do need transportation there always seems to be city buses/trams and/or taxis available. You're best source of info, though, will be the Baltic Ports of Call forum...

[grannynurse]

In Russia, if you are going on your own, I believe you still need a Russian visa which you need to get before you leave the US. If you're using HAL's shorex, or a touring company like Red October, you don't need to apply for a visa independently.

 

Someone who's been there recently, please correct me if I am wrong.

GN

[Jade13]

Hal actually offers a free shuttle in Seward Alaska (I think it is mainly in place for the crew). We were pleasantly surprised and it saved us time & money.

 

We embarked at 11:30am had lunch and then took their shuttle into town to the Sea Life Center (the shuttle circles around) which would have been a hike. We than walked out of the Sea Life Center and took it to another spot (towards the ship) where we took a Whale Watch excursion we had booked on our own for 3:30pm. At 6:00pm we were close enogh from the small boat harbor to grab two packs of soft drinks and walk to the ship to start our cruise...

[jcrandle]

We were on the Rotterdam Baltic in 2006. The majority of the ports had shuttles available, either sponsored by HAL, or the local transportation company. The two exceptions that stand out are St. Petersburg (You can't exit the ship without a visa, or a tour booked with a recognized tour company) and Warnemunde (Berlin). The others either had shuttles available, or we docked within a mile or two or the downtown area.

 

The best source of information is either the shopping lecturer, or the port lecturer. Frank Buckingham was the port lecturer on our Baltic cruise, and was very knowledgeable on transportation issues.

 

I did go back and check our daily programs to see which ones mentioned a shuttle. Stockholm was $5 pp each way, Helsinki the same, Tallinn was $4 pp. There may have been other locally operated shuttles.