*Miss G*

BA has the notorious distinction of being the only airline to ever have lost my luggage in decades of flying. Upon my return home I had to send letters and receipts to request compensation. Costs were far below the allowance provided as I was being quite frugal, given it was London. I wish I had just gone ahead and purchased what I needed instead of sticking to a tight budget. (Shopping for essentials during a vacation is not high on my list of things to do when I am on vacation.) Having said that, United Airlines is the worst experience I have ever had flying First on a number of legs. I go out of my way to not ever fly with them again.

Wow, that is a quite extensive menu. Thank you so much!

Thank you for posting the current menu! I wonder if you wouldn’t mind posting the breakfast card menu when you have a chance? (No hurry.) Thank you!

SATURDAY, APRIL 27TH ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS After departing Dover, we were now on our way to disembarkation at Rotterdam, Netherlands. (For those of us not continuing on to Norway.) Around midnight or so, I could see all these red lights along our route: At dawn they were much closer and I was able to make out that they were wind turbines. Tons and tons of them. Here we are docked next to the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam: Following breakfast, we headed to the Pinnacle Grill to pick up the wheelchair service for my mother. The crew member whisked us off the ship, through immigration, then over to the baggage claim in record time. Then it was out the door into the cold, wind, and rain. 🥶 We hadn’t accounted for being processed so quickly so we were about an hour earlier than the pre-arranged time for our car service. (Thank you, @VMax1700.) My sister gave the company a quick call and someone was able to collect us not long after. There is a taxi line readily available as soon as you step outside if you haven’t made alternate arrangements. It was moving steadily, although there was quite a line of people waiting. The car service dropped us off at the Rotterdam train station. This is where we would jump on the P&O shuttle to the Europoort ferry terminal. We are taking the overnight ferry to Hull, England.

It was called Bee Le Havre. You’ll need to click on the “EN” button (top left) for the English version. They pick you up right at the cruise terminal and drop you back off at the same place. As you exit the terminal, turn right and they will be at the side of the building.

Sorry for the delayed response! I hope I have caught you in time. We had to divert north to Bermuda due to a medical emergency so it was cooler than it normally would be than if we’d gone straight to the Azores. From past experience, the weather will be warm for a few days out of FLL. We dressed in light layers and shed them as required. The Lido Pool area was kept pretty warm with the top only partially open. One day we happened to see an engineer at the controls so we all started yelling “More! More!” Then we all cheered when he opened one side all the way instead of just a crack. 😂 I usually found myself needing a sweater or long-sleeved top indoors and out. It depends how your body feels temperature, though. Ponta Delgado was unseasonably warm so we were quite hot there. From there to France, it got quite cool. Hope this helps!

Apologies. I think the lack of clarity is because we’re at cross-purposes. A poster said that her sister had her pass revoked due to not declaring the beer in her car. This means she was at a land border. Both you and CDNPolar asked if she hadn’t declared over her allowance. Since she was at a land border, I responded that everything must be declared whether she was over her allowance or not. The eGates at the airport have a different process. Hopefully, I have made things clearer and haven’t muddied the waters further. 😂

There are no questions at the eGates at Pearson. Just scan and go. If you have something to declare above your exemption, you do it after the eGate. The focus of my response was with regard to the above. Land borders still require the full declaration.

You must declare all goods purchased and gifts received. Each product is being imported into Canada whether an exemption applies or not.

I didn’t know the crew could accept alcohol from passengers. That would be nice if they could since we left a bottle of Prosecco on our last voyage.

So my question is… what is Pol Acker? Surely it can’t be as bad as the Wycliffe “champagne” on HAL? Or is it? Will now google it since my phone won’t allow me to do that in the middle of a post. 🤨

I don’t believe that MSC sails to Alaska. If you choose Princess, just a word of caution: don’t book one of the Royal-class ships as there are very limited viewing areas, both inside and outside. (I am not familiar with their other class ships so they may have more options.) All HAL’s ships are exterior-focused, while the Princess Royal-class ships are interior-focused. As well, the forward exterior space is an additional cost and there aren’t really any enclosed spaces where you can see the great outdoors. In addition, the Seaview Pool area is quite tiny, as is the prom. With that many family members, you may want to call the Group Booking number as there will probably be incentives available. They can also offer help with any other issues which go along with booking large groups. FWIW, all my extended family have enjoyed the HAL ships, including the young ones. Even those who have grown, and continue to sail, have HAL as a top choice. Have a wonderful time in whichever cruise line you choose.

This misty walk-through was interesting. I bet the kids enjoy this in the summer. Across the street from the mist is a place where you can get a full British breakfast with black pudding. That is where daughter and son-in-law headed while the rest of us walked up the street to do some shopping. Shopping done, father and sister headed back to the ship while we went for a walk along the waterfront. There were people swimming while we were bundled up against the cold wind! Looking back at the castle and the ferry port. Back in town, I had the fish and chips (surprise!) and my son-in-law had the fish finger sandwich. Yum. I left them to wander the shops as I went on to the castle. A view of the castle down a side street as we headed to that pick-up point. Arriving at the castle I could see an uphill climb and lots of people trying to board the shuttle. Unfortunately, it was full and those waiting would have to wait for the next bus, so I decided I didn’t want to deal with either of those issues and stayed onboard to return to the ship.

The white cliffs as we approach the port of Dover, England. The tour busses are in the foreground at the port. The two double-deckers on the far right are the shuttles which will make two stops: one to the city centre and the other at Dover Castle. The cost was £7, €8, or $10usd, all payable at the bus. You will need to keep your ticket stub to get back on for the return trip. The drop-off and pick-up point for the city centre is at this church. If you find yourself on the other side where the shops are, just look for the church and you can walk around it to the bus.