saskacruiser

We almost exclusively stay on deck 4, somewhere over the dining room and there is absolutely no noise from below. Love the extended balcony. 

Call a PCC or HAL and ask for the ‘advantage fare’ which is cruise only and a refundable deposit. It is only slightly more than the non-refundable ‘cruise only’ option that is online. The advantage fare is not an online option.

This makes little sense. If I have a quad, and Jack has a quad, and Jill has a quad, but we are all sailing as couples - then who does HAL choose to move because someone else needs a quad? And why choose one over the other. Certainly they wouldn’t leave it up to the requesting party? We have pretty much always had a quad - a stateroom I choose - and I have the reservation marked ‘no changes’ (I don’t want their version of an upgrade). 

IMO, if you need a quad you should be booking early (like I do) so that you can get the cabin you want. And if HAL doesn’t want that to happen, then a quad should not be included in my choices.

Shampoo and conditioner are provided and replenished. I like the Elemis products - they are a luxury brand, scented, but not at all heavily or lingering. I have a sensitive scalp that is prone to severely drying out, but this product does not bother me at all so I think it is gentle. It does clean and wash out well with no waxy residue. I absolutely love the skin moisturizer provided. A hair dryer is also provided in the top desk drawer.

3 hours ago, ellieanne said:

The internet is more reliable, but you have to download the app for it to work, which is frustrating if you need connectivity on your laptop not your phone. Also, you can only have one device connected at a time, unless you pay for a premium package. So you have to log in and out and reconnect if you need to use all your devices. Skype/Zoom/Streaming are only available with premium packages too.
So while it is better, it's still not great.

Do you mean the Navigator app? I would have expected everything to work as it did before re: connecting via the app, surf vs premium, etc -  only (I hope) much faster. But thank you!

They have pickleball courts now - we’re looking forward to that on our first post-covid cruise scheduled for next month.  Also Starlink now provides (hopefully) better connectivity. Staying active and staying connected are important to me.

I book my own economy+ (whatever allows for change/cancellation), fly in 2 days before and I don’t choose flights with short connection times - minimum 3 hour layover (lessons learned)

We also have always had deck 4 somewhere over the dining area and haven’t ever heard noise from below. Great location, great balconies.

I have this - it is not only good for carrying around your phone (mine is the large iPhone) and room card on the ship, it’s also great for going ashore. I use it a lot, not just for travel.

https://pacsafe.com/collections/crossbody-bags/products/daysafe-anti-theft-tech-crossbody-bag

I’m Canadian, and received 1st AZ and 2nd Phizer. I don’t feel like I’ve been duped or am hard done by making that decision. I’m not going to scramble or worry. Rather, I feel like if I can’t cruise because of this ridiculous new rule, their loss. We have Hawaii booked, but we have a finite amount of vacation dollars and are more than willing to cancel and spend that $$ on some other vacation, and no doubt we’ll keep it in our own country. 

4 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Probably December this year , Astro Zeneca is making 2 billion vaccines that seem to work (Oxford study) very well, Barbados is open now, so I feel we're on our way back..

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/bahamas-bans-us-travelers-tourism-trnd/index.html

The only way I know that I am getting a lower casino rate is if I first do a booking without signing in, and then exactly the same booking after signing in (which always gives me the lower casino rate). It does not indicate that anywhere otherwise. The casino rate, for me, is applied to any fare and not just the ones that are marked private sale.

It may well be that the non-casino rate for the V&V with internet would have been much higher. Casino discounts can be quite substantial.

I happened to see something that made me see the light as to why your cruise was aRockin and aRollen so much. You went through or near to a BOMB CYCLONE!!!  QUOTE "A record 75-foot wave off California coast was produced by ...https://www.latimes.com › california › story › thanksgiving-week-storm-re...

2 hours ago, leerathje said:

 

We have something in Canada called a conditional sentence. Many years ago My friend, as a young man, had an assault charge for which he pled guilty  and received a conditional 1 year sentence. He kept his nose clean for a year, and his record was erased in Canada.  However, it was still visible to US Customs, and he was denied entry to the US.  Still is.

This isn’t correct. A conditional sentence is a conviction but instead of jail, the sentence is served at home/in the community. http://lawfacts.ca/node/68. Unless you receive a Record Suspension (Pardon), that record will always be. You may mean Conditional Discharge, and if so, your friend can request a Destruction of Non-Conviction Information which can solve this. http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/managing-criminal-records

We had a stern verandah on NA on deck 4 near the centre (I think it was 4189, just to the right of that little ladder) The cabin itself was about 3’ longer than standard. There was room between the sofa and the bedside table to put the chair, and more extra room on the other side of the bed. The verandah was  standard, 9’ wide and 6’ depth. I expected it to be slightly larger (deeper) but it was not. Deck 5 verandahs appeared to be shallower yet.  Although a lovely location otherwise, I personally will not book a stern cabin again because there was a lot of soot on the verandah floor.  I’m very partial to aft (not stern) deck 4 on the Signature and Pinnacle class ships because of location and deeper verandahs.

2 hours ago, kwbtraveler said:

How about noise from elevator area?

Very little noise was heard from the elevator area ... the odd bit from the staff area between 4154 and 4156 but that was minimal. Great area, in my opinion.

We were in 4154 and never heard a thing from below.

We had 4189 on the Nieuw Amsterdam in Jan 2017. The balcony is standard, and the cabin itself is longer. There is extra room between the bathroom wall and the end table; and between the sofa and the other end table there was more than enough room to set the chair there.

You do go thru Customs in Toronto, but no need to gather your luggage. It's transferred for you, and you confirm it's yours by a photo.

It's a lot of walking and you may be required to take a short shuttle ride to the next terminal (all while staying within the secure area) but it's all doable in that amount of time. Our layover is generally 2.5 to 3 hours and we have plenty of time to eat and then sit around waiting.

I'm also cruising Panama Canal Nov 19 but with Holland America. I thought I'd reply to you because I have spent a number of vacations in Huatulco. 

Huatulco is the area. Within that are 2 towns - Bahia Santa Cruz is where the ship docks, and La Crucecitta. They are side by side and you can't tell when you're actually leaving one and entering the other. Santa Cruz is very small and not densely populated, and La Crucecitta is the bigger but still far from being a 'city'. The area includes 9 bays, some totally undeveloped as they are protected and within a national park area.  Others are developed but by north american standards they are more towards primitive. Bay tours will all have a number of these and probably stopping to snorkel at one of them. In November the jungle will still be green (its quite brown and dry by January) and it will be pretty to view from the water.  This shows all the bays and towns. The bay tours will encompass, for the most part, the bays from Oregano to San Agustin.

https://www.tomzap.com/map_east.html

Santa Cruz is very small. You will dock at a fairly short pier in an area that has an small expanse of beach which is very nice for swimming and lined with restaurants.  Behind that is a marina and some shopping. There is a nice square with a gazebo in the centre that serves great coffee in all forms (Cafe Huatulco). There will also be many taxis, all who will be willing to take you somewhere. Just a ride within the area is very cheap and I'd recommend having pesos. Taxi rates are posted and, in all my time spent vacationing there, I have never been ripped off by a taxi trying to charge more than the posted rate.  Taxis are more than plentiful everywhere and always looking for a fare so if you stay within the area, you needn't worry about not getting back to the ship on time. Within this area you will always be able to see the ship in the bay. If you're there on a Saturday morning there may be an organic farmer's market in the square surrounding Cafe Huatulco.

About 40 pesos (perhaps less) will get you to La Crucecitta to 'centro'.  It is also walkable although it is very hot, humid and sunny. There is a newly built walkway that leads out straight from the ship and up and over a hill. While on top of that hill you get a great view of the ship in the bay. La Crucecitta is a great area to walk around or sit in the square, have some ice cream and people watch. It's difficult to get lost and I'm sure you could download a map of the town before you go to help you along. The big Lady of Guadalupe church is right in front of the square. 

The Copalita Ruins are interesting but IMO not worth the price of a ship excursion. You can easily take a taxi there, pay admission, and go on your own although guides are available for rent once you get there. We did not get a guide but then, we didn't really want all the history explained to us, we just wanted to see it all. It is quiet and jungle like with wide, flat and well defined paths. The ruins themselves are not "WOW" but they are ruins. It's a great area for bird watching, too, because it is quiet. The walk eventually takes you up to a lookout that overlooks where the Copalita River enters the ocean. That view is stunning. That beach that you overlook is called La Bocana which is my favourite place of all in Huatulco. When you exit the ruins you can go (walk or cab) to La Bocana - there is a very small village with cobblestone streets just before the beach. We like to walk the beach to the river and watch the birdlife there as there is also a lagoon that has formed in this area. There is often a crude shade structure and some driftwood to sit on. Beautiful, beautiful place. Local fishermen are sometimes there net fishing from the beach, and there will probably be a few ladies who will offer a mud bath.  Maybe some surfers. If you go, and feel like a snack after that, Los Gueros in that little village has the best fries (among many other choices). The taxi driver will arrange a time to come back and get you. 

Any of the ship excursions that involve country will, no doubt, involve a drive up into the mountainous area to Santa Maria Huatulco, coffee farms (Pluma Hidalgo), waterfalls (in the Magdalena River), or a botanical garden (Hagia Sofia). These drives always leave me with motion sickness and a headache because they are so twisty.   Any bay tour will take in generally 3-5 bays with a stop for food and/or snorkeling. If you like snorkeling, I'd recommend simply a taxi from Santa Cruz to L'Entrega - cheap and close by and you can snorkel from the beach. Rental equipment is available there along with plenty of restaurants to sit at.  The botanical garden is interesting but it is not the term I would have used as it has a more of a wild feel to it.

Culture may involve going to the town of Santa Maria Huatulco which is enroute to the mountainous area. Again, very easy to take a taxi there and back without issue. Aside from wandering around, shopping and eating, I'm not sure what the draw there is. It is the home of residents displaced by the development of the Huatulco resort area. 

I hope this helps some. I'm going back there again for a couple of weeks in January - this time I'm hoping to go to the town of Pochutla on a Monday to take in the big market and to Yee Lo Bee Parque Mariposario, a butterfly sanctuary (mariposariohuatulco.com)  

We, too, were on Eurodam in mid-October and the 2 ceramic beds were not working then, either. One of the steam rooms (of 3) was permanently not in service, and another did not work for a full day/night.  Incidentally, while on the Konigsdam last year, the large steam room was not working for the majority of the 11 day cruise. As much as I love the spa pass (mainly for the steam), I doubt I will purchase one again as the proper maintenance of its components does seem to be lacking.

We spent a few extra days at the end of our trip in San Diego and loved the city and it's very friendly residents. We stayed at Best Western Plus Bayside and couldn't have been more pleased with the room, view and location. We are looking forward to returning to SD in 2019 to embark on our Panama Canal cruise. 

We just got off the Koningsdam and I had the 10-day spa package. For one person it cost $199, or for a couple, $299. I used it every day, on sea days I was there 2-3 times. It never felt at all crowded when I was there (mornings on sea days, plus around 4-5 each afternoon), I don't think there were really ever more than 10 people there at a time. I was told they would sell only 60 passes. If all the 10-day passes are sold, they would not sell day passes (at $40 per day). Some people were there with day passes later in the cruise, so I assume not all the 10-day passes were sold. I would get the package again in a heartbeat. Loved the steam rooms (with eucalyptus), lounging on those heated beds, and that giant bubbling (very strong bubbling) thermal pool with the massaging super strong jets of water. My skin felt amazing (I come from a dry cold climate so I really noticed that!) I didn't utilize the dry sauna nor the various rain showers. Very nice area, relaxing, quiet. Plain water, infused water and cranberry juice are always available.

The steam rooms quit working a few days into the cruise - a broken part that they didn't have a replacement for and I was refunded $50 for the inconvenience which I thought fair. I was disappointed though, that large steam room in particular is awesome.

When you are in Section 2 “stateroom” of the online booking, you have to choose the “stateroom type” tab that is to the left of “location and deck”. That will then allow you to type in a stateroom number. Midship verandas are available on this sailing.

We had an aft facing verandah on the Nieuw Amsterdam, upper promenade. A bit of soot, nothing terrible. No vibration at all. No noise from below us at all. Our stateroom was very roomy, enough room to put the chair between the sofa and the bedside table, and there was extra space on the other side of the bedside table as well.

Thanks very much for your responses, I think I may change to 4189 on the chance the cabin and/or balcony are slightly larger than 6166. Less chance of motion wouldn't be a bad thing for me, either.