AKJonesy

Try "Tokyo Airport Transfers" does transfers between hotel and cruise port. They have larger SUVs and vans.

Seems high. I looked as Princess as a comparison and there was one less port and half the fees. It is hard to compare, but I have noticed that Holland pacific coast and Alaska are high no matter the ship. Just sayin.

Add on time before or after cruise if you when disembarking in Seward, Whittier, or Anchorage. Rent your own car or RV and get out and really see some great Alaska.

It's kind of hard to answer not knowing your interest, but I don't recommend Anchorage unless you have a reason to go there. You could explore around the Portage Valley which is the valley you will be in when you come out of the Whittier Tunnel. There are a couple of easy hikes I could recommend there, and it's a very pretty valley. When you come out of the tunnel and head to the Seward Highway, I also recommend the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and/or hop up to Girdwood and take the tram up Mt. Alyeska and/or there are a number of hikes there also I would recommend. Girdwood is a lovely little town. Grab lunch at he Bake Shop at the base of Mt. Alyeska and stop at Girdwood Brewing. Even if you don't like beer, they have their own great root beer and always have food trucks. If you are interested in any of that, we can provide more details.

@volk904 We curb check wherever it's offered. It's so much faster than waiting in line for check in or drop bag.

They had a free airport shuttle when we were there last in November. Call them when you arrive, and they will tell you where to meet them. There is a shuttle bus area to the left and right out of baggage claim. They come about every 20-30 minutes if I recall and there is a covered area at the pick up. Great food at Padrinos about a block away. Find it on google maps.

IDK, but this morning I pulled up a couple of HAL cruises on Pacific Coast and Alaska and wowsers...the fees/etc were in some cases as much as the fare. Just sayin.

I can't remember back 10 years ago when we were on a cruise, but we're told to keep the police in view at all times and do not go more than a few blocks outside of the port. Police were everywhere. Truthfully, it made me kind of mad that HAL would even go to such a place. I mean, it didn't seem HAL was giving us some great experience so I had to wonder what their reasoning was. This was NOT THE SAME as going many places where we are always told to: keep your eye on your belongings, etc. So, IMHO, it's a combination of being aware of one's surroundings plus the CRUISE responsibility in keeping passengers safe. HAL can't be responsible for everything, but in that case, it went beyond creepy.

If you stay near the cruise port or FLL, a cab will be cheap to the port. It's a hop skip. We stayed at Hyatt House Fort Lauderdale South and Cruise Port. When you walk in the door there is a kiosk to sign up for the shuttle. I can't remember the price, but it was about the same as a cab. We liked the area and have stayed there twice now. There is good food within a block or two.

Yes, I would do it again. The latest I booked was 3 days prior. I once booked a Holland America cruise while sitting in Sky Club in LAX. It was a 2 week cruise that began in Auckland and ended in Sydney. We spent 10 days in advance of that trip in New Zealand driving around the country.

Westmark - yuk. Captain Cook - yes.

I specifically didn't post originally in Greece Ports because the post will probably get buried. However, the HAL forum is very active and I knew there would be people who have visited prior to their cruise. We'll see if anyone else posts.

@cruisemom42 - I didn't think of Rick Steves. Thanks for all your information. @OlsSalt have you done the greek cruise you mention above?

I'm asking a few questions for those who have traveled to Greece in advance of cruise. We are considering HAL NS NOV 2 2024 Athens-Rome-Fort Lauderdale 28 day. My questions surround how much time to spend in advance of the cruise. We want to see the usual sites, but possibly other islands if that is feasible. Of course, I'm looking at the usual travel sites, but want to ask my well-heeled fellow cruisers if they have done this. Time is not an issue, and we probably won't get back in the future, so I want to go all in. I'm not looking for every detail, but just some ideas if you have gone in advance, and what might be best mode of travel while there. Thanks. Karen

I miss former cruise/travel directors who I have not seen for quite awhile. I wonder if they are still around. I also miss seeing Future Cruise Consultants who were on the ships for years. Maybe they still are; I just haven't seen them. They always had a commercial on the onboard tv about them. I haven't seen Chantal, Susan or that couple (can't remember their name).

Traffic is horrendous there so plan accordingly.

I am a handwasher and I try to be aware of what I am touching, then clean my hands. Maybe it was the MDR menu! But, on our last 31 day NORO got me and got me good. Eventually, after being sick so many times in the bathroom, I passed out, hit my head on the toilet, hit my back on the tub and hit my hip on the floor. When I came to, which was probably seconds later, my husband was standing over me. It only takes a little touch and forgetfulness. NORO is nothing to play around with.

Pretty good. Better than Lido IMO. I like getting my food hot and "portioned". It's easy to try a little bit of everything in Lido and overeat.

On our November 2023 cruise we had two separate booking numbers. We did not get off the ship in South America in a new country for immigration. We did not pay our bill at the end of the first segment; we paid after the entire 31 days.

IF you have to move, the stewards will take care of it. You won't have to pack everything up. Anything on hangars can remain. You shouldn't have to leave the ship. We didn't. It wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to guest services while on first cruise and see if they are accommodating you to stay in same stateroom. It will be very hectic at guest services first day, so I'd stop by early the next morning before the line forms and ask.

Talking politics is like talking about covid. Just don't. People are very passionate about both subjects.

@GSP-parents grab the pdf for any HAL ship and you will see these suite staterooms. Just google Holland America (ship name) stateroom pdf. On the Pinnacle class ships (Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Koningsdam) as mentioned it's AS down to BC. On the older ships it's A down to BC. That might help.

@Haljo1935 I never used Luggage Direct but getting to that point of not wanting to lug it around anymore. Can you provide an url on finding information and cost?

Even though I get priority boarding, along with many many others, I have gone to the San Diego port late. We once went according to our time, and it was very hot and no place to get out of the sun. Ask your hotel for a late check out.

No, in all my years sailing HAL, I've never heard of this. Of course, there have been thunderstorms in places like FLL that have delayed inbound passengers from reaching the ship before departure, but HAL has waited for them. I have seen that a few times. Recently, we had one port we could not reach due to a very late departure from a South America port due to high seas and weather, but that's been the worst of what I've experienced.