Mj17ak

Does anyone know how early luggage can be dropped off with Delta at Haneda Airport?  Delta help desk could not answer my question; was hoping to find someone who has flown Delta from Haneda.  Our experience has been that luggage can be dropped off 3 hrs prior to departure of flight, but that can differ by airport and airline.  We thought we would wait in the Delta lounge for the several hours but if we can’t drop off bags, then we have to find alternate plan. We are also looking into a tour after disembarking the ship and before the flight.  Appreciate any insight.

To John2003 and Pop-Pop, thank you for sharing your experience.  I feel a bit more at ease.  Fingers crossed for our testing next Tuesday. 

My husband and I need to do a proctored Covid test for our upcoming Transatlantic cruise 20 Oct and we have never done online testing; always used 15toknow physical location.  I found Azova to do the test proctoring.  I am probably stressed for no reason but I would feel better knowing the process with Azova as our tests are scheduled prior to leaving for the airport to fly from the US to England.  Some questions:

1.  Do both of us do the test at the same time, or one after the other?  I have an appt for me and an appt for my husband.  I saw on Azova website to let the proctor know there are 2 people.

2.  How do you connect with the proctor?  Do they call my cell phone on record?

3.  Do I have to login to my Azova account prior to the call?

4.  How do I make sure our test results are sent to our Azova accounts?

5.  Does an iPhone work well enough for observation? 

Thanks in advance for any help.  I just don't need the stress.  

I also need to have myself and my husband tested at the same time.  
-  did you sign into the Azova app using your phone or a laptop?

-  did you upload one photo of both results, or did you upload a separate photo for each test?

- any problem with getting your results and your husband’s results to your respective  Azova account given you were tested during one call?

I did contact Azova with my questions but am not confident of the answers received.

Enjoyed your review of your Galapagos adventure.  Ours starts on Saturday, 28 May.  One question for you… were snorkel vests provided by the ship for snorkeling?

On 17 April, I requested a refund for our 16 May 2020 Galapagos cruise ☹️ and received the credit to my Visa today (4 weeks) - very pleased to see the refund as offered.   Am still waiting for a refund from Flights by Celebrity which I knew would be refunded separately.  Expect it within the next 30 days.

On 10/29/2019 at 5:41 PM, BayWatching said:

 

Strongest recommendation to future cruisers: book HAL’s Rotterdam IMMEDIATELY if you’re looking for:

—LOUSY FOOD (except for the specialty dining rooms, which HAL seemingly is up-selling by downgrading everything and everywhere else). Dining room: under seasoned, underwhelming ; much-touted “Dive-In” burgers: dry and flavorless. 

—CREAKY SHIP including: 1) stinky sewage seeping into our suite from an adjoining pipe closet 2) leaking pipes above our verandah 3) a fire that resulted in an all-ship alarm awakening us in the middle of the night (reportedly TWO fires in the two weeks immediately preceding our trip.)

LOW-BROW SERVICE from a Neptune Suite concierge, a benefit for which we paid handsomely after excellent service on a prior HAL voyage. She refused to reverse bar charges for a rum-and-coke that was delivered as a gin-and-coke and an in-suite honor bar soda that wasn’t drunk; she “apologized” for the raw sewage seeping into our suite with a cheap bottle of wine and a short, impersonal typed apology; and, she assured us we would LOVE the next port of call literally moments before we learned that the port would be skipped due to bad weather. It was inconceivable to us that she hadn’t already been alerted to that. (And if she hadn’t, that’s a different problem altogether.) 

All this, for $16K! 

Speaking of bad weather, I am not blaming HAL for skipping five ports and replacing them with two alternative stops and three addl nights at sea or in port. Safety, as the captain told us, is #1. So this review isn’t biased because of that—at all. 

On the other hand, going the extra mile to meet his passenger’s needs apparently was, for the Rotterdam’s captain, priority #23. Responding to passenger‘s concerns about those skipped ports of call, potential financial losses for missing independently-arranged tours, and a desire for more information, his advice was,“You should buy one of our ship WiFi plans.”

As if offering complimentary WiFi for a few hours would ruin his bottom line. 

But speaking of bottom lines, here’s mine: The Rotterdam is doddering. Dining is below average. Customer service  (excluding the loyal stewards and dining staff who are doing their best) is subpar. (But America’s Test Kitchen live shows are phenomenal. Those ought to be offered every day.) 

Something is rotten on the Rotterdam. And until someone does something about it, it’s Bon Voyage, Holland America!

On 10/29/2019 at 5:41 PM, BayWatching said:

 

Strongest recommendation to future cruisers: book HAL’s Rotterdam IMMEDIATELY if you’re looking for:

—LOUSY FOOD (except for the specialty dining rooms, which HAL seemingly is up-selling by downgrading everything and everywhere else). Dining room: under seasoned, underwhelming ; much-touted “Dive-In” burgers: dry and flavorless. 

—CREAKY SHIP including: 1) stinky sewage seeping into our suite from an adjoining pipe closet 2) leaking pipes above our verandah 3) a fire that resulted in an all-ship alarm awakening us in the middle of the night (reportedly TWO fires in the two weeks immediately preceding our trip.)

LOW-BROW SERVICE from a Neptune Suite concierge, a benefit for which we paid handsomely after excellent service on a prior HAL voyage. She refused to reverse bar charges for a rum-and-coke that was delivered as a gin-and-coke and an in-suite honor bar soda that wasn’t drunk; she “apologized” for the raw sewage seeping into our suite with a cheap bottle of wine and a short, impersonal typed apology; and, she assured us we would LOVE the next port of call literally moments before we learned that the port would be skipped due to bad weather. It was inconceivable to us that she hadn’t already been alerted to that. (And if she hadn’t, that’s a different problem altogether.) 

All this, for $16K! 

Speaking of bad weather, I am not blaming HAL for skipping five ports and replacing them with two alternative stops and three addl nights at sea or in port. Safety, as the captain told us, is #1. So this review isn’t biased because of that—at all. 

On the other hand, going the extra mile to meet his passenger’s needs apparently was, for the Rotterdam’s captain, priority #23. Responding to passenger‘s concerns about those skipped ports of call, potential financial losses for missing independently-arranged tours, and a desire for more information, his advice was,“You should buy one of our ship WiFi plans.”

As if offering complimentary WiFi for a few hours would ruin his bottom line. 

But speaking of bottom lines, here’s mine: The Rotterdam is doddering. Dining is below average. Customer service  (excluding the loyal stewards and dining staff who are doing their best) is subpar. (But America’s Test Kitchen live shows are phenomenal. Those ought to be offered every day.) 

Something is rotten on the Rotterdam. And until someone does something about it, it’s Bon Voyage, Holland America!

Sorry to hear of your issues on the Rotterdam.  We are currently on the Rotterdam and will be disembarking in Civitavecchia on 2 Nov.  Our experience has been quite different; we really enjoy Rotterdam’s intimate size where nothing is too far away.  We have found the food and service in the Lido buffet and Pinnacle Grill to be very good.  We have not experienced the main dining room, so I cannot comment on that but have heard good comments from other passengers.  

We are staying in one of the Pinnacle Suites and have enjoyed excellent service from the cabin stewards and the concierge.  There was an unpleasant odor in the extra bathroom which I believe was from the plumbing in the wall behind the toilet.  Both the concierge and his assistant have been very responsive to inquiries and to requests to have incorrect account charges removed.  The internet has been acceptable for email, surfing, etc. but I was not always successful in loading videos (depends on time of day and location on ship).  

All crew members with whom we have interacted have been very helpful and cheery.  Shore excursion logistics went smoothly.  Bartenders remember orders - No complaints here.  In fact, if I walked up to a bar, I was intercepted by a bar staff member who took my order and delivered it to my table nearby.  They were always very helpful. 

We would definitely sail on the Rotterdam again.

17 hours ago, GrammieK said:

We've used it often. Just sign the slip that is left on the counter. We have never been charged, but we've always had the drink package. 

Youre really gonna enjoy that Neptune suite. Just curious, was the upsell to pinnacle a lot more $$$$?

Thanks for the info, GrammieK.  Looking forward to staying in the Neptune suite.  We gave up a Vista suite.  The upsell to the Pinnacle suite was 3 times more than the upsell to the Neptune. 

We just received an upgrade offer to a Pinnacle or Neptune Suite on the Rotterdam in October and decided on the Neptune suite.  Does anyone know if you can get alcoholic drinks in the Neptune Lounge on the Rotterdam?  I have not been able to find any reference to a bar in HA’s literature or on CC.

Thanks.

I was on the POA in June 2019 in a suite.  I was disappointed there were no USB ports in the cabin.  There were US and European outlets (I think 2) in the room on the desk and in the vanity area.  No outlets beside the bed, though.

I posted earlier about the feasibility of checking in our son and daughter-in-law with us in the POA Suite check in room...

I emailed the NCL Concierge (Norwegianconciergedesk@ncl.com) explaining that I am paying for their cruise (2nd anniversary present) and want to apply my cc to their reservation, and asked for Concierge’s approval to allow son/daughter-in-law to check in with us.  They responded the next day and approved my request.  I am grateful to the Concierge and sent her a reply expressing my appreciation.

Our cuise is in June, so I will call the concierge in May. I am trying to get my son/daughter-in-law checked in with us since I am paying for them.  They are in a balcony and we are in a suite on the POA.  I will post the result.

Thank you NHL Arizona and Two Wheels Only.

Do you have the email address for the concierge?

For our June 2019 cruise on the POA, both of our two cabins changed from SG and B6 to OX.  Cabin numbers did not change.  Made me nervous so I called NCL reservations and was told their records show the correct categories, SG and B6.  The rep said it must be a website glitch.  Wish they would fix it.

I have a 14 night cruise on Celebrity Reflection that goes to ABC islands with few other stops. I was looking for something comparable on NCL but haven't found anything going to ABC islands.

We are booked on NCL Star, 19-30 Nov 2018, out of Miami. Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Ocho Rios are the scheduled ports for this Southern Caribbean cruise.

There are many websites catering to trip insurance but I recently used tripinsurancestore.com as a resource. I provided Steve with some details pertinent to my trip (I was only looking to cover airfare) and he made a recommendation, but also provided plan details on 2 plans so that I could make an informed decision. There is no additional cost for the insurance if you buy it through tripinsurancestore.com. Recommend checking out the website the next time you need trip insurance. I will use them the next time I need trip insurance.

I am booked on the Jade 13-25 April 2018 for a transatlantic cruise. What kind of temperatures have people encountered on a similar cruise during April?

Does anyone have any pictures to share of the Norwegian Pearl since its recent renovation?

Just got off the ship 3-10 March)... I don't have pix but the refurbishment seemed to be subtle... new carpet, artwork, and furnishings in the public areas, restaurants, and cabins. They added some decorative railings (serving as a way to break up the space) in Moderno and Cagneys. I found a USB port on the underside of each of the 2 bedside lamps in our cabin - I don't remember these before. There was one 110-volt electrical outlet on one side of the bed and 2 other outlets in the bathroom area (we were in a suite) which existed prior to the refurbishment.

I used Tours By Locals. Go to toursbylocals.com to find availability of tours. Our tour guide's name was Paul H. I have a $20 coupon good til 1 Sep that I will send you. If you would like it, send me an email to mj17ak@comcast.net.

This was a very culturally enriching cruise to countries we had never previously visited. As far as currency needed, Danish Kroner and Euros should suffice. Credit cards are accepted in most stores.

We arrived in Copenhagen two days prior to the cruise and spent the day of arrival walking around the city getting our bearings. Scandic Palace Hotel was very convenient to the pedestrian street, Stroget; to Tivoli Gardens; the central train station; and lots of local shops, restaurants, and bakeries. There was a grocery store, Irma, located across the city hall square across from the hotel. A 7-11 was one block from the hotel. The hotel room (maybe a superior + category) was very acceptable and the buffet breakfast included local meats, cheeses, pastries and breads, plus eggs, bacon, sausages, oatmeal, and other food. Orange and apple juice, coffee and tea were also available. Be careful in the bathroom - the step in/out of the tub is very high. The NCL rep was in the lobby the day before and the day of the cruise and provided a letter with transfer details. If you don't use the ship's transfer, recommend a taxi - too far to walk and not very convenient to take luggage on the city bus. Plenty of taxis available outside of the hotel. The pier where the ship departs from is very far away from any tourist attractions - you need transportation to get to the pier. I understand the city bus goes near the terminal.

Everything is very expensive in Copenhagen but we were prepared for this. A 12oz bottle of Pepsi was 25 or 35 DKK ($4-5), depending where you bought it (hotel lobby or 7-11). DKK or credit card are the accepted methods of payment. Watch out for bicyclists in the bike lane - most of locals ride bikes. Also watch out for pick pockets. While we felt very safe walking around during daytime, we know of a couple who were pick pocketed on the train ride from the airport to their hotel. They did not realize anything happened until they tried to make a purchase and realized their money and identification were gone. Recommend dividing money and documents among the travelers in your group to minimize potential loss. The only place we carried our passports was in Russia; in other ports we each carried a photocopy of our passports.

We booked a city walking tour through Tours By Locals and really enjoyed it. Our guide, Paul, was outstanding. He is a history professor and incorporated so much of his knowledge in his narration. He will tailor the tour to what you want to see. We walked about 6 miles during the 5 hour tour and saw the Round Tower; we toured Rosenborg Palace (Denmark's jewels stored here) and gardens; walked though Christiansborg Palace (closed on Mondays). We also walked to the Little Mermaid statue, but if you needed to choose between it and something else to see, I would skip the Little Mermaid. We took a water taxi during the tour. We saw many other sights on our tour. Just walking through a couple churches was interesting as was walking down the side streets.

From Warnemunde, we took a ship excursion: Panoramic Berlin and Historic Potsdam. We boarded a private train for Berlin which was about 2-1/2 hours away. We were given a bottle of water and a pretzel as a snack. After getting to Berlin, we met our guide, Tatiana, and boarded a bus. We passed by many historic buildings. The time off the bus included stops at Checkpoint Charlie and remnants of the Berlin Wall; Cecilienhof Palace (Pottsdam Conference location); Palace of Sanssouci (Frederick the Great's residence); and the Brandenburg Gate. Before visiting the palace, we had a typical German lunch at a restaurant. Lunch was bratwurst, mashed potatoes with gravy, and sour kraut. Dessert was apple strudel with ice cream. We wish we could have seen some of the museums in Berlin. There are no stops for any shopping on this tour. On the return train ride, we were given a bag with a sandwich, apple, and mini candy bar, along with a bottle of water.

In Estonia, our excursion was Tallin & Old Town Walking Tour. Our guide was Karin. Very good tour. She has been a tour guide for 35 years. Estonia is a very old city with many of the buildings dating back to 1200s and 1300s. We visited a Russian Orthodox Church, walked through Upper and Lower Town, and saw many historic buildings. We were given about 30 minutes to shop. One man in our group had his wallet stolen during one of the picture stops overlooking the town. Luckily for him, his passport was in a separate pocket. It was very crowded. Be aware of your belongings. Euros is the accepted currency.

In St. Petersburg, our excursions were Cathedrals of St. Petersburg and Hermitage with Gold Room. On both tours, we used a special ear piece and receiver to hear the guide's narration. Our guide for the cathedrals tour, Eugenia, was very knowledgeable. Very good tour. She is a tour guide during the summer and during the school year, a professor of Russian History at the local university. We really enjoyed this tour-beautiful cathedrals. There was a fair amount of walking on uneven cobblestone streets. We visited the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul where the Russian czars are buried; Church of the Spilled Blood; and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Extremely crowded city which has 5 million residents. Tour guide constantly reminded everyone to watch out for pick pockets. We were encouraged to leave our passports or other documents on the bus which was locked or manned by the driver. We made a comfort stop at a gift shop where we had 30 minutes to shop. You could get a shot of vodka or a cup of tea/coffee. Euros, US dollars and Rubles were accepted currency at this shop.

You must have an NCL shore excursion ticket or a private tour pre-arranged to get off the ship, along with your passport. Else, you must have a Russian visa to get off and sight see on your own. The pier is not located within walking distance of the center city, so you might want to pre-arrange transportation. We did not see many taxis at the pier. You also need to allow time to pass through immigration before proceeding to the bus. There seemed to be more people leaving in the morning for excursions than in the afternoon. We allowed 1 hour which was sufficient. We had booked afternoon tours.

Our next excursion was the Hermitage with Gold Room. Our tour guide was again, Eugenia, who did a very good job describing the contents of the museum. She gave us a pre-set place and time to meet in case we got separated. You can take non-flash pictures in the museum (except no pictures are allowed in the Gold Room) but it costs extra. There are 5 buildings which house everything. Our tour saw mostly artifacts in the museum and very little art which was a disappointment to us since art is what we hoped to see. We have never seen sooooooo many people in one place-it was packed. Hard to get pictures of some things due to the number of visitors. Our tour guide moved quickly through the museum; you had to keep up or get left behind. In fact, one person on our tour did fall behind. The guide tried to find her and even sent out alerts to her guide-friends. Turns out, the woman joined another tour group from the ship and returned to the ship with them. At least she was safe and would complete the cruise. At the end of the tour was the obligatory shopping stop at a huge, local vendor's store. Just like yesterday's stop, you could partake in a shot of vodka or have tea/coffee, and shop. We were given 30 minutes which seemed to be sufficient for all in the group.

In Helsinki, our tour was Discover Helsinki. We did a panoramic tour of Helsinki's highlights with stops at the monument honoring the composer Jean Sibelius; the Rock Church which was really neat; and the cathedral at the town square. We had about 30 minutes on our own at the town square then we returned to the ship. Excursion was ok.

Due to a storm that would affect our arrival in Stockholm and potential return to Copenhagen, we skipped this port and returned a day early to Copenhagen which we had to spend as we chose. This gave passengers a full day and evening to explore Copenhagen. Disembarkation was the same day as originally planned (18 Aug).

Weather during this cruise changed quickly, from sun to rain, very windy and temps were cool: 60-64 deg fahrenheit. Dress in layers and take an umbrella. This was the first time we cruised on the Star; we prefer the layout of the jewel class. We also were disappointed in the buffet. Compared to the Pearl, there were fewer food choices; also, no burgers or hot dogs available in the Market Cafe buffet. The cafe did not always use both sides of the food lines, so it was very crowded and noisy. Because we were in a suite, breakfast and lunch were available in Moderno Restaurant; on embarkation day, lunch was serves in Cagney's which was across the hall from Moderno's. Because of the timing of our excursions, we were not able to use the restaurant for lunch on several days.

We stayed in an aft suite, 9232. There is a wrap around balcony that you can stand on but is only one person deep along the side of the ship. The rest of the balcony holds 2 lounge chairs end-to-end and a small table. Really enjoyed sitting on the balcony while underway, listening to the churn of the water and watching the wake behind us. Ravi was our butler and Jeffrey was our cabin steward. Both did a good job, frequently checking on us to see if we needed anything. Karin was the concierge but we did not need her services; we only saw her 2 or 3 times during the cruise.

Disembarkation was so easy-no customs or immigration in terminal-just walk off the ship and get transportation. Recommend the ship transfer service, a cab, or limo. We used Limos4.com and got to the airport very quickly. A taxi will also get you to the airport quickly. While the city bus provided an inexpensive means of transportation, getting to the airport involved buses and the train. Managing luggage on crowded buses during the morning work commute might prove challenging. Our driver said it could take 45 - 90 minutes on the bus/train to go to the airport.

We were on the Pearl in April 2016 for the Panama cruise and we ate in Cagneys for lunch on the day we left port. For the rest of the cruise, we ate breakfast and lunch in Moderno which was right across the hall from Cagneys. On a side note, we were on the Pearl in 2014 where we ate both breakfast and lunch in Cagneys.

Sue

We have stayed in 16016 twice and loved the location... Close proximity to the Couryard Grill bar and the Haven Courtyard and restaurant. No noise from doors or from the 17th deck. If we go on the Epic again, I would definitely choose the same cabin, if available.

Sue