cccole

Isn't it great that everyone's opinion and experience is accepted on CC? Different opinions give the OP good info. JMO. Cherie

We changed to a TA last year and are so happy. The PCC is not available on weekends but my TA is. If I have questions I know I will get answers and he responds any day of the week. In fact, I met this TA on my first HAL cruise when we became friends. He is now retired and a TA for luxury cruises. We get extra OBC and he goes to bat when something seems awry. I will never go back to a PCC. Have never done a big box TA. There is a recent thread on CC where OP cannot get ahold of her PCC regarding a huge issue. I vote for a TA. JMO. Cherie

We love Copa. When we flew from LAX to Santiago in January and it was great. One nice thing about Copa is that they will give you the option, if available, to bid for an upgrade. We upgraded to first class from Panama City to Santiago and it was amazing. We've flown Copa a couple times, upgrading, and really enjoyed the service. Cherie

Check the recent thread by Kentuckycruiser. It seems like a scam to me. HAL does not seem to be honoring CO confirmations. JMO. Cherie

Wow. Hal dropped the ball and has not stepped up to the plate to make things right. It seems like there are more threads lately on rooms, services, and upgrades paid for that HAL decides they do not want to honor. It is actually shocking. I'm sure you will have a great cruise but Hal really should make sure that you do. JMO. Cherie

Thank you so much. I really am going to practice and give painting a try on our cruise in 2026. I will probably stick to 6x8 paper. Again, your daily reports were so fun to read. Cherie

I understood the thread was from 2022 but someone ask where the chart was from. There was a recent post by POA with all the info on deck plans of the HAL ships that could be helpful, possibly you've seen it? Cherie

CountsByFives - When we were on the Oosterdam for 3 weeks there was fabulous live music in the Ocean Bar. Maybe there will be something similar on the Eurodam. The area became more crowded as the cruise went on because they were so enjoyable. I totally understand your disappointment in not having BB Kings. Enjoy your cruise. Cherie

Is the chart from POA's recent post?

Sea42, I'm not sure if you are referring to a walk in NPS site or an NPS site where everyone needs a pass. If it is the first...we have been to the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. It's fabulous and walking tours are given by NPS rangers. Cherie

We are able to celebrate the beginning of summer because of those we remember on Memorial Day. I can't imagine what it is like to be a Gold Star family but we thank all of you for your sacrifice to secure our rights and freedoms. Thank you to all who have and are serving our country. Cherie

You can get cans of water in the Neptune using your HIA the day before or any day.

I also want to tell you how much I enjoyed your "first" live. It was fabulous. Your descriptions and photos were great, made me want to visit some of your ports. I loved that you took your water colors. Do you have a set that you travel with? And can you share any of them? I'm thinking of doing the same on a 28 day Islands of the South Pacific cruise, but I need to practice. Thank you again for letting us cruise with you both. Have a great visit with family, Cherie

Sea42 - We had no problems. We were also on the Oosterdam. The port had a shuttle bus from the ship to the terminal and I think it was available 24 hours. We were in a Neptune suite so the concierge arranged for someone to be at our room at 5:00 a.m. to help with luggage, there was someone at the gangway to scan our cards and check us off the ship, the shuttle bus was waiting to take us to the terminal. In the terminal there was an individual who checked our passports, our luggage was scanned and we were waiting for our Uber 15 minutes early. There were the notorious cabs that scalp cruise passengers so we waited behind the gate until time for our Uber. It was a seamless process. The ship and the port are used to passengers leaving at all hours and there was no problem. Just make sure things are in order a couple days ahead. If you are not in a Neptune suite I assume the front desk will take care of everything for you. You'll just love this cruise and Iguazzu. Cherie

I read the terms and conditions for HIA Elite package and do not see fine print that excludes morning of departure. However our HIA is for 28 days which I assume includes the 28 nights we will be spending on the cruise. This would mean that morning of departure is on our own unless we have brought our preferred morning beverage to our room the night before. Never thought about it. Thank you, Cherie

Good question. I would think that if you order a mimosa or bloody mary with breakfast on the day of departure it would be included. Someone posted last year that what they do on embarkation day is hit the bars for waters, tonics, and sodas to fill their fridge. I thought this was a great idea since you will not come close to your drink limit on embarkation day and you will be set for some items for a few days. Cherie

Hope you got the answers you were looking for. When you look at the cabin selection for your cruise you can see the difference between an aft cabin (port or starboard) and an aft view cabin, looking out over the wake. I don't think "stern" comes into the description when looking at cabin selection. To me there is a huge difference between aft view and aft section. Hope you find the stateroom you want. Cherie

In February when we were leaving the cruise ship early for a flight to IGR we reserved an Uber the night before to make sure we would have a car at 5:30 a.m. There is a small charge for the reservation but it is still less than the scalper cabs at the terminal. Cherie

I can't think of anything better than an aft facing stateroom. I would take Deck 6 aft in a nano second. The fact that there are so many Deck 10 Spa staterooms available is an indication of how desirable these staterooms are. Being at the front of ship, to me, means more wind on the verandah. We don't mind the walk from the aft to the Thermal Suite. JMO. Cherie

You might find some suggestions for private excursions for your group on the Ports of Call, Alaska forum. You can post a new thread for your ports or find threads already there. It looks like your Roll Call is not very active but you might check other roll calls for Alaska to see if there are suggestions. And, then try posting for private tours on Trip Advisor. I don't think HAL offers discounts for the number in your group but private tour operators usually do. You'll have a great time. Cherie

Thanks Sueseabe for the link. They also have a really fun online store. We were there in the 90's. Cherie

Our first pain killer was at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. The captain and my husband and young children jumped out of the boat, swam to shore and came back with the delicious drink (of course the kids had virgin pina coladas). We later stopped at Pusser's in Tortola and that's the recipe we use, it's printed on their coaster. In January my husband had one on the Oosterdam at the Lido Bar and it was a one and done. We'll definitely try other options on our next cruise. Thanks for this fun thread!!! Cherie

Hi Norris, The aft wraps are so great. We reserved the last one available on the Noordam and did not have an option port or starboard. That was important to us on the SA/Antarctica cruise and we chose the cruise because of the cabin. I haven't seen which is a better side for the Islands of the South Pacific cruise, but I am watching for a deck 6 or 7 aft wrap. You have good taste!!!! Cherie

Hi Bimmer09, We love the aft wrap Neptune suites, they are amazing. I don't think you mentioned which deck you booked. We had a Deck 8 aft wrap on the Oosterdam. I think that the Noordam is a sister ship. On the Oosterdam aft wraps on Deck 5 are almost covered and Deck 4 aft wraps have window washing machinery outside their balcony. We love aft wraps and have a Deck 8 aft wrap reserved on the Noordam in 2026. I'm posting this because if your aft wrap is on a deck you do not prefer just keep checking. We were able to change ours from Deck 4 to Deck 8 when there was a cancellation. Have a great cruise. Cherie

Hi, We did Sentir Patagonia and it was $500 per car for a private tour. We did not want to spend time at lunch but wanted to see the wildlife and scenery. A packed lunch was provided. We were able to ask our driver not to stop at the Visitor Center first where all the busses were, and we would stop if we had time on the way out. Our Sentir tour was all day and if you want more details I can give them to you. Cherie