bleacher04

Would I be able to safely get a taxi at the port gate and then have the taxi take me to a specific hotel?

On our cruise last year, the answer would be No. Callao is an industrial port, and so our options were either to get off the ship and onto a HAL tour, or off the ship and onto the shuttle to the Plaza. There was no Option 3. In fact we received letters on board, telling us that no one would be allowed to exit the port gates on foot.

But that was last year; I can’t say what HAL, or the port authority, will do this time. But personally I would not risk it.

Plaza San Miguel is a large and relatively upscale mall, and we felt perfectly safe there. Could you arrange to meet your friend somewhere inside there?

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Besides checking prices regularly on the HAL website, I also ask our HAL PCC if the price has dropped, before we make our final payment. They won't volunteer this information, but if you ask they will check. Several times we have come out ahead.

Others are correct, you have to look at the whole cost of the package; sometimes you might have to give up a promo package to get the lower fare. But I have happily given up Explore4 in the past, to get more than its value in savings (to us) in the form of a lower fare.

We did this same itinerary on the N. Amsterdam last summer, and had a great time. We did whale-watching in Juneau, hiking and river rafting in Skagway, and sea kayaking in Ketchikan. But that's us; you really need to look at the excursions that are available and pick what's right for you. I would also suggest that you join the Roll Call for your cruise here on Cruise Critic and look into independent tours.

I would also agree with previous posters that you should try the Tamarind restaurant while on board, and that you should spend some extra time in Vancouver (unless of course that's your home...)

We took a water taxi from the airport to our hotel, and later from the hotel to the cruise terminal. It's not cheap -- I want to say about 75 euros (for 4 people) each way -- but it's a great experience and worth every penny (or euro) IMO.

We were on the Zaandam last April, with an overnight in Lima. HAL provided complimentary coach-style shuttle buses that ran from the ship to Parque Juan Pablo II beside Plaza San Miguel, an open-air-style shopping mall about 7-8 km from the port. As I recall this was a somewhat last-minute change, because we had to contact our tour operator during the cruise to meet us here, instead of at the Callao port gates. No one was allowed to leave the ship on foot or exit the port gates into Callao, even to meet a tour operator or pick up a taxi.

The shuttle worked extremely well, we used it on both days, and our tour operator (Haku Tours, they were fantastic, must give them a shout-out!) switched up and met us all at Plaza San Miguel and dropped us off there afterwards. It appeared to be a very safe area and on the first night, when we were dropped off at 9 or 10 pm after the Water Laser Show, there were crew members from the ship at the shuttle bus pick-up point to make sure that everyone stayed safe. On the second day, we walked over into the mall to do some shopping after the tour, and caught a later shuttle bus.

We took our two children on their first HAL cruise when they were 17 & 19, and they have been on four more with us since. The 17-year-old went to Club HAL (on that first cruise) and had fun. Neither of them have ever complained about being bored or refused to go again (and OleSalt, I love that quote from the Queen Mother!).

As others have already noted, Canada / New England is very port-intensive, so hopefully you will be spending a lot of time off the ship. And there's lots to see and do.

On-board the ship, our kids love team trivia (more than I do now, in fact). And other teenagers apparently like it too, because last summer a team of six kids on our Alaskan cruise won team trivia one day.

One other note -- your 18-year-old(s) will actually be of legal drinking age in Quebec.

- Free laundry

- Never have to go to the front desk; Neptune Lounge concierge handles all of your concerns: dinner reservations, billing issues, etc.

- Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill

- Advance MDR menus, so you can decide if you want to go to a specialty restaurant instead

- Oodles of space and a larger balcony

There's more, but those are the big ones for me.

Since CDC also strictly limited passenger self-serve for the buffet lines there have been a lot fewer reported Code Red incidents, which was the intent of this restriction as well.

And after observing some people's hygiene habits, I am completely in favour of this one!

We were on the RT Rotterdam Voyage of the Vikings in Aug/Sept 2017 and always have late fixed dining (around 8pm-Upper Dining Room) - we were in an out within an hour.

That's been our experience on previous HAL cruises; the courses come out bam, bam, bam, to the point where sometimes we felt rushed! But this past cruise in December there was a noticeable delay between ordering and service, and between each course. And in more venues than just the MDR.

So a lot can depend on when and where one chooses to dine on the Rotterdam.

We were in the Lower DR, but had the same assigned table and same fixed dining reservation (7:30 pm) each night. So not too different from you, except for the level.

Breakfast in the Pinnacle is available every day for those in Neptune Suites and above only. It is a Suite perk and there is no charge.

And the breakfast menu is the same as in the MDR.

That will be us in 40 days!

This may be a dumb question but it’s been several years since we’ve sailed with HAL....Are the menus the same throughout the HAL fleet or is it different for each ship? Has anyone recently sailed on the Rotterdam, and how was the food? Also, I’ve heard that ships often discount the specialty dining on the first night, is this true? Thanks!

I can only answer your second question:

We sailed on the Rotterdam over Christmas (9th HAL cruise), and I thought that the food quality in the MDR was very good. And on average I would say that the variety of selection was better than average. However the service was brutally slow. I suspect that this was a kitchen issue, not our servers (who were excellent), because others have complained of the same thing, and we had the same slow service in the Canaletto and in the Pinnacle for breakfast.

Food in the Lido market was very good for breakfast, just average for lunch (same as on all HAL cruises IMO). New York Pizza was great. Canaletto food quality was also very good, although a little salty for my taste.

Is it a-la-cart or fix pricing?

It is prix fixe, though there may be some premium price options like Pinnacle, but my recollection overall it was mainly prix fixe. With a great deal of variety -starting with very interesting appetizer options: Shrimp chips and various tasty sambals.

There's a $25 per person upcharge for dinner (Mariner discount applies), and then you order whatever you like. Go with a group and you can share and sample more appetizers and entrees.

The Tamarind is our favourite of the HAL specialty restaurants!

And yes, I agree that sushi as an entree, while beautifully prepared and presented, is just way too much sushi!

We had a stop in Sarande in 2016, after all of our Turkish ports were cancelled. I'm afraid that it was underwhelming. It's a seaside town on the Albanian Riviera, with a rock-pebble beach like you would find in Nice, and Soviet-era architecture. There's a boardwalk with shops and restaurants and bars running along the beach, and lots of people had set up stalls and stands because the cruise ship was in. One woman was selling some beautiful hand-made lace, but most of the items were trinkets like you'd find in a flea market or dollar store.

It's kind of interesting to actually go to Albania, because of its history and mystery in the 20th century, but there isn't a lot there IMO. The people we knew who went to the Blue Eye or the castle, either on a HAL tour or independently, were generally not that impressed. I don't know anyone who went on an archeological tour, to Burint or further afield.

Don't worry about Lek, Euros were accepted everywhere we went in town, and I believe that all of the restaurant & bar signs advertised prices in Euros.

Kudo's to that manager. If more of the rules were upheld then people wouldn't try to push the limits.

Agreed

We are booked on the Eurodam in October on a Mexican Riviera cruise. Planning to snorkel in Cabo and unsure which tour is better.

 

Chileno Bay Sail & Snorkel or the Snorkel & Sail to Santa Maria Cove?

My main concern is having calm waters. We had VERY rough water in Aruba last year and I am now a bit concerned about snorkeling in choppy water. Any help appreciated.

We did the Chileno Bay Sail & Snorkel excursion in Cabo last April, from the Zaandam. We try to avoid HAL excursions but this was a tender port with a 2 pm departure...

They took us around to an inlet south of Cabo. As others have mentioned, the snorkelling was not as good as some of the places we've been to in the Caribbean, mainly (IMO) because the water was not as clear. But there was a decent variety and number of fish. The water was not rough, and I can remember this because my wife stayed in the water snorkelling for the whole time; she doesn't like snorkelling in rough water either, and we've been on a few snorkel outings where she's decided to turn back to the boat due to waves.

Overall it was a good excursion; they took us around to see the Arches before it got too crowded with tour boats, the crew was friendly, and we also had a whale and calf swim past very close to the boat.

I didnt see these packages online. how much is the package? how much is just a bottle of gin?

Paul, you don't happen to know whether the price of a bottle ordered from room service is the same as a price ordered on line in advance.

I usually order it in advance but would like to option of ordering on board instead.

I believe that you can only see the packages when you log in and look to buy them for a current reservation.

Online advance purchase: Tanqueray $52.50, Bombay Sapphire $56.25. Which matches the prices that Crew News posted above in his link for the room service menu. So that also answer's Larry's question!

The Gin & Tonic package is only $46.25, but that's because they substitute the cheaper Bombay gin (not Sapphire). Which is maybe okay for G&T's, but not for martini's :D

Can you purchase it in the store and bring it to the room?

Nope, they don't allow you to buy in the store and immediately bring it back to your room. I think HAL still lets you pick up your on board liquor purchases the last night of the cruise. This would allow you to do a quality assurance test on your purchases before getting off the ship the next day. ;-) Check behind me on whether that is still the case.

You cannot buy alcohol from the on-board duty-free shop and take it with you; HAL holds it for you until the last night, as Miata said. The same applies for any alcohol that you might buy in port (excluding certain HAL shore excursions and your one-per-person bottle of wine when boarding).

Yes, HAL still gives you your alcohol back the night before dis-embarking (at least as of Dec. 31, 2017).

One last question: Did the Rotterdam refit upgrade the Vista Suites and, if so, have done away with the old red and gold?

Sorry, but as a man, I can tell you where all of the electrical outlets are, but even though it's been less than two weeks, I don't have any recollection of the colour scheme in the cabin :D

But it didn't look or feel newly-renovated, as I recall.

We will be on in a Vista Suite on the Amsterdam in September. Is there an outlet where one can plug in their own hairdryer?

Assuming that the cabin layout is the same as the Rotterdam (and it should be), then yes. There is an electrical outlet at the desk, under the desk mirror, and close to the make-up mirror. One North American receptacle and one European receptacle.

For cruises, I always buy travel insurance. My husband and I are not prepared to take the financial hit of thousands if the trip needs to be cancelled, and don't want the worry of medical expenses if one of us gets hurt outside the country.

 

We purchase through USAA as we are members (I believe they are Travel Guard policies) and consider the $150-200 cost simply a part of the cost of vacationing.

Well put -- it's simply the part of the cost of travelling. I would not leave for any vacation (or business travel for that matter) without travel insurance, and I've bought it for my kids when they go travelling, for my own peace of mind.

Thanks! Quite helpful!

 

Is there an ATM at the airport to get CLP for that taxi, etc?

There is a currency exchange booth at the airport; I’m sure there is probably also an ATM, but I can’t confirm it.

The last time we started a cruise in Santiago, I got 100,000 CLP (about $165 USD) from our bank before leaving, as we were four days in Santiago, and then withdrew more from an ATM near our hotel, as we were going to Valparaiso for a few days before sailing, and our first port was also in Chile.

But as I said, I like to have local currency for taxis, tips, and incidentals.

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What is the approximate cost of a can of tonic?

I think it’s still $2.25, for any can of soda. But 4* and 5* Mariners get the 50% discount for mini-bar items, and 3* get 25% off.

You might want to wait until after leaving port to place your order. Otherwise local taxes will apply and they can be hefty.

Yes, that’s a good suggestion. Even when you pre-order, you can specify delivery “in cabin on boarding”, or “delivery at sea”. If you ask for the liquor to be in your cabin before sailing, you will be charged the applicable local port tax for alcohol. Delivery at sea avoids these taxes.

You are a little out of date. HAL no longer has any "Formal Nights" but has replaced them with what they call "Gala Nights" which supports a dumbed down dress code. We do tend to dress formal on gala nights, but you will also see plenty of folks in less then formal wear..including some jeans and even an occasional guy wearing a baseball cap (this drives me nutz since I was raised to believe that this is bad manners).

 

As to your "piano bar" that has been eliminated on about half the HAL ships (but it still remains on the Rotterdam) and replaced with a "dueling piano" show which OK...but just not the same as relaxing in a piano bar (we also love piano bars). I am a long time fan of Queen....but sadly on our many HAL cruises the various musicians often think that Glenn Miller or Patti Page music is more apropro for the audience (usually less then 10 people by 10pm).

 

Hank

P.S. We are in a minority, but still a big fan of formal nights. Princess and Cunard are about the last mass market lines to still have formal nights.

Not out of date, just choosing to an out-of-date term as part of making my point :D

The dumbed-down dress code doesn't bother me so much (any more) as the fact that the ship has a dress code posted on "Gala" nights, and 99% of the time chooses not to enforce it. That ticks me off. But I know that we look great :cool:

As to the piano bars, the smaller HAL ships that we've been on recently (Rotterdam, Zaandam) still had a piano bar entertainer in the the Mix, but I agree that their choice of repertoire can be awfully dated. But there were no bar seats around the piano in the Mix, and there isn't the same intimacy in a larger open area.

We've only been on one cruise with the Billboard duelling pianos, and one of the two pianists was ill for most of the cruise, and so the remaining fellow had to improvise. Which was fun, actually.

Not a problem in Santiago Chile, to take a taxi from the airport (SCL) to your hotel. That's what I have always done.

When you leave the baggage area, you will immediately be greeted by a number of gentlemen holding signs that say Taxi/Turista, all trying to get your attention (and your business). It feels a little sketchy the first time, but that's just how it's done. Pick one, and they will lead you outside to their cab. If I recall correctly, the fare is about $25 USD (at least to the hotel I use in the Lastarria district).

As to surviving without local currency, I suppose it could be done. You will pay for your hotel in USD anyway (to avoid the VAT), and you will pay for meals with a credit card. But you should make sure that your taxi driver will take a credit card, before getting into the cab. Personally I like to take enough local currency to pay for the airport cab, and for tips and incidentals, but that's just me.

Also if you decide to take the subway to get around (and it's very good, just use the same common sense you would in Boston or NYC), then you should have some Chilean pesos, and you will also need pesos if you decide to do one of the "Tours 4 Tips" tours (although they might take USD).