simplyrubies

On April 29th we were able to easily get a taxi from the port - not hard at all - but we were the only ship in town that day. In June I'd imagine it's a lot more difficult especially if others have already pre-booked taxis and there are fewer 'roaming' ones available. You could inquire into pre-booking a taxi or car ride ahead of time with a set pickup and drop-off time but since you've already got transport booked, I'm not sure about making the switch unless there's a significant cost savings there and/or better timing.

We were able to easily get a taxi into Mendenhall Glacier from the port on April 29th but it was an anomalous situation for Juneau as we were the only ship in the port. Due to the date, no fee for entry was taken and no passes were required. The taxi company - Juneau Taxi - took us straight to the visitor's centre. We made arrangements with driver for a pick-up time and were charged a set rate. You should be able to call a taxi or car company in advance to arrange for a driver for the group - probably the less stressful alternative to hoping a taxi is in port as we did. It ended up being much cheaper than Blue Bus for us (Blue Bus is $80 USD per person according to the website!) and we could choose the pickup time with the driver.

On 4/27 we boarded about 3:30pm but likely didn't try reserving until 4:00 (too hungry after our wait in customs!) and were unsuccessful in reserving through the app. We were able to make one dining reservation a few nights before, not at the dining reservation desk but through an MDR host. Dining reservation desk told me they couldn't do MDR reservations(?) - I'm guessing he could, they were just full. We ended up walking in around the same time every night - 5:00 to 5:15pm right when they opened - and hardly waited. I don't think we would've waited much closer to 6:00pm judging from the line we saw.

We boarded April 27. We arrived at about 12:20pm in anticipation of a 1:00pm boarding but didn't board until about 3:30. We spent at least 2 hours waiting for US Customs, probably closer to 2.5 hours. I'd recommend anyone who will have trouble standing or walking for that long to bring a mobility aid or arrange for a wheelchair. Port staff were doing the best they could to find foldable chairs for those struggling but they of course, couldn't make the line go any faster. US Customs wasn't expediting anyone in the standing line (except for when port staff pulled the Zaandam folks to the front of the line because they were leaving in 30 mins...) This was only a two ship day. Even those who arrived before their prescribed time at 10:30 still had to wait, according to other reports I'd seen elsewhere.

Have you looked into the little touristic train? It transports people from Vernon to Giverny and back for 10 euros round trip. You can find their schedule here: https://petittrain-vernon.fr/ When I visited Giverny this was the transport I took from Vernon. As edinburgher mentioned, make sure to specify la gare SNCF (train) rather than the bus station because it looks like they are at two separate addresses, from what I'm seeing on Google Maps.

Good Friday isn't a public holiday in most of France so shops should be open (unless they've decided to close or do earlier hours on their own accord). Based on the website I'd assume that the museum is open, but agree you may want to contact for more info. Even if the museum isn't open, you can walk the beach on your own

I think it's for the April 27th 7-day Inside Passage cruise. I received the same email a few hours ago. My guess is that they will enforce the progressive schedule, though how strictly I'm not sure. Ex. If someone with a 2pm check-in tries to check in at 10:30 with the 4 and 5* Mariners, Club Orange, Neptune & Pinnacle Suites, and two decks I can easily see them being turned away to prevent congestion

Sad to see we won't be seeing a production show on our Koningsdam cruise but I'm happy to see they're being brought back! Though, a downside is a little more schedule juggling since we often structure our evening schedule around getting a good seat at a production show (unless there's something we'd much rather be doing in port). Depending on the individual entertainers' talents we may or may not go to the same effort. Comedy in particular, isn't a favourite of ours.

If I had to guess, I'd guess it's slightly less likely if most guests onboard aren't Canadian. Agree that the health requirements for bringing the dog into Canada, if most cruisers are non-Canadian, may put off some illegitimate folks. Anyone flying in, Canadian or not, also have to get their dog past that (but could still succeed) - but as previously stated, if they'll lie about a service dog they may lie about this too. In countries with very strict animal import laws and strict rules regarding service animals or pets in general (ex Japan) I'd guess the chance is much, much lower. The hurdles to pass are much higher, might even require someone to fake certain certification documents that may be required. I've seen more stories and pictures about 'service dogs' on HAL than other lines. Not sure if it's confirmation bias, or maybe these folks specifically seeking out HAL, or something specific to how other cruise lines are handling this problem that HAL could maybe learn from. Illegitimate service dogs do a major, major disservice to legitimate service dog teams and can cause additional onboard problems.

I had the same thought as Alberta Quilter. Possible there's been a miscommunication somewhere? To make things more confusing, the 3 Vancouver locations are all in the downtown core. Two of their hotels (Waterfront and Pacific Rim) are only one block away from each other! If it's the exact same hotel and dates, I'd look to the conditions and inclusions in each package to see what the catch is if any, beyond the rate. It's also possible that there is some computer problem, such that hotel availability on one person's end is showing up erroneously - ex. showing as available when it should be showing as waitlisted. I know the cruise I'm going on is sold out for example, but there are still many cruise websites still listing that cruise on their website with prices attached.

I'd normally recommend going elsewhere for afternoon tea for price reasons unless you're very interested in having tea in the Empress, but with an 8:30pm stop I don't think those other venues would be open. If you want to have afternoon tea in Victoria at all, the excursion might be your best bet. (And there's the added bonus of getting to do it in the atmosphere of the Empress). If you're just okay on it, I'd skip and maybe consider trying afternoon tea somewhere more local.

No tourist info at the train station that I know of, beyond potentially some pamphlets or advertisements on display. There is a tourist office in the city itself, though I can't speak to how good it is as I never stopped in on my visits to Rouen. From the station to the town centre, there is some walking involved as Hank said. And there is also some walking within the historical centre of town. I think Rouen is very DIY'able and a very practicable trip from Le Havre. There is a lot to do just in the historic centre like the cathedral, Musée des Beaux-Arts, the new Joan of Arc Historical Exhibition, even just walking around the shops and trying different foods. I always DIY'ed my Rouen trips and was glad to be able to see the city on my own time and schedule.

I second Hlitner's suggestion of the Flixbus. When I lived in Le Havre I used the Flixbus often to transit between Le Havre and CDG. There are only a few per day. The Flixbus leaves from the central bus station next to the SNCF train station in Le Havre. It's essentially a small bus bay outside one of the train station's doors. You can take a taxi or public transportation from the port to the station. There's only one stop on the Le Havre to Paris route (Paris La Défense). It will bring you to Terminal 3 at CDG, from there you can take the airport tram to different stations as needed. I found the bus to be the most convenient (and cheapest) way to get to the airport. I also found luggage transportation easier as the driver can help you load the luggage in and out of the bus compartments. There is additional storage above the seats for smaller items. You don't have to watch and carry luggage onto the train yourself.