Imagineer

Hi, Thanks, I replied on the thread asking about Puerto Caldera... We will look for you on the 11th at 10 in the Crows Nest. :)

cheers,

Lorne & Louise

Hi, there are 10 of us, 4 singles and three couples, all from Vancouver Island. Kakalina already mentioned the get together at 10:30 on the 11th up in the Crowsnest. My wife and I are calling this our honeymoon cruise as we were married at Christmas time and only had one night away, knowing that the cruise was on the horizon. Look for a cute short blonde with glasses accompanied by a guy with a trimmed grey beard and glasses. Lorne & Louise.

Having never been to Central America, we stop in these ports while on the Nieuw Amsterdam, we're traveling with a group who may have ideas of what to do but we haven't booked any ship based excursions, having always arranged our "own thing" on previous cruises. What can anyone with knowledge of these stops tell me about them?

cheers,

Imagineer

On our Panama Canal cruise leaving April 9th from FLL, we will be traveling through the canal on Good Friday and stopping in Costa Rica on Easter Sunday. Just wondering if there are any events taking place for Easter on board the ship or at the port stop that we can find out about.

Thanks and cheers,

Imagineer

We're both pretty good for handling ocean motion, living on Vancouver Island means the only way you get your car off is on a ferry in any kind of weather that comes your way. But I did get a bit nauseous when we were in the Mediterranean during the last cruise aboard the Insignia - mind you it is a much smaller ship than what we're going on next week for the Panama Canal cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We have eight days that are all open seas, but I'm thinking more about the Pacific Ocean motion...;)

What are your current recommendations for handling a bit of Mal de Mer?

cheers,

Imagineer

Wondering what different currencies are used in the various ports that we will be stopping at, I know the US dollar is considered a "universally accepted currency", but my son spent several months in Central America and says its the Colon in Costa Rica, the Cordoba in Nicaragua and the Quetzal in Guatamala. Are there any seasoned travelers here with experience in these countries who can give some advice?

Thanks, and cheers :)

Imagineer

...totally in agreement with iancal above, way too many folks get their knickers in a knot over how other people dress - it's their life... and who appointed the complainers as the dress code police force? I will be wearing black denim slacks with a short sleeve button down shirt, my wife hates ties and so do I, most uncomfortable piece of male clothing ever invented IMHO. If anyone has a problem with my 'jeans', that's their issue, not mine...!!

We're a week away from leaving for our next cruise, this time it's on the Nieuw Amsterdam for the Panama Canal transit on the way back to do her Alaska runs. We just received our travel documents from our TA, and they include a sheet of info that has the following statement: "I further understand that the initial authorization will be in the amount equal to $60 per person multiplied by the number of days of the cruise, and that if there are charges in excess of the initial authorization amount, HAL may seek authorizations for those amounts."

This cruise is a 21 day cruise, so the initial authorization works out to $1260. My Questions are the following:

(1) There is a mandatory gratuity charge of $13.50 per day, is this included in that initial authorization?

(2) We are traveling with a lady who doesn't use credit cards but has a pay as you go debit card, how does HAL handle initial authorization for that type of card? She's been cruising with HAL for years and says she's never had an issue but her cruises have only been for a week each time, not 21 days.

This is our first time on HAL, previous cruise have been with Oceania Regatta and Insignia, Celebrity Mercury and NCL's Norwegian Wind. We've never experienced this type of policy on these lines, is this unique to HAL?

Thanks, and cheers,

Imagineer

...okay, interesting reading all the info on crossing the border with wine bought in British Columbia - where I happen to live ;)

We're flying from Victoria to Fort Lauderdale and disembarking when the ship visits Victoria prior to ending in Vancouver, nice arrangement!

So...what is the actual corkage fee in board the ship? And, can I buy Australian wines in FLL aling with some of my favorite Californian wines?

cheers again,

Imagineer

We're leaving on April 9th for the Panama cruise and are wondering about the best options for enjoying wine on board. HAL seems to encourage buying wine packages as opposed to ordering individual bottles of wine in the dining room. This is our first cruise with HAL, we've done NCL, Celebrity and Oceania prior to this cruise so are not familiar with HAL's ways as of yet.

Thanks for any heads up advice or suggestions :)

cheers,

Imagineer

...we just returned from our 2 week med trip and 10 day cruise, we used Rome CabS and were positively delighted with their service, the driver, Pietro, met us right at the exit of the airport, carried my my wife's bags to the car, provided chilled water bottles (it was actually 72 degrees when we arrived) and instead of a direct drive to the hotel which is what you'd get with a normal city cab, drove us around and pointed out all the major sights that were along the route to our hotel, and parked directly in front of the entrance, very excellent service...

cheers,

the Imagineer

...Kotor definitely doesn't need a guide, the ship docks literally a slow 5 minute walk outside the main gate of the old walled city. It's a fascinating place to wander around in, the old walls that wind up the surrounding mountains have been there for almost a thousand years, when I first saw this setting it instantly reminded me of scenes from 'The Lord of The Rings,' definitely a place worth visiting once, and we're scheduled to do it again in the fall...

cheers,

the Imagineer

...China and India are definitely not on our list of places to see, and there's no desire for Mexico or South America, although I think it would be fun and interesting to go through the Panama Canal. When my wife and I talk about what's next, Mediterranean Cruises always seem to return as our top choices...

cheers,

the Imagineer