luv2travel06

We will be staying on 17 St in Ft. Lauderdale. I've seen people on the beach watching the ships go out. Is there anywhere that is accessible by wheelchair?

Take E Dania Beach Blvd all the way east, turn north and go to John U Lloyd Beach State Park. Once there, drive all the way to the end, the last parking lot. There is a boardwalk that takes you to the sidewalk to the pier.

We did this in November after disembarking the Eurodam, and watched her sail back out on her next cruise.

If we lived in the area, we would do it every weekend. :D

I posted this awhile back on the Disability board' date=' but didn't get a response. Is there a place where we can take my DS, who is in a wheelchair, to watch the ships leave port?[/quote']

 

Take E Dania Beach Blvd all the way east, turn north and go to John U Lloyd Beach State Park. Once there, drive all the way to the end, the last parking lot. There is a boardwalk that takes you to the sidewalk to the pier.

 

We did this in November after disembarking the Eurodam, and watched her sail back out on her next cruise.

 

If we lived in the area, we would do it every weekend.

We are also on a POA in Sept. I plan on renting a car for Day 1 and driving up to the canyon, but we're open for suggestions for Day 2.

Should we return the car the evening of day 1 ?

 

Ladybug - have you signed in roll call for the cruise ?

Which day do you embark ?

We had originally planned to rent a car for both days, but we decided to do all our driving the first day and relax the second day sitting on the beach at the hotel near the port as the second day you leave early to sail to the Napali coast.

Agree with Bruce - the "must do's" will be what you enjoy. There are a lot of sights and activities to choose from and you have a good amount of time to sort out what sounds appealing to you (and planning is half the fun:)) Be careful with choosing your activities based on others' "must do's" - as Bruce mentions, it could be entirely wrong for you.

 

Besides reading through the forum here, if you haven't already, suggest joining (or starting) the roll call for your cruise to share info and ideas with others who will be on your cruise.

 

A guide book might be helpful - there are ones specifically for cruising in Hawaii, but ones for land based trips would work well too. And lots of on line information, such as this site. I also like Frommer's Destinations.

 

Reading through the options for the excursions provided by your cruise ship is a good way to determine what you can accomplish in a day. Google any of the sights/activities that you think sound appealing to find out more about them. The more research you do, the better chance you'll have of enjoying your time in each port.

 

Finally, consider renting a car in some ports - especially on Maui, Kauai and in Hilo. I would also rent one in Kona, but it depends on what you plan to do there. It's easy to drive in Hawaii, the cost of rentals is very economical and it's fun to explore on your own. But you'll want to arrange your rentals in advance. A good site to do that is this one - they are reputable, they deal with the major rental agencies on the island, rates are good, and they provide details on shuttle arrangements in each port. (It's a bit confusing as they don't list the rental company in the rate section - but when you click on the link, it takes you directly to that agency's website - e.g. "Brand B" is Budget.)

 

Good luck with your plans.:)

Susan-M has provided helpful info. We found Frommer's Hawaii 2012 to be the most helpful resource. It gives suggested itineraries and highlights of each island. We also picked up Hawaii For Dummies and Hawaii By Cruise Ship, as well as a couple of issues of Hawaii Magazine from our local bookstore.

Did anyone suggest: http://www.gohawaii.com/

Of all the things you can do, pick several you most want to do and organize your list accordingly. You won't be able to do everything. Keep in mind, the weather might force you to change your plans. Clouds descended on Haleakala as we drove to the top and we could see nothing. :(

We stayed in Honolulu for a week before our POA cruise and took organized tours there rather than rent a car due to the traffic. We rented a car in the other ports except Kona. In Kona we just walked around town and sat on the beach by the tender pier. We were on Kauai for 2 days but only rented a car the first day. We sat on the beach in front of the hotel near the port on the short second day.

Lots of people post their planned itineraries on this board and ask for opinions. Reading those threads may help you.

And watch Hawaii Life on HGTV and Buying Hawaii on the Destination Channel in HD on your flat screen TV to get a taste of all the beautiful sights you will see to get you even more excited!

Enjoy your cruise!!!! :)

I have been on 5 Carnival Cruises and the the last two have only had DJ's playing. I really miss those live Carribean Bands.

Holland America ships have the HALCats: Keyboard, drums, sax, guitar and vocalist doing daily sets by the Lido pool and special events in the evenings.

Our last couple of HAL cruises have also had a steel drum player, who also gave lessons. On our Eurodam cruise in November, the steel drum player normally had contracts with Disney ships, but was doing a few months with HAL. He was very good.

If four selections on the dessert menu looking appealing, order all of them! :D

I was on this sailing with you and I concur with most everything you said. Thanks for taking the time and effort to post it all.

 

Sorry to hear HAL dropped the ball on your transfers. Taxis are definitely the way to go in Ft Lauderdale. We stayed at the Riverside Hotel and it was a $15 taxi ride for four of us to the port. No waiting for shuttles to load, go when you want. We gave $20 to the taxi driver and we were all happy.

 

The staff on the ship was top notch, just as you said. The only problem we encountered was dining in the Pinnacle on day 1. The service was horribly slow. Dinner took almost three hours. The food was great, but they seemed understaffed since our waiter told us he was "pulled in" to serve just for that night.

 

My wife and I cruised with her parents and this was their first cruise. They also said they were disappointed by the "unfriendliness" of other passengers. I didn't notice it myself and blew their comment off as them choosing to see only what they wanted to see, but after reading your confirmation maybe their observation was valid.

 

My mother-in-law was also nauseous during the first couple of days. My wife went to the front desk for some meds and they said many people were feeling ill. She never got sick, but I think the ride to Grand Turk was rougher than normal and got to her. After that, she was fine.

We were also on this sailing, the second week of a b2b. I do not recall experiencing the rudeness you mention. We, like OP, try to be extra polite and friendly to the staff. Hopefully that helps make up for any rudeness by others. We recognized Hilman, a dining room supervisor(?), from one of our prior cruises on the Maasdam and chatted with him a bit. The pax on the second week (Eastern Carib) seemed to be an overall younger crowd than the first week. +/- 650 did the b2b Western/Eastern. We heard that +/- 250 stayed on for a b2b (Eastern/Western) when we disembarked.

Taxi to airport was $12 for us.

The Eastern leg of the b2b was definitely rockier than the Western, though the seas did not seem particularly rough. I seem to be a little more sensitive since our Bermuda cruise last year when the first hurricane of the season made its way up the East Coast.

If people are a little surlier these days, it could be because of lapses in service throughout the travel process, which there seem to be more of these days. Cutbacks in staff, corporate penny pinching... Our return flight from FLL to Cincinnati had to stop in Knoxville for fuel because they didn't fill the tank to save fuel, but ran into unexpectedly high headwinds...so they said. This resulted in a plane full of people with missed connections that had to be re-booked. We were re-booked on a flight that was scheduled to get us to our final destination 9 hours later than our originally scheduled time, but were able to get on another delayed flight that got us, but not our luggage, home only 4 hours late. We had to go back to get our luggage or have it delivered the next day.

So if a boarding passenger experiences flight problems, hotel or shuttle problems, then possible issues with the embarkation process, any added service issues reinforce their belief that everything is going wrong and it will be a lousy vacation, which will continue when disembarkation does not go smoothly or the Customs/Immigration line is very long and moving very slowly. Then they get to deal with the airline again.

On our Bermuda cruise, a woman said at the Mariner lunch that HAL wasn't doing a very good job...partly because "it rained on Tuesday." :rolleyes: So that is a joke in our family now. "Did it rain on Tuesday?"

We try to be very flexible, and very much enjoyed our Eurodam cruise.

Your reminder to join us today for live Cruise ships sailings from Port Everglades. Subject to change but the schedules shows the cruise ship parade starts at 4:00 PM EST.

 

Be thankful for the web cam coverage.

 

http://portevergladeswebcam.com

Love the webcams, but after disembarking from the Eurodam this morning, was able to watch it head back out to sea this afternoon live and in person from John U. Lloyd State Park for the first time before we fly out tomorrow. What a treat!

I was wondering if anyone did the Bacardi tour on their own recently?

I would like to get an idea of the cost of transportation to (and from) the factory.

We were there last week. Ferry was 50 cents each way. HOWEVER...The ferry left just as we walked up, so we had to wait about a half hour with a terminal full of yelling school children. Shuttle/taxi was $3 to Bacardi. Taxi was $4 back to ferry. Again had to wait for ferry. So process is quite time consuming.

Wasn't looking for any special products, but they did talk about a rum available there that has limited distribution currently.

We got back just in time to visit the Don Q tasting room next to the CVS just down the street from the piers. You may want to check that out too/instead.

Thanks, how far is it from the port?

Montego Bay, Falmouth, or Ocho Rios?

Half hour or more from Mobay, not practical from the others.

Can anyone tell me where to get free wifi on Grand Cayman?

We got WiFi for the price of two sodas at Old Gaol Cafe, which is across Goring St. from Bayshore Mall, at the end of the south tender pier.

As noted on another thread, turnaround was delayed by 2 couples slow to disembark.

 

As we approached the dock in St Thomas, dozens of bees landed on the port side of deck 10. I moved to the starboard side.

 

Shared Grand Turk with the Carnival Breeze. Plenty of room for everyone.

 

One thing they need to change is closing the Lido buffet at the same time as "All Aboard" at a port. People want to eat when they get back on the ship and the Terrace Grill gets overwhelmed. If you haven't eaten all day, a piece of pizza or a burger isn't much.

 

After our last cruise on the Ryndam when at least 5 people were taken away from the ship by ambulance, some before we even left Tampa, the ambulances at the piers have been for the Breeze and the Independence of the Seas.

 

Rich Purpura was fantastic and hilarious.

 

Happy hour for Collectors Voyage pax every day from 6-7 at Lido bar.

 

Daily paper notes that shore power capability is being added to ships. Maybe that is the work that is being done.

 

On turnaround day, noted many crew disembarking with their luggage. Was later told that 25 had left. Saw some of the new crew getting a tour of their work area.

 

Staff is wonderful on the ship! Will be naming many on the survey.

 

Collectors voyage guests received a plate of cookies in their cabins at the beginning of the second week.

 

Received invite for 2nd Mariners lunch. Attended week 1, may not go this time.

 

Did I mention the Texas BBQ pig drummies available both embarkation days? Tasty!

 

Lost total track of time. Don't know what day it is or even what month it is. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is 3 days after we get home.

 

Frosted glass doors dividing different areas of Lido deck are confusing. You can't tell if someone is approaching from the other direction on the other side of it.

 

The future cruise consultant is the Captain's wife.

 

Both times the Royal Princess left the port behind us, it appeared a helicopter was filming it for an extended period of time, even hovering close to the bow.

 

Cruise has been very enjoyable!

Just disembarked.

First in line for expedited disembarkation. Was told where we had to stand. Advised those following us accordingly. Then they stopped caring that people were standing where we were told we could not. Several looking for wheelchair service even though instructions clearly said that was not available for expedited disembark. First person went off on a gurney with paramedics. Then a delay while they were looking for "downliners", whatever they are. Finally we and another couple were allowed to leave, but as we were standing at customs, we saw HAL security parade everyone else off. Only 2 lines at customs.

Less than $13 for taxi to airport--gave driver a big tip. Rented a car there. Flying home tomorrow.

Stopped for a cup of coffee at McDonalds in Pompano Beach, where it is sunny and 80 degrees. Heard "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" on Muzak. (Did hear that there is several inches of snow at home.)

The formerly 1 hr disembarkation presentation has been condensed to 5 min on channel 26.

Surveys are now emailed.

The Eurodam was the nicest of the HAL ships we have been on. Very nice cruise. Hated to leave--just felt like home. HAL was offering extra 50% onboard credit, so we did book another cruise while onboard, but it is not until 2015, on the Maasdam, chosen based on itinerary. (Joining family on an RCI cruise and doing an NCL cruise in 2014.)

Checking in again...from Key West.

 

Our 3 star Mariner pins were delivered to our cabin this morning!

 

Mariner lunch yesterday. Tiles were picture Eurodam/Noordam.

 

Front desk taking donations for Philippines Red Cross.

 

Steel drum player very good but often not listed in daily schedule.

 

Salt shakers in MDR always clogged...no matter how many different ones they bring us. We joke about it every night with our server.

 

Not sure if the many empty tables in MDR are due to empty cabins or alternative dining.

 

Funny to see a seagull grab all the bacon from a plate that a man had just set on a table at the aft pool as we docked in Key West this morning.

 

Had to parade through the nightclub for immigration inspection before going ashore. Used to do that for St. Thomas but don't remember doing it lately.

 

They ought to put the daily menus on a TV channel so you don't have to hike around the ship to see them. Would be especially nice for elderly and disabled.

 

Started putting the ice bucket in the fridge at night so we still have ice in the morning for our sodas as we get ready.

 

They sold small flower arrangements at the Lido deck sale. Bought one for our room for $12.50.

 

Tendering at Grand Cayman was easy. Pearl and Magic used port tenders. We used our lifeboats.

 

Appeared to be Cuban patrol boat shadowing us as we rounded Cuba toward Jamaica.

 

Strong sewage smell on deck 10 aft, starboard side all cruise.

 

Instead of chicken "pieces", menu said BBQ Chicken Parts....made us laugh!

 

Turnaround day tomorrow. Had heard that 600 are on for 14 days.

As noted on another thread, turnaround was delayed by 2 couples slow to disembark.

As we approached the dock in St Thomas, dozens of bees landed on the port side of deck 10. I moved to the starboard side.

Shared Grand Turk with the Carnival Breeze. Plenty of room for everyone.

One thing they need to change is closing the Lido buffet at the same time as "All Aboard" at a port. People want to eat when they get back on the ship and the Terrace Grill gets overwhelmed. If you haven't eaten all day, a piece of pizza or a burger isn't much.

After our last cruise on the Ryndam when at least 5 people were taken away from the ship by ambulance, some before we even left Tampa, the ambulances at the piers have been for the Breeze and the Independence of the Seas.

Rich Purpura was fantastic and hilarious.

Happy hour for Collectors Voyage pax every day from 6-7 at Lido bar.

Daily paper notes that shore power capability is being added to ships. Maybe that is the work that is being done.

On turnaround day, noted many crew disembarking with their luggage. Was later told that 25 had left. Saw some of the new crew getting a tour of their work area.

Staff is wonderful on the ship! Will be naming many on the survey.

Collectors voyage guests received a plate of cookies in their cabins at the beginning of the second week.

Received invite for 2nd Mariners lunch. Attended week 1, may not go this time.

Did I mention the Texas BBQ pig drummies available both embarkation days? Tasty!

Lost total track of time. Don't know what day it is or even what month it is. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is 3 days after we get home.

Frosted glass doors dividing different areas of Lido deck are confusing. You can't tell if someone is approaching from the other direction on the other side of it.

The future cruise consultant is the Captain's wife.

Both times the Royal Princess left the port behind us, it appeared a helicopter was filming it for an extended period of time, even hovering close to the bow.

Cruise has been very enjoyable!

You can smell it off and on on any ship. It happens.

That was the case when we were on the Maasdam.

2nd time trying to post this, let's just say this day has been terrible. We were led like cattle in a huge room after we went through immigration and stood in lines for almost an hour. 600+ people who were continuing on the ship for the Eastern Caribbean.

When we got back onboard....tried to use elevators but only 2 were open and packed, so we trecked up to 7th floor. I went to Neptune Lounge and that is where I broke down in tears. I was so out of breath from the stairs and just so upset in general. Oh yea, while we were waiting in the cattle line....I called Holland America and voiced our opinions of this and were told the ship was still not cleared, which I knew already. Back in the Neptune Lounge, they were very concerned and were so nice in calming me down.

We have decided this will be our last 2 week cruise where there is a turnaround day. It was totally not like we had read it would be. A lot of people were also upset. It turned out that 2 people chose to not go by the instructions and I suppose Holland had a hard time of locating their room to get them off the ship. I heard one gentleman say that the couple should be fined! I think I agree.

Anyway, with a few issues on the first week, overall, it has been wonderful. I pray the second week will be just as wonderful. We will be waving on the sail away today.

The delay appeared to be solely caused by 2 couples. One couple who finally disembarked 20 min after 600+ passengers disembarked, and the other couple who disembarked another 20 min after that. HAL staff likely expected all affected passengers to follow the proper procedure, but a cart of chairs was available for those who didn't want to stand for an hour, if you happened to see the cart.

Giving the stragglers the benefit of the doubt, while we were on the ship, there were no announcements with instructions for b2b'rs....maybe they were waiting for an announcement and just figured things were running behind.

But for the stragglers, the process would likely have gone quite quickly and smoothly.

I just don't see any benefit in doing a back to back cruise as you described. Just a lot of unpleasant hassle mid-cruise, and perhaps one might expect more sophisticated fellow passengers in a dedicated longer single cruise (e.g. fewer kids).

 

I would never go on a back to back cruise from a single port.

 

igraf

$899 p.p. for a VA verandah stateroom for 14 days was the benefit of doing a b2b!

40 kids the first week, 50 kids the second week.

Appears I may be in minority here. First thing I pick up on embarkation day is dessert and I have had as many as four for dinner after grabbing a couple from the Lido during the afternoon because I just can't decide. Key lime pie, anything with mango, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, chocolate....so many choices! Sorbet. Ice cream.... The list go on!

And cherry pavlova.

And the chilled berry soup is like melted ice cream...so it is like dessert before dinner!

We are sailing on the Westerdam next week and I was wondering if there is an organized way of donating to crew members whose families were affected by the storm?

Front desk on Eurodam is collecting for Philippines Red Cross. Flyer was distributed to each cabin.

The Princess that left before Noordam tooted as did the OTS whe came after her. This HAL captain just didn't get the memo that we are listening (and rating) the horns!

When we left Port Everglades it sounded like the Royal Princess was playing a tune on her horns...unless it was coming from somewhere else.

Currently in Grand Cayman at Old Gaol Cafe using their internet with purchase of a couple of beverages. Will look for internet access in Key West again.

 

First time on Euro am. Very much enjoying cruise. A little more upscale feel than Maasdam, which up until now had been our favorite. Nicer furnishings in public areas. Seems to be plenty of room for everyone despite the cabanas.

 

We have skipped late dinner twice as menu did not justify sitting through a two hour dinner and going to the show after when we were so tired and same food was in Lido.

 

They now have signs indicating the end of the line in the buffet so you don't have people approaching from both directions like before.

 

The show last night was the group that normally plays in the BB King lounge. Very much enjoyed them! Very good! I kind of felt embarrassed for the HALCats as they just don't measure up to that group.

 

Some work is going on. I'm wondering if it might be work on backup electrical systems as there are rolls of tubing and what appears to be electrical cable on deck 10 that was loaded during embarkation. Also a special work crew boarded then.

 

Great cruise so far! VA balcony for same price as inside guarantee and $250 shareholder credit for 14 day cruise along with FCD credit.....It's a good cruise!

Checking in again...from Key West.

Our 3 star Mariner pins were delivered to our cabin this morning!

Mariner lunch yesterday. Tiles were picture Eurodam/Noordam.

Front desk taking donations for Philippines Red Cross.

Steel drum player very good but often not listed in daily schedule.

Salt shakers in MDR always clogged...no matter how many different ones they bring us. We joke about it every night with our server.

Not sure if the many empty tables in MDR are due to empty cabins or alternative dining.

Funny to see a seagull grab all the bacon from a plate that a man had just set on a table at the aft pool as we docked in Key West this morning.

Had to parade through the nightclub for immigration inspection before going ashore. Used to do that for St. Thomas but don't remember doing it lately.

They ought to put the daily menus on a TV channel so you don't have to hike around the ship to see them. Would be especially nice for elderly and disabled.

Started putting the ice bucket in the fridge at night so we still have ice in the morning for our sodas as we get ready.

They sold small flower arrangements at the Lido deck sale. Bought one for our room for $12.50.

Tendering at Grand Cayman was easy. Pearl and Magic used port tenders. We used our lifeboats.

Appeared to be Cuban patrol boat shadowing us as we rounded Cuba toward Jamaica.

Strong sewage smell on deck 10 aft, starboard side all cruise.

Instead of chicken "pieces", menu said BBQ Chicken Parts....made us laugh!

Turnaround day tomorrow. Had heard that 600 are on for 14 days.

We tendered in to the pier farthest east? #3? It is a couple doors up, across the street from Bayshore mall, right at the end of the pier. On Goring Ave?

Appears I may be in minority here. First thing I pick up on embarkation day is dessert and I have had as many as four for dinner after grabbing a couple from the Lido during the afternoon because I just can't decide. Key lime pie, anything with mango, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, chocolate....so many choices! Sorbet. Ice cream.... The list go on!

Currently in Grand Cayman at Old Gaol Cafe using their internet with purchase of a couple of beverages. Will look for internet access in Key West again.

First time on Euro am. Very much enjoying cruise. A little more upscale feel than Maasdam, which up until now had been our favorite. Nicer furnishings in public areas. Seems to be plenty of room for everyone despite the cabanas.

We have skipped late dinner twice as menu did not justify sitting through a two hour dinner and going to the show after when we were so tired and same food was in Lido.

They now have signs indicating the end of the line in the buffet so you don't have people approaching from both directions like before.

The show last night was the group that normally plays in the BB King lounge. Very much enjoyed them! Very good! I kind of felt embarrassed for the HALCats as they just don't measure up to that group.

Some work is going on. I'm wondering if it might be work on backup electrical systems as there are rolls of tubing and what appears to be electrical cable on deck 10 that was loaded during embarkation. Also a special work crew boarded then.

Great cruise so far! VA balcony for same price as inside guarantee and $250 shareholder credit for 14 day cruise along with FCD credit.....It's a good cruise!

They can be as long as you pay it off in full every month. If not, then the interest you would be paying would completely defeat the purpose.

 

We do not limit ourselves to a cruise CC card though. We have a card that gives us points which allows us to use for many, many different things, including cruising.

We use multiple cards. The only one that has an annual fee is our Delta American Express, which is offset by checked bag fees being waived and priority boarding.

We also use a HAL credit card due to the bonus points for the multiple HAL cruises we were taking. They have also offered bonus points in the past for other purchases, such as purchases at grocery stores. As far as redeeming the points, they just convert them to cash and apply a credit to your card, so you don't have to use the points for cruises, but if you accumulate a huge amount, I do think you would get an even better return for the points if they were used for a cruise.

We also use a Choice Hotels credit card, which gives you 2 points per dollar. Those points accumulate for free hotel nights. (Obviously not comparable to a stay at a Hilton, but we are low budget travelers.)

And we use a Chase Freedom credit card that gives the standard 1 point per dollar, but also gives 5 points on different categories every quarter. We only use it for those bonus categories and recently cashed in the points to buy the new laptop I am currently typing on :D .

And yes, we pay them off every month.

What hotel do you recommend for a one night stay before cruise in Hawaii?

We stayed at the Aqua Palms, right across Ala Moana from Hilton Hawaiian Village. You can go to Hilton's shops and fireworks, walk both directions for more shopping and restaurants, and the beach is only a block away. McDonalds, IHOP, BW's, and Outback are all within a block, and so are two ABC stores.