newcomm

I had the same problem. I found that after signing in, I could then enter this into my browser's address bar:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/favorites

and then I could see my list of saved cruises.

II don't know why HAL doesn't have an easy to find link. Poor website design!

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I will be on Insignia on NYE. How does Oceania welcome the New Year? Is there a festive dinner in the GDR or is it a good night for a specialty restaurant? What happens at midnight - music, dancing, champagne, etc?

We were on the Marina for New Year’s Eve several years ago. Dinner in the MDR was delicious, with several holiday entrees offered. The midnight party was on the pool deck (we were in the South Pacific). Lovely colored lights, champagne, dancing, DJ and live music. Cardboard top hats and plastic tiaras for everyone. The entertainment staff mingled about, ensuring cheer for all. (No fireworks, however, as they would have been dangerous and environmentally naughty.)

Passenger dress was mostly country club casual, with a few tuxedos and evening dresses mixed in.

A very specific consideration:

Regardless of the cruise line, If you wish to take the flight tour to Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas, the port call has to be about 12 hours long. The Santiago to Argentina itineraries usually have a shorter time in port in Punta Arenas, and don’t offer this tour. The tour is usually available on Argentina to Chile itineraries, when ships usually spend more time in that port.

I have been to all the places on both itineraries, and I concur that Holland America’s itinerary would be preferable (to me at least).

I found Skagway to be a fascinating town, with much of the gold rush atmosphere. There’s also the chance to take the White Pall Railroad on a beautiful ride through valleys and passes.

Sitka is also in a lovely location, and has a few vestiges from the Russian era, plus a nice totem pole walk at the National historical monument grounds.

Hubbard Glacier is indeed scenic, but I believe the experience at Glacier Bay National Park is truly superior. The ship usually picks up a park ranger who narrates the scenic cruise through the inlets and glaciers. Holland America traditionally serves bowls of Dutch split pea soup to enjoy on the promenade deck while cruising In Glacier Bay!

Enjoy your cruise - both itineraries will leave you with great memories!

We have enjoyed visiting French Polynesia with Oceania Cruises. They have lovely ships, and incredible food! Fellow passengers tend to be well-travelled.

19 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

I feel like the new Enchanted Mediterranean 7 day itineraries are designed more to appeal to the EU/UK market who want a 7 day fun in the sun type of sailing closer to home and not really geared to US & Canadian travelers.  The same could be said for the northern Europe sailings all switching to Southampton.  There is a strong possibility that for much or all of the 2021 European season that US based travelers may not be able to travel to the EU/UK without a quarantine period upon arrival.  Princess are adjusting their schedule to be less dependent on multiple embarkation ports (allows for more consistent and cost effective application of health protocols at embarkation) to also account for fewer travelers from the US & potentially Canada as well

I think your theory has considerable merit. We were booked on a wonderful 18-day Japan Cruise in July 2021 consisting of two 9-day itineraries aboard Diamond Princess. Our cruise has now been cancelled. According to our TA’s conversation with Princess, It will be replaced with three identical 6-day cruises that will appeal more to the Asian market. Possibly trying to account for loss of North American cruisers. (Diamond Princess is still scheduled to sail in Japan during 2021 and then redeploy elsewhere in early 2022.)

33 minutes ago, Halley's Comet said:

Does anyone know if we have Princess Easy air, how it will be handled?  

Princess refunded our cruise fare and Princess air in one lump sum.

Our Japan cruise on Diamond Princess was cancelled a short while ago. The cruise credit showed up on our account page within a couple of days, and the incidental charges on our credit cards a few days later. The biggest chunk (our cruise passage and Princess air booking) was mailed by check a couple weeks later.

The refund check came in one of those “tear off the edges” envelopes, and was processed by “Bottom Line,” so don’t throw it away by accident!

Sorry to be so slow in replying!

We will be arriving after dinner time in Miami, and are staying at a hotel near the airport. We'd enjoy meeting for drinks, but it will probably have to be aboard Marina due to our late arrival.

We are having extreme anxiety right now, as Ron's passport still has not been delivered after nearly six weeks of waiting. (Our current passports were only three years old, but we were running out of pages, hence we had to order new ones.) Mine came back in 3 weeks, but Ron's is still stuck in the system somewhere. We did call the passport office and they have expedited the processing, so we'll keep our fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Norm

Hi Norm and Ron,

I'm glad to hear you will be onboard the Marina. My partner Hal and I have also cruised on the Marina several times, and enjoyed the experience. We will be flying to Miami two days before the flight and will be staying in Coral Gables. If you are not too far away, perhaps we could meet for drinks Sunday evening.

Regards,

Howard

Hello, Howard!

My partner and I will also be aboard. We were intrigued by the unique itinerary and the chance to see the Canary Islands for the first time. We have been to Puerto Rico, Antigua, and Barbados before, but all the other ports will be new to us.

We live in Palm Springs, California, and plan to fly to Miami the day before embarking.

Have you sailed with Oceania before? This will be our fourth cruise on Marina, and we always enjoy the experience.

Looking forward to meeting you soon,

Norm & Ron

My partner and I look forward to this 21-day crossing via the Caribbean, Cape

Verde, Dakar, the Canary Islands, and Madeira.

Will anyone one be joining us on the beautiful Marina?

Howard

Ron and Norm here -- we are also booked on the 31-day cruise!

Cheers,

Norm

Palm Springs, California

Greetings, Michael and Omar --

We are Norm and Ron, and we will be on the same cruise with you. (We are actually taking the following cruise as well, for a 21-day back-to-back experience.) We live in Palm Springs, California, and this will be our first visit to Southeast Asia. We have also booked the overland tour to Angkor Wat between Saigon and Sihanoukville.

We have cruised frequently with Princess, and have been pleased with the experience on all their ships. The Sapphire has always been one of our favorites.

Looking forward to meeting you. Princess is very good about publicizing GLBT get-togethers in their daily schedule, and it would be fun to compare notes on past and future cruises!

Best regards,

Norm & Ron

A long holiday weekend, then we leave for Europe next week! Safe travels, and we will catch up with you on the ship!

Cheers // Norm

We got our transfers through Princess. There is a notation on our paperwork that we bought transfers, but we have never had to show anything -- the airport representative always has our names on a manifest. We've never had any problems with the Princess transfers.

We are bringing dark suits for formal nights., because neither of us owns a tuxedo!

Are you guys using Princess to transfer to the pier? If so, are there vouchers or just on a list with a Princess rep at the airport?

 

Cheers

If we have time in Mykonos, we should all find a little taverna with a view of the water (and other pleasing views!), and sip some ouzo and/or raki while munching on some yummy Greek appetizers. Perfect way to end a day in the Aegean! (Raki is greek moonshine. Takes some getting used to, but packs a wallop.) :eek:

Sounds like you have had some amazing adventures. I only know one Greek word and it's not a nice one and have never had Ouzo. I find Greek men very pleasing to look at, wouldn't mind touching a couple :D.

Wow, we are only 28 days from embarkation! We are in cabin B619, please feel free to give us a ring, as well. Ron and I have anytime dining, and tend to eat earlier than later. You are always welcome to join us for cocktails or just to hang out.

We will fly to Denver on the 8th, and spend a few days visiting with friends. Then we'll take Air Canada to Venice, in time to check in as soon as they start boarding!

Take care,

Norm & Ron

We are all gonna be so tired, but full from adventure and life. I look forward to being exhausted and able to relax while others take care of the little things, like cooking, cleaning and cocktails. I just love cruising. Can you tell I'm getting excited?

 

I will be in cabin E424 and would love to meet your gang for drinks, if you guys have time. I choose late seating in the dinning room, 8:30. I love sea days by the pool and a group hot tub or two. Might check out the spa, too.

Steve, I forgot to mention -- I lived in Greece for five years when I was in the Air Force, so I can read and speak basic Greek. That's why we're braving the bus and streetcar :-) Athens and Mykonos will be great fun.

I've been to the Acropolis more times that I can count (long, long ago). On our previous cruise, Ron and I took the Acropolis, Agora, and Temple of Zeus tour. That included lunch, as well as a visit to the agora, Agora Museum, and the Theseion -- the best preserved Greek temple anywhere. You can see it from the Acropolis -- it looks just like a smaller version of the Parthenon.

Our lunch included a bottle of Ouzo for every two people. Some of our tour companions didn't like Ouzo, so we gladly helped them finish their bottles. So did this nice Australian couple across from us. By the time lunch was over, all four of us were tipsy and best friends!

Wow, you have a full assortment of tours selected! I know you will make some great memories. The night tour of San Marco should be very special! We just finalized our excursions last night.

Venice - (a couple of photo walks on our own)

Dubrovnik - Franciscan and Dominican Monasteries with Treasury

Athens - (bus/subway to the National Archaeological Museum)

Kusadasi - (visiting the fort at Pigeon Island and the downtown mosques)

Mykonos - Best of Delos and Mykonos

Naples - (bus to the Archaeological Museum, including the "Secret Cabinet," the rooms where they keep all the naughty artwork from Pompei :D )

Civitavecchia - Orvieto and Duomo

Livorno - Florence, David, and Uffizi

Toul - Castellet, Bandol, and Wine tasting

Our traveling companions have chosen other tours, but I don't know exactly which ones. Hope we can meet up for cocktails and trade ideas!

Just a few more weeks before the adventure begins!

Cheers / Norm & Ron

Norm,

 

The only port I have not booked an excursion for is Toulon. I have been to Paris a couple of times and so far, not a big fan of the French. Probably shouldn't judge a whole country by the rudeness of a few Parisians. So, what to do there, suggestions welcomed. I like the St. Tropez and Port Grimaud, but not the thought of another 2 hour bus ride. I might stay on the ship after all of this:

 

After Hours Visit to St. Mark's Basilica

Walking Tour of Venice

Dubrovnik's City Walls

Acropolis, Acropolis Museum & Plaka

Lunch in Ephesus, Terrace Houses & St John's

Delos: Birthplace of Apollo

Pompeii, Positano & Amalfi Coast

St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain & Colosseum

Florence, Pisa, Statue of David & Uffizi Museum

Have you guys planned excursions? I have booked all excursions through princess in all the ports except Toulon. This is only my third cruise and I have never been to any of the ports.

Yes, our travel companions have booked quite a few excursions so far. Since Ron and I have been to most of the ports before, we are taking some "off the beaten path" tours to see different sights, as well as some of the more popular tours.

We spent several days in Venice and Rome a couple years ago. We will probably explore those cities on our own. Venice is easy to walk into, and we'll take the train to Rome.

In Dubrovnik, we are planning the Dominican and Franciscan monastery tour, then walking through town on our own. (Last time we were in Dubrovnik, we took the City Walls tour, which was outstanding. Beautiful panoramic views of the entire city and the Adriatic as we walked along the top of the ancient walls. That tour also included a couple of stops in town, as well. An excellent adventure, if you enjoy walking.)

In Mykonos we're taking the boat trip to Delos, and then spending the rest of the day on foot, exploring Mykonos town.

We've been to Ephesus several times, but our friends haven't, so they are taking the Best of Ephesus, including the Terrace Houses. These are not to be missed! The terrace houses have frescoes and mosaics reminiscent of Pompeii.

If you enjoy Roman ruins, it's easy to take the Pompeii tour in the morning, and then Herculaneum in the afternoon. We did, and are so glad we saw both.

If you have any questions or want suggestions for any of the ports, I'll be happy to share my thoughts.

Cheers,

Norm

Hi, Steve --

Wow, my apologies for not replying for three months. (I guess the "follow thread" feature isn't working for this thread.)

There will now be six in our group traveling together -- four from Palm Springs, and two from Washington, DC. Looking forward to meeting you! Princess usually has a GLBT get-together publicized in the daily brochure, but you'll probably spot us long before that :)

The sailaway from Venice is beautiful, and worth staying up late for night photography of the city. If its a clear day, the golden glow of sunset is spectacular when viewed from the upper decks.

Have you visited any of the other ports on this itinerary? Mykonos and Toulon will be new for us.

Take care!

Norm

Have you been to Bora Bora before? Definitely bring your snorkel and water shoes! We were there last year, and took a boat tour that included snorkel encounters with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks. Wonderful experience!

We haven't booked any tours except on Easter Island. When we get to Bora Bora we'll see what's available at the pier. There are usually several jeep tours and boat tours you can join without reservations. (No guarantees, but that's been our experience.)

Good luck with the packing!

Norm & Ron

I was hoping to get a sunset photo of the ahu at Tahai, which is walking distance north of Hanga Roa. I believe the sun sets behind the heads, so sunrise should illuminate them from the front. The reverse would be the case for the ahu at Tongariki (with the 15 moai), but that's on the other side of the island. (These are just educated guesses based on maps and satellite imagery.)

Sounds like a great idea to rent a jeep! If I were a few years younger, I'd be doing the same :rolleyes:

Have you read James Grant-Peterkin's guidebook, "A Companion to Easter Island"? Among other details, he gives "best time of day" for photographing various sites on the island. I downloaded the Kindle version and very much enjoyed the overview of the island.

Hi Norm and Ron:

 

We are renting a 4x4 jeep for the second day. Still waiting to hear from Aku Aku tour company for full day tour. If we don't then we might the jeep for both days. We are even contemplating staying a night off the ship to catch sunrise but not sure where the sun will rise (in relation to the big heads) and if the weather will permit.

 

Randy and Paul

We've booked this Venice to Barcelona cruise for next summer!

Regal Princess is still under construction, and we've never sailed on a ship this new before. Looking forward to hearing from others on this trip!

Norm & Ron

Palm Springs, California

Hi, Randy and Paul --

Hope you can find some good options for Easter Island! There are a couple of other tour companies, but I don't know their names off the top of my head. You could check the other Roll Call message board for some other suggestions.

I'll guess that you are from Vancouver :-) We live in Palm Springs. See you in a couple of weeks!

Norm & Ron

Looking forward to sharing cruise news/views/cocktails. We're still sorting out Easter Island touring and are contemplating renting a jeep and having a DIY tour since EI Spirit is full for our cruise dates.

 

Randy and Paul ;)

Greetings!

I will be hiking on my own when we visit Robinson Crusoe, and don't know of any organized tour operators there. I'm told there are a couple of enjoyable trails near where we put ashore. There was a 2010 tsunami that pretty much wiped away the only town, and I'm uncertain how rebuilding is progressing.

As for Pitcairn, with only about 50 inhabitants, there aren't any tour companies. If weather obliges and we actually make it ashore, I will be hiking there, as well.

See you on board!

Norm

Hello,

 

We have established tours on Fakarava, Bora Bora and Eater Isle.

Do you recommend any tours on Pitcairn and Robinson Crusoe Isles?

 

Thank you.

CL and EL

Greetings--

(Friendly posts are always appropriate!)

We have already booked and put down a deposit with Easter Island Spirit. We opted to take their two-day tour, and you are most welcome to join us if you like! When a cruise ship is in port, they try to limit the size of their groups to 18. The owner sent us a list of tours they are offering specifically when Marina is in port, and I will attempt to attach the PDF file if you care to have a look. You can read general details of their tour offerings on their website, easterislandspirit(dot)com

Also, there is an active message thread for this cruise, in the Roll Call section. You should check it out, as many of our fellow passengers have booked tours as well, and you may get some ideas for Fakarava and Bora Bora. Here is a direct link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1758331

We look forward to meeting you in December!

Best regards,

Norm & Ron

Hello. This is my first cruise critic post and hope it is appropriate. Apologies if not. You seem to be the only post my Oceania search. Would you be interested in joining or organizing a private excursion on Easter Island? Hubby and I are certainly gay friendly. Many folks on Azamara organized private tours via Cruise Critic last year and they seemed much more interesting and better value than ship choices. Thanks.

Oceania Marina Jan 2014.pdf