maryandmarge

Thanks for your response. Hoping as the month goes on others coming off the cruise ship and heading to the airport will also give us some input also.

I’m hoping that’s true - but because they are closing the one big tunnel this week for the rest of the summer - people have expressed concerns in traffic holdups. Even Holland sent out an email last week warning of possible delays. I really don’t want to reschedule flight home to later flight. Thanks for your response.

Sorry I wasn’t clear. We are flying in a day early as we always do. They question I posted was for after cruise going from port to airport. Thanks.

We are on a Holland America cruise to Iceland and returning to Boston on August 23rd which is a Wednesday We have booked the transfer from port to airport thru Holland. Our flight is at 12:45 on Southwest. I’m hoping that people that cruise before us will post on here how bad the delays getting to airport are and if I should be concerned with the flight I have booked. I appreciate any updated info that anyone can share. Please do not suggest we take a taxi or Uber as we are in our senior years and don’t feel comfortable doing either of those options. Thanks Maryell

I was also on this Panama Cruise and felt bad for the 41 people that we had to leave behind to be able to meet our time slot at the Panama Canal. I would like to correct you however when you said Holland cancelled every other excursions on that day. We did a Holland shore excursion to the Countryside and Coffee Plantation quite a distance from the ship. When we left the pier it was a bright and sunny day. We did encounter severe rain storm on returning to the ship. In Hollands defense there were a lot of tours that went out that day. Not just the zip line one. I agree that they should have done much more in compensating those people on that tour but also felt like people on Cruise Critic should also know it wasn’t the only tour that went out.

Thanks for the update on your Disney Dream cruise. Our family is heading to Miami this weekend to go on the 5 day Marvel Cruise on the Disney Dream. This group includes my grandkids who are 9 and 11. This is a cruise we had to cancel 3 years ago when the oldest got sick the day we were supposed to leave. Hearing that the food is great is awesome. Hope you heal fast from your fall in the airport. Maryell

Hi Bruno I can’t offer any advice on comparing cruise lines as I’ve never cruised on Princess or Royal Caribbean. Plus I’ve never stayed in anything larger than a regular balcony room. I just wanted to say I’m happy to see your post that you are able to check into cruising again with your dad. This is great news. I’m sure you’ll have a great time in whatever you pick. Stay healthy and have a great 2023! Maryell

You might want to check Days Inn Trip Advisor reviews are really bad. I was checking to see if that would be an option for us in February and decided it is not.

Bruno - It’s always good to hear from you and see how you are doing. I know you deal with it one day at a time. You are a great guy - and a good care giver. Hoping some day to catch up with you again on a ship. Best wishes for you to have nice holidays. Take care of yourself. Maryell

Hey Nancy Seems like you had some added excitement on your cruise. Kudos for all that were involved in saving those lives. Seems like you have been on the seas forever. Hope you are enjoying your Caribbean cruise before you return home. We had some nice times while on the Panama Cruise but it was hard coming home afterwards to real life of fixing my own food and making my bed 🙂. Enjoy the rest of the cruise. I hope some days our paths cross again. Safe travels. Maryell.

We booked thru Holland America for our 17 day Panama Cruise from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale. They use the Sheraton Marina - 1380 Harbor Drive. When we first signed up we were told Hollands block of rooms was full and we were waitlisted. About a month or so later we were notified that rooms became available - it was $340 for 2 people thru Holland and that included transfer from the airport to the hotel (which is already free if you book yourself) and then also the transfer from hotel to ship in the morning. There was a convention going on and the hotel was very crowded - we checked in around 7 pm and there were probably 30 people in line behind us when we were thru. Although we were able to walk around the marina area and check out yachts and such we were not happy with the room we got. I had checked out reviews before we left and the Lanai Towers were reported to have musty smell. We were in a first floor room and as soon as you opened the door - you could smell it. Luckily we travel with a can of aerosol room spray and after spraying the room and bathroom - it was fine. If they put you in the Bay Tower I heard that is fine. In the morning we took a walk around the grounds and along the bay and could see the ships that were in port. Transfers all went smoothly. Hope this helps in your quest for finding a room. In the future I think we would probably book our own and pay for the transfers at another hotel.

I can't say anything but good things about our room stewards on the Nieuw Amsterdam for 17 days. They came and introduced themselves when we received our luggage and asked for our requests while being on ship. We asked for morning service and not evening - ice twice a day - towel animals - and chocolates. We received excellent service along with our requests all 17 days. From the second day on they were calling us by our names each time we saw them. They would go out of their way to acknowledge us in the hallway and asked if we needed anything else. We remember the food being more variety in past Holland cruises.

Wow Debbie - the pictures are nice. Is that a Holland tour or private tour? Sounds like a good option for the cruise next year. Keep having fun on your cruise now. We’ll be going thru the Panama Canal in a few days. Safe travels. Maryell.

We are on the Nieuw Amsterdam right now in a 5th floor balcony. The door is not magnetic. I had a new 11” x 11” magnet made by Etsy and was so disappointed. Until we realized that since the wall was magnetized we were able to hang it above our mailbox. Others on our floor have door hangings. Some look like they are hung using command hooks. We always like seeing the different things people mark their rooms with. Maryell

In Ohio the land between the sidewalk and street is called the “tree lawn”. At least that’s what we’ve always called it. Maryell

HI Bruno Great to hear from you - I always watch for you to post. I have a close friend since elementary school who is dealing with the same issues as you - her mom has lived with her for years and she's 98 and has been failing this past month. We offer what help we can to support her - but know that the outcome will not be good. Her mom is 98 and has had a great life. My sister and I are on the Nieuw Amsterdam on October 8th - going from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale thru the Panama Canal. We'll do a toast to you and hope to be able to sail with you once again in the future. Stay healthy and take care. Maryell

Thanks so much for your reply, i think since the cost is so minimal (less than $2 a day) we'll go ahead and prepay the premium internet. Hope you are able to cruise in November!!

Hi Jacqui - We are on a 17 day cruise from San Diego to FLL thru the Panama Canal in October. We were going to book the surf package which according to the pricing looks to be $179.99 because all we really do is check emails and surf the web. Our reservation has the option to only prebook the premium package at $212. No option to book the surf package early at a discount. So it looks to be only another $32 if we booked the premium before we get on the ship. Is it worth the extra less than $2 a day to get the premium package or should I save that money and just wait and book the surf package once we are on the ship. I know you have a ton of cruise experience and hopefully you can give me your advice on this. Thanks much Maryell

Tim - Looking forward to following along as we are on a similar trip next year on Zaandam - 25 days - July 29, 2023. Always watching for cc suggestions for make a cruise even better. I followed your Alaska cruise with your wife and young grand daughter - you both were so blessed to be able to spend that quality time together. They grow up so quick and then have lives of their own. I hope you have great weather - meet lots of new cc members - and enjoy your trip. Stay safe and healthy! Maryell

My sister and I are doing a similar trip - 25 days - July 29th, 2023 on the Zaandam so following along to get lots of good ideas on what we should do. Safe travels and have lots of fun. Maryell

Hi Debbie - I try to follow the Daily when I can so I'm familiar with some of the names and where people are from. My sister and I live in Valley City, OH so about an hour from Kent where you live. I noticed yesterday that you posted on here that you are on the Zaandam on the 25 day cruise next July 29th 2023 up thru Greenland and Iceland. My sister and I have also booked this cruise so I look forward to hopefully meeting you then. We've done N England and Quebec cruises in the past and Iceland has always been on our bucket list. Fingers crossed that we all stay healthy and are able to cross this off our list. Safe travels. Maryell

Getting ready to book a room on Nieuw Amsterdam on the Oct 8th San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale thru the Panama Canal. I'm booking thru a casino offer that I received a couple days ago. My options for the oceanview is HH with a completed obstructed view OR if I want to pay a little more I can get a balcony in the VH category which is also full obstructed view. There are only 4 of these on the front of the ship. Cost of the balcony is approx. $1000 more per person for the 17 days. We've always used the balcony when we cruise even when we went to Alaska. Hoping someone on cruise critic has stayed in these categories and can give me their opinion of what they thought. I've always gotten lots of useful knowledge from past cruisers on cruise critic. Thanks in advance - travel safe... Maryell