cuagrad90

On 5/3/2024 at 4:03 PM, trickylibrarian said:

We'll be on her next Saturday and hope the weather is improved.  Going to pack

for the cold.  Enjoying this thread a lot,  

Trickylibrarian, I, too will be on next week's cruise. I am a retired librarian and am going with a librarian who is almost retired.

In 2021 I took a Road Scholar tour of Quebec City. We stayed in a very nice hotel one block from the wall of the old city, Palace Royale. I would stay there again if I were to return.

 

Enjoy your time in Quebec City. I look forward to going back for one day when my ship, Volendam, docks on our way to Montreal.

I just watched a YouTube video done by a guy who was on the Volendam 4 months ago. The ship looked beautiful. I can't wait to see it with my own eyes in May.

I have just linked my AARP number with my Mariner number. I got a message that it was successful and it would be aprox. 2 days  before I could book something and get the additional credit. 

Recently, I got a great offer from HAL for 2024 Canadian cruises that had something about mariner appreciation. It is an excellent offer as it is HIA with elite beverage package and premium Wi-Fi and cruise appreciation compensation. We’ll, I just read some fine print ad it seems it may be only for double occupancy. Just doesn’t seem fair when, if sailing solo you are almost paying double. Do all the special offers only apply to double occupancy? 
 

My travel friend and I have had a PCC who was very pleasant and responsive when called or emailed. However, for the upcoming Alaska cruise we booked through an auto club that was having a promotion of their own so we got HAL benefits and those from the club. The TA has been quite helpful and may use her again.

I plan to get a GeoBlue policy for a year.It is health insurance only. My credit card from Costco gives good travel insurance coverage if I charge the trip using the card - except no health. GeoBlue https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/  will cost for a year what I would usually pay for one trip insurance policy. And, since I plan to travel more now that I am retired, I think it is worth it. 

Downloading WhatsApp will allow texting using WiFi, no data needed.

Looking for advice on booking Alaska cruise end of August/early September 2019. There are so many combinations it is daunting. My travel friend and I have friends from Australia who want to meet us. We have been on an inside passage cruise in 2009 and are looking forward to seeing Denali and some of the interior as we travel on the train. Our Ausie friends have never been to Alaska. From reading some postings, we should definitely do a double Denali and a triple if time permits. But what about Yukon?

 

I think I have narrowed it down to:

 

R6L - 12 Day Seattle to Vancouver which seems most practical for the choice of airlines for all of us if we fly in and out of Seattle. Right? Does HAL provide transportation to Seattle? Do they allow for a day to the Buchart Gardens before returning to Seattle.

 

Y4C - 11 Day Yukon & Double Denali has Glacier Bay included which I would like my friends to see. It that a tiresome trip because there are so many days on buses?

 

D1C - 12 Day Triple Denali looks good but ends in Fairbanks where I hear there's less choice for flights back home.

 

I appreciate your advice.

Terry

I was looking on the Luftner Cruises.

 

Any experience with them? I have not read many reviews or posts on Cruise Critic.

 

Thanks

 

In April I was on the Amadeus Silver as I was on a Smithsonian Journeys tour, the Waterways of Holland and Belgium. It was my first river cruise. The ship was clean as a whistle, the staff were friendly and food was good. There was a nice "library" at the rear of our deck from which you could get tea or coffee and cookies, sit and read or use one of two computers. Our trip was enhanced as we had lectures by a Smithsonian art historian. The passengers not associated with Smithsonian were part of three college alumni groups. It was a very educated group. Enjoyed many enriching conversations with fellow travelers.

Doing transatlantic on N Statendam in April .never been in Amsterdam was wondering if anyone has advice on a nice hotel close to sites thanks for any information

The Doubletree by Hilton Central Station is very nice and convenient. My friend and I stayed there in April and walked everywhere from there - our first day we walked 21,000 steps!

There is a nice Chinese restaurant nearby and the library a block away has a nice restaurant on it's top floor. The breakfast at the Doubletree is a fabulous buffet.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

I got on in Barcelona. Was in Neptune Suite 6086. It was quite nice with new colors. The large screen tv was really nice with great selection of movies available with a few clicks. I tried to attach a picture but It wouldn't let me.

I did notice carpet on steps was worn and there are some missing tiles and rust where the wall meets the floor in Lido. But really inconsequential. It was another dam good cruise with good food and excellent service.

Thanks everyone for the information. This is very helpful. think I will get the 15 euro ticket and have flexibility on time.

I will be in Florence for a day in June and want a tour of the Duomo, not one as part of another tour. I have found one that is an hour and is only $15. And, then some that are 90 minutes to two hours that are more in the $60 price range. They do not include going in the tower and I don't want to go - I have a fear of heights.

 

My questions to those with experience:

 

1) If I take the hour tour, will they let me stay at the completion and look around on my own?

 

2) The longer tours include the Baptistry. Is that worth to extra cost?

 

3) My ship is in port at 8 a.m. Can I make a 10 a.m. tour?

 

Thanks for your advice.

I am enjoying your tour on CC. Will be in Gibralter in a month on the Oosterdam. I have friends who have twice not gotten to dock there because of high winds. So, I like the idea of getting off ship and getting a tour, if we get to port there. What is the name of the company you used?

Thanks.

The partnerships with AFAR and UTrip for travel planning via HAL's website have gone live for more destinations other than Europe this morning, including Alaska.

 

Very intuitive and informative tool.

 

Thought I'd pass it on.

 

Cheers!

 

Thanks that is helpful info for my upcoming cruise.

Thanks for posting. I can't wait to be on it in a month.

I read yesterday in the May issue of Travel & Leisure magazine that if ATM asks if you want it to convert your dollars into local money instead of letting your local bank do it, don't agree or you will be hit with a service fee of 2 to 3 percent.

About the laundry...at home I don't use a dryer for anything but sheets and sometimes towels; however, a few years ago when we got a free, last minute upgrade to a Neptune Suite, we got free laundry. They do a great job and most days if we sent it out in morning, we got it back that day. Three cruises later I still have not had any issues with the HAL laundry service. I understand from other postings, you can get a package price for laundry all week if not in Neptune Suite.

Recently I wanted to book excursions for my upcoming cruise and could click "add to cart" but could not get the next screen to fully display to enter my credit card info. I use the Edge browser (part of Windows 10) or Firefox

 

Yesterday I picked up the phone and called HAL. I was told the web site is designed to work best with Chrome and IE.

 

Why can't the web designers optimize for Edge and Firefox, too. They are not unknowns.

I am going on a cruise out of Barcelona in May and HAL's hotel is Gallery. Booking it on our own would be about $202 USD plus transportation costs. HAL's quote was quite fair and includes transportation from airport to hotel and then to port. Splitting the cost, I don't know that we could do it much less expensively and I like the door to door service.

I, too, use a CPAP and use the tap water and have had not had any problems. I also ask for an extension cord every time. HAL has been fine with it.

Happy sleeping.

I am a single woman who lives alone and is very independent. I have single friend like me with whom I travel. Because neither of us are use to sharing a room with someone, we have found the spaciousness of Neptune Suites quite nice; and, I got to tell you we also like the free laundry, Neptune Lounge and Pinnacle Grill. But, the size of the stateroom is a real plus.

HAL

Look at Holland America, too. Their largest ships have 1400 less pax than the Princess ship you were on. They have a warm ambiance and do not feel as large as they are. Great staff. Nice amenities and very good food.

By all means grab the Suite, but beware - Once you have experienced the Suite life, it is hard to go back to a lesser cabin.

 

truer words were never spoken!