cruiseaholic78

Don’t know about the book but this BBC mini series was extremely popular and many people went to visit Crete after watching it.

Gosh its a small world we also visited Alexandria on the Fantasia, no idea which year though. It was also a time that we all traveled without water or used sunscreen! Many years later we also visited the pyramids this time on a large convoy with armed guards front and back and a spare coach “in case of a breakdown” It is one time I would definitely not advise a private tour.

Do you have the HIA package which includes standard wifi? If so (see answers above) is that you only need to pay the difference between standard and premium wifi $5 per day.

Have you had a look at booking Club orange if it is available for your cruise? Basically you book and pay for the lowest veranda guarantee and get to choose the cabin of your choice which can be any sort of veranda, do make sure you know which cabin you want. You also get some other perks including separate dining room. We used this for our Nieuwe Statendam cruise and our end price was less expensive than booking without Club orange. Sorry for weird link but google kept giving me a Dutch one! https://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjclIL_z_SAAxW-_7sIHdgtDysQFnoECA8QAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollandamerica.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fhal%2Finventory-assets%2Factivity-types%2Fdining%2Fclub-orange%2FClub_Orange_Benefits.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2fDlfGk6vK0AM25BzacSH4&opi=89978449

Our cruise was not actually going to New Zealand it was a circumnavigation of Australia and the missed ports (two of them) were due to underwater hull cleaning.

We do not appreciate being lied to! On our Australian cruise last year Thursday Island was cancelled for “operational reasons” and some port times were reduced. The worst thing of all was losing two ports because Regatta had to ‘try’ to do hull cleaning needed for the next cruise to New Zealand. It was obvious that arranging companies to do hull cleaning was not something that was possible at a days notice! Posted February 14 (edited) Attached is an article dated 7th January in which an Oceania spokesperson said that the vessel would be missing two ports and was on her way to Philip Island. They KNEW at least on 7th (it might have been submitted earlier) that we would not be going so why did they not inform us until the morning on 8th and allow people to gather in the lounge awaiting non existent excursions. https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/queen-elizabeth-fourth-ship-to-fall-foul-of-new-zealands-environmental-laws/

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Slightly off topic but definitely worthwhile, preregistration for customs/immigration in Japan. Apply on you phone and sail through with your two Q codes. https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/ Rosalyn

Here is a useful link with Schiphol info. https://www.schiphol.nl/en/ Rosalyn

That was last year and there were many problems however we have flown through Schiphol twice this year and there were no delays at all. As you will already be in Amsterdam you can disembark as early as you like and there will be taxis waiting for you. Here is some further info. https://www.schiphol.nl/en/

Yes it is and a perfect solution, we used the bus twice once from Haneda and once from Narita worked perfectly both times. It is really a coach with luggage space underneath and a little cheaper at 1300 JPY but this is about $10 each. https://webservice.limousinebus.co.jp/web/en/ReservationPlanSelect.aspx

The standard wifi package is $29.99 a day and premium is $34.99 a day so why are they charging you $15 a day extra? Or am I missing something here?

Yummy!

Just checking (thought I had seen it but can’t find it again) if we have the wifi package with HIA is it just an additional $5 per day to upgrade to premium? thanks RosLyn

We had them on our 2019 Hawaï cruise, loved them all.

Another vote for Fleet landing restaurant and you must try the pecan pie! On our second visit ordered it again, later asked and received the recipe. The location is great to sit (outside) and watch the world go by. https://fleetlanding.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Southern-Pecan-Pie.pdf Rosalyn

This is what we did on our visit to Boston, try to start as early as possible as traffic can get busy later in the day. Happy planning https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/careers Rosalyn

Wow, thanks for that it looks as though the release for my new cruise Boston to Boston on 19th October visiting the Caribbean was released on 30th March so no early booking bonus for me. To be honest I only found this cruise recently as I had always looked at Fort Lauderdale/ Miami as cruise starting point. This one was had everything Caribbean/Panama canal and shorter/cheaper direct flights from NL. Rosalyn

Did you also get the “Mariners” early booking of $400 applied to your booking or were you too late? I am asking because I am looking at an October 2024 cruise and it says 90 days after release of cruises but I can’t find the date anywhere. Rosalyn

Just like to advise you all Schiphol have really got their act together after the chaos last year. We have traveled through there twice this year without any problems or delays. happy travels Rosalyn

Miriam have a great cruise both of you and hope you create some new happy memories. Rosalyn

We have used the limousine bus twice in the past, once from Narita and once from Haneda (also two cases plus two carry ons), it went perfectly. There is plenty of room under the bus as its really a coach it was very comfortable and we bought the tickets at the counter with our credit card. Planning on using the bus again in October I can’ wait. Happy planning Rosalyn

How many different threads are there going to be about this, I have already posted this a few times but will repeat once again. it seems the article has caused some total (un)necessary panic among future cruisers. ‘A few corrections/nuances from a local because the Guardian article is missing some details which seems to have lead to misinterpretations of what was actually decided; the city council has not voted to shut down the cruise terminal and it doesn’t take effect immediately. For some time now there is a debate going on in Amsterdam about how to control the huge number of tourists that visit the city each year. On top of that there is increasing awareness about the huge air pollution caused by ocean cruise ships. As you may know, their engines still need to run, at a lower level, to generate the electricity needed to power all systems on board. For years, there has been talk in Amsterdam about moving the cruise terminal to a place outside the city. In 2016 for instance, the city already decided to move the cruise terminal to somewhere more near the harbor, but concrete action was never taken. The city did reduce the number of ocean cruise ships that are allowed to dock at the Amsterdam cruise terminal to a maximum of 190 ocean cruise ships per year. Yesterday, the city council has decided to speed up the process of moving the cruise terminal for sea cruises. In other words; it’s time we stop talking about it and start taking action. That’s it. So there is no immediate shut down of the cruise terminal in Amsterdam. And until the new cruise terminal is ready, which won’t be for many many years, ocean cruise ships can still come to Amsterdam and dock in the Cruise Terminal.’

We have used the limousine bus previously and it worked very well, will use it again in October and we are also booked at the Keio Plaza. We just paid with a CC and we were good to go. Another tip I have and this is not compulsory but will save time which is very pleasant after a long flight. Register all your details on this website and you will get two Q codes (on your phone) one for customs and one for immigration and then you will sail through to bagage claims https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/ Happy travels

Have you already looked at prices one way? I keep considering a transatlantic but have baled out because booking single flights is sometimes double the prices of a return. Is it not possible to add the other flights via NCL? you can always ask. In this case pricing a return could even be cheaper.