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My husband was equally enthused, since this is our compromise activity before casino time. Over a cup of tea, he tells me how he is sure to win in the casino. Good laughs had all around.😁

Very nice to read. 🙂

Guatemala seems to have very stringent regulations for conversion of USD to GTQ for their citizens because of criminal activity. We are looking forward to climbing Pacaya volcano and will need GTQ for tips. Once I have committed to purchasing one currency, there are no additional fees for purchasing the other currencies on the route. Since the Panama Canal route is fairly common, I thought the crew might be able to use the excess, but it does not seem that is a correct impression. Thank you for the suggestions of the donation boxes in the port, airport, or ship.

I plan on purchasing foreign currency for use in port stops, mainly in Central America. If I have unused foreign currency, can the HAL ship crew make use of the money? Or, is it more appropriate to leave additional crew tips in USD and sell back the excess foreign currency when I return home?

My husband and I are considering booking the HAL San Diego transport to the zoo and the airport. Does the same vehicle, with the luggage, handle both legs of the transport? Our assumption is, yes, but would like confirmation.

Anything is possible, but I could not find a reference to travel specific Panama entry/exit regulations that are different from the link posted. IMHO if there are Panama marine specific regulations, I would think HAL itineraries with partial transits of the canal would be subject to the same regulations as full transits. Hopefully things will change for the better.🙂

Hi Denise. These are the entry/exit requirements posted on the US Embassy in Panama. If you have a link to additional Covid testing requirements for Panama, I would be happy to read them. Entry and Exit Requirements Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? Yes. Fully vaccinated travelers must bring proof of vaccination and electronic sworn affidavit . Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers must present a negative Covid test. Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? Yes, a negative PCR or antigen test is required unless the passenger can provide proof that they have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to arriving in Panama. https://pa.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

I would like to see the old outdated information removed from the website or redacted from the .pdf documents when new updated regulations are posted. For me, it causes doubt about testing requirements. Neither of our sailings, including a full panama canal transit, are listed in the enhanced protocol .pdf, but the FAQ page still links to a Travel Well, Download U.S. cruise protocols .pdf document that requires testing for all dated June 4, 2022. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions.html

I have had success with the guarantee process. I think it is a benefit for both the passenger and cruise line.

Yes, your 15 drink limit is reduced by drinks in the casino. No, you don't have to get up from the casino game to get a drink at the casino bar. The casino has servers that will take your order for drinks.

My husband and I enjoyed the Antilla shipwreck snorkel in Aruba offered through HAL as an excursion. The ship was scuttled and no one lost a life, so we felt snorkeling would not be disrespectful. We were able to snorkel the full time allotted, but many returned to the boat for refreshments. The tour seemed to appeal to a variety of water skill levels, basic to advanced. By far, the best tour we have taken from a cruise ship.

Thank you for the information and the copy of the laundry slip. I remember declaring number of items sent out, but I did not recall the ability to purchase the package.

We enjoyed the laundry package very much on our last cruise with Holland. We thought it had to be purchased, in advance. How do we purchase it on the ship; room steward, guest services or other department? I saw the thread about roll forward OBC, but thought it only applied to B2B. Our sailings are separated, so did not want to risk a negative surprise on the last day. Thank you to everyone for the replies.

Because, it appears we will have excess OBC. From the board, we have formed the opinion that we can't use the OBC in the casino and can't apply it to gratuities. If we could purchase a gift card onboard, we could use the excess OBC for a future sailing, instead of forfeiting the amount. Thank you for the suggestions of AARP gift cards. We are not eligible for membership, yet.

Are HAL gift cards available for purchase onboard? If so, where are they sold on the ship (guest services, excursion desk, etc)?

This is very sad to read and I hope all involved are safe and sound. Here is a link to the U.S. State Department's travel map https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/ It is updated daily and provides links to the travel advisories for the world.

My husband and I enjoyed the ship and itinerary. It was our first cruise with HAL. So far, it ranks as the best cruise we have taken. On a different note, is the Amazon/Antarctic round trip from FLL scheduled on a routine basis? Or, is the 2023 voyage a once only scheduling of the itinerary?

We booked the Old San Juan Fortresses and Shopping for $69.95 per person. It includes Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristobal. The huge selling point for DH was "tours of underground tunnels." 😁 I am pretty sure he ran to get the credit card after reading the write up. I did learn that the time for the kayak tour was less than ideal due to moon phases, but decided to book it on the hopes it will be cloudy. Thank you to everyone for the replies. I think we will probably order chicken from the room service menu.

DH and I are sailing the Volendam and have a long port day in Puerto Rico. We are thinking of doing two excursions, a fort tour and the night time kayak tour. The fort tour has a departure time of 11:00 a.m. with a return of 2:30 pm, whereas the kayak tour has a departure time of 4:00 pm with a return time of 9:30 p.m. If I remember correctly, both the buffet lines and MDR will be closed during the short amount of time between excursions and after our final return at 9:30 p.m. Is room service available for evening dinner? Does anyone have any on ship dining suggestions?

Not a programming wizz by any stretch of the imagination, but it is not a secret the airlines do this with their fares. I don't think it would be too far of a stretch to think Carnival adopted this pricing strategy.

Thank you for an informative and enjoyable review. DH and I were reading it and he started to laugh, "She sounds like you." I agree with him, I like the planning portion of the trip, too. We have been to a few of the places you visited, but by foot instead of cruise. Some of the pictures brought back fond memories. Once again, thank you for the great review.

Thank you for your helpful replies.

My husband and I are considering booking our second HAL cruise. We previously cruised on the Zuiderdam, we are now considering the Volendam. On our first HAL cruise, a Catholic priest was onboard that held daily mass. Is there a priest on the Volendam? Since the Covid restart, we have cruised with Carnival and the paper menus have converted to QR codes. Will the MDR on the Volendam have menus or QR codes on the table?

Thank you for the replies. These developments sound interesting to me. I suspect the New York itineraries will include Bermuda and the fall northeast and Canada colors, maybe even a far flung Greenland visit.

Since one of the ships will be sailing from Australia, is there any news about the home port for the other? Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions about Carnival utilizing the existing booking engine for these ships or will there be a separate site like HAL, Princess, etc? I am OK with no burgers, retention of the "Italian flare" sounds interesting. 🙂