VMax1700

¡ Buenas! Jacqui, So sorry to read about your continuing difficulties. Hope you continue to improve and can still enjoy your cruise.

They don't! Only within North America. Most toll free numbers are geographically restricted to within the country of issue. For example HAL in Rotterdam has two toll free numbers....one for within Netherlands and a different one for outside Netherlands, but within EU. I cannot contact them using the 'Within Netherlands' number even if I put + 31 (Netherlands access code) infront of the number.

You are making progress over there! In 2019 I renewed my passport online in little old backward Ireland. Three days from application to receiving the passport and this was at the time when many in UK were applying for Irish passports because of Brexit. Also there is a facility whereby the applicant can use a photo booth for the picture and the images are digitally sent to the passport office, the customer receives a code which they insert in the online application. This is easier for those who have difficulty taking selfies or getting the image correct.

Beer! I am not a beer drinker so I may be wrong on this one, but I have purchased a 'bucket' of beer (for a specific purpose), which was cheaper than purchasing individual bottles. If I asked that they not be opened then I could take them to the stateroom and store them in the fridge for rationed consumption!

It continues to amaze and shock me that in the US baggage carousels are not airside, but open to the general public.

I agree with you on that one, but I don't believe that cocktails and wine will make any difference. But, what if I order two appetizers and no dessert? Will I still get charged for the additional appetizer or will I get credit for no dessert? (It really doesn't matter to me as I find the appetizers and desserts somewhere between average and mediocre.)

So was your luggage stolen or is it missing? It may have been loaded on to the wrong flight and may still turn up (somewhere!). Hopefully you put a sticker with your name and address inside the luggage. It is really upsetting when luggage goes missing (whatever the cause) specially just before you board. Hope you enjoyed your cruise in some way.

As has been repeated many times on this forum, the water from the cooler in the Lido is fine to drink and no need to purchase bottled (or canned!) water.

€15 round trip per person.

I am slightly confuddled here.....you say you have never encountered them in your life, but you are shocked that someone else (HAL) has never had them before?? Unfortunately they are everywhere and even though I have spent my life travelling and sleeping in 'strange' beds, I also have not encountered them. If I did have a bed that was infected and notified management I would expect them to fumigate the bed/deal with the problem, that is it. Nothing more.

It is possible to upgrade just one passenger as the offer comes to each individual device/passenger. We both had Have It All, but I was able to upgrade myself without problem, DW was upgraded later.

In June of this year (2022) the train schedule was down to a minimum. Below is a pic of the schedule. There were buses available to go to Olympia at € 15 each, however be advised that they would wait until the bus was (nearly) full. It is a 30 minute drive to Olympia and then you have 2 hours of free time. The guide appeared to have excellent english. Also available at the end of the dock were taxis, scooters to rent, cars to rent and ATV's to rent.

Aer Lingus? Then you will pre clear US Customs and Immigration formalities in Dublin before departure which is a major positive for arriving in Miami, where the queues for Immigration are ghastly. If you are staying in Fort Lauderdale area then I suggest that you use Larry's Limos https://www.larryslimo.com/ to transfer you to Fort Lauderdale. The driver will meet you at Baggage and take you directly to the car. So worth it. After a transatlantic flight we find it money well spent. Uber/Lyft requires data on your mobile phone which you may not have, or wifi and then you have the difficulty of locating the car when you exit the terminal and lose the wifi. We prefer to stay in Miami for at least two nights pre cruise, and use Larry's to take us from our Miami hotel to Fort Lauderdale cruise port (Port Everglades) and also to collect us at the end of the cruise and transfer us back to Miami.

Your cheese plate on the flight reminds me, to remind you........... crackers 😉

For a DFW to BCN flight my first call would be BA (britishairways.com) and my last would be United or Delta. But that is probably just a European perspective. Regarding the Iberia/Finnair flights - do not be concerned. In all probability it is just being ticketed through these airlines and you would fly on another airline's plane, probably British Airways. This is because these airlines are all part of the same airline group and sell each others flights.

Apart from the big supermarket type stores within the shopping malls ('Centro Comercial' in Spain) you will find a Carrefour store half way down Las Ramblas on the West side. They have a good selection of wine and the usual supermarket stuff - toothpaste, sunscreen, deoderant, chips 😉 etc.

😁😁Well known proverb - 'Best grease for a locked door is a greased palm!'😉

The price charged and paid pre cruise is the full price including the service charge. Onboard your account should reflect the 25% discount on the price without the service charge. Check your account (stateroom TV) and if after a couple of days, the discount does not show, then form a line at Guest Services.

No, I think it means that you need to replace the ink cartridge in your printer 😁 I believe that each ship has a different colour to their luggage tags and perhaps NS is orange, but hey, let's hope that it is an upgrade 😉

Have a great cruise everyone! European temperatures are still very mild for almost November. (we should have been on this one! 😭)

I knew this day would eventually arrive......after so many cancellations and ship transfers it is almost time we should have been flying to Barcelona to join you all on Oosterdam, but perhaps another time, another ship. Jacqui wishing you a wonderful cruise. Have a memorable time. Colin

If your B2B is on two different booking numbers then the chances are they will assign two different cabins. Not their fault as they assign cabins cruise by cruise. However, if you are assigned two different numbers try calling the Inventory phone number 1.888.628.8107 or 206.626.7381and explain the situation. I have done this successfully a couple of times. It helps if you have checked available cabins by making test bookings and tell them which cabin is available for both cruises.

HA HA! Great start to the Friday Morning Maths Test! Hit that EDIT button now!

Not a high speed (AVE) train, but regular RNFE stock. 3 stations on the way to the City. Also the airport station is at Terminal 2B so it is necessary to take a shuttle bus from T1 to T2B. https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/airport/barcelona-airport-transport.html Better to take the Aerobus or a taxi (fixed fare).

there is no bluetooth function on the TV's and no way to attach a bluetooth dongle to them.