VacationCharlene

The Light Rail system is fairly easy to use and super cheap transportation. There is some walking involved from SEATAC to the Light Rail system thru the garage area of the airport and depending on where you need to get off and how much, if much at all, walking is involved after that. We have used the Light Rail System as well as AJ Towncar Services. Options

I highly recommend AJ Towncar Services while in Seattle. AJ is so nice, I know, because we have used him a few times for transportation needs while in Seattle. His number is (206) 697-5577. He is happy to give you a quote over the phone but I know he has a towncar that seats 4 comfortably that I think is $55 from the airport to Pier 91 or $45 to Pier 66 downtown...also hotels downtown. He has a SUV that is $65 from airport to Pier 91. I also think he has a 10 passenger van that is $12 per person (minimum 7 people). We have had him pick us up from Pioneer Square and also downtown Seattle and was ALWAYS on time, friendly, and great competitive prices. Here is his website that I just looked up. http://www.seatactowncar.com You will be happy you gave him your business Hope this helps you and others looking for transportation reviews. Tell him his friend from San Diego....Charlene....says helllooooo

Enjoy your cruise!!!!

iroa

Thank you so much for this VERY informative Blog Bill and Mary Ann! It is great to see all your pictures as well.

We will be going on the Maasdam March 24, 2017 for the 33 day Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas visiting foreign ports of:

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Raiatea, Society Islands

Bora-Bora 2 days

Papeete, Tahiti

Moorea, Society Islands

Rangiroa, French Polynesia

Nuka Hiva, Marquesas Islands

My questions to you is: Did you feel you NEEDED to purchase local monies for any of these places to have a beer or two or purchase a small trinket? If so, where were you OR was USD accepted everywhere?

Second question is: Now that you have been to all of these wonderful places what is your best suggestion or recommendation for these places. I know you have written a lot, and I have enjoyed it, but is there ONE THING that seemed necessary that you would want to pass on to a newbie to these locations?

Thanks again and anxious to hear your reply :-)

Respectfully, VacationingCharlene

We too did this cruise not to long ago on the Zuiderdam and really enjoyed it.

Seems like EVERY ship is going to have issues at one time or another...and people are always going to complain. It really does help to go with an open mind and if something does happen...don't freak out...let them fix it!!

Have a great cruise and happy sailing to all. Hope you enjoy the video :D

VacationingCharlene: Hope you see this post as I have a few questions for you. We are scheduled for 11/30/16 11 day PC Sunfarer. Thanks for the video it helped. We are planning to stay on board for partial transit and visit various points on board to view the transit. Some time on SS balcony, time up top and also on forward Promenade when that is open.

One ? I see mention that transit begins early while still dark I believe? About what time would that be. I am early riser which is good and love to sit on Veranda with coffee early morning so this would be great for me.

Another? You said Costa Rica was your favorite port. Can I ask why? Still trying to decide if we should take Tortugero Canal excursion. How long did bus take from port to canal? Which tour company did you use? Was it thru HAL or independent? Have been looking at Ports of Call threads re CR but just wanted your opinion if you don't mind.

Hope you see this and would like to hear your answers or from any others who have done this cruise. Thanks a bunch.

 

Jane

Good Morning Jane from sunny and hot Southern California:D

I too am glad I saw this post. Being an early riser is always a good thing to be able to see things in a calm and quiet atmosphere. If I recall you start to enter Gatun Lake area around 6am as they pick up the pilot and then we didn't actually enter Southbound Locks until around 8:30 but does depend on how many ships are waiting in line to enter. Be sure to walk around and see all perspectives of the locks from different levels etc. I was actually able to find a spot where I could actually touch the wall of the Locks since you are that tight. We thought it was so amazing when the bridge was open for cars, school buses to go ACROSS the locks .......very interesting!

We had a great day in Costa Rica with a private excursion with Syl Travel, Edgard Masco for the City tour, Tortuguero Canals and banana plantation. There were four of us in our own vehicle for only $55 per person for about 4 hours I believe. It was a bargain and great day. JOEL the guide was so great!! Finished with a beer at a beautiful private beach by El Faro Restaurant. Syltravel Day Tours check it out on TripAdvisor

We also enjoyed Holland America's "Curacao County Drive" for $50 for 3 1/2 hours to see the beautiful Boka Tabla, National Park and fun seeing the Tula Museum. Interesting. Be sure to take the easy walk over to the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge but watch your timing for this or you COULD get stuck on the other side of the ship when you need to be ON the ship...:eek:

In Half Moon Cay (key) we were very happy we had reserved a clam shell on the beach for $20. It is nice to be able to get out of the sun or direct light at times and also for hiding your stuff while you are in the water. Very good investment and they do book up quickly I think. Nice beach and be sure to go in the water and see the fish right there in the shallow part....so cool!!

One at sea day, I believe, we had the BEST BBQ lunch on deck that was so good!!! Be sure not to miss that.

Have an awesome time and enjoy your cruise :p

We stayed ON the ship on our 10 day Sunfarer for both ways into and return thru the canal. It was a great day and we got so many pictures from different angles and different levels on the ship. If we were to do it again I would still STAY ON.....we enjoyed it a lot.

Below is a short video of our Panama Canal cruise. We really enjoyed Costa Rica the most I think. Also enjoyed the days they have on the ship, outside the Lido decks, BBQ is so delicious and fun!!

Have an awesome time !!!!!!!!!!!

We have used a couple options when visiting Seattle. We have used the public light rail system and the past few years have been using AJ with SeaTac Towncar Service (206) 697-5577. He is the nicest guy and we have arranged weeks head of time when we wanted him to pick us up etc. right from the pier, hotel or airport. You can easily share a ride with 4 people and luggage. Give him a call and ask for a price or look up http://www.seatactowncar.com He is VERY nice and accommodating! We used him to and from the airport to the pier 91. Have an awesome cruise with whichever way you get there. Tell him Charlene from San Diego says HI !!

YES YES YES

I currently have a roll call for the Maasdam 33 Day Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas for March 24, 2017 and have put quite a bit of work into HELPING other travelers (as well as for myself) on that cruise and would so appreciate being told if they had cancelled. I had to play detective and figured out two people, who had excursions with me, who had bailed. Some excursion owners will not accept your word that the person will not be there and in turn, fills a spot someone else may want.

So YES YES YES common courtesy would be so appreciated for you to take a couple extra minutes and post on the roll call that you have left the cruise.

Happy Sailing All!!

On our Eurodam last fall we had the Signature Beverage package via Explore4.

We did not get any receipts nor was the cost of the drinks listed on our shipboard account.

But I did keep track of everything we ordered, i.e., prices so that we could decide is we wanted to purchase the package on our spring cruise. Our drink bill for 14 days was only around $600 -- did not buy the package.

Last cruise on the Maasdam SOME of the drinks were listed on our account and then with a credit but we too kept ALL receipts for future planning. Our beer and water bottle consumption for 14 days was $670 and we paid $460 more for the Explorer4 promotion. So ours paid off but it has also helped in our planning of our 33 day cruise with LOTS of sea days...i.e....lots of beer time :D and so we have been purchasing ship board credit so all is paid before we leave...or at least a good portion of it.

Happy Sailing!!

MAYBE this will help. We went on the 10 day Panama Canal trip March 2015 and really enjoyed it. We really enjoyed Half Moon Cay for a very enjoyable beach day on the private island with lunch included. We purchased the rental of the clam shell and so happy we did. I am very fair skinned to stay out of the sun and also a place to "hide" your stuff while you go in the water. We really enjoyed Puerto Limon, Costa Rica the best as we did the coolest private shore excursion with Syl Travel Day Tours and the Tortuguero Canals Tour (in the video) for $55pp for 4 hours or so... Was a great day!! Curacao we went on HAL's Curacao Country Drive which took you to Shete Boka Nat'l Park (Google it) and was very nice for about $50 pp for 3 1/2 hours. Then we walked around the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge which is a unique experience as well as many shops close to the pier. There is also a Hato Cave tour (we did not do) that I have read about that sounds interesting. Aruba we made the mistake of not booking anything and just walking around and having a few of the local brews. We really feel you need to get excursions in ALL ports to get the most of your day.

Hope your rollcall heats up. I have the 33 day Hawaii and South Pacific rollcall for March 2017 doing pretty well considering it is still 7 months away.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Thank you for the cool video Charlene. We are booked on Zuiderdam this coming winter for the 10-day partial canal cruise. I noticed you did the Tortuguero Canal excursion and we're considering it as well - was that through HAL and what are your thoughts on it?

We enjoyed that tour alot! We used private company Syl Travel Day Tours 4 hr tour Tortuguero Canals and Banana plantation for only $55pp. Look up TripAdvisor and Charlene351 for all my reviews for that cruise and glad you liked the video!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

YES I believe you are doing the right thing. This will be the first time we have "pre-purchased" SBC...ship board credit as well as having OBC...on-board credit that we received from our travel agent. We are going on a very long and expensive cruise next March and I am the type that likes everything paid up front as I can so we can RELAX, enjoy the cruise to it's fullest and not worry about how much everything is costing.

We have $830 OBC from TA coming (of which it will all go towards gratuities), PLUS $475 add'l OBC for different reasons and I purchased two $100 beverage cards and changed my mind after that to just pre-pay for ANYTHING with SBC. So now I have added another $700 for ANYTHING...knowing we can order all those drinks....lol for a 33 day cruise....yikes!! So YES purchase those $100 every month...you will be glad you did!

We get nothing for interest in the bank so that means nothing to me and would much prefer paying down as much then the mere pennies we may "lose". Kasu said everything that I was thinking and so I WOULD recommend buying down as much as you want and it WILL go back on the credit card any un-used (yea right) monies you paid or travel agent gave :D

Have an awesome time on your cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank YOU for the great review. This is by far my favorite cruise and looking to go again in May 2018 :-) I have also included, to interest others, our recent review of our 14 day Alaska Explorer cruise. Enjoy

Just returned from our 14 day Alaska May 23-June 6th cruise on the Maasdam.

Our YouTube video...6 minutes or so

Started out PERFECT with our pre-arranged transportation with AJ and SEATAC Towncar Services (206) 697-5577. We used him three times this trip and he was always on time and with a smile on his face in a great and safe vehicle. Highly recommend them. Be sure to tell them Charlene says HI !

LOVE LOVE LOVED the Maasdam and all it had to offer. We took along with us our well seasoned cruise travelers, brother and sister-in-law of MANY cruises and they were very impressed with the ship and all it had to offer as well.

Embarking was super easy from Seattle and because the ship is a smaller ship we never really encountered many lines or long wait times for anything. We arrived at the port around 10:45-11:00 and on the ship for lunch 11:30-11:45. Many people on the ship had mobility issues and used walkers etc and got around just fine. Navigating the ship was pretty easy as well. Deck 6-Promenade outdoor walk-around is a place you will be able to walk off some of the delicious food as far as exercise.

The shows were great, the food delicious and varied, everything was terrific! For this cruise they offer Alaskan Beers that are wonderful and average $6 a beer. Lots of wine options as well.

We met so many great crew members that after 14 days, a few, felt like they were family. They sincerely enjoyed their jobs and us, their guests. The food in the Lido deck is dished out by crew members helping speed up the process and also less chance of cooties from all of us. If you need help getting your food back to the table they will help you there also.

The weather was great and the seas calm for MOST of the time. We had a couple days of stormy seas. The weather in most ports was between 55-65 degrees but hit in the 80's in Victoria where it was actually HOT. We got rain in Kodiak all day and some in Anchorage so our water proof jackets and umbrellas came in handy. I DO recommend some type of hat or beanie and some gloves to have in your day pack as well.

Most all of our excursions were amazing but for some reason the couple we booked with HA were either a little late getting started or had some small issues. We highly enjoyed the Glacier Winds Charters for whale watching in Icy Strait but feel you would also do well in Juneau as well. We rented a standard SUV from Avis in Downtown Anchorage for $50 for the day and went on our own (4 of us) to Byron Glacier which we walked to in the rain, and loved it, went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for $12.50 adults or $9.00 senior and loved it. We also stopped at the Aleyski Ski Lodge in Girdwood and took the tram to the top that was beautiful!! It was a very easy and smooth ride up to the top. They offer a $32 lift/lunch ticket and get $20 food credit per person in the Bore Tide Deli in the top that had great sandwiches, basket of fries that feed four adults and drinks. Snow at the top. In Ketchikan we went on the Bering Sea Crab Excursion which is a bit pricey but really a great experience and put on by guys that love their profession....we enjoyed it a lot. I always like promoting in Sitka that it is an easy place to go around on your own and can get to the Fortress of the Bears for transportation for $10 pp and entry $10 pp for the non-profit. Sitka is now a pier port and they complimentary bus you downtown, 15 minutes away, to the old pier in town and the hub of all excursions. (I miss the old tender port) In Victoria we really enjoyed the Victoria Butterfly Gardens and Butchart Gardens that we took thru Hal. We used Memory Makers in Kodiak but it was a very rainy day and so we did not get to enjoy much of the pre-planned excursion....was a big and expensive disappointment because of the weather. Rented bikes in Homer and tired my ass out :-) but stopped at a few pubs and enjoyed the Homer Brewing Company and their tasty brews.

On cruising the beautiful Fjords and glaciers they open the front bow of the ship for you to enjoy being outdoors for many photo ops. We saw quite a bit of calving as well. It was PERFECT.

Hope this helps the rest of you planning your cruise...It really is so beautiful. Feel free to ask me questions and I hope I see them :-)

We had the BEST time on our partial Panama Transit on the Zuiderdam. Here is a short video to get you pumped !!

Book it and have an amazing time!

We would like to rent a car for our day in Anchorage. Do I need to reserve in advance or can I get one near the pier? Thank you.

You will most certainly want to reserve a car (no money down and keep watch for price drops)as soon as possible. We reserved one at Avis and also Enterprise, Downtown, very easy. We also took the free HAL shuttle, from the port, into town and walked a few blocks to get the car. We went all over the Seward Highway as far as Byron Glacier....loved the walk to see the glacier and we walked on it too. We also went on the ski lift for lunch at the top of Alyeska Lodge was so amazing in Girdwood!!! You can also go to Portage Glacier, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Girdwood. We did all that and more with our time in Anchorage port in our rental car. Reserve it now! :D Have an amazing cruise!!

Thanks to all of you that post valuable information on CC I knew to call and get E4. Our 2017 Alaska cruise dropped $60 and added the Explore4. Since the onboard credit offered by our big box club TA is $20 less, we saved $40 (big deal:)but really saved with the drinks.

 

Thanks again!

Good for you!! It was a win-win for you on top of going to beautiful ALASKA!! Hope you are going on the 14 day Alaska Explorer as it is AMAZING. Again, congrats and have an awesome time to all!!

I finally see Explore 4 listed on the HAL site and it wasn't there a few hours ago. I checked my 2017 Hawaii, Tahiti, Marquesas cruise (we even have the same sold out category as you do VacationingCharlene!), and it isn't one of the select sailings. The 2018 version of that cruise IS listed on the sale! Huh!?

First all...THANKS to MCC retired for answering my question and second of all...BOOOOOOOO :D So bummed that Explore4 is not being offered for our cruise. StLouisCruisers PLEASE join us on Holland America's ROLLCALL - Maasdam- VacationingCharlene's March 24, 2017 33 day cruise. JOIN in on our conversations Sandi

Thanks again both of you :)

For those waiting for Explore4 it will Officially Start with HAL Monday July 18th. It will include the Free Signature Beverage Package, 3rd and 4th Guest Free or at a Reduced Rate, Free Pinnacle Grill Dinner for Two and Reduced Deposit. Suites will receive Internet credit of $200 and Pre Paid Gratuities.

You may also hear of some agencies being able to start the promo as early as tomorrow.

July 18th, 2016....I AM STILL NOT SEEING ANYTHING....darn it. Will someone PLEASE let me know about how much the fare currently is with Category D on 33 day Hawaii/Tahiti rt San Diego on the Maasdam March 24, 2017. Actually MY category is C but it appears to be sold out. I still would like to know how much it is for something close to ours. IF my particular Category IS sold out are they not able to offer the promotion for a price?? I even tried inputting an Alaskan cruise to see if I could see the Explore4 as quite a few people are posting that they have been able to get the Explore4 for a few days now :mad:

Thanks all!! Lisa or another TA PLEASE look it up for me. :D

I just had the Explore4 added to my booking through HAL ..........................

HELP....I have been trying to figure out HOW you guys are seeing the Explore4 promotion already. I am waiting VERY impatiently to see how much it will cost for our 33 day Hawaii/Tahiti trip next March 2017. I even called Costco to ask them to call HAL and see how much it would be and they said it is not out yet....Anyone able to figure it out for me before Monday? OV Cat. C

Thanks I so want to know how much more it will cost! LaffnVegas?? ANYONE?

Thank you SO much for the heads up on the Explore4 promotion coming out this next Monday July 18, 2016!! I can ALWAYS count on helpful information from LAFFNVEGAS and DAVEOKC. We have the 33 day Hawaii/Tahiti trip on the Maasdam coming up for March 24, 2017 and dying to know what that will COST. Was not able to take advantage of the Anniversary Sale with the free gratuities (I would of paid more and end result paid for our own gratuities) but really hoping the Explore4 drink package is REASONABLE. Thanks again and crossing my fingers that our cruise is included in the promotion :o

Monday....Monday....Monday

Bumping this up ....want to get people EXCITED to cruise...anywhere :D

My husband and I just completed our 12th Alaska cruise. We enjoy cruises that are longer than one week so we took the 14 day cruise on the Maasdam. We had a great time. I was looking at this cruise next year, among others that we are thinking of, and I notice that HAL has reduced the number of 14 day Alaska cruises for 2017. I hate to see this cruise eliminated in the future. Anyone have any info or thoughts on this?

We too LOVED our two week Alaska cruises with Holland (have done two). We will be following this post. We definitely will want to go again!! It was wonderful. This cruise goes further North than most and you get to see so much more of Alaska. I have not looked yet...what ship will be going there?

Thanks for your review and sharing the link to your video?

I noted that you are wearing life jackets, was that for the passenger safety drill?

(We were instructed not to wear them to the safety briefing when we were on Noordam last year.)

No...it was just for our own amusement. Every time we go somewhere we try to "stage" a funny picture and that happened to be the one for this past cruise. Had never heard of Emergency Beer.....so had to go around that theme. Enjoy your cruise and glad you liked the video :)

:mad: Tried to add a photo....cant figure it out

Yes, we received and completed the survey as well. I always like giving input when asked and hope it helps them in determining where everyone's likes and dislikes are. HAPPY CRUISING EVERYONE

Just returned from our 14 day Alaska May 23-June 6th, 2016 cruise on the Maasdam.

Started out PERFECT with our pre-arranged transportation with AJ and SEATAC Towncar Services (206) 697-5577. We used him three times this trip and he was always on time and with a smile on his face in a great and safe vehicle. Highly recommend them. Be sure to tell them Charlene says HI !

LOVE LOVE LOVED the Maasdam and all it had to offer. We took along with us our well seasoned cruise travelers, brother and sister-in-law of MANY cruises and they were very impressed with the ship and all it had to offer as well.

Embarking was super easy from Seattle and because the ship is a smaller ship we never really encountered many lines or long wait times for anything. We arrived at the port around 10:45-11:00 and on the ship for lunch 11:30-11:45. Many people on the ship had mobility issues and used walkers etc and got around just fine. Navigating the ship was pretty easy as well. Deck 6-Promenade outdoor walk-around is a place you will be able to walk off some of the delicious food as far as exercise.

The shows were great, the food delicious and varied, everything was terrific! For this cruise they offer Alaskan Beers that are wonderful and average $6 a beer. Lots of wine options as well.

We met so many great crew members that after 14 days, a few, felt like they were family. They sincerely enjoyed their jobs and us, their guests. The food in the Lido deck is dished out by crew members helping speed up the process and also less chance of cooties from all of us. If you need help getting your food back to the table they will help you there also.

The weather was great and the seas calm for MOST of the time. We had a couple days of stormy seas. The weather in most ports was between 55-65 degrees but hit in the 80's in Victoria where it was actually HOT. We got rain in Kodiak all day and some in Anchorage so our water proof jackets and umbrellas came in handy. I DO recommend some type of hat or beanie and some gloves to have in your day pack as well.

Most all of our excursions were amazing but for some reason the couple we booked with HA were either a little late getting started or had some small issues. We highly enjoyed the Glacier Winds Charters for whale watching in Icy Strait but feel you would also do well in Juneau as well. We rented a standard SUV from Avis in Anchorage for $50 for the day and went on our own (4 of us) to Byron Glacier which we walked to in the rain, and loved it, went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for $12.50 adults or $9.00 senior and loved it. We also stopped at the Aleyski Ski Lodge in Girdwood and took the tram to the top that was beautiful!! It was a very easy and smooth ride up to the top. They offer a $32 lift/lunch ticket and get $20 food credit per person in the Bore Tide Deli in the top that had great sandwiches, basket of fries that feed four adults and drinks. Snow at the top. In Ketchikan we went on the Bering Sea Crab Excursion which is a bit pricey but really a great experience and put on by guys that love their profession....we enjoyed it a lot. I always like promoting in Sitka that it is an easy place to go around on your own and can get to the Fortress of the Bears for transportation for $10 pp and entry $10 pp for the non-profit. Sitka is now a pier port and they complimentary bus you downtown, 15 minutes away, to the old pier in town and the hub of all excursions. (I miss the old tender port) In Victoria we really enjoyed the Victoria Butterfly Gardens and Butchart Gardens that we took thru Hal. We used Memory Makers in Kodiak but it was a very rainy day and so we did not get to enjoy much of the pre-planned excursion. Rented bikes in Homer and tired my ass out :-) but stopped at a few pubs and enjoyed the Homer Brewing Company and their tasty brews.

On cruising the beautiful Fjords and glaciers they open the front bow of the ship for you to enjoy being outdoors for many photo ops. We saw quite a bit of calving as well. It was PERFECT.

Hope this helps the rest of you planning your cruise...It really is so beautiful. Feel free to ask me questions and I hope I see them :-)