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We. will be cruising our of Athens and staying one night prior to our cruise in October. We are fit older adults. We would like to stay as close to the Acropolis/Parthenon as possible because that is the one attraction that we probably have time to see in one day. Can you recommend a hotel within walking distance to the Acropolis? I was looking at Niche but not sure how close this would be. Any recommendations appreciated.

We booked a cruise while on board the Koningsdam a month ago and discovered that we would not be able to go at that time of that cruise. My TA transferred the booking to another cruise in the fall. We had no problem transferring the deposit to work for the new cruise but HAL refused to transfer the associated OBC.. my TA even went to the resolutions department and they refused.. now, we had to do this once a few years ago and everything, including the OBC transferred over without a snag. Has this happened to anyone else? I do understand there may be certain criteria involved with some of the OBC but the credits associated with the deposit alone should have transferred over (in my opinion and that of my TA.)

It is free on Princess..probably because it is for a medical device...at our grocery store it is 79 cents. $2.95 on the ship is steep. I agree about the bread pudding ..delish😋

When we order hubby's distilled water for his cpap, it is always the standard gallon size that we get in our local grocery store. it is always sealed from the original manufacturer..no doubt at all.. just like the ones we buy at home. We would not accept it if it was not sealed.

Both Koningsdam and Zaandam had them this Feb. on the Zaandam they were near guest services and in the explorations library.

We have had to pay for distilled water for hubby's cpap at least since 2015. It is free on Princess. It should be free . We do also drink the tap water and it tastes fine. I have a system for drinking and it involved the ice bucket filled twice a day and letting it melt..although I know the ice comes from the same tap water source it somehow makes me feel better about drinking it ,haha

Thanks so much!

Good morning, i am looking at a cruise on the Oosterdam in a Verandah guarantee. I am trying to find out if there are any uncovered verandahs on the Oosterdam . If there are, then I will choose the cabin as I must have a covered verandah. does anyone known the answer to this? thank you

On the Zaandam (February of this year) if you sent it out before 9AM they say it will be returned in 24 hours. We sent a bag out 4 times before 9AM and each time it was returned before bedtime that same night 🙂

Ohh, good to know, thanks!

Its only offered in Fort Lauderdale and Seattle at this time.

We had 5096 on the Koningsdam this February. It was the balcony next to the bumpout. It is definitely deeper and wider than the straight on balconies and was wonderful. We were forward of the bumpout and yes, when it was windy, it was windy...however, the balcony being deeper gave a deeper sitting area which made the winds not so bothersome. The other advantage to this style balcony is that on the sunny side, if you dont want constant sun exposure, the inside half is always in the shade. I do have a photo, if I can figure out how to post it.

Ohh, thank you !

Hello, We have been Holland America loyalists but we are thinking about a Celebrity cruise in October. Athens-FLL. If you have cruised both lines, what differences will we notice? What is the current daily gratuity charge on Celebrity? Thank you, Joan

Well, wow, that does look like a free service in Seattle! Not in Fort Lauderdale..$25 pp

About 4 days before disembarkation, the Luggage Direct flyer /form was placed in our cabin.

Luggage Direct is currently offered only in Fort Lauderdale and Seattle. We used it for the first time in Fort Lauderdale when we disembarked the Zaandam. We were a bit nervous about using it but it worked flawlessly. For a mere $25 pp. the ship checked us in to our flight, printed and delivered our boarding passes to our cabin the night before disembarking, gave us "final destination" luggage tags on our 3 suitcases and whisked them off the ship the next morning. We did not see our luggage again til we claimed them at out final destination airport. (I did check my apple air tags to keep track) I was nervous about checking in for our flight because it was Southwest and I was afraid of getting a C boarding group...but nope, a low number /B ...note I received from the ship said our check in was an "advanced check in". Just wanted to share this as it is well worth the price.

We boarded the Koningsdam on 1/31 and there was no designated Verifly line. However, we will be boardin the Zaandam in SD on 2/18 and there is one stop (Cartegena) that does require covid test for unvaccinated passengers. I am guessing that there is a possibilty that a Verifly line might be in place for that one, but who knows.

I am planning to purchase a wine package on board. I just read in another forum that both persons in the cabin must purchase the wine package...not just one. I know that it true with the signature beverage packages but I did not think this was the case for the wine package. When I go to purchase online it doesnt say anywhere that both parties must purchase. In fact, there is a check box next to each name, which tells me that it is not required for both parties.. can someone who has purchased the wine cellar package confirm? Sailing next week and I want to be prepared! thank you!

Out TA has requested an extension cord for hubby's cpap or just ask your cabin steward for one.

Yes! Cant wait...we will hit 3 star in February.🍷

We did the math on this..I have a favorite wine that runs about $20 a bottle...unless I get it at Costco ..then a bit less. So on our upcoming 18 day cruise, I will opt for the Wine Cellar package . When I do the math, each bottle (the same brand) ends up costing about the $20 plus the corkage fee..so to me, I will not bother to bring it on board as I wont save anything and I have the convenience of having the 4 bottles delivered to my room..and to do further math....if I dont buy the cellar package and opt for buying wine by the glass, the cost skyrockets. To me the cellar package is a win win.

I dont know if anyone has the answer to this but I am just curious. When it comes to assigning boarding times, is there a method they go by to determines who is in what boarding group? ....aside from priority grouping.

haha...is that the chicken?

Our cruise on the Koningsdam on 1/31 is sold out.