Midwest Sunseeker

1 hour ago, MommyCPA said:

We did Mendenhall Glacier on our own when we went a couple of years ago.  We used a taxi.  It was cheaper than the shuttle bus for us because there were 4 of us.  I think even for 2 the taxi might be a little bit cheaper.  We got a card from the one that dropped us off and then just called them for pickup about 30 minutes before we were ready to leave.  I think we went to Mendenhall around 5 or 6 pm, maybe even later.  We didn't go to the visitor center.  We did the mile or so walk to Nugget Falls.  We really enjoyed walking around and taking pictures.  It was super easy to do on your own.  No need to pay extra through the ship.  Plus it's nice to be totally on your own time schedule.

Do you remember how much the taxi was and where they drop you off?  Does anyone know how far the drop off point for the $45 shuttle is?  I am trying to convince my husband to visit on our own so we can hike and see everything.  I am assuming we do not need to pay the entrance fees because we both hold the lifetime senior National Park Pass.   Thanks for your help.

We have a reservation the night before our cruise at the Holiday Inn Express at the south end of the airport hotel area.   I would like to know if anyone has a restaurant you have tried and recommend with in walking or short Uber distance.   Information of a place close to buy wine for our hotel stay would be nice too. Thank you for any information. 

Thank you so much. Great information on the Building.  Can you tell me if between 9am-1pm if is a time when Interstate traffic is lighter and a shorter drive?  When we drive from FLL to POM we leave early because traffic is lightest at that time and gets heaver as the day progresses.

We will be flying into Seattle on a Saturday, cruise Monday Pier 91.  We would like to stay at an airport hotel with a good restaurant and wine pick up within a short walk/Uber distance.  We have looked at the Holiday Inn Express and the Red Lion.  On Sunday we would like to take a hotel pick up tour of the area outside of Seattle.  Any tours or tour companies recommendations would be appreciated.  On Monday we will Uber to the pier.  Is there a recommended time that would best to leave based on Monday morning traffic? We like to arrive early.  Thank you for your help.

15 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Congratulations on your 45th wedding anniversary.

 

Amsterdam has a smaller Pinnacle Grill compared to the larger ships -- so reservations fill quickly.

 

If after you have selected "2" people and you are still having troubles, call Ship Services and they can make the reservation for you.  Ask them to send you an e-mail confirmation. 1-800-541-1576

Thank you for the help.  I have made the reservation. 

41 minutes ago, Moriah said:

What ship will you be on? For most HAL sailings it's not a problem to just make your reservatoins when you get on board. Are you in a Neptune suite? If so, you can have a chat with your concierge and decide on your times and dining venues and they will make your reservations.  You can make them yourself by simply going to the venue, OR you can always call and make reservations by phone from your stateroom. There is no "best" way, really.   

We are on the Amsterdam, June, 14day Alaska.  When I tried to book the evening Pinnacle online it would only let me book one person.  I was trying to click both circles like you do when buying shore excursions but it would not let me click more than one person.  I did see how to chose a date and time when I did this but only for one person.  What am I doing wrong?  It is our 45th wedding anniversary and we would like to dine together. lol

30 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

The only reservation that cannot be made online is lunch in the Pinnacle 😞  We always book that asap after boarding as it fills up fast.  I prefer Pinnacle lunch over their dinners.

Thank you.  One of our meals is lunch in the Pinnacle. 

Is there a way to make reservations for the specialty restaurants before the cruise?   What is the best way after  boarding?  I have a dinner and lunch from our TA.  I also saw packaged dinning on the Holland website which we are considering.  Thank you for all your help.

Thank you jean-lynd and Krisco for the update on Fll airport check in.  We will fill the morning with a post excursion. 

Holiday inn express rocky point is nice and has a Great Seafood Restaurant next door. We then got an Uber to the port. We had an afternoon return flight so we planned to go to the aquarium at the port where cc post said you could check luggage while visiting.  Sadly there were problems with disembarkment and we had to rush to the airport for our flight.

I read a cc topic a short while ago that said you could not check luggage till 2 hours before your flight. Is this still true or was that just during the government shutdown?  We are traveling out on Sunday.  We use Uber from Fll 17th Street hotels to Port of Miami in the morning because we like to arrive early. Shuttle services that I have talked to pick up in the late morning.  We have found cruise line excursions with Fll drop off a good way to extend the vacation.  Our direct flights are usually 3 or 4 or 7pm.  We have one booked in a few weeks with Celebrity and our flight is 3:05pm. Fll

On 2/19/2019 at 12:05 PM, MWBearFan said:

We have booked an 8 night cruise with Carnival sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale in spring of 2021.  Our general plan is to fly into FLL airport the day before embarkation day and book a hotel for that night.  Assuming we can get a shuttle from the Airport to the Hotel, then on embarkation day get a shuttle to Port Everglades.  After the Cruise we assume debarkation will be sometime in the morning so we are planning to book an evening return flight.  We'll have some time to kill from the time we get off the ship till we need to be at the airport for the flight home.  What are the best options for transporting our luggage and doing a little exploring before heading to the airport.  Other than the obvious taxi or uber.  There will be four of us (my wife and I and her parents).  As the trip is so far out we can't play with real flight times to know more exactly how much time we'll have to kill.  Our previous cruise my wife and I drove from Indiana to the port 19 hours on the road (not doing that again), so we had our own car there.  Is there public transit?  My concern is lugging our luggage around the Ft. Lauderdale area.  Should we seek to book a flight closer to when we disembark like say around 2pm or so and just get a shuttle from the port to the airport.  And then for our flight down book early enough that we can explore the area pre-cruise?   The positive is we have time to research and look at our options.  

 

Thanks in advance for any info or tips.

Southwest usually has a direct flight Fll to IND around 3:00pm. This allows you to book a post cruiseline excursion with airport drop off. 

11 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Are you logging into your X account when doing this?

 

If so, that may be the issue, do not log in and that way they will never know what you are looking at or potential sailings you are interested in.

 

bon voyage

I never sign in to my x account but get tons of emails regarding any sailing I look at. Over Christmas there were several businesses I unsubscribed to for this same reason .  

On 2/12/2019 at 4:41 PM, cheeseclan said:

I entered a code.  I looked online and found a current code for new Lyft users.  Put in phone and worked great.

Thank you! I will try it soon.  Happy Cruising to all.

6 minutes ago, cheeseclan said:

With Lyft and the $5 discount and tip it averaged about $41 a leg from MIA to FL hotel and from ship back to MIA.  It was about $6 from hotel to pier with tip and discount.

 

 

 

 

How did you get the discounts? Is in automatic or did you enter a code? Thank you for your information.

We did a glassbottom boat ride through the cruise ship. It picked us up right at the cruise dock. We saw more on that short ride than I ever did snorkeling. We are going back this March and doing it again. 

FRIO makes travel cases that are TSA approved that you soak in water to keep medicine below room temperature for travel.  I also agree that you should NEVER check prescription medications. They should also not be in a bag placed in the overhead of a plane.  They should always be in the personal item under the seat so you can grab quickly in an emergency. They should also be carried onto the cruise ship not given to the porters.   Enjoy your cruise.

In the past I have always been able to price without the bundle.  It was hard to find when we we’re looking on the website, but I found it eventually. When we call we must request they give us a quote without the added options to compare. We have always found it was a better fit to buy the cruise only.

I carefully cut between the double stitching and recut into smaller 2x3 pockets or 2x3 pockets groups. Then I sew ribbon loops on top . You can hang by suctions cup hooks all over the cabin. I have one on the bath, desk and full mirror. Perfect for all those easy to loose items. And they lay flat in the suitcase 

I carry a plastic 1/2gal empty ice cream container with me to collect the water in since I need to use my device over at the desk plug. I first lay a towel down to catch extra moisture. Not a fun solution but it works.

Total Wine at the Harbor Shopping Center. It is a short Uber drive away. 

I found a Karman Ergonomic Ergo Flight for my mom. It was good for the sitter and pusher.  We found another solution and ended up not buy it. I kept the information on the chair because I was so impressed.

We enjoyed our stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Rocky Point last December There was a great fish restaurant next door. We had lunch there while waiting for our room to be ready and then went back again that night to try more dishes. Nice water view at both the hotel and restaurant. We took Uber to the Cruise Port in the morning. 

Be careful of the ship time. We have been to that port years ago when the local time was different than the ship time and many people missed the ship.

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Yes. I apologize. Our cell plan allows text as needed for just $5/ day in Canada. I did not realize until sent that they were not turning their phones on once on shore. I hope you have a pleasant trip.

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