CruiserBruce

Yes, there is. I have to say the Amsterdam Hop on hop off is a pretty low complexity hop on hop off bus. The city us not all that complex. The boat is a little nicer than the bus. What I am saying is, yes the City Sightseeing bus/boat option is fine. Not as complicated a situation as some cities...Amsterdam is a relatively simply touring situation, compared to other major European cities. If you only have one day, a good, brief way to see the city, but I probably would only do the bus. If you gave 2 days, then maybe consider adding the boat. Do some research, decide what you want to see.

Will be there in about 50 days or so.

However, note HAL operates from a list of menus, 15 or 20 in number. While they may add or subtract an item for local considerations, they are generally the same fleet wide. As I recall, there are 3 Gala menus...I think they are named by color "Gold", "Silver", etc. So if you have a cruise booked, you can see the onboard menu for that day, and a name for it. The Navigator app wants to download them onto your device, so you could build a collection.

I agree with the above responses. Not sure why you don't think you have any responsibility? The final payment for our next cruise is December 17th. I knew that without having to look it up, and I booked this cruise 8 months ago. A travel agent does FAR MORE than tell you final payment date.

The menus will probably change by the time you cruise. But you might be able to look at the menus on this winter's Hawaii cruise in the Navigator app.

Yep, impressions are different from the actual, multi decade statistical data. Science bad, personal opinion good.

A quick Google search ( "January San Diego weather") will get you tons of data. San Diego is known as the "mildest" weather in the US.

Commonly discussed here. The weather will likely be cool, and the seas a bit rougher the first couple of days. But the question of swimming depends on the ship and whether or not it has an enclosed pool.

It depends on the airport. Some places (FCO leaps to mind), 3 hours is definitely required. 2 hours at ORD is fine at that time of the morning, particularly as you aren't checking bags. But, given morning traffic and related heavy travel demand this summer, better safe than sorry. The only real extra procedure due to international travel is a passport check at the gate (and at the checkin desk, if you print a boarding pass there) now frequently including a biometrics check.

Not Customs...you won't be doing Customs in this case. You do Immigration.

You won't absolutely need to board on the 29th. You need to board an hour prior to scheduled sailing.

That short a time frame final payment will probably be due at time of booking, or certainly within a couple of days.

If you look back on the board, there is a huge "Live From" thread about the Japanese cruises this Spring.

The Midway (aircraft carrier/museum) is right next to the cruise ship docks, with other museum vessels docked nearby. Discussed here, and on the West Coast Departures board frequently. Take a look at Google Maps to get the lay of the land.

You can make 12:25 at LAX. Yes, it can make it through, just plan to move with a purpose. Immigration might slow you down. Unlikely Customs will...its not very strictly followed. But Immigration is.

Take a look at the Hawaii board (not sure what this has to do with flying)...there are many recommendations there. Look at Waikiki...it is the center of the activity, and a lot of fun to stay . Many, many hotels there.

They probably aren't going to make a specific point of telling you which terminal they will be at. As you approach the area, it's very obvious what ship is at which dock. Kind of hard to hide it.

OK. First, no hotel in Ft Lauderdale is going to provide a shuttle to PortMiami. It's 45 or so minutes away. It is commonly recommended here, if your flight arrives later in the day, to stay in Ft Lauderdale and shuttle directly to the PortMiami the next day, as the later you get, the fewer shuttle options there are. The hotels in Miami charge for shuttles to the port, for the most part. There are many shuttle services recommended here...SAS, QLS, Jiffy Jeff, GO Shuttle and a few others. I would suggest contacting them...they will essentially do a private charter just for your group.

Worth is something only you can determine. The old locks are pretty amazing technology for their time, and a much more intimate look at the Canal.

"Cold" is a perception, and everyone is different. I would expect the rooms will be moderate in temp, with a lot less A/C use, so not as cool. But when the room gets crowded... By the way, it's Discovery Princess.

@edinburgher, at Santorini, local regulations require use of local tender operators, not ships tenders. The tenders are numerous, and generally bigger than ships tenders.

See if your cruise line has Luggage Direct. Then go on the Water Taxi for a few hours.

A little reading around the board would give you a lot of comments. Some will say they had good weather. We had sleet on Labor Day. It has been so windy ships have been damaged. Weather changes hourly in Alaska, so you can have nice days, or very stormy.

The OP was asking about the old port. Shore excursions go ashore at Athinios first. Then other pax are tendered at the old port.

You can make that flight. If you have an issue, it will be with Immigration, not Customs.