headhunterke

Jamaica has a very interesting history. It's a shame they don't develop it more since it would draw a whole lot more tourist money.

If they want to keep the "bad-boy" attitude, you could easily throw in the pirate era at you. Jamaica was pirate heaven and it would be extremely interesting to see some well-designed tours/attractions dedicated to that period.

It's a beautiful and interesting island but has been left to its fate for far too long.

I will never get off again in Jamaica. Did not feel safe, although I went on an organized excursion by HAL.

Because I like to do things a bit off the beaten track, I often wander off from the hotspots. But in Jamaica, it never came to my mind to do that. I'm a pretty big and strong guy, but even if they paid me, I wouldn't have ventured off.

The first thing I smelled was the weed, so you can't fault them for not keeping up with their prejudices.

On at least 4 occasions I was asked if I wanted to buy some herbs or "stronger stuff"

Even at a "guarded" venue, many people were approached. These guys came from the water on their water scooters and as they approached the beach, all of the sudden all "guards" vanished. They came on fairly strong, I can't imagine what it's like to get confronted like this as a senior. I'm only in my mid 20's and I felt strongly intimidated and just wanted to get back to the ship.

I've travelled around the world and visited some shady places, but I've never felt that unsafe.

Nope, I'm not putting 1 more foot on that island.

If you clear your cookies/history and that moment a ticket in a lower booking class becomes available it looks like it has worked, but in fact, you just got incredibly lucky.

There's a handful of people here knowing more about air travel than 95% of the boards combined.

Telling someone you are wrong is not being rude. But hey, keep believing what you believe ;-)

Thank you for the replies.

As a non American I found these regulations to be very unclear. Nevertheless, I'm glad I can continue with the planning of a long awaited trip :)

Hello everybody

First of all, I'd like to wish y'all a happy new year

I am a Belgian national and citizen and often travel to the US.

About once a year, I take a cruise down in the Caribbean with HAL.

This year, I am looking at a last minute cruise which includes a stop in Havana, Cuba.

I know flying from the US to Cuba is under very tight regulations.

Do the same rules apply when going on a cruise? (starting and ending in Fort Lauderdale, FL)

I know I will need to buy a Tarjeta Turistica, but I read that someone traveling from the US to Cuba should also obtain some sort of license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Is this just for US citizens or for anyone departing from the US to Cuba regardless of nationality?

I have also escalated this to both Ofac and Holland America, but neither seems to reply.

Thanks for any help in advance :)

As someone who works in the travel industry, I am often on the front line when people go berserk for the tiniest thing.

I can write a book about this, but I'll stick to the cruise related ones:

- In the show theater, there was a couple complaining that they didn't like the front row seats because sometimes they ask folks on stage to help the show. But the seats anywhere after row 5 or so had a "terrible" view, so they didn't like those either

- On my last cruise in January, I was waiting at the front desk to sign up for a behind the scenes tour while the lady next to me was loudly complaining she lost too much money on the blackjack table that afternoon.

- If you're going on a trip to the Caribbean, you'd think you'd be happy to soak up some sun, especially if you're coming from a place that has harsh winters. Not this couple I met a few years back. They kept complaining about how hot it was and the sun was unbearable (it was February and not too hot for the rest of us). Of course, they were one of those people you keep running into along the entire cruise. I really don't know what they expected from the Caribbean...

- On my first cruise I ran into a woman that was giving the Front Desk employees a lecture about every port that we visited. I had to pass the front desk on my way to our cabin and I saw her there after 4 of the 5 ports we visited. After the last port, we were hanging out in the atrium when she came onboard. The first thing she did was go full speed ahead to the Front Desk. You could literally see the staff that spotted her, ducking away behind the counter or quickly grabbing something so it appeared they were busy. You could think she was trying to have a friendly chat with some of the crew, but no no. She taught them all about the port, which sites there are to see, the entire history of the island, etc. This took a good 10-15 minutes and after that, she gave a full session about the weather. After she left, you could see the relief on everyone behind the Front Desk, including the Guest Service Manager. I am still wondering to this day, 5 years later, what on earth she was trying to accomplish.

As of 3 star mariner, the website quotes the following: "

• A 25% discount on specialty restaurant surcharges and on specialty coffees in all dining venues*, wine packages*, beverages in the Explorations Café* and all mini-bar purchases*
  

The basic prices may be the same, but if you are a 3 star mariner, mini bar drinks are discounted, so technically, they are a bit cheaper. However, the service charge is still applied as well.

I do it very often. I've always asked for a can, and they've never even intended to open it. To be sure, you might specify it during the first night or 2, but the staff will quickly remember if you want to take it with you.

On my last cruise on board the Noordam, 2 months ago, when the barkeeper and one of the bars saw me coming, he grabbed my usual order before I've even arrived at the bar :)

You can even bring in large amounts.

I'm a Mountain Dew fan, and we can not seem to get Diet Dew launched here in Europe. So whenever I'm in the US, I binge drink Diet Dew :)

On my last cruise (14 days) I've brought on 2 12 packs of soda, and nobody even mentioned it.

HAL still has a very cool BYO soda policy :)

If the prices of hotels are out of budget, you should try AirBnb.

Most of the time, I stay in hotels as well, but during my last cruise in Jan, I waited too long to book a hotel as well. Prices were through the roof.

I found an AirBnb for $100 per night. It was a complete bungalow, with all the comfort you need.

Don't limit yourself to hotels when it comes down to sleeping accommodation.

Just be aware that EZY can (and will if they need the space) offload you at the gate as soon as 20 minutes prior to departure.

That seriously cuts your time if you are in a hurry.

I got off the Oosterdam a week ago, and the sauna was still in use.

I like the elegant touch HAL offers and their ships. Not only in decor, but also in service on board.

I am in my 20's myself (First HAL cruise at 22) and have never regretted it. It is true, night life as you might encounter on a Carnival cruise is non existent if you compare them. But this is a totally different cruise line which caters more to people enjoying their time in relative peace. Is there anything to do after the late dinner? Of course there is. On some ships, HAL has the BB King's band on board (a jazz and blues band) and they can rock the place.

Depending on the time of the year and the crowd on board you might find late night sports games in the sports bar as well.

If you like to have an intimate experience, go with HAL. If you prefer to celebrate your wedding with night long parties with a much younger crowd, this line is most definitely not your best suit.

Although I have had many interesting conversations with some elderly folks aboard a HAL ship.

It's really up to you and how you prefer things.

I travel solo and do not like to sit with others in the MDR during dinner, so I often go to the Lido. I can not help it, but I find the food in the Lido during the evening much less exciting than during lunch. Average is how I can describe it at best, especially during the evenings.

The best thing I ever ate: The first time I put a spoon of bread pudding in my mouth. That was a true revelation! And as for "real food" I can't name 1 things as there are many dishes that stand out.

My bad, I'm sorry, I read OP's post too quickly and I guess I must have skipped the MIA part.. :p

Happy new year, everyone!

Cambria Suites in Dania Beach is perfect for a 1 night stay. As long as you're not going out for dinner, as it would require a car or taxi. Except for Oakwood Plaza, there is absolutely nothing to do in the area.

But the hotel itself is a true gem.

I've stayed there for the last 4 years before a cruise. The second year, the shuttle driver remembered me and every time I go to Cambria, we end up chatting.

My last stay was a little less pleasant due to poor housekeeping, but this was quickly resolved by the Front Desk. They even went above and beyond to compensate (which I did not expected)

I have to agree with Lido_Deck, the Cuban Mexico a few yards down the road is a must.

The hotel has a free shuttle to and from the airport (you can call the free of charge at the arrivals level through the tourist phones near the bag carrousel) and a shuttle to and from the cruise port for $10 per person.

Would I pick this hotel for more than 2 nights? No, unless you have a car.

But it most certainly is a perfect place for a pre-cruise stay if you want to be close to both the airport and cruise terminal.

Is this an exclusive on the Koningsdam? Or is it being rolled out on other ships as well?

Last time I was onboard, it was Sinterklaas and my cabin steward brought a plate of pepernoot, a typical dutch candy.

I haven't seen bitterballen or anything similar, though.

If $1 is a problem, you could always drink water, coffee or tea.

I'm no regular AMS flyer, but every time I flew in from the US and connected to a Schengen country, gate to gate took my 15 minutes. (although my connecting time was over 2 hours)

Tight connections that include immigrations are always a risk.

Personally, I never book a ticket with a short connection time, but if you do, be sure to walk a fast pace and grab seats as much to the front of the aircraft as possible.

Same here.

A few weeks ago, I was thrilled to find out he was aboard the Oosterdam, as I will be joining that ship in 3 weeks. But it's a shame he left already, I was really looking forward to be on the same ship as him.

I know very few things about ships and the procedures (I'm into aircrafts), but I've learned a lot from just reading his blogs.

I agree with rkacruiser, it gives you a lot more peace of mind knowing what's going on behind the scenes.

The Oosterdam is using terminal 3 here in Tampa, which is the nicest available. It is a busy terminal this time of year, servicing NCL, RCCL, and even Aida. Holland America got bumped from it on Sundays a few years ago when the larger NCL ship started sailing on Sundays from #3. The Ryndam, with 1250 guests vs 2500+ on NCL was why. Now that Oosterdam came to Tampa, HAL switched to Friday sailings, which works well IMHO.

Thanks for the heads up. :)

Thanks for the link.

I love watching ships sail that I'll be joining soon. It makes the wait a little more bearable.

It will be my first cruise out of Tampa and am a little puzzled regarding the terminal HAL uses. I've found conflicting information online.

Since I've never been to Tampa area before, I need to arrange private transportation in advance to get from my Airbnb to the cruise port. Can anyone tell me which terminal HAL uses for voyages out of Tampa?

Oh boy, I'll be joining the Oosterdam on Jan. 13. I can only hope that by that time, there's been some changes in the higher ranked staff onboard. Don't ask me why, but often, this can bring tremendous changes among the crew (I think this has been discussed in another thread, but I can't seem to remember which one).

Your review of a recent Oosterdam cruise is not the first one by a disappointed HAL loyal I come across. I truly hope HAL notices and makes the needed adjustments.