Ilovesailaway

Riverside Hotel. Corner balcony in the newer tower.

Basic advice: Arrive in your depature city at least one day before your cruise begins. Flights can be unreliable. If you drink, get the package. Pack some OTC meds including motion sickness meds incase you need them. When in port make sure you have a solid plan to get back to the ship on time. Don't read too many reviews... go with an open mind. Have a great cruise, hope it's the first of many.

A lot about a little. This isn't realy huge news. Nearly all ships dock at the Moll d'Addosatt terminal now. The "cruise bus" route goes to all terminals in Moll d"Addosatt and the World Trade area near the Columbus Statue at the end of La Rambla. The change is no more cruise ships docking at the couple of piers near the World Trade. Again, most wouldn't have docked there anyway. This will not change your experience in Barcelona. You will dock in Moll d"Addosatt and take the cruise bus to the WTC if you want to walk the area of La Rambla.... just like you do now. Now if Barcelona followed the Venice approach to reducing cruise passenger trafic... that would be news.

Just checked the POM webcam, its 10:20 pm and the welding continues.

Sorry I should add my cruise was on HAL and I used the ships laundry service

Just finished a 3 week trip that included a 2 week cruise. Packed carry on only and had no trouble.

There is a whole world beyond Carnival. The way many lines are pricing and packaging deals the competition for your cruising dollar has never been stronger. I have sailed with 6 different lines and although its true cruising is cruising, trust me it's a nice change when you leave your comfort zone. In the past couple years I have become a fan of HAL. I also will be trying my first Virgin Voyages cruise soon. I can't imagine strictly staying with Carnival when so many of there competitors are offering such value right now.

Just finished a Med cruise on Oosterdam... It was awesome!! The ship was well maintained and kept very clean. I got the sense that it was a well run operation and management stayed on top of things.

Sorry I should have added that I know we will need to pay, just as we would if it were a Delta lounge and we were flying Delta. We don't have qualifying status and are flying economy. My other option is Priority Pass but the only lounge in 2E at CDG is YotelAir and that isn't really a great. I believe that we can get into the AF lounge but I have read mixed experiences and thought I would ask here if anyone has recent experience

We are flying Air France CDG to YYZ. Our flight was purchased through Delta but will be Operated by Air France. Does anyone know if my DW and I would be able to get into the Air France lounge with her Delta Amex Platinum card?

Tried searching because I'm sure it's been asked but when you search "hotel gaudi" you basically trigger most of the info that's ever been posted on the Barcelona page. anyway... Any advice on how to get from Hotel Gaudi to the cruise port for embarkation on HA Oosterdam? I assume we will sail from Moll d'Adossat Also any advice on getting from BCN to Hotel Gaudi would be appreciated. Thank you

DW and I will be in Corfu this June as part of our Holland America cruise. We are scheduled to be there 8am to 6pm. In my planning I have read a few posts that mention taxi tours. Is that something that needs to be pre-arranged or do we grab a taxi by the dock and give the driver a list of what we want to see? I guess at this point my main objective in Corfu is to explore Old Town and enjoy local foods. Can we walk to Old Town from the pier or is there a better way to reach it? Also, is there a must see, do, or place to eat? I know I am very lost here lol. We have most of our other stops planned out and are just now getting to the next one on the list. Thank you for any help you can provide.

This is the spinner I bought at Costco about a year ago for $50. I have used it for a few trips and its still like new. I haven't kicked it down several flights of stairs yet but apparently it can handle that too lol.

Ditto from my MIA area hotel. It was insane getting to the Celebration the morning of the marathon.

I have done several Carnival cruises and did my first HAL cruise in December on the Nieuw Statendam. The NS is a pinnacle class like the Rotterdam. A lot of great descriptions of Holland America and comparisons to Carnival have been listed so far. Couple things about HAL that I will add, they don't have you stand in line for casual poolside eats like pizza, deli, or burgers... you are given a pager to notify you when your food is ready. Love that, hate lines. On Pinnacle Class Holland America has a Dutch Cafe where you can get Dutch food and baked goods. You can also get Dutch beer, cocktails, or coffee. It's fantastic and I would go every day for a treat and a coffee. I really enjoyed my Holland America cruise and have already booked another. It's just a nice experience.

My advice to first time cruisers would be: Try to cruise for a week or longer... shorter cruises are more of a party and less of a vacation. Pack basic over the counter meds incase of sea sickness or other illness. Travel the day before your cruise, build in some slack time incase of problems or delays. Don't go looking for every bit of info about your ship... ppl like to complain online. Instead go with an open mind and a bit of patients for potential bumps along the way. Cruise ships are huge and amazing, try to thoroughly explore on embarkation day so you have an idea of where all the cool stuff is. I pack light and and use the ships laundry. I do this so I can be flexible when flying and I won't lose my bag. It also allows me to carry on and carry off. I know a lot of ppl won't or can't pack light but for me it's a game changer. Have fun and happy cruising.

I was on November 2021 and it was partially stuck open.

lol

I purchased unlimited laundry for our upcoming Med cruise. I have never used HA laundry so I have a few simple questions: It looks like on the laundry slip you check the box for unlimited, do I check that box with my first bag? Will HA already know I have purchased the unlimited package or should I make sure to mention that to my room attendant? Can I send a bag out on embarkation day? We will be traveling for a few days before the cruise. Any other advise on using the service would be appreciated. Thank you

lol... I will keep that in mind if I anticipate taking a cruise that would require such unique challenges.

One of the many reasons I carry on and carry off. I won't check my bag at airports either.

I am a huge fan of carry on only. It can be done for any length of trip. Look up the bundle method on youtube. I also believe that the best way to pick a tool for a job is to look at what the professionals use and copy them. Every flight crew I see uses soft sided 2 wheel luggage. Personal bag clips to the lager carry on. This works great for dragging your bags over any surface. Spinners are great for hard floors but carpets or anything uneven and you will wish you had a 2 wheel bag.

I would suggest Shaq's Big Chicken. It's really pretty good and had no line when I boarded last month.

Ty, funny thing is I asked my DW to look for a roll call because she is more social than me but she is new to CC. I am a research and planning person so I have used CC for that but I have never been into the roll calls. She said she will look again tonight. We have a lot to plan for on this cruise so I appreciate the help I know the roll call can provide.

I loved the band at BB King when I was on in December... I know this subjective but I honestly thought they were the best I have seen at sea. You ask about evenings but I feel it's worth a mention of how much I enjoyed the Dutch Cafe. I would stop there daily for a coffee and one of there delicious cookies.