There's no place like "Homer"... If you like getting overcharged

[GloBug]

HAL is in the business of making a profit. They aren't doing cruises for cost or out of the goodness of their heart. Business is business. Period.

 

Things are expensive in Alaska, and that includes Homer. Someone has to pay for the shuttle. If it takes you from the ship, into town, and stops at several places and give you the option to jump on and off throughout the day, $15 is a deal. It would be nice to know about this ahead of time since it's cash only, so I am thanking the OP for letting us know.

[Travalot]

Another fact about Homer that seems to be being missed.

 

The Spit is the furthermost point that you can drive on the North American Continent.

 

Thanks for this info!

[zelker]

I'm another Homer fan. I count the day we went kayaking in Kachemak Bay one of the best in over 20 cruises, including 5 to Alaska. -- Just heaven paddling among the sea otters and harbor seals.

http://www.homerkayaking.com/

 

Excellent! Nine of us booked a private tour with them. Can't wait!! :D

[Boatdrill]

I am only addressing your first statement because you say "someone dropped the ball." OK, maybe they did.

 

I meant someone at HAL/Seattle dropped the ball. Not the city of Homer.

Sorry for the confusion.

[Boatdrill]

I don't think mass market lines generally offer free shuttles.

 

That's why I wrote the best cruiselines offer a complimentary shuttle when one is needed.

 

And HAL should have done so in this instance. No question.

[pms4104]

HAL's price for excursions includes the guarantee that the vendor is a reputable company or person, they are fully licensed and trained and more. HAL's proces also, I believe, include Insurance in case you are injured while on a HAL sponsored Excursion. They also guarantee that the HAL ship WILL wait for you if something happens to delay the passengers return to the ship.

 

I will pay HAL's shore excursion prices in order to be safe.

 

Joanie

These statements are not entirely correct.

 

As to the insurance, HAL's contract with the tour operator specifies that they must carry liability insurance in amounts consistent with local standards to address personal injury or property damage claims.

 

HAL does not guarantee that they will hold the ship for those on HAL-sponsored excursions ... circumstances, such as tides, and port policies come into play in determining ship departure times and whether the ship might be permitted to depart later. HAL's shorex brochure does indicate that they almost never leave without guests on ship-sponsored tours ... and if HAL must depart without late-arriving guests from ship-sponsored tours, HAL will arrange, at their expense, to get those people to the next port of call.

[cruisecrasy]

Which places do you not like in both the Caribbean and Mexico that you think should be avoided? Just wonderin?

 

Actually, I didn't say they shld be avoided, I was simply questioning why they are used as cruise ports..

Costa Maya in Mexico for example - a town developed just for the cruiseships has no real merit at all and Acapulco today is another as anyone who has cruised there lately can tell u.

 

As far as the Caribbean, Martinique in particular springs to mind although perhaps it has improved since we were there (we found it dirty w/ pot-holed streets & sidewalks, expensive & the people were rude) and Half Moon Cay, which is simply a way for HAL to make extra $ (doesn't cost them $ to 'park' there & any revenue generated is theirs), is just a large sand bar!!

 

Of course, its just MO anyway..!

 

Have happy cruisin'!

[Boytjie]

and Half Moon Cay, which is simply a way for HAL to make extra $ (doesn't cost them $ to 'park' there & any revenue generated is theirs), is just a large sand bar!!

 

Some sand bar! It's one of the most beautiful 'sand bars' in the world. And it isn't overrun by t-shirt shops and Diamonds International.

[Suzanne123]

Zelker -- You're going to have so much fun!

[PennyAgain]

As a part time Homer resident (we co-own a condo with another couple), I REALLY don't like the slams against one of my two favorite places in the entire world.

 

Homer is a small town. The Spit gets very crowded with vehicles-prime time summer holiday, it has been known to take more than 35 minutes to get from Land's End to Airport Rd (end of the Spit) which is about 7 miles.

 

The City of Homer looked at ways to contain the traffic when the cruise ships were in port. They figured the shuttle bus idea was the best they could come up. SOMEONE has to pay for the drivers, the gas, maintenance, the bus, etc. Did the OP REALLY expect the citizens/taxpayers of Homer to pay for the bus??? Guess the price should have been included in the cruise price-then EVERYONE would pay for the bus, not just those that use it.

 

Homer is NOT Diamonds International/cruise ship store/cruise ship store, etc. etc. It has real shops owned by REAL people who primarily live in Homer year round. Vendors selling excursions are primarily locals. The boats are locally owned, captained by locals. Sometimes the crew comes from the lower 48, but that is only because there are not a lot of young people in and around Homer who want to cut and clean fish all summer.

 

Maybe the OP should have rented a car-Hertz is charging over $100 for the day PLUS gas. Adventure Alaska car rentals (local company who will bring the car to the pier) charges about $55 for the day PLUS gas. They have a limited supply of cars so book early.

 

And Homer has LIMITED space to dock a large ship. So they could tender or dock. Take your pick-I think most would agree docking is FAR superior. The smell is probably from the commercial fishing ships-the garbage dump is NOT on the Spit. The landfill is north of town on the way to Ninilchik.

 

It would have cost FAR more to hire the Homer Taxi or rent a car. I think $15pp to NOT have to hassle the traffic on the Spit is a very decent price. Maybe the OP should have done a little better job of preparing for this seldom seen/used port.

 

Thanks GreatAm!

 

I've looked forward to hearing from you on this. In the meantime the OP is bittering organizing her on board protest and missing the point of her cruise.

[NancyIL]

Actually, I didn't say they shld be avoided, I was simply questioning why they are used as cruise ports..

Costa Maya in Mexico for example - a town developed just for the cruiseships has no real merit at all....

 

 

Apparently you never got past the cruise terminal at Costa Maya. My favorite excursion was to the Chacchoben Ruins from Costa Maya.

[zelker]

Zelker -- You're going to have so much fun!

 

LOVE otters!!! CAN'T wait!!! :D

[zelker]

In the meantime the OP is bittering organizing her on board protest and missing the point of her cruise.

 

And ruining part of her daughters' cruise experience over $15 and teaching them that bitching about something so insignificant and to a lot of people is the way to deal with things (NOT! :(). That's what bothers me even more than anything else the OP wrote.

[alpal1993]

I think we should lay this thread to rest.I for one know I will love visiting Homer and all the experiences that it has to offer.

[zelker]

Yep - it's not going to spoil my day there or the day of any of the other 6 people I'm traveling with.

[3rdGenCunarder]

That's why I wrote the best cruiselines offer a complimentary shuttle when one is needed.

 

And HAL should have done so in this instance. No question.

 

I was shocked to read that there was a $15 charge for a shuttle. Yes, I know, the OP paid a lot for the cruise, so what's $15 more... but I don't think I've ever paid for a shuttle on a cruise unless it was to a different city than the port city, and that's really more of an excursion than a shuttle.

 

Because of QE2's size, she often had to dock at a commercial port, rather than a cruise dock. Fortunately, we were never parked near a garbage scow, but I've seen more than my fair share of freighters. Whenever we were docked at "the back of beyond," Cunard provided shuttle buses for free.

 

I guess I'm spoiled, but I would have complained about the $15 shuttle. I would, however, have paid the price rather than miss the port. But I would also have made a comment about it on my comment card, and possibly have written to the cruise line to suggest they pay for the shuttle.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Actually, I didn't say they shld be avoided, I was simply questioning why they are used as cruise ports..

Costa Maya in Mexico for example - a town developed just for the cruiseships has no real merit at all and Acapulco today is another as anyone who has cruised there lately can tell u.

 

I agree about Acapulco. Unless you are going to one of the gilded cage resorts for the day, the city is horrible. And it isn't just lately. Our first stop there was in the early 90s, and we were besieged by locals selling t-shirts and other stuff. Our second stop there was 8 years ago, and our travel agent gave us a tour and lunch at a private beach club. If not for that, we'd have stayed on the ship all day.

 

As far as the Caribbean, Martinique in particular springs to mind although perhaps it has improved since we were there (we found it dirty w/ pot-holed streets & sidewalks, expensive & the people were rude)

 

I've heard that a lot about Martinique. I actually liked it quite a bit. Lovely tour out to some gardens and then time to stroll in town.

 

Cruises offer something for everyone, I guess.

[greatam]

I guess I'm spoiled, but I would have complained about the $15 shuttle. I would, however, have paid the price rather than miss the port. But I would also have made a comment about it on my comment card, and possibly have written to the cruise line to suggest they pay for the shuttle.

 

You are spoiled. AND you pay considerably more per diem for 95% of Cunard cruises, even in the cheapest cabin, over what the Amsterdam's cheapest cabin is selling for all summer.

[3rdGenCunarder]

You are spoiled. AND you pay considerably more per diem for 95% of Cunard cruises, even in the cheapest cabin, over what the Amsterdam's cheapest cabin is selling for all summer.

 

That's probably true, especially now that HAL is discounting so aggressively (we booked Alaska at less than half "book" price).

 

We loved QE2 because there were cabins in betweeen the "steerage" level and the Grills. I think the pricing on the newer Cunard ships is much higher than what we were paying on QE2. Still, I'd rather pay a bit more up front and not be nickel-and-dimed on board. (I'm not accusing HAL here, but a certain not-to-be-named "do whatever you want" cruise line)

[awhcruiser]

I hope your cruise costs are less than $15/pp

 

:rolleyes:

 

We are on the inaugural 14 day Alaskan Cruise on HAL's Amsterdam. Two new ports for this cruise were Anchorage and Homer. The weather has been awesome and the ports of call breathtaking. However, today something occurred that really bothered us.

 

Yesterday we visited in Anchorage. The town has not had a cruise ship dock in 10 years. The city has dredged the harbor for HAL to bring the ship in. They had news camera crews recording the event, visiting dignataries that toured the ship, signs welcoming us, and a free shuttle service into downtown that ran until 8 30 pm. We felt very welcome and happy to be there.

 

The response today in Homer was quite different to say the least.

 

We are parked at Homer Spit, which is a good 3 miles or so from the main center of town. The closest attractions are some shops which are a miles walk along the water. Being relatively young, a one mile walk is not an issue, but given the median age of folks on our cruise, the majority chose not to do so. Our ship is docked next to a huge garbage trow and the wind is blowing a frangrant aroma onto the decks.

 

Homer, appears charming from a distance, but that is as close as we got. We never got a chance to see the downtown. After my family made it's way off the ship and approached the town shuttles, we were met with the information that unlike Anchorage, the shuttle was not free.

 

In fact, it costs 15 dollars a person round trip, and does not even take you to the shops located near the ship, but rather into town which has limited offerings in terms of shopping. This seems excessive, and since we are traveling with little cash, and certainly not 60 dollars in cash, we were forced to return to the ship or add it to our sign and sail which we chose not to do out of principal. I could see a dollar or two charge as a tip but $15 mandatory a person is to us, extortion.

 

Needless to say, this left an unpleasant taste in our mouths so to speak. (To say nothing of the garbage smell) as we are parked next to the town garbage dump.

 

HAL needs to reconsider visiting Homer, if the only way to get into the town is to hire a taxi or to ride a school bus with a $15/person all-day shuttle charge. We are providing revenue to the town and paying port charges, so why stiff visitors further?

 

This information was not clearly disclosed to the passengers in any of the port information that is printed daily, and when we approached the front desk to comment on the situation, they seemed uncaring, blaming it on the City of Homer saying this was the only option they were given ! In checking the shore excursion booklet, there is a listing for downtown shuttle at 15 dollars per person, but one would not normally consider a shuttle an excursion and therefore it is easily overlooked.

 

SHAME ON HOLLAND AMERICA FOR GIVING IN TO THIS TYPE OF EXTORTION!

 

Because that is what it is. Extortion. The issue we and the other passengers I have spoken to, isn't necessarily the cost but the lack of a reasonable free option, as any of the other ports we've ever visited. This being my 12th cruise,and our fourth on HAL, we've never experienced this before hopefully never will again ! Had we known we could have booked an excursion or made plans for a spa treatment or rented a movie.

 

Our daughters were disappointed, as was I. Several folks have volunteered to sign a petition protesting the fees as well as the only area available to dock being next to garbage.

 

This certainly won't spoil our cruise, but if you are on a cruise to Homer this season, be advised.

[Boatdrill]

You are spoiled. AND you pay considerably more per diem for 95% of Cunard cruises, even in the cheapest cabin, over what the Amsterdam's cheapest cabin is selling for all summer.

 

No no, 3rdGenCunarder is not spoiled. Just well taken care of.

 

If HAL wants to position itself as the "Signature of Excellence",

then they need to pony-up for a complimentary shuttle for their guests.

The good PR alone is worth the money it would cost them.

[Gablin]

I think that many of the cruise lines charge for shuttles now. Times are different.

 

I visited Homer many years ago (1981, or so) by car from Anchorage. We shopped a bit, had some lunch, and picked up a flight in a tiny airplane. I found it very interesting, for my first trip to Alaska. We flew to Seldovia, spent the night, and then flew back to Homer the following afternoon. From there, we went to a park where we camped near a river. I have very fond memories of the whole weekend, and nothing negative comes to mind about Homer. In fact, I bought a wool stocking cap there before going to Seldovia, and I still have it.

[cruisecrasy]

Apparently you never got past the cruise terminal at Costa Maya. My favorite excursion was to the Chacchoben Ruins from Costa Maya.

 

Actually we did...and those ruins...IMO please remember..while interesting aren't nearly as nice as compared to others in much more interesting and natural (not 'made' for the tourist) ports!

I am glad however, that u enjoyed them..

 

Have happy cruisin' :)

[3rdGenCunarder]

No no, 3rdGenCunarder is not spoiled. Just well taken care of.

 

I like that! You have just given me a new motto to live by!!!!

 

 

If HAL wants to position itself as the "Signature of Excellence",

then they need to pony-up for a complimentary shuttle for their guests.

The good PR alone is worth the money it would cost them.

 

I agree. A little money can sometimes buy a lot of goodwill.

[Two@Sea]

Well, ya know what? Now I really want to visit Homer someday! :)