Westerdam Panama Canal April 15, 2011

[NoWhiners]

bc

 

Total Wine and Costco are on the list to pick up wine!! We won't be too far from Total wine. There is a Kmart down the road about .5 miles that also sells wine--we might check it out!

 

ML

[gordons4]

Sadly, you need to remove us from this Roll Call. I'm really bummed because you all sound like so much fun.

 

We decided to "jump ship" so to speak, and try out Celebrity Century for the Panama Canal trip. The timing and itinerary work a little better for us--we stop a full day in Panama which is something we were hoping to do with this trip.

 

I am assured that as dedicated HAL cruisers--for our whole 2 cruises we've taken--we will most likely be pleased with Celebrity. But I'm betting we come back to HAL for our next Alaska cruise. :D

 

Hope you all have a great cruise!

[Canary50]

I've been lurking here on this board for a few weeks. We are trying to decide which ship and which itinerary to take for the Panama Canal cruise. We still haven't booked but are really leaning for the tried and true Celebrity :)

 

You do all sound like so much fun - if we do decide on this cruise we'll be in on the cabin hops!

 

Sheila

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[bcirish]

Gordons4- sorry to hear you are "jumping ship" but am sure you will have a good time on Celebrity too- of course you will be missing all of us but hey - is it at the same time? If so maybe we will pass in a port. I have done Celebrity once and liked it. I found it very similar to HAL. Again sorry to see you go and good luck - maybe we will catch you on another cruise!

[bcirish]

I've been lurking here on this board for a few weeks. We are trying to decide which ship and which itinerary to take for the Panama Canal cruise. We still haven't booked but are really leaning for the tried and true Celebrity :)

 

You do all sound like so much fun - if we do decide on this cruise we'll be in on the cabin hops!

 

Sheila

__________________

 

Just curious - I am assuming it is the itinerary- have not looked at theirs since we booked on the ship for this- which ship is it? I find the two lines very similar depending on the ship. Good luck no matter where you end up. Now I am curious and gonna go look for myself -Have a good day and continue to enjoy lurking - one of my favorites.

[High Seas Texan]

Good Afternoon everyone, just checking in and catching up on the postings on our board. Glad to see some new members, and sorry to see some departing, but understand how things change. Rand and I were out at dinner last night and discussing how much we miss the on board restaurants, espcially the Pniiacle Grill. Perhaps we as a group would like to try and arrange reservations one night during the cruise, or for luncheon. We are still in the process of tryingto decide on a hotel for pre cruise and looking at Seattle options for post cruise. In Seattle I think we have decided on The Olympic. Texas is hot now that Memorial Day has come, looks like we are in for a long hot summer, very dry. Cheers to everyone. We are still very excited about the upcoming cruise.

George

[NoWhiners]

George

 

Do you usually just pick a hotel and book it or do something more exotic like bid on priceline or book thru hotwire? For one night, we prefer to save a few dollars for use on the cruise. And I truly enjoy the "thrill of the hunt" using priceline!

 

Dinner at Pinnacle Grill could work--might depend on excursions. Maybe on a sea day?

 

Going to be unseasonably warm in Albuquerque this weekend and into next week--100 degrees! But it's a dry heat!!! (I love saying that--it is still too dam hot!!)

 

ML

[High Seas Texan]

Howdy!

We have never used Priceline or Hotwire, not sure how it works...and do you know in advance of payment which hotel you will be assigned? We look for the amenities and service when picking a hotel for vacation, even if for just one night. We have stayed at Teh Olympic in the past so we know we want to go back there at the end of the voyage in Seattle. We are considering the Aqualina in Hollywood Fl prior to sailing, but would like something a bit more traditional, if that exists in Fl.

As for the weather: HOT here in Texas as well. A nice, moist, humid heat. We learn to slow out pace down and look for the shady side of the street!

Delightful sharing with everyone. Enjoy the weekend.

George

[NoWhiners]

George

 

No, you don't know the actual hotel, just the general area. You can look at the amenities and star level, so those are clues. Priceline lets you name your own price (bid) and hotwire tells you the price and you accept or not. Hotwire usually costs a bit more. It is sort of fun to do, even if a little time-consuming. We almost always book vacation hotels this way these days but I can understand not wanting to do it this way.

 

Doesn't matter as long as there is a place to stay the night before the cruise.

 

Its 8:30 pm and still 85 degrees!

 

Off to get a cold drink...

ML

[bcirish]

Morning all - we dodged the tornados last night but it was a bit scary with all of the warnings for a couple of hours and then the reports this morning - stayed up late - they scare the living end out of me although I have not been in the middle of the mess for years. Odd part - area hard hit years ago was a small town and lots of farms. I guess I have a short memory cause now those farms are homes and you are right - I live right in the middle of it :( - so when the warnings come up I go downstairs til I know it is well past.

 

Weather wise - have been watching the SW with the 3 digitis - daughter is in PHX and sears by the dry heat - :D- I am with you - hot is hot!

Have a good one!

[NoWhiners]

It may be hot here but we rarely have any truly bad weather, certainly no hurricanes! Had a small tornado touch down for a few minutes about 10 years ago--minor damage. Worst we get is an occasional blizzard--like 3 years ago we had 2 at xmas time. Dumped 2 feet of snow. And the city doesn't have all the snow removal equipment like Chicago or NY. Saw 4 people died due to tornadoes yesterday--sad and scary. I didn't think the Chicago area saw many tornadoes?

 

ML

[bcirish]

We are in the suburbs and we joke that the weather is different in the south ( south of interstate 55 ) and the weird part is that the weather is different - the city can have rain or snow and we have sun and it is less than 40 miles. I guess it does not take much to make us laugh around here:D

 

ML

How long does it take to get from your area to White Sands? Went there once with my Mom and did not spend much time so would like to go back to do some photo work there and spend a couple of days - also would like to do the Bosque Del Apache when the birds are there- went through at the end of March and much of the wildlife was already gone but very pretty. Do you get the snow because of the elevation? I always think of N Mexico as hot but of course it freaks me out with the snow in Arizona cause I think it's all desert which does not equal snow until I duh remember elevation. Yeah - daughter is having 3 digit dry heat today so I am not complaining! Stay cool.

 

George - What is Texas like this time of year? Usually just drive through although on one long road trip went through the very southern part on my way to Brownsville for N Mex and it was desolate - I am not a city girl but

over the years have decided that I need trees and an occasional store:D

Off to cook for our company -okay not really cook - cut up stuff and get it ready for the grill then DH takes over - I love grilling! Not my job!

[rajkr74]

Morning all - we dodged the tornados last night but it was a bit scary with all of the warnings for a couple of hours and then the reports this morning - stayed up late - they scare the living end out of me although I have not been in the middle of the mess for years. Odd part - area hard hit years ago was a small town and lots of farms. I guess I have a short memory cause now those farms are homes and you are right - I live right in the middle of it :( - so when the warnings come up I go downstairs til I know it is well past.

 

Weather wise - have been watching the SW with the 3 digitis - daughter is in PHX and sears by the dry heat - :D- I am with you - hot is hot!

Have a good one!

 

Tornados.....yikes. That is the only thing that really scares me. I'll stick with all the wet weather we get in Oregon over tornados any day. Hope you get a better night's sleep tonight.

 

Rick

[NoWhiners]

bc

 

white sands is about 2.5 hours away, depending on where you enter. We passed the turnoff to it when we went to Ruidoso 2 years ago. great place to visit, lots of history--Trinity site is there. (Means something to me being at Sandia labs). The bosque is great if you go at the right time and an easy drive from Albuquerque. Can take bikes into areas around Albuquerque that are similar, but only after you adjust to the altitude. (Funny story (sort of)--taught a class to a bunch of FBI agents a few years ago and they all work out in the am. One guy didn't drink enough water (did I mention it is very dry here?!), worked out and ended up in ER for dehydration. Now i tell them to drink water and take it easy for the first few days until they adjust.!!). I have the reverse problem when I travel east--I can run a mile because I am oxygen deprived!

 

Let me know if you ever decide to come and I can give you info on hotels, etc!! Yes, our weather is due to being high desert but Albuquerque is sort of in the "shadow" of the mountains so we are very protected from the elements, good when its snow, bad when its rain!!

 

The only other place i would live is the pacific northwest, so I really enjoy reading Rick's posts. We will probably stay put when we retire--house is paid for, great weather, easy to drive to a lot of places we like to go (Las Vegas, Durango, Vallecito Lake). I am NEVER flying again unless absolutely necessary after I retire. I hate airports, extra fees, so called "security", bad service and all the other hassles.

 

ML

[mjtigger]

:)Hi we are the Longmuir's from Moose Jaw, Sask. and we are going on our first cruise April 15th 2011 for 21 days to the Panama Canal, and how we excited we are. We both love meeting new people, and we also love to travel. Any help you can give us, would greatly be appreciated. Looking forward to meeting you. Pat&Bob

[High Seas Texan]

Welcome Pat and Bob to our group. We are George and Rand in Texas, and this will be our second cruise with Holland America. We did the Hawaii curise this year on the Zaandam and enjoyed so much we booked the Panama Canal while on onboard. We ween to have a fun group taking shape here. We enjoy sharing the planning and look forward to meeting in person.

Cheers!

George

[rajkr74]

:)Hi we are the Longmuir's from Moose Jaw, Sask. and we are going on our first cruise April 15th 2011 for 21 days to the Panama Canal, and how we excited we are. We both love meeting new people, and we also love to travel. Any help you can give us, would greatly be appreciated. Looking forward to meeting you. Pat&Bob

 

Welcome Pat & Bob,

Sounds like you are jumping full force into cruising with a Panama Cruise, COOL! You will like it. If you have not read some of our previous posts I have a couple of links to pictures in previous posts that show the 21 day Panama cruise we did last year with the Westerdam. It is truely a "bucket list" item that everyone needs to do. You will enjoy it since we think the Westerdam is a great ship.

Fire the questions at all of us as you need. This will be our 3rd cruise and we don't report to being experts but I have done a fair amount of research before each of our cruises. There are some others on this board who have done a number of cruises and I know would be very willing to answer any questions.

[bcirish]

Roll Call update

BCIRISH - Ed and Barbara from Chicago first posters

NOWHINERS - Mary Lynn and Doug - first posters

BOARD NAME? - with nowhiners Carol and John from Michigan

BOARD NAME - with nowhiners Kitty and Jim (also in Albuquerque)

BOARD NAME - with nowhiners - Jim and Cindy from Saginaw Mi

HIGH SEAS TEXANS - George and Rand - Fort Worth Texas

RAJKR74 Rick and Joyce - Springfield Oregon

SKI WW - Allan and Marlane from Victo Harbor, Ontario

BOARD NAME - with nowhiners Bill and Kay from Albuquerque

cardev - Mike & Karen from Alberta, Canada

NO BOARD NAME - with cardev - Don & Brenda from Edmonton Alberta

dontspin - Ann & Don

buffdored - Dorothy & Ed

mjtigger -Pat and Bob Longmuir from Moosejaw

 

Hope all are having a good day -

ML - thanks for the info on NM

I guess I need to start thinking about hotels etc for this cruise. I am trying to decide if I want to stay on the west coast for a few days before we head home.

I love the story from one of our cruise friends who did a 38 TA to Europe and followed it with several land stops. Their last stop was Dublin for 24 hours til they flew home- she said it was a learning experience - they were so travel weary that they never left the hotel ( never been to Dublin and by that time did not care). They ate a snack in the hotel slept and arrived at the airport early the next day. :( For them it was just too long and too much sightseeing. I always keep that in mind when making plans but I do not think that I would ever be tired of traveling ( for my enjoyment ) and although I admit to skipping ports in the Caribbean - I know I will probably be back - my curiosity always wins out!. I also think that sometimes when doing long long trips - those down days need to be programmed in ( ah that's why we have sea days ;)

[NoWhiners]

Hi bc

 

We had the same conversation--stay a couple of days in SD when we get off ship or not. DH said let's just go home--we will be gone about 20 days. Going to fly to MCO a few days early, get a rental car, hang out at Universal, then drive down to FLL. We have 2 dogs (one of whom has cancer, and is doing well but we don't know for how much longer...), so we try not to go too long. 3 weeks will be a lot. San Diego is easy for us to get to, so we can always make that a separate trip.

 

ML

[ski ww]

We always try to spend at least a couple of days at a port pre cruise and make like a tourist to see all the sights, especially if we've never been there before. We've also spend as long as 4-5 days post cruise in a real interesting port if we'll never be there again. We'll be in Fort Lauderdale a day early to spend some time exploring along Las Olas Blvd. Last time we never had a chance to really enjoy all there is along this street.Will try to get a hotel close enough to walk there, also it's close to the port from there.

 

Allan & Marlane :D:D

[rajkr74]

Hi bc

 

We had the same conversation--stay a couple of days in SD when we get off ship or not. DH said let's just go home--we will be gone about 20 days. Going to fly to MCO a few days early, get a rental car, hang out at Universal, then drive down to FLL. We have 2 dogs (one of whom has cancer, and is doing well but we don't know for how much longer...), so we try not to go too long. 3 weeks will be a lot. San Diego is easy for us to get to, so we can always make that a separate trip.

 

ML

 

We did this last year by flying into Orlando and driving to FLL. It worked very well for us. We will porbably do it again and add a day in Orlando to visit a friend. Mary Lynn, have you done this MCO drive to FLL before? We paid the Toll Road fee instead of the freeway and found the traffic to be very minimal until we got near FLL when it got heavy.

Rick

[NoWhiners]

Hi Rick

 

Yes, we have done this drive before, but not on the toll road. Last time, we had a notion of following A!A all the way to FLL from Orlando and mostly did that.It gets sort of hard to do in places, but we managed. Had a hard time finding a street we could get to and parallel the ocean in FLL--do you know the best way to do this?

 

This time, we will still avoid the toll road (on general principle) but make the drive--I love to see the beaches go by as we drive. We will have all day to get from MCO to FLL. should be easy, fast, and we can stop for a nice lunch along the way! And, we already know our hotel in FLL. all that is left is the excitement of getting a reasonable rental car on priceline!! I love Priceline, and if that fails we use costco.

 

ML

[rajkr74]

We have done it only once last year. We got into Orlando late in the day one day before the cruise so we did not have time to take a causual drive like you did. Sounds like it might be fun going down the coast.

We have used Budget to rent a car at Orlando airport since we have their fast check in card. That way we bypass the HUGH line up of 30+ people inside trying to get cars from 2 clerks. We go out to the parking structure and find the little kiosk with no line and get the car. Takes only about 10 mins. to get a car. We will have to see what their prices are for a car next year. It was real easy getting to FLL and turning in the car and jumping on their bus that took us to the ship. Hope it works as easy on this trip as we had it last year.

[ski ww]

Already thinking about packing for this cruise. Trying to cut back to one suite case each. Will cut back on the formal wear, instead of three out fits for formal nights, cut back to one suite and one sport coat, couple of dress pants and shirts. The rest shorts, swim wear and t-shirts. Always find we pack stuff we never wear or hardly wear to stuff we wear all the time. It's easier to pack for hot weather then cold and hot. And as there is no laundry to do your own washing and we have to use the ships laundry might have to pack more t-shirts and causal cloths.

 

Allan & Marlane :D:D

[mjtigger]

:)Hi ths is Pat&Bob from Moose Jaw thank you so much for adding our name to the roll call. Guess by now you realize how much we are looking forward to this exciting cruise. There is one thing we are not sure of and that is, we made arrangements for our airfare along with the cruise, also arranged for pickup at the airport to the hotel, but do we have to book the hotel. Flying to Fort L. on the 14th, any help would be so gratefully appreciated.