S. Caribbean from Norfolk

[Sweetdreams]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I just found this site yesterday. Leaving 5/1/05 to celebrate 25th Anniversary. Would appreciate any info from fellow HAL cc on excursions. Planning to take our own snorkel gear & doing alot of beaching. So far have booked catamaran in Barbados & "tubing adventure" in Dominica. Has anyone found these to be good choices? Appreciate any other suggestions. Also, suggestions on how to best pack for 11 day cruise.

[grannynurse]

It may be chilly leaving Norfolk so take along a windbreaker for on deck.
For 11 days, we took 2 suitcases apiece and a carry-on, but I'm not a light packer, you should have seen what I took for the 34 day last summer.
There will be 3 formal nights but if you have a dressy long skirt, you may want to switch tops. 2 informal nights; dressy pantsuit or jacket-dress. The dining room can be chilly. 6 casual nights. Boundaries are kind of fuzzy on HAL, some women wear resort casual and some don't veer very far away from informal. Either will be fine.
At sea, during the day shorts or capris, and the same in port unless you're going to visit churches. Don't worry about beach towels, HAL has plenty, even to take ashore.
It may be humid in MAY, but it's been unseasonabley cool this year, so think about a sweater or two. Jeans are okay if you like them. Many people wore them in port in Europe.
Good comfortable walking shoes are a must in port. If mules work for you fine, but I got bogged down in the sand on HMC.
If you're not in a suite, bring an umbrella.
HAL pax are a notch up from other lines in dress. The summer before last I wore capris on a casual night and fely very out-of-place.

Hope this helps, oh BTW, Vista ships don't have self-serve laundries, but you can send out for a fee. There is a special every couple of days for $12, all you can stuff in their bag.

[Linda&Vern]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I just found this site yesterday. Leaving 5/1/05 to celebrate 25th Anniversary. Would appreciate any info from fellow HAL cc on excursions. Planning to take our own snorkel gear & doing alot of beaching. So far have booked catamaran in Barbados & "tubing adventure" in Dominica. Has anyone found these to be good choices? Appreciate any other suggestions. Also, suggestions on how to best pack for 11 day cruise.
Congratulations on booking the Maasdam. (I assume leaving from Norfolk you have to be on the Maasdam.) We did the Holiday Cruise Southern Caribbean this past year and loved the trip. We did the 4x4 sightseeing in Dominica (wild ride!) ... but everyone who did the tubing adventure had nothing but high marks. They were raving about the professional attitude of the staff on their adventure. Good choice on Barbados. We did the general island sightseeing bus tour ... and all I really wanted was to go to the beach for the day! (Next time!) We took seven (yes 7) :eek: suitcases for two of us for our 11 day cruise. Packed WAY, WAY too many clothes! And, it was so hot on the islands I ended up buying two tee-shirts because I was so hot in a blouse & tank top combo. By night #5 I couldn't even remember what I had worn on night #2 for dinner. Knew then I had packed too much. Next time I'll do more mix and match. Nice laundry area (coin operated) on the Lower Prom. deck if you need it. I think there are a couple others around the ship - not sure. Remember the cool Atlantic waters can be rough the first 1.5 days getting south (same returning) ... I found that if you just forget about the rocking and rolling and enjoy the ship, dining, pool, shops, casino ... it takes your mind off it. I was very afraid of getting sea sick (this was our first cruise) ... and was not bothered at all. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - HAVE A GREAT TIME!:p

[rocks]

Hi!
I'll be on the Maasdam 5/1 also! Can't wait! I have been on this ship many times (5 or 6) and LOVE it!
Is this your 1st cruise/first with HA? If you love the beach, wait till you see Half Moon Cay..It's AWESOME!
Usually in St. Thomas we will take the ferry over to St. John which also has a WONDERFUL beach with great snorkling. Hubby can't get off work this time-I'm going solo & will mostly be catching up on much needed R & R...have had a very stressful 2004. I have been to Barbados before, but never been to Dominica. The tubing sounds fun; I've read that others really enjoyed that.
If you go over to the 'HA roll-call' site, you'll see there are several others going. I'll go over & 'bump' it up so you don't have too much of a search. We should all meet & have a CC get together sometime on the ship.
ONLY 43 DAYS!
rocks

[Sweetdreams]

Wow! Leaving in just 43 days-I had not yet counted-cnannot wait!

[OCruisers]

Sweetdreams & rocks .... Please, please don't forget to give a report after your cruise!!! We want all of the info we can get on Maasdam out of Norfolk!

Have a wonderful time! Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[rocks]

Thanks OCruisers!
Will be sure to report ALL the details when I get back. Do you have a cruise booked on the Maasdam? I will probably take my laptop & just might check-in while on-board.
Just can't wait to get away!
rocks

[OCruisers]

Thanks "rocks" !!!

We have not booked YET ... but my sister's family IS already booked (reads this board) ............ so we are VERY interested and will look forward to your reports!!!!!

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[caribbean girl]

We just got back from our Southern Caribbean cruise on the Maasdam out of Norfolk 3/10. The advice re: possible rough Atlantic waters is apt-it was true on the way down and back to Va. Be ready with your Bonine ahead of time and it will be much easier to take! We really enjoyed our excursion in Dominica. We did the mountain bike/river excursion to the Layou river. Our guide was awesome, as was swimming in the river and enjoying the hot springs!! Dominica is a treasure, not the typical beach only island. The rain forest is unbelievable. Get ready for Half Moon Cay-it is paradise!! The staff at the photo gallery is wonderful. Our pictures are the best. Enjoy getting ready!!;)