Postage at HMC

[Kylie]

I heard there is a mailbox at HMC - does anyone know what it costs to mail a postcard from there? Can I buy stamps on the Zuiderdam to send mail from there?

[spcl4cs_gal]

I would guess it costs the same as it would anywhere in the US. Apparently HAL has this cute little HMC post mark they use there.

Alison
MS Zuiderdam
03/04 Eastern Caribbean
07/04 Western Caribbean
03/05 Eastern Caribbean

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;7;10;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500 MS Zuiderdam

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=228b22&cdt=2005;3;12;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500
2005 March Break Zuiderdam Cruise

[wfcruiser]

Sorry, but I am kind of new around here---what is HMC?

[sail7seas]

HMC is an abbreviation for Half Moon Cay (pronounced key) which is a private island owned by HAL. This island is in the Bahamas and is a small slice of Paradise. Most HAL Caribbean cruises have a port call here and enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. All sorts of water sports are available, private cabanas can be rented for ultimate luxury and comfort. They serve a wonderful barbeque lunch and there are several great bars there. HMC is a highlight for most HAL Caribbean cruisers.

The stamps that are referenced here are HMC...U.S. postage is not usable from HMC as it is a Bahamain Island. The stamps are sold on the island and can be used for posted mail.

<img src=http://domania.us/DaveEdwards/HALlogo.gif>

[spcl4cs_gal]

I stand corrected. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Alison
MS Zuiderdam
03/04 Eastern Caribbean
07/04 Western Caribbean
03/05 Eastern Caribbean

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;7;10;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500&nbsp;MS Zuiderdam

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=228b22&cdt=2005;3;12;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500
2005 March Break Zuiderdam Cruise

[whogo]

Where is the mailbox and where does one buy stamps? Is mail processed in a timely manner?

[Krazy Kruizers]

When you get off the tenders -- walk forward to where the water fountain is - walk past it and to the right is a HAL shop where you can buy postcards and stamps. They will all be charged to your shipboard account since it is a HAL store.

[whogo]

Thank you. Front desk staff has always wanted cash for stamp purchases. Is the mail postmarked in the Bahamas? I do not want Fort Lauderdale postmarks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Pass through this arch:

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photopost/data/717/medium/2011_Noordam_Part_4_070.JPG (http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photopost/data/717/2011_Noordam_Part_4_070.JPG)

The store is where the Green Railing is:
http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photopost/data/717/medium/2011_Noordam_Part_4_067.JPG (http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photopost/data/717/2011_Noordam_Part_4_067.JPG)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thank you. Front desk staff has always wanted cash for stamp purchases. Is the mail postmarked in the Bahamas? I do not want Fort Lauderdale postmarks.

if it is mailed in the Bahamas with stamps from the Bahamas, it will have the local postmark. A US post office won't accept foreign stamps.

On one of our Cunard cruises in Europe, the ship very kindly took postcards and said they would take care of postage and mail them for us. I believe we charged it to the account, but we may have paid cash. And they did mail the cards for us. BUT they were done as a bulk mailing from Frankfort Germany. (It looked like the kind of postage you can print from your computer, not a real stamp/postmark) We did not call at ANY German port on that cruise, so I'm not sure why they do this (but I guess it saves them money). We were at a French port, and I was expecting the cards to be mailed in France, and they would have French stamps and postmark.

Does HAL (or any other line) ever do this with postcards mailed on board?

[jtl513]

Does HAL (or any other line) ever do this with postcards mailed on board?Yes ... or at least they used to. I forget the countries involved, but on a trans-Panama Canal cruise the postcards we left at the front desk and paid X country's postage for were actually postmarked about a week later from a different country. This was four years ago, so I don't what the current practice is. We've never mailed cards from the ship since.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Yes ... or at least they used to. I forget the countries involved, but on a trans-Panama Canal cruise the postcards we left at the front desk and paid X country's postage for were actually postmarked about a week later from a different country. This was four years ago, so I don't what the current practice is. We've never mailed cards from the ship since.

Now I mail cards onboard only if I know they're collecting mail for that port and only if I have the local stamps on them. QM2 has an English "pillar box" (mailbox) and it always shows the last collection time for the upcoming port. Sometimes, if they don't have too much mail, they'll stamp it "mailed onboard Queen Mary 2," which is nice. That has been reliable so far.

[Typhoon1]

I would just wait until I am back on US soil.

I always leery about mailing things in another country.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I would just wait until I am back on US soil.

I always leery about mailing things in another country.

But then you don't get the fun of foreign stamps and foreign postmarks. I send postcards to myself for the sake of having the postmarks.

The only time I didn't get something I mailed on a cruise was on a Princess cruise. Postage went up the day we were in San Juan, and we got to the post office a minute too late to buy new stamps. All they had on board were postcard stamps that were now a penny or two short of correct US postage. The jerk at the desk told me it would be OK, the post office "grandfathers" cruise ship postage for several weeks. Uh-huh, sure it does.

I bought one "old" stamp and put it on a card (to myself) and handed it to him. I thought maybe someone in the back office had a brain and would be kind and supply the extra postage. I considered it a sort of experiment.

Ha! As if. I never got that card.

[whogo]

I would just wait until I am back on US soil.

I always leery about mailing things in another country.

I send postcards from foreign countries to family members. My sister particularly likes receiving them. The front desk on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas said they sent out mail in each port. Instead, they skipped three Spanish ports and 5 Caribbean ports to mail them all from the Dominican Republic. The first postcards from that 15 night transatlantic arrived 6 weeks after my cruise.

[Zippercat]

There's about a 90% chance you will finish your cruise and be back home before the postcard arrives! ;)

[3rdGenCunarder]

There's about a 90% chance you will finish your cruise and be back home before the postcard arrives! ;)

That could happen with any foreign travel.

[pms4104]

When you get off the tenders -- walk forward to where the water fountain is - walk past it and to the right is a HAL shop where you can buy postcards and stamps. They will all be charged to your shipboard account since it is a HAL store.
Several years ago, the Post Office occupied the far right side of that building behind the green rails. They sold Bahamian postage with the image of a HAL ship ... very, very cool! Sadly, last couple of times we were there, the post office either was closed or was not selling any special HAL stamps. The Post Office took cash only, as it was not a HAL store, and the HAL store did not sell postage back then.

Thanks for the info on the new (to me) process.

[NapTown Jim]

When we were there in Nov. 2010 we bought post cards from the post office for $0.50 each and postage was also $0.50. They don't have change so be sure to bring small bills