Riversedge

For those who have been to Fanning Island & made some donations. What age span should we buy for? How young to how old?

 

Plus suggestions on what to bring.

We LOVED Fanning Island. Be sure to take lots of dollar bills as the children are all dressed up and will take pictures with you for a dollar. Actually they will do it for nothing but I could never be that cheap! It's their way of earning a living. You will run out of dollars fast as there are quite a few of them and they are so cute. Also take money to buy their crafts. They are wonderful quality and some of best souvenirs we've had anywhere. I have a few mounted on my wall. Get off the ship early for the best shopping and take a bag with you to carry your many momentos. They don't speak English but are very friendly. Walk along the road and see the houses further back as well.

I would say the children range in age from babies to around 12. We did a similar stop on the Amazon River and I made several sundresses and gave them out. They were thrilled. I wouldn't take candy but little tshirts, flip flops, hair ties, etc. are very welcomed. We've also taken toothbrushes and toothpaste but those aren't very exciting to the children! Markers, crayons, coloring books as well.

Enjoy yourself. Those people have nothing but they are happy and so few people visit that they look forward to the cruise ships for weeks or even months. It was one of our most favorite stops ever.

We did the train up and the bikes back down. We thought the train was fun...for awhile. Beautiful scenery but we're more of an "action" family. My two teenagers both fell asleep. We really enjoyed the bicycles and would do that again if it were an option. I don't think I'd ever want to ride the train both ways.

I'm another one that would never wear my robe outside my stateroom. I always wear a beach cover up and my husband wears a t-shirt. You will see people in the elevator, pool area and even (gasp) the Lido but they are few and far between.

It's funny how often we end up sitting with the same people in open seating. I think many people eat at about the same time every day. We actually prefer an assigned table and the same waiter each night but it was already booked for our next trip. I agree that open seating is a good way to meet people.

There is another thread out there that claims the "new" Explorer 4 has free non alcoholics that do not count against your 15.

Is this new? This was the case on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise last March. We did have to show a card for each alcoholic drink ordered. Could not order more than one at a time unless we had more than one card. The Dining room wine steward got it mixed up once and charged 2 wines to one card. Had a devil of a time getting it straightened out at front desk. Had to go desk three different days.

A heads up to any who might be traveling with a companion who is not a spouse. On a cruise about 5 years ago we had an assigned table with a couple in their eighties. Their spouses had both died years ago and they had been together for about 15 years but never married. While onboard she suffered a stroke. Because there was no legal medical power of attorney the ship's medical center would not give him information on her condition. They both got off the ship in Tahiti but he still could not get information. The doctor's would call her daughter in the states and then he would have to call her to get medical updates and diagnosis. It made a horrible situation even worse. She ended up being airlifted home. Might be worth checking into what is needed if you have a traveling companion.

That sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for posting. I never buy insurance through HAL, preferring to save money and get a better policy for less money somewhere else. (we now buy an annual policy). This sounds like it was more a problem with what she was told by HAL and not the company itself however.

Very nice, Terry. A lot of work and much appreciated.

Thank you Cassamanda.

 

Graceswan - What make you believe this is our first Cruise???

 

Hoya

I'm assuming Graceswan was intending her response to the OP who said they were a first time cruiser.

I think you will be very pleased with the Nieuw Amsterdam. We have sailed many times with HAL and many times with a variety of other lines. I can't say that HAL is our favorite line, but now that we are retired we are enjoying their longer cruises and we've become comfortable with them. Last April we finally had the chance to cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We loved it so much more than our other experiences. There seemed to be a much more lively atmosphere and the average age was much younger. (probably due more to the time of the year and there were many families). It seemed to have a more vibrant atmosphere. We loved the food and would rate our meals in the dining room as some of the best we've ever had. And of course, as with all HAL ships, the service was superb. We took friends with us who had never sailed with HAL before. We kept warning them that they might not like it as well, it wouldn't be like the other livelier ships they had been on with other lines....but it turned out that we had such a great experience that they loved it. I think you'll have a wonderful cruise. I would cruise on her again in a hearbeat.

I haven't seen the signs on a ship in awhile but I do remember them at some point. I really wish that everyone would do this. I like to get my excercise walking the deck and the people walking in the opposite direction seem to cause a hiccup in the flow. I usually pass everyone but I also keep my eyes and ears open for those who wish to pass. Those walking 2-3 abreast with no awareness of their surroundings can make things difficult.

When we booked our last cruise our travel agent looked out for us and found us the best deal. She compared the Anniversary sale price to a deal that was hooked to my husband's Mariner number. For our 39 day cruise we saved $4,000 for the two of us in an obstructed view cabin. Had she not checked we would have gone with the Anniversary Sale price and been way behind the game.

We sailed on her for the first time in April and fell in love. Can't wait to go again. We found that we liked the larger ships better with more areas to walk, more places to have a drink and better shows. We saw no signs of any wear and tear.

He was on our Amazon River cruise a year ago. We had such fun with him. He is an amazing man with an unbelievable memory. He knew everyone's room number and name no matter where he saw you on the ship. He speaks 5 languages. We are hoping to see him on another cruise. I hope Holland America recognizes his talents and continues to promote him.

Thanks for all your contributions here. Good luck in your future travels even though they may not involve cruising. We've always said there are many memories yet to be made and they can be made in many ways other than on a ship. Enjoy life to the fullest extent that you are able. Happy Travels and may you enjoy everything life has to offer in the years ahead.

Thanks for letting us know. For those of us who would like to visit Cuba this is a good "heads up"

We did Patrick's tour about 5 years ago and it was the best tour we have ever had anywhere, anytime. We've traveled a lot so have a lot to compare it to. We are doing it again next February. If you get a chance to book with Patrick don't miss it.

You can request a real refrigerator. That's what I alway do. I have to fax a form to HAL. I've had cruises where it's been free and others where it's $2.00 a day. Worth it to me because I want my insulin under my control (not in the infirmary frig) plus it keeps my soda cold as well! We usually do long cruises so it works out well. It's always in my room when I board

Fanning Island offers beautiful handmade crafts. Take some dollars with you and get off the ship as soon as you can because people buy things by the armful. Prices are extremely reasonable and are such nice quality that people buy them for gifts to take home.

There's not a lot to do here. You can walk around their homes and see how they live (very simply).

My husband and I did swim but most did not. Keep in mind that they have no bathrooms, so guess where they go.... However I did not hear of anyone having problems after having swam there.

The children dress up in festive costume and you can pose with them to take pictures. Be sure to take some one dollar bills for this. It is also nice to take them something. Either supplies for the school or something for the children like hair bows, small toys, t-shirts, etc. No sweets are recommended as they don't have access to a dentist like we do.

Have fun. It was one of our most memorable cruise stops ever.

It sounds like your taste in wine is about the same as ours. We ordered the navigator package and struggled to find anything we liked. We usually drink moscato or sweet Riesling. We did find a Reisling by the glass that we liked but it was not available in either of the wine packages.

Hello everyone,

we will be going on a Carnival cruise from Sydney to Hawaii in April 17 and will stop in Bora Bora for a day. We take the kids along (7 and 5 years old) and I am researching shore tour options. Many are snorkelling only or 4 WD. Might be a bit rough for the kids. Do you have any recommendation for tours with kids? Or any hotel recommendation where we can spent a lazy day on the beach? Many thanks for your time!

We have done Patrick's tour and Bora and it was definitely a day to remember. I wouldn't recommend it for a 5 and 7 year old however. There's no easy way to get on and off the boat and the sharks and rays are swimming close enough to touch. I think it would be a bit frightening. I know it was frightening to many adults! A beach close to port would be a great option.

We will be sailing on this ship for the first time in March so greatly appreciate your review. Not surprised about the entertainment....we've come to expect less than stellar entertainment on HAL. We are taking friends who have never sailed on HAL so good to know that your experience was mostly positive.

I had to laugh at number 6. On our last cruise the Captain was very definitely hooked up with one of the passengers. Must be they dance to a different rule book.

Thank you everyone. Exactly what I wanted to know.

We have never sailed on this ship before. We are going with friends and have booked verandah cabins next to each other (category VD on Deck 6). Is there a possibility of being able to open a partition between the two cabins so that we have one larger verandah?