AKJonesy

Heading to Athens next month staying 5 days then boarding NS for FLL. In Athens, what neighborhood did you stay in and would you recommend it AND how did you get around in the city? We did Oosterdam last fall and still love the ship. We also had some hot water issues, but resolved quickly. Have fun. Thanks for any input.

I would like to do the Northwest Passage but ouch $.

Are these complimentary in CO Dining for breakfast also?

For sure but sometimes the hassle is not worth it. In this case she mentioned the flight is in the evening so there is time to get it all figured out. How much luggage being dragged around could be an issue. I took the Keikyu bus, but the opposite so it worked slick. First on, but the bus filled up at the second stop. If it had been from Shinko Pier it would be much easier.

Assuming you have a lot of time getting to HND airport, you can make this work, but you may have to stand around for awhile. Trying to estimate the times is going to be tough from that pier IMO. As mentioned, the bus fills up fast and Yokohama Doll House is last stop before it heads to HND. I guess you don't want to take the cruise ship transfer which would be easiest?

When we were in HND in April, the walk from the airplane to immigration and customs was long so be prepared for that alone. We completed the online information through Japan Web, but as mentioned, we had the paper copy from the flight which is what we handed to the Japan officials. We were through the entire process in about 15 minutes after the long walk there.

I was on a cruise a number of months after my total hip replacement and in a stateroom with the shower tub combo. It's tricky but I sat near the toilet end of the tub sitting on a towel on edge of tub, then put one leg over in the tub and other on floor grabbing the grab bar, then hoisting the other leg over. It's doable, but yea, you've got to be careful.

Here is the stateroom pdf for NA. https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/ships/NA/pdf/hal-na-deckplan-01222024.pdf Stay away from noise areas. Those staterooms surrounded by staterooms will be most quiet. Stay away from staterooms close to the World Stage, or the Lido. You don't want carts rolling over your head at night. Check out windalert.com or windy.com. Use the LIVE WIND tab on windalert and for both, just pull the map in the direction where you want to check the live winds in the coastal area of Canada and Alaska. Wind makes waves. Sometimes the seas can be a little rough OUTSIDE of Vancouver island and those sailings generally begin in Seattle. Either side of the ship is good IMO. If you are on NA, I would spend more time on the Promenade Deck instead of on your veranda. You get the wide open view instead of standing peering over your deck railing and you can walk around the entire ship for better views.

@ORTravelGal I will check out that info in your post #27. I do have Delta Amex. I have a room booked but it is cancellable up to a week before our stay and yes, we are on the 10/22 sailing.

Thanks. I just ordered a 4 pack. Good idea also regarding the itinerary!

7095 on NA would be a great stateroom. You are surrounded by other staterooms and are away from any "noise" areas. I am linking you to what the room will look like which is 7083 down just a few doors from 7095. Five through 7 are my favorite decks for staterooms because they are surrounded by other staterooms which is the best stateroom to have. The beds in the picture are moved into a "twin" configuration, but it will be configured as a "queen" if you indicate that on your preferences when you book the stateroom. This stateroom is also convenient to the elevators and stairs. https://halfacts.com/signature-class/7083-nieuw-amsterdam-v/

On our SA cruise, our young cruise director wore ankle high slacks, a polo shirt, and dress shoes with no socks. This was on our dressy night. Over the years, we've seen the change from classic dressy (tux, sparkly dress) to suits, to shirts and ties, to shirts and now obviously short sleeve polos and slacks. There will still be some folks that really go all out and I love seeing them in the MDR on the dressy nights. My husband and I wear suits. So, it seems just about anything goes nowadays. I would not worry about it as long as, like someone mentioned, the clothes are neat and clean.

I can't really see from the picture, but are the hooks on the door or the wall? This is a good idea, not just because there is a connecting door but there are few hooks in the stateroom, and my DH loves to put his clothes over the chair, on the sofa, etc. I want to get a few of those hooks. Any suggestions? 🙂

No...name is not familiar but then I could be somewhere in another part of the world and run into someone I know. Go figure.

I am not going to address the itinerary issue others have mentioned. I agree with you regarding Seattle - yuck. IMHO Vancouver is as easy or easier getting to the port. Years ago, we sailed out of Vancouver and I just did not like the hassle because we took a bus to get back to SEA which was LONGGGGG, but then two years ago, we sailed from there again, and we got a whole new and better experience. A couple of things. We flew from SEA to YVR for $99 each way which I thought was cheap. Our connection is always SEA to Alaska. One time we did the HAL transfer which was super easy and they collect you at baggage claim. The downside is that you have to wait for everyone. The second time we took the train; EASY and cheap! The station is right there at the airport. They have lifts to the departure floor and it was an easy two block walk to the cruise pier once you depart from the Canada Place train station which is the last stop. We had our roller bags and it was easy on the sidewalks in Vancouver. In and around the cruise pier area, it is very lovely. We dropped our bags and went for a nice walk. We watched the float planes take off from the waterfront and considered the hop on hop off. This time on our upcoming HAL Coastal trip, we are arriving a day early and are staying 3-4 blocks away in a nice but NOT INSANELY priced hotel like the Pan Pacific which many people will recommend. Yes, the PP is right there and convenient, but for much less I can walk 3 blocks on the sidewalk with my luggage...no problem. I love the vibe of the area and am looking forward to our trip in October. For me it's the Pinnacle class because I love the additional restaurants and the multi level pool area, Gelato, the library, and more. The only downside is that there are no deck chairs on the Promenade because the lifeboats take up the area, but it is still a nice walk around the deck. You can find deck chairs all over the higher decks, if the weather permits. I still like the Eurodam but I'd probably choose a Pinnacle class ship if the itinerary was good and/or similar.