sandiego1

@mahdnc fabulous photos!! Thanks for sharing them.

You can also buy discounted HAL gift card from AARP. One must be a member of AARP now.

I only drink water - no alcohol, coffee, tea, soda, juice… I have been very content with the water on a cruise ship. No need to lug bottled water. Just being a refillable bottle. Most ships have a place where you can fill it.

We hired Elizabeth B through ToursByLocals.

I agree with others about Klein Bonaire, but my experience was about 20 yrs ago. More recently, the pink sand beach at Komodo Island. Nuku’alofa in Tonga had surprisingly clear water and abundant fish. Niki Hiva in the Marquesas was fantastic! In the US, Fishbowl and Aquarium in Maui are fantastic but they have been closed for many years. Two-step and Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island are pretty good. Our 1st trip to the Great Barrier Reef 15 years ago was awesome. However, our last trip in 2019 was quite disappointing. Much of the coral reef has been bleached and while the water is still clear, the amount of sea life was, sadly, greatly diminished. lastly, snorkeling at several of the Galápagos Islands was pretty awesome. And the sea life is not afraid of humans.

She and her husband are 5* and not PC. They complained so many times (on FB, Cc, and verbally on the ship) about the “horrible 2023 WC.” They were livid that HAL didn’t give everyone the 150 anniversary book.

👍 there was someone on the ‘23 WC that complained repeatedly about not getting that book. If it had been available when we were onboard, I would have purchased it for the $30 just to shut her up!!

Friend recently purchased on Villa Vie. They have a variety of cabin sizes and duration options.

Is that the book they gave you at the PC event in Amsterdam in 2023?

Pls be aware that HAL may not be able to wait for a late ship sponsored tour. As others have written, they are things outside of the Captain’s control that dictate the departure time - tides, length of time to get to next port, dock/tender availability, Pilot availability (required in some ports), etc. HAL WILL leave with without passengers on a late tour if required. However, in that case, HAL will make the arrangements for them to travel to the next port. We are extra cautious with our return time if the ship has many sea days after the current stop. For example, we definitely don’t want to miss the ship if we’d have to fly from French Polynesia to Australia! Lessons: • ensure YOU know what the departure time and be aware that sometimes, ship time is different than the current time on land (we had to keep this in mind in the Galapagos and other countries) •bring a few days with of your meds on any day tour •bring credit cards and debit cards •tell your tour operator that you want to be back to the ship earlier that all aboard time and leave early if you are at a stop that is far away from the pier to account for traffic, etc. •bring a copy of the port agent info on the tour. We take a photo of it AND take the card with us. •bring some cash - US and local currency. •have the entire itinerary with you so you know where and when the ship will arrive in the next ports. •ensure that any travel buddies on your tour know that you will leave without them if they are more than a few minutes late. I am picky about who I invite on my independent tours. I only invite people that I know are prompt and respectful of other’s time. I’ve never had an issue.

We only booked independent tours for the last world cruise, including many in Africa. We and our tour operators were all aware of all aboard time. We ensured that we had plenty of time to get back to the ship before it left. We always had a buffer for traffic or other issues. One of our strategies is for a tour with multiple stops is to start the tour at the furthest stop and work back toward the ship whenever possible. And if we were running late, we’d skip a stop and insist that we head back to the ship.

No. There’s no way to cast a show from your ipad or any other device to a cabin tv.

You gave me an idea. I have a horrible singing voice (which is really unfortunate as I love to sing — alone that is). I have chosen my song 🎵 🎶 If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! 👏 👏 If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it, If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! 👏 👏 There are a few more verses about stomping feet and yelling Hurrah. But I bet after they hear me serenade them with the 1st verse, they will have moved their conversation elsewhere. 😀

Yes it does.

That attire is fine around the ship- even on a dressy night. The only restrictions are in the MDR or Pinnacle Grill. People can wear shorts, etc. in the Lido or any of the bars/lounges on dressy night. It is not a ship wide requirement.

Not again!! Didn’t it happen to her last year? It happened to Peter twice on the 2023 WC. First time at sea and we had to wait several days before arriving in Papeete (fixed for $18). 2nd time, we were in the Azores (fixed for ~$60). 2nd repair is still good 😀

No on the air credit converting to OBC. We have companion pass on Southwest as well as many frequent flyer miles on multiple airlines. We could definitely get to FLL for much less than $500pp and would gladly switch the FlightEase credit to OBC if allowed. P2P is the 2025 Pole to Pole World Cruise. The same perks are offered for the 2025 WC.

Yes they are if you purchase an OV (I think “C” or “D”) or higher cabin. That’s why I wrote see the HAL website for perks for an inside cabin. Air credit for an inside cabin is an incl perk for the P2P. One must purchase the flight through FlightEase and the credit is $500pp. The Surf WiFi package is also a perk. The air credit and WiFi perks are new for 2025. Luggage service was included as a perk for our 2019 WC on HAL as we purchased a “D” cabin.

You can Google the TA’s name and see if there are any hits with their name at another agency. LinkedIn is another resource to find a particular person. There are many others.

I don’t use much cash but always have some with me. For those that wrote they haven’t used cash in years, how do you tip people like valets at restaurants and parking garages? Or tips for tour guides?

We’ll be on the Pole to Pole in 2025. Is there a way to book the flight to Florida now and add the return leg later? Flights aren’t available yet for June 2025 so we can’t book the return. Also is it possible to fly out of one city and return to a different one? Lastly, is Southwest an option with FlightEase? We’ll have a lot of luggage for this 5 month cruise and don’t want to pay for checked bags if possible.

I know the label on the outlet indicates "Shavers Only." I didn't use it for my toothbrush out of caution.

Does the refrig plug into the US outlet or European? I don’t want to lose the 1 US outlet by renting a refrig.

The outlet in the bathroom is for shavers only. I know I can’t use my hair dryer when plugged in it. Are you sure a waterpick can be used? I didn’t use it for my electric toothbrush out of caution. Also because the plug was near the ceiling.

Yes, we did cruise only. Several others did the package and got $ back since they just did the cruise portion. The rest cancelled.