whogo

I searched the Cruise Critic boards, found that at least some Corinto stops were cancelled in January and April, 2023. Oceania Insignia will have a day at sea instead of visiting Corinto on July 21, 2023. Corinto is still a schedued stop on a number of Panama Canal cruises. I will expect to have the port cancellation announced after final payment is due.

Yes, as long as I am in the neighborhood. Corinto is on an itinerary I am considering.

I think Nicaraguan ports were being avoided because of civil strife or something. Nicaragua is still on cruise itineraries. What's the situation today, please? The US Department of State website is not encouraging: " "Nicaragua, Republic of Nicaragua, Travel Advisory, December 5, 2022, Nicaragua - Level 3: Reconsider Travel "Reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to limited healthcare availability and arbitrary enforcement of laws. Exercise increased caution in Nicaragua due to crime, and wrongful detentions." https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html

My invitation had a misprint. I was invited to a James Suckling wine. Figured it was a wine tasting, not an opportunity to hear Suckling whine about something or other. I reported the following on my 2022 Zaandam live thread: I am not a wine drinker. I like beer, would rather drink a mediocre American lager than a fine wine, don't have the patience for another winery tour and only attended my first wine tasting so I could report here. There was a bit of thrill, though. I checked in at the Club Orange location, my loyalty status qualified me for the 'free' tasting, walked in as if I had paid more for my cabin, although those in the know greeted the cellar master by name. My name was on page two without the orange highlight. Tables were all set up with four glasses of wine already poured plus a cheese and fruit plate, no crackers. Holland America does not do crackers. I thought everything would move right along. Nope. The cellar master dinged his glass with his fork twenty times more than he needed to, spent fifteen minutes telling about his home country of the Philippines, spoke about wine growing areas [Philippines is not one], found out where everyone was from (Argentina, 1; Canada, 3; USA 25), introduced three assistants and asked for applause for each. I thought of leaving, discretely but rudely checked my phone instead, yeah, I was that guy. We took our first sniff and sip of wine at 2:15, a Riesling with “crisp apple aromas and flavors with subtle mineral notes.” Table mates nodded in agreement with this assessment. I thought of the cartoon where the patron complains, “Waiter, this wine has an oaky, smoky flavor with hints of cherries and chocolate. Bring me a bottle that tastes like wine.” Sipped the same wine again after a taste of Edam cheese and again table mates nodded with the cellar master's description. So it went with three more wines. The final presenter regretted that he could not offer the bleu cheese that the Cabernet Sauvignon called for and had us taste it with cheddar. The cellar master paraded through the tables with a chunk of cheddar on his fork to show us which cheese to taste with this wine, perhaps he did the same with the other three cheeses, if so, this reporter missed it. Two sips of each of the four wines and I sneeked out. I remain a beer drinker.

Weigh yourself while the ship is nearly motionless while docked.

My travel agent lists Seabourn at about $70,000 ocean view, $87,200 for a balcony. I could never justify sailing in a Neptune cabin. Note that a Neptune is bigger than a Seabourn veranda cabin. Seabourn has a penthouse and owners suites. The Seabourn website lists prices as: Ocean view: $79,399 (Book direct! Pay $9,400 more!) Veranda: $96,399 (Book direct! Pay $9,200 more!) Penthouse: $179,399 Owners: Sold out

I compared the price of Africa circumnavigations. I'd love to take either of these, am unlikely to. I do not know how the prices have changed or will change. The base price as currently listed on company websites: Zuiderdam Neptune cabin, October 2023, 73 day r/t Fort Lauderdale: $45,999. Seabourn Sojourn veranda cabin, November 2024, 90 days, r/t Barcelona: $46,999. I think this backs up Hank's HAL vs luxury cost argument. Per day cost with $17.50 crew appreciation added to the HAL cruise: Zuiderdam Neptune cabin: $648. Seabourn Sojourn veranda cabin: $523. Me? I'd book an oceanview on Zuiderdam, $13,699 on their website, $8,199 from a travel agent ($129/day), maybe splurge on a balcony, $17,999 on their website, $13,999 from a travel agent ($208/day). Hmm, book directly or through a travel agent? Who in the world would pay $4,000 so they could speak directly with a cruise line customer service rep?

The comparison is more striking on my favorite website. Zuiderdam balcony or suite is listed at about $28,000, Quest at about $13,000. (I think that neither price includes some port fees or something.) There are plenty of nits to pick in your comparison of a round trip from a US port to a transatlantic, and we will probably hear them, e.g. there is a cheaper 35 night Iceland/Greenland back to back on Nieuw Statendam on July 20, 2024 round trip Amsterdam for $5,500 to $10,000. I am in your camp on this one, Hank. I think it is silly to book a Neptune suite without considering a luxury line.

This Holland America cruiser recently reported about his tour from Reykjavik: https://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/2023/06/reykjavik-iceland-part-1-of-2.html

Does your partner suffer from motion sickness, WVU_Neal? If so, it may not matter if seas are smooth. Some unfortunates get sea sick while the ship is in port. Once the ship leaves North America, there is no getting off until Europe.

Welcome to the forum, newgirlhelpme. Do not rely on your pre-cruise itinerary, arrival and departure times can change and should be clearly communicated in onboard announcements and your ship's daily schedule. All aboard time will probably be posted at the gangway, some people photograph the sign as documentation and as a reminder of where the next photos were taken. For example, "Ephesus - All aboard crew: 4:30. All aboard guests: 5:00." Make sure that the time on your phone and watch agrees with the ship's time.

My favorite cruise stops? 1. Galapagos Islands, 1985 on a 12-16 passenger boat. 2. Antarctica, 2020 on Seabourn Quest. 3. New Island in the Falklands, 2020 on Seabourn Quest.

You wait for the person(s) who just can't seem to make it back to the bus at the appointed time.

Yep, I am an animal lover. Pork... Beef... Poultry... Lamb... Venison...

It was easy. I paid and climbed aboard the beast of burden. People have been riding horses, mules, and donkeys for ages.

I did not see children on our last two cruises, they must have been hanging out in the casino as spa, I don't use either.

Would they risk airlifting a traveling companion from the ship? If I needed airlifting, I would not want my spouse risking her life just to be with me. Would anyone?

Could you hear the groans from your stateroom?

Nor do I. I think you got a lot out of that 7 hours in Berlin and riding a German train is an experience in itself. I remember doing similar day trips into Chicago as a youth, the long train ride was one of the joys of the experience. Thanks for the great blog, washiotter.

We enjoyed pleasant weather in January, 2015. I heard of seasick passengers our second day out. It was too cool for most passengers to sit out on the promenade deck, not for me. Coming from the Midwest in January, I toured Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego in my shirtsleeves when others were wearing coats.

I would give it a 2 on the Apple Store. I can't remember all the glitches. I know that I received reminders of shipboard activities I had flagged long after the activity had ended. Dining menus were occasionally wrong. The Navigator app is practically required, it ought to work flawlessly.

If you want passport stamps go to Africa. A world cruiser reported that he filled up his passport by crossing back and forth between Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Namibia and having his passport stamped at each entry and exit after waiting in line for the formalities. I ordered the fifty page passport in the hope that I could have similar experiences.

I advise against this. You do not want a postmark stamp instead of an immigration stamp on your passport, it might be considered defacement of your passport. We cruised from Chile to Buenos Aires in 2020, received stamps from Chile and the Falkland Islands, nothing from Uruguay or Argentina.

Staff seems to direct all passengers to the Lido and away from the dining room for lunch on embarkation day and may claim that the dining room is closed when it is not. You have to check for yourself.

This used to be standard operating practice during Holland America's debarkation talks. Remember when? I rarely take part in surveys. HAL's are way too long.