Dobby36

Also in the navigator app you can choose your options for service. I believe it’s under “order now” or “service now” and you can request things for one time (extra hangers, pillows, etc) or to be done daily (AM ice, turndown, etc) i used that option last month on zuiderdam as I didn’t see the attendants during the first 24 hours (rare- I usually run into them and introduce myself etc on first day) and it worked perfectly. anither nifty feature of this section of the app allows you to request things be retrieved. (Dirty room service tray, laundry, etc) this is handy if you miss the AM service but want to send laundry out or whatnot.

I haven’t gone solo, but I’ve gone on HAL with both family and with my partner sometimes. They always have at least a couple LGBT meetups per week, usually one on the first night. Never seems to be more than a handful of gays that attend, usually male couples in their 50s/60s. But they’ve always been friendly and nice to keep seeing familiar faces for the rest of the cruise at the casino or in the lounges. i like the koningsdam. I hope you will too!

The Zuiderdam was on the new menu as of this month. I had the scallops and loved them. (And thank goodness the veal and sage meatballs didn’t get cut! My favvvv)

We saw bald eagles outside of Halifax, and river otters or seals (there was debate on this!) also. a pair of binoculars would have been nice, but there wasn’t (on our cruise) a naturalist pointing out “look at whale off port side” etc, as they usually do on Alaska cruises, so you’d maybe be on your own to know when and where to look….

+1 this fear of having a credit card leave your side is overblown. To me, one of the huge advantages of using one over a debit card is there isn’t a risk of someone stealing your money. I would worry much more about my debit card. Sure, skimming and double charging can happen. But it’s so rare and easily corrected by a text or app chat - I don’t even recall ever actually picking up a phone to resolve such an issue.

We’re we’re on an overnight from pier 30 last month. (On HAL) they offered a free shuttle bus from the terminal to the edge of town, continuously. It would have been otherwise a 5-10 min walk on flat sidewalks to get to the first retail/Commerical buildings and out of the industrial/port area. there were also taxis waiting outside the terminal. We used one, after calling an Uber and finding it would be a 20 min wait for a Uber on a sat AM. The price quoted by the taxi was only a dollar or two more to go fully into town, and other than having to use cash it couldn’t have been simpler! I also agree that the cobblestones in old town aren’t an issue. It’s not like some cities where they are EVERYWHERE. They are mainly in the few busiest pedestrian alleys, and still there are often traditional sidewalks alongside them. The hills, however…those might be troublesome for some!

they did the same on zuiderdam earleir this month, but they used one side of what is usually the salad station (or omelet station in the AM!) they tasted great, as far as I was concerned!

Ive had some of these offers, but more frequently have traveled with a drink package. it shouldn’t be more trouble than it’s worth to get a drink at the casino when you are on your way somewhere else if you are OK to sit down for 5 mins and plays some penny slots. However, if it’s a crowded evening that 5 mins could turn to 15. in all restaurants/bars on the ship, you hand over your keycard to get a drink, regárdless of having a package. The exception is in the casino, where your card will be in the slot machine or sometimes with a dealer if you have just joined a table. Therefore, the severs in the casino (who are stationed at the adjacent bar where you can also walk up to order drinks) are used to taking down your cabin number and name instead of using your card. In my experience they get to remembering you quite quickly, even if you aren’t a high roller or spending all day in there. But I stick out from the typical HAL cruiser demographic. I’ve always mentioned that I have free casino drinks and it’s worked out fine for me. I usually stay for a while but nobody seems to notice or mind if you wander elsewhere with a drink. can’t answer the craps question, I just play slots and roulette and blackjack. Sorry.

+1, my thoughts exactly. Putting emphasis and effort in an area that should pan out well

puertosanantoniotours.com we used in reverse to do ship to hotel, but also included a day of winery touring and a lunch. I believe they do simple transfers also, and I think highly of our experience. Fun guide, clean and comfy van, and easy to book.

we used puertosanantoniotours.com and have nothing but great things to say. Friendly staff, easy to book, comfortable van. We did a ship to hotel transfer with them ending in Santiago, that featured a finery, lunch and Valparaiso stops. Lovely.

I would doubt in either March or Feb the total number of kids will exceed 100. There is a chance of that on summer holiday, around Christmas, in short weeklong Mexico/Caribbean voyages. But I’d seriously doubt there would be fun dress of kids on a 11-day voyage then.

+1 for this suggestion. It was my fav. I did enjoy the lobster featured in dishes in Tamarind too, but it isn’t a full lobster or lobster tail just some meat incorporated into their dishes, IIRC. Still lovely!

the form says you need to submit no later than 4 weeks prior to sailing date. you should be able to produce an account holding statement the same day or next day after you purchase, so a month out would be my suggestion for the latest to wait. Although I think the first time I did one I was only maybe 3 weeks out and it still applied, so your mileage may vary.

THere’s on the Oceania forum too, Vista I believe. They are skipping Boston and Bar Harbor and went directly to NYC to port.

+1 i got mine in 2022 and it’s almost doubled in price since then. But more importantly (to me) I’ve already gotten about as much OBC from it as my entire initial investment

you can email or fax in the proof they require. the info they need (sail date, booking number etc) are on the link below, along with the proof requirements and the email/fax # if you do it wrong or miss something they will kindly reply and tell you what they need you to display more clearly. As long as it’s not ahead of their annual re-approval timeframes (currently into summer 2024) or less than a few weeks before sail date, you should have success. Bon voyage! https://www.carnivalcorp.com/shareholder-information/shareholder-benefit

@Judy795 the destination and the length should produce a very different crowd than the shorter Alaska experience you had at first. That’s been my experience, at least. I think HAL excels at the longer voyages to more unique locales. Interms of ship, there are many who have qualms but Rotterdam is their newest and flagship, if you ask HAL. Hope you enjoy!

On my cruise earlier this month, I got an unexpected delivery to our room of chocolates and truffles, with a note of thanks for my casino play. I’ve gotten lots of casino offers in the past, but never chocolates and stuff. i happened to see the host and said a quick thanks, and something about “what did I do to get that?!” (I’m not usually a schmoozer or try to befriend the casino staff) and he said any champagne or chocolates etc are based on a top tier of percentage by folks, tabulated by day. The casino seemed fairly full but perhaps there were just few high rollers on the New England voyage? We got a “come back and play” offer slipped under the door, but just for $250 free play plus free drinks in casino, not even a free room. Which is again, less than I’ve gotten before. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mark my experience down as another for “random”. I got a nice list about a month ago, none of which I could take. Before that one it had been the better part of a year. But in 2021 I think a few appeared much quicker succession. (I’m talking about the ones “offers” that arrive with a link to a PDF for specific sailings that are either free or almost free. The generic emails with reminders that on their main site I can see casino “fares” occur regularly every few months)

@Topdog52 we didn’t do any ourselves, just wandered around. But there were info about them /sold at the visitors center.

I can tell you they did go out for that cruise, because I was on Zuiderdam too. Mine went to my usual email and both persons in cabin got one. Sorry you can’t seem to get it, I also love recognizing folks in those!

Auberge Du Tresor And Hotel Manoir Morgan are both on a town square in old town, in the shadow of the picturesque Chateau Frontenac. stayed at Manoir Morgan last week, and it’s clean and unique, with friendly staff who held our luggage. They are close to what we found to be a central meeting point for many tours, as there is a visitors center on the ground floor of the same building, which sells tours, exchanges money, and offers information. Very convenient to the funicular and “boardwalk” or whatever that’s called. here’s a pic of our room (excuse the messy bed!) and the view out our window of the town square: Also nearby are lots of shops and restaurants and charming old town pedestrian alleys.

We had two days, (first and second) in port last week at Quebec City on the zuiderdam to begin a 7day to Boston. We boarded among the first folks the AM of day one and we’re out exploring the city again in short order. The pier and terminal are organized well and have tons of signage. You can exit the pier complex to the south or to the west(ish) depending on where you are heading, if going by foot. For us, they also had a shuttle to the gates which seemed pretty standard, but it’s a 5 min walk and they don’t mind if you do so. there was also Ubers coming and going, and a taxi line which we used once and coming and going weren’t a problem. THe security for us remained done at the terminal, instead of on the ship we had to hop in line with folks who still had luggage although it wasn’t as issue. We just needed our keycard. No one seeemd to bat an eye. on the way in one time I WAS chased down by security and they demanded to know my name. LOL but it was just because some other bald white guy had left his passport and they were trying to reunite him with it 😄 but it wasn’t me!

we stayed around the corner from here last week, and walked to the Zuiderdam at pier 30. It was quoted as 20 mins and .6 miles or so on gooogle maps. we were apprehensive with luggage, but it’s all downhill until you are basically at the port area and since the weather was nice we tried it. No issues. And the shuttle between the piers pulled over and picked us up for the last 500meters or something since he knew where we were heading (once you get inside the port area they have a shuttle on loop to take folks in and out and between exit gates, but there is still nice sidewalk and it’s flat and easy to navigate) Alternatively , there is a simple entrance and loop for Ubers and taxis and buses to use to drop off at terminal. They all seemed to know the drill and a few taxis always hung around to catch folks who wanted to venture out back into the city. We used one of these when we headed to dinner after settling into our room. We initially ordered an Uber to a restaurant on rue Saint John downtown and it was only $11 but would have been a 20min wait. Since the taxis were right there, we hopped in one and by the end the meter rose to $13for the same trip. He only took cash but we handed him a twenty and asked for $5back and he seemed fine with that small tip. Couldn’t have been easier.