tragicdesign

Just like the Veendam, the Maasdam now has a new Greek name.

Translated: 
Maasdam after 5 days located in the port of Piraeus, started broadcasting under its new name. Aegean Myth will now be named while there is still no official announcement from the ship-owning company whether it will manage it itself or whether it will be chartered with its little brother, Aegean Majesty (ex Veendam) or separately.

https://arxipelagos.gr/aegean-myth-%cf%84%ce%bf-%ce%bd%ce%ad%ce%bf-%cf%8c%ce%bd%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%b1-%cf%84%ce%bf%cf%85-maasdam/?fbclid=IwAR1quYoDZxY6CiPSlcxF6j35CNaFGryjzEiv-QYF2kKZ6ywZbkKCPsYdJ1Y

Also on Instagram, crew member ckoonstra has posted some pictures of Maasdam's last days as Maasdam. 

Hi all, sorry for the delay in posting on my experience. I have unexpectedly been traveling all over Europe since I first posted to this thread.

My experience with the Embassy Suites parking was pretty good. The shuttle service seemed a bit crowded and there were lines, but it was a very busy day for cruises and was during spring break, too.

I ended up needing to extend my parking there by a week, which I was able to do via the website. My car was still there when I returned, but the website had not actually notified the hotel/operator that I extended, so the parking attendants said that they were starting to get concerned. There was no issue with the payment, however, so in the end it was all good.

Funny story, as I was leaving the parking lot the shuttle was driving out ahead of me. The door to the luggage compartment came open and a suitcase fell out. I tried to get the driver's attention, but to no avail. I ran back to the valet with the suitcase and they called the shuttle. I wonder how many suitcases fell out before he stopped.

I am going to use the parking at the Embassy Suites later this month. I'll post on how it goes.

In regards to valet parking, I had a bad experience once in Downtown L.A. with valet parking and have been resistant to it ever since. We parked for a convention in one of the private lots that was only doing valet parking. When we returned, we gave the attendant the claim ticket. After many minutes of looking, he could not find the keys.

The attendant provided absolutely no assistance, so we started walking around the lot to look for the car. We eventually found it parked in the middle of lane, with all the windows down (we had rolled them up before leaving), and the keys were on the front seat. The only positive was that they refunded the cost of parking.

My friend and I decided to take the overnight ferry to the Netherlands and just use the day to explore Harwich. The port said we would be able to make the connection, Holland America said they couldn't guarantee it, and the ferry company's response didn't make much sense.

Ultimately we decided that we didn't want to rush off the ship on the last and didn't want to make our way all the way back to LHR...so evening ferry it is!

So I emailed Holland America, the ferry company, and the port of Harwich to see if it would be possible to make the 9am ferry. Holland America hasn't responded yet and the person that responded for the ferry company didn't understand the question and sent me a list of departure and arrival times. However, the port wrote this:

You will need to make the staff aware on the cruise ship and they will arrange for you to leave in plenty of time to take the ferry.

I think I will book the ferry, though I suppose it is a slight gamble.

I’ll be going on a cruise of Norway this summer on Holland America’s Ryndam. The cruise begins and ends in Harwich, UK. After the cruise I am going to Amsterdam. I have found that there is a ferry from Harwich to the Netherlands that leaves at 9am. The Ryndam is scheduled to arrive a 7am.

Has anyone cruised from Harwich before? Is this connection possible? I took a Holland America Alaskan cruise before and I remember in Vancouver that they were trying to get us off the ship very, very early.

The next ferry doesn’t leave until after 11pm, so if I couldn’t do the 9am ferry it would probably mean going all the way back to LHR and flying to AMS (unless there is a compelling reason to spend a day in Harwich).

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I was just on the Inspiration in August and overall it was fine. Our stateroom had been recently renovated and looked much better than the old peach decor. Bathroom was also much more modern.

Several of the public areas seemed very dated and the atrium in particular had a 1970s look even though the ship isn't that old. A few of the large etched mirrors were broken.

I wish the Paradise was still based in Long Beach, but Carnival didn't want to waste its good gas mileage on the short little cruises out of Long Beach.

I'll be on the Ryndam in July for a cruise of Norway. If you haven't found one by then, let me know.

Everything was OK and got on and off the ship OK. Getting on the Carnival agent had to get her boss to approve my documents, but coming back was a breeze - no issue at all.

Everything was OK and got on and off the ship OK. Getting on the Carnival agent had to get her boss to approve my documents, but coming back was a breeze - no issue at all.

I can't wait! Haven't done a cruise since 2011. I kinda wish we were doing a 7 day, but any cruise is better than no cruise!

Thanks for all the responses! I am renewing my passport, but USPS lost track of it for a week (even though it was sent traceable...) so now it looks it won't arrive in time.

In California I can get an official copy of the birth certificate from the CA department of public health, but that would take four weeks. I can also get a copy from the county recorders office the same day, just for $28.

The original copy of the birth certificate was cut strangely when the state/county gave it to my mom, so just to be safe I will get a new copy today.

That's awesome, we'll see you there! I'll be on this cruise with my friend who just moved to Fort Myers.

Anybody celebrating July 4 on the Carnival Victory? I'll be there, so should you!

I feel like such a noob, but I swear I've done this before.

So on the main Carnival FAQ page, it has this to say about birth certificates: Original or suitable quality copy of a Birth Certificate (Issued by a government agency: state/county/city) and a government issued photo ID if 16 years of age and older.

However, after you book, it says this: Birth Certificate MUST be from the Department of Vital Statistics and a government-issued photo ID will also be required for all guests ages 16 and over.

My birth certificate does not say Department of Vital Statistics, but rather says Department of Public Health. I don't think California even has a Department of Vital Statistics and these services just fall under the Department of Public Health. I should point out that this copy of my birth certificate was used to get my passport originally.

I'm sure I am just worrying about nothing and everything will be OK. Any thoughts?

I am never going to let my passport expire again. I am setting a calendar reminder as soon as I get my new one!

Thanks everyone! It looks like this topic was addressed by Princess, though its somewhat buried on their website:

U.S. citizens traveling on U.S. roundtrip or closed-loop voyages may also travel with an original certified Birth Certificate presented together with a valid government-issued photo identification. In the event the names on these documents do not match due to a name change, please ensure to present appropriate legal documentation to support the name change. In this case, the name on the booking should match the name on the valid government-issued photo identification.

Hey everyone! I have been on several cruises and traveled quite a bit. The last two years I haven't been travelling as much and inadvertently let my passport sit expired. I sent it off for renewal, but it was temporarily delayed in transit and just got delivered to the government for processing.

I am considering two closed loop cruises that would leave next month, but I don't think my passport will arrive in time. Option 1: Tampa > Cozumel > Tampa. Option 2: Miami > Key West > Cozumel > Miami.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection website, "U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government issued photo ID."

I have a couple of questions regarding this and hope this forum can be of some help.

1 - Has anyone traveled like this without a passport? Were there any issues?

2 - I have photo ID (drivers license) and a certified copy of my birth certificate. However, my name was changed as a minor, so the birth certificate does not match my photo ID. I have an official copy of the court order for name change. Should I expect any complications from this?

3 - If for some reason Carnival did not let me board with the documents I have, would this be a covered reason with most travel insurance policies?

I emailed Carnival regarding this, but so far no response.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!