LynnSD

Thank you for this posting - we are onboard September 3-24/.  Sounds like the ship and the excursions were great!

I especially appreciate Esprit posting that their Iberia/BA flight ran smoothly,I’ve been worried about that. 

Fingers crossed that our flights are smooth and our luggage arrives.

You’re right, my timing is definitely the problem.  A combination of travel and a medical issue at the worst possible time put me behind; I should  have figured this out a couple of weeks ago.  

I’m weighing better (but more expensive) flight options against the flights I have, which have more possibility of delay, etc.   

At this point I don’t think I will change anything, but thanks for your response.  

We are 40 days from cruising.    I called to ask if I could cancel the ez air reservations, and book myself.  
I was told I could, but the refund would be in some form of credits - future cruise maybe.  
 

If anyone has experience with this, or advice, I’d appreciate it.  Can I push them after the fact to get my money back?

if not I need to decide if better flights now are worth tiring up my money for who knows how long!  
 

thank you.  

Can you still purchase a bottle of wine to be held at whatever bar you use most frequently?

12 hours ago, Critic276 said:

Any suggestions for a way to find these schools online to book?

Are you asking about the paella?    

l looked at a photo and my apron said “escuela de paella Valenciana” — or something close to that!   I would just do a search online.  We saw several places on the same street.   The tour we were on split us into small groups and each group went to a different place.    I didn’t hear any negative comments afterward.  

Good luck!   

 

If it’s Sunday the Safari Park will be very crowded.  It opens at 9; the earlier you get there, the better.  
Depending on when you are going, it can get really hot in the afternoon.  Best to experience it in the morning.  

 We’ve been going there since the place opened.   Six hours in the Park is a long time to spend, probably too long, frankly.  

Seems like Uber would get you there when it opens, and let you leave whenever you wanted.  

As is Seaport Village.  There’s usually music near the carousel on Sunday, and you can take a look at the new Shell.   Lots of restaurants on the Embarcadero.  

Valencia bills itself as the city where paella started.   There are a number of places near the waterfront where you can have a cooking class and then eat the paella.  We enjoyed it!   
The waterfront is very walkable and interesting.  

Never mind - I figured it out!   

Princess Cruise ends in Barcelona.   Is a 10:15 flight home too early?

Seems doable but haven’t traveled since Covid….   Thanks!

Lynn

They used to be serious about cutting off check in  at a certain time - I assume they still are - so don’t cut it too close.  
 

We once got stuck on the freeway  while driving from San Diego to San Pedro; they shut it down to one lane due to an accident.     We just made it - there was one guy left at the check in,  one taking bags, and no other passengers in sight. 
 

From then on we leave home early, drop off the bags, and visit the USS Iowa!

Friends  used express limo for the trip you mention.   They had 6 people in their group. 

There is also a new cafe run by Brigantine on the deck of the Midway.  
And an excellent casual food and drink stand called Carnitas on the Embarcadero near Midway.   

Two years ago - we used the car service offered by the hotel.    Easy peasy!

This past year has been terrible financially for musicians.  It seems logical that a cruise contract would be a lifeline, hopefully for some really great performers.    We shall see.   

I could not log in online via any method - sooo frustrating- so I tried installing the app.   After scrolling through some introductory pages, I ended up with a picture of a ship on the ocean — no words , no arrows, nothing, couldn’t move.  

I deleted the app and will approach the website again tomorrow when I’m not quite so angry at it! 

Thanks for the suggestions.  I’ll try them all!

I’m taking my first Holland America cruise in October.   
I bought a couple of shore excursions, but now I can’t find that displayed anyplace on my itinerary.   What am I missing?  There must be a record of the purchase somewhere online, right?   
 

thanks!  

We’re more “watch and listen,”  but glad to hear that’s available!

Koningsdam for a week.  Thanks for the info.   We’d be happy with the music venues.  

Our last cruise before lockdown was Princess, which offered a production show, a game or trivia event , and some kind of music in 3 bars in the evening; plus movies  or concerts on the outdoor screen.  
The upcoming Holland America  cruise is a CA coastal getaway so I understand it may be limited, but I’ll be really disappointed if there is nothing to do after dinner!

Entertainment is important to us so fingers crossed they will step up.  

Any advice on best verandahs on Koningsdam?

Thanks for all the responses.   It sounds like we’d do fine on the Koningsdam! 

We’re thinking of booking a Holland America fall cruise round trip from San Diego.  We’re veteran Princess cruisers, and have done many of their west coast cruises from San Pedro over the years, but for now Holland Am has a more appealing itinerary.  
 

What differences should I expect in dining and entertainment?    We think Princess and Celebrity are similar, is this in the same category?    I know food is subjective ... how are the specialty restaurants?   
 

Are there production shows?   Lounge shows?    Activities on sea days?

Thanks!   Lynn