whyyz

That would be my guess, too, but I think you probably got my point. It would have been more logical for the authorities to have picked an amount that equated with the usual packaging of the product. :rolleyes:

 

 

Standard package size in Australia is 25, thus their allowances match standard Australian usage.

 

It is foolish to assume that standard sizes that apply in the USA will apply anywhere else in the word. The USA is one of only 3 countries left in the world that still officially use Imperial measurement. (Other two are Myanmar and Liberia).

I don't know if anyone can help me but I will give it a try.We are a group of Twenty seven traveling by Bus fron central Fl. To Fort Lauderdale boarding the Zuiderdam next Monday.The question is ,our travel agent told me to go to the pursers desk a few days before debarkation and request all the same luggage tags so we can get off at the same time in order to meet the bus.Has anyone had this expierience?How early can I get the tags?

 

Collect all the cabin numbers from your group and speak to the front office on embarkation day, or the first full day of the cruise by the latest. Tell them that you want to do a group disembarkation with all of these cabins. Advise them of the time you have booked the bus for. They may also want details of the coach company you will be using(charter order #, driver info, etc). Doing this right away will allow the front desk to smoothly co-ordinate a designated time for your group. They may even designate one of the public lounges for your group to meet prior to walking off the ship.

 

If you give the front office proper notice of what you intend to do, your traveling companions won't even receive a disembarkation form as you will have already done this on their behalf.

 

I'm guessing this funny video is not so closely related to the group? (BC Talking Animals)

I would not take the chance that the ship will be cleared by the local authorities right away. 9 AM is a bit risky to catch.

 

 

Keep in mind that the ships usually tie up at 7am at Canada Place, and are cleared to start discharging guests at 8am. The Quick shuttle coach is in the bus bays at the terminal, the same ones used for the HAL transfers. The Early Quickshuttle departure is designed specifically for guests coming off the ship, and HAL doesn't let Quick or others use the bus bays until their own transfers have loaded. Quickshuttle maintains a manifest to send ahead to US customs, and will wait for reasonable delays coming off the ship.

That Skywalk looks terrible. What a horrible thing to do to what was once a beautiful viewpoint on the Icefields Parkway. Jasper is National Park, not a theme park.

The line up to check in and through security isn't too bad. Once you get to there you go to HAL counter to check in and then sit in a waiting room to board. Boarding usually starts around 11:30 AM. When you check in at HAL tell them you would like wheel chair assistance to board and it will save you walking up a slanted gangway. Some times it is steep, depending on the tide. I'd plan to be at Canada Place at 10:30 regardless what anyone else tells you. I sailed from there twice last year & will again a week after you to go on the Oosterdam. Enjoy your cruise on the beautiful Zaandam. Love that ship.:)

 

 

If you require wheelchair assistance, plan on arriving at Canada Place no earlier than 11am. While it is true that passenger processing through security and customs begins earlier, around 10:30, the Holland America staff assigned to wheelchair assistance have other duties onboard the ship (helping get the cabins ready) prior to 11am.

As you are from Montreal, you will definitely not need your winter coat or winter boots. Stick to your spring wardrobe.

Expect the Alaska weather in May to be similar to Montreal's April weather. Mid teens to twenties temperatures during the day, dropping as low as 5 degrees or so during the night. The rains can be much heavier on the west coast, so concentrate more on keeping dry than keeping warm. Even though farther north, the proximity of the ocean keeps the temperatures moderate.

It is too early in the season for the bugs to have developed their taste for blood enough to venture into the cities. You can leave the spray at home.

You might consider bringing light gloves and a hat to combat windchill, but this only applies when walking the outer decks of the ship. None of the ports on Zuiderdam's itinerary are very windy.

Enjoy your cruise

[quote name='cricri7']Hi guys...I am leaving with my parents on the Zuiderdam on May 10th and am in a bind about what to pack!!! I read many things on the internet but I am wondering if I have to take into account that I am going in May.

*Do I need to bring a winter coat for the more northern ports of call like Juneau? Would I be okay with a spring coat or is it that windy that I would need a winter coat?

*Do I need big winter boots? We plan on taking a train excursion, no hiking for us definitely, so would we need the big boots or only walking shoes would be okay?

*Bug spray....really? I am used to July in northern Quebec so I am used to big bugs but I don't plan on going hiking, only trains and walks around the ship. We won't take the wilderness tours either...do we need bug spray if we go walking around the ship in the towns?

*When we are out on deck watching the scenery, is it that cold? I read somewhere that you need a winter coat and hat...what do you guys think?

We are flying from Montreal and are doing 3 days before and 2 days after in Vancouver so we need clothes like for every season!!!

I am anxious to hear from those who have done May cruises to Alaska!![/quote]

Not ever taken a knife on board (though DH takes his pocket knife). I have taken scissors but I put them in my checked bags.

Cruised with a friend once who had her knitting needles which were in her carryon bag confiscated. They were returned to her once on board and we were out to sea. She had been told they would not be returned until we disembarked. Would not have been an issue if they had been in her checked luggage.

 

 

Putting items in checked vs. carryon luggage only matters for an airplane where you do not have access to the checked luggage. On a cruise ship, your "checked" luggage is delivered to your room. Both carry-on and "checked" luggage are scanned by security staff prior to loading on the vessel.

 

Should you have any items that are questionable regarding security (knives, scissors, any possible weapon, etc.), it is best to place these items in your carry on luggage. This way, you will have the conversation with security immediately and be able to discuss allow/deny/storage options, rather than having your large bags held in a security area. Being called down to the "naughty room" is an unnecessary waste of your cruise vacation.

Thanks for this info. That might be what we end up doing. Do they let you stay on from Vancouver, or would we need to get off and fly to Seattle to get the next day cruise?

 

 

There is no need for you to disembark the ship at any port after San Diego, until you want to. The itinerary you have chosen already satisfies the PVSA by visiting a distant foreign port between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego.

 

In Theory, you could disembark the ship at Vancouver, Seattle, or any of the Alaskan ports. (The cruise line would charge you a return fare to Seattle as they couldn't resell your cabin to another guest from the Alaskan ports).

 

The only guests that need to disembark in Vancouver are those that board in San Diego, as the cruise line isn't able to transport passengers from one US city to a different US city without having visited a distant foreign port.

 

Guests boarding in Vancouver can disembark in Seattle after one night, or can remain onboard for the Alaskan cruise also.

 

Acceptable cruises according to PVSA:

 

USA port - near foreign port -must disembark from same USA port

USA port - disembark any foreign port

USA port - visit Distant foreign port - can disembark any USA port

 

Guests are allowed to visit other USA ports during the cruise. It is the boarding and disembarking ports that matter for PVSA compliance.

 

There is no need for you to fly anywhere in the middle of your vacation, unless you want to. (The floatplane excursion to Taku Lodge near Juneau is a good reason to want to fly).

At that time of the year, it is very likely that your ship is headed to Vancouver after San Diego to start its Alaska season. (It will stop in Vancouver first, even if it will be Seattle based for the Alaska season, due to PVSA issues).

 

Look for the ships doing similar itineraries to yours, as well as ships doing Asia or Australia cruises in April, as these ships will be headed to Vancouver to start their Alaska season. Once they arrive in Vancouver, they may do a short coastal cruise to properly align the departure days (E.g. Zuiderdam leaves Vancouver Saturdays in 2014). Hopefully you can find a ship arriving in Vancouver at your desired time.

 

It will depend entirely on how the other Panama/Asia/Australia schedules align, as the Alaska season's ships arrive as early as late April some years, and as late as mid-late May other years.

Zuiderdam's standard 7 night Alaska itinerary has formal nights on Sunday, sea day, and Wednesday, Scenic cruising of Glacier Bay.

Whatever luggage you choose, I advise against the "spinner" 4 wheel type.

 

This type of luggage is not stable unless it is on the level. It can roll away from porters on ramps, can roll about the hallways of a ship, and is not easy to control in any moving environment. (car rental shuttle bus, airtrain, etc.)

 

The 2 wheeled style which stays stationary when unattended is a far more versatile style.