cidymom

To JP2001 - thank you for your posts with great information. My son is in French Immersion and his class was in Quebec in January (very cold with lows of -32 with wind at that time). They went to the falls and I thought it would be exciting for him to see the falls in the summer. Thank you also for your very generous offer to be our "guide" while in Quebec. We'll be stopping there in late August. We have been to Quebec City before as we honeymooned there and loved it but never went to the falls. My husband and son speak French. If we've never been to Quebec City, we would gratefully accept your kind offer. We signed up for a greeter program when visiting Chicago a couple of years ago and we were paired up with a local guide who showed us around their city. I find these are the best tours and the local guides are so passionate about their city and want to share their knowledge and attractions. You should be very proud of your city as it is beautiful and we look forward to revisiting it again. I'm sure other CC members reading this thread who have never been to this port would love to take you up on your offer. I'll post if I have any other questions regarding this itinerary. Thanks so much!

Thank you everyone for your great ideas! For the Quebec City port, will there be enough time to walk around Quebec as well as travel to see the Montmorency Falls if not taking an excursion? Is it doable on your own without renting a car? Thanks again everyone for your expert help and sharing of information. I'm really looking forward to visiting this part of Canada.

I would greatly appreciate it if those cruisers who will be going on the Veendam Canada/New England itinerary in 2018 report back on their trip whether positive or negative. I am book with my family for August and would love to hear what others like about the ship and ports. This will be our first time sailing HAL but booked it solely for the itinerary. If anyone keeps the daily activities brochure (not sure what it is called on HAL) and can upload pictures of them that would be fabulous so I can plan in advance for activities, fitness classes and shows. Your comments on the ship and what you did in each port would also be helpful. I heard there's not much to do near the cruise port in Sydney so am looking at ideas for excursions. Thanks in advance to all for your help, comments and ideas.

Thank you for the review. We are Canadians as well and booked this HAL cruise for the itinerary. I expect the activities and entertainment will be different from a Royal Caribbean cruise. I'm cruising with a tween and worry there won't be much for him to do. Would you happen to have the daily activities list? I would love to see what activities, fitness and night time entertainment the Veendam has and I enjoy keeping busy/entertained. If you don't mind answering, what did you like or not like about the ship, service or activities/entertainment? Does Veendam still have the self-service laundry room as shown in the deck plan? I'm looking forward to visiting Eastern Canada. Thanks in advance for all comments.

I was on Navigator recently and they offered Zumba on sea days. Does anyone know if other RCI ships offer Zumba as well? I've been on the Allure and Anthem and they didn't have it. Thanks in advance for your help.

There are quite a few restaurants nearby and the Pan Pacific has a restaurant on the check-in level. Gastown is within walking distance with more eating choices. It caters to tourists so that whole area is open late and you can enjoy a nice walk to and from the Pan Pacific. The elevator of the Pan Pacific goes down to the ground level of Canada Place where you just have to walk a little ways to enter the port area so it's not far. You can check with the Pan Pacific if they have luggage delivery. Enjoy your time in Vancouver!

Did you notice any mosquitoes when you were on Labadee and the ABC Islands? Just wondering if I need to bring insect repellant on this trip. Thanks.

Can you let us know what day they are offering the bag laundry special? Trying to plan ahead how much clothes to bring. Thank you in advance.

Haven't participated in formal nights for many years. In the beginning I would rent my husband a tux so he wouldn't complain about packing a suit. As it got more casual we didn't bother with formal nights and ate in the buffet. We're going on Navigator soon and lobster night falls on a formal night I believe and I want lobster. Do men need to wear a jacket and tie into the MDR on formal night? If not, would dress pants and a long-sleeve button polo shirt or dress shirt without tie suffice? I read so many different things but thought I check it out myself. Thanks in advance for your comments.

I'm thinking of booking Harmony and they have 3 balcony rooms available on Deck 6 which is the same level as the Boardwalk and Aquatheatre. If anyone has stayed in a Deck 6 cabin, can they tell me if it will be noisy being so close to the action and with people traffic? Thanks in advance for everyone's comments.

I just booked a NCL cruise where I could choose 2 perks. For one of the perks, I chose the specialty dining package. I've never eaten at a specialty restaurant or had this perk before so not sure what this is all about. From researching it on NCL, it appears you normally pay a cover charge to eat at a specialty restaurant and some have a la carte pricing. So with this perk, I assume I don't have to pay the per person cover charge to get in but do I have to pay for the food? what about tipping? The NCL FAQ said the service charge that was billed includes a 20% gratuity but my service charge didn't seem like much for eating at three specialty dining venues. Anything I need to be aware of as I don't want to embarrass myself this first time. Thanks in advance to all for your help.

Thank you so much for your quick responses. I didn't know that the cabin walls were metal and you can stick something magnetic on it. I'm going to order a pack from Amazon now. Thanks again!

I'm cruising next month on Navigator. One of the tips that came up on my Cruise Critic Newsletter said to bring magnetic hooks for the cabin for extra hanging space which is a great idea. My question is where inside the cabin would you hang the magnetic hooks as I thought the door was the only thing that is magnetic. Can someone enlighten me as I'm baffled. Thanks and sorry for the stupid question.

We're on the Veendam - I don't know what type of ship that is but we're in a Category L Large Inside on the Lower Promenade deck. With the non-refundable promotion, I thought we could upgrade still. If not, I have to think about this some more. Thanks for your replies.

This will be my family's first cruise on HAL. I chose HAL for the itinerary. We usually book oceanview or balcony on other cruise lines but because HAL is more expensive even though their ships are older, we booked a large inside. Right now if I rebook with the non-refundable promotion, I would be saving just over $1,000 on the whole trip or upgrade to ocean view and save about $700. My final payment date is late June 2018. I'm really considering making the change but wanted the advice of the HAL experts. Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated. I don't know when the promotion ends but I'm going back and forth and can't seem to make a decision as I've always book refundable.

Was there a main production show in the theatre? If so, what type of show was it? Any other types of entertainment besides the skating show? Do we need to pre-book for any of the entertainment? Who was the CD on your cruise? Thanks for answering our questions. Happy to hear that you had a wonderful cruise.

Thanks for your review! We will be going to the ABC islands in a couple of months and looking forward to the cruise. Your review mentioned that you bought the unlimited internet package surf & stream. Can you tell me the price of the package on your cruise or did you pre-purchase it before your cruise? Thank you so much.

Does anyone who recently sailed on the 9-night Navigator remember the cost of the Voom Surf & Stream package for 1 device? I recall the numbers $12.99 or $17.99 a day but I can't remember which one it was. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

I'm a first-time HAL cruiser. I'll be on Veendam Canada/NE itinerary later this year. Do we have to ask about the laundry bag deal? I would just need laundry done once during a 7-day cruise. Other cruise lines offer the bag special for $25-30 and I'm happy to pay for it. Do we get the option of picking the bag special or paying $7 per day? Do we ask our room steward? Thanks.

Thanks for your review. For the 9-night Navigator cruise to the ABC islands, do you remember what day they had the bag laundry special? Trying to plan ahead for packing purposes. Thanks for your help.

Is the Montreal port located in the old part of Montreal? My husband now wants to stay a day before heading back home so can someone tell me where we will be close to and if you have any hotel recommendations close by. Many thanks.

Thank you to the previous poster who provided the link. We will be on HAL in August disembarking in Montreal and have the same dilemma with a late flight and not knowing what to do with our luggage. I googled the cruise port and came up with nothing about luggage storage so thank you for providing it. Does anyone know what terminal HAL uses? Thanks all in advance.

I'll be sailing first time on HAL next year. For a 7-day Veendam cruise, can you tell me what days of the week they have the formal nights? I'm assuming it's 2 nights on a 7-day cruise like the other cruise lines. Also, I'm at the very back of the Lower Promenade deck. From the deck plans, there is a lined area at the back. Is it stairs for the crew? or does it lead to the outside promenade. Thanks for checking and answering my questions. For new HAL cruisers, it's a great service you are providing. I like to plan ahead so I can enjoy my cruise to the max! Thanks again.

You guys have given me a lot of different options to look at. I've never booked through Hotwire before but I just checked. There are two expensive hotels that have kitchenettes - Element Boston Seaport & Residence Inn by Marriot Downtown/Seaport. Are these hotels part of Hotwire that you can choose? If so, what criterias would I be looking for so that I pick the right hotel because they don't give you the hotel name and it's like a guessing game but the prices look good! I've never booked a vacation rental before and feel a bit uncomfortable and a lot are just as expensive as hotels. Any advice appreciated. Thanks all.

Thanks everyone for your help. I'm now looking at vacation rentals. I will post back when I find something so you can comment on the building and location. Thanks all!