Turtles06

Yes, taxi as @njhorseman says above. A few years ago, on my wife’s and my second visit to Cartagena, we explored the fortress on our own. We took a cab from the port (they are waiting outside the gates), and hailed a cab on the street for the return. No problem getting one. Since you’ve already been to Cartagena, you know how hot and humid it is. Get a really early start, and have water and sunscreen. Enjoy!

You’ve heard nice stories above, but the only thing that matters is how the request for a postponement is handled in your own jurisdiction. Good luck, and enjoy your cruise.

@joey_ourso — one other thing: call NCL’s shorex desk (866-625-1267), tell them what happened, and see if they can put you in touch with the tour operator (or call them for you). It’s a long shot, but no downside to trying. I have lots of caps that have sentimental value. I hope you get yours back.

Not till next year. I’ll look forward to your report if you do go to the Falls. Have a great cruise!

Sailing into Portland, you’ll see the Portland Head Light and some smaller lighthouses. We did get up for that. It was pretty foggy out. In any event, if you enjoy lighthouses (as we do), we found it worthwhile to see the Portland Head Light from land. (photo by turtles06)

This is s very helpful thread! If we took a taxi to the Falls, could we expect to find taxis there for the return trip?

Why are you guessing that? As noted above, NCL has resumed docking at Taino Bay. And if that’s where you dock, and you’d only have a few hours at a resort, why not take advantage of more time at Taino Bay itself?

What a great day you had in Akureyri, thanks for sharing it with us! Quick question — obviously you had your iPhone 14 ProMax in the lagoon with you. Did you trust its water resistance rating, or did you do anything additional to protect it? Thanks!

Not just the day you were there. That’s a typical day. Cartagena is only 10 degrees north of the Equator. That’s why it’s good to get an early start off the ship. 😊

@Empehi — your thread title is not correct. What will be required is not a visa, and in fact will only apply to visitors from visa-waiver countries (countries whose citizens do not need visas to travel to the EU). Since no visas are currently required, this will add some additional security for the EU countries.

Too bad about the late cancellation. I hope you enjoy Snaefelles.

Ten years ago, my wife and I were very fortunate to have been able to take an expedition cruise to Antarctica with Lindblad aboard the Nat Geo Explorer. “Trip of a lifetime” is a cliche, but that’s what this was. We had a mix of zodiac landings on the Continent and on the islands. There were fewer than 200 guests on board. Only 100 could go ashore at the same time. The rest would be off in zodiacs zipping around icebergs, getting up close to ice floes with napping leopard seals, watching minke whales swim under the zodiacs, you name it. Zodiac cruising turned out to be as much of a highlight of the adventure as the landings. Guests are not permitted to get within 15 feet of penguins. But penguins aren’t given that memo. If they come up to you, you don’t have to back away. And crossing the Drake Passage, twice, was amazing. If anyone is interested in learning more about the preparations for a trip like this and about the expedition itself, I have an extensive photo journal at this link: https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com (photo by turtles06)

@YVRteacher— there’s an excellent Icelandic TV series called “Trapped” (available on Netflix), the first season of which took place in, and was filmed in, Seydisfjordur. My wife and I loved the show, and were excited to have Seydisfjordur on the itinerary of the Viking Passage cruise we took with HAL in 2018. Alas, we missed the port due to weather. You are fortunate to have gotten there twice! 😊

The seven layer chocolate cake is excellent. 😊

Your inquiry belongs in the Colombia Port of Call forum, which is here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/391-colombia/ As for your “note to NCL,” I take it you meant that in jest; NCL is not reading this forum. If you’d like to see the walled city on your own, just take a cab. Easy peasy.

@cruisemom42 you’ve said many times that you aren’t especially interested in natural sites, but when you visit Pingvellir for the history (assuming you are going), you will also be in one of the very few places on earth where you can see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on dry land. And there they are — exposed tectonic plates — and you can walk alongside them. It’s pretty amazing. 😊

I assume you are going to Dynjandi? I think you’ll enjoy the walk up the levels of the falls. When we were there several years ago, we had the most driving sideways rain I’ve ever encountered. (We were prepared in terms of our gear, but still.)

Have a great time, Iceland is spectacular!

Take a one-way cruise to Alaska and explore as long as you want after the cruise. Or explore first, and take a one-way cruise from Alaska to Canada. We did that; spent a week or so driving around the interior. As nice as the cruise after that was, the land visit was far better. Most cruises aren’t set up for guests to disembark for several days and then return to the ship mid-cruise.

I recently found these complimentary luggage tags “featuring historical posters from the archives of Holland America Line” when I was cleaning out my parents’ home in Florida. I knew they cruised the Caribbean fairly often, but I didn’t know they’d been on HAL. The tags were given out to Mariner Society members, and I imagine that many of you HAL veterans here may have them too. I was wondering if anyone knows when HAL gave them out — the 90s? Earlier, later? It was fun to find them.

This article says the online renewal test was paused in March, and that the State Dept “is currently working on system improvements based on user feedback and expects online passport renewals to become available nationwide later this year.“ https://travel.usnews.com/features/how-to-renew-a-passport-online

The Jewel-class ships don’t have a dedicated dining room for Haven/suite guests. Dinner is eaten in any of the venues open to anyone and there is no special dinner menu for Haven/suite guests. Breakfast and lunch are different, however. There is a dedicated breakfast venue, usually Moderno. There are items that can be ordered from a menu and there’s also a very nice buffet. Lunch is available typically in Cagney’s, with a special lunch menu. The concierge usually hangs out at a desk by the bar at the entrance to Moderno during breakfast.

You’ve been very fortunate!

Respectfully, this is why there’s so much misinformation on the internet.

Apologies if I’ve missed that on the State Dept site, but do you have an authority to link to for that? It’s my understanding that you can renew a valid passport at any time, but advice is commonly given to wait (if you can) till about a year or less out, so you don’t lose the months of validity you already paid for.* (But that’s just a weighing of pros and cons for each individual, under their specific circumstances.) *See, e.g.: “Note that while you don’t have to renew your passport at any specific time (i.e. before or after it expires), you should be cognizant of the time it will take for renewal when planning your trips. …Your passport validity period restarts at the time of renewal. Therefore, if you renew your passport at 9 years (1 year of validity left), your passport will be good for 10 and not 11 more years. For this reason, you don’t want to renew too early.” https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/us-passport-renewal-and-special-cases-guide/