liberty176
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Everything posted by liberty176
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We're doing a 2 week cruise at the end of December/beginning of January. RT Sydney to 10 ports in NZ (both South Island and North Island). I read through some old posts and people seem to agree on needing layers. How cold might we want to plan for? Typical excursions in the ports, and DH and I do enjoy walking on the deck in the evening. We did a cruise in Iceland last year and used our puffers only in the evening, weren't really needed on land (though we also got lucky with the weather). We're planning on bringing waterproof/windproof shells and jeans/a sweater for colder days, but wasn't planning on bringing thermal underlayers, puffer coats, or hats/gloves. We're spending a couple of weeks in Australia first, where we won't need all these layers. I don't want to be uncomfortable but am mindful of suitcase space. Thanks!
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If my booking is through a travel agent (big box, if it makes a difference), can I use HAL gift cards towards my final payment? Since I'm paying the travel agent. We have a final payment coming up and paying some by gift card thru AARP would be nice.
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Are there any tour providers in Gisborne? I understand it's a smaller port. We're calling there in December on Holland America, and there are only a few cruise line excursions (not my first choice anyway). They have a Maori cultural tour, but it's $300USD per person, so a bit out of reach for our family of four. Haven't been able to find anything similar by searching online, so I was wondering if I'm looking for something that doesn't exist. Thanks!
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We were originally going to do the waterfall tour with the ship, and then opted not to (our cruise also went to Iceland and we saw many beautiful waterfalls there, plus the mountain road looked veeeeeeery twisty for someone prone to motion sickness). We had a great time in this town. FYI, the town is very small (just a handful of shops and cafes). We did a 1-hour rib safari boat around the fjord (and there were some other small boats available that were slower as well). Then we did a lovely hike up for some views and made a loop. The visitors center has some nice maps and colored trail markers around town. There were some lovely forests and a beautiful lake that we dipped our toes in--wish we'd had swim stuff like some other passengers we saw! In any case, all very accessible from town as long as you are ok with a little elevation change. It would have been possible to do a different version of the walk with no elevation change. The waterfall is supposed to be really beautiful, though we found out later from other pax that it was totally foggy and they were unable to see much that day, so it worked out in our favor in the end.
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Train from Amsterdam port to Paris
liberty176 replied to Lojay2's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
Our cruise this summer (early August) ended in Amsterdam. As others have said, it's a short (15 min with suitcases) walk from the central cruise terminal to the Centraal train station *IF* that is where your ship is docking. Do keep in mind Amsterdam is also limiting cruise ships in the future, not sure if that will apply to ships that are embarking/disembarking there, or if that's for ships that haven't booked slots yet, or what. The Olympics were still going on, so we were a bit hesitant to go to Paris (which would definitely be manageable). Instead, we actually took the train to Brussels (we opted for an hourly semi-express local train so that we could have a flexible ticket), and then used Brussels as a base to explore a few places by day trip, since it was closer to our desired destinations than Amsterdam and has excellent trains/connections. As others have said, though, if you want to go to Paris, you'll want to book a ticket on one of the high-speed trains, which requires picking a time. They try their best on disembarkation mornings, but you never know if immigration or customs will clear as scheduled. -
Day Trip to Paris from London via Eurostar. Yea or Nay?
liberty176 replied to klfrodo's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
It can be done in a whirlwind if you're looking to check off a few boxes. FYI, if you are taking the Eurostar from London, you need to come early (like for a flight) for immigration/customs. If your choice is from London or not at all, you could make it work, but be advised you need to leave time for immigration on either end. We actually did something very similar this past summer. It was during the Olympics and we were a bit worried about spending a few days in Paris after the cruise with our two young kids (what if the city was a total mess with the games?). We ended up taking the Eurostar as a day trip from Brussels (just 1hr 20 min each way, arrived around 9am) and had a terrific day: Got to Paris, took the metro to the Il de la Cite, saw the Concergerie and Ste. Chapelle (timed tickets), had brunch at a bistro (including the kids' must-haves in Paris), saw the exterior of Notre Dame, walked for a couple of hours around the Left Bank, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (timed tix), had a ton of snacks including ice cream and crepes, walked to the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Ellyses, more snacks, back to the train station around 6pm. Again, from Brussels, it was a shorter trip than from London, and we were already in the EU, so you could show up shortly before the train departure in each direction. We allowed plenty of time, but not 90+ minutes. Was it a whirlwind? Yes. Was everyone tired? Yes. DH and I have each been to Paris before, the kids hadn't, we went to lots of other museums throughout our trip. Is this the only way I hope we'll ever see Paris together? No, but we were close by, they really wanted to, and we made it happen. -
If you post your hotel location on the forums here or on another popular non-cruise travel website's forums (not sure what names we're allowed to say here), people are incredibly kind and will make specific point-to-point recommendations. For example, this summer we stayed at a hotel near Trafalgar Square, and people made a Tube recommendation that wasn't necessarily the most obvious (for example, Google had me changing 3 stops later), but resulted in most direct/ least number of steps with suitcases. It was super helpful.
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We did both this summer as well as cruise excursions. They are very different. If I had to pick one, I'd personally probably pick Golden Circle. Our Lake Myvatn tour went to 4-5 stops that were great in combination, and the sulphur vents were really otherworldly. We also enjoyed going to the thermal lagoon there, especially as we were unable to go to the Blue Lagoon due to a road closure. The Lake Myvatn tour was about 6-6.5 hours with an independent operator, and that was with almost 2 hours at the thermal baths. The bus was about 1 hour each way to/from the Lake Myvatn area, and then maybe 10-20 minutes between stops at most, likely less. FYI, while we did a longer Golden Circle tour (about 8 hours, I think, due to a long lunch stop), there are some operators offering a more express version in about 5-6 hours that just do the 3 highlight stops (some offer a few bonus stops). There are also a number of providers offering minibus (~20 people) tours rather than a big bus, which may be more comfortable/move faster.
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Djupivogur & Heimaey, Westman Islands shore excursions
liberty176 replied to Maple30's topic in Iceland and Greenland
We did the glacier lagoon excursion in July (I think ChinaShrek and I were on the same sailing), just posted about it in response to another thread: -
We stopped in this port in July actually as a last-minute (night before) substitute for Djupivigor, which they cancelled preemptively due to winds and forecast in the area. Both are tender ports. I would be nervous to not book either with the cruise line or with an independent operator offering a refund if the ship isn't able to make the port call--seems to happen a lot. Many providers offer this, some don't. There were two cruise ships in port the day we went (I'm sure the smaller Oceania ship wasn't pleased to see us!). As others said, there were some tours still available at the info center. We opted to do a hike out of town to a small waterfall on our own, and we encountered a number of people from our ship along the way.
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Immigration Procedures UK port to Iceland port
liberty176 replied to minabruuke's topic in Iceland and Greenland
I believe that there is no special immigration procedure in *that* direction (entering Iceland). The only special face-to-face immigration we encountered was upon a cruise's *first* entry to the UK, see the longer story below. We were on B2B cruises this past summer. Cruise #1 started in Iceland. The first day we got to Scotland, there was the mandatory UK face-to-face immigration in the theater the first morning. We received a paper in our stateroom a few nights before asking us about our plans (cruise tour, independent tour, etc.) and desired time off the ship. We were assigned times accordingly. Very smooth process. Cruise #2 started in Amsterdam (EU). Again, stopped in Scotland, and had to repeat the mandatory UK face-to-face immigration upon entering the UK for the first time. The agents did not board the ship as early, and everyone had to wait awhile in the theater/things got pretty backed up. We were on a ship's tour that day so we were in the first batch, but still left later than the stated time. We continued on to Iceland, where there were no special immigration procedures. We spent a week in Iceland, and then stopped in the UK again on the way back to Amsterdam. No further immigration since this cruise had already stopped in the UK--it was only on first entry *to* the UK from either Iceland or EU. -
Beware when tendering in Isafjordur
liberty176 replied to Steerpike58's topic in Iceland and Greenland
Seconding the windproof layers! We were on a cruise this summer and made 8 port stops. We actually had a lot of sunshine and fairly limited rain, but a ton of wind. Very happy for waterPROOF and windPROOF outer layer, didn't really need the rain pants/waterproof shoes (but happy to have them), and we lost 2 hats (among 4 people). 🙂 -
We visited this port in July on a Holland America cruise. We took the glacier lagoon excursion through the cruise line (similarly expensive). We were the first tender off the ship and the last one back (about 20 minutes *after* the stated all-aboard time, and the tender was just people from our tour and a few crew. It was at least 2 hours each way, if not closer to 3, fyi. Not sure if because of driving time or stops (we had a 15 min comfort stop on the way there and a 45 min late lunch stop on the way back). We went with our two kids (ages 10 and 7) and it was a day with a mix of sun and clouds. A bit cloudier near the lagoon, though we stopped at the nearby black sand beach afterwards and it was brilliant and sunny. Both locations were *very* windy. We had some free time at the glacier lagoon and then took a 30 or 45 min duck boat tour. It was definitely a loooong way and everyone (DH and kids) were completely wiped by the end of the day, but I really enjoyed it/am glad we did it. Not sure if they'd say the same. IIRC, there were some folks on my roll call who found an independent company that went to the glacier lagoon, but the distance from the ship and tightness of the schedule made me a bit nervous.
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Iceland: South Coast vs. Golden Circle
liberty176 replied to liberty176's topic in Iceland and Greenland
This board was so helpful in planning our trip! In case anyone else searches for this topic in the future, I just wanted to update: In the end, we did the Golden Circle Tour with an independent provider (not sure if I'm allowed to give the name?). It was a small group tour in a 20 person minibus. We visited the Kerid Crater briefly (fantastic), geyser, Friedheimar horse demo/tomato farm lunch, Gullfoss waterfall (a highlight), Thingvellir national park. This was a terrific day and we (and our kids) had a great time. We did not have a chance to do the South Coast tour, but on a separate day the ship called in Djupvigor, and we went to the glacier lagoon and black sand beach there. We've also been fortunate and have seen a black sand beach in Hawaii. Between really wanting to see a few places on the Golden Circle and seeing these highlights in the southeast, we were happy with our decision to prioritize Golden Circle over South Coast. Hopefully will be back someday to see the other! -
Recommended clothing (Iceland/Scotland)
liberty176 replied to liberty176's topic in Iceland and Greenland
This board was so helpful in planning our cruise. In case someone searches for this topic in the future, I just wanted to update: We were in Iceland for a total of 10 days (before and during the cruise) in July. We got incredibly lucky with the weather--it was reasonably warm and not raining (and even sunny!) most days of our trip, and very windy in many/most places. We ended up barely or not using thermal layers and wore a regular short or long sleeve shirt paired with the invaluable waterproof/windproof jacket on top. We were glad that it was unlined. We only used our puffer jackets one day on shore, but wore them a ton on the ship to walk on the outside decks in the evenings and take advantage of the very late or non-existent sunsets. We did not use our warm hats, but did appreciate the gloves a few days. Did not use rain pants. Three of the four of us had waterproof shoes, they were unnecessary. I think 'did not use' for these items was mostly luck. Cannot emphasize windproof outer layer enough. -
Shuttle into Newcastle upon Tyne
liberty176 replied to Cruisetrekker's topic in Holland America Line
This board was SO helpful in our trip planning. I just want to leave a comment in case anyone searches for this thread in the future. Our ship stopped in Newcastle in July. We did not take the shuttle into town in the end. We took a cruise line (Holland) excursion to Alnwick Castle (which was great). The excursion had to bring us back to the ship, no option to bring us back into town instead. As such, we didn't feel like we had enough time to go to the center of town, as it was at least 30 minutes away. -
Club HAL/Kids Club.... How is it?
liberty176 replied to Cheadle_Chick's topic in Holland America Line
Yeah my kids adore the kids club on the Nieuw Statendam. I found this older thread from last year about the Oosterdam, and it sounds like they were trialing a different program that wouldn't be as good for us. Definitely agree about the quality of the programming! -
Club HAL/Kids Club.... How is it?
liberty176 replied to Cheadle_Chick's topic in Holland America Line
This would be a Mediterranean cruise in July. -
Club HAL/Kids Club.... How is it?
liberty176 replied to Cheadle_Chick's topic in Holland America Line
Any updates from anyone who has sailed this year on the Oosterdam? Is there a drop off/supervised program for ages 7-11? We want to book a long cruise but my kids need and really enjoy a little structure/recharge in club HAL. A little time in High Score is what they're looking for, that would be a nice bonus in addition, but not instead of. -
We absolutely loved our experience in Club Orange on the Nieuw Statendam. My DH is thrilled with the small dining room, it fixed all his typical cruise complaints. We're looking to the future and I understand that most of the ships don't have a separate CO dining room. Looking at some potential cruises on the Oosterdam. If we book CO, is that a separate section of the MDR, or just priority seating? The bonus dish is usually something we can't eat (no meat/chicken). And is it breakfast or dinner? If we book a suite, are there different dining benefits? Breakfast in Pinnacle? And if so, at a certain level of suite only? Are there any suite benefits that go beyond CO benefits (like priority tendering)? I guess, what is not overlapping between the two? Thanks so much!!
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Penalty to cancel a shore excursion onboard?
liberty176 replied to liberty176's topic in Holland America Line
Thanks everyone. My confirmation just says that we need to cancel by the "cancellation deadline.". Wasn't sure if there was a standard for the line or not, will check in this one with my TA, thanks! -
Does anyone know if there is a penalty if you cancel an excursion while already on board? There is a thread from January, but it's a bit confusing and I was wondering if anyone has more recent experience with this. We'll be on a three week cruise. What if on Day 4 I cancel an excursion for Day 12 (regular bus excursion)? Will I get a full refund (more than 3 days) or pay a 10% penalty for cancelling onboard? Thanks
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Can I use OBC to pay for tips on HAL? We have on other lines, I just wanted toske sure this isn't an excluded category. We've already paid for a few (now sold out) shore excursions and want to make sure we spend the non-refundable OBC. Thanks ! (I tried to find the answer to this in existing threads but the search terms were a bit tricky)
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I know this question comes up occasionally, but I couldn't find a recent answer. I want to request my shareholder OBC for an upcoming cruise. Has anyone done that recently/successfully without using the StockPerks app? I tried one of the old email address, but got an automatic reply about the app, which I'd rather not do. Thanks!
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My info is a little more dated, but it is from peak family time: my family sailed on the Discovery over Xmas 2022 thru New Years 2023 when my kids were 5 and 8. It was a great ship for our family. I will say, though, there were a ton of kids on board both weeks, most especially Xmas week. That week, we definitely needed to line up 10 min early (though not 30) for kids club, especially for the morning session, and most especially for the smallest kids. It filled up daily with a wait-list posted on the wall. I forget how many kids were on that sailing, but something like 300-500. There was definitely a dropoff after the Xmas cruise (we did B2B, my kids get a long winter break) to about half as many kids, and it was still more kids than the ship is used to, but more manageable all around, and I don't recall having to line up early.