SunnyNy

I was thinking of a guided tour, but I'll give this a try. Thanks.

Thanks, Edinburgh I did try googling for the walking tour and only came up with one. Since they haven't responded to my email, I'm looking for a backup. I've been to Syracuse several times, including the Archeological Park and Noto. It's a very beautiful area, but I'm hoping to explore Catania this time.

My cruise will call on Catania for one day in early November and would like to spend my day in port, since I have been to Taormina and Mt. Etna areas several times. I was hoping to see a daytime puppet theater performance and take a short walking tour while there. I would appreciate any recommendations for these, or any other ideas. Thanks.

Thank you, this is helpful

I'm traveling solo. Of course, booking a private car from the port to my hotel in Amsterdam would be ideal butt I'm finding it to be very expensive without sharing the cost. This is a solution that I'm comfortable with and is flexible. I plan to post on my roll call closer to my April departure to see of anyone's interested in sharing a private car.

Thanks, everyone, HAL will want flight details to assign transfer time, but I think I can find a workaround for that 🙂 Terrydtx, do you have a particular transport company you'd recommend?

Is it possible to take the ship transfer from Rotterdam port to Schipol without actually having a flight? And for anyone familiar with Schipol, are there taxi stands at Departures as well as Arrivals? Thanks

After disembarking a HAL cruise in Rotterdam, I'd like to spend a few days post-cruise in Amsterdam. I'm traveling solo and am concerned about managing my luggage on the train - one checked bag, one carryon. Hiring a car transfer would be very pricey, since I'm covering the total cost. I can post on my roll call about sharing transportation closer to departure (April), but would like a backup plan before booking airfare. I thought of taking the ship airport transfer, then a taxi to my Amsterdam hotel for much less. I'd also eliminate some steps - getting from port to Rotterdam train station then from Amsterdam train station to hotel. Has anyone taken a ship to airport transfer without actually having a flight? Any other suggestions are welcomed. Thanks.

Strenz, thanks so much. I'm especially glad to hear about Catania, as I was hoping to spend some time in town. In Gozo, did you take the ship excursion on the 4/4?

Thanks. This is helpful.

This will be my first Windstar cruise and I'm deciding on plans for either ship excursions, DIY, or private tours. I'd like to know how close Wind Surf docks to the various city centers at the ports of Catania, Valletta, Gozo, Porto Empedocle and Trapani. I see some ship excursions are just a few hours, and I was hoping to spend the remaining time in the ports before boarding. Any other advice or recommendations are welcomed!

CruiserBruce, the cruise is not until April, so no excursions are posted yet. I know many HAL cruises terminate in Rotterdam, so I thought others might remember if this was offered.

Does HAL offer transfers on disembarkment day from Rotterdam to Amsterdam city center, or just to the airport? TIA

In the past, we were able to view unsold cabins on a particular cruise before actually proceeding with a booking. In the new site, I don't see a way to do that without entering lots of personal information, which I'm not willing to do at that stage.

Thank you both. I’ve decided to keep my original cabin.

I am taking my first Wind Surf cruise in October and was just upgraded from cabin 147 to cabin 221. Should I accept the offer or stay put?

I had the same issue on Saturday and ended up booking with a rep over the phone. Later, I found I was able to book an excursion using the app.

And when evaluating all inclusive vs. purchasing a la carte, am I correct that all Inclusive already includes 18% gratuity and possibly VAT, but with a la carte purchases it would be additional?

It's my fist time with HA. I have some OBC that I'd like to use to for shore excursions, but can't access it until I board. I'm worried about certain excursions selling out before the sail date. Can I purchase them now with a credit card, then cancel and rebook if still available onboard to utilize the OBC? The HA website indicated the cancelled funds would go to OBC, not the credit card, but that they'd be returned if not spent. This sounds like refundable OBC (they don't use that term, though), which would be the same thing in the end. Am I understanding this correctly? I did speak with a HA rep who flatly said this could not be done, but that's contrary to what's on the website. Thanks.

Thanks for all the responses. A couple more questions: is there a cost savings to booking a beverage package before a sailing? Also, it it possible to upgrade the Classic pkg. that comes with All Included to the Premium?

Thank you. I didn't see it mentioned in the descriptions.

Am I correct that bottled water isn't included in either the Classic or Premium beverage packages? I see there's a "zero" package with different waters, but having to purchase two packages seems pretty pricey.

I plan to be onboard in a couple of weeks and was hoping to book the cruise just before mine. Seems far too soon for a refurb, so possibly a few charters in a row? I just checked my account and my current Oct 2023 cruise still appears.

I've just been online to look for a possible B2B using this promo with my current Onward booking in Oct 2023. All Onward cruises from Oct 14 through Nov 18 have disappeared, including mine. Belfastman, could you possible inquire since your onboard? I'm hoping it's a website issue.

That is quite a story! I do have similar coverage just in case, but would prefer to avoid the drama.