knippsel

You are correct.

Cunard does too.:D

Thank you all for the input. Looks like we can't go wrong with any of these. Just have to make our choice...

FYI, we did check Sebastian's and it's now in the EUR297 range. Just picked the wrong time of year for bargains, I guess.

We're on a cruise departing Amsterdam at the end of August and have 5 nights pre-cruise to explore Amsterdam again. The last time was 30 years ago!

We don't usually go to Europe in the summer, and we're finding everything much more booked and more expensive than we're used to! Years ago we stayed in a little canal house hotel right on Keizersgracht but it no longer exists. We thought to stay in that area again, as it seems to be quintessentially Amsterdam, but everything seems to be either booked, or way above our higher than usual budget (EUR200 per night or less, including breakfast).

Here are our current options. Would appreciate thoughts these neighborhoods:

Linden Hotel - Outer Jordaan area on Lindengracht

Hotel Fita - Near the Van Gogh museum

NH Center - on Stadthoudersgade (yes, a big chain hotel, but the price was less than the small ones)

Brouwer Hotel - is this really in the Red Light District? How safe/comfortable is it really? before it gets remodeled to lose all its charm.

Any other areas which might be really good for us?

We're looking for something in a reasonably safe, hopefully pretty area with a maybe a bit of Dutch Charm. We do most of our sightseeing on foot. Small rooms are OK, but it has to have a private bath, elevator (if it's a canal house type) and hopefully a safe. Can't do the "bath down the hall" hostel type any more, unfortunately.

Any advice is welcome!

TIA.

Kathy

Thanks very much for the info and your suggestions. Yes, I'm checking on WWII memorials etc. Maybe an ethnographic museum would include some of the things I'd particularly enjoy - like needlework. Few of the group tours include those and we'd like not to have to do a private tour. But we'll see. Exploring the possibilities is all part of the fun!

On QV, yes there were. Think QE was the same. And 2 full length hanging closets and 1 half height with safe and shelves above.

Suggest you bring extra hangars,as most of the ones in the closets are the type that are fixed at the top.

Has anyone visited the "folk park" called Shuvalovka village? It's supposed to have recreated wooden peasant houses from the XVIII and XIX centuries, and demonstrations of the folkways of the time.

If you've been there, was it as described, and did you go with one of the major tour companies?

We're looking forward to touring St. Petersburg during our 2-day port stop in September, but maybe after so many overwhelming palaces we thought it might be interesting to see a bit more of how the "other half" lived. This was the only thing we've found so far, but all the reviews seem to be in Russian.;)

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks. Kathy

Thank you both. I'll try to e-mail from a gmail account instead of sbcglobal. And if that fails, I'll call.

Rgds,

Kathy

We're on the Koningsdam sailing Sept 3, in St. Petersburg Sept 9 - 10, and have been trying to e-mail Alla Tours about touring with the address listed on their website: info@alla-tour.com. The e-mail gets bounced back every time. Does anyone have an alternate e-mail for them?

Thanks,

Kathy

At least, I think I haven't seen the answer to this yet.

When visiting St. Petersburg from a cruise ship "Visa Free", i.e., touring with a tour company who obtains the necessary paperwork for you, must you stay with the same company for all your touring in order for the visa to be valid?

We're on the Koningsdam, making a 2-day stop this September. First time (and probably only time) in St. Petersburg, and just now getting started on planning sightseeing...

What we're thinking of is: Doing an extensive daytime sightseeing tour with one of the major companies, not sure which yet, but like Alla, DenRus, Insider, etc., then returning to the ship and in the evening taking the ships "Hermitage by Night" tour. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've only seen the cruise line offer this, not any of the Russian Tour Operators.) Then the next day doing more touring with the original operator. The operator of the daytime touring would have to do the visa paperwork for us, but then would we be allowed to be on the ship's paperwork to do the nighttime tour with the cruise line? And then back on the paperwork for the daytime tour operator for touring on Day 2?

Am I making this too complicated? Why would we want to do this? We usually avoid the ship tours, preferring DIY or smaller groups, but we were hoping the "Hermitage by Night" tour would be a little less crowded:D And seeing the Hermitage in the evening would free up some time during the day for seeing other things.

Can anyone explain how the visa business might actually work in a situation like this? Happy for all input.

Thanks much. Kathy

Thanks! I had been thinking $10 for the 2 of us with 2 -3 bags, but maybe that's not enough?

Thanks! That's total, not per bag, right?

Thanks for the feedback. We haven't been on the Eurodam or Nieuw Amsterdam yet. The largest ship we've sailed on is the Diamond Princess. It was large, but not overwhelming. One thing we like about smaller ships is that they don't feel crowded and the lines are not too long - well, maybe except finding a seat in the Lido at 8:50AM for breakfast! And we could always find a quiet seat to relax and enjoy the sea. If that's the situation on the Koningsdam, we should be OK.

There are so many connecting cabins on the Koningsdam! How are they different from a non-connecting cabin? What do you lose, if anything? How is the noise buffering from the neighboring cabin? That's all that's left in the deck/area we'd like on a cruise we're interested in. If anyone has experience to share it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Kathy

Are there porters stationed at baggage claim in Port Everglades (Cunard)? Our recent experience in Tampa had porters right at baggage claim who whisked those with beaucoup bags to a special (shorter, quicker) line for customs and out the door. Is there the same at Port Everglades? If so, is there a fixed charge, or how much would be a proper tip?

Thanks,

Kathy

We usually walk on with our own bags, but may be travelling with more "stuff" next time. What is the expected tip to the porters in front of the pier?

Thanks.

Kathy

We've seen the recent thread generally comparing HAL and Princess. We've sailed both and like both for different reasons, so we're familiar with the pluses and minuses of both lines, but can anyone help us with more specific comparison between their experience on the Koningsdam and, say, the Grand Princess, Star Princess, or Diamond Princess? We're Platinum on Princess and 3 star on HAL but have only been on the Zaandam and Oosterdam, i.e. smaller and medium-sized ships. But from everything we've read, the Koningsdam is quite another animal, so to speak, and in considering sailing her, we're wondering if it's more a Princess-like experience, because she's so (relatively) large - more crowded, less personal? We know there's no library :mad: and the promenade deck is limited compared to other HAL ships, but is it more like Princess than HAL in other ways? Have to make a decision fairly quickly and would appreciate any info anyone can give!

Thanks,

Kathy

Are all the stores near the port in Aruba high-end mall type stores? Or are there any more "local" stores within walking distance? Always like getting to know a new place by browsing their grocery stores! Thanks.

Kathy

We like to book around 11 or 11:30

 

As you walk into the luggage terminal, hold up a tip and grab a porter.

They will get your bags, and guide you though customs and grab you a taxi in no time

Works for us every time.

 

 

What would the customary tip be for 2 people and 3 bags?

 

Thanks.

Kathy

The porters are there in the baggage claim area once you are off the ship. If there are many ships in your port on the day you disembark, there may not be as many in your terminal as there might be on a more "quiet" morning. Also, the time one disembarks may have something to do with their availability. I try to disembark as late as possible when the "crowd and chaos" of those leaving earlier have hopefully been reduced. Doing so then, I have seen porters waiting to be engaged in both Port Everglades and Port Canaveral.

 

If you really want a porter and see none, find an employee of the port agent's staff. There will be many in the baggage claim area and they will help you obtain a porter.

Do they post a set fee per bag for the porters on disembarcation? If not, what's considered appropriate?

We've used 80 Francisco with no problems. Our little 2000 Mazda was parked next to a shiny new Lexus and both were unscathed. We did pre-book, and they checked our names off when we arrived. We were parked Sunday to Sunday and the attendant escorted us up and down. Nothing was left visible in the car, of course. We've had much worse luck parking anywhere on the street in SF.

Kathy

We're in port in San Pedro on April 6. (7AM - 5PM) We've done the LA sightseeing/Walk of Fame, etc. tour. We're not beach people.

Visiting the Getty looks really interesting, but not sure how difficult/time consuming it would to get there and back. Anyone have an idea? We probably wouldn't rent a car, so transportation suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Our first time in Aruba on 19 April 2017 and sadly, our swimming and lounging on the beach days are over (skin issues...). We're not shoppers, but do like history, nature and getting a sense of what's distinctive about a new place. Not fond of large bus tours, so we're trying to avoid the ship tours if possible.

Would love to hear what makes Aruba special for you that you think we might enjoy.

Thanks!

Kathy

No worries, just don't be late off the ship. ;)

 

Hi JB and all -

 

Our first visit to Gibraltar coming up. There are only 2 of us, so we really don't want to book a private tour. The van tour sounds about right for us.

BUT

One thing we hate is getting up early every day on a cruise. We were hoping to wait until 1030AM or so to look for a van tour. We're on the Oosterdam on Oct 25 and we dock at 800AM. So does the Eurodam. So lots of folks in town that day. How long do the vans stick around? Will we be out of luck?

 

Thanks for any info.

Kathy

We're on HAL's Oosterdam arriving into Tampa from Europe on Nov 18. Our flight doesn't depart until 4:00PM. Apparently HAL doesn't offer their "Luggage Direct" service in Tampa. Bummer.

Is there anywhere near the port to leave our bags if we want to do a little sightseeing in that area? The Tampa Bay History Center looks like it might be interesting or maybe just ride the historic streetcar to get a feel for the area. Has anyone done this?

Or should we just go to the airport and hang out there? It looks like there isn't much at TPA. But if we can't leave our bags somewhere we'd have to do that, I guess.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Kathy

Does HAL offer a shuttle to the train station or to town in Livorno? Per the Italy Ports Board, some cruise lines do. When we're there on Nov 2, both Oosterdam and Eurodam are in port, so there will be plenty of us. Does anyone have recent experience?

Kathy