mcmarya

One thing I always do with a third party rental is go to the website for the major agency from which I will be renting. Usually the third party site will give you 2 reservation numbers, theirs and the one for that agency. Put in the agency number on their website to find your reservation. If it comes up you should be good to go. We rented on the Big Island in December of last year through one of the third party reservation websites and got a great rate. Because I got such a good deal, I was concerned that I would not actually get a car but had no issues. YMMV. Good Luck!

Sorry to put a damper on your excitement but, unfortunately, HAL usually stops at Corinto. Since my November cruise is scheduled to visit San Juan del Sur, I've been reading about that port and it sounds like a nice place to visit. Corinto, on the other hand, does not really have tourist infrastructure. You can take tours to Leon or hike a volcano, but the town itself does not have much to offer. There is usually a craft market but we had trouble finding any place to get wi-fi. There are beaches, but the swimming can be dangerous and the sand not very inviting.

I have been known to bring along a sturdy empty plastic bottle not really meant for reuse for the sake of weight and usability. Wasn't sure if those get confiscated. Thanks for the photos.

Sorry for the dumb question. I know that disposable plastic bottles are now banned so I will need some kind of container to take water ashore. Since I am creating a packing list I am wondering if I need to bring along something suitable. If something is provided, is it a suitable size/weight to easily carry? Thanks

Just did a 6 night on Enchantment and was very pleasantly surprised by the level of service and enthusiasm of the crew. For us, bigger is not better when it comes to ships.

I think we spent almost 3 hours there total but 2 hours might be enough depending on how thorough you are in seeing everything. Our ship arrived at 3 so we thought we see it all before closing at 5. We ran out of time and spent another hour. There is so much to be seen both inside the various buildings and outside with the lovely views. Admission is $12 for seniors and well worth whatever you need to pay.

For background, it has been 10 years since we last cruised on RCCL and that was on the Vision OTS. Since then we have primarily sailed Holland America with a couple of Princess cruises thrown in, often on smaller ships. Since we hadn't cruised since early 2020, it was our 50th, the cruise was cheap, and no flying was required to get to Baltimore, we booked a 6 day to Bermuda. Once we booked, bad stuff kept coming up--confusing Bermuda TA, testing, hurricane season, St. George's ferry out, Labor day holiday, old ship, staffing issues, My Time Dining lines, etc., etc., we were not terribly excited about this cruise. It was surprising to be able to immediately board with a 10:30 am check-in time--how do they turn over the ship that quickly!! Our room was nothing fancy with the tiniest bathroom ever, but adequate for 6 nights and we had a great room steward. Muster was super simple--check in on deck with card scan and watch the video. The first nice surprise came at the dining room. We signed up for 5 pm MTD thinking we could avoid the chaos by being early. After being assigned a table for 2 next to several others at a window we were told that, if we came every night at 5, we could have the same table and walk right in. That was an offer we could not refuse, especially considering the terrific service we received--dinner took an hour or less each night. Food was generally decent though Prime Rib and the first night's salmon were overdone. Shrimp Cocktail every night was a plus even if the shrimp were smaller than those on HAL. Staffing was adequate everywhere we saw, they even had lifeguards at the pools--never seen before on a cruise. There were a number of bands performing here and there, plenty of entertainment opportunities though that is not a priority with us. Evening shows were a bit sparse, but again, not a priority. The main pool deck was chaotic but we avoided it by sticking to the Solarium pool for adults only. If you like the belly-flop and sexiest man contest and various games, there were plenty of those and plenty of energy. Lots of kids were on board but most were younger--lots of infants and pre-schoolers so no gangs roaming the ship that we saw. Weather forecasts had not been great, but with only a stray shower here and there, weather was gorgeous. The Hamilton ferry was running on the regular schedule despite the holiday. We missed getting tokens or passes, but, when we got on the first ferry, the ferry guy said that , instead of paying the $10 cash, he would go into the office with us in Hamilton so we could buy the tickets--$37.50 for 15. That enabled us to use all the public transportation we needed on 2 days for the price of one day passes. The trip to St. George's was accomplished with the ferry and a #11 bus ride. Then a walk up a steep hill (wasn't that steep 10 years ago!) got us to Tobacco Bay and great snorkeling. No crowds when we were there. We bused back to Hamilton on #10, then took a #7 to Dockyard for variety, getting dropped off at Seaglass Beach. That was certainly not worth much effort, but Black Bay (a couple of coves up) is OK for a swim or snorkel. It's about a mile back to Dockyard but very safe to walk except for a couple of very short spots. Since we breezed through Hamilton the day before, we took the early ferry back to Hamilton and walked around town until it was time for the 10 am ferry. The only disappointment was that the moat garden was closed at Ft. Hamilton. Back at the Dockyard, we went back to the National Museum of Bermuda since we had run out of time when visiting the afternoon we arrived. This museum is well worth visiting and deserves at least 2 hours of your time. The exhibits are well curated and views are wonderful. Maybe our enjoyment was enhanced by low expectations, but, if you don't require all the bells and whistles of the humongous new ships, don't hesitate to sail the Enchantment. The crew is as good as any we have experienced and every effort is made to help you have a good time.

The larger ships are not inside the harbor but at the Mega Cruise Terminal--you can see it on Google Maps. It is not as close to town but still an easy walk through the Rif Fort. It is a 1.5 km walk to the Punda Bus station but scenic and flat.

The zoo is about 30 miles from the port. I have thought of going but have not been there so can't give any advice on it otherwise.

I think it is available 24 hours a day. Just look for Bermuda free wi-fi or something similar as an available wi-fi source. A sign-in screen will pop up which requires name and e-mail address, I think country, too.

Not sure things have changed, but we docked right next to town.

We've heard that Jim McParland will be on board as a Guest Speaker. He is very knowledgeable about all kinds of subjects, gives great talks, and usually does star gazing at night.

TAapprovals@gov.bm

Cruises had not resumed when we were there so I don't know about other vendors selling tours there but there are other options for shore snorkeling if you cannot snag one. If all else fails, you can take the Kona Trolley to Kahalu'u Beach park which is the next to the last stop of the trolley route. It runs every hour and is free. If you do a search, you can see the schedule and route map. Kahalu'u can get crowded so better to be there early. There are changing rooms and rinsing showers as well as lifeguards. They even give out reef safe sunscreen. The bay is somewhat sheltered and not terribly deep so a good place to go if the seas are not super calm. We visited this spot 3 times when in Hawaii in December and really enjoyed the snorkeling there. We saw turtles and all kinds of fish in great numbers. There are lots of other places to snorkel on the Big Island, but this is the closest good snorkeling to the port in Kailua Kona. If you have time left after your tour, you can also use the beach at the Courtyard King K which is right next to the tender pier. There is a changing/rest room on the pier and all beaches in Hawaii are public. I saw quite a few fish just swimming off the beach. And, if the ocean is calm, you can actually snorkel/swim right in Kailua bay.

It's easy to find--just look for the crew members congregating. There is a canopy which was handy when there was a bit of rain. Before the 8 am ferry it was easy to get on, probably any time early in the day. I expect crew members are probably there en masse late at night. When it was busy, I had to keep filling in the required info a few times before finally getting in.

Since masks were mentioned, I'll chime in. We returned last week and bus drivers and ferry operators would not let passengers on board without a mask. Otherwise masks were not required in stores or anywhere else. I couldn't find mine returning to the ship a final time but was allowed through the entry building at the port anyway. When my TA had not arrived one week before my cruise, I e-mailed the folks in Bermuda. The next morning I had received approval. It is a bother and extra expense but not so stressful since they excluded the test result requirement needed for application. I would be upset if I was to arrive last Friday when the weather probably kept ships away and the $40 application was for naught.

The museum is well worth visiting or at least was several years ago when we were there. My husband particularly enjoyed the display concerning the flag raising incident at Balboa High School in 1964 since he was there and his good friends appeared on the cover of Life Magazine. In the Palacio Bolivar we were able to see the room where the there 1826 Congress of Panama was held. If it is open, be sure to go inside this building. Also, don't miss the San Jose church, the church of the golden altar.

The tourist information center closed at 4 pm when we were there so we were unable to buy tokens or passes before taking the 8 am ferry the next day. When we got on the ferry I mentioned that we would have liked to have been able to buy the tickets--15 for $37.50, they can be shared, good for bus or ferry. So, the ferry operator said not to pay and he would take us to the office when we arrived in Hamilton where we could then buy the tickets and give him 2. By getting the tickets instead of the passes, we were able to do everything we had time to do for 2 days using 1 set of tickets. Not sure that would always work but it worked for us.

We are supposed to be on a ship that will disembark at Amador on 11/25 then the ship will embark with new passengers later that day. I cannot imagine how a ship could disembark/embark a cruise without docking considering all the luggage and provisions that would need to be transferred too/from the ship.

There is free wi-fi near the ferry dock. It is Bermuda free wi-fi and offers 3 hours of free access. We didn't use it all at once and were able to log on more than once. You do have to supply your name and e-mail address. As long as there are not too many people logged on it is decently fast.

We spent a little bit of time at Black Bay, a couple of little bays past Seaglass beach if you are coming from the Dockyard. There is a small beach (may be gone at high tide) though no pink sand. There are some fish to be seen and the water is as lovely as anywhere else on the island. We were riding the bus from Hamilton to Dockyard (#7) and got off there, then walked back to Dockyard. It's a little more than a mile and safe for the most part--there are a couple of very short areas where you would need to watch for traffic.

Thanks, now I don't feel so stupid!

That's all I can find but I answered those questions ages ago. Can't find anything else today even though I got a message about the questionnaire being available. Don't they ask about any signs of illness like they used to?

I've searched it but can't seem to find it. Thanks

I sent an e-mail asking about mine yesterday and received it today.