mcmarya

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.

Bad news.

Not a lot to see and do in Nicaragua. The port at Corinto can be difficult to approach if seas are rough.

Thank you.

My plan does not, sorry.

What phone number did you use on the application? I won't have cell service while there and it won't do much good to give my home phone number since I won't be there. I do get voicemails by e-mail from my landline so that is probably the better choice. Any thoughts?

Thank you! Will keep our fingers crossed.

We always take the bus to Boca Catalina or Arashi. For either one, you need to take the Arashi bus. If you want to go to Boca Catalina (no services) you can ask the driver to let you know when to get off. Of course, if you are going to Arashi, it is the end of the line. There is a kiosk at the bus station (or was the last time we were there) where they sell retour cards for $5. The card will give you a round trip to the beach. It only saves 40 cents but you don't end up with change in local coins.

Sadly, the ferry to Hamilton and bus to St. Georges costs twice as much and takes more than twice as long, unfortunate with only one full day in Bermuda.

That's all well and good for NCL passengers but what about the other cruise lines. Not having the orange ferry available will seriously impact our plans for September.

I don't know that you can snorkel within walking distance. The bus station is within walking distance and you can take a bus from there to Boca Catalina or Arashi Beach. If you buy a retour card at the kiosk at the bus station it is $5 round trip. Otherwise it's something like $5.40 and you get Aruban coins in change. You have to take the Arashi Beach bus to get all the way there or the Malmok bus and walk the rest of the way along the coast with the ocean on your left. There is very easy sandy entrance and lots of fish to sea if it is calm, though not much coral. The snorkel tours all go to Catalina Cove which is to the right and out from the sandy entrance but you can easily snorkel from shore. There are no facilities at Boca Catalina, just chair rental and a few palapas. There is a bathroom at the snack bar at Arashi beach which is the next bus stop/beach area north. You can also enter the water from Arashi and head to the left to Boca Catalina, but sometimes it seems like there are more waves.

This looks like a post that should perhaps be moved to the Panama Canal forum. I don't think Mexican Riviera cruises normally stop there.

Thank you so much for the information. I've made reservations, mostly early, and was hoping things were better on the Enchantment than some other ships.

Zonians really stick together.

Did you happen to observe lines for My Time Dining? Early seating was not available when we booked so we did My Time. Will try to change when we board if My Time is a disaster on this ship as it is on others. Thanks!

Medicare doesn't apply outside the US. Medigap policies may or may not. It's also useful to remember that pre-existing condition exclusions also apply to family members who may not be traveling with you. If you have to cancel due to their situation, you would be out of luck if your policy does not have pre-existing condition coverage.

My husband graduated from Balboa HS in 1964. You are probably younger than that.

Yes, so many people have a dream of doing the canal that high prices can be charged. It is a marvelous experience though, but a very long day. I've done 9 full, 1 partial transits but got up at 5 am for every one of them. My husband grew up in the Canal Zone and which helped to give him the opportunity of being a guest speaker on these cruises, mostly on HAL. Covid ended that gig, unfortunately.

I think that the fee for canal passage is baked into the taxes and fees part that is added on to the cruise fare. Looking up cruises on Princess, the partial transit ones have taxes and fees of $350. Full transit cruises through the old locks have a charge of $385. For a full transit through the new locks, the taxes and fees charge is $450. There is not a lot of difference in charge for the full vs. partial transit through the old locks since the partial transit ship goes through 3 locks one way and the same 3 locks the other way so the same number of locks to pass through as the full transit. If you look at cruises of a similar length that do not included the Panama Canal, the taxes and fees charge is much less. Also, if the Panama Canal authority increases the fee, chances are that increase will be passed along to cruisers (taxes and fees are not guaranteed to stay the same). Hope that makes sense.

My theory--auto-gratuities happened because: 1. A lot of people don't tip, period. 2. There are alternatives to the main dining room where one might ordinarily tip. If you remove auto-gratuities, it probably doesn't look good for your dining room staff (if any) and stateroom stewards.

Thanks, I was actually concerned about a refillable bottle. I have sometimes used a plastic 20 oz. coke bottle for bringing water ashore--if I lose it no big deal, I can recycle before heading home. Holland America won't allow any plastic bottles of this kind onboard. If not permitted, I will bring a more traditional water bottle. Thanks!

What kind of water bottles can I bring on board? I haven't been on Royal for ages and was unable to anything on the website.

I have read that that NCL provides a free ferry to St. Georges which is where you would need to go to get to Clearwater beach, I think. Do a search for further directions but I think you would take a taxi or bus to the beach from St. Georges. I have not personally been there.