still going to Guatamala Volendam Cruisers?

[v3cruiser]

Hello,

 

Noticed on a different website you were scheduled to dock in Guatemala soon on the 27th..

 

Just curious if you are still planning to port there. We are scheduled to go there on December 8th with ncl.  We are looking to go the Antigua with the volcano erupting a bit, just curious if you heard anything from cruise line?

 

Thanks.

[Copper10-8]

Are you addressing anyone in particular with this very intriguing personal message or can anyone who feels so obliged give it a shot for the direct and specific purposes of a reply without malice aforethought? 

[need2cruisesoon]

We just did the PC on the Bliss.

 

We did port in Guatemala however decided against trekking to Antigua.

 

I talked to some other people who did the excursion and they said it was a long haul with changing to smaller buses halfway through the drive.

They agreed that they should've just stayed on the ship. Just my .02

[v3cruiser]

Thanks for your response!

[Turtles06]

6 hours ago, v3cruiser said:

Hello,

 

Noticed on a different website you were scheduled to dock in Guatemala soon on the 27th..

 

Just curious if you are still planning to port there. We are scheduled to go there on December 8th with ncl.  We are looking to go the Antigua with the volcano erupting a bit, just curious if you heard anything from cruise line?

 

Thanks.

Will you be docking in Puerto Quetzal?  If so, we were docked there with NCL not quite two years ago and took the ship-sponsored "Antigua on your own" tour -- round trip transport to/from Antigua, with a guide on the bus along the way and a map provided.  (One bus, no change of buses along the way.)  Antigua is interesting and quite do-able on your own once you get there, and this was a very worthwhile way to spend the day; I would not stay on the ship.  (Obviously, I can't speak to a volcano erupting or how it might impact a tour to Antigua.)

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

Edited November 24, 2018 by Turtles06

[mcrcruiser]

10 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Will you be docking in Puerto Quetzal?  If so, we were docked there with NCL not quite two years ago and took the ship-sponsored "Antigua on your own" tour -- round trip transport to/from Antigua, with a guide on the bus along the way and a map provided.  (One bus, no change of buses along the way.)  Antigua is interesting and quite do-able on your own once you get there, and this was a very worthwhile way to spend the day; I would not stay on the ship.  (Obviously, I can't speak to a volcano erupting or how it might impact a tour to Antigua.)

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

The crime rate in  Guatemala is quite high  .Were you not concerned about the high crime rate ?

 Nice photos 

Edited November 24, 2018 by mcrcruiser

[Turtles06]

15 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

The crime rate in  Guatemala is quite high  .Were you not concerned about the high crime rate ?

 Nice photos 

Thanks for the kind words about my photos.

 

No, we were not concerned about the crime rate in Guatemala, as we were taking a ship's bus to Antigua and staying within the small central (and very busy, touristy) area there.  Don't go venturing off.

Edited November 24, 2018 by Turtles06

[zelker]

On ‎11‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 1:18 PM, v3cruiser said:

Hello,

 

Noticed on a different website you were scheduled to dock in Guatemala soon on the 27th..

 

Just curious if you are still planning to port there. We are scheduled to go there on December 8th with ncl.  We are looking to go the Antigua with the volcano erupting a bit, just curious if you heard anything from cruise line?

 

Thanks.

 

We're on Volendam, scheduled to dock in Puerto Quetzal on December 9.  I've been keeping an eye on the Fuego Volcano since it erupted this past Monday and caused 4K people in surrounding areas to be evacuated but I think everyone's been allowed to return home now.  That said, it's the 5th time it erupted this year with the worst happening in June and killing 150+ people (with a reported 200 more missing).  We are scheduled to go to Antigua on a private tour but can cancel within 48 hrs so will definitely be watching it as we cruise that direction from San Diego.  And no, we never heard anything from HAL about it but I'm sure they monitor it as well.  Fingers crossed that we all get to enjoy Guatemala. 

[Ineke]

I’ve been wondering the same thing, but am also curious about visits to Nicaragua, specifically Corinto.  I’ve been watching the Government of Canada Travelers Advisories, and neither Guatemala nor Nicaragua appear to be safe right now.  Does anyone have any recent experiences?

[zelker]

The US State Dept. has issued Warning Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution for many places in Mexico, including outside of Puerta Vallarta and Huatulco so we're hanging close to town in both places.  Colombia is also Level 2 (with some parts Level 3) but it looks like staying around Cartagena and the immediate coastal area is considered relatively safe, with of course the caveat of keeping an eye on one's surrounding ... for all these countries.  

 

Re: Nicaragua - it's been very unsettled for a long time and yet the cruise ships still seem to go there.  The US State Dept. has issued Warning Level 3 - Reconsider Travel for pretty much the entire country but added the following (for what it's worth): 

On September 12, 2018, the U.S. Department of State lifted the ordered departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members. The U.S. Embassy remains open to provide emergency services for U.S. citizens and will gradually return to normal operations.

 

Does Canada offer anything similar to the US's STEP program (Snart Traveler Enrollment Program) where we can register where and when we're traveling including our passport #s, reason for travel, contact info, etc.  I registered both of us for this trip.

 

[Ineke]

Thank you, Zelker, for the info  as well as the suggestion.  I will certainly check into that! I note that Volendam is scheduled to be in Corinto tomorrow.  I’ll certainly be interested in getting reactions from passengers about the port and excursions, and the same for Puerto Quetzal.  Hope there will be some.  We were there a number of years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed the tours we did in both countries.  At that time we docked in Puntarenas? in Nicaragua, not, Corinto.  Oh, and in Huatulco we just went to the beach right by the cruise dock both times we were there on a cruise.  Very enjoyable, but at that time Huatuco was known for being friendly and very clean, so it may have changed.

Edited November 26, 2018 by Ineke
Forgot a word.

[SilvertoGold]

Corinto:  take a shorex, as this  town, while something quite different from the other ports on this cruise, is quite underwhelming and you won't spend much time there.

[zelker]

We're docking in Puntarenas - but that's Costa Rica.  LOL  Hopefully someone will post that's on the current cruise.  Huatulco is, to my knowledge, still clean and safe - it's going outside of the tourist area where one has to be careful; same with PV.  

 

BTW, I talked to HAL today and was told that currently there are no weather or civil unrest warnings (she called them "emergency warnings") that would keep us from visiting either country but that of course they monitor those things closely and would change the itinerary if needed to keep us out of harm's way.  She said IF the captain made the decision to skip a port, they would try to find another place to take us or we'd wind up with a sea day.  

 

 

Edited November 26, 2018 by zelker

[Ineke]

Great, thank you again!  And now I’ll have to go check where our port in Nicaragua was, because I can’t recall 😟.  All great info.

[zelker]

Just checked the current location of the ship and it's in Corinto (Nicaragua).  

 

[Turtles06]

14 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Corinto:  take a shorex, as this  town, while something quite different from the other ports on this cruise, is quite underwhelming and you won't spend much time there.

I agree.  If you dock in Corinto, one option is a ship's tour to León to see the Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It's all white, including the roof, which you can walk on, and which has an almost Gaudi-esque feel to it.  (You must first take off your shoes, so have sox with you or you'll be walking in a frying pan if it's sunny out.)

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[zelker]

Hi, Judith!  Hope you guys enjoyed your TA and had a great Thanksgiving.  We actually booked a private tour to visit Leon - thanks for the suggestion of socks for the roof!  😄  Barb

 

[sciteach603]

We also docked in Puerto Quetzal with Celebrity a year ago.  We took the Antigua On Your Own through the cruise line.  Had a guide on the bus driving to Antigua who was very informative.  Once we got very near Antigua we did have to change to a smaller bus to go into the old town.  It was just a short ride.  Once in Antigua, my husband and I wandered on our own,  and had a wonderful lunch in a restaurant.  While we were sitting in the park in the center of the city, a very sweet young lady with her mother came up and asked if she could speak to us to practice her English.  We enjoyed the exchange.  We saw some police around as in most cities, but felt very safe. At no time did we feel threatened or wary of anyone. Everyone we spoke to was extremely friendly.

 

It is a beautiful little city and was one of our favorite stops on that cruise.  The volcanoes are visible from Antigua and at that time would spout every so often with steam which was kind of neat see.  

 

I wouldn’t miss Antigua if it is safe to go from the volcano standpoint.

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, zelker said:

Hi, Judith!  Hope you guys enjoyed your TA and had a great Thanksgiving.  We actually booked a private tour to visit Leon - thanks for the suggestion of socks for the roof!  😄  Barb

 

Hi Barb -- we did indeed, and we hope you had a great holiday too!  And you have mail!   

[Turtles06]

35 minutes ago, sciteach603 said:

It is a beautiful little city and was one of our favorite stops on that cruise.  The volcanoes are visible from Antigua and at that time would spout every so often with steam which was kind of neat see.  

 

I wouldn’t miss Antigua if it is safe to go from the volcano standpoint.

Through the tour bus window on our way to Antigua from Puerto Quetzal (not quite two years ago):

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[zelker]

Because we are registered with the US State Department's STEP program, we just received the following Demonstration Alerts  from the US Embassies in both Nicaragua and Columbia and wanted to share.  Both were issued today.  Nicaragua is particularly concerning since it mentions the risk of demonstrations against the US and they are instructing embassy personnel to limit activities until further notice.   

 

(apologize for the lousy formatting but ever since CC "updated" their site, it's been near impossible to do anything straightforward)

 

---------------

Demonstration Alert:  U.S. Embassy Managua, Nicaragua (November 27, 2018)

Location:  Nicaragua, countrywide

Event:  Recent public announcements have heightened the risk of demonstrations against the U.S., and, as a precautionary measure, Embassy personnel have been instructed to limit their activities until further notice. 

Actions to Take:

·    Avoid demonstrations and leave the area immediately if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests. 

·    Do not attempt to drive through large groups or barricades encountered on the street. 

·    Minimize your public activities.  If you fear for your safety, leave the unsafe area as quickly as possible.  

·    Monitor local media for updates.  100% Noticias, also known as Channel 15 or Channel 63 on cable, and Radio Corporación offer nearly 24/7 news coverage. 

 

Demonstration Alert – U.S. Embassy Bogota (November 27, 2018)  

Location: Colombia, countrywide

Event: Demonstrations (called a “paro nacional,” or nationwide strike) are expected to take place throughout major cities in Colombia on Wednesday, November 28.  Additional demonstrations are scheduled for the coming weeks.  Students, transportation providers, truckers, the judicial union, and other labor groups are protesting government policies and lack of funding.  Many private schools will be closed on Wednesday, November 28.  U.S. citizens may encounter disturbances, heavy police presence, the use of tear gas, and significant traffic delays.  U.S. government personnel are advised to avoid demonstrations. 

Actions to Take:                        

·        Monitor local media for updates.

·        Avoid demonstrations.