Before Your Trip

What’s included and what’s not

Just about everything is included in your fare: your cabin, meals, certain drinks (coffee, hot and iced tea, milk, juice), room service, gratuities to your cabin steward, waiter, bus person and maitre d’, Olivia entertainment, music, dancing and non-stop fun.

The following items are not included: airfare, transfers to and from the airport, travel insurance, personal items, alcohol, soft drinks, bottled water, spa services, beauty salon services, boutique purchases, telephone, fax, internet access, shore excursions, ship’s photos, bingo, casino activities and medical attention.

NDA charges are not included in the price of the trip but have already been added to your reservation as reflected on your invoice.

Travel documentation and identification

You will need a passport that is valid for six months past embarkation. If you are not a US citizen, please check with both your country’s consulate and the consulates of the countries you plan to enter to secure any entry visas or other documentation you may need. It is the individual responsibility of all guests to fulfill their passport and visa requirements. Guests arriving at embarkation without proper documentation will be denied entry onto the ship and will not be entitled to a refund.

Vaccinations

Please check with your local Public Heath Department or personal physician regarding immunization requirements for all countries on your itinerary. You may also check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site at: www.cdc.gov. Just click on “Traveler’s Health” and then “Vaccinations.”

Travel insurance

We encourage all guests to purchase additional travel insurance. We recommend Travelex (www.travelex-insurance.com). In order to receive the most comprehensive coverage, please purchase your Travelex insurance within 21 days of your initial invoice. If you have questions about their coverage or pre-existing condition waivers, please contact Travelex directly at 800.228.9792 and refer location to number 05-0095.

Joining the Olivia.com trip group

If you’d like to chat with people who are going on the trip, sign up for the official Olivia trip group, 35th Birthday Bash Caribbean.

About Our Destination

Climate

In November, temperatures should range from the mid-70s to mid-80s.

Currency

U.S. currency is accepted nearly everywhere you go in the islands

Languages

You’ll get by just fine with English!

Time Zone

Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Turks and Caicos are on Eastern Standard Time (EST). The Bahamas are on Bahamas Standard Time, and the time is the same as on the East Coast of the US. St. Maarten is on Atlantic Standard Time all year, which means that during the fall and winter, it is one hour later on the island than it is on the East Coast of the US. (This will be the case during our trip.)

Travel and arrival

Air travel

Where to fly into/out of

You will need to fly into Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL).

Suggested arrival/departure times

If you are arriving on the day of sailing (November 23, 2008), you need to arrive by 12:00 noon. Return flights from Ft. Lauderdale should be scheduled after 12:00 noon on November 30, 2008.

Discount airfare offer

American Airlines offers Olivia travelers a discounted rate. When you book your trip, you will receive a discount code that can be used by calling 800.433.1790 or visiting www.aa.com. Your discount code applies to flights into Ft. Lauderdale (FLL), Miami International (MIA) or Palm Beach International (PBI) airports. Dates of travel are November 12 - December 8, 2008.

Luggage allowances

While there is no luggage limit on the cruise itself, airlines often restrict (or charge) for excess baggage. Because each airline is different, and the regulations change over time, please check with your airline for baggage allowances.

Transfers and meeting up with Olivia

Getting to your pre-trip hotel

Getting to your ship

Port Everglades is approximately 10 minutes from the Fort Lauderdale Airport. If you need a taxi, simply follow the signs leading to the Transportation Plazas. Due to the number of ships that leave Fort Lauderdale and the volume of people at the airport, you may experience an extended wait to get a taxi.

Transfers after your trip

see below

Check in

Ship

You can save time on the day of embarkation by using Holland America's Online Check-in. Once this is available for your trip (approximately 30 days before departure), you will find check-in instructions on your Trip Itinerary page.

During your trip

Amenities

Cabin amenities include: individual stateroom thermostats, 24-hour room service, deluxe bathrobes, Egyptian cotton towels, salon-quality hair dryers, 24-hour front desk, laundry, pressing and dry cleaning service (there are no self-service laundry facilities on the ms Westerdam), private telephones in each stateroom, televisions featuring programming such as CNN, TNT and two movie channels as well as a cruise update channels. Olivia music is also available on the in-cabin radio. (Television, telephone and in-cabin radio are available when signal permits). There are fees for laundry and dry cleaning, as well as phone use.

Ship amenities include: casino, fitness center, spa services, swimming pools, Jacuzzis, shopping boutiques, photo center, 24-hour Internet center, laundry service and self-service laundry, and a movie theater. There is a fee for some of these services/amenities. There will also be plenty of dancing, music, and entertainment.

Dining

Seating policy

Seating is open so you may sit where you wish! We will have a special solos dining area for those traveling alone.

Times

The first dinner seating is at 6:00PM and the second seating is at 8:15PM. You will be assigned a dining time when you book your reservation. Restaurant hours will be listed in your daily program.

Restaurants

Vista Dining Room

The Vista Dining Room is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

24-Hour Room Service

If you would like to enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack in the comfort of your cabin, a room service menu is available 24 hours a day. Refer to your in cabin service guide.

The Lido Restaurant

The Lido Restaurant features both an indoor, air-conditioned restaurant and portable buffet bars outside on the deck, offering some healthy choices, such as, make-it-yourself deli sandwiches, pasta dishes, Italian salads and entrees. Stir fry as well as hamburgers, sandwiches, desserts and the daily ice cream bar are also offered. Come for breakfast, lunch or for dinner.

The Pinnacle Grill – Specialty Restaurant

The Pinnacle Grill, the ms Oosterdam's specialty restaurant, is a great new addition to your dining options. Spoil yourself with exquisite menus and a fine dining experience. A per-person charge of $15 for lunch and $30 for dinner will be applied to your ship account. Special discounted rates are available for the first evening. Contact the restaurant manager on board for reservations.

The Terrace Grill

At the Terrace Grill, located just outside the Lido Restaurant, you can enjoy hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and a taco bar.

The Windstar Café

The Windstar Café is a counter style café with pastries, baked goods and beverages. Coffee drinks are available for purchase here.

Electricity

The cabins have 110 and volt electricity, which is the same as that which is used in the US.

Excursions

Excursions may be booked up to 30 days in advance. Please come back and visit the Trip Itinerary page for your trip to get your booking number and detailed instructions on shore excursions and activities at that time.

Gratuities

Gratuities are included in the cost of the cruise. Gratuities are provided for your cabin steward, dining room steward, bus person, maitre'd and other-behind-the-scenes crew members.

Internet/e-mail/fax

There is an Internet Center on board with minute plans available. Pricing will be posted on board. Letters and postcards may be mailed from the ship while in ports of call. You may buy stamps in port or purchase them through your onboard account.

Laundry and dry cleaning

Laundry, pressing and dry cleaning service is available onboard. There are no self-service laundry facilities on the ms Westerdam.

Medical services

There is an onboard infirmary. Medical services entail an additional fee.

Money: Paying for things on board

Onboard, the currency is US Dollars. All purchases made on the ship will be charged to your onboard account, which you create when you first check in. The ship will process credit card cash advances for a three percent fee at the front office. You can also obtain cash through your onboard account in the casino. Please check with the front office on board for further details.

Phone

Each cabin has a phone. There is an additional fee to use this phone; please check your final informational packet for details.

Smoking policy

We have designated smoking and non-smoking areas on board. The non-smoking areas include all public areas and the port (left) side of all outdoor areas. Smoking is permitted in your cabins, on the starboard (right) side of outside decks and starboard side of the Crow's Nest.

Spa services

There is a spa onboard, and massages and other services are available for an additional fee.

Solo travelers

Look for the Olivia Solos information desk in the port terminal on embarkation day. Stop by to meet your Solos Coordinator and also pick up your Solos Tag and your Solos Week-at-a-Glance program. Here you'll also be able to meet other solo women. A solos orientation meeting is usually held on the first two days of the cruise to help you get to know each other. We also have a special solos section at dinner.

You can also start to meet other solos travelers online at www.olivia.com/connect. Just join the 35th Birthday Bash Caribbean discussion group and introduce yourself! Click on the topic "35th Birthday Bash Caribbean Solos - Introduce Yourself" to start meeting other solos today.

After your Trip

Disembarkation time

The ship will dock in Ft. Lauderdale at approximately 7:00AM, and disembarkation typically begins at 8:00AM. Flights out of Ft. Lauderdale Airport need to be at 12 noon or later.

Transfers to the airport

For those going directly to the Ft. Lauderdale airport, transfers are available for purchase through the shore excursion office on board. We encourage you to book a transfer as taxis are not always plentiful at the end of a cruise.

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