zebra

This is an inside Accessible cabin on the Explorer - Cabin # 9337 Does anyone perhaps have a picture of this cabin?

This is an inside Accessible cabin on the Explorer. Does anyone perhaps have a picture of this cabin?

We are trying to choose between 2 cruises. Each one goes to one port that we have not been to yet. Palma de Mallorca and the other goes to Ibiza. For those travelers who have been to both which would you suggest and why. Many Thanks.

We absolutely loved Cartagena. just step off the ship and directly into the beautiful city. You certainly don't need a tour guide here.

We were on the sailing with you. Loved your photo's - it looks like we walked almost in your footsteps everywhere except we did the West Tour on Madeira with Madeira Happy Tours and they were totally amazing. Loved that side of the island.

we have a private half day tour with them upon arrival as well as a Montserrat the morning prior to boarding ship in the afternoon. Obviously, we'll have our luggage in tow. Can you tell me if the driver remains with the vehicle while touring sites with the guide:confused: TIA:)

To answer your question - yes the driver stayed with the vehicle at all times while the tour guide toured with us.

On April 30th Lisa met us as we disembarked the Vision of the Seas, with all our luggage and 3 other couples. Lisa is an awesome tour guide (originally from Ireland but knows all the history of what she is showing you). Danny was our driver who stayed with the vehicle at all times.

We had the most amazing day in Montserrat, thanks to Barcelona Day Tours, we will definitely use them again. As a side note: Lisa said that Barcelona is a safe city - we had been there 3 times before - and I must say this time I felt totally safe for the 4 days that we were there. And we did a huge amount of walking through markets, Bari Gothic and all the narrow streets, Port Vell and also up and down Las Ramblas. We LOVE Barcelona!!!

5 minutes walk. Just walk up from the port to the seafront, cross the road onto the main street and the Roman Theatre ticket office is one of the first buildings on your right opposite the Town Hall; well signposted so you can't miss it.

 

You may find this kink helpful http://www.teatroromanocartagena.org/_jDgB8UCd51YgSeeupRXiuegfBe1r886K

Thank you!

Can someone please tell me how long it would take to walk from the port to the Roman Theater?? Also the directions to get there please.

Terry,

I see you will be visiting Maun/Botswana and I thought of you when my sister (who lives in Botswana) sent this article out of yesterday's paper - Botswana Footprints, an article on Maun: …………………..

"As you may be aware the water levels in the Delta are dropping fast and furiously this season. Boating and mokoro activities are being stopped in most areas as either there is no more water left, or it’s packed with crocodiles and hippos who are holding on to the last bit of wet that is available out there, which means: we really don’t want to place our guests in the middle of it all on a boat or mokoro.

The Okavango has gone through wet and dry spells as long as time. Local rainfall, Angolan rainfall, small seismic shifts in the underlying tectonics, it all makes for a rather involved and very unpredictable miracle of nature. For the past years, we could all lean back, almost guarantee water activities for most of the year in lots of areas and have our clients looking forward to gliding across the delta on a mokoro and zooming through the papyrus lined channels.

Currently we are looking at a totally different scenario, the Okavango is at its driest since a long time. I’m sure some clients will be a bit disappointed about missing out on their water experience. Did the Okavango cheat us? Maybe we have to change our approach in how we present it? The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s last wildernesses. There is no regulating its flows, it’s left to nature, the water comes and goes and the animals adjust to whatever comes along. The delta has hundreds of different faces. Wetter ones, drier ones, and lots and lots in between. Every single season has its very unique upsides. Sure the bush is thick and rather impenetrable in the rains, but it also makes for wonderful lush background, for happy and relaxed animals, lots of babies everywhere, for dramatic skies, and it is all dotted by the summer migrants who come visit.

The dry months are more dramatic, the animals are bound to being close to water, there is high competition for food and the air vibrates around the hot spots. The lines between dry and wet months have started becoming rather blurry, climate definitely has changed. So maybe we should wave good bye to trying to predict the next season as clearly as possible and prepare our travellers as meticulously as we can on what exactly to expect. Let’s rather convey a message of being open minded for anything that nature and the Okavango have up their sleeves for us. In average years it might be this and that, but we cannot know exactly, we can only guarantee that it will be wild, untamed, untampered with, that it will be “the real thing”.

We need to focus on that Miracle of Nature and understand that change brings new opportunities in the Delta. The game is more concentrated as the water levels drop, and the sightings can be more varied and exclusive. This is the reality of our “Backyard” and rather than missing a water experience, you are part of one of Wildest Africa’s greatest natural events."

Yes, for May B, I am planning to be doing a Live/Blog in connection with our Silversea Silver Cloud Feb. 2-12 sailing along the South African coast and to tie in our pre-cruise five days in Cape Town and the post-cruise portion in Victoria Falls and the Botswana safari experiences.

 

Appreciate all of the good info from Zimbo and others for Cape Town.

 

Here in the "Colonies", this is the headline on the big, BIG story hitting the USA. Here is the AccuWeather headline: "Blizzard to unload 1-2 feet of snow from DC to Philadelphia, NYC". Here is more of their story highlights, plus the graphic you can see below: "The Blizzard of 2016 will continue to evolve and shut down travel through Saturday from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City, with some areas of the mid-Atlantic receiving 1-2 feet of snow and strong winds. Localized areas could receive more than 2 feet. Snowfall totals have reached a foot across Washington, D.C. and Baltimore by early Saturday morning and will continue to pile up from Philadelphia to New York City through Saturday."

 

Been busy in the past few days getting final work and trip prep items done. Depart Tuesday afternoon through Chicago to go to Doha/Qatar and Cape Town/South Africa. Why? Below are AccuWeather graphic examples for what the weather will be like in Cape Town for Jan. 28-Feb. 2 and Maun/Botswana near the Delta area where we will do safari efforts, Feb. 15-21. Warmer seems better, right?

 

Still good to head south of the equator for sunshine and warmer weather?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 134,304 views for this posting.

 

 

Here is the AccuWeather graphic on the snow storm hitting the eastern U.S. this weekend. Fortunately, no added snow here in Columbus as of this morning, but nearby in SE Ohio, they were getting a fairly large amount of that pesky "white stuff".:

 

 

 

Here in both F and C temperatures is how AccuWeather is projecting for Cape Town later this coming week and before we board the Silver Cloud on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Seem better than being in the colder and more challenging Midwest?:

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the February weather projections for Maun/Botswana near the famed Delta area for our safari experiences in this region.:

 

Hi Terry,

You mentioned you will be going to Botswana/Maun and I thought of you when my sister (who lives in Botswana) sent me this newspaper article from the "Botswana Footprints" (Maun) yesterday. You may be interested in this article:

As you may be aware the water levels in the Delta are dropping fast and furiously this season. Boating and mokoro activities are being stopped in most areas as either there is no more water left, or it’s packed with crocodiles and hippos who are holding on to the last bit of wet that is available out there, which means: we really don’t want to place our guests in the middle of it all on a boat or mokoro.

The Okavango has gone through wet and dry spells as long as time. Local rainfall, Angolan rainfall, small seismic shifts in the underlying tectonics, it all makes for a rather involved and very unpredictable miracle of nature. For the past years, we could all lean back, almost guarantee water activities for most of the year in lots of areas and have our clients looking forward to gliding across the delta on a mokoro and zooming through the papyrus lined channels.

Currently we are looking at a totally different scenario, the Okavango is at its driest since a long time. I’m sure some clients will be a bit disappointed about missing out on their water experience. Did the Okavango cheat us? Maybe we have to change our approach in how we present it? The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s last wildernesses. There is no regulating its flows, it’s left to nature, the water comes and goes and the animals adjust to whatever comes along. The delta has hundreds of different faces. Wetter ones, drier ones, and lots and lots in between. Every single season has its very unique upsides. Sure the bush is thick and rather impenetrable in the rains, but it also makes for wonderful lush background, for happy and relaxed animals, lots of babies everywhere, for dramatic skies, and it is all dotted by the summer migrants who come visit.

The dry months are more dramatic, the animals are bound to being close to water, there is high competition for food and the air vibrates around the hot spots. The lines between dry and wet months have started becoming rather blurry, climate definitely has changed. So maybe we should wave good bye to trying to predict the next season as clearly as possible and prepare our travellers as meticulously as we can on what exactly to expect. Let’s rather convey a message of being open minded for anything that nature and the Okavango have up their sleeves for us. In average years it might be this and that, but we cannot know exactly, we can only guarantee that it will be wild, untamed, untampered with, that it will be “the real thing”.

We need to focus on that Miracle of Nature and understand that change brings new opportunities in the Delta. The game is more concentrated as the water levels drop, and the sightings can be more varied and exclusive. This is the reality of our “Backyard” and rather than missing a water experience, you are part of one of Wildest Africa’s greatest natural events.

With all the experienced cruisers here on this board - I would love to hear your reviews on the private tour guide you used from the port of Naples, doing the Amalfi Coast. We did the Amalfi Coast about 10 years ago, including Pompeii and thought that there would probably be additional tour guides in the area since we were there last. Looking forward to your suggestions and reviews. Thank you.

Any recommended restaurants close to San Giorgio Hotel?? Thanks.

For those who have been there and have the knowledge - please can you tell me if it is open on Sundays and does all the public transport run on Sundays from Barcelona to Montserrat? Thanks.

Thanks guys we certainly hope so.

In Oct 2016 we will be arriving in port on the Jewel of the Seas and wanting to transfer to the Rhapsody of the seas who will also be in port the same day. Having been there before I know this is a huge industrial port. Of course we are hoping the two ships will be docked side by side, but that might not be a possibility. Do you know if there is a shuttle inside the port that would take us between the two ships????

Looking for suggestions on a GREAT tour guide for the Amalfi Coast - if you have the name of someone please let me know and also why he was so good. Many thanks.

Where is Balducci's? Does Willoughby's have Dom Pedro's?

Yes, as I said above, you can have Dom Pedro's at any restaurant that serves liquor, and that is most in SA.

Balducci's and Willoughby's are both at the V & A waterfront.

Correct, East London does not have a tube LOL, it's a small seaside city in SA.

Hi lesson, we are on the same cruise as you. Please come over to the Roll Call of the Brilliance for the 18th May and introduce yourself to us. Can't wait to see this beautiful part of the world ……...

Fabulous pics! Did you take Eoro's or use credit cards?

Thanks for the wonderful info, advice and links. Can't wait to see Copenhagen.

Thanks for the wonderful review - we leave on that same cruise on the 18th May. Did you go to Nyhavn in Copenhagen? I was wondering about the best way to get there.

Another question - you used the HOHO bus in various ports. Did you carry their currency with you or use a C/C?

Our ship will be docking on a Wednesday at Langelinie. What is the best way to get to Nyhavn. I am not sure I would be able to walk both there and back ….. maybe one way.

When we get to Nyhavn where would we find the canal tours and how much is it per person for the boat tour.

There is sooooo much awesome info here for Copenhagen, but its virtually impossible to look through all the posts.

Thanks for youur help!

From our late July 2008 visit to Copehhagen, we loved the walk back from Tivoli to the main ship docking area. During our leisurely walk, we saw and enjoyed the City Hall area, main shopping street, lots of nice fountains and great statues/sculptures, more docking areas, views of the key government buildings, the famed "new" Nyhavn port with its scenic and colorful buildings, the new Opera House viewed from across the water, the Royal Palaces or Christiansborg Palace (Christiansborg Slot), lots of unique churches and old buildings, nice squares, the bronze Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid, etc., etc.

 

We had earlier in the day done the canal boat tour (which is a must-see, must-do highlight) and visited the Rosenborg Castle grounds. We visited the old fishing village of Drag'r, south of Copenhagen, strolling through this picturesque town with its thatched-roof homes as a part of an am tour through our ship. This village was very nice and enjoyable. Tivoli Gardens is a must-see with its rides and amusements and restaurants ranging from casual snack shacks to Michelin-starred haute cuisine. Lots of live music and performances were happening on this nice Sunday afternoon. Doing Tivoli and walking back took about three and a half hours. It was a total joY!

 

You can do and set lots in Copenhagen in one day. One person summarized correctly that Copenhagen still has its "small-town soul". Did we get inside the key museums and palaces? No, but we would see the really big palaces and museums later in St. Petersburg on our cruises, plus what had seen in previously trips to Paris, Vienna, London, Rome, etc. Walking around and enjoying Copenhagen was a total joy, plus we had 80F temperatures and perfectly blue skies. Walking around is THE great way to get a better "feel" for this town than just seeing it out the window of a tour bus. Below are some picture highlights from our walking back to the ship from Tivoli. Say nice things about the pictures and I'll post more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Love all your pictures and info.

We will be in Copenhagen on the Brilliance of the Seas on May 20th. I do not know at which port we will be docking. We are very interested in going to Nyhavn. How far is it - how long of a walk? I also believe we can take canal tours from there?

We will be doing a B2B. So will be in port only for the day. I have family in Britain who will be driving down to Harwich just to see us for a few hours, and a sister and BIL, flying in from South Africa, to join us for the 2nd cruise, so they will be arriving and embarking this day (this will be quite the reunion) so we wondered which restaurant would be best for the 6 of us to meet at, where we could eat, have drinks and visit for a few hours.

Thanks for the suggestions of the Alma Inn and The Pier. Now I need to know which will be walking distance from the ship???

For all those who have spent some time in Harwich - I need some advice. We will have a day in Harwich between 2 cruises and will be meeting family members from Wales to have lunch together. Can you give us some idea of places to see and also which would be the best restaurant to go to????