MomC

I have traveled all over the world and can truly say that my visit to Orkney Island is truly one of the top 5 destinations I have ever visited. We did the cruise that stopped in Ireland and Scotland--several places and I was flabbergasted to report that they paled in comparison to our day on Orkney Island. It was so great that I wrote up our independent tour for Cruise Critic--the one and only time I have ever done that. I graduated from high school in 1964 and was a great Beatles fan, but you cannot duplicate what you see on the tour we took. Hands down, take an independent tour. If you want the name of the tour company we used, I will go back and look it up for you. It was a fantastic day. You will not regret your choice.

Mom C--from Fort Collins, CO

Could those of you who have recently sailed on the California Coastal cruises tell me if there is a problem with long wait times to board the tenders into Santa Barbara if you are not taking a ship's tour? We want to go on an independent wine tour and need to know what time we can realistically expect to get off the Crown Princess and arrive on shore. I have heard this is a long, tedious process. Is that accurate??

As always. CC guests are the absolute best sources of information. Thank you in advance.

Mom C

does anyone know who has sailed on the Crown Princess recently if the game room has Mahjong tiles for use? We have a group sailing in October that would like to play and needs to know if they are provided or if they need to bring them. Thanks in advance for your help.

Mom C

Does Princess offer special happy hour prices in certain bars? I am going with a group on the Crown Princess, and in the past on Holland America there was a certain bar that offered 2 for 1 martinis prior to dinner. Just wondering if Princess has a similar promotion.

Thanks for your help--in advance!

Mom C

Please share your experience when you have sailed on this new product. This sounds like such a wonderful cruise experience. Can't wait to get some first hand knowledge when people start sailing on this. We want to do the sailing in November which goes from New Orleans to Memphis. We have never been to this part of the US and figure this might be a good way to experience it.

I appreciate those with insight into this experience answering my question. I will read the reviews from those who travel on the AQ this spring and summer and then decide if this is the experience for us. We would really like to try this so part of me says, "damn the cost, full speed ahead." But I do want to be convinced that the experience is worth the higher cost.

Mom C

I am very interested in this product, but have always wondered why the US river cruise is so much more than European ones? For the price of an A cabin on the American QUeen, I could book a junior suite of 320 square feet on the brand new AMA Waterways ship in Portugal. With free wine with dinner, bottled water, specialty coffees, and internet on AMA, I believe I am pricing apples to apples here.

Obviously, flying into a US port is much cheaper than flying to Europe, but WHY is the river boat cruising experience so much more expensive?

I don't mind paying for a quality experience; we often sail Oceania and Seabourn. But I don't understand why this older, refurbished ship with small cabins is so much higher than

other cruises on ocean and rivers have been.

I eagerly await your knowledge and insight.

Mom C

Not to cast aspersions on what you wrote, but our daughter is 44 and travels with us (we are in our 60's) all the time--well, once or twice a year--and she loves being with those of us older than she is. She finds older travelers well educated about life and about traveling. Just so your won't think she is odd, she is from Santa Monica and is as hip as any of the stars who we observe on Montana Street. I think appreciating people of any age is a state of mind as well as a value you gain from your family. Our daughter enjoys the finer things in life--and to her way of thinking, people older than her fall into that category. Just an observation.

BTW, she also pays for her own cabin so we know she's not traveling with us because it's free. Seabourne is her cruise line of choice; Oceania is ours. We sail both.

I have a group of 28 going on the Volendam November 15 sailing. Is that when you are going? Some have expressed a desire to see a rum distillery.

Linda