Ka Honu

I want to thank those that have reviewed river cruises from the perspective of an ocean cruiser. I have often wondered if they are similar to package land tours.

 

I now know they are not for us.

I've only been on three river cruises but have enjoyed them all immensely. Viking (China) was less "upscale" than Uniworld (Portugal) and Tauck (Danube-Rhine) but the same is true of various ocean cruise lines. Tauck's service, attitude, and total product was as good or better than any of the 30-odd ocean cruises we've taken (albeit with smaller staterooms) and, based on that experience, we're looking forward to joining them on a land tour in Ireland later this month.

The biggest advantages of (ocean & river) cruises for us is that they offer 24-hour room service, they bring the sights to you, and you only have to unpack once. We cruise to enjoy the ride and get a quick overview of a number of places so we can decide which ones we want to visit in greater depth later.

It's why they make both vanilla and (the far superior flavor of) chocolate ice cream.

As has been said many times before, irony - rather like the Titanic - failed to cross the Atlantic successfully:'):'):')

I'm not sure if it was irony (the definition of which has always confused me) but it was funny.

Maybe "Retreat" is Seabourn's deck plan code for "expanded outdoor laundry facility" (with clothesline use available for a fee).

If the Space Center isn't your cup of tea, you might want to check out an airboat tour.

... Make the ships non-smoking ...

And they're off!

Can we get some dress code enforcement, internet quality, pool lounge chair etiquette, and other 4P (peoples' personal pet peeves) suggestions in here? Might as well build the policies into the ship itself.

...the smoking folks are the laidback easy going live and let live... I think the whole smoking thing is way overblown...

Agreed. On our most recent (Regent) cruise I enjoyed sharing an occasional smoke break with the captain, GM, and chef, and I've always maintained that the smokers' area is usually the best way to meet pleasant fellow cruisers. It also serves as a hub for meeting international travelers (since they apparently didn't get the memo designating smokers as disgusting subhumans in the same category as serial killers, ax murderers, and the like).

Shipboard smokers, for the most part, follow the rules without complaint and are considerate of others. I only wish the "fanatics" were as well-behaved and tolerant.

... exposed to the harmful sun... balconies and the pool area peomote shin cancer...

So that's why so many cruise passengers have ugly shins. How exactly does that peomoting thing work and why didn't anyone ever tell me before I risked my legs?

Apropo of not much of anything, as I recall from living in Taipei in the early-mid 70s the National Palace Museum has about 700,000 items and I'm told they can only display (now, after several expansions) about 3,000 pieces at a time. If they still change displays about 4 times a year, it takes well over 50 years to get through the whole collection.

That's a pretty impressive load of really neat stuff! I guess if I go back in 10 years I may see some of the same exhibits I saw all those years ago.

SlowBlueSkies - Sorry for the delay but I've been out of town since before Thanksgiving. Thanks for the info.

Everybody else - Check out her website; it's amazing!

200+ points? Put them in an unmarked envelope and slide them under the third planter by the smoking area on deck 11 before sail-away this afternoon. DO NOT involve Security. On receipt I will email you the photos and delete the originals. No one needs to get hurt here.

...And, is your suite starboard or port?

We're midship starboard and I can definitely say that starboard is best... roughly half the time. On the other hand (side), port shares the same distinction.

I hate to be the one to call BS on you Tami, but people deserve the real story. I'm not going to detail the whole sordid mess from the police report but your fans should know that it involved six inch heels, several gauchos, three tango dancers, and a wonderful bar fight. Luckily Mike was able to overcome almost insurmountable odds and escape with his honor and most of your face intact.

That's my story, it's a good story, and I'm sticking to it.

Apologies in advance but the title of the post cracked me up. My last (of many) "cultural evenings in Saigon" was in the early 70s and my priorities were probably somewhat different than the OP's. One thing that apparently hasn't changed is the expense.

I better shut up now before SWMBO sees this and starts asking questions for which there are no correct answers.

Anyone have any info/recommendations/suggestions on renting a taxi or car (w/driver) for an island tour? We'd kind of like to see some of Valetta, the Hypogeum (if it's reopened by the time we get there and we can get tickets), Mdina, and Blue Grotto. Seems like a bit much for public transport or Hop On - Hop Off so thought a taxi or car & driver might be the way to go.

Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, what's that scrape/patch-looking thing forward on deck 5(?) in photos 3 & 4?

Not to split hairs...

Point taken but since I'm bald I should be exempted from any penalty for misuse.

... we have not seem prejudice of any kind on Regent.

... at least not any prejudice based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference, national origin, or the other usual reasons. There are, however, occasionally one or two who merit prejudice in their own right due to arrogance, bad behavior and the like. Luckily there are far fewer than in most other public venues so you can usually either avoid them or embarrass them out of the common areas.

C'mon people; give smokers a break. I'm one of them and totally agree that smoking should not be allowed in the Observation Lounge or on suite balconies. In the spirit of compromise and balancing all passengers rights and preferences I would think that you would be happy with the decision to exclude those (easily avoidable to others) areas from those available to the ones of us "with the habit" without harping about even more restrictions. I guess I expected too much.

I haven't been there in about 20 years but I spent a fair amount of time in the Philippines from the early 70s to the mid 90s. I always considered Corregidor to be a "must see" site for all visitors (not just Americans), especially those with an interest in WWII history.

IMO, missing Corregidor would be like going to Honolulu and never seeing Pearl Harbor.

Besides, Wes, you will probably have the only chance you'll ever get to "become one with John Wayne" (Buy me a drink and I'll explain that in the Observation Lounge somewhere between Auckland and Singapore).

Hi Ka Honu, is Dog The Bounty Hunter still living in Honolulu?

I really don't know; I haven't seen him in a few years (he doesn't write; he doesn't call; he doesn't send flowers). I think he's on the mainland somewhere but he could still be in Hawaii Kai and just not telling me.

Apparently they're doing some rearranging. This morning our TA forwarded us an email from Seabourn about our August 2017 cruise which said, in part,

Same itinerary, same price, and they threw in $100 pp OBC. Can't complain about that.

Kinda depends on what you're looking for. Catch of the Day on 42nd Ave and 11th St is a seafood/sports bar with decent food and comparatively cheap stone crab claws. There are also several good Cuban places on 41st and 42nd between 7th & 9th (La Caribe, La Rosa, & Latin Cafe 2000) plus a couple in the airport itself (La Carreta and Cafe Versailles).

We recommend Stelios Spinoulas (stelios_spinoulas@hotmail.com, cell 0030 697 6518378). Last time we were there (2014) he charged €120 total to pick us up at the airport, take us to our hotel in Piraeus, deliver us to Odyssey the next morning, and return to the airport (with friends who arrived separately but sailed with us) when we disembarked 3 weeks later. He also easily accommodated our delayed arrival (7 hours late).

According to friends on board, Odyssey will dock in Athens on Saturday.

Thank you all for your interest and concern. For those who are curious, I must admit that I may not be quite as handsome and well-dressed in person as you might imagine. I am, however, just as charming and witty as I am on line.

Suite Travels - I lived in Kona "back in the day" (late 70s) and won't bore you with all the changes other than to strongly advise you check out how the vog affects wherever you decide to settle. It can be brutal.