Reydnn38

We are scheduled to pull into Kai Tak on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Would like to get to Hong Kong Park and the Botanical Gardens. Does anyone know what the easiest way is to get there? Take the Ferry or a subway over? Looks like the closest MTR stations are Admiralty Station and the Peak Tram. Thanks in advance.

I am going on a Princess cruise around Great Britian next month. Do you remember if there was a shuttle from the port in LeHavre to the LeHavre bus station? Trying to get to Honfleur for a walking tour the day we are in port. Thanks for anything you remember about this.

OK, so I'm confused. In Fodor's 2020 Tokyo Guide it says "For the most part there is no tipping in Japan. There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you hire a private guide or a private driver, it is the customary to tip 2,000 Yen to 3,000 Yen for a full day with a guide, and 1,000 Yen for a driver." They also add that the tip should be handed over in a small envelope. I understand that years ago tipping was considered rude, but Fodors makes it sound like this may be changing - at least for private guides. Anyone have recent experience with using a private guide and/or driver? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I can't eat any dairy and what the others have said has been true for me - they bring you a menu the day before and you pick out what you want so they can make it dairy free (in my case). They have a "special diet" station that I think these requests go through down in the galley. However, it's not always perfect. I've been served a "dairy free" dessert topped off with real whipped cream - my head waiter caught it as it was being served. And the buffet is another issue. Lots of room for cross contamination there - their head chef told me to always ask for a serving of something from the back as on the line food drips from spoons, etc. into other dishes. And I always ask the line chefs what I can eat that doesn't have dairy in it. If I ask three different people about 25% of the time I get different answers so proceed at your own risk at the buffet. I also bring my own dressings and breads onboard because that seems to be two areas where it's hard to get items dairy free. Sometimes I also bring my own desserts onboard as I get tired of eating fruit for dessert all the time. So there are limitations but the travel makes up for that. Just please, please bring an EpiPen with you. I don't know how many times I've chatted with passengers with allergies and either they didn't bring one on the trip with them or it's back in their room somewhere. Good luck!

Returned last night from France's Finest two week tour. We were the only couple who masked religiously on and off board. We wiped down our room and hands with sanitizer constantly - did no good. You can't eat with a mask on so we tried to get to the Aquavit Terrace for all our meals, but getting seats there was quite the competition! Heard (from one of their neighbors) that a couple came on board with Covid in Paris and asked to be tested. They were removed to a hotel and sent home. We watched as people happily coughed and hacked their way through the breakfast buffet, lunch, before dinner drinks, and dinner. By the end of the trip I'm guessing at least 30 to 40% of us had visible symptoms. Both my husband and myself each missed two days of tours and we had all five shots. We'd watch other couples where one would come out for dinner without their partner and then a couple of days later the partner would reappear looking like "s!*t. Viking didn't care if you were dragging yourself around the ship as long as you didn't ask to be tested. I had the audacity to ask the front desk if they had any cough drops - it was on a weekend and no pharmacies were open - and they just said they don't give out medicines. (Hmm. You are happy to have us spread Covid all over but won't help out when we get ill?!) They are definitely in a "we won't be asking so please don't tell us" mode. My husband got ill to the point of me thinking about the need to get him to a French doctor but instead he quit taking his Celebrex and gradually got better. I was surprised because he is in his mid 60s and had all his shots. Guess you never know. Anyway long story short, if anyone in your party is immunocompromised please reconsider doing this type of tour or you may come home with an unwanted souvenir. I've decided to forgo the joys of sailing with Viking and instead will just reserve a couple of hotels as bases where we can have a bit more control of who is around us 24/7. Good luck!

I'm not an expert but when I check into the ingredients in "non-dairy" creamers and margarines, they often include some form of dairy. I'm really sensitive to any form of dairy so these don't work for me. My fall back has been to ask for vegan products just because the chances seem to improve of getting something that's truly dairy free. We leave for a Viking trip this fall and I'm trying to locate a vegan store in Paris near the dock.

Just noticed this. My husband did not have Covid and was ill before the Covid pandemic - that's the last time we sailed. That said, we'll still bring our own thermometer in the future.

On our last trip my husband became ill and the medical office charged us $50 each time just to take his temp!