PetB

1 hour ago, knippsel said:

Thank you both for your info.  PetB, just curious - were you still able to sightsee much?

The weather did not stop us sightseeing at all.

We were both aged 65 (then) and are fairly active.

We travelled in our winter, you will be travelling in your summer.

All transportation from the ship was air conditioned.  Most excursions had a shopping session included. I normally hate these, but these venues had good air conditioning as well.  

If you’re running half marathons please don’t take offence at the following suggestions:

• Take water with you and wear a hat and sensible clothing.  We usually wear gear designed for outdoor activity on shore excursions rather than jeans etc.

• If you have concerns you still have plenty of time to build up to it eg walking 2 - 3 km a day for 4 days / week between now and your departure will make the walking part of the excursions easier.  You could use that walking time to listen to travel podcasts.

Singapore is a fascinating city.  I hope your flights permit you to spend some time there before or after your cruise. It’s clean, safe and friendly. The food is fantastic.  You can eat quite cheaply and safely at the hawker centres.  Lau Pa Sat and Kampong Glam are on my must see list every time I go there.  Don’t leave town without trying the Hainan Chicken Rice and the Chilli Crab.  Everyone speaks English. 

Peninsular Malaysia is similar, but with more of an Islamic accent.  Most people speak English. Good food.  Food and drinks are cheap but in places you will find restaurants which neither serve alcohol nor permit you to bring it in.  I have found these places often serve the best food so don’t be afraid to try.

Phuket is interesting.  Cheap food and drinks.  Most people speak English. 

You’ll have a great time!

Asia is a very big place and it is impossible to generalise.  What works well on the shores of the Bosphorus might not be a good idea in Bali. If you visit an Onsen in Japan you are expected to get naked.  Get naked in the Maldives and you are headed for jail.

I can’t answer Q1 because I’ve never visited the Caribbean.

i agree with your comment about it being odd that a person would cruise in Asia and be upset that there were lots of Asians on the cruise.  People thus upset would be considered racists.  However it is possible to be upset about another passenger’s actions without being racist.  If I visit country X I find out about local customs and try not to give offence.  If someone from country X visits my country I expect him or her to do likewise.

The trouble with cruising is there’s no easy way to know which cultural norms are to be observed on the ship.  This causes uncertainty and people don’t like uncertainty.

In relation to Q2 I can say that throughout the Asian countries I have visited most locals don’t display antagonism based on race or nationality, but expect visitors to conduct themselves with courtesy and respect for local customs.  Learn about these things and you will have a good time.

In August 2018 it was hot and humid.

5 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Sorry u misunderstood ....

 

Yes, we boarded the ship after the check in (Dec. 😎.) 

As I said, in "my" book, the moment I've boarded the ship with no intention to disembark again while she is moored in Singapore, I've LEFT Singapore.

BUT, the day AFTER (Dec. 9), we HAD to leave the ship again (thus entering Singapore AGAIN), went to all the procedures of entering the country, then security for entering the country, and then we waited to be called to DEPART Singapore AGAIN.

 

I can understand all the procedures for people who, after checking in, wanted to go OUT again and visit Singapore, and came back shortly before sail away.

 

BUT the vast majority, like us, checked in the ship with no intention to leave it again until Thailand.

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding and I can why you are annoyed about what happened.

Strange.  

Stating the obvious, but Asia isn't Europe.  Not only is the food different but

• often you won't be able to read basic information eg most people find the Thai script very hard going,
• most locals won't understand you,
• roads are rougher, narrower, crowded etc, meaning travel times are unpredictable,
• you can't travel from one country to another if you miss your ship and your passport is on it.

Having said that independent travel can be exciting, rewarding and a lot cheaper than anything offered by your cruise line.

A lot depends on where your ship actually berths and how long it's there for.

Our experience early last year:

Hue / Da Nang: Ship berthed at an industrial port about 60 km north of Da Nang.  Nothing to do there.  We organised a group of about 8 pax on the wharf and travelled on a minibus to Hoi An.  Paid in cash (Dong not $).  Got back to the ship in time.  Fantastic day.

Bangkok:  Ship berthed at Laem Chabang about 150 km or 2 hours from Bangkok.  Ship was there 2 nights.  We booked a hotel in Bangkok for two nights.  Took a ship excursion bus in and a hotel arranged transfer back.  Got to see a lot of things we wouldn't have had time to otherwise including River Kwai site.

Saigon: Took a shore excursion booked on the ship here as Saigon traffic is horrendous and we didn't want to swim to Singapore if we missed the ship.

Whatever you do:

• Carry a copy of your passport.
• Carry LOCAL cash in denominations no bigger than about $20.
• DO NOT leave the wharf without a piece of paper written in the local language that you can show a taxi driver to get you back to the ship.

The simplest solution would be to buy something to eat while ashore, ie buy ashore and eat ashore.

If you want to take food from the ship you can only do so in accordance with local quarantine regulations.  In major ports it might be possible to declare an item and have it inspected by a quarantine official but in minor ports there will probably be a total prohibition.

Check the web for quarantine information from the country you are visiting.

When you boarded the ship you had left Singapore.  To disembark after that it is only natural to expect to have to go through some border formalities.  Other nearby countries have a more relaxed approach and often accept your sea pass card, but Singapore is very security conscious.  It’s also one of the safest places you could ever hope to visit.

If the ship requested that you be off by 11:00 then, human nature being what it is, it’s fairly likely to be busy a few minutes before that time.

its a pity that you weren’t able to spend more time in the city.

We went to Alaska two years ago. It was part of a 6 weeks visit to the US and Canada. I had travelled before with a DSLR and up to three lenses. I decided to go with something different - a Panasonic TZ70, backed up with an iPhone. Overall I'm glad I did mainly because:

• it's a lot less weight to carry around;
  
• a long enough zoom for bears and whales etc, and
  
• wide enough for some spectacular landscapes.
  

Tossing up if it's worth lugging a DSLR Nikon D7100 and 1 or 2 lens plus a few other bits or a couple of reasonable quality compact digitals which can shoot RAW (without 1" sensor) on flights, boat, bus and train from AU to Alaska and back?

I understand the difference in quality for poster printing, competitions, etc, but that's not our aim this time.

Just need goodish quality images for audiovisuals, printed albums, etc.

And how important is a longish zoom?

Any advice appreciated.

We were on Viking Jarl departing Budapest on 23 April 2017.

I don’t know if snow in April is usual or not. It only snowed the first day we were there. The other days were cold, wet and windy. If you are going to be there in March you will need warm clothes. Layers work best and the outer layer should be wind and water proof. Don’t forget hats and gloves. It’s a fascinating city and you wouldn’t want to be stuck inside due to not having appropriate clothing.

Some tours the shopping was central to the activity eg the winery / monastery visit. In other tours there was time at the end.

There’s just no way you will see everything there is to see. However if you go on the daily tour you will see a lot of interesting things. Consider making your own way back to the ship if you have time. This will give you the chance to drop in at a cafe or pub for lunch or coffee etc. also consider spending extra time in Europe after the cruise. We spent two weeks travelling around Germany by train. It’s cheap, clean, safe and above all fascinating.

We arrived in Budapest on 20 April 2017. It was snowing.

Re the sulphur smell it is probably exhaust gas from a diesel engine. You shouldn't smell this in your cabin but may smell it on deck. If you smell it in your cabin complain and make sure it is fixed.

Viking excursions we have been on allow time for shopping etc. But if people are late get ing back on the bus this time may be reduced.

We will be on the Romantic Danube March 25, 2017 - April 1, 2017 (we are also doing the pre cruise in Budapest and the post cruise in Prague) I have a couple questions.

1) What is the weather like March - April, have you been know to change ships during this time due to the water levels

 

2) I have read about sulfate smell on the ships, is there a way to avoid this any help dealing with this will be helpful.

 

3) If you take the included Shore Excursions, do you have time on your own to do some shopping.

 

This is our 1st River Cruise any helpfully do or don't would be helpful.

Thanks in advance for any help.

:D

We cruised Budapest to Nuremberg in April 2017 with Viking.

Budapest: Centrally located dock within walking distance of Chain Bridge and Central Markets.

Vienna: Docked at a dedicated cruise port. You could walk to a rail station and get into the city from there. Not much to do in the immediate vicinity.

Krems: Centrally located dock handy to Old Town.

Passau: Centrally located dock handy to Old Town.

Regensburg: Centrally located dock handy to Old Town.

Nuremberg: Some kms out of interesting area.