Sailnsurf

I have had both knees replaced - one year apart. Did all the phsio required including water therapy(which was much easier and super beneficial) and I was playing lawnbowls after 6 weeks. Do the hard work and you have a good chance of doing more than you think likely. Even if somewhat limited I reckon it will be worth going for it. Good luck with it all.

Have others had difficulty with this? If so is there some reliable way of using the Istanbul Kart?

Thanks HAL4NOW. I hope others with more recent experience will also respond to give me the confidence I need.I tried to find the previous discussions to which Cruiser Bruce referred without success. But what you have said is very helpful. Australian doctors will only prescribe antivirals if you actually have Covid.

We have an upcoming Med cruise in September on the Oosterdam. Can anyone tell me whether HAL Medical Centres have Covid antivirals available and if so what is involved in obtaining them and at what cost?

Thanks for all replies which as usual on CC have been very helpful and have given me the confidence to pursue this cruise option.

Thanks for all responses. I should explain further. My wife (and I ) love cruising. We have chosen mid-size ships and have been careful with cabin selection, mid-ship mid- level for known heavy swell areas ( Noordkaap Norway - Bering sea Japan Alaska crossing) aft cabin for Mediterranean. It makes a great difference for her. I started looking at a Paul Gargain cruise but read reviews mentioning rocking and rolling in what seemed like ordinary sea conditions. That is what got me looking at a Star Breeze cruise in French Polynesia at a time when kindly wind and sea conditions should be expected. But it would help to get a feel for whether there is any degree of movement in the conditions usually experienced say between May and September. Any further information would be very much appreciated because it sounds as if a cruise with Windstar would be a great experience.

Thanks for your reply Redtravel. I suspected that there would be a potential for noticeably more motion but hoped that the relatively short distances between islands and sea conditions might have meant there was no problem . I would have liked to try a small ship experience but I think it is not to be.

My wife is sensitive to motion. She has managed well on several Holland American cruises and has only had some difficulty in gale strength winds or heavy swells. We are cosidering a Marquesas and a Tahitian islands cruise on the Star Breeze. Can anyone who has sailed on Star Breeze give us some idea of her stabiliy? Does she have stabilsers?

Thanks for this. The line is HAL and I did post on their board where I got what I needed. You are correct that ships anchor off Giardini Naxos and tender in to the pier there.

Thanks again for your info Sharon in AZ

Just Taormina. Tender required.

Thanks all for your responses. Sharon in AZ particular thanks. A picture is worth a thousand words. Your photos suggest you were anchored off Naxos. Our solution looks like that we should get a taxi to the Theatre ( 4 of us) and then walk mainly down-hill to the Town. Then get a taxi back to the Naxos area.

The HAL excursions do not excite us. We have visited Taormina on a previous cruise when we went by by rail (lapping the shore line) from Messina. On this cruise the ship anchors offshore somewhere at or near Taormina. All HAL excursions start in Taormina. We would prefer to plan our own day if we can - hence my enquiries.

Our upcoming Mediterranean cruise includes Taormina in late September. The itinerary shows tenders will be used. In order to plan our day it would be helpful to have information about where tenders are likely to land, how one gets from there to the town itself and how one gets from there to the Greco Roman theatre. Some of our group will have mobility issues so availability of transport options would be useful to know. All tips would be appreciated.

Our upcoming Mediterranean cruise includes Taormina in late September. The itinerary shows tenders will be used. In order to plan our day it would be helpful to have information about where tenders are likely to land, how one gets from there to the town itself and how one gets from there to the Greco Roman theatre. Some of our group will have mobility issues so availability of transport options would be useful to know. All tips would be appreciated.

Our upcoming Mediterranean cruise includes Taormina in late September. The itinerary shows tenders will be used. In order to plan our day it would be helpful to have information about where tenders are likely to land, how one gets from there to the town itself and how one gets from there to the Greco Roman theatre. Some of our group will have mobility issues so availability of trsnsport options would be useful to know. All tips would be appreciated.

Thanks Cruisemom42 and Edinburgher for your suggestions which I will follow up. I might also post on the Holland America sìte as they have been sailing direct to what they call Taormina and use tenders. It is a HAL cruise we are on and that is what the itinerary shows.

Our upcoming cruise includes Taormina in late September. In order to plan our day it would be helpful to have information about where tenders are likely to land, how one gets from there to the town itself and how one gets from there to the Greco Roman theatre. Some of our group will have mobility issues so availability of trsnsport options would be useful to know. All tips would be appreciated.

What this policy indicates is that apart from direct tipping the best way to ensure exceptional service is rewarded is to put compliments in writing.

Thank you Ozwoody and Aussieflyer for your helpful replies. The weather information will I think give my wife the comfort she needs. We have cruised many areas where bad conditions could be experienced if unlucky but she does not want to take silly chances. HAL is a great line but is losing a bit of the illusion of exclusivity that somehow it managed to give. We are still very loyal to HAL and like her smaller ships. While QM2 has the same capacity as HAL Pinnacle class my research suggests she feels less crowded and that Cunard probably does feel a bit more exclusive. Thanks again.

Thank you so much Solent Richard for your reply and incredibly interesting and detailed links to your reviews of Capetown,Fremantle and Perth. This should be enough to give my wife, who is motion sensitive ( but has managed well on cruises though regions where adverse conditions could be experienced if you are unlucky) the confidence to make this trip.We plan to have an extended holiday in South Africa and then cruise back to Perth where we live.

Has anyone sailed this route? I am looking at a cruise leaving CT in February 2024. This is in the middle of the cyclone season affecting Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius. This is a Cunard QM2 cruise. I would welcome information about this route, the timing and about the QM2. We have only cruised on HAL todate.

I am thinking of booking Cunard for the first time and would welcome information from anyone who has sailed this leg. One concern is that February (when depart Capetown) is cyclone season for the south west Indian Ocean coveringMadagascar/Reunion/Mauritious. But I would welcome any information about the whole experience.

Thanks Kazu. Good to know.

I noted from a recent view of specialty restaurant menus that there were very few drinks under$11. Can one order off the HIA package?