DCThunder

Have you ever been to Callao (port for Lima, Peru)? Spent two nights there recently on Oosterdam and watched two huge MSC container ships unload and load under the "midnight sun" of mercury vapor arc lights all night long.

Doing this seems like a lot of unnecessary work, especially if you were going to be gone for a 30 day trip, but to each their own.

I did 31 days on Oosterdam in March/April from BA to Ft. Lauderdale around Cape Horn and up the west coast to Panama and then Florida. I loved the cruise. We had a very active Roll Call, great weather, a fun captain and cruise director and saw wonderful things. We didn't go to Antarctica, but did see the Pio XI glacier which is not on the usual itineraries, as well as the Falklands, Ushuia, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Montt. We had about 1850 passengers and while the evening entertainment wasn't Broadway/West End caliber shows, it was fine and the enrichment talks during sea days were top-notch. I'd say the majority of passengers were in the 55-75 range. I have a good friend who did the Sapphire Princess cruise you mentioned as another option and she did go to Antarctica. But they didn't do as much fjord cruising or as many port calls in the Patagonia region. She really enjoyed going to Antarctica, however, but they didn't go ashore. I don't think you can go wrong either way, but I'd take the HAL cruise again, especially if it went to Antarctica next time. If you're interested, here's a link to our Roll Call:

I did a full transit earlier this month on Oosterdam on HAL. We did the old locks. I loved going through the locks and seeing how they worked, but my description to a friend back home was that they were "fascinating, but tedious". The lock operation was fascinating the first time, but then there are five more locks before you get to the other end, so by the last one, you've seen how it works five times. So as I said, I'd describe it as tedious, but not boring. We had an excellent narrator who provided great commentary on the history of the Canal, how it operated, navigational challenges by the pilots who helped guide the ship, and so much more. His commentary was broadcast to the open decks at the bow as well as over one of the TV channels so you could watch from the bow camera and here the narration. Cruising the full length of Gatun Lake and through the Culebra Cut and seeing the dredges in action keeping the channel at the proper depth was very interesting as was the narrowness of the Cut and how the sides were terraced to keep the landslides somewhat at bay. We sailed past the prison where former Panamanian president Manuel Antonio Noriega was held captive. IMHO, a full transit it the way to go, but I understand the reasons why a partial might be a better option for some. And I echo the recommendation of reading "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCollough before you go.

Not off-hand, but I can ask her and post it.

A friend of mine did the helicopter tour to Volunteer Point and she said it was great. A 10 minute flight vs. a 90 minute drive.

Hey Roz, glad to hear you're getting away from your Gordon Gekko sized mobile phone and getting into 2023! 😉 Also, don't forget all your unneeded stress on money changing in Argentina, so don't overly stress out on visas for a trip that doesn't start for 600+ days.

AT&T Wireless considers 19 countries in South and Central America to be part of their Premier cell phone plan meaning service is identical to here in the US. I'd get off the ship, shut off Airplane mode, and automatically connect to the cell network with no additional charge.

I was on the Patrick Watts Tour in March 2023 and our guide Kenton told us that Patrick was retiring and had sold the company to Shaun. Shaun was actually running the day-to-day working of the tours such as scheduling the drivers, assigning the groups to the 4X4s, and collecting the money. Patrick himself was at the assembly point and I did get to meet him and shake his hand. Apparently he was quite a hero during the Falklands War and is well respected on the island. It was a great tour and the 1 1/2 hour drive across the open fields in a 4X4 was quite an experience. We had a caravan of 12 vehicles all bouncing around the "road". They are working on building a gravel road further out to Volunteer Point, but it's a long way from being finished. We also learned a great deal about being sheep farmer/jack of all trades from Kenton, a 7th generation Kelper.

So if Lewie the Lion and Stanley Bear got into a fight, who'd win? Is this a Godzilla vs. Mothra fight? Or The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin?

I'm planning on getting to Singapore at least 5 days before embarkation for both jet lag and touring the city and environs. Is it worth doing a full day excursion to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore? I've seen a bus tour that leaves at about 0300 from Singapore and arrives early in the morning for a full day in KL and then back to Singapore in the evening. I know I can ask this question in the Asia forum here on CC, but wondered about your thoughts since you seem to be a veteran of the area.

Of your list, my choices would be a TA on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and the full Canal Transit. I've done TAs but not on Cunard, and that's on my list too. I just did a full transit on the way back from South America, but doing California to Florida through the Canal (or vice versa) would be a good way to go as well, especially if you can do it on a Panamax ship so you can use the original locks.

Not knowing what else is on your "bucket list", I'd think doing shorter cruises until you have the time to devote to a longer cruise in Asia makes sense. Going to Asia is such a major proposition for someone living on the East Coast of the US, that when I do it, I want the most "bang for my buck", hence doing almost 60 days on two B2B cruises over there.

I, too, have never been to Asia. But I found and booked a 28 day Singapore to Yokohama cruise on Noordam in February 2025. It calls in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and several ports in Japan. I also booked a 28 day RT from Singapore through Indonesia, New Guinea, and Northern Australia for January 2025 Perhaps those cruises are too long for you, but you do see a lot of Southeast Asia and a taste of Japan.

On Oosterdam recently, the classical trio (or quartet) alternated between the LC area and the Main Stage. Mostly they played the LC which was an area off a main corridor leading from the casino and Billboard area and the MDR. The area was usually full when the group played there, however.

Requirement by whom?

I was just sending out undewear and a couple of polo shirts so just stuffed it all in the bag without itemization. It all came back clean and folded. Perhaps I'd have done a tally if it was anything more important than skivvies.

There's a bag with a price sheet in the cabin. You either check off what you're sending out, or just stuff the bag and check the "fill the bag" price. It was $30 on Oosterdam recently. I had my laundry back the next day. I didn't take the Unlimited option. I had a cruise buddy who was 4 star hence free laundry, and she was sending stuff out every other day, it seemed like.

Were the 14 day Norway and Med cruises two 7-day legs? If it's sold as 14 day cruise, you won't get two credits.

I think you get an extra $50 of shareholder OBC for a 14 day cruise as opposed to 2x 7-day ones.

That's fine, I'm that way too. But those are the times to get the single table. Anyway, enjoy yourself no matter which way you go.

I can think of at least one...😉

My recent experience with the Med Center on Oosterdam would support this statement. I slipped and fell, in the process twisting my ankle and having a non-displaced fracture of the fibula. I was taken to the med center, x-rayed, and fitted with an orthopedic boot. The next port was Montevideo and the staff arranged for me to go to a hospital there for a consultation with an orthopedic doctor who confirmed the dignosis and told to try to stay off the foot for 4-6 weeks, get follow-up x-rays the next two weeks, and enjoy my cruise. I then went back to the ship and did precisely that. Now my injury wasn't heart related or anything life threatening, but I was very pleased with the treatment I got from the Med Center staff. Oh, yes, and GET TRAVEL INSURANCE!

As a veteran solo cruiser, I'm not sure why you would WANT to eat by yourself. Ask the hostess for a shared table in the MDR. Most of the time, you'll be seated FASTER than if you wanted a two-top to yourself. You will meet a lot of new people. Some you'll enjoy talking to, others you might not, but even with the bores or know-it-alls, you only need to put up with them for 60-90 minutes, and who knows you might meet some new friends or cruise long acquaintances. If some night you absolutely want to be alone at dinner, go to Lido or ask for the single table, no one on the ship will give a flying you know what about what you do.

This didn't change on the BA to FLL cruise around Cape Horn that ended Monday. Cabanas were totally unused or unusable. That's also right next to where the crew smoking deck is above the Crows Nest.