suerich42

We're doing the New England Canada itinerary on Sept. 8th.  Does anyone have information of which night would be the best for a nice view from the Tuscan Grille.  I know on the Eclipse some years ago, we got a beautiful view leaving Stockholm at an early dinner there.  

We left Papeete at 10:00 p.m. and arrived at LAX about 8:30 the next morning. Then got the noon nonstop to Tampa, arriving near 8:00 p.m. My DH went to the office the next morning - I stayed home and did laundry. If you can take the day off, I'd recommend it for sure!!

We flew on Air Tahiti Nui from LAX at midnight, landing at 6:30 a.m. in Papeete. We had arranged for early arrival at the Intercontinental (highly recommended), where we spend the next two nights. It's a beautiful property and allowed us to adjust to the time change before the cruise.

We flew back to LAX on the 10:00 p.m. flight and then connected on a Delta flight back to Tampa. About the only good thing I can say about Air Tahiti Nui is that the flights were on time. Planes had pretty shabby interiors and the food was awful. The airport at Papeete is open air, very hot, and understaffed for the number of passengers on these flights. So about an hour on the check-in line is standard. We were prepared from former posts, so this was not a surprise. Just something to endure, but the rest of the trip made it worth the aggravation at the airport.

First, let me say the trip was amazing, service impeccable and the food was the best we've experienced on any ship that we've sailed.

Cabin 811 was lovely, very spacious with lots of storage room. As far as the motion, we did feel some but it was very gentle and didn't seem to be any more than on deck 5 & 6 where most of the dining and other activities take place. I brought patches and medication and never did need them.

We didn't really have much use for a butler, but he was always available and would have taken care of most anything we needed. So we thought it was worth the extra for the great space and location and it's not an option to eliminate the extra cost for the butler.

The deck is very convenient to the pool and dining at LeGrille, which was our favorite place for breakfast, lunch and even afternoon tea!

Hope that helps some. When will you be making the trip?

Thanks so much for your advice. I always bring too many shoes on trips and this time I'm really trying to go with one checked bag and not another carry-on to wheel around. Which itinerary did you do? Was it recent?

Hello,

I can't tell you how many times I've read your GREAT review! Your information has been most helpful. We leave next Wednesday for the 11 night Society and Cook Islands itinerary. I'm a little concerned about the possibly rough waters on the way to and from the Cook Islands, but I'll be prepared with motion remedies if necessary. Doing my first go-round of packing today and my question is - did you wear your Keens for the shore excursions that included some trekking or do I need something more substantial? The Keens that I have are closed toed with heavy soles, but sandal-like on top. We're booked for Trails of the Ancients and one of the LeTruck tours in Papeete.

Thanks for any insights you can provide.

Jan 24 - Would like a tour mostly water but land as well , probably morning tours to enjoy ship and amenities in afternoonn...any suggestions , well accepted ...We are between 55 and 60 , relativley good shape.......Thanks S-stuff-55

We will be on the Jan 24 sailing to Cook & Society Islands. First time with PG also. Arriving at the IC the morning of Jan 22. Will you be staying there?

My fiance and I are booked in cabin 814, B category for the Dec 13-20 cruise this year. Our travel agent suggested the butler service category, but I have no idea if the extra cost is worth it yet. I hope it is! We are going the month before you, so I hope to have some tips for you when we come back. This is my first PG cruise (actually my first cruise ever) and I am counting the days!

Thanks to all for your input. We have booked cabin #811 for the 11 day itinerary commencing on January 24, 2015. We'll be booking the IC Papeete for 2 days pre-cruise. I'm looking forward to planning our shore excursions and welcome any suggestions from past cruisers. There seem to be lots of repeat cruisers on PG, so I take that as a very positive sign of what we can expect.

We have stayed in cabins from deck 4 to deck 8 and all of them were wonderful. Don't worry about where or which cabin you will stay in while cruising.

 

The ship while small is delightful and the crew is wonderful. Everything is very accessible from any deck. Noise is usually not a problem (exception: cabin 426 which has rushing water sounds in the am and late at night).

 

We are going back for our 7th cruise in September and can't wait!!!

Thanks for your response. I was wondering if you ever heard that there was any problem with soot from the smokestacks from those staying in the cabins across the rear of deck 7. I know on some of the Celebrity ships, this has occurred and I wanted to get some feedback before I book #766.

Hi all, I'm looking to book the 11 day Cook & Society Island cruise for January 24, 2015. Can anyone advise as to cabin #766 at the rear of deck 7? Also how much is it worth the extra for the B verandah cabins on deck 8?

Thanks for your help.

Our prayers go out to you all in the North East.

Looking to book for Jan-Feb, 2015 and trying to decide between the 7 day and maybe adding a few days in Moorea or doing the 11 day that includes the Cook Islands with just a 2 day pre-stay in Papeete. Since I'm pretty sure this will be our only visit to the region, which would you suggest?

Thanks for your help.

We have decided to cancel this trip for a variety of reasons. Have a great time.

Hi Sue, thanks very much! And you are right to move this off your Antarctica thread, but I just sent you an email to the address above (replacing the AT and dot with @ and . of course) and I got a reply that the email was undeliverable. Is there an error or problem?

 

Thanks!

Correction - it should be dotnet. Another senior moment!! Sorry

Sue, how was the Baltics cruise?

 

I'd love to know whether you went to Berlin and, if so, whether you used a private tour operator (who?) or a ship's tour, and how you liked whatever you did.

 

And did you use a private tour operator in St. Petersburg -- if so, who and what did you think?

 

I'm sure you're getting very excited now about Antarctica -- I know that after Labor Day, it was feeling very close!

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you - life sure does get in the way sometimes!! The Baltic trip was great - everything went just as planned. Since this is probably not the best forum to discuss that experience, I'd be happy to reply in an email if that's OK with you. Let me know at suerich42atverizondotcom.

I'm amazed you can even think about Antarctica this close to your departure for the Baltics!

 

Have you been to Buenos Aires before? We arrived a few days early (Friday, Lindblad flight to Ushuaia was on Monday) and we used a private guide for the first day and a half, to maximize what we could see in that time. We enjoyed the city, and I'd recommend spending some time there if you can swing it.

 

I've finally had the time to start putting up daily, detailed entries in my blog about our trip to Antarctica, so if you want to read a little bit about how we spent our time in BA, it's now up (as is the beginning of the Antarctica portion)....

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

 

Have a FANTASTIC time in the Baltics!! I hope when you return you'll come back and give us a report and tips!

THANK YOU. My report won't be anywhere close to what you've been doing. You're a very talented writer and photographer and I really appreciate all the information. I will contact the tour guide you recommend in Buenos Aires. Can I mention where I got the information - I realize that don't know your name!

Hi Sue -- please don't be too disappointed if no one from your expedition ever replies. Only a small percent of the cruising public has ever heard of Cruise Critic, and when you factor in how few folks there will be on the Explorer, you'd be very lucky to have someone else from your sailing date come on here. But I hope you get lucky! (No one we met on the Explorer had heard of CC.)

 

When do you leave for the Baltics, or have you already gone?

We leave on Wednesday, July17th for London and then the cruise begins on the 20th. It's been very time consuming, planning all our port excursions NOT with the cruise line, but I'm hopeful that all will go smoothly. Getting ready for Antarctica should be easy by comparison - just have to collect the proper clothing and everything else is planned for us!!

We still have to decide when to leave for Buenos Aires so I can book our plane tickets soon after we get back in August. Any advice in that department?

We have recently reserved space on this voyage and are interested in hearing from any of our fellow travellers as well as any who have done this previously in the same time period. We had wanted to go earlier in January but cabin choices were very limited when we booked. I'm wondering if we should try to be wait listed for an earlier date in case of cancellations, or is the end of January and early February considered optimum for seeing both young penguins and whales. I know the Drake Passage weather is completely unpredictable, so that's probably not a deciding factor, but I'd appreciate any comments and/or advice on the choice of dates.

Is there anyone else who's booked for this date? I know we won't be alone - where are you:confused:

You're welcome. I think you need to plan carefully. The ferry ride itself is nice, takes about 10-15 minutes and they run every 20 minutes so if you have time to walk from 20 to 40 minutes, you'll see at least some of the island.

But do check your schedule... rather be safe than sorry, right? :)

That sounds good - as long as the ferry schedule is reliable!! Thank you for all the wonderful information you have provided. It will definitely make our Helsinki experience more enjoyable. Now if you could just make sure the weather is perfect!!!:D

I doubt they have them on board but that might be a question you can ask on the Celebrity board.

There are maps available in Tourist Information Center just off the Market Square.

Or you can take a look at this one and consider printing it.

 

http://www.visithelsinki.fi/sites/visithelsinki.fi/files/files/Esitteet/EN/printable_helsinki_map_2012.pdf

Thanks for the great map. We are looking forward to Helsinki at the end of July with Celebrity. We have a 3-4 hour tour booked when we arrive that will end by mid afternoon. Given that we sail out at 18:00, do you think there will still be time to catch the ferry to Suomenlinna, have a short walk around and get back to the ship in time? I know we won't have enough time to see all the sights there, but just to enjoy the ferry ride and take some photos? Thanks.

Thanks so much. I took a quick look and your blog looks great!! I'll check it out in detail before I make any gear purchases. I'll have to go in person to a good outfitter for hats and gloves as I never know what'll fit my very small hands and head. I do, however, have real hips so sometimes petites are a challenge.

I need to focus on the upcoming Baltic cruise, so I'll try to get my head out of Antarctica till we get back. We were on the Eclipse in December for the Christmas Southern Caribbean itinerary and just loved the ship! Aqua Class and Blu were wonderful.

I am also altitude challenged - barely 5'2" and trying hard not to shrink as I age. Were you able to get petite sized waterproof pants? And do you recommend the lined pants or wearing lighter weight waterproof pants over separate fleece pants?

We'll be 63 and 71 by January - fortunately still able to be quite active. We can climb lots of stairs and ride bikes, also do some kayaking so looking forward to doing some on the trip. I do dancercise and weights at the "Y". We did the wet landing thing on our Galapagos trip a few years ago, so hopefully we can still manage that OK. Do they separate the shore groups into various levels of strenuousity? (I know that's not a word but I liked the sound of it!):D

The window in our cabin on the Main Deck was huge. I really enjoyed just staring out, watching the water, the ice... I took a number of photos out the window, and when the light was right, you wouldn't even know it was out the window.

 

As for the demographics: I'd say that the majority of folks ranged in age from the 50s to the 70s. And I agree with you, I want to do these sorts of trips before I get too old!

Yes, that was very helpful and I think we will keep 323 for now. It does seem to have a large enough window, and the square footage is about 50 more than the balcony cabin. Whether or not we can actually "afford" it, I do like to think we're not indulging in conspicuous consumption. This trip is pricey enough to qualify for that label already, even in the least expensive cabins.

At this point in our lives, our thought is that we ought to do the more strenuous itineraries while we are still able and save the lolling around on the luxury liners for later. I know demographics vary from trip to trip, but what would you say the age range was on your recent voyage?

Thanks for the kind words.

 

I am definitely an "overthinker" sometimes (or, I would say, careful planner :)), so I can relate to where you are here. We booked the trip so far out that we pretty much had our pick of cabins (not that we could afford most of them!), and I called Lindblad several times to ask about various cabins and what was under what, etc.

 

We were on the Main Deck in a Cat. 2 cabin, which was perfectly fine (and in fact the bathroom was far larger than I would have expected). It was a great location near the stairs to the mudroom. You are also in a good location where you are in 323, but if having one bed is important, why not go Cat. 2? (Re the balcony cabin: lots of folks will tell you it's not worth it to spend the money for a balcony cabin on an Antarctic expedition, but if it is something you can truly afford, if it's not money you will miss, I say why not?)

 

I can't tell you how much more motion you'd feel one deck up (balcony cabin); but it's a small ship, it's not as though you would be ten decks above the water. Certainly the conventional wisdom is that if you are trying to minimize the motion you feel in your cabin, low down and midship is the way to go, and you are there with 323. (But if the Drake is rough, you'll still feel motion there....;))

 

I hope that's helpful.

Thanks for the encouraging reply. We are currently booked in Cabin #323 on the main deck. Although there were balcony cabins available last week, my thinking was that this location might be better for stability, and it is also larger and less costly. However, we will not have our usual queen bed configuration, which is a bit disappointing. DH thinks that if I'm worried about motion sickness, he's better off sleeping alone for this trip!! Am I totally overthinking this? I have read many of your informative and well-composed posts on various Antartica boards and enjoyed your amazing photos. We have done some "soft" adventure trips with OAT and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them, but this one will definitely be a departure from our usual ventures to warm destinations!!

We have recently reserved space on this voyage and are interested in hearing from any of our fellow travellers as well as any who have done this previously in the same time period. We had wanted to go earlier in January but cabin choices were very limited when we booked. I'm wondering if we should try to be wait listed for an earlier date in case of cancellations, or is the end of January and early February considered optimum for seeing both young penguins and whales. I know the Drake Passage weather is completely unpredictable, so that's probably not a deciding factor, but I'd appreciate any comments and/or advice on the choice of dates.