W5KAP

We are very experienced ocean cruisers but this will be our first river cruise. anyone travel Vantage and how did you like it? We are traveling with my wife's brother and his wife. Kinda excited but we are open to any suggestions.

Cheers, Kenn

Any advice for a beach day in Kona? Nothing offered from the cruise line. Is there transportation available?

There really aren't many great beaches on the Kailua-Kona side of the island as it is mostly lava. However there is a nice beach downtown. It is small but nice and it is right where the Ironman Triathalon starts. Not sure but I suspect you tender there so I don't know where they let you off. Body Glove does some superb snorkel tours from there to Kailikaua Bay.

Cheers, Kenn

PS Kona is really gorgeous

EZ Air/Princess has NO control over changes that the airline makes to their flights. Princess probably isn't even notified by the airlines of any changes.

And i'll tell one other unintended consequence; Earlier this year, we were flying from Phoenix to Honolulu to Auckland. A very long day to be sure. So wayyyyy ahead of time, we picked our seats so as to be in the rows of two on the side. That way the only people we bothered would be each other if we needed to get up. Well, unknown to us, the airline changed the flight time by 5 minutes. No change in flight number and a really insignificant thing right? Wrong! This somehow invalidated our seats and so when I finally checked on the flights two weeks before, I was surprised to see we didn't have assigned seats. To make a long story short, we ended up in the middle seats on a wide body jet for 6 hours to Honolulu and the same on a 9 1/2 hour flight to Auckland. Now we made it OK and the price was very good. But this is a lesson to all who use EZAir. pay attention either through EZAir or the actual carrier long before the flight so you can catch these things and react before it's too late. We will use them again but we will be watching very carefully you can be sure.

Cheers, Kenn

We have never been to Grand Cayman before and I was wondering what is their to do there?, any tips/ideas??

 

What do you do when you go there?? :)

 

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome

Go see Capt Marvin's. Left on the main drag about a block on the right. He takes sport boats out to three snorkeling stops including swimming with the Stingrays. Well worth it and lots of fun. We have done this twice and love it. Some of the clearest water anywhere we have ever been for snorkeling or scuba.

Cheers, Kenn

We are looking at 2 different tours while on Maui. One is the 'Best of' which covers the Plantation, Ioa Needle and Ocean center. The second is the Haleakala Crater. So about $150.00 times 4 of us. The tours are on separate days.

 

We are now thinking instead of just renting a car. It would obviously be less expensive.

 

The question is, can all 4 things be done in one day or is that unreasonable? Yes, I know we can just rent for two days, but I'm wondering if we could cover the four things and then have a relaxing ship or beach day for day two.

 

I'm not familiar with how far apart they are or how long you reasonably need at each spot. Any advice on can this be done in one day would be helpful.

 

I just got my Revealed books so more research to do on where else we could go....

 

thanks...

:)

I would call Maui a middle sized Island. You didn't say where you were porting. If in Kahalui then Haleakala is a half hour drive away and and about that long to get to the top. Make sure you go early in the morning as clouds roll in normally later in the day. It is well worth the trip to the top. The needle isn't too far from Kahahlui either. Personally I would rent a car. There are many right at the airport which isn't far from the area where the cruise ship is. Now if you're porting at Lahaina, things become a little more difficult. It's about 40 miles from Lahaina to Haleakala on roads that can sometimes get very crowded. Also, I'm pretty sure you can rent cars in Lahaina but I don't personally remember where they are located. The Maui Ocean Center is about half way between Kahaina and Kahalui. It seems a bit high to pay what you mentioned as I believe you can get a rental car for much less and have a lot more freedom. Either way, you'll be in pardise so you'll be happy either way. Hope you enjoy Maui as much as we always have.

Aloha, Kenn

When you consider what you're spending on the cruise, the extra hundred dollars fr a decent room and a couple of meals is nothing. We have done 12 cruises (not nearly as many as most) but have never traveled the same day with the exception of two cruises our of Galveston which is 200 miles from our home. I agree with the poster who said get there a day early and relax. Sometimes the departure port is an interesting place to explore as well. Do you self a favor and go at least one day early. It isn't worth taking the chance (IMHO).

Cheers, Kenn

Just as you leave the terminal, there is limo service that is as cheap or cheaper than a taxi. Normally about $55 to downtown. Now if you're alone, this may be expensive (not much more than aa taxi trust me). If there is more than one person in your party, this is the way to go.

Cheers, Kenn

For heavens sake fix the darn internet. In this day and age it is preposterous to have such slow access. Put the International Cafe on all ships. IMHO it is one of the best features. Did I mention fixing the darn internet and WiFi!!

Cheers, Kenn

I tried really hard not to take the bait here but I couldn't resist. First, we are a couple in our mid-60's, We have done 4 cruises on Carnival and 7 on Princess. I can state categorically that we will never do another Carnival Cruise. Please understand I am not indicting anyone who likes Carnival. Cruise on the line you enjoy. You're spending a lot of money so it better be where you like it. We like Princess much, much more for several reasons. We find Carnival decor to be garish to the nth degree. A floating bordello if you will. Princess is by far classier looking. Elegant even. As far as food goes, we see little or no difference between the two. Love the Crown Grill. Entertainment is more our style on Princess but that is certainly subjective. Where we really diverge is the clientele. Forgive me for saying this but Carnival is for the drunk crowd! It;s crazy how much people drink and how drunk they get. I am sure I will get flamed for that statement but it's true. This is the principle reason we stay away from Carnival. If that is how you enjoy your cruise time, more power to you but you won't see us there.

Cheers, Kenn

I guess it depends on which line you want to use. I can only speak to Princess as thet are who we sailed through the Panama Canal, They use the Coral Princess and its sister ship the Island Princess. They are called the Panamax ships as they are the largest that Princess owns that will fit through the current locks. They hold about 1900 passengers and are really nice sized ships. I can;t speak to any other lines though we have sailed also on Carnival.

Cheers, Kenn

When I was on active duty in Korea, every one had a 'count-down' calendar. Kind of a paint by numbers thing. Every day you would color out another square which showed how many days you had left in country. As the days went by, you became a 'short timer' or 'short'. Anyway, once one hit the single numbers you were so short that you became a "single-digit-midget".

 

I keep a 'count down' calendar for my cruises. Alas, I'm not a "single-digit-midget". Only 209 days to go.

I bet that was the 747 with the path leading up the stairs!! Was in Osan from 87-88 and I had that calendar on my desk!!

Cheers, Kenn USAF Retired after 22 years

We like Bermuda and it's a great port. One word of warning though. You are going in the heart of Hurricane season and in the last few years, Bermuda has had a target on its back. Just something to keep in mind. Hope you have a great time on your cruise!!

Cheers, Kenn

Sorry. Montego Bay. Also, is this something we could walk to from the port?

Sorry but you'd be walking all day. The Margaritaville is quite some distance from the port. I honestly don't know what a taxi would cost but there is a HOHO bus that stops there, You might check into that too. The restaurant crowded, noisy and very expensive IMHO. Hope you enjoy your cruise

Cheers, Kenn

Just got back from a Princess 12 day cruise from Auckland to Sydney. Australia has changed the information they require and the cruise lines are no longer able to furnish it. I concur with those who say get it on line. It is easy and fairly cheap. But you will need it so don't wait for HAL to provide it, go out and get it on line a the link the person above posted.

Oh, and enjoy your cruise!

Cheers, Kenn

Just be aware the Georgetown is a tender port. I think it all depends on how many other ships will be anchored there the day you arrive as to which dock you ultimately land on. The one closest to town is rather less good than the other ones.

hope you enjoy one of our favorite ports!

Cheers, Kenn

EVERY cruise line, hotel, resort, airlines, etc. offers different pricing on different dates. It's all based on supply and demand. A week or two can make a very big difference.

Pam speaks the truth. Prices vary during the period before your cruise. Did you call your TA and ask for a price reduction? Every cruise we have been on we keep an eye on the prices and call out TA for a reduction when one occurs. It just happened again on our up-coming HAL Trans-Atlantic. The price dropped almost $1400. Now in fairness we had been given the free beverage package worth $2600 which we now lose. Fine by us as there is no way we could or would ever drink that much. We also lost $50 worth of Cabin credit but that's minor compared to the savings. Bottom line is the price changes a lot due to reasons everyone has mentioned already. Keep and eye on it and sometimes you can snare some great reductions.

And by the way, we love Princess but are trying HAL on this cruise.

Cheers, Kenn

Thank you for a very timely comparison. We have done 8 cruises on Princess (just back from New Zealand and Australia) nad several on Carnival (b=never again) but have never taken HAL. We are booked on the 26 day cruise on the Zuiderdam out of Athens in October with a couple of friends. To be honest we were all a bit apprehensive. We all all in out mid 60;s so I guess we fit the HAL demographics from what I have heard. We love Princess but they didn't have the itinerary we were looking for. Being open minded, it will be fun to try something new. We won't spend out time comparing the two lines but I am sure it will come up from time to time.

Counting the days

Cheers, Kenn

PS Sure miss the prior Military OBC that we get from Princess!!

It is? Must have just fallen off. :) I was on the Crown in January and Skywalker's was definitely still there.

 

The ONLY ship to have Skywalker's removed was the Grand and that was for hull/materials/design issues that were corrected when the next ship, the Golden, was built.

Pam, you are right of course. not sure where my head was but let's not speculate ok! We did a TA from Southhampton in 2013 so I should n=know better. Had drinks there and the Cruise Critic M&G was held there. I hate getting old!

Cheers, Kenn

I can tell you we've done Alaska twice and both times the whale watching has been one of the highlights. The trip out of Juneau is the best and you will normally always see some. The first trip we not only had many Humpbacks but also a couple of rogue Orca's. Harv and Marv had on of their small boats out there and one of the Orca's surfaced right by their boat and the dorsal fin of the Orca was higher than their boat! This last trip we had several Humpbacks Thrust Feeding which is really incredible to see as they rise up out of the water with their huge mouths wide open. I agree there are more whales in a concentrated area in Hawaii (between Maui and Lanai) but the backdrop of Alaska makes this a truly special experience. I hope you'll give it a try

Cheers, Kenn

PS that was a great video posted just before me!

What is the cost of drinks on the Crown for the nightly Elite/Plat event?[/QU

 

We just got of the Diamond in Australia and I can tell you the drinks were $5 each night with night goodies to munch on. We did have a couple of repeats but that was fine with us. We were in Skywalkers each night before dinner (and at sail away). I know the Skywalker's is gone on the Crown. We wnjoyed the $5 specials very much. Enjoy!

 

Cheers, Kenn

Weare going to be in Honolulu on the Carnival Miracle and we have Luau booked for 3:30pm .. we get into port at 9am until 11pm.. So my questions is there anything to do close to the port that we can do before our 3:30 pick up ???

Thank you for any information that you can give me...:confused: or should I say OAHUm:rolleyes:

I think you'll be docking at the Aloha tower area. Its quite far from the Waikiki area though. There is a bus that goes by there and it would not take too long to get down to the beach and shopping area. Why not try the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus? It will give you a tour of the area and drop you off back where you started and all for a reasonable fare. You might want to rent a car there and drive around yourself. You have a long time to be in that one area before your tour starts. Just some thoughts! Akoha and enjoy your Hawaiian trip

Cheers, Kenn

PS we've been there about 6 times so we know our way around Honolulu

Thanks to all for the quick response! We appreciate it

Cheers, Kenn

We've done quite a few cruises but I don't remember how many shares of CCL one has to own in order to get the cabin credit. Can someone enlighten me on this. Thanks in advance

Cheers, Kenn

So far I have sailed on the Sapphire, the Golden, and the Star. Now I will be sailing on the Crown Princess with a friend. We have a Caribe balcony room so of course I would like to know about the balcony furniture. What do you like about this ship? How is it different from the others? Thank you for any information or suggestions that you may have.

We did the Crown TA from London to FLL in 2013 and loved her. Our favorite Princess ship is the Ruby and this is just the same. A beautiful and fun ship. We'd go on her again in an instant. The balcony furniture is usually two chairs and a table. On occasion maybe a recliner but I doubt it. Someone else asked about outside seating at Sabatini's and I don't think there is any. In fact, I'm sure of it. The steaks in there are superb. Enjoy your cruise, I wish we were going on her again but we'll have to settle for the Diamond in February out of New Zealand. Wish the Ruby or the Crown did that Itinerary.

Cheers, Kenn

I know it is easy to say since we are retired and really have no schedule. But trust me when I tell you, you don't want to do it if it is at all possible. All it takes is one delayed flight and what was an exciting cruise just got very challenging and stressful. I realize that not everyone can do it but if at all possible, I'd fly in at least one day early.

Cheers, Kenn