mrspaper

1 hour ago, jdavid said:

The Fortress is about  a 45 minute drive from the Port. I would not take a chance on  a shoreside excursion 

thanks

On 3/23/2023 at 2:27 AM, jdavid said:

I live in Halifax so commenting. Expect weather to be 18 to 22 that’s 60 to 75 Fah if sunny and nice. Of course you could also have fog or rain. That said you are on an early Canada New England so layers are good. Sydney and Charlottetown will be easy Port walks. Especially Charlottetown with historic district if not planning a trip out to Cavendish or a golf game. In Sydney, not sure if Louisbourg Fortress will be open but that is good for a private tour from a local vendor. Halifax has many great options for private tours as well. Happy travels 

Is the fortress in walking distance to the port? Can tours be booked when we arrive at port?

Ship is in good condition for an oldie. As mentioned, going to dry dock in April

We ate in Sterling last night. While it's location is horrible, we sat at the back and didn't feel we were in the OV cafe. Food was good. 

Food on ship overall has been good. We were on Sky? In August and Food was inedible

2 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Well, we finally made it onboard!  Today we experienced our worst embarkation ever!  We arrived at the terminal at 11:20 and got into a line outside the terminal to drop off our bags.

 

The bag drop off line took about 20 minutes.  We were given a red priority card with the letter "C" and were allowed into a waiting area that was a sea of people!  Two ships were using the same terminal, ours and a Regent ship.

 

We were told that the Sapphire was having a computer issue and no one had yet boarded.  There was no separate waiting area for suites or Elites.

 

After a while they started calling priority letters.  They started with the letter P, followed by A and B.

 

There was a mass of Elites and Platinums jamming the "gate" claiming that they had not been given a priority card.  What a freak'n mess!

 

They finally called C and D and we proceeded to a check-in line to verify Medallion info and passports.  We then went into another room for an Immigration passport inspection.

 

Then into another room to collect our passports.  We will have our passports returned at the end of this 14 day segment.

 

The saga continues, we then went down stairs to the outdoors to get onto a bus that finally took us to the ship!  During this whole time the inside of the terminal was around 90 degrees and very humid.

 

The process took us 90 minutes.  I made it to our cabin ready for a cold shower!

 

There were no dining rooms open for lunch.  So, we had a salad and shared a pizza at Alfredo's.

We are elite. Was outside about an hour for luggage drop. When we got inside we were given priority to board. Entire process about 1 1/2 hrs. Very horrible.  I felt badly for those sitting in the terminal, actually standing. Process horrendous. They need to learn from Celebity, where we walk on in just minutes

On 3/2/2023 at 2:27 PM, LACruiser88 said:

Another tip:  The currency exchange at the Money Exchange casas has been 365 pesos to one USD.  On our credit card charges via Amex the exchange has been 198 pesos to one USD.

 

So, to really benefit from the best exchange rate you need to pay in cash.  Also, if you take a cab make sure it is one with the meter in the upper right hand corner of the windshield.  

 

There are "bandit" cabs that look just like the "good" cabs with no meters and will overcharge tourists.  Today we took a "good" cab for about a 20 min ride.  The fare was 585 pesos, less than $2.

 

 

I was told not to use Amex in Argentina, however Visa has good exchange rate. I also found some places charged less money if you paid with USD

On 2/26/2023 at 2:15 PM, Mary loves to travel said:

Following along from Silicon Valley!   We'll be on the Sapphire for the Antarctic leg, San Antonio to BA, next Jan.

Looks like you have an amazing trip ahead of you.

 

Mary

Hi Mary Loves to Travel. We are on this cruise too, but only first leg

15 minutes ago, marazul said:

It is easy to walk around the town. The castle is on a hill above the town and you will need a taxi. The wineries are outside the town and you need a tour or other arrangements. 

thanks

Mimicosti

Is it easy to walk around on own? Is the castle far from the port? Are there good beaches? Glad to know there are good wineries?

Are there taxis at the port for hire that we can have take us around the island?

20 hours ago, GTJ said:

That's an issue I can certainly appreciate, as I encounter it when I am searching for a hotel in a place I do not know well. There are many streets in downtown Brooklyn, so it is difficult to pinpoint exactly all the possible streets. Here's a partial list: Flatbush Avenue Extension, Adams Street, Duffield Street, Schermerhorn Street, Smith Street, Furman Street, Fulton Street, Livingston Street, Atlantic Avenue, Nevins Street. A better strategy might be to cross-reference with Google maps. Here's a link to the map of hotels in downtown Brooklyn: https://goo.gl/maps/mZVuZ7Pmmy4BzViX7. The cluster of hotels in the northwest (upper left) corner is in downtown Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Cruise Port is on the East River, to the south of downtown Brooklyn, and you can see a string of other hotels in that direction, largely between Third and Fourth Avenues (south of downtown Brooklyn there is a subway that operates under Fourth Avenue).

thanks

On 7/11/2021 at 5:14 PM, GTJ said:

he conveniences that one would expect. Otherwise, there are several brand name hotels, with recognizable names, in this triangle that you can easily locate on any online booking platform, all of which will share a modern anonymous feel, but all being in the heart of everything Brooklyn and very accessible to the subway. Current rates range from ~$130 to ~$185 for Tillary Hotel, Hampton Inn, Sheraton, Hilton, Nu Hotel, Holiday Inn, and Even Hotel.

Thank you for all this information. Being unfamiliar with the area of Brooklyn, when I look up these name brand hotels, what streets(s) will they be on. I'm concerned that I will look up Hampton Inn and more than one will pop up and I need to get the one that is in the correct place

following. I hope someone who has recently been to Dominica gets on here to share info

Just got off my 4th river cruise. My daughter who is in her late 30's, just took her second one with me. She enjoys them very much. She doesn't feel out of place and finds lots of people to talk to, of all ages. You do find a few 30 somethings on many cruisers. I'm sure you will not feel out of place. There are varied ages. 

I have done the Danube in Aug. We had low water but made it to every port. My cruise last week, the ship couldn't make it to Passau where we were to start, so we started in Staubing. It just made our Salzburg bus trip much longer. 

Just be flexible and hope for good water levels. It happens, but most years it is fine. 

Travel Restrictions (joinsherpa.com)

Take a look at this website. Most airlines and TA's use it religiously. Things change constantly, so I wouldn't look at it until shortly before you leave. I flew to Germany 2 X in October and more things were added for my second visit. 

When going to Austria, just plug in going from Germany to Austria to see what is required. 

I drove across the border with my river cruise tour and we had no requirements to go from one to the other. 

It's complex, so read everything carefully 

7 minutes ago, snowcamper said:

Will do. The cruisemapper site linked above shows our ship will be docking at Amber Cove. Research on Google says the new port will not open until the end of this year, and we all know about construction delays, so who knows? I have decided to go to Ocean World for the day, just not ready to go off exploring yet. Sticking with NCL excursions this trip.

Amber cove has been open a few years. I have alot of ship OBC, so just signed up for dolphin swim

27 minutes ago, Momma Rene said:

Please google. There have been several deaths

I will do so. Too sad if they didn't improve safety enough

8 minutes ago, Momma Rene said:

Carefully read about the falls.  You may want to google.  Here is some info.  I know it is old info, however, it is worth reading

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147290-i64-k2866189-o20-Damajagua_Falls_claim_two_more_lives-Puerto_Plata_Puerto_Plata_Province_Dominican_Republi.html

Thanks for the article, but it is 12 years old. Hopefully they have reviewed and made changes in safety protocols.

On 8/22/2021 at 5:57 PM, snowcamper said:

We will be there in November as well, on the Breakaway. Excited to start cruising again. I was hoping for some insight here for this port. Thanks to those who have posted. 

Please post back here after you visit in Nov

Thank you for all the information. Hopefully, someone will stop there before me (in Dec) and provide updates on what to do

It sounds like you want to enjoy your German roots and castles. While Danube and Rhine both spend time in Germany, seeing the castles in Germany from the river sound like the cruise for you. I have done both the Rhine and Danube. 

You need to also focus on which cruiseline company to travel with. I suggest getting a recommendation for a travel advisor and let them assist you with the different lines, as there are many differences between the lines. 

I personally sailed on AMA wine theme cruise. It was great. Besides the regular excursions, several eves we went off the ship for wine tastings. I almost stayed on the ship for one of them and it was the best one, located in a castle. It was a Danube cruise. One night, instead of wine, we went to a place that had beer and lots of singing, etc. 

On the ship with us was a vineyard owner from the states. He did several wine tastings on the ship. Those were not impressive to me, but an extra perk, nonetheless

57 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

You don't need to be a member to find the pics. I'm not a member. Just pick a ship and click on Obst-View.

 

 

 

I know, but I'm a member, anyway. 

9 minutes ago, Renmar said:

Just now send you a mail;.

 

Theo

I just replied

24 minutes ago, Renmar said:

As mentioned earlier I decided to transfer my website to cruisedeckplan dot com for personal reasons. I like to thank all the people who so generously donated pictures to my website. Also a big thank you for all the encouragement I received over the years from members of Cruise Critic. 

A special thanks to the owner(s) of cruisedeckplans who are trying to keep the obstructed view pages for the Princess ships free of charge.

Again, thanks for the good times I had doing this.

 

Theo

Last I knew, you were planning to get incorporated into cruisedeckplans. I'm glad you did. I am a member of the site

Linda

13 minutes ago, Solara said:

Does this site with pictures still exist.  My link doesn’t work. 
Donna

Theo, I read not seeing it was you wh I wrote initial post.  As I'm reading, I was planning to write to the person who p I sted that I kniw someone who has already done this.

I hope you and Anke are well. Send me and email and catch up

Linda

I didn't expect a huge turnout, I've been around cc long enough to know it wouldn't be a big draw, just hoping to find a few folks. Thanks