Duane T

Thanks for putting the question up here. I was wondering about Azamara's smoking policy as I've been looking at taking an Azamara cruise to the Indian Ocean. My wife also gets a reaction from 2nd hand smoke and, based on the latest medical reports on second hand smoke being hazardous to everyone, we only cruise on ships with the strictest smoking rules.

I am thinking of going to china in September. I am wondering if the smog is very bad in Beijing that its hard to breathe and you have to wear masks. Thanks

We spent 5 days in Beijing just at the tail end of Golden week the first week of October. We were aware that the fog/smog can hit the city depending on wind, temps, industrial activities, etc. But we had absolutely great clear weather.

But we had smoggier weather in Shanghai and foggier weather in Hong Kong. So plan your trip to...you can't always control the weather. Hope the best and have a great trip!

Anyone with recent experience of getting from Callao, Peru dockside to Downtown Lima, Peru?? Any observations and thoughts much appreciated. Locomotiveman TOM

Whether you take the ships's shuttle, taxi, or a one of the "free" shuttles that one or two vendors use to transport you to their showroom/shops, try to hit Miraflores district in Lima. It is more for tourists but they have a wide variety of local crafts, shopping malls, restaurants that can keep you pretty busy all day long.

Like all tourist places, keep your valuables close to you at all times.

I believe another poster has mentioned the price at present.\No we did not get to the Taj but members of our trivia team went with Princess. They really loved it although they were bushed when they returned and unfortunately one group who got a different plane which was delayed and they were given a meal all went down with delhi belly.

 

We did a private tour of Macchu Piccu instead and this was fabulous I think I will save the Taj until we do a land holiday in India and savour the time instead of a rush

Thanks. I saw the other post.

We just back from a South America cruisetour to Machu Picchu. We also made it to Rio for the Christ the Redeemer visit so we got two more of the seven wonders completed! We're trying to see if we can visit both the Taj Mahal and Petra (Jordon) on our next excursion. We're also collecting data on land tours as well.

Thanks again.

Prioncess web site says "from $2,699.00."

Thanks

Yes I think to visit India and not take the opportunity to go to the Taj would be mad as we may not get to India again The Princesws day trip is said to take 15 hours 2 of which are a flight and we also visit Agra itself. I just would like to know the price so I can factor this into my budget:confused:

Did you ever make it to the Taj Mahal? I'm just starting to plan a trip on Princess (or possibly HAL or Oceania) but not much infor is available. We're planning on going in April 2015.

Mind if I ask how much did it cost, good and any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

Which cruise line are you taking on April 2015?

Nothing firm. We're looking at the Ocean Princess right now. We'll keep checking Oceania and Holland America. We're fairly flexible in our schedule.

We were on the Golden earlier this month and we did not need the shots. If you go to the cdc website as my doctor recommended, you can research it yourself because there are caveats. But since we stuck to just the main city tours, we did not need to get any extra shots.

If you go to the jungle you should get the shot.

Ohhh, definitely not a lot of time. You can check http://www.makemytrip.com to see what flights are available. I would look for flights out of Mumbai no earlier than noon. It will take you some time (if it's a weekday, more traffic) to the airport and you have to get to the airport at least an hour early now. Coming back may be an issue - seems there are no direct flights from Agra to Mumbai and only one time available which will not work for you. You can always leave Agra early the next morning, get to Delhi, and take a flight back to Mumbai. I would not advise this. Too many unknown factors there and I NEVER worry about making it back to the ship. :-) If you could work out the details, it would be an expensive trip. Another option if you're going to Kochi after Mumbai is to take a flight from Agra to Kochi. There is one flight where the timing is right but looks like you'd need to overnight in Mumbai (with the first overnight in Agra). Would give you enough time to see both the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and even a little bit of sightseeing in Mumbai. There aren't a whole lot of options but you could make it work. Does the ship have an overnight excursion to Agra or is it multi-day?

Great info Donna! My wife and I just started our planning too. Your info and this thread is a good source to start getting data for trip next year in April 2015. Is April a cooler time to visit the Taj Mahal?

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Yes, the Lido serves buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Enjoy your first HAL cruise.

Thank you for the quick response!

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Like others, I'm planning on going on the Rotterdam for my first cruise on HAL. Sounds like HAL has lunch buffet in the Lido dining area? Doe they serve dinner buffet as well or is it just sit-down dining?

You can save a lot of internet time by writing your messages before you log on to the Princess connection. Once you send and download your messages, log off and read them off line.

 

The same holds true for reading the latest news. log on, download, log off -- then read.

 

We send and receive quite a few messages and read the news every day and do not come close to using all of our allotted time.

 

P&J

I agree! Doing your emails offline and then logging on and doing a send/receive each day or twice a day is a great way to keep in touch. I was on the Golden Princess earlier and I used this process and spent anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes per session. I usually got faster session speeds late at night or early in the morning. I used up the bulk of my minutes the first day trying to learn the system (about 45 minutes) and browsing Cruise Critic. After that, I did all my emails offline and drafted any comments in the word processor before going online.

Does anyone have the name and contact information for a reputable company providing private transfers from the Port of Callao to hotels in the Miraflores district of Lima?

Our group used Lima Tours. Phone: 51-1619-6900 or 51-1619-6911. It was for a large group that had staggered arrival dates, but they did an excellent job meeting us and even giving us a mini-tour on the way to our Miraflores Hotel.

(just FYI on this blanket statement, and I do understand it is not a country mentioned by the OP)

 

Last time I looked, Brazil was part of SA. The only currency legal for transactions in Brazil is the Real.

True. We were told buy our guides that we needed to use local currency in Brazil. We were also advised that we needed to use local currency in Argentina. But the souvenir store clerks were pretty quick about giving quotes for souvenirs in US dollars.

"The new $100 US bill was so new a lot of vendors did not know what to make of it...so I generally used my credit card for any purchase over $40 US dollars. "

 

you say they didnt know what to make of it, but did they take it?? thanks martha

I was able to use the new $100 bill at the hotel or bank to exchange it for smaller change in local Peruvian money bills. There were a couple of jewelry stores that we visited that we might have used the $100 bill in Argentina but we could never haggle the prices down to an amount we thought was fair.

We will be leaving soon on a South America cruise going to 3 ports in Argentina, a stop in Uruguay, and a couple of stops in Chile. After the cruise we will be taking a cruisetour to Machu Picchu, Lima and Cuzco.

 

We will need to pay for a few meals which we will probably eat in our hotels. Other than that I will probably buy some souvenirs.

 

Can I get by with only American currency?

We finished our Cruisetour in South America 2 weeks ago and we went to all the ports, cities, attractions you mentioned. We brought along a credit card that didn't have foreign transaction fee charges. I also bought Peruvian money for incidentals which I thought would probably be useful if you visit small grocery stores or restaurants. Almost all the main shops took the credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, American Express). Even in Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes, even the small shops took US dollars. I had enough Peruvian money to use as a tip/gratuity to our Peruvian tour guides and drivers.

We didn't have any local currency for Argentina (Buenos Aires and Ushuaia)and Uruguay (Montevideo). Again, all the shops we visited took US currency. One key is that most vendors were keenly aware of counterfeit bills and if you had any blemish, marks, writing, tears, etc on your US cash, they did not take it, especially on larger US bills ($20, $50, $100). The new $100 US bill was so new a lot of vendors did not know what to make of it...so I generally used my credit card for any purchase over $40 US dollars.

Just rounded Cape Horn 11 days ago on the Golden Princess. Weather was surprisingly good, sunny, maybe 10C. Seas were calm. Infinity was also there nearby. An awesome experience! We all got certificates to the effect that we had rounded the Cape.

My wife was really happy the Golden Princess gave us the Certificate! She already bought a frame and hung it on the wall next to her Honolulu Marathon Finisher Certificate!

i would appreciate it anyone that goes there the next while would post and let us know how things are progressing!! we are booked in for feb 18th:eek: guess we all know things can happen, but when u pay so much to get there, if sure can be a major disappointment!! thanks in advance..

 

also someone mentioned tour gudes at the entrance??? i was under the assumption that u booked your own guide or did it on your own?

 

martha:)

When we were there last month, there was a tour guide that spoke English and took 4 people from our tour group that had trouble walking up steps. They did not do the whole Machu Picchu guided tour but were able to go into a section that did not entail walking up 100 steps or down 100 steps. We had one guy who was 93 (a WWII vet) who was determined to make it in and another couple (husband that was afraid of heights and was a little lite-headed from the altitude) who took the "easy" tour and said it was just right for them.

Yes. We just got off the Star 15-day to Hawaii last week and purchased the Gold 7-bottle wine package for $217 + 15% gratuity (good for wines up to & incl. $45).

 

There was a table set up outside the Horizon Court on embarkation day to buy different beverage packages, including the wine package.

In addition to the table near the Horizon Court buffet, you can also order the wine or wine package at your table (per our waiter in the Main Dining Room) in the Dining Room.

I have another question for Duane T .....

 

My flight will arrive a couple of hours before my cruise buddy's flight. Is there an area past the baggage claim area where one can sit and wait, and maybe get a cup of coffee and/or something to eat?

You probably have 2 options.

1. Once past customs/baggage claim, there wasn't a lot of places in that immediate area...a lot of tour reps and taxi's soliciting passengers. I saw a few chairs and one food/deli area on the far end, near the checkin areas, but it was crowded...not very tranquil or peaceful area to relax.

2. Outside baggage claim and immediately across the street is a Holiday Inn hotel. It has a restaurant/lounge where, if open, you can sit, eat and relax. Free wifi.

There is a third option...there was an American Airlines Admirals lounge in the International terminal (in the secure area of the terminal next to the departure gate American Airlines planes are parked) with food, TV, showers, wifi. But if you have luggage to claim, you'll probably want to go and get it at baggage claim instead of staying in the International Terminal to wait for your companions. If you're not an Admirals Club member, you can get a daypass. But this would be a last option since I'm not sure I would want to leave my suitcase unattended in baggage claim for a couple of hours.

I used to think that flying down a day early was an absolute necessity when doing your own air. Now, between extreme weather and airline reliability issues, I'm starting to think 2 days may become the new norm.

I agree. We actually plan on flying 4 to 5 days before the cruise sail dates...makes exploring a lot less stressful.

Do they still have wine packages for sale on cruises longer than ten days? We are on the Star for 15 days to Hawaii in April.

We were on the Golden Princess over the holidays and we purchased the 7 Bottle Silver package. Price with Gratuity was $185.15. We got 6 of our bottles in the Dining Room and one bottle at the Buffet. We also bought 2bottles in Santiago, Chile prior to embarkation. We also picked up another 4 bottles during shore excursions and brought them back to the ship.

For the bottles we brought from shore excursions, security just asked we put it through the xray machines and no fee was collected. Our waiter told us that they (on the Golden Princess) just charge corkage for wine bottles purchased on Shore Excursions IF you bring it to the Dining Room or consume in a public space like the Lounge or Bars.

Has anyone taken the Ancient Capitals cruise, sailing in Japan and South Korea? Any impressions, advice, tips? Thanks!

Yes and Yes. Can you be more specific? Are you talking about Ancient Capitals in Asia (Beijing and Tokyo?). Or are your referring to places like Rome, Athens, Jerusalem, Alexandria, etc.?

Two queries re our upcoming Golden Princess cruise, Buenos Aires to Los Angeles.

 

1. Has anybody done the Princess Cruises City Drive & Indian Markets tour in Lima? If so, did the Tour Bus offer to drop people off at Miraflores on the way back to the ship?

 

2. Also, the Princess Ship shuttles from Port at Callao, do they go into Miraflores?

 

Thanks

There was another thread about a week ago on this topic. Might want to compare notes there and what you receive here. We were on the Golden Princess last month/this month on its way Rio. We took the Lima City Tour which was run by Lima Tours. They had excellent guides and some interesting parts above and underground in Lima. We traveled through several neighbor hoods including Miraflores at one near the sea was Larcomar, a shopping mall built into the seaside cliffs. The other notable area was a JF Kennedy Park where there were department stores, craft shops, restaurants around the perimeter of the park. Great food here as well but we ate at Larcomar and watched the sunset. This district has it's own police and security so we felt relatively safe in the crowded areas but we were warned to keep our cameras and wallets hidden and clutch your handbags/fannyback near your chest.

Since I'm new to flying with a knee replacement, I wondered if anybody could give feedback on whether they experienced any extra hassle at either the airport in Santiago or Newberry airport in Buenos Aires when going through customs. We have flights once we are in South America within Argentina from BA to Iguazu, then in Chile to Easter Island and back to the USA.

I'm not sure about Buenos Aires, but at Santiago we had 2 member of our tour group with knee or hip replacements. They had all the proper forms but I'm not sure the security or airline staff read English so they had to explain to our tour guide that they had metal as part of their hip or knee and the tour guides (who traveled with us) spoke Spanish to Airport Security and Airline staff members to explain their medical condition. I saw them get a pat down instead of going through metal detectors. Our tour guide actually made sure they walked on the planes (LAN Airlines) first along with children, seniors needing assistance, and 1st class.