timetravellers

Thank you

We have been hoping to go on the White Pass Summit Excursion via Haines.

This was showing as Sold Out for ages but now it says that online reservations are not available and to check onboard.

Does anyone know what the chances are of booking this as soon as we board?

Thanks

Our RCL Serenade of the Seas cruise next month has been switched from Ketchikan to Ward Cove and our excursions have been cancelled!  
Please tell me what you know about Ward Cove! Shuttles? Dock side excursion vendors? Etc?

Thanks

We’re flying into Vancouver from England 3 days before sailing. Can anyone tell me where to get our pre cruise covid test done? 

Thank you. We were on the first Rotterdam to Boston cruise on 30 June. We had the flies in Qaqortoq but didn’t get ashore in Nanortalik due to thick fog.

I’ve been watching this thread with interest and now have the link to the very interesting blog.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Gail

No one has reported on Greenland! Did you get ashore there?

I don't know if things have changed, but last time we cruised to Longyearbyen there definitely weren't any tours available upon arrival. You could walk into town, but that was it.

 

We booked a kayaking excursion through Spitsbergen Travel that took us across the fjord to the abandoned mining town. It was interesting, and our guide provided a lot of history about the area. Plus kayaking in the dry suit was a new experience for us. (Bonus: a curious seal surfaced briefly to check us out on the trip back!)

Definitely need to pre-book then. Undecided between the Maxi Tours trip and the ship's bird watching excursion by boat which could be extremely cold and it looks like an open boat :(

Think I am too old for kayaking!!:D:D

I'd pre-book - it's easy to do and the tour doesn't cost much. We paid by credit card and chose as pick-up point "port". At the end of the tour you can either come back to your ship or the driver/guide will drop you off in the city centre. (Don't expect much, but some restaurants, souvenir shops and the museum.

When we were there nothing was offered at the dock, so it's better to decide now or book a ship's excursion - but these offer the same things you can book online at double or triple the price...

Don't forget to dress warmly. Last time we were there ( in June) we had sleet in the morning but then it warmed up to 5 degrees Celsius... (41F.)

Thanks Grayjay

Very useful information. I shall have a look at the websites and choose a tour.

MaxiTaxi Tours offer a two-hour trip in a mini-bus or coach which gives a nice oversight. There's a museum which is worthwhile to see, otherwise the town itself doesn't offer much. Some people go hiking ( only with a guide because of the danger of polar bears!) , riding or dog-sledding ( no snow! It's just a sled with wheels on the road!!), fossile hunting ( again with a guide plus gun) or boat trips.

Visitsvalbard.com gives you a lot of information about what to see and do. The main attraction, IMO is the bleak and strange-looking countryside.

svalbartdnordicvistor.com is also a helpful website.

Enjoy your cruise - we'll be visiting Spitsbergen (Svalbard) again this year, too! And we're very much looking forward to it!

Thank you for the information. I shall research those links!:)

Do we need to pre-book MaxiTours? Or are tours available on the dock side.

Do the tenders always get in?

We shall be visiting this port next month on Pacific Princess.

None of the tours really appeal to us.

It is such an unusual port that I am frightened of missing something good. Will we be OK doing our own thing? Or will there be private tours available ashore?

Has anyone else heard from RCI yet? I've scrawled through my emails, and I can't see anything (I had the survey, so they have my email address)

We haven't received an email. I sent an email to the contact us email address and via Messenger. I have had acknowledgements and an email confirming that we will get the FCCs either direct or via the TA. They also have given me a direct number to call if we don't hear anything. We shall see.

Me neither, checked my spam folder too.

I also booked direct but via the US.

I have e mailed Michael Bayleys office yesterday and am awaiting a reply.

mbayley@rccl.com.

I have had results from e mailing his office in the past so hopefully will this time.

I booked via a TA in the UK and have not received the email. Nothing in the Spam folder.

I spoke to my TA and they advised that I was not eligible - Wrong!!! - so I have sent in a complaint which has today been acknowledged.

I have emailed RCL Customer Services and received No Reply.

I messaged RCL on Facebook and received a message back today to say they are investigating.

Glad to know I am not the only one.

Thank you for the brilliant review. We are booked for January 2017. You have given us lots of helpful information particularly the cost of taxis in Abu Dhabi!

We pre-arranged a taxi to take us to see the sights around the local area e.g. Nong Nooch Gardens, Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya View Point at Khao Pratumnak, Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai, Viharnra Sien Sattahip (Chinese Temple), Pattaya Floating Market (not in that order). This was over two days in port.

That sounds good.

Following the elephant accident in Thailand, we are cancelling our elephant ride at this port.

My question is this, are there tour vendors on the dockside at Laem Chabang or is it best to do the ship tours? It is too late to find a private tour.

We have a $600 credit for our upcoming cruise and not having cruised for about 30 years and rarely in any casino I am rather out of touch about cashing this in. I can't see us needing to spend anything with suite benefits and the other extra's that we got for this booking.

 

I have read numerous posts and have an understanding from those that you just go to the money booth and give them your cruise card and ask for $600 (or whatever) in cash?

 

Just out of curiosity, why would this be allowed? I can only guess it is for people who do not carry cash, wish to gamble and essentially have it charged to their credit/charge card. Would that be about right?

We did that. We, too, had more OBC than we could spend and saw a sign in the casino saying that we could get cash from our cruise card.

There was a 5% fee but weren't worried as it was 'free' money!

They had a seat, and you boarded them from a high staircase. They also sold bananas to feed them.

At the Tiger Zoo, there was a croc show that was amazing, as well as a tiger show that was great.

Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for that information. I shall have a look for that.

We were in Thailand 2 years ago. We took the tour to the Tiger Zoo instead. There we were able to ride the Elephants, hold the tigers and crocs. They also had some nice shows . It was great. Afterwards, we were dropped off in Pattiya. It was an "interesting" place to walk during the day. I would not want to walk at night except maybe by the waterfront. The ship then had a shuttle back to the ship from there.

That sounds lovely.

Was this a ships tour? Did you ride the elephants bareback or did they have seats?

That doesn't sound too good re the elephants.

We would really like to ride an elephant while we are there but I am having trouble finding any relevant tour,

We would like to ride some elephants while we are in Thailand and I have read somewhere that we can do this at the Sanctuary of Truth, near Pattaya.

Is this correct?

If so, is there a queue to ride them and do they have seats? Not sure, we could manage bareback!

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

We have just arrived home after a week on Reflection followed by 2 weeks on Eclipse.

I thought the Reflection felt crowded and it seems that she has 250 more passengers than Eclipse. Also, part of the Lawn is now devoted to Cabanas and hammocks so not so much room for lawn games.

We found the service in Cafe Al Bacio much more efficient on Reflection.

Overall, I preferred the Eclipse as it seemed much less cluttered and much less crowded. We also liked the Sky Lounge without the missing space. The Sky Lounge was frequently used for quizzes, karaoke, dancing etc. I think it is down to the Cruise Director's team to keep the place busy.

Good idea to put the table tennis tables in Quasar during the day!!

We sailed to Antarctica on Infinity 2 years ago and we had a second cruise on her through Panama Canal in the same year.

We prefer Infinity over the Solstice class ships. She is the ideal size medium size ship and we like the layout.

OK she's not new but we didn't really notice.

BTW, the Antarctica cruise was amazing! :)

If I'm not mistaken, the first sitting is at 6.30pm and the second one at 9pm. We did the cruise on Magnifica out of Venice so I am assuming that the times are the same.

Thanks for that. We would usually go for 2nd sitting but 9pm is simply too late for us.

 

Dining preference time depends on how late to want to stay up with a full belly as you can eat ... and eat ... and eat :D We did an April cruise last year and we prefer the early dinner sitting, then the show, a few drinks and a few dances and then off to bed (but that is just us)

 

Hope that this helps

That certainly does help. Thanks.

I have now established that we are on first sitting for dinner. Any idea what time that would be and what time second sitting is? This is a cruise on Fantastica out of Venice.

Thank you for your helpful replies.

I think I shall give them a call to find out what I have booked!!