dsw39

I use these types of shoes for all my water activities. I am bringing them Sunday for my excursions in Dominica and St Lucia.

Hi Just back yesterday! Used the same water shoes in both Dominica and St Lucia. The Champagne snorkel in Dominica is a problem no matter what shoes you are wearing! The entrance to the water is all river rock about a distance of 20' to the water. You will be in bare feet carrying your fins which you put on at a rubber mat at the water line.

My shoes are comfortable to walk in so there wasn't any problem wearing them for the full day on all islands where water activities were scheduled.

I toured with Bumping Tours in Dominica and enjoyed it for the third time and I toured with Spencer in St Lucia again for the third or fourth time. All tours were wonderful as they had been in the past

Hope you have a good time on your cruise

Dave

We'll be doing Spencer's Land and Sea tour. Are these watershoes ok? Will we need running shoes as well?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Basics-Mens-Water-Shoe/dp/B0093FLL5G

I use these types of shoes for all my water activities. I am bringing them Sunday for my excursions in Dominica and St Lucia.

Coconuts (home of the Bushwacker :p) or Glady's Cafe.

Agree with Coconuts for the food and drink. This is not located in an area where you would have a nice view of Charlotte Amalie.

As a point of interest, we just returned from our rountrip sailing from Vancouver. I had asked the cost for a taxi from the airport to a downtown hotel and was advise about $30-35. We arrived on Sunday the last day of the Stanley Park Celebration. Due to traffic the bill was $52. The replies didn't indicate that the the meter runs by mileage and idle time. We visited Stanley Park a mile from our hotel (Day's Inn Downtown) Due to a backlog to take the bus, we took a cab with the cost being $20 due to traffic to travel the mile. We loved our visit to Vancouver and lookl forward to returning

You will need exact CDN currency for transit, it is one of the few things that it is necessary for in Vancouver. The book of 10 tickets can per used by anyone in your party and are very easy to use on buses and other forms of transit be it SkyTrain or SeaBus and serve as a transfer for 90 minutes. I would be inclined to purchase mine at the airport where they are much more likely to accept a credit card...ticket agents do have the option of accepting a credit card or not.

Thanks for confirming the need for exact change and location of the place to acquire them at the airport

Pre-purchased as in the literal definition thereof - a ticket you buy before you ride transit as opposed to one you buy when you board. Either a day pass or a book of faresavers are pre-purchased tickets.

 

Since you're not planning to use the tickets to get from the airport to downtown, you may not want to bother buying faresavers at all, as they do not offer any saving over the regular senior fare price ($1.75 cash as you board or $1.75 per ticket bought as a ten-pack in advance).

 

The only possible advantage is convenience (no hunting for exact change) but unless you are actually going to use all 10 tickets, you'll be throwing money away...

 

As to whether the airport 7-11 or one near your hotel is most convenient - depends how close to your hotel the nearest 7-11 is... plonk your hotel address into the field at the bottom of this page and you'll see the nearest place to buy faresavers if you choose to do so.

Thanks for the definition of pre-purchased! I was looking at the advantage of not securing exact change for each transit on a bus. Have I been misinformed about exact change for the local bus system? It is easy to utilize the 10 ticket booklet for our two day stay in Vancouver. The bus system was the only reason we would need Canadian currency for our trip.

Yes - the only tickets which get the $5 airport surcharge added are those bought at the ticket machines at the relevant stations. Any pre-purchased tickets are exempt for the additional charge.

What do you mean by pre-purchased. We would buy them while in the airport or wait to purchase them downtown. We are using a taxi for transport to our hotel.

Dave

Hi: Is the cost of a faresaver 10 ticket pass (senior $17.50) the same if purchased at the airport. If not we can wait until we get to our hotel downtownand ask where to purchase it.

Thanks

Dave

Dave,

 

How warm your hands are normally/how good your circulation is will be a key factor. The first time I had a great pair of Eastern Mountain Sports windblock fleece gloves. They were very thin (so I could shoot with them on), but being 100% windproof, the thin amont of fleece was plenty to keep my hands toasty.

 

Then I lost one of the gloves...and the newer version form EMS was thicker and I didn't like them - too thick to work the camera for my taste. So after some hunting I ended up with two more 100% windproof shells - 1 from REI, one from Cabelas. One pair is just a nylon shell, the other has a little fleece - very little. Both have worked well for me in 20 degree weather, but my hands don't get cold easily.

 

There are now all sorts of those gloves with the removeable finger.mitten covers. Instead of looking ion the normal cold weather clothing area, check out the hunting section of a store or website - you'll find a lot of those types of glvoes hiding there:).

 

L.J.

Thanks! I am fine for a while, but on the deck for an hour or more can be cold! Have found many ideas on the web, but thought you would have a good answer based on your review.

Dave

Well, for all the owl fans out there, here are a couple of shots of the Eurasian Eagle Owl I took at our local rehab center. They say they're the biggest owls in the world. All I know is that those orange eyes are AWESOME!!!

 

 

 

"Look into my eyes

 

 

 

 

"LOOK!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

Hi LJ: Beautiful pictures! We will be in Glacier Bay in late August, twice in Hubbard glacier and sailing in Prince William Sound out of Whittier in early September. What did you wear to keep your hands warm yet be able to take these fantastic pictures? I have seen gloves where 2 fingers can be exposed and also thin gloves which they say will be cold after a short period of time.

Dave

I'll do this one backwards - you could walk straight down Homer Street from the Victorian, which ends at David Lam Park just over 1 mile away. One of the Aquabus ferry stops is at the park - it's just one leg, the next stop westbound is Granville Island. Or you could finish your Chinatown walk by heading to the new Athlete's Village area - that will certainly be a big change for you from 15 years ago - and get the Aquabus there which will take you all the way along False Creek to the island. On a nice day it's a pleasant little cruise.

 

The HoHo tours, if you're interested in them, do have stops just off Granville Island - and at least the Vancouver Trolley includes a one-shot Ferry ticket, possibly the others do too. Local transit buses will also get you close to, but not onto, the island. Get on the #50 bus at Granville & Pender - it'll take you right over the island on Granville Bridge, then swoop back around. Stop 58661 at Anderson Street & 2nd Avenue is the closest one to the island - the HoHo stops are also on 2nd Ave, about a block further away opposite Mariner Walk.

 

As to Stanley Park from the Days Inn Downtown - go check out the other main Vancouver Thread in the West Coast Departures forum. There have been a flurry of 'getting to and around the park' questions answered recently. Likely the quickest way to the park from this hotel is the #19 bus, which stops on Pender within a block of your hotel (walk either direction and you'll find a stop).

Thanks for the comprehensive reply! I checked the local bus routes today for both directions. This is the cheapest means of transportationto the park or island.

Dave

Hertz actually has an office upstairs in the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel just a short elevator ride up from the cruise ship terminal level.

 

AS to the Avis location on Hornby it would be a long walk hauling luggage and slightly uphill - probably about 6 blocks (long)..

Yes there are taxis available but usually a long line when a ship is in

How to avoid the line.. walk out the doors of the terminal (you are then in a parkade) walk to your right and straight ahead to where it says Convention Centre & Hotel - (there will also be signs directing you to downtown Vancouver) enter these doors and ride the elevator up 1 level to the lobby/entrance (main floor) of the Hotel Pan Pacific and get the door man to put you in a taxi - you will be on your way in minutes.

Hi We will be staying in the Day's Inn Downtown in late August! Would like to visit Stanley Park in the afternoon of our Sunday arrival. What is the best way to get there and are the main attractions within easy walking distance. When I was here 15 years ago we had a car and enjoyed the park. We will be returning in early September and intend to see the local sites, Granville Island, China Town and Gas Town. We can walk to China Town and Gas Town, but need info on getting to Granville Island. We will be staying in the Victorian Hotel on our return

Thanks

Dave

Hey Dave,

 

Sorry - ISP is short for Icy Straight Point. It's located on the north edge of Chichagof Island about halfway along the NE edge of the island directly on Icy Straight. It's about 40 air miles form Juneau. We saw tons of whlaes this past July on our two trips out of Juneau. Maybe 6-10 different whales, but some of them we saw many times.

 

Things like the whales are one of the reasons why I like and carry my big DSLRs. While many point & shoot digital cameras take excellent photos of still objects/landscapes, they lag behind the DSLRs in terms of response and focus time for things like whales and eagles. The thing that can really help is pre focusing ahead of the whales. Once they surface, they'll usually follow the same path & directions for several cycles until they sound and come up somewhere else. If you pick the right spot, then all you have to do shoot when the whales come up. Easier said than done, especially if the waters aren't calm:D, but with a little time and practice, it works more often than not.

 

Our travels have been limited to the Caribbean and Alaska so far, but Europe and the Med, and Africa and Zew Zealand & Australia are all on the to do list!

 

 

L.J.

I just bought a used Sony camcorder for this trip. I hope to be able to get better movies of the wildlife and sealife. I had trouble focusing on moving objects on our last Alaska outing so I should be able to film the area and edit out the footage the is extraneous. We are going to try flightseeing this time and the camera should be wonderful for the tour.

Dave

Hey Dave,

 

We're north of the Charlotte in Concord. We would LOVE to run a B2B to Alaska, but I'm guessing that'll be a few years away for us:rolleyes:. We're all in right now for a two week land tour in 2015. Just curious - what looks like it's changed? Are you stopping in ISP? If you do, I would HIGHLY recomend taking a whale wathcing trip there. If not, try to get one (or two, or three) in Juneau. While the boat operators have to legally maintain a minimum distance, we have totally witnessed whales decide they wanted a closer look, and there isn't a good way to describe the sound and sensation of hearing a 50 foot humpback exhale within easy hearing distance. You'll have a blast with the camcorder. While I obviously take a lot of photos, Bev does a lot of video recording on our travels - I haven't even started working on that yet:D!

 

L.J.

Hi Walleye: Where is ISP? We went whale watching in Juneau last time! The tour was ok but the whales were not cooperative. I bought the camcorder to insure I get pictures of the whales. In the past when I tried to focus my still camera, the whale was gone. We will be taking a cruise from Whittier to visit the glaciers in Prince William Sound. We have been lucky in the last 10 years to have traveled from Alaska to Cape Horn to cover the Americas. Been three times to the Western Med, once to the Eastern Med and Northern Europe. All have been fantastic vacations.

Dave

LOL - I did wear it several times - but I seemed to always have to set too high, or too low. One of these days I'll buy one and figure it out. We live just a bit outside Charlotte, NC. Where are you all from - I see you've got a lot of cruises under your belt!:D

 

L.J.

Hi Walleye: Loved seeing your pictures of your Alaska cruise. Where is outside Charlotte? We live on Lake Wylie just across the border. We are sailing a b2b in Alaska the end of August. Haven't sailed there in 10 years and find it looks like quite a change. We are sailing to Whittier and back. I bought a Sony camcorder today to record the whales in Icy Strait. They say they see around 70 whales per tour along with many other sealife, eagles and bears on the island.

Dave

I have been looking on several maps of Quebec City and I can't find where Pier 30 is. Our ship, NCL Dawn, is due to dock at Pier 30, but we're staying at the Le Port Royale on 144 Rue St-Pierre. I thought it was supposed to be very close, but now I have my doubts. Can we walk across the street dragging our suitcases, as I had hoped, or will we have to get a taxi.

Hi: You will need a taxi to reach your hotel. The path for walking is gravel and the hotel is about a mile from where you are docked. The taxi will have to go around the marina to your hotel. You can google it on maps.

Dave

Hi All! Will you please post the e-mail addresses of Duke and Colin. Will be sailing next Sunday

Thanks

Dave

Hi, it takes between 20 mins and half an hour depending on the traffic, the cost is around 20 euros.

There are usually taxis waiting at the entrance to the cruise terminal building but if they are all taken there is another taxi rank located on the station. Walk through the underpass from the quay, straight ahead and you will see them.

Happy cruising, :)

Anni.

Hi Anni: Glad we were able to get together on our visit. Enjoyed Rostock and with your directions had no trouble finding our way back to the ship. Your town is worth the visit as is Warnemunde. This is a very different port for those of us who decided to forgo Berlin. Sorry we missed Schwerin as some of a pax enjoyed themselves visiting the castle.

Keep up the good work of advising travelers to your area.

Dave

Hi, answer is yes, its a good starting point to walk from one end of the city to the other and then catch a tram back to the station. Will fill you in on the route to take when I see you. By the way, we often hang around a little later than 6pm on busy cruise days.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Maybe you would like a drink after hours. We may have another couple with us for the day.

Dave

Hi Anni: Reading your posts, when returning to Rostock from Schwerin we take tram 5 or 6 the 5th stop is where you are located Kropeliner Tor. Can we see all the interesting site from there after saying hello

Dave

Hi Dave, sorry for the delay, I have just arrived home (Rostock) from a stay with my family in Brisbane, Australia. Back 'in harness' now and looking forward to the cruise season.

Happy to have been of help and would love to meet you, I work in the Kröpeliner Gate which is the big brick tower at the end of the pedestrian mall. We are open from 10am to 6pm and you will find me there chatting to visitors in English about the history of the city.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Hi Anni: Great! I found we can buy the Landerticket in Warnemuende with our local ticket which should save time in changing trains. We should be back in Rostock by 5pm. If we can find you we will stop by to say Hello.

Dave

Hi Anni: You have been so much help in planning our trip. Where are you working in Rostock. We would love to see you when we return from Schwerin through Rostock

Dave

Your input has been invaluable.

Hi Steve: I just read Bob's post indicating you are on the same cruise as he and I.

If you are interested in visiting Scherwin, we are planning on visiting there, back to Rostock and spending the evening at the port.

If I can catch the 8:10 am to Rostock, the rest is easy.

Schwerin has a castle,market and many churches. It is quite a picturesque town

Dave

Hi Steve, this should work.

Open http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Choose 'OFFERS' in the top bar.

Choose 'Regional Tickets within Germany' > 'Lander Tickets'

> Book your ticket here

Select 'single ride'

Fill in the departure station Rostock Hbf (Rostock Main Station)

Fill in your destination, if the drop menu gives several stations for that town choose Hbf.

Fill in date ticket is required, (time of departure does not matter as this ticket can be used at any time after 9am weekdays, 1am weekends.)

Enter number of travellers

When selection of trains appears choose >purchase in Savings fares column.

Follow the prompts to buy and print out your ticket.

 

These tickets are always available (unlike some of the other specials) so there is no need to buy months ahead.

 

Please note that if you are travelling between Warnemuende and Rostock before 9am you will also need to purchase a local ticket from the machine on the station

 

To answer your question. You cannot go to Berlin on this ticket but if you buy a Brandenburg Lander ticket as well (in exactly the same way) the two together will take you to Berlin and also allow all day travel on the public transport in that city.

 

Happy cruising :)

 

Anni

Hi Anni: I was looking at the train schedule you just posted. We are traveling to Rostock and on to Schwerin. We dock at 7:30 and hopefully can catch the 8:10 train to connect with the 9:05 to Schwerin. The next train to Schwerin is 11:07 which is pretty late.

I gather we must buy the ticket to Rostock along with the rest of the group taking the train and further buy the Lander Ticket in Rostock prior to taking the train to Schwerin.

Any ideas on how to accomplish the schedule

Thanks

Dave

Hi Anni: I was looking at the trip to Schwerin. You didn't indicate which station to use. Mitte or hbf. It looks like we could get off at mitte and return from hbf to see the most in the town. I can't find the market on the map. i found the am dom church. Anything else we should look for

Thanks

Dave