Kingsbridge

14 hours ago, dougo in oz said:

I'm researching things to do at various ports in Japan  (May 2020 - 5th - 10th) ... our ports are Osaka, Shimizu, Yokohama, Hakodate and Kushiro).

There's some great information on this thread - thanks very much to all the contributors - it's very helpful.

I'm aware there is a special week - "Golden Week" during our ports of call.  Do you think this will have a huge impact on getting around / public transport ?

Thank you

I was in Japan for Golden Week years ago and it had a major impact on my visit.  Not so much in getting around Tokyo itself but we took a day trip to Hakone on public transportation (trains, cable cars, etc.) and I have never seen so many people before or since.  We wanted to get off the train to see an open air sculpture park but we were standing room only packed like sardines and when we got to the right station, there were hundreds of people standing on the platform wanting to board the train.  Needless to say, we didn't get off and the rest of our journey to Hakone was equally crowded.  If you are planning to go to Kyoto or Nara from Osaka, you will probably run into major crowds.  I don't know about Hakodate since it is smaller and off the beaten path.

HI, I sent you a friend request on Facebook.  I love following your travels. Mary Draper

I would agree with the original poster that a HAL tour would be a better option for that port.  Who wants to be delayed getting off the ship?  All tours go to the same places and you would be more confident about getting back on time on a ship's tour.  I booked a private tour last February and our entry into Cienfuegos was cancelled.  I doubt I will spend the money on another cruise to Cuba, but if I did, I would definitely book an excursion with HAL in Cienfuegos.  Havana is another matter.  We had a good time on our private excursion there and of course we had no worries about missing the ship.

Thanks for the tip about the sale.  I checked the excursions for my September Mediterranean cruise and some but not all of the prices of excursions had gone down.  I was able to cancel and rebook the one very expensive excursion I had signed up for and saved $60 on that.  I then booked another excursion where the price had gone down, but I have held off on booking other excursions for the time being.

I booked the Sept 20, 2019 Italy Spain and Monaco cruise back in June of 2018. Shortly thereafter I looked at shore excursions and picked out some that I would like to take. I wrote down the prices but didn't book because the cruise was so far out. I went back online today and noticed that the prices of the excursions had gone up. Is that a common thing on Celebrity? I usually cruise on HAL and I don't remember that happening on that line. Do the excursion prices fluctuate or will the new higher prices be the best you can get?

I like the inside cabins on the lower promenade deck on some HAL ships so that I can get outside in a few seconds and use the wrap around deck as my personal outdoor space. I have never brought a night light but I have left the bathroom light on with the door open a crack. I know aboout the TV channel bur I haven’t used it because I prefer the absolute darkness.

Judith, did you go to St Pierre Island??? If so what did you do there?? Do you know anyone that did the ships tour to Blue Lagoon??? Our second day in Iceland is a short one as we leave at 2! Usually do private tours but dont feel comfortable doing this on a short day!!

I did the ship's tour to the Blue Lagoon from the Rotterdam in July. I was quite happy with it and it was important to do it with the ship on the last day because we knew the ship would wait for us.

I would suggest you take a look at the 17 day Viking Passage leaving Rotterdam on July 13 2019 and ending in Boston on July 30. Much cheaper and you get all three ports in Iceland. I took a similar voyage on the Rotterdam this year and enjoyed it very much.

I wouldn't argue in favor of flying from Venice to Rome instead of taking the train, but I can speak from experience and say that it isn't a bad option. Last year I took a cruise that ended in Venice. I was a bit worried about dragging my heavy suitcase to the train station at either Sta. Lucia or Mestre. In the end, I got a one way plane ticket on Alitalia for about $100. I took an enjoyable ship's excursion to Murano and Burano which included a transfer to the airport. I arranged for a limo pickup from FCO to the city center which cost about $50. Okay, you will all say that it was too expensive and time consuming, but as an older person traveling alone, it worked out fine for me.

I just returned home from Venice yesterday. We left from Venice on a week long cruise but spent a few days prior and after in Venice. I absolutely loved Venice (better than any of the cruise ports). We stayed at the AC Venezia by Marriott. I can not say enough good things about this hotel. It was perfect for us. We used Shuttle direct to drop us from airport to door of hotel and same on the return (no luggage dragging at all). It was safe, quiet, and comfortable. It is brand new and had all of the efficiencies that we could ask for (a bar, comfortable outdoor secluded seating, wifi, ice cold AC). We watched as people dragged their luggage all over Venice, and were thankful that was not us, no dragging involved. This hotel is the closest hotel to the People Mover (within 100 feet), used to bring you over to the cruise terminal. It was SUPER easy. The hotel is within walk-able distance of all of Venice. I was with my 75 year old parents and we walked to San Marco and back on two different occasions, as well as purchased a day pass on the public Vaporetto two other days. I absolutely would recommend this hotel (although maybe more Americanized than some of the traditional hotels-since its owned by Marriott. If your looking for more traditional this may not be the place for you), and if I was ever to return to Venice (which I certainly hope to some day) would definitely plan on staying there again. If heading out on a Cruise, it is the absolute best choice.

I'm interested in this hotel for next year. Can you tell me if the hotel rooms have stall showers? I am at the age where I don't like to use a tub/shower combo. Many thanks for your help.

Studios are great! I'm booked on one on the Bliss, Getaway and the Epic. It's amazing to travel alone and it's even more amazing NCL tries to help solos out. If you go on one of the biggest social media websites, you can search for some groups dedicated to us. We share deals and tips!

How did you find the closet space? I am booked on a 21 day Panama Cancal cruise in 2019. I am wondering how much room I will have for clothes?

I was in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2016 on a Tauck land tour. In Abu Dhabi we stayed quite near the spectacular mosque. I noticed that your cruise also stops in Muscat, Oman where there is also a large beautifully designed mosque. If you go to the mosque in Oman, you might consider visiting only the Louvre in Abu Dhabi because you have such a short time. The great mosque and the museum are quite far apart. Eventually there will be other museums on Saadiyat Island but as of 2016 (and today, I think), only the Louvre has been completed.

We booked with a private tour operator while traveling on the Veendam but then the port stop was cancelled due to high winds. We were able to call the operator right away and cancel without penalty. I did notice that HAL was going to let the folks on their tours off first and private passengers would be delayed by one hour. Then they told us that we would have to take our last tender back one hour earlier than the ship tour passengers. They told me that 90% of the passengers were on ship tours. If I were to take the cruise again, I would book a tour through HAL in Cienfuegos and not a private operator, especially if the goal was to,go to Trinidad which is an hour and a half drive each way. I would like to have the extra hours plus not have to worry about being left behind.

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Actually on the Westerdam this summer, there were some new movies. They showed the same movies on the TV as they offered in the theatre. Usually they were shown in the theatre and then offered the next day on the TV. I thought the selection of programming was much better on the new TVs.

If the ship has the new flat screen TVs, then closed captioning is available. I used it on the Westerdam on my Mediterranean cruise this summer (2017).

I think most cruises that go to Skagen would also go to Copenhagen. When I visited Skagen, we happened to have a lovely sunny day. We spent the day wandering the town and we visited the lovely little art museum where they have paintings from the Skagen school of impressionist artists. We had a nice lunch in the town. There are options for going out to some dunes as well, but I was quite satisfied with having such a pleasant visit without the need to purchase a shore excursion. I would be happy to go back there.

Copenhagen of course has lots of things to see and it is a wonderful city.

The Vaporetto (water bus) blue line runs from the cruise terminal to the airport, around the city. If you're not overburdened with luggage, and you have the time (1h 45), it's a cheap (15 €), scenic option (bear in mind there are charges for extra luggage on Vaporetti). Taxis are available for about 50€, and water taxis can easily cost twice as much (but are not an unpleasant option).

That is not the Vaporetto. It is the Alilaguna blue line. The Vaporetto does not go to the airport.

The Chase cards are Chip and Signature. FYI, I have had no difficulty using it in other parts of the world.

I have 2 Chase cards and a Barclaycard (US). The fact that your card is a chip and signature does not mean you can't add a pin to it. I asked the banks to assign me a pin for each card. While it is true that the pins are intended for cash advances only, you can use them in unattended kiosks in Europe and the bank does not treat the charge as a cash advance. I have used the pin feature in several European countries without incurring any extra charges.

I just checked the HAL site and the Nieuw Statendam cruises do not show up yet. However, they do show up on the booking engine that the PCCs, and possibly other TAs, use.

 

For comparison, my fare is about $330 per day - also for one of the solo cabins, the same one I had a few months ago on the Koningsdam.

 

Rich

I take it you were happy with the solo cabin. What is the category for the cabin and where are they located?

Thanks for all your help. The land taxi to Mestre definitely sounds like the way to go.

I am disembarking in Venice in October and need some advice on how to get to the Santa Lucia train station. I am a woman in my late 70's and fairly agile but I am traveling solo and will have a 25" rolling suitcase and a carry on bag. The walk to the people mover is only one challenge. If I take the people mover and manage to get to Piazzale Roma, the steps on the bridge look very daunting to someone with a suitcase. I understand that there is an elevator to the side of the train station and can look for that, but how should I get from the cruise terminal itself to the station? Vaporetto? Water taxi? Walk to people mover? I haven't bought a train ticket yet and at this point I am considering getting a plane ticket and a cruise ship transfer, but maybe I am just exaggerating a problem. Any advice from someone who has done it would be helpful.

The Russian Museum in St. Petersburg has some wonderful art by Russian artists of all periods. I especially like the 19th Century artists. It is rarely included in standard tours and therefore it is much less crowded. It is very centrally located (across Mikhailovsky Square from the Belmond Grand Europe.

I think Ravenna is wonderful but it is too far. Padua is much closer. If you are interested in the history of art, you might want to see the Giotto's in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. Vicenza is a lovely town with museums and a pretty historic center. It is closer than Verona and perhaps less touristy.

What do you get as an onboard credit?

We are trying to decide between TSA precheck and the Global Entry. I have researched the pros and cons and costs. But my question is an "approximate" time it might take to get an appointment for the interview. We have a trip last week in Nov and we have heard from several on various travel boards and websites that you can not get any idea of how long it might be for an apt before you submit your money and that Global Entry can take many many months. Atlanta is our closest office and I need any update from anyone who has knowledge if it is reasonable to expect an apt within a couple of months to get all this process by Nov or if I need to forego the Global Entry and just get TSA precheck. I don't necessary anticpate going in and out of country that many times but realized it was only 15.00 more. Any help appreciated.

I just had my appointment for Global Entry here in San Diego. I applied in mid February. I accepted the April 5th appointment becuas I wasn't in a hurry but the website said that you could check back for cancellations.