CLCruzer

On 2/22/2020 at 12:04 PM, Preacherman46 said:

We went with a tour last year and didn't feel that we really had time to explore. How complicated or difficult is it to get transportation (prefer taxi) there and maybe then to Plaka and back to port? Thanks!

We set up a private tour of Athens with Athens Taxi Tours and it was one of the best excursions of our lifetime.  Our driver met us just outside the gate as soon as our ship allowed passengers to go ashore and he drove us straight to the Acropolis so we got there well before the crowds arrived  (The attached picture shows how few people were there at the time.)   The cost for our small group of other Cruise critic Shipmates was only 60 Euro per person which was just about he same as the Ship's Excursion for a vastly superior tour.  I HIGHLY recommend Athens Taxi Tours.

Rich 

On 6/6/2020 at 8:12 AM, iancal said:

We spent several days on the island and have also stopped on cruises.

 

As others have said,one can easily spend an enjoyable full day in and around the old city walls.  We did go to Lindos, but not on a cruise stop.   We took the local bus.  It was a nice 1/2 to 3/4 day trip in itself.  Taxi would have been faster.

 

If we had a choice of a full leisurely day in Rhodes city or a rushed tour that included the city and Lindos we would definitely opt for a day on our own in and around the old town of Rhodes.

 

Bottom line...what ever you choose will be good.  Though I would take a private tour, taxi or otherwise,  over an escorted ships tour any time.

Thank you (and everyone else) for sharing your experiences.

Rich

9 hours ago, fbgd said:

Very rough generalization here but I'd compare domestic first class (as in 2-2 narrowbody recliner seats) to longhaul premium economy. 

I completely agree with your observation.   

Thank you for the conversation.

Rich 

On 5/5/2020 at 6:00 AM, oldfashioncruiser said:

I decided several years ago that since I am getting too old to put up with being uncomfortable and with my husband hating flying these days that we will book first/business from now on.   

My wife & I flew First Class on American and Delta last year and were very disappointed.   Yes - there was more room and real food but these improvements were not worth the extra cost over coach.   On the other hand,  we flew Premium Economy on West Jet and Air France and felt like we received excellent service at a far more reasonable cost.   

   These experiences leads me to believe that it is the quality of the airline that makes for an enjoyable flight experience and not the class of service or cost of the ticket. 

Just one observation,

Rich

The most recent reviews posted for the Azamara Journey were posted in July.  Surely there must have been more reviews submitted over the past 4 months.  

Where are they?

😒

On 10/30/2019 at 8:37 AM, BBMacLaird said:

As promised, we’re pleased to share an update regarding the AzAmazing Evenings on the following sailings that were originally scheduled in Cuba:

1.       21-Nov-2019 

2.       30-Nov-2019 

3.       7-Dec-2019  

 

Thank you Bonnie!

On 8/30/2019 at 10:25 PM, BBMacLaird said:

I’ve just just received this response from a very senior manager...

 

”Hi Bonnie,

AEEs [AzAmazing Evenings] typically take over a year or more to plan logistically.  With the removal of Cuba in June, we had to adjust these itineraries, including the AEEs unfortunately.  We’re currently working on an entertaining alternative option for these sailings.  Please respond and let them know more details will be shared with all booked guests affected as soon as possible.”

This is very disappointing Bonnie.   As my fellow CC counterparts have expressed, AzAmazing Evenings are one of the primary perks of Azamara cruises.    Although a price reduction is most likely out of the question, some other form  of compensation would be appreciated.    Free Internet for example?

Rich

4 hours ago, Jenner9 said:

We are flying into Fort Myers but sailing out of Miami. We plan to rent a car. Which car rental companies do not charge a one way rental fee? Dollar's charge was $145 just for the one way fee!

I can't say anything about Ft Meyers to Miami but we booked our one way rental from Port Canaveral to Tampa Airport with Alamo (through Costco) and were not charged a drop off fee.   

Rich

7 hours ago, Fatfish said:

https://www.sxm-talks.com/soualiga-newsday/azamara-quest-cruise-passengers-treated-to-reggae-royalty-third-world-performance-soualiga-newsday/

Thanks for finding this.  St Maarten seem to be the most plausible port for the Azamazing Evening as the ship doesn't  depart until 10:00 PM.

Rich

On 2/20/2019 at 6:24 AM, LHT28 said:

I feel your pain

I just bought  this  SIM  for our April trip

https://www.worldtravelsim.com/proddetail.asp?prod=World.Travel.SIM

 

Fingers  crossed it works in Europe  most reviews  said it was fine

I did a test call  here & it worked ok

You get a UK number & USA number  to use

I just need  it for voice & text  so it looked like a good option for our needs

Will report back in May

 

Thank you for finding this option.  Verizon's plan was $10 for  EACH TIME we turned our phone on.  

On 10/4/2018 at 3:01 PM, Norovirus595 said:

Subject says it all.

I did a bicycle tour of Acadia National Park that was organized through the cruise ship and it was one of the highlights of  our Fall Colors cruise to New England & Canada.   The ride was long enough to be interesting but not too long to be exhausting.   Some pictures attached below.

Rich

We will be staying in Richmond next spring prior to our Alaska cruise on the Ovation OTS. We understand that our hotel is about 45 minutes from the cruiseport. There will be 3 couples with luggage. I was wondering what would be better, a private shuttle service, Uber or a taxi? If it is a private shuttle company does anyone have any suggestions for a company?

Hi Ginny,

We were also 3 couples (with lots of luggage) and used Pearl Limousine Service to travel from our downtown hotel to the Cruise port last year. They gave us a stretch limo upgrade instead of the Sprinter Van that we had booked. We were very happy with the service provided.

Rich

Are there glass bottom boat tours at the dock in Bora Bora that we can book or do we need to do this through the ship?

We are sailing on Windstar Wind Spirit next week and have booked our Glass bottom Boat tour through the ship. You can also check out Trip Advisor to see if there are other options available.

Rich

Our 11 day cruise of the Society and Tuamoto Islands ends on July 12, 2018. The ship (Wind Spirit) seems to return to Papeete at 10:00pm the night before. Then we get off the ship the next morning. Does anyone know what time we can get off the ship that last morning? We need to catch an Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora. We have not booked the flight yet but our dates have just opened up on their website and I would like to book soon. What is the earliest we should book the Air Tahiti flight considering we will have to go from the cruise port to the airport? Thanks.

We also have an early flight on the day of disembarkation so I called the Windstar Customer service representative. They told me that it would not be a problem for an early disembarkation to catch our 07:30 flight.

Rich

How did you get from the ship to the airport? We are considering the Jurassic Falls tour but their website has no information on transportation or even and "contact us" option.

It is not a long Taxi Ride from Kauai's Cruise Port to the Helicopter port. (which is NOT at the Airport)

Rich

Which island is the best for taking a helicopter ride as far as sights are concerned?

Couldn't agree more with everyone- Kauai is the best island for a Helicopter tour. I used Jack Harter Tours and they flew with the doors removed for an incredible flight experience.

Rich

I would love to hear more from you or anyone else about the experience of a doors off helicopter tour. My DH wants to do a helicopter tour in Kauai and is a photographer so doors off seems like the way to go but it's my first helicopter ride and I'm scared enough without taking the doors off so I would love hearing from people who have done it.

I took a "doors off" Helicopter tour with Jack Harter Tours and it was a memory of a lifetime! Temperature was fine and the scenery was SPECTACULAR. Just tell them that this is your first helicopter flight and would prefer an "Inside seat" and they will most likely accommodate your request.

Rich

Trying to Compile a list of Kauai's top sites to help plan our time in port. We will have a car. We have one full day to our with our car as the second day we are doing a flight tour

So far I have Waimea Canyon but not much else. I do have a guide book and have searched this site, but the amount of info is just so overwhelming.

What are the best things to see in your opinion!

A Helicopter Flight around the Island will become a lifetime memory. All Helicopter tours fly the same basic route but "Jack Harter's Service" flies without doors for better views. (Don't worry, they have good seat belts ;))

We also went Tubing through the Irrigation Canals and connecting tunnels and it was a blast!!

Last but not least, a cruise up the Nepali Coast is also a lifelong memory.

Rich

Hi all, going on the HAL cruise from Sydney to Auckland leaving Feb 2, 2014. The ship will stop at the following ports: AU:Hobart; NZ: Port Chalmers, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Tauranga, Aukland.

 

 

Thanks.

AKOARA NZ, This was an alternate port as the port of Christchurch was still not repaired following the 2011 Earthquake. We used the ship’s Tenders to get to shore. They ran late so the day’s tours were quite rushed. We booked a ship tour to Christchurch to see the Antarctic Centre (great!) as well as the NZ Air Force Museum (Yawn). (Very good value considering the transportation to Christchurch.

WELLINGTON: We had arranged a ½ day Lord of the Rings tour with wellington Rover. Our guide was incredibly well informed and took us to many of the local Lord of the Rings filming locations. He had pictures of each location in the film(s) which matched the trees and scenery of each location.

NAPIER A short day in Napier New Zealand. We docked at 7AM and left at Noon. We booked a private tour of the town in a Vintage Car through the Art Deco Trust (http://www.artdeconapier.com/). The car was a 1939 Packard. Our driver (David) shared the fascinating history of this wonderful little town. This town was completely rebuilt in 1931 after an earthquake and fire leveled the existing town buildings. The earthquake also raised the lower wetlands (otherwise known as a swamp) by over 6 feet and created 8,000 acres of buildable land! This gave the city an opportunity to create a city in the Art Deco architectural design of the period. The buildings are all extremely well maintained so it was like stepping back into the 1930s. Without a doubt, Napier was our favorite NZ city that we would like to visit over a longer period.

Auckland: we had booked a private tour with Bush & Beach Tours. It was a 2 part tour the first being Auckland City Sites. It was nice but a large city like Auckland is not unlike many other cities. Auckland does have the largest Boating Marina though. The 2nd part of our tour package took us out to the Bush areas outside Auckland. It should be noted that Auckland city limits are the size of most US Counties covering several hundred square miles. We had a fantastic Driver /Guide (Wayne) who knew everything there was to tell about the area. We made several stops along the way with great picture opportunities. Our walks took us to waterfalls and through untouched tropical forests. This was a great tour. Our ship’s departure time had moved up by a ½ hour since we booked the tour which cut our safety margin to zero so the Tour Company sent a car to drive us back to the ship. We made it back on the ship with 10 minutes to spare!