gayengarry
-
Posts
551 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by gayengarry
-
-
The Majestic Princess was purpose built for the Chinese market and maybe soft serve is not a big thing in China. However, I see on the ship's map that there is a Swirls near the pool. What is served there? (Ship's map shows Swirls, but list of public areas on the Lido deck does not list it.)
Also, there is no Crooners on the Majestic as that type of entertainment may not be popular in China.
When a ship designed for China is used elsewhere, there will be some things missing that the non-Chinese markets are used to having.
We will be on Majestic in Sept. so fingers crossed (yn) 'Swirls' is soft serve ice cream :D:cool:
-
We had free soft-serve ice cream on the Star Princess, and the Emerald Princess (our last 2 Princess cruises. It's at Sundae's Ice Cream (on the Star) and "Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor" (on the Emerald) on the Lido deck.
Vanilla or chocolate or vanilla/chocolate swirl. You can get it in a cone or a cup.
You can also get milk shakes there (for a cost).
Hmmmm ...we just got off Sea Princess & previously sailed on Sun Princess & only ice cream available was at New Zealand ice cream bar at an extra cost (more expensive than on land)
Might have to stick with Royal Caribbean ;p
-
Looks like free soft serve ice cream is now a thing of the past on Princess :(:loudcry:
-
Maybe things have changed since you went polarcruiser999 but we have just returned from an amazing trip around Spitsbergen on Polar Pioneer. She is definitely an expedition ship & not a cruise ship, basic but very comfortable. What made the trip for us was the small number of passengers (maximum 54) & the expedition team who ensured we had the best experience possible. We saw a lot of wildlife 'up close & personal' & learned a lot about the area
We have also been on other expedition ships around Greenland, Iceland & Antarctica
Will be posting a review shortly...
cheers,
G&G
-
Thanks gogo65 & Esilef, found the sites you were talking about :D
cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Esilef, I just checked a site that I use frequently, it has 27 oceanview cabins available.
Category I-3
Category H-21
Category G-3.
Looks like a category H, is probable....
Let us know.
If you aren't happy with your allocation I was successful in changing my guarantee cabin within the same category on the same cruise.
Unfortunately they wouldn't allow me to upgrade to a suite guarantee:(
Where do you look to see which cabins are still available?
cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
And sometimes they make it very hard to find out how to get the promotion. It took me ages to work out how to get the beverage Pick Your Perk on our upcoming Celebrity cruise.
Perhaps we need a thread here for current promotions and how to get them.
They must save a fortune from newbies who book direct and don't realise there are promotions.
A thread for 'current promotions & how to get them' would be a great idea OzKiwi ......maybe if you start it others will add their experiences?
cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
We have just booked 4 balcony guarantee cabins with friends on Radiance 25th Feb 2017 Aus & NZ cruise. It was 4 separate bookings over a couple of days so will be interesting to see where we all end up :D:D
cheers,
G&G:):cool:
-
Got one of my balcony guarantee allocations. Booked Radiance for early 2017 to NZ and have been allocated cabin 1000. If I had a list of what I would least pick for myself it would be deck 10 forward. I was hoping for deck 7 rear. It made me laugh. I have a bit of time to think about this. It seems cabin lotto may not be a game I am good at :)
For those not familiar with Radiance it is the most forward cabin on deck 10 right next to the bridge.
Hi Goodycruising,
We also booked balcony guarantee for 25th Feb 2017 Aus & NZ cruise but have not yet been allocated a cabin?
How long after booking did you find out your cabin number & how did you find out??
cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Great thread! ...so many cruises, so many bargains :D:D
cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
hi G&G,
have a great trip.
i noticed your from he Gold coast we are from Perth Bob & Kath.
we are also doing the Antarctica trip in November 18th 2015.
i was wondering when you get back if you could email us and tell us
your experiences. we are doing the Kayaking are you guys doing it?
what ship are you on?
many thanks for your answers.
Have a fabulous trip! stay safe and well.
best regards Kath & Bob
We will be on m/s Expedition & one of us will be kayaking (not me) .....will be happy to let you know how it goes
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Thanks for a great review dtvmacdonald .....after nearly 12 months of researching we have now booked & we'll be doing the same trip you did :D :D
We will be aboard the m/s Expedition 'Quest for the Antarctic circle' 20th December 2014 & will be celebrating Xmas & New Year in Antarctica!!
Very excited,
G&G :):cool:
-
Anyone else going on this cruise? College roommate and I are signed up to Kayak and camp overnight ashore, but haven't bought our gear yet. We start training in late May. Spending 3 days in Ushuaia prior to cruise and one day after.
Hi Daytrippers,
How was your trip? did you make it all the way across the circle? we are thinking of doing something similar & would love to hear of your experience
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
I can totally recommend Quark having done 3 Antarctic voyages with them since 2010. They are long time pro's in the industry.
Thanks PP, have you been on Ocean Diamond? I like the idea of a larger ship with better stabilisers? but not sure about 189 passengers & amount of time for landings etc. as I believe max 100 only can land at one time?
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
@gayengarry: no, but many expedition-type companies operate private websites where guests and staff check-in beforehand.
Thanks Shawnino have just emailed CC to see if they would designate a specific roll-call for Arctic/Antarctic expedition ships ....I have found lots of posts throughout CC with people on Antarctic cruises looking for others on the same cruise & not sure where to post
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Hi, we ended up going on the Sea Spirit to Antarctica in Dec 2012. I guess you need to consider the company, the ship and the itinerary. We do not know Poseidon so you might need to do some more research into that. We went with Quark and found they were fantastic. We did book the kayak option and would highly recommend that if it is possible and you're up to some adventure. We had no kayak experience, but it was fine.
As for the ship, the Sea Spirit was wonderful. A little bit of luxury! The rooms were of a suitable size, enough room for storage. Small bathroom, but what do you expect? We had a room with a balcony which was used often. It has well sized rooms for dining and talks. There was enough deck room so everyone could see passing animals and icebergs. There was an outdoor dining area, which they used twice for BBQs- these were great. The ship was pretty stable, but we were lucky and had calm waters ( at worst a 3/10 in rough-ness).
There were about 100 people on the ship, but we had no issues with getting on and off for expeditions.
Ultimately I would highly recommend the ship, but you'll need to check more into Poseidon.
Hi tbidd1,
Thanks for reporting back on your cruise ...we're in the process of researching trips & Quark is on our list as they always seem to have such positive feedback
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Quark Expeditions is offering 50% off 10 2013-14 Antarctica voyages. The sale starts Tuesday, Nov. 26 and ends Dec. 2. Triples are not included in the sale.
Hmmmm......wonder if there will be similar sales this year?? :rolleyes:
-
We're back in Antarctica in two months time and immediately go on to the Galapagos.
Based on our experience on the previous Antarctic trip, I'm taking my Canon 5D Mark 3 and Canon 70D, along with a Sigma 50-500, Sigma 10-20 and Canon 24-105. My wife will have her Canon 60D with a Sigma 18-250 and her (replacement) Panasonic TZ40 (her 'handbag camera'). Does that help with the 'is the hassle worth it' question?
Seems there are lots of camera buffs on this thread so any recommendations for a good 'point & shoot'? mostly after very high definition video as husband has Canon 5D SLR for photos
Digitl is your wife happy with Panasonic TZ40? does it have good video??
Cheers,
G&g :):cool:
-
Thanks for info & amazing photos Turtles06 & Digitl ...we are planning a trip to Antarctica via Falklands & South Georgia December 2014 / January 2015 & these posts make me want to go NOW!!! Have just started researching & planning so all info is invaluable.
Have a great trip Gardener & please post a review when you return
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Check this discussion about that :
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1928529
(at the end of the discussion, the weather issue is discussed : basically, weather forecast generalities should be very, very low on your list of priorities ;) ).
I'm leaving in less than three weeks for this very same voyage, I will make a review when coming back. We chose this trip because we have previous very good experiences with Hurtigruten, and because the program seemed very "balanced" (with a decent amount of time around the Peninsula).
For Antarctica roll calls, I think this board (Antarctica) is the most appropriate one on CC.
Have a great trip! Look forward to hearing all about it when you return!!
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
Thanks for a very informative review. We're looking at Antarctica Dec 2014 to Jan 2015 as it seems late Dec & early Jan are usually the best months weather wise?
Still at the planning stage but really want to go to Falklands, South Georgia & spend time on the Antarctic peninsular.
So far we have narrowed it down to:
National Geographic
Hurtigruten
http://www.hurtigruten.com/explorer-voyages/antarctica/voyages/antarctica_expedition/#pricing
Quark
Have now added G Adventure to our short list :)
http://www.gadventures.com.au/trips/spirit-of-shackleton/XVSHSX/2014/
Anyone know if there's any roll-calls for Antarctica expedition ships?
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
I am doing the Antartica for the first time jan2015
Are you going in the beginning or late jan?
What cabin are you?:)
Hi Hockeygirl123,
We're also looking at Antarctica Dec 2014 to Jan 2015 as it seems late Dec & early Jan are usually the best months weather wise.
Still at the planning stage but really want to go to Falklands, South Georgia & spend time on the Antarctic peninsular.
So far we have narrowed it down to:
National Geographic
Hurtigruten
http://www.hurtigruten.com/explorer-voyages/antarctica/voyages/antarctica_expedition/#pricing
Quark
Anyone know if there's any roll-calls for Antarctica expedition ships?
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
To complete digitl's experience, I have also been to Antarctica with MS Fram, in early February 2009. The trip was to the Polar Circle so no South Georgia. We had glorious weather all through the trip (except maybe one snowy day) and we saw plenty of wildlife.
You can see my pictures on my blog starting here : http://voyageterremer.blogspot.fr/2011/02/au-sud-du-sud-jour-1.html
(mostly pictures, and a bit of text in French only which you can ignore or google-translate).
The weather is highly unpredictible from day to day (even from hour to hour) and even the cloudy days can give for spectacular picture opportunities. Planning a trip with a weather in mind seems a highly risk bet. Better plan on where you want to go, what you want to see, which ship/company might better suits your need.
My experience and satisfaction with MS Fram was very similar to what digitl describes, so much that I am also going back to Antarctica with them next month! ;) And it is a trip that includes Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula as well, this year they have a few more trips with these destinations so you can check out the catalog for 2014/2015 . It is a well balanced program because there are 5 full days planned along the Antarctic peninsula (many programs including Falklands and S.Georgia spend less days there) and the price was "decent" when booking early (as far as decent prices go when Antarctica is concerned).
I haven't actually read anyone disappointed with their Antarctica trip, so everybody will tell you that their ship/company was the best ;) It won't help you so much with your choice, but the good news is you can't really go wrong.
Thanks SarniaLo, the prices for Fram do seem to be quite reasonable & have read many good reports about them on CC. We have also been looking at Quark & national Geographic. There seem to be soooo many companies to choose from I wonder how many ships are at the same place at the same time?
Would love to hear how your December cruise goes as that looks like the one we would like to do in December 2014
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
-
A year before my partner and I journeyed to Antarctica (this past Jan/Feb) aboard the National Geographic Explorer, I began a blog to chronicle our preparations for that trip and then document the expedition itself. Needless to say, it was an extraordinary adventure.
I have finally put the finishing touches on the journal, which you can view at the link below. In addition to my detailed, photographic day-by-day accounts, there is information along the way about our gear choices, clothing, and other preparations. I hope that this information will be useful to others planning a trip to the White Continent.
Please enjoy!
Thank you so much for your excellent blog & amazing photos! We are looking at an expedition trip to Antarctica with Falkland & South Georgia islands next year so have lots of planning to do.
Have been advised that the best time to go for photography as most sunny days with least rain etc. is mid December to mid January ...anyone have any thoughts on this? Garry is a mad keen photographer & sunny days make for much better photos than overcast & dull, I'm keen to see the most wild-life & seems early Jan is best time for this?
Also, looking at previous posts it seems that the ships with around 100 passengers seem to get the most landing time? These ships seem to be a lot more expensive so I guess it's a case of cost v's time on the ice??
Happy to hear any advice from those that have been before...
Cheers,
G&G :):cool:
Free Soft Serve Ice Cream on Princess
in Princess Cruises
Posted
Woo Hoo ...just found this post ...
"For those craving ice cream, on Majestic Princess there is free unlimited soft-serve ice cream on the top deck at Swirls Ice Cream Bar from 11:30am to 9pm".