J-D
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Posts posted by J-D
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Thanks everyone.
I think I will go out of Copenhagen.
It seems there is not too many direct flights to Berlin out of NYC....very surprising.
Copenhagen has better service. I would have liked to be on the mainland for some exploring post cruise....but seems like a lot of hassle and makes me nervous to travel without tour in a country without knowing the language.
Thanks
Kerri
The main intercontinental airport for northern Germany is Frankfurt, and access to Berlin has required (both pre- and post-unification) connecting there or somewhere else. The new Berlin Brandenburg airport (BER) has been under construction for a long time on the opposite side of Berlin from the main Berlin Tegel airport (TXL). Actually, BER will be an expansion of the existing Berlin Schönefeld airport, which was the airport for the former East Berlin. BER is woefully behind schedule and over budget, and flights to/from Berlin from the west will presumably remain via the old airports for a few more years.
It is a short flight from CPH to Berlin for anyone wanting to spend pre-cruise time in Copenhagen and post-cruise time in Berlin (or vice versa) and preferring to transfer via air. Once there, Berlin is an easy city to get around via public transit.
John
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Concur, Coral, but go soon before she follows sister ship Island to dry dock and is seriously modified to accommodate more pax, sacrificing some of her best features in the process.
However, Coral is not a typical Princess ship. If someone wants the "typical Princess experience", then they should should choose one of the newer, bigger vessels.
Despite the above, I would actually choose the destination, time of year, etc., first, and then look for a ship.
John
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The airport-to-ship logistics are certainly simpler and quicker via CPH. However, I would make the decision between CPH and Berlin (current airport code TXL) based on where you would prefer to spend extra pre- and/or post-cruise time.
Berlin is a large city with an overwhelming number of interesting things to see and do, particularly if you are interested in history, museums, architecture, etc. If you board the ship in Copenhagen and then visit Berlin on a day tour during a port call at Waarnemunde (allowing for the long round trip by train or bus from port to Berlin), you will only have time to see a tiny fraction of the interesting things in Berlin. In that case, better to fly in to Berlin, and spend whatever number of days you choose there before and/or after the cruise.
Alternatively, if you are particularly interested in Copenhagen and prefer to spend extra time there rather than in Berlin, it would make sense to fly into CPH.
For those concerned about language difficulties during your pre- or post-cruise time, it is easy to get along in Copenhagen without speaking Danish; a bit more stressful in Germany if you don't speak German. We have spent more time in Berlin than in Copenhagen, so we might prefer to spend extra time in Copenhagen on our next trip to the general area, but other people's situations would differ.
As others have said, given the complications with independent travel to St. Petersburg, I would not consider starting and ending there.
John
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We went to Louisbourg on a Princess ship's tour on a weekday in early October 2014, near the end of the autumn shoulder season as defined by Parks Canada. There were more re-enactors and more open rooms than we had expected based on the Parks Canada website -- certainly enough to keep us busy and informed during the 2.25 hours on the site (not counting the 0.75 hr bus ride each way). I do not know whether there would be as much activity at Louisbourg during ship tours on low-season dates later in Oct.
Our tour was greatly enhanced by the tour guide, a Canadian Navy veteran ("Navy Nick") who gave a lot of historical information during the 0.75 hr rides from Sydney to Louisbourg and return The only negative was that there were no photo stops en route. We were glad to have taken this Louisbourg tour, despite the fact that I had been there once before--decades ago, early during the restoration process.
If we return to Sydney by ship, we would probably go to Baddeck, though visiting the coal mine also sounds interesting.
Another popular alternative is a road trip on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park--I did that many year ago (not during a cruise). The scenery is spectacular, especially in autumn with the fall colours. However, the distances from Sydney are long in relation to the time available during a port call. If you foresee returning to Nova Scotia by land sometime in future (preferably in autumn), the Cabot Trail would IMHO be better saved for then, when you would have enough time available to travel the full route. (Day trips from Sydney travel only part of the route and then double back.)
John
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Princess offer an (expensive) fly-in day trip from Punta Arenas:
http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?t=S&exType=S&tourCode=PUQ-155
I have seen at least one favourable review of this tour on CC sometime within the past couple of years.
Not at all the same thing, but if your itinerary includes "scenic cruising" in the Chilean Fjords and visits the Amalia Glacier, and if you are fortunate enough to be there on a clear day, the mountain peaks in Torres del Paine are visible in the distance, far to the east. Bring binoculars and a good telephoto lens!
John
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I was bought up in the Bay of Islands. Its a very beautiful part of NZ.
I would throughly recommend you looking at either....
the Hole in the Rock - Cape Brett trip, Can be reached on the Fullers boats, and also there is an ultra fast service, You will often see Dolphins and sea life, its a lovely way to see the bay and if you do the morning trip, the boat you are on will pass through the hole.
or A visit to Russell as previously mentioned. The ship will more than likely tender to Waitangi and you can walk into Paihia, or a few minutes up the hill and you will be at Waitangi, which is where the Treaty Grounds are if you are interested in history.
Have a great trip. If I can help any further, just ask.
regards Roscoe
We spent most or all of a day on each of the three places/activities boldfaced above during a land visit in late 2013, and found all three of them well worth doing. We would have been happy to stay in the area for another 2 or 3 days (and we had already been there for 2 days some 20 years previously). The problem for a single-day port call would not be finding something interesting to do; rather, it would be choosing what to do of the many possibilities.
John
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Definitely easy to do, and lots to see. I suggest that you download Tom Sheridan's Halifax port guide for ideas and maps:
http://www.tomsportguides.com/Halifax-06-15-2011.pdf
The Immigration Museum at Pier 21 is adjacent to the cruise dock. Walking north close to the waterfront, you will encounter Alexander Keith's brewery (tours); historical ships moored at the piers, including a 2nd World War corvette that can be toured; and the excellent Maritime Museum. The Museum has displays about the sinking of the Titanic and the devastating munitions ship explosion in Halifax Harbour in 1917, among other things.
A little to the left (=west = uphill) is Province House, i.e., the Nova Scotia provincial legislature (can be toured); St. Paul's Anglican Church, the oldest Protestant church in Canada (nice interior); the war memorial; and the Old City Hall. Further west (=further uphill) is the large Halifax Citadel and historic clock tower, and a little beyond those are the Public Gardens.
Given the distances (see Tom's Port Guide) and especially the hill, you might want to take a taxi from the ship to the Citadel on top of the hill, and then walk downhill and toward the dock visiting various of the places noted above along the way. That route would be roughly 1.5 miles and all downhill or on the level.
Many people want to visit the cemetery where many Titanic victims are buried. That is beyond easy walking distance but a relatively short taxi ride.
Be prepared for the variable maritime weather, which often changes from sunny to wet (and back to sunny again) within a short period.
John
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At the risk of getting farther off topic, there are other roundabout options for North Americans with the time and interest. In 2011, we flew LAX to Rarotonga on Air NZ (B-767, 2-3-2 seating in Economy). I understand that this ANZ flight now operates only once a week in each direction. We spent several very enjoyable and relatively economical days on Rarotonga before taking the weekly (on Thursdays, I believe) Air Tahiti flight from RAR to Tahiti. That flight is on an ATR-72 and takes about 2.5 hr.
Considerably more roundabout, there is a weekly LAN flight between Tahiti and Easter Island (B-767), plus more frequent LAN flights between Easter Isl. and Santiago. Thus, one could get from North America to (or home from) Tahiti via Santiago and EI with a stopover on EI. We are thinking about this possibility for a future trip to FP.
Getting back to the original matter of the B-787 and its usual 3-3-3 Economy seating, both ANZ and LAN are adding B-787 aircraft to their fleets. I do not know how long the B-767s with their preferable 2-3-2 seating will be used on the ANZ and LAN routes mentioned above.
John
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Unless you want to spend some time in Montreal en route, it is IMHO much less hassle to simply fly into or from Quebec City's YQB -- a moderate sized airport relatively close to the city. That might also give you some extra time in Quebec City, which has an abundance of interesting things to see and do.
John
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I agree with preferring a 2-X-2 seating in coach but it is simple airline-advantage math: 3-3-3 gets 9 to a row where 2-3-2 gets 7 and 2-4-2 gets 8. One or two more paying pax per row per flight adds up when the cost to fly is virtually the same.
Right, but the airlines want us to choose their flights over those of their competitors. One of the first things I look at, when choosing a flight for my DW and me, is the type of aircraft and whether it has 2-x-2 seating. I avoid the flights with 3-x-3 seating if at all possible. Even when I travel alone (in an aisle seat) with a stranger beside me, I would much rather that the stranger be relatively uncrowded in a window seat than be an unfortunate person jammed into a centre seat.
John
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Looking at the 14 day North Cape on the Emerald or the 17 day Transatlantic to NY on the Caribbean Princess. ...
We booked the 14 d North Cape/Summer Solstice on the Emerald as soon as it was made available yesterday. We knew in advance what the USD prices were likely to be, but still hesitated (only briefly) given the double whammy of the high USD prices and the large CAD/USD exchange rate.
John
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I frequently wonder why so many people are so enthusiastic about the B-787 when most airlines set up the economy section in 3-3-3 configuration. For us, it is a major drawback to have no option to select two seats by ourselves. That is universally(?) available on the B-767, where Economy is configured 2-3-2, and is commonly available on the A330 and A340, usually configured 2-4-2. Other features of the B-787 are attractive, but the typical seating arrangements in Economy are, for us, a major negative feature.
John
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Take a look at Tom Sheridan's port guide for Quebec City, recently updated. It address some of your questions--e.g, concerning dock locations and proximity to Old Town:
http://www.tomsportguides.com/QuebecCity-06-30-2014.pdf
In brief, the main docks are adjacent to the lower part of Old Town -- an easy walk. The upper part of the old city is up a steep hill, but an area you certainly should visit; Tom's Port Guide shows clear maps, photos, and directions. There is a funicular.
Note that when several ships are in port, some may be docked at Pier 103, about 1.8 miles to the southwest, distant from Old Town (downhill from the Plains of Abraham). In early Oct. 2014, when we did an overnight in Quebec City before departing on the 2nd day, our ship boarded at Pier 22 "downtown", but moved in the middle of the night to the more remote Pier 103. It was docked there until sailing late that afternoon. For a few hours in the middle of that night (when the ship was moving from one pier to the other), one could not get aboard -- something to be aware of if you plan to arrive late at night.
John
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Having flown out of domestic terminal early in the morning at ANC several times I will add that the lines for security were fairly long for those without PreCheck or First class tickets. So it depends if you want to be at the gate ahead of boarding or just in time for the gate to close behind you...
Right, I also meant to say something like that. And during the summer tourist season, in particular, I have often seen long lines at the ANC check-in counters early in the morning. People trying to get from ANC to the east coast of N. Am. without flying overnight have to depart ANC early, resulting in a lot of activity at ANC relatively early in the morning. A further reason not to "cut it close".
Incidentally, for anyone interested in exploration history or Capt. Cook in particular, there are interesting exhibits around the lobby of the Capt. Cook Hotel. And Resolution Park, looking out over the head of Cook Inlet, is a short walk away. Cook's HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery were there in early June 1778. There is a statue of Cook in Resolution Park. The Anchorage Museum has a special exhibition about Cook this spring and summer:
https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibits/arctic-ambitions-captain-cook-and-the-northwest-passage/
John
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Personally, I would not plan to take a 4 am shuttle from any downtown Anchorage hotel for a 5:30 am flight, even though it is only an ~15 min drive to ANC from the Capt. Cook Hotel at that time of day. For me, that would be too little margin for anything that might go awry. (I say this as someone who has flown out of ANC dozens of times over the years.) And if forced to consider taking the shuttle, I would want to know for sure that it goes directly from the Capt. Cook to the airport without stopping at other hotels en route. Personally, I would try to change the flight to a more civilized hour or, failing that, take a taxi to the airport no later than 03:30.
John
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The advance copy of Princess's 2016 Europe schedule posted to CC about 10 days ago shows Pacific Princess sailings as late as 3 Dec. 2016 -- a 17-day transatlantic from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, they could still sell the ship earlier than that and cancel various sailings. They did that when the former Royal Princess, sister-ship to Ocean and Pacific, was transferred to P&O to become Adonia. Thankfully, we were aboard shortly before the transfer.
John
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Other considerations will frequently override minor differences in space ratios. For example, though the Sun-class (all three now based in Australia) have slightly better space ratios than the Crown-class and Caribbean (the "super Grands"), we would certainly prefer any of the latter four vessels to the Sun-class ships, if the itinerary were the same.
John
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Based on their space ratios (gross tonnage / lower berth capacity), the Coral and pre-modification Island are the most spacious, closely followed by the small R-ships (Ocean, Pacific and the former Royal). Next-most-spacious are the Mitsubishi-built Diamond and Sapphire, closely followed by the original Grand-class including the Star and also the Golden. In comparison, the three Sun-class ships, the new Royal and Regal, and the three Crown-class ships (plus similar Caribbean) all have poorer space ratios.
Whether people's individual perceptions of spaciousness correlate well with the calculated space ratios is a matter of frequent debate. We certainly perceived the ships with the best space ratios (the Coral/Island and the R-ships) to be the least crowded. And we find the Crown-class (Crown, Emerald, Ruby) and Caribbean to be especially congested, as expected given their design: same length, breadth and basic layout as the Grand, Golden and Star, but with an entire extra deck of cabins and approx. 500 more pax. However, perceptions vary; some people do not perceive the Crown-class to be more crowded. We have not yet been on the new Royal or Regal. .
John
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Watch for any announcement about a possible dock change during the overnight stay. When we boarded Ruby Princess last autumn (2 Oct.), she was docked "downtown" at Pier 22, but during the following night she moved about 1.5 miles west to Pier 103. There was a period during the middle of the night when no one could board or disembark (i.e., when the ship was re-locating), and on the 2nd day the ship was not so conveniently close to downtown. I understand that this overnight change-of-docks is sometimes done in Quebec when there are several ships in port. It allows initial boarding to occur at the main terminal downtown, with that favoured location then being made available for another ship on the subsequent day.
John
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To expand, if you walk inland from the water for perhaps 1/4 mile, you come to the main coastal road. Turn left and walk about a half mile along the road. You will pass an old sugar mill and then will reach the edge of the city. As I recall, there is no sidewalk for parts of the way, but it was generally an easy and flat walk.
John
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One can walk from the port into Lautoka in about 15 minutes.
John
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Ushuaia is a very scenic and, to us, interesting place. We stopped there for a day on each of two cruises. [Also, 10 days or so after one of those port visits, we did an unscheduled return to Ushuaia and disembarked there to fly home -- a long story associated with the magnitude 8.8 Chilean earthquake of 27 Feb. 2010.]
The half-day boat trips out of Ushuaia to see seabirds, marine mammals and scenery in the Beagle Channel are excellent, even on a wet and windy day. On such a day, a visit to the Museo del Fin del Mundo (within easy walking distance from pier) is a good way to learn about the history of the area while staying dry. We also enjoyed the historical train tour into the National Park. If we ever get back, I would like to do one of the day tours into the mountains immediately north of the town. In addition, Ushuaia is a place where one is exposed to the Argentinian perspective on the Falklands dispute. It was from Ushuaia that the General Belgrano cruiser sailed just a few days before she was sunk during the 1982 Falklands war.
It can certainly be cool, windy and wet in and around Ushuaia -- there were 40 knot wind gusts along Beagle Channel during one of our visits, and those delayed our departure from the dock at the end of the day. However, anyone on a Cape Horn cruise should come prepared with layers of clothing and full rain gear, not just for Ushuaia but for other places in the area. The weather during the austral summer is sometimes excellent, but most cruises around the Horn encounter wet and windy weather on some days. With appropriate gear, Ushuaia should be a very interesting stop in almost any (summer) weather.
John
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Beware the shoes that are available for rental; I have found them to be very uncomfortable -- painful and blister-producing. If you can find space in your luggage to bring aboard black shoes of your own, that would be better. However, given the airline luggage restrictions nowadays, and my reluctance to carry things of only occasional usefulness, I now wear a sport jacket on formal nights, either in the MDR or to a specialty restaurant like the Crown Grill. Quite acceptable if that is your preference, notwithstanding that others will have different preferences.
John
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The spectacular Queenstown area is well worth a visit, even a short visit such as proposed. However, in our experience, one needs considerably more time to do that area justice. Also, you would spend a substantial part of the available time travelling from AKL to ZQN and then return. Another consideration in planning a tightly-scheduled visit is that activities in Queenstown may not go according to plan. When we were most recently there, the Earnslaw was briefly "down" for some maintenance problem -- hardly a surprise considering that it is more than a century old!
Auckland also has much to see and do, though of a different nature than the activities available around ZQN. If your departure date from AKL cannot be extended, my inclination would be spend the time in and around Auckland and save Queenstown for another trip. Of course, if your interests are mainly in the things available around ZQN, that would be the determining factor. And yes, a Star Alliance gold card will get you into the ANZ Koru Lounges.
John
Hotels in Valparasio, Chile
in South America
Posted · Edited by J-D
If you can arrange enough pre-cruise days, I concur with the recommendation to spend a few days in Santiago and then transfer to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (via a wine-tasting tour if that is of interest). We ultimately spent much longer in Santiago than originally planned because we had to cancel a side trip, and we found that there was lots to see and do in Santiago for several days. However, Valparaiso is also scenic and interesting (in different ways), and we recommend at least one night (and preferably two) in Valpo.
We stayed at the Orly Hotel in the Providencia District of Santiago (we were very happy there) and, for just one night, at the Sheraton in Vina del Mar. If we return to Santiago, we would return to the Orly Hotel or the associated apartments. If we return to the Vina/Valpo area, we would look for a hotel in Valpo next time. We used AboutChile for tours and transfers, and were happy with them.
John