Cessnock

Hello fellow cruisers

Just wondering if I can get any feedback from people that have taken up the option of the drinks package. Was looking into it for our upcoming cruise to PNG on Sea Princess 22nd Jan 2016. I don't think it would be worth both hubby & I getting it as that would be I think $112 per day for the 2 of us. Maybe just me as I love my cocktails :)

 

About taking more than 2 bottles of wine on board and just paying corkage for each bottle after the 1st 2 bottles. I like my wine with dinner so this would maybe an option also. Is there anywhere on the Princess website that states this as I have only ever seen that 2 bottles of wine can be taken on board.

 

Thanks in advance :)

When we cruised on Emerald Princess we were able to purchase a wine package of 6 or 10 bottles. I don't know if it is available for Australian cruises. If so I will be using that. In the MDR they would save your bottle for the following night or you could take it to finish elsewhere on the ship.

Call the PWS tour people.

They can possibly arrange something for you.

I have heard there is a wine package (different to the general beverage one) but cannot find information. Does it exist and if so can we purchase it from the wine waiter the first night at dinner?

I am wondering which cruise you are taking in July. We are doing Istanbul to Barcelona July 25th and have yet to meet a fellow cruiser. There is a roll call for July 11. That is a longer cruise of which ours is a part but everyone on is seems to be doing a different leg.

Robyn & Dennis

Sorry Denise, I have just realised you are already on that roll call. I must be suffering from CC overload!

Cheers, Robyn

Paul why don't you send an email to the embassy. I sent off one today to secretary@embassytunisia.com and received the following reply "cruise passenger do not need visa to enter Tunisia, they will acquire one free of charge at the airport". I presume they mean at the port. We are Australian citizens so if you send off your email and tell them that you are travelling on a New Zealand passport they will reply. I had the reply within 3 hours. We are on the Emerald Princess next July.

Denise

I am wondering which cruise you are taking in July. We are doing Istanbul to Barcelona July 25th and have yet to meet a fellow cruiser. There is a roll call for July 11. That is a longer cruise of which ours is a part but everyone on is seems to be doing a different leg.

Robyn & Dennis

Thanks Hank and Bruce. All of that is helpful. I have posted on roll call but as yet that one is not very active.

We are on the Emerald Princess and wish to do a tour of Florence August 5th 2015. The only ones I can find are private and thus too costly. Does anyone know of a company that will add you to an existing group?

I am booked on the above cruise July 2015 and the name is stated as such in the travel brochures. When the info came back to my TA from Princess it was described as 14 day Odyssey. Can anyone explain why it says one thing in the brochure and another on my itinerary? It is obviously the same cruise but my TA is unable to explain.

In your original post I believe you said that you were sailing eastward from Barcelona but your cruise will be sailing westward from Istanbul. In that case the starboard (odd) cabins will have more shade. I still vote for the CarIbe Cat BD cabins just forward of the aft elevators/stairs. I'm prone to sea sickness and I personally have not experienced more motion in those cabins than in the midships cabins. That is only one person's opinion and YMMV.

 

 

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Sorry you are so right about the East/West thing. I got confused translating from the Southern Hemisphere (Australia) to the north. Just as well I am seeking advice from sensible people!

I am now looking at C631...not too far for walking to the lift, not too far aft for seasickness concerns and balcony half covered. More money saved!

Hi! Just off the Emerald and we were in C435 and our friends were in C437. Identical rooms and like other poster said, big balcony with 4 chairs. You walk right out your door and there are the mid stairs. Very convenient for us as we always do stairs. I would highly recommend C437 vs a mini as we like this 1/2 sun and 1/2 shade balcony.

Have fun!

Thank you for the advice. I am now thinking c438 as the cruise is sailing eastward and I expect it to be hot in July. I assume the cabin is identical to 437. I tend to get a little seasick so don't want to risk further aft. Also the BD cabins are much further from the lift and my husband is not a good walker

On your primarily eastbound cruise you should more often have shade on the port side (even number) cabins.

 

The only advantages of a minisuite is the sofa in the sitting area, a tub with a shower rather than the tiny shower and a glass of "Champagne" if you call it that. Your cruise will be port intensive and you won't be on your cabin much during the day. We only consider minisuites on cruises with a lot of sea days such as a transatlantic.

 

The Caribe deck balconies are larger at 81 sq feet and half of the balcony is covered. The Dolphin deck minisuite balconies are only 63 sq ft and totally uncovered. There are totally covered minisuite balconies aft on Emerald deck.

 

I am assuming you are doing a 7 or 14 day cruise on the Emerald departing on July 11.

 

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It is actually July 25 and 14 days. Your advice is welcome, I guess we would not spend much time in our cabin. It is a $1,200 difference overall.

Can anyone offer info on these cabins. We hope to manage a mini but finances may push us back to a balcony. The cruise is Mediterranean/ Agean from Barcelona. We need advice too on port or starboard being July and probably quite warm.

I think that what you've been told is correct for an Australian.

 

So as you don't need a Schengen visa, it's unsurprising that you don't know much about it.

 

However, I know a lot of South Africans. They need a Schengen visa (and a separate visa for UK/Ireland, if their trip also includes that). And trust me, those who need a Schengen visa rapidly find out a lot about Schengenland.

 

To put this in context, imagine that you're someone who needs an Australian visa, and you're booked on a cruise that starts in Australia, so you need to enter Australia to start it. In the middle of the cruise, you visit New Zealand before returning to Australia. It would be completely natural for any traveller to ask whether they need a multiple entry visa for Australia to do this, or whether a single entry visa would do.

 

So I don't think that you need to be scared about these things. If they affected you, you'd be aware of them.

Thanks guys. I will stop worrying about that. I hope those poor people finally caught up with their cruise ship.

Of course, if the problem was actually because the passenger needed a multiple entry Schengen visa and did not have one, then that's the passenger's responsibility.

This stuff really scares me. I didn't know about the Schengen area. I have been told that Australians don't need any visas for a Baltic cruise provided that they are on an organised tour in SPB. I would really like to know what nationality these people are and why RCL allowed it to get to that situation.

Interesting - think I will use Alla so am wondering if anyone has had a discount for cash. Do American Express travellers cheques count as cash or are they too old of a way of payment. I have at least up to 2 yrs ago cashed them on board ship.

In my correspondence with Anna from Alla tours there was no mention of a discount for cash but we were given a discount for booking 2 tours (Berlin & SPB).

I an certainly not concerned about when I pay, really half expected to pay when booking.

I am paying cash because the Russian banks are expensive with their conversion charges so Anna tells me.

Please can anyone recommend a cruise taking in definitely St. Petersburg and Copenhagen as MUST do other destinations all a bonus don't particularly want to include Oslo. I want to go as near as possible to 17th September for Husbands' 70th but on investigation so far cannot find a cruise leaving UK after mid to end of August am I missing something any info would be gratefully received.

As far as I know it is too cold by the in that part of the world have a look at HAL's Baltic and Kiel Canal cruise for destinations which may appeal to you but I don't think they run that late.