dreamercruise

Check out Guidedtoursisrael.com. We took both Jerusalem & Bethlehem and Galilee Shore from them. Highly recommended.

One option is Greatadventures.com.au. I signed up directly from this website. You have options for add-on activities such as guided tours, diving, and helicopter rides. See my posts in 375 and 372 and Beck’s posts. Also check out the website.

Haircut for men $49, and for women $99. We didn’t have our hair colored. Make sure you bring your own color-safe shampoo. Viking’s shampoo and conditioner are excellent, but the shampoo can strip the color off your color treated hair.

I have astigmatism as well, but I did not need to adjust for it. Before I purchased, I called Promate directly and asked about how to order per my prescription. They said no need to worry, and they are right. Since everyone’s situation is different, you may want to call Promate and showed them your prescription.

1. The guided tour option was very worthwhile, even if you are a good swimmer. Note that we had limited time. After lunch and gearing up, we had about 2.5 hrs left. Could not do everything. The guided tour (about one hour duration) was a good introduction with explanation. Afterwards, we had a little over an hour to explore on our own. The guided tour eliminated any wasted time in blindly searching around. Wish we had more time. 2. As for your question to Mike about the snorkel mask. For a snug fit, you cannot wear glasses when you snorkel. I am near-sighted, but I was able to see very clearly with Promate Scope Prescription Scuba Dive Snorkeling Mask with Optical Lenses MK245KX. I ordered it from Amazon for $75 plus shipping charge and taxes. Amazon no longer offers it, but you can buy it from getwetstore.com. Now, there is a sale for $69.95 (list price is $100). To pair with the mask (matching color), I got Promate ultra dry snorkeling with signal whistle for $24.95 plus tax. For the mask, you need your prescription information. Promate offers steps on prescription (not exact). Always order up when you are in between steps. Promate is high quality. Its quality reflects the higher than typical price in Amazon gears. When my next opportunity to Cairns comes, I would definitely take this independent excursion again. Enjoy your world cruise. Think I shall repeat the Viking World Cruise in a few years.

Why are Viking ships (both Neptune and Saturn) having difficulty landing ports in this Canada-Greenland-Iceland route? Would the expedition ships be better equipped/designed for this route, or it is a common problem for all other cruise lines that offer the itinerary? Or would July/August be a better time to sail? This route (Greenland, and rest of Iceland) is on my bucket list. I am wondering if the Viking cruise is suitable for me. Not interested in spending/repeating more time in Nova Scotia and Reykjavik than the original stop duration.

Tips: Read the footnotes in your guest statement for explanation and clarification. I have had various kinds. 1. SBC Vouchers: “Will be applied to Onboard items such as: Shore Excursions, Beverage packages and Pre Paid Gratuities.” These appear in MVJ, and can be used (e.g., for shore excursions) before I board the ship. Any leftover amounts will be converted to nonrefundable shipboard credits for use onboard. 2. Shipboard Credit “(Spa, Shops, Laundry)” These appear in my ship board account as nonrefundable credits after I board the ship. I can use them to pay expenses while onboard including excursions. 3. Credits given by my travel agent: These appear in MVJ, and if unused before embarkation, are converted to refundable onboard credits after embarkation. Any leftovers will be refunded to me (my credit card on file) on last day of cruise. All expenses are applied to nonrefundable credits first, and refundable portion is deducted last. What does your guest statement say?

Greatadventures.com.au See photo for catamaran docking next to pontoon. Operator also offers tours to Green Island (a brief, loading/unloading stop when traveling to outer reef). This stop is good only if you want to swim at a beach, but not ideal for coral viewing.

My husband and I would like to thank Andy and Judi (Heidi13) and Janet Oliver for organizing and coordinating our independent tour to Blue Mountain (Sydney, Australia). Without this independent tour, we would have missed the opportunity to visit Blue Mountain (our bucket list). In addition to Blue Mountain, we got to visit Featherdale Wildlife Park to see the largest collection of Australian animals and birds.

My husband and I were very, very lucky to be able to see the abundant quantity and various species of coral and fish in the outer reef (specifically, Moore Reef). Why lucky? Firstly, the weather (wind and rain) was unpredictable. The day we were in Cairns was rainy and sea was not very calm. The rain and wind died down when we arrived at the reef area. Secondly, we went further out enough (outer reef instead of inner or near Cairns coast) to be able to see very healthy and colorful coral. The variety is amazing. We saw almost all of the species that Professor David Drewry showed us in his presentation’s slides (attached one of his photos). There were also many schools of big and small fish. We got to pat the Wally fish (see Becky’s photo) as they swam by us. Lastly, the fact that we went to a stable pontoon platform via a big catamaran (independent tour) helped a lot, in terms of less motion sickness and easier getting into those tight stink suit (protection from jellyfish) and fins, and into/out of water. The day earlier when we snorkeled in Whitsunday (Airlie Beach), we did not see any fish or interesting coral (only some dull brown color). Think the main reason is that we were in the inner reef area. Due to short port time, our tour was shortened from the normal 7-hr to only 5-hr, hence no chance to visit the outer reef. Weather was perfect though, and we had a comfortable snorkeling experience.

I have not looked at the two itineraries, but my suggestion is to take the one that also also goes to South Georgia. Think the trip should be longer than 15 days, and is more likely 18-20. If the itinerary starts in Buenos Aires and the cruise starts in Ushuaia, you will need to spend one night in BA before taking the early morning flight to Ushuaia. With the South Georgia itinerary (and probably includes Falklands Islands), you will go through Drake Passage only once - a bonus.

Most memorable performance: famous soprano singer and guitarist at welcome reception and cello concert by Wendy Law last night - first rated performance, seldomly available on typical ocean cruises. Hope to see more later.

Another possible situation to consider - if your cruise is the later segment, you may be locked out of many excursions, as the guests who cruise earlier get to make reservation first.

Do you want to order from Amazon and send to my address, so I can bring them to you when I board Neptune from LA in January? My yahoo address is Eyamnj.

Question about electrical outlets in bathrooms - can I use my Waterpik water floss (not portable version, but one that has a wire to an outlet for power) in the bathroom? Thanks.

Check out ItalyTours.EU for Italy ports and Barcelona day tours.com for tours in Barcelona and other cities. For small group tours, there is a minimum number requirement. You can sign up for yourself, and operator will pair you with others. For me, only the Barcelona tour is confirmed. I am still waiting for the other tours in Italy. It is still worth trying. Unless you do not mind taking included tours, expect to book some if not most independent excursions on your own. Viking is good for taking you to places with good accommodation and acceptable food, but if you want to experience the places, higher-end cruises or land tours are the only ways.

Like you, I cannot access Italy day tours.it (or .ie). As for Barcelona day tours, I was able to access the website early this morning, but cannot do so now. Is it a reliable operator?

If Antarctica had not already been checked off from my bucket list, I would seriously consider taking advantage of the offer. Expedition cruises are different than regular ocean or river cruises. They are expensive because it is costly just to get there and resources are limited. More importantly, the trip is generally considered to be the trip of a life time.

Thanks, OP, for starting this thread and sharing good news. I just filed a claim for my cancelled SAS flights (due to early July pilot strike), and wondered about the chance of successfully getting some compensation (to offset loss from purchasing last-minute replacement air tickets). If and when I receive my check, I shall report. iancal, I shall keep in mind about your advice regarding booking EU flights in the future.

Good for you. As long as the new flight is not SAS, you are safe.

SAS finally cancelled my flight this morning. This afternoon, they emailed me to notify me about a new itinerary with the new outboard flight changed from July 11 to July 12. What bothers me is not that I would have missed my cruise, but that I know very well the July 12 flight will be cancelled tomorrow. The pilot strike is still on, and it is not about to end anytime soon. What idiots would put their customers through so much pain and stress with multiple cancellations? If you try to book a RT flight to Oslo now, you will find that there are no available flights for booking till this Saturday. I bet the non-availability will extend to Saturday if you book tomorrow.

What do you mean by protected? How? My Monday flight has still not cancelled. The warning changed from free rebooking availed to high cancellation risk.

Oh. Not good. Then, what is the benefit of getting air from RCL? Anyway, in this case, I would book a refundable ticket as a backup (not giving you advice though). Reason is that when SAS does cancel your flight, you have only 48 hrs notice. By then, there will be close to no flight choices. You can wait a week to see how things develop with the strike before buying a refundable, backup ticket. In terms of high cost and lousy flight schedule, I would take it. It is better than not being able to cruise at all. Look at it this way. The good flight that you have now may not meant to be. Focus on having a good time. Life is short.

I looked back at your posts. Looks like you booked air through RCL. Isn’t it RCL’s responsibility to make sure you have a flight to get to the ship? If so, then I think your TA is right about hanging tight. I assume that RCL will find you the flight and that you are not responsible for any price increase/difference. Is my assumption correct? If so, do nothing for another week before going the route of refundable tickets. July 30 is still 3 weeks away. Hope the strike will be over before then.