kiramoli

Is there any limit on water bottles you can get with refreshment package? Should I order additional water bottles?

Thank you @not-enough-cruising

7 minutes ago, missyprincess said:

it said premium brew coffee and tea. I’m assuming it’s referring to a better quality beans but not for crafted espresso drinks? 

Exactly! That is throwing me off. 

Hello, 

Does espresso include into RCCL refresh  package? Is espresso considered Premium coffee?

What's Included

• Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages
• Non-alcoholic cocktails (mocktails)
• Fountain soda and refills at any venue
• Bottled still and sparkling water
• Premium coffees and teas

Hello, we are scheduled to sail on Anthem in April. Our friends just came back from their cruise on Anthem and were really disappointed by the food there. They have been cruising with Anthem before and food was fine. This time they complained about variety and quality of food. There was no seafood in the main dining room other than salmon which was seriously overcooked and very dry. Lobster was really small and there was a charge for additional one. Most of the food was tasteless, bland and dry. 

Looking for other recent cruiser to provide their feedback.        

Hello,

we've cruised on RCCL about 20 years ago last time, this time we are going with two grandkids (9 and 12) and my mom, 86 y.o. Leaving from New Jersey, driving to the port as we are local. I have tons of questions, I've been reading the posts - cruising has changed so much! and everything is $$$.

For the day at CoCo Cay - I understand there are free chairs on the beach and we could go there but I am thinking that we don't our grandkids miss out on the water park. Is waterpark a couple of hours thing or a whole day thing? How big is it? Are the lines crazy there or manageable? if its a whole day we would need to bring my mom - what a waste to pay for three adults who are not going to use the slides or any attractions. Can our 9 and 12 year-olds go on the slides by themselves? Zipline? 

Also, soda package on board - do most parents get them for their kids? if we don't get soda package for our grands would they feel left out?

7 hours ago, calm down dear said:

Tonight was “formal optional” which was the first time we had seen it written like that. I’d say the formal bit was roundly ignored by most albeit a handful in black tie but most were informal ie had a jacket and many before dinner in the salt bar and observation bar were very casual. 
A word on the salt bar, intimate and 5 star hotel like, interesting cocktails with a Nordic twist and delicious cashews and bar snacks - again Seabourn take note with the ordinary peanuts. 
Dinner at the Grill or what was called hot rocks. They have enclosed the venue so no wind and we had perfect view along the fjord in evening sun. Cooking ourself was fun and food good. Wine was great too. 
We went to Arts Cafe for dessert but they don’t serve - only a mousse or chocalates from 9pm so in search of dessert we went to Salt - a revelation ! A most interesting menu of Scandinavian dishes that we can’t wait to try, again a real effort to be innovative and local. We had 2 local desserts with tea and these were top notch. 
Here are some pics from the day. 
 

Hello, thank you for the very detailed report. We will taking a similar itinerary on July 22, from Copenhagen to Bergen. I have so many questions.

First of all, dress code and what people actually wear in the evening? We cruised recently on Oceania and Azamara and they didn't have formal nights. Do women dress in long dresses? Do men wear suits on formal night? ties and long sleeved shorts? Considering its cold outside is it warm inside the cruise ship enough to wear sleeveless dress? What do people wear on informal nights?

How is the weather there? 
What excursions did you take or are planning to take? Which ones did you like and which ones not so much? How may people are on the included tours? Are you taking RIB via cruise or outside provider? What do you do after 3-4 hour tours are done?  

I got your tip re: Kaiseki, thank you for that. Any other recommendations and tips for the restaurants? 

Sorry for so many questions, appreciate your patience 🙂 

Thank you @hallasm!

Hello,

we are going to Norwegian Fjords in July, our first time there. We are on Silversea Dawn.

There are some excursions that are included in our price and some that we can buy in addition. We can also book independent tours, we are fine with it.

Though I read some thread here, I have some specific questions on some of the ports.

Our itinerary:

22-Jul    Sat    Copenhagen                        7:00 PM
23-Jul    Sunday    Sea        
24-Jul    Monday    Flam            7:30 AM    5:30 PM
25-Jul    Tuesday    Alesund      9:00 AM    6:00 PM
26-Jul    Wed         Throndheim    8:00 AM    5:00 PM
27-Jul    Thursday    Geiranger    8:00 AM    6:00 PM
28-Jul    Friday    Nordfjordeid    8:00 AM    6:00 PM
29-Jul    Sat    Bergen    7:00 AM    
 

   1. Flam - does it make sense to take one of the included excursions such as Flam Railway or Voss Gondola or Naeroyfjord Cruise& Gudvangen or go with the Selected tours (payable) such as this one that includes Flåm and Bergen Railways. Myrdal, Voss, Tvindefossen Waterfall, Nærøy Valley, Stalheimskleivene, Gudvangen, Mountains, Rivers, Valleys, Waterfalls.

I think latter one sounds the best, but would like to hear from people who have first hands experience. We could probably book it with independent tour operator to decrease the cost.

2. Alesund. I was thinking to take the Land of Trolls but it says it takes 3 hours to get there. Is that so? the tour is 8 hours. If we spend 6 of them on the road - is it worth it?

I read about renting a car and doing this tour on our own, however, I want my husband to relax and enjoy it so this option is not for us. 

3. Throndheim - we signed up for the tour' By boat and on foot':  Cruise past Mulkholm Island, Your cruise ship seen from the sea, Colorful wharfs at Nidaros River, Old City bridge, Kristiansten Fortress, Nidaros Cathedral, Market Square, Bakklandet, Bicycle elevator. 

Is it a good one?

4.  Geiranger - we signed up for ' Panoramic Mt Dalsnibba and Eagle Road'.

5. Nordfjordeid - we signed up for 'Specacular Loen Gondola' which includes Nordfjordeid, Nordfjord, Loen Gondola, Hornidal Lake.

Ask to people who have first hand experience - appreciate your feedback. What was your best experiences in those ports?

Very excited to report that we booked July 22 sailing from Copenhagen to Bergen on Silversea. Question on shore excursions. what were the best/must see places on the Fjords and what to choose from what Silversea offers?   

Thank you all for your insight! We decided to go with Silversea on July 22, slight different itinerary from July 5th but close enough. 

This was extremely helpful for us! Thanks a million to all! 

Another question. Does Silversea (or any other small ships) dock at a different/better location than bigger ships? For example, we just came back from the cruise in South East Asia. There were several ports where our small Oceania Nautica docked in the city while bigger ships docked 2 hrs away since they couldn't navigate the rivers to get to the city. Is it the case here or all cruise ships dock approximately at the same location? 

12 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

I think 7 days is just too short.  Some of the days may be misty, or the sea rough, or it may rain.  

I wish we had more time. We are still working and cant take many days off. 

Is the sailing on July 5 a better itinerary? 

Thank you all for your input and insight.

Is this a good itinerary?

Found this cruise on Silversea Dawn - 7 nights with 1 day at sea. is it a good itinerary to see the fjords?

We are considering a Silversea Dawn cruise over Norway Fjords. Question to people who've been on this/similar itinerary - how was it? Did you get the experience you were looking for? Did you see the fjords from the cruise ship? Did you have to take shore excursions or different boats to to see fjords? I am reading that some fjords are really narrow and wondering if the cruise ship can get there. 

We are looking for a good itinerary and seeing the fjords in the first place and a comfortable travel in the second place. We are also considering a land travel.  

Are we making the right choice going with Silversea? 

Hello, we are cruising with Oceania in February and will be visiting Silhanoukville. What is there to do? Looking for recommendations for activities or the beach. 

We will be cruising on Oceania and visiting two Vietnam ports. Can we obtain an e-visa online? Since there are two ports that we will be visiting - Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City - will it cover us or we need multi-entry visa?

Thank you all for the feedback. I will reach out to Oceania to confirm ahead of time. Rules may be different post-COVID.

Hello,

we are planning to take a cruise in East Asia. In some ports the ship docks for more than one day and we are planning to go shore overnight (to get a hotel in the city). Also, we are thinking of taking a private tour for one of the days when the ship is at sea - leaving it in one port and catching it at the next one. Would that be ok with the cruise line?

Thank you Expat Cruise!

Hi,

we will be on a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong that includes Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. We will do our own independent tour in Cambodia and then will fly into HCMC (Saigon), Vietnam. This will be our first port in Vietnam. We will stay overnight in HCMC in a hotel and then will catch up with the cruise the next day. There are more ports in Vietnam after that. 

I read this thread to figure our the visa for us, we are US citizens.

If I understand it correctly, since we will be entering Vietnam in HCMC airport (flying from Cambodia) and then will be in various ports in Vietnam we can apply for e-visa. Our other ports in Vietnam are DaNang and Hanoi(Ha Long).

Is my understanding regarding e-visa correct?

We've been eyeing a cruise to Eastern Asia, to visit Hong Kong, Singapore, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), etc.

There are couple of options that I found that I need help with, though both itineraries are very close.

 Option 1 is Silversea Spirit on Dec 7 2019, 14 nights, 4 days at sea

 - Singapore

- Koh Samui

- Laem Chabang (Bangkok) - 2 days

- Ho Chi Menh City - 2.5 days

- Hue/Danang 

- Ha Long Bay

- HK - 2 days.

 Option 2 is Oceania Nautica on March 4 2020, 14 days, 4 days at sea.

- Singapore    

- Koh Samui

- Laem Chabang (Bangkok) - 2 days

 - Sihanoukville, Cambodia - not on Silversea itinerary.

- Ho Chi Minh City - 1.5 days - different from Silversea 

- Ha Long Bay/Hanoi 1.5 days - not on Silversea itinerary

- HK 

I would like to hear from people who went on similar itinerary and possibly on these ships. Can you please validate my thoughts and provide your feedback.

- Which season is better down there - Dec or March? December suits us better for personal reasons but we can make March work as well.

-  Saigon  - I understand that the port is couple of hours drive from the city, so with Silversea we can get there and stay in a hotel for 2 nights, with Oceania only 1 night, the second day we have to drive back in the morning.

-  We were planing to get to Angkor Wat yet Sihanoukville is hours away from Angkor Wat so we probably won't be able to get there and should do it pre-cruise or post-cruise on our own.   

- If the price is close which one to choose?

Thank for the feedback to everyone!

We are now leaning towards Star Princess leaving San Antonio on Dec 20. I hope the penguins will be there by then and the weather may not be so so hot in the north though I realize that every year is different.

We will be cruising on Dec 31 and will be in Punta Arenas on Christmas day, Dec 25. I called Princess and asked them if the parks/attractions will be opened on Christmas Day in Punta Arenas. They said if the ship stops there i can assume everything is opened.

Thoughts?