diane.in.ny

Thanks for taking the time to post your review!

Maybe I shouldn't be reading the newspapers and spend more time reading this forum :)

I, too, used to believe that cruise ship slots never hit. That is until I hit a nice one on a Quick Hit machine on HAL.

Although I have to admit the casino manager did comment that it had been a long time since he had to do the necessary paperwork on a payout.

Personally, I would hesitate being anywhere "secluded" around PV. In Mexican cities I believe in safety in numbers.

JMO

When we cruise, our passports and most of our credit cards stay in the ships safe. Pre- and post cruise, they go in a pouch that hangs inside my pants. We've been fortunate but maybe that's because we have been alerted to scams like this one and are more on the lookout for potential thieves.

Many people wear their key card on lanyards ... including myself. One of the first things I do is go to the Front Desk to get it punched.

On Princess there is usually just one dining room that offers traditional dining with fixed seating. You should be able to find that information the Princess web site ... read the details about your ship. And yes, both traditional and anytime dining restaurants have the same menu.

You may not get your cabin assignment until you are boarding.

My TA tells her clients to book a guarantee only if you will be happy with that category because that is probably what you will get.

And even that may not work out. We did get an upgrade ... to a cabin where the door faced the area where the elevators are. I can;t tell you the number of times were were disturbed by loud conversation both early and late.

Never again! I now pick my cabin and pay the going rate.

On HAL's Rotterdam, we were tied up in port in Flam. Had to tender in Geiranger

We just returned from a North Cape cruise on HAL's Rotterdam. We visited many small towns and never felt that it was overcrowded with tourists. Everything was handled very well.

Sailed on ARANUI III ex Papeete June, 2014 . One needs to realize this is a unique travel experience. If you expect the standards of an ocean cruise line then ARANUI III is not for you . If you are happy with a unique travel experience around a supply vessel/freighter to a remote South Pacific paradise then ARANUI III is ideal.

 

The vessel is primarily a freighter with 150 passenger berths, with arrival and departure times somewhat flexible depending on local sea conditions, and time required to load/unload freight .

 

Passenger accommodation is offered in dormitories, cabins ,de luxe cabins and suites with mini verandahs . All accommodations are well maintained. Free laundry service 3 times during 13 night trip. On board pool, lounge, bar and restaurant. Free tea and coffee 24 hours. Buffet breakfast, 3 course lunch & dinner served with complimentary wine. Cuisine light healthy with a French flair . Lots local fruits and fresh seafoods. Overall standard , Bistro / Trattoria .

 

On board lecturers re area. Excellent inclusive shore excursions and local entertainers . Cheerful laid back crew .

 

No stabilizers but ship rides swell very well . Moves more on return leg as ship is more lightly loaded .

 

The scenery in the Marquesas , just stunning a tropical paradise .

 

Worth doing YES for the stunning scenery and for the unique experience half way between a traditional passenger cruise and a true freighter. Just dont expect Queen Mary II standards, and be prepared to be flexible with changes to the set itinerary as the trip goes along .

 

Months to avoid November to March inclusive (the Wet season).

 

ARANUI V will replace ARANUI III from June 2015 with a slightly larger passenger capacity

Exactly!!

I didn't realize we'd go through US immigration and customs in Vancouver. Yes, that would make a big difference.

Thanks for the info. Will check out alternatives.

Looking at booking an 11 a.m. flight out of Vancouver. Our ship is suppose to arrive at 7:30 a.m.

Based on what I've read here our fastest option would be a taxi, taking around 45 minutes.

Are there taxis lined up at the pier? I figure if we disembark by 8 am we'll be at the airport by 9. Does this sound like it would work for us?

TIA!

I've read good things on this forum about Tokyo Free Guide although I've never used them myself.

Lots of great information. Thanks!

Just returned and in both Alesund and Bergen we wandered on our own.

In Alesund a lot of pax climbed the steps to the viewpoint. We inquired about a taxi to find out it was 250 kr EACH way. So we just wandered around the town. You can also pick up a hop on hop off bus for the same price. We nixed that also because it was a double decker bus PACKED and we felt we'd lose a lot of time just getting on and off

In Bergen, we took the funicular. It was 85 kr round trip and, we thought, well worth the ride and the view from the top

Hi Nitemare

 

Want to visit godafoss waterfall.Is this possible with public transport or do you need to hire a car? Also are the botanical gardens worth a visit.Will be arriving in Iceland in July.

I found the botanical gardens worth the visit. I was amazed at what can be grown in that climate with such a small growing season.

We also have a watercooler for people of a more superficial disposition and who chat about more important things like trivia. And more general travel. And food. etc.

 

One day I might even post pictures of some of our musters.

 

:D

I've noticed the watercooler thread on the forum but haven't had the time to check it out.

Too busy traveling. Looks like I'll have to make time :)

Thank you for your detailed report, Diane. Did you have any sea days, and what were your impressions of them (of activities and special events)?

Yes, we had some sea days and, in general, there was not a lot to do.

We had port lectures which included information on history and geography and they were excellent. If you miss the live lecture you can catch it on your cabin TV. This was a "bridge cruise" so there were a lot of times set aside for that. Trivia every afternoon at 4:45.

I was OK with not a bunch of scheduled activities. I love sea days, just sitting in a lounge, or on deck, or on my balcony and reading and watching the water and sky.

And truth be told, I am also a casino person and would spend part of sea days there. There were two black jack tournaments but not many participants.

And, since you asked, yes, I won one of them. :)

Hi Diane,

 

Your post and linked blog is really interesting ... and in particular your afternoon SS sandwich eating attempts in your blog ... and your earlier muster post.

 

At this level, you had some reasonable expectations particularly as a savvy traveler and clearly some expectations were met and others not.

 

Hope you post again.

 

:)

 

Jeff

Very busy over the next couple of weeks but do hope to get posts up about our ports of call

(This is a summary of the post to my travel blog but contains the essence of that post.)

I sailed on the Silver Shadow in April, on its Hong Kong to Tokyo itinerary. This was my first time on a ship this upscale and I was excited by both the potential experience and the ports of call: Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Osaka and Tokyo.

The positives of my trip was the mostly excellent service we enjoyed, particularly from our butler, Roland, and the opportunity to see a part of the world long on my bucket list.

On the other hand, the trip turned out to be nothing like I had expected in a negative way, in both the ship and the ports of call. I will deal with the ports of call in another post. For this post, I’ll confine myself to the ship.

Let’s start with the fact that the ship definitely needed a dry dock. This was not only my opinion but the opinion of many people who commented on things like the condition of the carpet in the corridors and the cabins.

The food experience in the main dining room was a disappointment. The absolute earliest to eat dinner is 7:00 p.m., with meals taking at least 1 ½ hours. I missed having some earlier dining options, other than using room service. There were a lot of spicy dishes, made with what I thought was an overly generous helping of crushed red pepper, obvious in the pasta and not so obvious in Thai spring rolls.

On the other hand, the ship has two specialty restaurants which were excellent and had no surcharge. One is the pool grill where you can grill your choice of steak or prawns on the hot rock placed at your table. There was also an Italian specialty restaurant that we ate at twice and was excellent. Only one restaurant had a surcharge and while other passengers said the food and wine were excellent, the restaurant was situated right next to the smoking lounge and the odor of smoke made its way through the vents. It made for some very unhappy diners, who cancelled future reservations.

We ate breakfast in the main dining room only once. We had been ordering room service for breakfast and we wanted to see what more the dining room had to offer, as past experience on other ships suggested there would be a special or two of-the-day. To our surprise, the menu was exactly the same as the room service menu.

The price of the trip included tips and all alcohol, including a personally requested bottle of spirits, per person, to be had in the cabin. We made the acquaintance of some passengers who were wine connoisseurs, requesting specific bottles of wine. However, for someone such as myself, not a big alcohol drinker, Silversea definitely didn’t lose money on my liquor consumption.

Would I sail on Silversea again? It depends. I liked the size of the ship and the fact that it spent overnight in many of the ports of call. (Actually, we had two nights in Osaka.) But first I would check out the age of the ship and when it was last refurbished. And if I could, I would dine in the specialty restaurant every night.

. It's a concentrate I guess that mixes with hot water. It's nothing special IMO again.

Based on information I have from past cruises, that is exactly what Princess uses on board ship. If you want fresh brewed coffee, you have to go to the coffee bar and pay for it.

Previously I purchased the coffee card which allowed me to get as much fresh brewed coffee as I wanted without add'l charge. (I always like a cappuccino at dinner so used my coffee card for that and the fresh brewed, during the day, was a bonus.)

dheianevans isn't the only one feeling that way. Viking River cruises is offering ALL cabins on their St. Petersburg to Moscow itinerary (and reverse) at the very low price of $3999 INCL air from east coast gateways. I have to admit I was tempted but decided not to grab the deal for the same reason.

I am hoping for some deals before our final payment in March. We are booked for a June 13th 2015 Denali Explorer cruise tour on the Coral. That particular cruise tour is on sale right now for 2014 for about 1/2 of what we are paying. I wish we could go this year, but that is just not an option for us. Maybe we'll get lucky next year and get an amazing deal like you did! :)

And I'm hoping for the same. Just keep watching the mails and web site and hopefully can catch a price break before final payment.

Maybe my report on our Connossseur tour can help you decide.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

Thank you!

Going to book the Connosseur tour :)

The tiny little terminal in Flam had free wi-fi two weeks ago.

Thank you