ssawjo

Hello, arriving on a Windstar cruise into Great Harbour but we want to go to the Soggy Dollar in White Bay.  The dates are Dec. 1-2, 2024.  Are there or will there be taxis available at the tender dock that will go to the Soggy Dollar?  According to Google Maps it is a short 6-7 minute drive from one to the other location.  Thanks, Bill

Just booked a BX cabin, #129, on the Wind Spirit for a Caribbean cruise.  I realize it is on the lower deck, deck 1. Just curious if anyone else had this cabin, or a similar one, and what was your impression of the location and the cabin itself.  Thanks.

We just booked a cruise on the Wind Spirit for November, roundtrip Barbados/Barbados.  We want to stay at the hotel Windstar uses, the Accra Resort, pre-cruise.  Has anyone had any experience with this arrangement?  Also, if we do take the hotel, is a shuttle to the port included?  Do they pick you up at the airport upon arrival?  Thanks.

My BIL and his wife are onboard and they say they are having a wonderful cruise.  Thanks for the blog posts.

22 minutes ago, GAcruiselover said:

Hi @ssawjo,

Sorry to break into your thread. I saw that you were looking for a taxi/car service to take you to the Bovington Tank museum last September. We are going next month. Did you find anyone? How was your experience?

Thanks

No problem.  Actually, we took the train which was quick and easy to Wool station.  From there, you can walk about 1.5 kilometers or take a taxi from the station, which was what we did.  The museum will call a taxi to take you back to the rail station.  There is a shuttle from the ship (we were on Princess) into town and a short walk to the train station.  It was fun and the museum was very informative especially if you are a WWII history buff.  Enjoy.

1 hour ago, Queen of DaNile said:

We did an "included" post cruise stay for 3 nights in CT and the best thing about it was having a convenient hotel as a base to tour on our own. If I had paid extra money for it, I would have been deeply disappointed.

The Aquila "safari" was a dismal affair with animals having been brought in from other locations to create a zoo-like park. The winery tour included a nice lunch but when the AC on the bus broke down, there was a near mutiny as some guests wanted to return to the hotel immediately and skip some of the planned stops.

There are lots of options in South Africa and you are probably better off making your own arrangements.

 

Totally agree with post.  It is much cheaper to do things out of CT on your own.  Skip Aquila because it is a joke.  Better to go to a "real" game preserve for a real safari experience.

21 hours ago, boerneDQ said:

We also did an O Overland trip on this cruise where we left the ship in Richard’s Bay and return in Durban. It was to the Phinda Game Preserve and was Fabulous!!!!

Agree, Phinda Game Preserve is wonderful!

17 hours ago, reefsharkmark said:

No drink packages but the drinks are very reasonable, like 5-6 Euros. Laundry available and it is very reasonable as well. Just the main dining room, and the food is very good. Cabins are small. but you won't spend much time there. There is a hair dryer in the bathroom.

 

There is a fairly recent review here: https://sandinmysuitcase.com/star-clippers-review-star-flyer-cruise/

 

 

Thanks for this information.  Why are the drinks priced in euros?  Anyone know?

Hello, I am thinking about doing a B2B out of St. Maarten in December 2025 on the Star Flyer.  There will be four of us.  We have sailed on SeaDream and Windstar before.  But they were yachts.  My questions are:

Is there a drink package aboard or is each drink, glass of wine, beer, etc. ala carte?  

Is there a laundry onboard and is it self serve?

Are there any specialty restaurants or just the main dining room?

How small are the cabins?  Is there a hair dryer (sorry, have to ask for the DW)?

Any other interesting tidbits would be appreciated.

Thanks, Bill

Just want to add that today is also National Vinyl Record Day.  

I found Brisbane to be a very livable city when we visited 12 years ago.  Yes, a long time ago.  And the cruise port was closer to the city proper than now.  We are on the same type cruise in 2026, Syndey to Bangkok.  So, any information you get is appreciated.  

You may want to post your question on the Asia board also.

19 hours ago, roothy123 said:

I guess I was on the same cruise as ssawjo.  It had some hiccups but overall was a wonderful experience.  And at least our cabin steward and her assistant both got off the ship in Manila, after a lot of anticipation.  Sharon told her kids to just meet her in the port.  Some of us cruisers told her that she and her assistant didn't have to clean our rooms that morning.  But I don't know if that helped them get off the ship any earlier.

 

As for Corregidor, my husband told me a little about it.  And I was interested in seeing if I could see the lighthouse on the island from the ship, though it would be fairly far.  But with a 7 AM arrival, I barely made it up in time to see the sail in, including our enthusiastic greeting on the dock.  But if you have an overnight in Manila, I suppose it might be possible to get to the island some way, even if it meant getting back to the ship after dinner.  

 

There is large American military cemetery in Manila that may interest some people. My notes say it is the Manila American Military Cemetery, and that it requires a cab ride, which may be best done early in the day due to traffic.  It apparently contains the largest number of graves of U.S. military dead of World War II, 17,058. Most lost lives in operations in New Guinea & the Philippines.

 

 

 

Our cabin attendants asked for a very early room cleaning and we were more than happy to help them out.  They did get off for a few hours and were happy.  

I guess we were on the same cruise.  Great cruise overall.  We are headed back to the Philippines for two weeks because we enjoyed it so much.

Sailed pass Corregidor on the way out but too far away to really see anything.

Bill

We did a city tour offered by Oceania when we were there.  The ship departed at 2 PM so the tour was short, IMO.  However, if you are there all day, I suggest using Tours by Locals and you can tailor your tour to what you want to see.  The Intramuros is very interesting and historic, especially for WWII history buffs, like me.  Our tour started with a stop at the famous Manila Hotel and then a walk through Riza Park.  Then to the Intramuros and the old city.  Drove by the mall mentioned above and did not stop.  

Corregidor is undoable because the ferry from Manila to the island is not operating at the present time.  You have to go to Mariveles on Bataan and take the ferry from there.  You will not have enough time.

The Filipino crew members were not at all happy about the earlier than originally scheduled departure from Manila.  Many had plans to be with family and one of the bartenders was going to see his son for the first time.  Felt really bad for them but they were their usual cheerful selves.

Have fun,

Bill  

13 hours ago, Smokeyham said:

Our cruise will be stopping in Kuala Lumpur, arriving at 8:00 AM on Saturday, departing at 5:00 PM on Sunday during April, 2025.  Any recommendations for things to see and do, especially with an overnight in this port?  We see the Petronas Tower and Batu caves as being recommended but are thinking these won't take all of the time that we have in port.

In addition, if you have any recommendations for a local guide we would love to hear them.

Thanks,
 

We were forced to spend an overnight in Port Klang on Oceania for "technical reasons" last February.  The ship was docked at the large 24/7 container terminal, and it was awful.  We went into KL the first day (about 50 kilometers away) and did the usual tourist stuff on a private tour and it was ok.  I didn't arrange it so I don't know who it was with but it was inexpensive.  We were to go to the Batu Caves also.  However, there was some kind of weeklong Hindu religious holiday or festival at the caves, and it would be very crowded, so we did not go.  We spend the second day onboard.  It was loud and noisy if you were outside and not pleasant at all.  Unfortunately, our cabin faced the container terminal so we could not even sit on our veranda.  Interesting operation, however, if you took the time to sit and watch.  There was a shuttle bus from the ship to a mall in Port Klang and some passengers went and said it was nothing to write home about.  You could not walk around in the terminal.  Good luck, it was not our best port call.

My only real suggestion is to do the KL city tour the first day and Batu Caves the second.  But check to make sure there is no other activity at the Caves first.

Bill

9 minutes ago, cheezenip said:

Could you elaborate on your impressions of the food on O? Very curious on the quality of O's buffet as well as the MDR.

The Terrace (buffet) is very good with grilled to order items (steaks, lobster, shrimp), pasta station, craving station, salad bar, etc.  They usually have a regional night, e.g., Indian cuisine or German food.  Breakfast is standard things with an egg station and so on.  Lunch is very good and the Pool Grill has hamburgers, hot dogs, and an excellent surf (lobster) and turf sandwich.

The MDR is good but it can be hit or miss, I'm afraid.  I am not a foodie by any means but I like what I like.  Really can't recall the "bad" things or the "good" things to be honest.  The Specialty restaurants are very good, especially, Red Ginger if you are on the bigger ships, Vista, Riviera, and Marina.  However, I found Polo Grill (steaks) to be again hit or miss.  Some of the sides can be undercooked/overcooked.  Tuscany (Italian) is always good and Jacques is good but I am not particularly a fan of French food.  They also have a Pizza bar in the evenings that is again hit or miss.  I had a burnt crust pizza and the next time it was prefect.  

You will not go hungry, and you will probably enjoy your meals.  

1 hour ago, RLK33853 said:

     I have now finished posting about us as loyal Princess cruisers comparing Crystal and Viking on those particular boards.  Some here on the Princess board have expressed interest as to our thoughts.  Here they are – please remember these are our thoughts at our stage in life and they may certainly differ from you.

     First off, you can't of course do a true comparison with Princess since we are talking small ship/large ship, mass market/luxury line, mass market/premium line, etc, etc. But some things you can talk about.

     Items like Internet are very similar - good speed, and in some regard Princess doesn't block what Viking does.  Remember though that you have to purchase Internet on Princess, whereas on Crystal and Viking it is included in your fare.

     While you can purchase drink packages on Princess and on Viking, you really can't compare the two, with Viking's package being cheaper and far more inclusive.  Crystal includes a wide variety of liquor but remember it is a luxury line and the price is hidden in your fare.  Staying with liquor though, Princess allows 2 bottles of wine to be consumed in your room.  Viking and Crystal allows unlimited quantities of any liquor and you can drink it anywhere (no corkage say if you take a bottle of wine to dinner).

     Staterooms - actually Princess (as a mass market line) hold their own when you take away the obvious things like butler service, upgraded linens, amenities such as canapés, etc.  We typically book mini-suites or suites on Princess, and we chose similar cabins on Crystal and Viking (slightly bigger but only by 40 sq ft).  Bathrooms, furnishings, linens, etc were better of course on Crystal and Viking, but space and cleanliness were pretty much the same on all three lines.  Balconies, like the bathrooms differ though - Crystal's balcony furniture was luxury wicker and the balcony itself was deep enough to lounge out.  Viking balcony furniture was mesh, but very nice - again with a deep enough balcony to lounge out.  We really dislike how Princes have gone to the narrow balconies on the Royal Class ships.

     There is no way to compare food, customer service, etc between luxury, premium, and mass market.  Although we also did try Silversea (luxury) who has the worst customer service in our opinion.  Their attitude is that you are on a luxury cruise line, therefore nothing can be wrong.  Princess beats the crap out of Silversea.

     Another comparison that can be made is the fitness areas - all are similar.  

     Entertainment - Princess being the bigger ship of course has more going on.  We found Viking's entertainment to be quite poor.  Crystal of course only has 600 passengers and thus while entertainment options are not as intensive as Princess, what they do have is spectacular.

     Costs – (rounding the numbers when we were booking) we compared Princess pricing to the pricing we had on Crystal, Silversea, and Viking - similar itineraries, times, stateroom sizes, included drink packages and tips if required, etc.  Crystal and Silversea were around 40% more per day, and Viking was 20% more.  Although these were our numbers for these particular cruises in shoulder season, future cruises for these companies are all over the map.  We have a Japan cruise booked with Princess and Viking's price is double, but just for the Japan leg.  Viking is 30-40% more in other parts of Asia.  Thus I don't think you can make a general statement when comparing prices - pricing is itinerary and date dependent.

     Crystal of course is luxury and the ship itself reflects this in appearance, appointments, furnishings, etc.  Viking as a Premium line is over the top clean, crisp, and very Scandinavian.  Princess tries hard but their older ships are showing their age, while the newer ones have done things we dislike - an example is how they have made the balconies quite narrow.

     Overall - now that we have tried some of the more upscale options (Crystal, Paul Gauguin, Silversea, Scenic, and Viking), as loyal Princess cruisers we will probably take the following approach when looking to book cruises in the future.  We will always look to Crystal first (although limited to only two ships at present), then Paul Gauguin (really limited – one ship, only in the South Pacific), then Viking.  We will compare Viking with Princess and if the pricing isn’t out of line (yes it will be more) we will cruise Viking.  Will we still cruise with Princess – yes, but only when family or friends are going, or in the rare case of Princess having an itinerary that is very specific to where we want to go and Viking or Crystal doesn’t.

Great comparison, thank you.  We have been on Princess numerous times, Oceania four times, and Silversea once (several years ago).  We do have a Viking cruise in the Far East scheduled in the future.  I would suggest trying Windstar in the future.  Small 312 person yachts and smaller sailing ships.  Everything was perfect.  From the crew, excursions, food, cabin, etc.  The choose is yours, of course. 

6 hours ago, Ready to Sail! said:

We've never had a problem like that but once we left from the NYC port going north and there was another cruise ship in dock going south.  They put another couples luggage that was suppose to be on our ship on the other ship. So, yes, things can happen. We always travel with at least one change of cloths, undies and usually a extra pair of shoes in our carry ons.  

Happened in San Pedro with Princess.  One lady's taxi driver dropped her off at the wrong ship and she gave the porters her luggage.  She then checked in for the correct ship (really not sure how that happened) but then found out, because she didn't get her luggage, that her luggage was bound for Hawaii and we were headed for the Panama Canal.  Our first stop was Cabo and she went shopping.  I don't know what happened later.

Thank you for your very inclusive review.

Well, I guess I will pay up but we will pay with an ACH.  At least save a few dollars.

Thanks everyone for their insightful comments.

Bill

16 minutes ago, millybess said:

Hi Bill.  You might find some helpful information in this thread:

 

Thank you, it was very informative.  But still...

We booked a cruise on Viking Orion, South Pacific Sojourn, leaving Syndey on March 30, 2026.  I was informed by my TA that final payment is due on February 15, 2025!  I find this date to be remarkably early.  Other cruise lines that I have been on are, at most, 120 days out for final payment.  Granted, this will be our first cruise on Viking, and we are looking forward to it.  

Question:  Is this Viking's usual method for payment?  And is there any way to have the final payment pushed back a few months?  This is a long time for them to have our money and, if we need to cancel, that is a lot to get back in a reasonable amount of time.  The cruise seems to be selling well, so would that be a reason?

Thanks, Bill

We will be embarking in Syndey on the Viking Orion.  Would Viking frown if I bring onboard a case or two of excellent Australian or New Zealand wines and beer?  Just curious.

2 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

5. Take completed drink to bar.

6. Purchase more as needed.

That is a better idea.  Did not know that would be allowed.  Definitely frowned upon on other cruise lines.  We will doing our first Viking Ocean next year, that is why I am asking.  Would like to avoid buying a drink package if the cost of a cocktail is reasonable.  Thanks.

2 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

1. Take a bottle of gin out of your frig and pour into a glass with some ice from your ice bucket.

2. Take a bottle of tonic out of your frig and add to step 1.

3. Squeeze in a piece of lime you got from a bar/room service/etc.

4. Enjoy.

Great idea but we also like to sit at a bar and meet fellow guests and chit chat with the bartenders.  

Thank you for your blog.  Very informative.  I will be a first time Viking cruiser next year.