ssawjo

On 1/7/2024 at 10:51 PM, Borna said:

if I go to the canopy walk in Kakum national park, will I see animals and which ones?  I've seen some videos of the canopy walk, but no one seems to see any animals.

 

You have to get there very early in the morning in order to see the forest elephants.  There may be monkeys hanging around, LOL, but the forest/jungle itself is fascinating as is the canopy walk.  

Also, strongly recommend visiting the castles along the coast.  A lot of history there, mostly sad.  Unfortunately, you probably wouldn't have time to do both, Kakum and/or the Castle.

Try the Star Beer if you can.  It is very good.

Just now, dmwnc1959 said:

From the US State Department website

Thank you for the update.  When we were there, December 2022, we walked past it with the usual police presence outside and a flag waving.  Long way to go or call if you have a problem in Sao Tome!

There is also an US Embassy in downtown Sao Tome.  If things were that bad, they should have gone there for assistance and/or the port agent.  Also, not having a credit card, preferably Visa, then they were incredibly stupid.  I was in Sao Tome in December 2022 and found it to be a third world country with a colonial Portuguese legacy.  Some interesting colonial history.  They also enjoy practicing voodoo even though it is a Catholic country.  However, the people were very friendly and helpful if needed.  We were on a Regent sponsored tour, so no worries there.  The tender dock is nothing but a set of stone steps that are very slippery.  It was an experience and I am glad we visited but that is all.

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

So I saw the GMA report - and, other than the fact that they actually ran the story, I didn't feel that they were sensationalizing or taking the side of the poor mistreated passengers. And the moderator's responses were along the lines of "don't be late"  - not sympathy for the passengers or any mention of how terrible is was for NCL to just leave them.

 

Anybody else notice the change in the newest reports in the description of the passengers left behind. Before it was a parapalegic, someone with a heart condition and a pregnant woman. So thinking that now the parapalegic has transformed to an elderly lady after some fact checking. Since the original info seems to have come directly from the couple that went to the press, puts more doubt on the credibility of other things they have said.

 

One would think that they were left in the middle of the jungle with no way out according to one poster here. There is a hospital on the island if they need medication. There is an airport to fly them to the next port. No different than if they had missed the ship in the Bahamas.

 

4 hours ago, CanadianBurger said:

The Promenade Grill outside on the port side of Deck 9. 
 

The five dispensers on the right side will eventually have the condiments. 
 

 

 

I see that there is no grilled chicken sandwich on offer.  Too bad.  It is a nice alternative to a burger.

On 3/6/2024 at 2:59 PM, MVPinBoynton said:

I have just posted a review to my website with lots of photos of the Islands to Indonesia cruise on the Oceania Riviera.  It was an amazing cruise through Southeast Asia starting in Singapore and ending in Bangkok.  It was such a wonderful adventure, and we were able to spend three nights before the cruise in Singapore and three nights after in Bangkok.  Two cities that I have looked forward to spending more time in since my first visit in 2010.  I also have the menus from the restaurants, spa and lounges.

Although the Rivera lost one of its engines, we didn’t lose too much port time in any of the ports other than Manila.  While in Singapore we stayed at the amazing Marina Bay Sands Hotel with a massive infinity pool on the top of it.

 

 

We also were able to see the Supertree light/sound show at the Gardens by the Bay right next to the hotel.

 

 

 

 

In Bangkok, we saw a mesmerizing display inside of a massive stupa.

 

 

 

 

We saw so much beauty and history in SE Asia, so it is a long review.  The review is located on my website, which is linked to in my signature.  You can also just Google “Mike and Carol’s/Cathy’s Cruise Reviews” to find a link to it I hope it is helpful for those of you that are planning to cruise on in this part of the world; or if you have been there, I hope it brings back some fond memories.

 

Had a great time in Saigon with you and Cathy.  Very good review and the pictures are great.  Take care, Bill and Kathi

On 3/6/2024 at 9:34 PM, tryan70 said:

Was engine trouble fixed?

Actually, the engine problems started in Mumbai where we boarded and continued up to our disembarkation in Bangkok.  

43 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

All Princess ship have smoking areas in their Casinos.  However on Formal nights they often designate the Casino as non-smoking.  That said the residual odor still lingers.

Uh, ya think?

2 hours ago, dides said:

Some menus for Lido Grill, Lido Tacos and Lido Greens - credit Jackie C on FB.

 

 

 

Too bad they no longer offer a grilled chicken sandwich.  

We will be on Emerald Princess in April and will be in Cabo until 10 PM.  Looking for a recommendation for a bar/restaurant near or within walking distance of the tender location.  I saw that there were a lot of bars and restaurants nearby and some are good and some are not so good.  We do not want to go to Cabo Wabo.  Thanks for your advice.

17 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Well, the fact that you believe they just cancelled the port "arbitrarily" doesn't make it true.. Many people believe they know better than the captain.. doesn't make it true and doesn't mean they have to compensate you.

Fine, whatever.

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Sorry, I'm confused. Isn't visa a government requirement? Why Oceania would offer apology or  compensation for something that is required by Indonesian authorities? 

 

As for trust - if I stopped doing business with every company I don't trust, I would probably be sitting on the floor of my house, naked, starving and miserable. Definitely not travelling..

My point was that Oceania, IMO, arbitrarily cancelled the port call to Bintan claiming "operational" reasons and did not explain what those were.  Therefore, they should have at least offered some type of compensation.  It was not a lot of money for the visas.  It was a time consuming process to obtain.  

By the sounds of things, you don't trust a lot of companies.

31 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

We should have been on that cruise but unfortunately had to cancel a week before. 

I’ve read such mixed reports, and having been to all but two of the ports before, I’m almost pleased we were unable to go.

 

As far as Bintan is concerned believe me you missed nothing!

You are probably right about Bintan.  But the issue was that Oceania required all of us to obtain Indonesian visas and have them in hand before boarding.  They are inexpensive but time consuming to obtain on line.  No apology or offer of compensation.  I would have preferred to have spent the day at Port Klang as a sea day or head to Singapore for another day there.  But the Singapore idea was not considered because the port was full, maybe?

Otherwise, the cruise was nice.  We had not been to many of ports before, so there's that.  However, my opinion of O has changed from excellent to ?.  I don't think I can trust them to fulfill their commitment to the passengers.  

2 hours ago, Queen of DaNile said:

We enjoyed Riviera for the two weeks we were on her in SE Asia a few weeks ago. Ship, service, food were all very good. The remodeled bathrooms are lovely.

As long as you're flexible about the times you are in ports, you should be OK. There were major changes to times in all but one port due to a mechanical issue that was never revealed. Don't count on "upper" management to be transparent about changes to your itinerary. If you're comfortable with that, you'll love your cruise.

We were on the same cruise.  Agree with the statement above.  However, I personally felt that we were not treated as adults regarding O arbitrarily changing port times.  This led to several headaches regarding our private shore excursions.  We were on board for 35 days (Mumbai to Bangkok) and I estimated that we lost about 25 hours of time in port.  Some ports, no big deal.  Losing four hours in Manila was bad (it was actually three) especially for the Filipino crew members.  If the staff had been more forthright about the "mechanical" issues, which they termed "technical" issues, I believe that the passengers would have been more understanding.  The lack of transparency was frustrating. It seemed we either arrived late or left early or both in several ports.  One port, Bintan, was eliminated entirely for "operational" reasons.  Instead we spent an extra day in Port Klang, a 24 hour working container port.  

Just a bit of a rant.  Otherwise, great cruise, etc.

Yes, that is exactly what happened.

Another question for an evisa when arriving at Sihanoukville Cruise Port.  The application states that it is not for people arriving at cruise ports.  Just airports.  So, what to do?

17 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

 

 

sasswjo, we're probably on your cruise.  I've been looking at Trip Advisor, and there appear to be some tours offered there as well.  But they're not inexpensive.  And I don't think they will pick up from Muara port.  There are a few excursions that interest me, but I'm a pretty independent person and like to customize a little too, if possible, so I'd prefer to do something on my own.  But I may just "cave" and take an excursion, or wait and see what I can do once we get there.  It's bad that we aren't scheduled to arrive until 11, but kind of nice that we don't leave until 9 - although we'd obviously want to leave BSR early unless transport was guaranteed to be better than I'm thinking it will be!  

 

 

We decided, after much research and other considerations, to just do an Oceania excursion.  Prices are comparable to what is on TripAdvisor and at least it starts in Muara.  See you onboard.

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

Of course it is feasible!  and doable, if you are up to the task of planning it.

The high speed train from BCN to MAD is quick, but I'd still want to spent 3 nights/2 days there.  You should consider flying from Madrid to Lisbon (quicker) as the train will take a long time there.  Spend some days in Lisbon ahead of your cruise too!

God luck!

We are flying to Madrid, spending 4 nights, then flying to Porto for 3 nights, then train to Lisbon for 4 nights, before boarding a cruise from Lisbon (next month!)

 

Thank you for your quick response.  Yes, definitely planning at least 3 nights in BCN and about the same for MAD.  I like planning so it should be fun.  This will be our fourth time in Lisbon and to be honest we've seen/done it all.  So, just a quick overnight there.  We were also in Porto.  Wonderful city.  Bill

Hello, we are boarding the Oceania Vista in Lisbon in September 2024.  I was thinking of flying to Barcelona to spend a few days there (the ship does stop in Barcelona but only for a day and probably at a different location), taking a train to Madrid for about two days, and then taking another train or plane to Lisbon.  

I was wondering if this is a good plan.  I really do not want to drive across Spain and Portugal.  The trains seem reasonably priced and frequent.  Nothing has been arranged, except the cruise.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Thanks, Bill

Thank you for your ongoing review.  I have always found the coffee, except from Barista's, to be downright awful.  It is like drinking yesterdays dish water.  

On 11/6/2023 at 12:48 AM, Malemew said:

Edit : the small shuttle bus didn’t take us to muara town centre, but a small suburb if it can be called that. 

One more question:  Were you required to obtain a visa to enter Brunei?  

Did some googling yesterday and found that the Tours by Locals person is unavailable the day we are in Muara.  Probably will be with others from our cruise, Oceania Riviera.  I also found that other tours are either pricey and/or will not do pick ups at the Muara cruise port.  So, we decided to do a ship's tour instead.  Not ideal but you do what you have to do.

3 hours ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Calling them is really not that painful. I've had to do it a few times for the same cruise. FIW, we're doing O's mangrove tour that day.

Had my TA call O and it was changed correctly.  We changed to the mangrove cruise also.  Thanks, Bill

4 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Well I believe the two options you do not want to utilize are your only two options. Personally I’d just call them direct as usually the easiest and quickest way. 

Yeah, you are probably right.  I will suck it up and do so.

Hello, I am attempting to cancel a booked tour and book a different tour from the same port.  I cannot see where I can do that on the booking (Manage My Booking).  The tour I want to rebook to is available. 

I really don't want to deal with an Oceania rep and my travel agent leaves something to be desired.  (I should find someone else.)

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  BTW, the port of call is Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on Jan. 31, 2024.

Thank you, Bill