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I emailed you. Also, just cut/paste onto the roll call. Bill

Ann, I think you posted this in the wrong place.

Hello, I was wondering if you stayed in HCMC or returned to your ship on Friday evening. Asking because we will be there overnight but will be docking in Phu My. I really rather stay in the city than doing all of that transiting. So, question is if you stayed in HCMC what hotel did you stay at? And did Xuan have no problem with picking you up at the hotel? We will be on a Xuan tour the first day from the ship on a private excursion. Is the Mekong Delta worth it? Thanks for your help. Bill

What about Saturday service?

We are on this cruise with you. Our plan is to debark on Feb. 11 and use a local tour company to go to Bangkok, our last port. We'll tour the city for a few days and then fly to Angkor Wat. If you are continuing on from Bangkok, my recommendation would be to find a reputable tour company and stay overnight in the city instead of traveling back and forth. That way you will be able to experience the cities night life. Bill

What is Oceania doing regarding replacement of the port stop? Sea days, another/different port of call, etc.? Just curious, since I will have the same issue in January on the Riviera.

Thank you for your diary posts. We are really looking forward to visiting Yangon. If we do, we will stay in the city overnight in order to not have to return back to the ship using private tours. However, the way things are going in country I do not see how Oceania will be calling there in January 2024. They have already cancelled one port call and others will be probably cancelled. Did you have an opportunity to ride the Circle Train? Thanks, Bill

Which tour did you take with Curacao Dreams?

Hello, Question: By being glad you packed something to dress up in for the event, what exactly did you pack? I am wondering for you and for a man. We will be attending the same event in May off of the AmaBella. Thanks, Bill

You can also review your booking confirmation and see if all of the perks that you are paying for are listed on the document.

Why were you advised to not use your balcony, leave curtains drawn and the lights out? Pirates or due to the insects? Just curious. I doubt pirates though.

Good point. I recall that in Italy, France, and elsewhere, the local police came by the hotel each evening, collected passports, and returned them to the next morning. Not sure if they are continuing that practice. So, depending on what Goldconnection finds out, I may get an evisa instead.

I agree with you that it is all rather confusing. I am not an expert but my reading is that you can come and go within VN at different ports of entry within the validity of the evisa, 30 days. I hope someone can clear all of this up for us.

This is an excellent question. We are overnight in HCMC (Saigon) next February on the Oceania Riviera. We were thinking of staying overnight in HCMC and, instead of trooping back to the ship, staying in the city, exploring the night life, dinner, and getting up early to do another tour. BTW, Oceania is charging $69/pp and is included in the total cruise fare. Maybe it depends on the cruise line if they will charge "extra" for an overnight stay. I really can't see Immigration chasing us down and deporting us. Bill

Just read several articles that the Myanmar govt. has decided to bomb it's own citizens and suspended elections from this coming August to who knows when. It is my opinion, FWIW, that Oceania, and other cruise lines will NOT be calling at Yangon anytime in the near future.

Just took the plunge and booked a rather pricey balcony cabin on the Emerald. Looked for the Discovery but it is sold out. Visited the Panama Canal (old locks) many years ago on the new, at the time, Sun Princess with our then kindergarten son. It will be exciting to see the new locks, and the total eclipse of the sun of course! Thank you Marne-c and help32550 for your work on getting this done. Now off to tell the DW what I just did! LOL Bill

I was told by local TV personalities that today is also National Burrito Day! Enjoy!

This is our schedule re: Prague - Day 18, VILSHOFEN ­ REGENSBURG ­ PRAGUE ­ DISEMBARKATION. Disembark the ship and enjoy a stop in Regensburg. After a local highlights tour, head to Prague where you will check into your hotel, The Art Deco Hotel. (B) Day 19, PRAGUE. Discover fairytale Prague and its magical church spires via a city tour or a hike to Prague Castle. Both will reveal why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive and vibrant cities, with a historic city center that’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B) Day 20, PRAGUE. Beer has been an important part of the Czech Republic since 993, when the first brewery was established. Beer is vital to the country’s national identity, so much so that the Czechs are the biggest consumers of beer in the world. Join a beer tasting and discover for yourself what makes Czech beer some of the best in the world. (B) Day 21, DEPART PRAGUE. Bid farewell to Prague and prepare for your homeward flight. Early morning on Lufthansa to Munich.(B) The hotel is supposed to be really nice according to Trip Advisor. Day 20 seems a little bit worthless. I do like beer and would enjoy the beer tasting but how much beer can one drink in a day. I will look for other things to do/see (will review YouTube) that day. Any restaurant recommendations? I may look at Tours by Locals for someone for an evening tour. Thanks for all of your help and great information.

Vilshofen, unfortunately, will be our last stop, as we are boarding in Giurgiu. I hope they have what you described as I love beer and pretzels. This will be at our stop in Passau. Not much I could do about location of cabin but we'll deal with any noise. I will take into consideration your comments about the other stops. We have not made any tour selections yet. I have seen/heard that Budapest is amazing at night. Expecting Vienna to be a long day. DW is a "Sound of Music" lover, so this tour will be on the top of her list. I will look at things and see what interests us. Thank you for your notes/opinions. They are appreciated.

We are in category C. Have never visited the countries on the Grand Danube 14 Day Cruise, so everything will be new. Not sure what to expect but we are really looking forward to it. I like more historical things/sites and my DW is more cultural, so we will probably be doing different tours, which is fine. We are doing a pre-cruise in Istanbul and a post cruise in Prague.

Well, I would be very interested in your observations. We are on the AmaBella, BTW. Not so much about the ship, because it is way different than the one I will be on, but about the ports, tours, etc. Not concerned about water levels because levels change all the time. Have a great trip. Bill

Please don't forget to let us know how the cruise was. We are boarding in Giurgia to Vilshofen on May 15. Thanks.

Thank you for the information. Not using the Manila airport, fortunately. Last day, going directly to the cruise port to meet the ship.

Sorry, I may have mistaken your "No" as a comment to my post, #7. But what I said is true. The new WMD is too much in my opinion.

When we cruised on the new Royal, which was several years ago, it was $40/pp. We have not been on a cruise since that had a Winemakers dinner.