triplestar

In August 1917 we were on a two day tour with Alla Tours and were the only couple from the Nautica which was docked on the River in down town St Petersburg. The others on the tour were all from a Norwegian Line ship which was docked at the main terminal. We had no problems what so ever, we were last to be picked up & first to be dropped off. We found Alla to be most efficient and very good value for money and had a wonderful time. There were several groups from the Nautica, but they had chosen a tour which had a slightly different itinerary.

We in New Zealand had a very good cruise deal recently which we took. However we do not get any airfare included, the current airfare to Europe is around $NZ 3,200economy & $NZ11,000 business class per person .If we were to fly to the west coast of the USA & then then book a cruise we would not be eligible for an included airfare , as this is only available to residents of North America. I checked this when on board an Oceania cruise. Also Oceania stated on the offer that it was only available to residents of New Zealand. Another point is that we can no longer get into the Oceania USA website it always defaults to the NZ website, this means we do not know how good or poor the deal is.

We have stayed in this cabin on a 14 day cruise around South America. Although I have mixed feelings about it I booked it again on the Volendam for a cruise to Alaska 2107. The positives were the view from the window,(I actually lay in bed & watch the sail around Cape Horn from there.) There was easy access to the deck , which although public had very little traffic. It was very easy to get up to the Lido deck & we experienced no noise from above. The negatives were its odd shape & furniture arrangement, I think separate beds would be better. I also felt it was a little isolated from the inside public areas( I try to take the stairs). However for the cruise you are taking I would book it.

If you log into the air New Zealand web site you will see that there is a flight to Queenstown (via Auckland) that leaves at 11.50am.There is a 2hrs 35m wait in Auckland. It arrives in Queenstown at 9.35pm. NZ is 2 hours ahead of Sydney time. This same flight out of Sydney connects to a Christchurch flight in Auckland. Anzac day is a public holiday and all shops are shut until 1pm.

Hi, Merrywench Yes there is a public airport bus from the airport. It finishes at the bottom of Queen Street, just by the ferry wharf which is nearly next to the cruise wharf. They leave about every 20 minutes, and have plenty of room for suitcases. I cannot remember the fare ,but think it is about NZ $16-18. You pay the driver when you enter the bus. If you haven't any NZ dollars there are ATMs & banks in the terminal where you can exchange money. The bus will only accept local currency

Thank you all for your help. I was afraid that I would have had to upgrade for my husband's sake, which would have meant the budget would not covered 2 nights in London.

A question I am sure Jim & Stan will be able to answer. We have just booked an interior cabin for a very reasonably priced cruise on the Nautica (in fact our airfare from NZ is more.)However this is a cabin for 4 , we will only be 2 & they mention a Pullman bed, is this above the main bed all the time or is it only pulled out if cabin has 4 passengers. My husband is not too keen on an interior cabin anyway & if he was to discover another bed over his head once on board heaven help us .

We had to make the same decision, but decided on the Noordam for several reasons. We can fly direct to Vancouver from Auckland & the Noordam is a 27 day cruise as oppose to a 24 day. Also we can afford a veranda cabin on it, but not on the Maasdam. I really prefer the smaller ships, but my husband wants a veranda for all the sea days. The Maasdam has a laundry which the Noordam does not and I feel most probably the swimming pools are the same size for far less people.One thing will be the deciding factor. good luck with the decision.

I have done 4 cruises on Oceania ,3 on Azamara & 2 on Hal, all have their merits & all have areas where they could do better. That being said I have enjoyed all my cruises. 3 points that no one as yet has mentioned are A) the difference in size ,Marina has 1200 passengers approx. & Koningsdam nearly 3,000. B) All sodas & specialist coffees are included in the price on the Marina & C) The Marina has very good self service laundries. People mention the Hal is for the elderly, but I have not found this to be so, in fact I would state that Oceania wins that prize. I myself fit into the over 60 bracket. All that being said I would go with Oceania if it is the itinerary you prefer, but Hal could be better value. Enjoy your cruise

Whatever you do ,do not change the cruise as it is a lovely itinerary. If it were me I would go for 4055. The other cabins may have anchor noise & there are a few tender ports on that cruise. Have a great cruise

Thanks for info re Southexcursions we are staying for 2 nights in Santiago pre cruise. I have not yet looked into transfers .We are staying at a small hotel In Providence no idea what it will be like.

If one sends a gift of wine via Oceania Gifts is that for consumption in stateroom only, or can it be taken to MDR & no corkage charged

I would advise anyone thinking of travelling airport/dock in Auckland to allow 35 minutes mininum. I have travelled by both bus & private car & have never ever done it in 15mins. Whilst both of my sons in law know the route & alternative routes well & are not known to be slow drivers, we still have hold ups at times ,from traffic , road works & the lights being against us. If possible I nearly always take flights timed to avoid the rush hours .I conceed that all conditions being favourable it is possible to do it in 25 minutes ,but feel 15minutes must have involved some speeding & all the traffic lights being green.I cannot think of any thing worse than not getting to the airport on time.

The bus from the dock to the airport takes 35 minutes, but it could be longer depending on traffic.The fare is $NZ 16 & they run every 10mins.They have a limited number of stops. I don't know the cost or time a taxi would take. The bus can travel in a bus lane so it would probably be quicker in rush hour traffic.

We often stay at the Intercontinental on Macquarie St. It is in a great location very close to Circular Quay, the Opera House & the Botanical Gardens. It has very good sound proofing in the rooms so no traffic noise is heard. The rooms are a good size& have a pleasant widow seat to enjoy the great views .The Watson Bay rooms have the best view, but some may prefer the more expensive rooms with views of the Opera House & the Harbour Bridge. We have always found the service to be excellent.

We were on holiday in Sydney about 4years ago & there were 4 cruise ships in the harbour. One had prime position at Circular Quay, one was at Woolloomooloo, & two were tendered in the harbour. Although White Bay may not be the best for passengers I am sure that it makes the servicing of the vessels easier.Passengers on a recent Hal ship staying overnight found it not as bad as they had anticipated & stated that the shuttle only took 15 mins to get into Circular Quay. It takes 20 mins to get from Port Chalmers to central Dunedin. Having said all that I still don't know where they would berth 4 ships in Sydney if that where to happen again

The tax from London Heathrow is only for departures.It isnot a standard rate,but charged according to miles & class of ticket ,therefore business class to LAX will be the highest, whilst an economy to Paris will be in the lowest range. It is only charged to your first stop , so we in NZ are charged the same as to LA & not the 12,000 miles to Auckland. The return airfare via Asia is always slightly cheaper than through USA probably due to this tax.

The laundries on on each deck are excellent.There are 3 washers & 3 driers & 2 irons.The best part is that the machines have a digital timer so you know exactly how long the cycle will take & can go & do something else & be back in time to take the washing out. There is a cost ,$ 2 I think. In the stateroom there is also a line that pulls out over the bath ,great for smalls but bring some clothes pegs. The wines in NZ & AUS are good so you may be tempted to buy some at some of your portsof call. I know that Oceania tours are overpriced . Enjoy your trip, just remember that in NZ you can have 4 seasons in one day as we say ,so make sure you pack a wool jersey.

We did the Transalantic cruise this May and really enjoyed it , despite poor weather and 2 missed ports. The Marina is a lovely ship & we were never bored & discovered that we really enjoyed sea days, so much so that we are booked Lisbon to Rio Nov 2014. We are usually port intensive cruisers, but enjoyed the mix of interesting ports & busy sea days. I know that some people were bored & disgruntled, but many were not & we seem to have a lot of laughs. If the budget allowed I would do that cruise again this coming May. One can only speak as one finds & nothing will be a 100% perfect. The half full or half empty glass depends on you.

I have stayed both in London & at Heathrow hotels, there is not a great deal of difference in the price. The shuttle buses to the hotels are not free & do quite a large circuit so you have to take that in to account when allowing for time. Also remember that you have to get from Dover & it may be easier to go to central London rather than Heathrow.There are cheap hotels around Victoria,but remember you usually get what you pay for.We stayed in one it was clean & adequate but no lift & we were on the 6th floor!We have stayed at the Citadines at Trafaglar Square which is an apartment hotel ,it was very central in a quiet tree lined street &we made our own meals (Sainsburys close by).They front desk arranged a car to Hethrow door to door for 50 pounds .The train fare on the Express from Paddington is around 24 pounds pp. We have also done the trip by ordinary tube which includes changes & escalators But never a working lift--not much fun with luggage & crowded carriages. Fine if no luggage. London is expensive crowded & rather dirty, but still agreat place to visit. Have you thought of hiring a car in Dover & touring part of the south east Canterbury Cathedral. Leeds Castle & Windsor & then returning it to Heathrow. Whatever you do enjoy your 2 days

We did a Black Sea cruise on the Nautica in 2010 which went from Istanbul to Athens.It was a great cruise & sailing the Dardenelles & visiting Ephesus only enhaced the trip.I would certainly choose Instanbul/Athens over Instanbul return. I was very DETERMINED to approach Istanbul by sea & managed to find a Azamara Greek Island cruise that ended in Istanbul. My daughetr &I found 20 good reasons to justify it , booked it & then told my husband. That year Azamara only did the Bulgarian & Ukranian coast and did not circumnavigate the whole of the Black Sea. Of all of our cruises those 2 would be in the top 3.

You will be okay with 6046 or 6049 I have been in 6046 and really liked it . My friend Cintipam swears by 6033 & I think 6030 would be the same . It really depends if you prefer Port to Starboard. I wouldn't go for 6037 as it is fully obstructed. We have been in 6045 & I disliked it & won't go obstructed view again. I must admit that we had just come off a verandah on the Marina which has really spoilt us. The oceanview cabins on the R ships have a huge mirror facing the bed which is why we went obstructed view. Deck 6 however is a very nice deck and is central, one deck down to the diningroom and one up to the laundry! Hope that helps

Do the shuttles run frequently as long as the ship is in port? We're travelling to Civitavecchia on our own to board Marina next April and wonder if we'll have to take a taxi from the train or can we walk to the gate and expect a shuttle to appear fairly quickly?

We travelled to Civitavecchia & took a taxi from outside the station cost Euro22 which took as right to the embarkation hall. It is a short walk from the station to the port entrance where you can get a shuttle. There are a lot of stairs to get

from the platform to the station entrance so really it depends on heavy your luggage & how you feel when you get there as to whether 22 Euro is seen as daylight robbery or money well spent.The taxi driver loaded & unloaded our luggage ,whilst I think on the shuttle its a case of lifting it on to the bus youself.