pjules

Hello, if you went on an Atlas Ocean Voyages cruise to Antarctica, did you see any Emperor Penguins? If so, do you recall where, and what was the itinerary? Thanks.

On 12/1/2023 at 8:15 PM, shuyak said:

We flew from BOS via MIA to EZE with American Airline, connected to Aerolineas Airline @ EZE and arrived IGR today. 

 

Booked Aerolineas from USA @ its AR site, paid with mastercard in pesos and got refunds with MET rate.  (Expedia charges $561 for 2, and we paid net $199 for 2).

 

All email communications were similar to any US airlines (other than is in Spanish that we needed to use Google translate).  The check-in agent was curtious and pleasant.  The flight was delayed to board by 25 min due to replacement of parts which we were informed timely.

 

For economy class, this domestic airplane has wider seats and longer leg rooms than AA's international flight airplane!

 

The only note is they will weigh both checked luggage and carry-on luggage.  For domestic flights, limits are 15kg and 8 kg, respectively.  We knew that when made the booking and have planned accordingly without any issue.

 

All in all, this domestic flight provided a positive impression.  Don't know it's quality of international flights though.

 

 

We just flew with them domestically within Argentina and I was happy with their service.  They did not collect bags until two hours prior to departure, and I had to pay overage due to the weight of my bag but it was cheap. 

Been there in February a few times.  It was always a hot day and the water was warm for swimming.

On 9/5/2023 at 8:57 AM, Bollycats said:

If people aren't eating in Alfredo's because of the price then I have a feeling the pizza on the lido deck is going to have a very long line.

Some ships don't have Alfredo's (like the Crown) and the line ups for pizza were short or non-existent. 

I'm not happy about the situation, and don't want to pay $14.99 US for their pizza.  I will just go and try to find some free pizza on the lido deck. 

The Crown Princess has 10 and 11 day cruises RT out of Vancouver. 

... another vote for Half Moon Cay! 

The Intercontinental  Le Moana is very easy to get to from the cruise ship dock. You can take the beach shuttle $5 p.p. each way, or take a private taxi. The other Intercontinental resort Bora Bora Thalasso can be accessed by a boat ride from Le Moana.  

We went to Bamboo Blue by catching a bus shuttle at the port. I felt we overpaid at $20 pp. The tour operator (which I think was the sane company as the taxi stand) showed us nice pictures of the beach club. We were told lounge chairs and the facilities were included with our transportation.  After the shuttle bus dropped us off, we were given wristbands.  The beach club told us we did not pay an admission fee to enter, nor did they receive any payments from the shuttle company, and that if we wanted to rent chairs, it was $10 pp.  The pictures of the beach and facilities looked better than reality, so we didn’t want to stay for more than an hour or two. We were told you can only use a small portion of the beach under the hot sun if you didn’t rent chairs. You could not even walk towards any shade or along the beach without paying the extra $10pp! We tried, and security gave us a hassle. I understand the beach club is not a charity however we were lied to by someone. By the way, once the shuttle drops you off, you have to negotiate a pick up time with about 20 strangers on a bus.  Be aware what to expect at the port, and this beach club. I’ve read that taxis charge anything from $1.50 to $60 to bring you to Bamboo Blue. I’m sure transportation is much less expensive if you walk outside the port gate and use a meter. On a positive note, the workers at the club were friendly and courteous.  

Belem has a very large market on the waterfront. I didn’t get to see it, as we chose an Amazon River and jungle excursion through the ship. Since you’ll be visiting deep into the Amazon, you’ll probably want to pass on that type of excursion in Belem.

Holland America has some great itineraries, including starting/ending or round trip out out of Fort Lauderdale.

Looks like both options are winners! It should come down to whether you want a large ship or small ship experience. I’d lean towards the Eclipse because it’s 14 days. You can see Carnival while the ship is in port, which is ideal. One thing about Rio during Carnival- many shops and restaurants are literally boarded up. You can get to Iguazu Falls pre or post from Buenos Aires.

She may also want to bring bug spray for the walk/footware. During our walking tour many people suffered nasty ant bites because they came out quickly and were ferocious.

Like many ports, there are many taxis and/or tours that can be hired at the port. We hired a private taxi with English speaking driver for the day and paid about $100 total, which was probably double what you’d pay using just a meter, place to place. This included visits at most of the touristy spots. Our driver just waited for us while we did our thing... we knew ahead of time what we wanted to see, and wanted the convenience of the same car/driver for the day. Tours could be negotiated just outside the pier area. Booths were set up in front of a warehouse like structure towards the Museum of Tomorrow. Prices are negotiable. Admissions to some attractions were extra, such as the cable car ride at Sugarloaf.

It may depend on the ship. I’ve been on a couple sailings, both in Asia that offered painting classes. On one of the ships, the class was offered by a guest lecturer. The most recent experience was on the Sapphire Princess, but the day I went seemed more like a painting activity versus “class”. Materials for watercolour painting were provided in both cases, and the activity was usually scheduled for about an hour on a sea day.

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There are plenty of taxis in Recife and Salvador that want your business. You can see a lot in Salvador by walking in the historical district. The port is close to the old town. The day we were there, the HoHo bus was operating, but the air conditioning was not working, so we opted for a taxi. I’ve read crime is an issue in Salvador, but I personally did not see anything, or feel threatened walking around in the touristy areas. I heard of one incident where someone from the ship had their camera stolen while we were in Salvador. The beach in Recife is worth seeing, but I probably wouldn’t spend the day there; the oceanfront is very developed with chair rentals, restaurants and hotels, however there are signs with shark warnings for the swimmers. There’s also a really great mall in Recife if that’s of interest.

Yes, your plans are doable and ambitious! I think your Singapore plan is the best option for you. Personally, I think you should have more on the agenda for KL; it’s a fantastic city! One night in Siem Reap is really pushing it. I’d stay minimum

2N. Keep in mind the time you clear customs and immigration, get to your hotel, you’ll have to get transportation to the place to buy your temple pass. We waited in line about 1/2 hour to buy our passes. You may not get to see anything if your flight is delayed. We bought a three day temple pass, but only used it one day (that was more than adequate for us). The thing is, you need many hours to explore. The place you buy your pass is not near the temple. Oh, visiting Siem

Reap (the night markets and Pub Street) is worth seeing.

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Your latest plan is the best. It’ll be nice to start your holiday in HK, instead waiting around 12 hours and catching another flight. We did SIN-REP on the 2:15 Jetstar flight and it worked out fine. The time was also very convenient.

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I was just on a cruise a couple of weeks ago and didn’t see anything about an expiration date.

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I’d recommend Royal Carribean for teenagers, and sailing out of Singapore.

I haven’t used the HOHO, but looked at the HOHO routes (red and blue), and think it does a good job of covering the main highlights of Busan. I did like the fish market area (actually I preferred the area across the main road from the fish market). It’s an interesting place to walk around and has many great cafes. There’s even a cat cafe where you can have a drink with one of their pet cats. One of my favourite snacks in Busan was deep fried dough sprinkled in sugar and cinnamon for a cost of about $1. You might see them being sold by street vendors. This area is about a 1/2 hour from the port by a direct shuttle or taxi. There was a tourist booth by the port, but I don’t know about the stamp leaflet. The maritime museum is pretty much at the port. Centum City would be a great place to hop off for some shopping. From what I recall though, it is quite far from the port (maybe 45 min- 1 hour direct) and lots of traffic. Budget your time.

KL is supposed to be one of the best shopping destinations in the world, so you may want to spend some time and $ there.

I’d recommend booking 2-6 months in advance. As per the previous comment, you want to book far enough in advance that you can get your airfare at a decent price (and hopefully with an airline that has good ratings). Depending on the ports of call, you may also want to consider visiting a travel clinic for medication, vaccinations and advice. You may also need to figure out if you need a travel visa, or if the ship will provide arrangements onboard. I think the only benefit booking a year or more in advance is that you’ll have a better cabin selection. Princess, Celebrity and RCI all have ships out there too. Any of those lines including HAL would work for me, but I chose Princess for 2018. Something else to consider is the cost of pre or post accommodations; I’ve noticed the prices of hotel rooms four months prior to our sailing were much better than 1-2 months prior.

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Don’t forget if the flight is leaving at 7:45, they will most likely be boarding between 7:00 and 7:15am, with the door closing by 7:30. Plus you will have to get through security at the airport. Oh, and were you planning on checking any bags?

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Yes, this is good advice! Use common sense and stay cautious at all times. We sailed down the coast of Brazil earlier this year and I personally did not witness any crime. I did hear that one man from our ship was robbed of his camera in Salvador, Brazil. We had to skip the port in Vitoria because the police were on strike and it was not safe. Also, be extra careful in Barcelona with respect to theft/pick pocketing.

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