jennyg2610

We are going from the port in January with a guide. His website is wegowithaunuar.com. 4 of us is 720RM. There was good reviews on trip advisor and on here with people that have used him.

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I checked out his website and it looks very good.

 

We will probably prefer to go it alone...as our rollcall is almost non-exsistant.

 

Again...many thanks..you are so helpful.

No worries, I am sure you will enjoy it and get your money's worth. I forgot to mention that our guide took us on a guided tour through the Palace, very informative. Just remember to get off as soon as possible. That way you will not miss all the sights.

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Thank you so much for your info. Did you book this directly with him before your cruise..and did you only pay at the end of your tour and what currency did you use ? There are only two of us so I assume it will be priced higher or perhaps a smaller vehicle.

I booked it directly on his website. He was very helpful and reassuring to get us back on time. You could go on your role call and get a few more to join you. I paid a small deposit and paid the balance in USD at the end of the tour back at the ship. The guide was a registered guide and very professional. I would send Van an email and ask any questions.

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I would love to feel safe and do a ship excursion (wanted a DIY) but the only (excursion) ones their offering are driveby's, Runification center and lunch..not interested in this at all or spending time with a bunch of passengers doing lunch..and not really interested in the tunnels..We're a bit different in that we prefer to just shop at the markets and only one tour offer's a "bit" of shopping at approx $100.00pp and the DIY would have been $45.00pp but price isn't a factor for us it's the itinerary)...very upset at what's offered in this port thru the ship...I just assumed there would be a DIY. I don't know what to do at this point :(:confused:

I booked a private tour with Van from Vietnam Alive. $90 each for 8 of us but he will do less people for not much extra. He tailor makes your tour. The van is very comfy and air conditioned and has water for you. We were also worried about time etc so we got off as soon as we were able. Picked up 7.45. Traffic was fine as being a small van we went through local areas of Saigon and got there in about an hour and half. Lunch was in a local restaurant and was fantastic, included in price. The reason why it's expensive is they have to pay port fees which is about $30 each person to the government. It is worth it being picked up right next to the ship. We had plenty of time for sightseeing and shopping and got back to the ship by 3.45. People that did the Princess tour said they had to do a lot of walking. We didn't as the van was always waiting for us whenever we got off. We did ho to a Lacquer Factory as 2 people on our tour wanted to see it, it was a quick tour and really interesting with lots a beautiful things.

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Can l ask if you had to pay the tour company $30 each so they could come onto the port to pick you up? Our tour company we have booked with say they have to pay that for each passenger on the tour. How much was your tour' date=' if you don't mind me asking?[/quote']

 

 

We paid $90USD each which included the port fee, that every tour company has to pay if they are to pick you up right next to the ship. It is quite a walk in the humidity to get out of the port gate. I paid a deposit then the rest in cash after the tour. They will ask for a copy of your passport, it is necessary as the government has to keep a tract of who has entered their country. That gist included the tour, driver, guide, water and lunch. Small group of 8. I wouldn't have wanted more than that as this size was comfortable for the van. We were the first off the ship and left at around 8 and the traffic was not too bad. After the highway, the driver took us through the back streets to Saigon which was very interesting seeing locals.

 

 

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Thank you so much for the info, yes the other port is Nha Trang.

We have just come back on the Sun Princess. We went to the Thap Ba Hot Springs in Nha Trang for the day and had a relaxing fun time. $90USD for 4 people, private bath, 45 min massage, snacks, lunch. $5USD for the taxi there after getting the free shuttle into town. Also highly recommend the private tour we did with Van from Vietnam Alive. There was only 8 of us and he picked us up at the ship, much quicker than the cruise ship tour. Not much walking either as we always had the van close by. Nice cool air con and water. He took us to a fantastic local stop for lunch which was included. He caters for whatever itinerary you want to do.

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Cruising on the Sun Princess From Hong Kong to Sydney Oct 2014

 

Ship run out of several beverages only 2 days into the cruise or so they said

 

only to flog off the Japanese beverages left over from the previous cruise

 

Service was slow except for the last 4 days when staff went after there tips

 

supervisors and managers disappeared when a problem arose and that was

 

from the start of the cruise.Drink prices are the norm for a cruise line but they

 

up sell every thing beware when ordering a glass of wine as they will put there

 

house wine in the glass and charge you for premium wines order by the bottle so you know what you are getting.Food was quite good all though the cruise

 

Overall would I recommend Sun Princess NO a lot of changes would have to be made for me to sail with Princess Cruises so for me its back to CELEBRITY

We were on that cruise and what you said was correct. The first night in the dining room, it took us 4 times to get a bottle of wine that they had in stock. Meal service was very slow but did pick up towards the end, as you say, probably chasing that extra tip. All the prices seem to be the same as we paid in Aussie dollar back in June but this cruise it was in USD. They should have changed over to AUD when it left Hong Kong considering there were 1600 Aussies on board and it was heading down under for the summer season. Everyone would have been happier and not taken their tipping off. We were overcharged 4 times for drinks that weren't ours, never had a problem before. Overall, the weather was perfect, the company was good and the destinations were great. I would still sail with Princess but rethink a repositioning cruise.

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Just reiterating the point, as jennyg2610 has already agreed that the Taxi is best for them.:D

Thanks, we will definitely go with the taxi option as we are not in a hurry to get off. Plenty of time to get to the airport.

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I am a frustrated TA big M. just wish I could partake of all the good deals out there. Half the excitement of a trip is putting it all together but also can be rather stressful as those who do their own work would well know. The super stressful time is when I am putting something together for friends which I seem to be doing more and more.

 

In my next life I would most definitely go down that path.

I am the same as you, Tara. I have been organising trips, usually 2 a year for the past 5 years with friends. I just tell I have a good deal and they always come. I even pay their deposits, airfares, excursions and sometimes their final payment then get reimbursed later. I'm hope they appreciate it. It is true, you need the right people to travel with, fortunately our friends are fantastic to travel with. In saying that it does get a bit annoying to do all the planning myself.

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Is it possible to charge a $100 Future Cruise Deposit purchased while onboard to my stateroom account?

 

I have searched the CruiseCritic forum as well as Google and haven't seen anyone ask this question.

No they charge you separately on your credit card. When we get our credit card bill, it is always a separate entry for each FCD bought, plus international transaction fee if you are Australian. You can ask on on board though.

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I just checked documents and it has both wharfs listed, who knows we might disembark in Hawaii instead of Sydney Jenny :-)

We can always live in hope, so long as they fly us home!!!

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The Sun Princess is scheduled to dock at White Bay. :) For two people the most cost effective way to get to the airport is by Princess shuttle ($19 pp). A taxi would cost around $50. That varies on traffic congestion and whether the driver takes toll roads or not. We always specify that they should not take the toll roads unless we are in a hurry.

There are 4 of us travelling together. Sounds like it's still best to get a taxi from what people are saying in earlier posts.

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I'm on the same cruise " Sun Princess " HK to Sydney so excited :-) as far as taxi when we return I'm positive we come into Circular Quay not White Bay Terminal at Rozelle that is used normally for smaller ships like P&O cruises. Either way taxis are plentiful see you onboard !! 25 days and counting down :-))))))

 

 

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My friend's TA said that we were coming into White Bay. Anyway we will just get a taxi as we are not in a hurry to get to the airport. Looking forward to getting away too!

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You should have no problems as a lot of the taxis are station wagons. We got four people, four suitcases and four carry on bags in one. bit of a squeeze but all good. Enjoy.

 

 

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Thanks,think we will go with that, our flight is not till 1pm so we have plenty of time.

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Thanks for the info. I looked online in the Personaliser and could not find where to book a transfer. I will contact my TA.

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They make it very clear when you buy the package that it is not meant to be shared, and if you're caught, they'll cut you off with no refund for the rest of the week. A few days into our cruise we heard a man being questioned by a bar manager about buying drinks for other people (didn't stick around to hear the outcome) so they are definitely watching & aware of people trying to cheat the system!

I am too honest and would never do this! I think I will get my money's worth, considering it also includes, coffee and water. It's nice to hear that they are on the lookout for people that do this. I just wondered if it was a common practice to share.

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We are thinking about the package also. Do you buy it before you go or when you get on board? Someone on a fb cruise forum said they just got off the Pacific Princess and only paid for 1 package but shared it. They didn't have any trouble with the crew allowing this. Has anyone else done this?

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Thanks for the information.

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How hard is it to get a taxi to the airport for 2 couples and luggage? Arriving on Sun Princess Thursday, 30th October. Our flight is not until 1pm. Should be book a transfer?

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We have stayed at the Stamford Plaza, very nice! It is walking distance from the Cruise Terminal. Auckland also has a good bus system to get you to the airport. We got caught the first time we were there and got a taxi. Cost $90 in peak hour. The bus was less than $10 at the time.

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Great prices and great service is a winner.:D

You are right! Can't beat good service and nice to talk to someone to get a good deal instead of booking online.

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That great you got a usual TA. I normally go direct with the lines or use one of the big online agents if they cheap. All the local bricks and mortar TA in my area are not that great.

I have never met my TA. His office is about 6 hours drive away. I do it all over the phone and email. He posts out all the paperwork along with lanyards. He even rings me if a good cheap deal comes up.

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I always check a few online sites then go to my usual TA who's company policy is to go better than the cheapest I find. He always gives me extra OBC too. I am happy to stick with him, much cheaper than going direct to Princess.

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So if you take onboard say half a dozen wines and paid the $15 corkage per bottle you can then take them into the Main Dining Room?

 

 

 

If that's the case it is far better value than the prices onboard as an average bottle both red and wine is $40 and they have a very limited cellar.

We were on Sea Princess in Feb and June. We bought bottles of wine for around $26 and they were quite nice. We also bought a bottle of wine ashore then brought it on board with no problem. You have yo drink it in your cabin though.

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Our TA posts them all to us along with lanyards for our cruise card. It's very exciting to receive them in a big thick envelope and also makes us feel a valued client.

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