top of the world

Thanks to all of you who have replied to my question.  From what I am reading, it is not recommended to walk in the area around the port. Reserva Ecologica does look close enough on the map, so thanks for letting us know that it is not a good idea to walk to it. 

We will be in Buenos Aires on the Coral Princess for 2 days at the beginning of our cruise, boarding on Feb. 20, but the ship only leaving on the next day at 6 pm.  Does Princess have a shuttle to take cruisers from the ship or from the port to the center of Buenos Aires to visit during the day? Is there a public bus, tram or subway or some other form of transportation available besides taxis?

Going on the South America cruise February 2020, Buenos Aires to Santiago. How many days should we plan on spending in Buenos Aires before the cruise? Is there much to do there? What do you recommend for us to visit? Thanks for your suggestions!

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The Rhine is never a fast-flowing river where direction makes much of a difference [unlike the Rhône].  The only stretch where it would be an issue is the Rhine Castles, and there the ships deliberately take it slow downstream.  The real difference is going from Amsterdam through a canal and the industrialized part of the Rhine into more and more scenic territory, versus going the other way.  We felt that A to B was preferable, as our enjoyment would increase as we went along.

 

The other point to consider is pre- and post-cruise options [if you aren't locked into a short vacation period].  You should always fly in 1 [or preferably 2] days ahead, which is plenty of time to enjoy Amsterdam – especially because you are likely to visit there again on some future river or ocean cruise.  Going A to B means you can schedule several days in Switzerland to visit Basel [ok], Lucerne [tops!], Zurich [interesting and the place to fly out of], or possibly going further to see the Alps etc.  So my recommendation is A to B.

 

But as hbr777 said, this was not the year to do either because of low-water problems.  Not knowing what next year will be like, I would recommend that you think about a Moselle cruise instead – that river is controlled by locks, so there were no water issues this year, and the scenery is lovely.

We will look into the Moselle. Thanks for the suggestion!

11 hours ago, hbr777 said:

Whatever direction has more water lol. Right now, neither does.

Basel to Amsterdam is going with the flow of the river. Might be quicker, less vibration, noise, etc.

Thanks!

6 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

Or a Passau / Vilshofen to Vienna. Pre-cruise Munich & Salzburg, post cruise Budapest.

Thanks for the suggestion. We did the Danube - Nuremberg to Budapest - a few years ago, so we wanted to do a different river this time, but that 1st river cruise was really wonderful!

We want to do a Rhine River cruise.

Is it better to go from Amsterdam to Basel, or Basel to Amsterdam? or is it the same either way?

Is it better to go in August or September (2019)?

Thanks for your help! 😊

Why not take the commuter train? It’s only around 40 miles/45 minutes.. Easy and inexpensive. $6. :)

Good luck. Enjoy.

Thanks for the suggestion, but are you sure that this is an option?

Does the commuter train go from the airport to the cruise port or do you have to take taxis or transfer to a different train?

I read that most trains are very crowded and that they really don't have room for large suitcases. There will be 4 of us with 4 large suitcases and 4 carry-on. That all takes quite a bit of space!

There is a high speed ferry that will take you (quickly and inexpensively) from KIX airport to Kobe Airport. At Kobe Airport, the Portliner train runs between the Airport and Downtown Kobe. This train stops about 20 meters from the front door of the Kobe Cruise Terminal. Total cost is about 800¥. This route is faster than the train, bus, or taxi from KIX to Kobe.

Bruce,

Thank you very much for the information. I appreciate it.

You can check a previous thread on the subject, particularly Post #5

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1537187

 

You can also check this:

 

http://www.okkbus.co.jp/en/timetable/kix/t_kob.html

 

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easyboy,

Thanks for the links. I read the posts in the cruise critic thread and looked at the other website. I saved them in my favorites and will look into it more carefully later.

Thanks for your help,

Lise

Rates for Princess transfers are on your Cruise Personalizer. You may also post on the Asia Port of Call board for suggestions on other transport options.

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Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I have posted the same question on the Asia board, but did not get a reply yet.

On my cruise personalizer, under transfers, it says to contact my travel agent. I could ask her to find out from Princess, but I thought someone on this board may know the answer. Would I find the answer somewhere else beside where it says "transfers" in the travel arrangements? The shore excursions are not available yet, so I can't look there. They appear to have one at the end of the cruise where they do a tour and then take you to the airport. That would be good, but to first get to the ship I am wondering if it is worth looking into other options, or if the Princess price is reasonable.

We will be arriving at the Osaka-Kansai airport and we need to get to the ship terminal in Kobe, Japan. Do any of you know how much are the Princess transfers? Do you have a suggestion on another way to get from the airport to the cruise terminal? Taxis are $200 or more, so no, not a taxi! Thanks.

We will be arriving at the Osaka-Kansai airport and we need to get to the ship terminal in Kobe, Japan. Do any of you know how much are the Princess transfers? Do you have a suggestion on another way to get from the airport to the cruise terminal? Taxis are $200 or more, so no, not a taxi! Thanks.

Thanks to all of you for this very valuable information. I was wondering how hot it would get in the summer in Okinawa and I got my answer. Now I know that spring or fall are much better. When is typhoon season? Does it vary or is it like our hurricane season pretty regular? Any other opinions are welcome.

Lise

We are interested in doing a cruise around Japan and surrounding area and islands. We are wondering when is the best time of the year to go. Is it better to go earlier in the summer, like in May or June? Or is it better to go in the middle of summer like in July or August? Or is the fall better? Keeping in mind the temperature and possibility of serious storms. Thanks for your help, Lise

We are traveling with my 2 sons, wives and 3 grand kids, ages 1, 3 and 4. We were hoping to go to the Belize Zoo, but the excursion that Princess offers is 6.25 hours including a bus tour through Belize City, visit to a monkey sanctuary and lunch. My DIL said there is no way her 2 little boys will sit through all that!

Is there a way to get to the Belize Zoo on our own? There would be 6 adults and 3 little children. We could probably talk to taxi drivers on the pier, but it would be better to plan ahead of time. From what I understand it is quite a distance driving to the zoo.

Any suggestions as to something else we can do in Belize with 3 little children?

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks! :)

We are traveling with my 2 sons, wives and 3 grand kids, ages 1, 3 and 4. We were hoping to go to the Belize Zoo, but the excursion that Princess offers is 6.25 hours including a bus tour through Belize City, visit to a monkey sanctuary and lunch. My DIL said there is no way her 2 little boys will sit through all that!

Is there a way to get to the Belize Zoo on our own? There would be 6 adults and 3 little children. We could probably talk to taxi drivers on the pier, but it would be better to plan ahead of time. From what I understand it is quite a distance driving to the zoo.

Any suggestions as to something else we can do in Belize with 3 little children?

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks! :)

There is a new TV show on weekend mornings called Ocean Treks With Jeff Corwin that is about ports visited by cruise ships. We watched the first episode last Sunday and we enjoyed it. It was about Bar Harbor, Maine, and Acadia National Park. Jeff Corwin was on a Holland America ship, but they only showed the ship at a distance. It does not seem to be about the ships but more about the ports visited by cruise ships.

We had received an e-mail from Princess saying that the Princess ships were featured on October 8/9, 14/15 and 28/29, so we watched the first show. It was good. Not sure which day it will be in your area, here it's on Sunday mornings at 11:30, but could be on Saturdays where you live. The next 2 episodes are about Ketchican and Juneau; not sure about October 29th.

Just thought you may like to know.

Lise

Can you get the All inclusive drink package just for the sea days or do you have to take it for the whole cruise?

Is it OK for just one person in the cabin to take it or do both passengers need to get the AIDP even if one person does not drink?

Thanks for your help.

I would certainly contact Princess or your TA right away.

There is a section for requesting special needs items in your Cruise Personalizer. I do not remember if the Pack-n-Play is specifically listed there (and have no current booking so can't check right now).

I assume you are already aware that what Princess furnishes is a Pack-n-Play and not an actual crib.

Thank you for the information.

This is actually for my son and his family who are coming on their first cruise with us. We have never needed a crib/Pack-n-Play before. I was not aware that they were pack-n-play but I'm sure that it will be fine.

I will fill out my Personalizer and see if it is listed anywhere. If not, we will contact our TA.

Thanks again and if anyone else has any more information, I would appreciate it.

We booked a mini-suite listed as being suitable for 4 passengers. There will be 2 adults and 2 children. One child will only be 1 year old and we need a crib. Do we need to request the crib before the cruise and if so how much time before?

How do we go about doing it? Contact Princes directly? A special person at Princess?

or should we just ask our cabin steward when we get on board?

They must only have a certain quantity of cribs on the ship and I'm afraid that they may be all gone by the time we get on board...

Thanks for your help! :)

Like cheeseclan said, that's why you would want to add the 3/4 passenger now so you at least have a spot for them. If it doesn't work out, you can always cancel them prior to final payment.

If you wait until you do know for sure and the ship is at capacity, then you lose out.

That's a good point. Thanks!

OK, another question then... Can I sign up girlfriend #1 for now, and if it doesn't work out, after I cancel her, can I then sign up a potential girlfriend #2, assuming there is one??? = replace one passenger with another one? I know, lots of speculation, but I'm trying to understand what my options may be. Thanks for your patience while I am thinking out loud!!... :confused:

You cannot always add someone into a cabin even if there is a bed for them. The best thing to do is put the 3rd person on the booking now so that the triple space is held. Then if they decide not to go then you can easily cancel them from the cabin.

Better to be safe than sorry.

That would be good if I knew what the future will hold!!!

The cabin is for my son and grand-son, but I'm not sure where his relationship with his girlfriend is going!!! The cruise is not until next winter, so who knows if she will still be in the picture then!!! I thought that we could add her later on if the relationship continues to grow... That is why the mini-suite and not a balcony cabin; trying to keep my options open.

Anyone here can tell the future??? That would be very helpful!!! ;)

Only kidding, of course! :D

If we book a mini-suite now for 2 people, can we add a 3rd person in a few months in the same cabin (in Caribbean Princess)?

I realize that we will then have to pay for a 3rd passenger, but I just don't know if you can add one more person after you have made the reservations for 2. This mini-suite is good for 3 or 4 passengers.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks to all of you for your help.

I learned so much from my one little question! ;)

Yes, I checked the cruise atlas and it was there.

I also learned that I could get my answer by changing the number of passengers and that cruise critic had deck plans for the ships!

Who knew?

I was able to locate the cabins that we need for my kids and grand-kids.

Thank you! :)