deborahlynette

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed reading the review. I'm really looking forward to cruising on Emerald Princess as I have not been to South America before. I am also planning on layers but am also bringing a warm jacket as 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit is cold for someone coming from Sydney. [emoji4] Hope you have a great cruise and we might meet up on board!

 

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Just wondering if you’ve posted about your South America cruise. Looking at doing it next year[emoji2]

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If your ship docks where Crown Princess did then Copenhagen and Stockholm are both within walking distance provided that you don't have any mobility issues.

 

From the Langelanie dock in Copenhagen it is an easy 10 minute walk to the Little Mermaid, another 15 minutes to Amalienborg and then another 10 minutes to Nyhavn. We walked as far as Tivoli via Christianshavn and Christiansborg with lots of stops for photos in about 2 to 2 and a half hours. Copenhagen is easy to walk around as it is fairly flat. You can get boat cruises from Nyhavn which is only a 35 minute or so walk from the Langelanie dock. There is also the Hop On Hop Off bus but I don't know the cost.

 

In Stockholm we docked at Stadsgarden S167 and it was an easy 25 minute walk following the blue line painted on the footpath to Gamla Stan, the old part of the city. Stockholm is also fairly easy to walk around. There are Hop On Hop Off buses and boats in Stockholm if you want to travel further afield than Gamla Stan. I believe you can get the Hop On Hop Off boat to the Vasa Museum but we did not use it so I don't know how much it costs. There were booths at the dock for those wanting to use the Hop On Hop Off transport and also tourist information and maps.

 

In Helsinki we paid 10 euros each for a return ticket to get the shuttle to the city centre which was a 20 minute drive away. There are also Hop On Hop Off buses but I don't know the cost.

 

It really depends on your interests and what you want to see, whether a Princess tour is worth it to you. We don't particularly like large bus tours and would rather spend a day walking around a city by ourselves but know that is not for everyone. If there is somewhere further away from the ship that you really want to see it may be worth it to you to go on a Princess excursion and you would also probably see different things on a tour than you would on foot.

 

My advice is that if you are fairly fit and like walking then Copenhagen and Stockholm are very easy to get to by walking and Helsinki is a short shuttle bus ride away. You can easily DIY but if you want to see something that you can't easily get to on foot then do a Princess excursion.

 

Hope I've been of some help. Please feel free to ask more questions. Hope you have a wonderful cruise next year!

 

 

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Thanks for that. When do you find out where the ship will dock for each port?

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We are doing the Baltics next June. Doing tour in SPB and doing Tallinn on our own. How difficult is it to get into Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki on your own?

Is it worth doing Princess Cruises tours that have a portion with time on your own?

Any advice would be appreciated

I booked with Alla Tours for Berlin, Tallin, St. Petersburg and Helsinki when I was on the Getaway in May. Fantastic tours each day. Highly recommend them- best tours I have ever had. Hopefully you will have Alexandra or Polina for the St. Petersburg tour.

Hi just wondering which Tallinn and Helsinki tours you took. Can't decide on which ones to do

Thanks

Have booked the 2 day grand tour of St Petersburg with Alla. Also looking at doing Tallin, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Gdansk with Alla too[emoji2]

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We don't normally take ships tours unless they are something special or a port we are unsure about.

Both at Alotau and Rabaul there are locals waiting to take you to see the sights.

At Alotau this time just out of the gates there was a lady there from the Driftwood Resort. They were offering free transport to their resort.

The driver stopped for us at the bank to change Aussie Dollars to Kina. Then took us on the scenic drive to the Resort for Lunch and a Swim.

We had a Lobster and Mud Crab for 40k each $20A, a beautiful meal.

The driver then dropped us back in town where is is a 15 min flat walk back to the ship past the markets.

 

At Rabaul we did the dolphin swim 250K, $125A but snorkelling was also available 120K, $60 A. The lunch we had at the resort was excellent.

This included being picked up from the ship and returned by boat whilst enjoying a great view of the volcano and also the harbour.

 

Kiriwini and Kitava are both island days, both beautiful, with lots of local dancing and vendors with wooden crafts for sale. We had Lobster at both each morning, warm straight of the coals 10K to 60K.

Kitava you could also have a beer or a softdrink, and the locals were also giving canoe rides to the neighbouring island for 5K each way, well worth doing.

 

We went to Doini last time, it was owned by an Aussie, so beer, sausage sandwiches as well as some markets stalls and a few local tours.

 

The ports of PNG are amazing, the locals are so friendly and welcoming.

So many just come up to us and shook our hands and thanked us for coming.

 

If I can help anymore just ask.

 

 

 

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Thanks for that 😃

We arrived back yesterday, 2nd time and even better then last time.

What are your ports and do you like snorkelling or more cultural things.

 

We did have one of the most exciting days ever in Rabaul, we went swimming with a large pod of spinner dolphins. They also have a snorkelling tour. This was arranged privately with Rabaul Kopopo Dive based at Rapopo Plantation Resort. We also had lunch there and it was exceptional. Let me know it this is something you might like to do.

 

 

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Our ports are Alotau, Doini Island, Kiriwini Island, Kitava, Rabaul, Guadalcanal (Soloman Island)

We like snorkelling but also like the cultural side too.

Any suggestions would be great!

Can anyone tell me what you can do at the ports of call to Papua New Guinea? Can't see any shore excursions for many of the ports on the Princess page!

Thanks for that. Not a lot of info available except to get tours off the ship.

Can anyone recommend what is the best way to enjoy Ilse of Pines & Mare? Are there local operators for shore excursions once you get off the ship? If so how reliable are they? We would like to do some snorkelling also.