supersecdd

We are looking at trips to China for the first time. One trip goes on the Yangtze River and one does not. Is the Yangtze River a must do or is it ok to skip it? I would not be walking up the steps from the river to the road and would need to use the chair carrying men, which wouldn't really be fun for me.

Can anyone tell me from personal experience how the air pollution/smog was in China at this time of year and in which cities? I do know about the masks to obtain, but I'm still worried, due to asthma.

Whatever you do, make sure to check out Tacos Gus (pronounced goose), best tacos I’ve ever had. Ever. And they are very very cheap.

Where at?

Just finished packing up our four main/larger suitcases and putting them out in the hallway. They wanted that done before we departed our rooms for dinner. Lots of luggage to move by the staff from all of the long hallways, getting them downstairs for a quick off-loading early tomorrow/Wednesday morning.

Why 4 large suitcases?

You can walk the marina or go one street back and see Cabo Wabo and other sites. If you are more specific on what you want to do, I can offer more advise.

What is Cabo Wabo?

We arrived the day before our Edinburgh, Scotland 12 night sailing. We took the 200 bus to Ocean Terminal where our hotel was. We checked in early and walked across the street to tour the H.M. Britannia. It was a nice ship, but not as nice as the Journey as we discovered later. :D

Tonight it was announced that we’ll have a special visitor onboard once we dock at Gdansk. We were originally supposed to have the Azamazing evening that night but it was changed a couple of months ago to the first St. Petersburg night…probably to host the former Polish President, Lech Walesa. He’ll be doing a PowerPoint presentation on his crucial role in the formation of Solidarity and its effect on the former USSR. It will be held in the Cabaret Lounge. They’ve had to rent chairs to accommodate everyone on board to attend. Since Richard is from Gdansk, he arranged the special event. Guests are being requested to submit questions in advance for Mr. Walesa and they’ll randomly select 12 to be asked.

Thanks for the information. It sounds great. Can't wait to go on Azamara next year!

We only used USA dollars when we cruised the Panama on Princess last year and had no problems.

Thanks for the info. I'm on the 2/20/18 cruise too!

A special brunch for Discovers, and above, is usually held in Prime C and served by the senior officers.If there is a very large number of eligible people, such as a transatlantic sailing, it has been held in the MDR. Either way, it is quite enjoyable.

That sound nice. We will be Elite by then.

Debbie in Delray Beach

I am hill challenged. The Hilton is totally booked. The Sofitel wants a non refundable payment.

What other nice hotels are by the harbor., or an easy hill less walk.

 

 

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Is this Patty? If yes, I'll send you my notes.

We are staying at the Hilton but we looked at the following: Sky City Hotel - Victoria & Federal Streets. In the heart of the city. 4 Stars.

Sky City Grand Hotel – 90 Federal Street. 5 Stars. Has a casino.

Britomart Bus and Train Station is 10 minutes walk away from Sky City Hotel. There is a Sky City Hotel and a Sky City Grand. Both are operated under the skycity banner and located on the same block.

Sky City Hotel is in the heart of the city and is around $240 NZ a night.

The Crowne Plaza is nice (backs on to sky city) and the Amora is ok, according to CC ppl.

Stamford Plaza Hotel - $401.13 advance purchase; $424.38USD flexible rate. 22-26 Albert Street.

SUNDAY ESCAPE PACKAGE: Enjoy all our hotel facilities; indoor heated pool, sauna, whirlpool spa and gym.

For just $299 this exclusive Sunday only package includes:

FREE dinner in Knights On Albert

FREE upgrade to Executive Room

FREE onsite car parking for one vehicle

FREE full buffet breakfast for 2 people

FREE late checkout of 12pm

FREE unlimited Wi-Fi

What is mid-priced to you? We love Sky City Hotel which is in the heart of the city and is around $240 NZ a night. If you want something a bit cheaper the Best Western President is about 100m down the road and is perfectly serviceable. They are around $150 per night. Cheaper than that is the Ecno Lodge or the Ibis express which are around $100-$120 a night but they have small rooms (fine to just sleep in). For around the early to mid $200 a night the crowne plazza is nice (backs on to sky city) and the amora is ok. I have stayed in all of the ones above but keep going back to sky city. For our next cruise we are doing the night before in the sky city grand (got a good deal - airport shuttle + night for $248 saying over $150). They are hard to beat now - free unlimited wifi, big rooms that are very comfy, excellent service and access to loads of restaurants. To go to the locations you mentioned you will need transport, all are on the bus route and the terminal is just a few min walk away from all of the hotels above. To get to the cruise port you could walk depending on your luggage - it is downhill from sky city and about 15min walk. I hope you have a good time on your trip

Thanks. No, I don't want cheaper. What month are you traveling that you got such a good rate at the Sky City Grand, or did you use a specific website?

Debbie

Located in the heart of Auckland CBD (Central Business District), next to the iconic Sky Tower and SKYCITY Casino, SKYCITY Hotel Auckland offers beautifully appointed rooms and suites with free WiFi, a 37-inch flat-screen TV and an iPod docking station.

We speak your language!

I might be wrong but it looked to me like there is a Sky City Casino Hotel and a Sky City Hotel. Are there two separate Sky City hotels?

Need a recommendation for a mid-priced hotel in a good location in Auckland. Regarding location, we plan to visit the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Art Gallery/Toi O Tamaki and maybe the Aquarium and Sky Tower.

Thanks.

Can anyone recommend a mid-priced hotel in Auckland in a good location for sightseeing?

Are there any hints for the Jade? It will be our first time on the ship.

Is there a hotel anyone would recommend in Southampton? We will be dropped off at the port by a friend, so don't need parking for the cruise.

Looking forward to our first Azamara cruise. Mainly did Celebrity before.

Taken care of nicely today. I think the person I spoke to before was the problem. Spoke with someone different today. Thanks folks!

Whilst this is basically correct, the location does matter if you want to walk to the terminal.

 

City Terminal is a very easy walk from the West Quay hotels. Most people are able to walk there from the hotels there, even with bags.

 

Ocean terminal is further away. When we were there last year, the general consensus was that it is too far to walk, so they arranged taxis from their hotels. I actually walked from the terminal to the train station and it was fine, but it seems that for most people it was too far to walk with luggage.

 

QE2 is quite a bit further again. I've never been there before but from my knowledge of it, I'm not sure I would want to walk there with bags (and I'm usually happy to walk quite a way).

 

I always think that if you are going to have to use a taxi anyway (as I think most people will if going to QE2) then it doesn't matter if you are a little further away, so it's probably best to book a location which is more handy for however you get into the city (i.e. Near the train station) or for whatever you are doing the day before (maybe near the city centre).

 

The West Quay area works fairly well for most of those things, in my opinion, so I would recommend booking something there, regardless of the terminal.

Thanks for the info.

I am having trouble being able to use my credit from the 3/14/16 POA Hawaii cruise. This is the one that left a day late and the ship wasn't ready when we did get on board. Is anyone else having problems? Any suggestions for me? I know people posted after the cruise but it is no longer there.

I'm looking for a restaurant recommendation in Sydney for my husband's special birthday the Thursday night before we cruise. Steak or fish is preferred. I can take a taxi there but don't want it to be too far from where we might be staying, which might be the downtown area but not sure yet.

Linda,

 

PS We did a land trip to NZ and OZ in 1991.......remember very well looking for the fly nets..............was very much needed because the flies were so bad that they were in our ears and up our noses. The fly nets saved our whole visit to Ularu.

Where can you buy the fly nets ahead of time?

Hi Linda (and anyone still reading)

We just got back on Sunday from our 8 night cruise on Solstice, and thought I'd share some observations. I was the one who asked you to look for Anne Klein watches for me when you were on board - needless to say I bought 2! We had a wonderful time, the Solstice is indeed as beautiful as you said, and I wish we could have cruised for longer this time.

Some differences, which I think were due to it being a shorter cruise:

There were no specialty dining specials - 2 for 1 or otherwise - and they seemed to be busy every night. I'm not sure where everyone was, but we had 8.30 dining and the dining room was always half empty.

In the dining room the daily favourites remained the same each night (Salmon, grilled chicken, steak) no butter chicken, crumbed fish, etc.

They had Bananas Foster on the menu on the second last night, which I got very excited about, but then the waiter said they had run out of bananas so it was replaced with something else. Had to have Creme Brulee again darn it! :) :)

I tried twice to go to the relaxation room on deck 11 forward but there was always a staff member either in there or at the desk outside so no go :(

We had a different Captain (Captain Taramas), very heavy Greek accent and seemed not as personable as the other captains I have seen. Ben was still the Cruise Director and is sensational - loved both him and Activity manager Pete. Really enjoyed all the shows they put on, and Pete really is multi talented. As is Chiko - what a voice hey!! Did you hear him do The Prayer, where he did the female and male voices in tandem?

The production shows were the best I've seen on any ship, and for future cruisers do not miss Rhythm and Soulstice - what an outstanding show. It was on in the afternoon on our cruise. The specialist entertainers were hit and miss but we still went to every show and don't know how anyone could complain about the wonderful entertainment provided.

 

I have to thank you again for doing your blog, it was wonderful to read prior to my cruise and I found myself thinking of you when I saw anything gluten free, - oh and I ordered an Iglu in Cafe Al Bacio :)

 

To anyone with an upcoming cruise on Solstice - lucky you! You will have a fabulous time.

What is an Iglu? Maybe there weren't any dining specials offered because they were all booked up. It's a shame about the MDR; I like Bananas Foster too.

Debbie

Florida

As Linda knows' date=' we were on Solstice cruising Sydney-Auckland just a few weeks ago. A couple of updates.

 

[b']Sydney sailing[/b] - agree Oceanview Bar or Sunset Bar would definitely be the best places. However, as you are at Athol Buoy, you are already out in the Harbour, so you will be better off taking your shots of Bridge and Opera House when you travel to and fro on the tender.

 

For things to do in Sydney agree with Fiona, simply take the tender to Circular Quay and walk - round to the Opera House, Botanical Gardens, The Rocks. You are returning so, don't overdo it, if the weather is fine, simply soak up the atmosphere around the Quay area, time a visit to the Opera Bar in the evening (you have a late sailing) and watch Explorer of the Seas depart from the Overseas Passenger Terminal (at 9pm) then jump on your tender back to Solstice!

 

Tendering for Elite passengers is a breeze - check with Captain's Club Hostess (you should have info in your stateroom about tendering for Elite passengers, if not talk to Rose). If there is a problem in Bali it is to do with the Balinese authorities. :) We had no probs in NZ. Rose escorted all Elite passengers down to the tender to board while tender numbers were still being called. No need for a tender ticket.

 

Sounds - you should have an invitation, again as an Elite passenger, to go on to the helipad. This was very worthwhile. We had blankets on offer as well as hot chocolate (weather was not great, but at least we got in!) :p

 

Look forward to following your travels and catching up in Sydney. :)

Thanks everyone for the information. It would help if you listed the month you travelled and the temperature. I'm looking for cooler months to cruise.

I've never done a Back to Back cruise. Is it hard to book yourself?

Nov will be out of School holidays and certainly a bit cooler temperatures are going to vary greatly depending on where in the country you are. Sydney mud 70s as a general rule.

Thanks for all the information! Do you know where I can go to find out the November school holidays for Australia and New Zealand, so I can skip those dates?

Debbie

Florida - where we have high humidity

But P&O is a lot different to UK P&O.

 

December is also major school holidays here, from roughly the first week of December to the end of January, so peak season and top prices.

 

We usually try and grab a cruise in the first week or so of December, my wife is a teacher but at a private school so we can normally squeeze in a cruise before most schools break up.

 

Also remember it is Summer here and can be very hot.

 

For me it's Princess or Celebrity.

 

Princess

I've never been on Princess. Can you tell me the difference between Celebrity and Princess regarding an Australia/New Zealand cruise? Is it cooler in November? I don't like the heat and crowds.