crafter188

Wow, so interesting to see the fantastic menu and get an idea of the schedule! Thanks so much for posting. A question though; what is the "door code" that's referenced on the left hand side of many of the itineraries?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you so much for this wonderful and interesting review!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

The only thing I can add is that packing cubes really help with keeping your suitcase organized.They don't help with the weight restrictions, but help with not having to constantly churn the suitcase looking for the right piece of clothing. My husband and I did 43 days to Australia including a New Zealand cruise with two 24 inch, 35 pound suitcases and two smallish carry ons. I was pretty sick of the nine tank tops and t shirts that I wore, laundered and wore again, but it was liberating to have a manageable suitcase!

We were in Melbourne before our Golden Princess cruise to New Zealand and booked the "summer special" with Escape Discovery Adventures. Digga was our friendly, fun and knowledgable driver/guide and he showed up at our hotel on time in a comfortable 11 seater Mercedes tour bus .The Summer Special runs backwards to most of the tours, so we started with the Serendip Sanctuary, drove to Port Campbell, had lunch after getting our first taste of the 12 Apostles and then drove back along the GOR. The tour was exactly as described on their website and our small group of strangers were happy tourists, avoiding what I understand can be a very crowded area by getting everywhere before the big buses.

Prior to the tour, we had great communication with Paul regarding booking, pick up time and location. It is however a very long day and likely even better if you can spread the adventure over two days. That just wasn't an option for us so this was a way to se a "not to be missed" attraction! I see they have a cruise ship excursion on the website and would be very comfortable recommending this tour company if you're wanting to see the GOR.

Cheryl

In doing research, we found Emerald Cruise lines, a subsidarary of Scenic formed in 2014 that had bigger cabins, more inclusive, less money and more amenities than Viking. Their ships are all new. We're trying Emerald this summer as our 1st river cruise after many ocean cruises on luxury, near luxury and mid market lines.

Hi there. I'll be very interested to hear your feedback on Emerald Waterways, so hope to see a review after your trip. We are booked for August 2017 with them. The price was so much better than other itineraries I looked at, that I couldn't resist!

Planning a trip is so much fun: if only the family didn't need to be fed, laundry washed or house cleaned!!

Cheryl

Hi there. Who (what officers) do you typically invite to the meet and greet? I'm not sure who "senior staff" are!

Thanks, Cheryl

Hi to all,

 

Our tour was with "EscapeDiscoveryAdventures" in Melbourne. Can highly recommend them, even if not on a cruise.

 

 

 

Rosee

Thanks for this information. We are in Melbourne for a few days before our NZ cruise leaves and I've booked this tour with this company. It's nice to hear a good report!

Cheryl

Hi, Kek Lok Si closes quite late so it shouldn't be a problem at all, however be aware that the traffic toward there can be quite bad, particularly around rush hour - there are lots of housing estates on the way to Kek Lok Si. Personally I have never seen the fascination with Kek Lok Si, but then I've seen inumerable temples. If you want to see an interesting temple with lots of activity constantly happening, the Guan Yin (Kuan Yin) temple just near the port is always interesting and is walking distance.

Thanks so much for your assistance. That sounds like a great idea.

Cheryl

Sent from my iPad using Forums

You do not want Princess to convert your bill from US$ to CA$. You want you back to. So have Princess bill you in US$

This may be late advice for you, but I'd recommend getting a credit card that is denominated in U.S. Dollars. Anytime a foreign charge goes through your Canadian credit card, there is a small fee that's buried in the exchange rate. We have a RBC Bank US Visa card. The charges go through in US dollars and we buy US dollars to pay the bill. It also gives you some control over when (and therefore what exchange rate) you pay. I'm pretty sure that all the big Canadian banks have US credit cards, so you can shop for the one with the best fee, rewards or most convenient.

Cheryl

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We are scheduled to arrive at 3pm on January 27. Will we have time to get to Kek Lok Si and have a decent look around before it closes for the day or should we plan to stick around the old town? Thanks for your advice!

Cheryl

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi Dresterj. We must be on the same cruise, but I haven't seen you on the roll call. Please consider coming to the meet and greet at 3:45 on Saturday in the Library.

Anyway, you asked a question I was wondering about, so thanks!

Cheryl

OK. I gave you my favorite place - Marukame.

 

Another place to go to is the Diamond Head Market. Amazing sour cream scones!! Multiple flavors daily. Good food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that you can eat there or get to go. It's up the hill from Waikiki, past the zoo, on Monserratt - not that far of a walk. They also have a website for you to look at: http://www.diamondheadmarket.com It's a good mix of locals and others who have learned about it, NOT a tourist trap.

 

I stayed at HHV my last time (nice employee rate!). I'd walk in the morning from HHV up to the Market for my exercise. Grab a scone while I rested, buy another one for an afternoon snack, and walk back to the hotel. About 2.2 miles each way. If you stay at the Waikiki Hilton or the Marriott, it would be about a mile away each way.

We will be in Waikiki next week (yippee) and one of my plans is to hike Diamondhead the first morning we're there. Then the map says it's about one mile to Diamondhead Grill, so I was thinking of walking there for breakfast/lunch and then catching a cab to get to Pearl Harbor. Two questions: is walking another mile after hiking Diamondhead reasonable for four fit and healthy (but maybe a bit lazy and jet-lagged) adults? And what time would you suggest we leave Diamondhead Grill to be sure to be at Pearl Harbor by 1:30?

Thanks, Cheryl

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for all the excellent info and advice. We are on Pride of America, so have two days on Maui and I appreciate all this information.

Mahalo!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

First off, Saigon's two-wheeled traffic. :D

 

Looks daunting, but no worries if you:

 

- try to cross with other pedestrians, on the down-stream end.

 

- make it clear that you're about to step into the road, then walk across at a slow but steady pace, same as everyone else.

 

- Don't deviate or speed-up or, particularly, don't stop.

 

- And watch out for the traffic but don't make eye-contact with the riders.

 

As Suekay's post, leave them to avoid you.

 

 

Doesn't work with cars, buses.

 

 

 

JB :)

LOVE that video! Thanks for sharing. It looks like something you'd have to do on a dare!

We are thinking of taking the me kong delta tour that is offered by the ship, but that would likely mean missing Saigon. We're on an 11 day cruise, so it's a bit about balancing the whole experience (cities, countryside, busy and relaxed).

Cheryl

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We need to take a taxi at Kona for our snorkelling excursion with Seaquest and were just planning to catch a cab. Will that work? Are there taxis at the pier?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for your response cpcanuck! Just ticking the days away now...

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi there. Do you have to invite ship's officers or does someone show up? My only other meet and greet was on Princess and one officer (whose turn it was maybe?) showed up.

Thanks, Cheryl

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for posting this link. Very interesting information.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I've read this post with interest because we are thinking of cancelling our rental car on Kauai. We are going on a helicopter tour in the morning and then Smith's luau in the evening. Since they'll pick us up, it means we don't need to draw straws to see who has to be the designated driver! The rest of our time, we'll take advantage of the shuttle and just enjoy the beach.

Thanks for the information.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Great review; thanks for sharing! We are going in August and are having fun planning.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

In my experience the maps from car rental agencies are bare basics and it's best to get a more detailed map from somewhere. We ordered the travel brochures from Hawaii tourism and they are very informative ( and so fun to drool over)!

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the feedback! So when they say you have to be able to swim do they mean a strong swimmer or able to keep afloat?

We will be in Maui on Pride of America in August. I think we're going to try to take surfing lessons in Lahaina on our second day. Anybody have some advice? Is there a surf shop with lots of patience (for the non-athlete - that would be me)?

2 times onboard POA in the past. If you like coffee, before getting on ship buy small coffee filters and a bag of good ground Kona coffee. All the ship has is hotel quality single things of coffee.

Is there a coffee maker in the POA cabin? A great cup of Kona coffee in the morning would be wonderful!

Thanks to kteachcruiser for getting this near the top again!

It has taken me several enjoyable hours to read and provided wonderfully useful information. We're taking our two young adult sons on this cruise to celebrate my husband's retirement so will be approaching it as a collaborative "quest"! Thanks for the fantastic review!!