merryecho

Thanks RD, just what I needed. I have a knee scooter but they are not as comfortable as they look, and tippy. Now that I can put a little weight on the foot the walker works best.

We are on a 7 day Alaska trip on the Pearl next week- Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway. I have a broken ankle so trying to figure out which excursions I can do- still using a walker but hope to graduate to a cane soon. I don't think I'll be able to manage the tenders, or a long walk from the boat. Are there excursions that pick you up at the boat? Are there ports where tendering is the norm? Do we need to book in advance for popular trips like the White Pass railway? Thanks for any advice.

I was also on this cruise, and want to add that this was the second time the ship left early. In Myanmar we were to leave at 4pm, and it was announced a couple of days in advance that we would leave at 11am instead. This was a huge problem for people who had booked private overnight trips to see the temples in Bagan, which required a flight back to Rangoon that morning. There were only 38 spaces for the ship sponsored tour, which sold out months before the cruise, and no more spaces were opened despite a long wait list.

The captain announced that the change in departure was due to port authorities. One of the cruise directors explained that it was because "they don't know what the tides will be until shortly before departure", which made no sense at all.

Itchy- sounds good but as we disembark in Mumbai, Seaboard might not agree with us staying aboard.

For the sake of anyone else dealing with this, here is our experience. We started with the Visa service linked to the Seabourn online registration. After filling out all of that paperwork, they told us it could take up to 21 days to get our passports returned. As we were sailing in 20 days, we decided not to take a chance. We instead filled out the detailed online paperwork from Cox and Kings, about 10 pages altogether, and hand delivered them to their San Francisco office and paid for fed-ex return. Exactly one week later the fed ex truck delivered them to us. Phew!

What is a GSM contract? Daughter just got back from SE Asia and ATT offered her unlimited overseas texting for $30.

Meeting Maid- did you ever get your passport back from the consulate? May I ask how long that took? Finally have ours accepted into the system and we do have 17 days before we leave...

Still room on this trip Emperor, though if you don't have an Indian visa you may be too late for that endurance test.

Rols- the ship documents say the cruise leaves from the Singapore cruise center, not the Marina cruise center, so I assume we are using the old dock, not the new one. Another good reason to take the SB bus.

I love that the doorman knows your name from the minute you check in. And it sounds like Seabourn picks up there for ship transport. Seems like every time I try to take a taxi to a ship we end up in the wrong place.

Nigella- "unlucky enough to live in a small French village" is such an elaborate oxymoron!

We don't get in until 12:30AM on the 15th. Not a huge Singapore fan. I haven't booked a room yet, was thinking about Raffles, does the Fairmont have transportation to the ship?

Will no doubt find you at the bar meeting maid!

Thank you all for that information. I thought that made sense, but as we are short on time I didn't want to take the chance of being rejected. Yes, very inquisitive form- my 60ish friend had to think when they asked what his military rank was when he served in the air force at 19.

This is probably a dumb question, but on the application for a visa to visit India it requires, "Destination country contact. You must supply an address or phone number to register". We will be stopping in 2 Indian cities prior to disembarking, staying on the ship. Any idea what we are supposed to use for this?

Thank you for help

Markham- We have just booked our cruise for March 15- we never know when we will have time to travel- so have done zero research. Are there any other trips/tours you have done or planned on this trip that you recommend?

Thanks again

One thousand thanks Markham! Exactly what I was hoping for. Will contact them today.

Taking the Singapore to Mumbai cruise that stops in Thilawa from 5:30 AM on the 21st and departs 4PM on the 23rd. I would love to do the hot air balloon trip over Bagan- has anyone else done this on their own? The Bagan trip the ship offers is a one night stay that departs early from Bagan, so wouldn't work.

I have been on a Seaboard cruise, but did not use a coupon. I am traveling with a friend who is a first timer. Can he use a coupon?

Nancy- I just ordered this suitcase- a friend has it and says she is tired of people stopping her and asking where to get it.

http://www.zuca.com/zuca_pro/index.php

Just booked a week in the Greek islands with my 20 year old daughter. Does anyone know how strict Seabourn is about their 21 and over drinking rule? I see she can have wine with dinner with me, which is nice. Not planning on a big week of drinking, but she would love to have a cocktail with me before or after dinner.

Thanks to all for this thread. We are soon to take our first RCCL cruise, and it sounds as if it will be our last. I don't care to associate with people who think this behavior is entertaining. No, my daughter won't be at this show, but she might be at the pool next to the guy who just finished performing, and I doubt his personality will change much. These are situations I try to protect her from. On land you can just leave- on a ship you are stuck with the others on board.