cashmeremypuppydog
-
Posts
1,740 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by cashmeremypuppydog
-
-
Hi Canadians,
I am visiting some of these ports too, but have already visited Noumea and Suva. In both these ports we organised private excursions before we left home. In Noumea we did a fantastic snorkel trip over some of the most beautiful reefs full of wildlife including fish (obviously!) sea slugs and water snake.
In Suva we did a tour with Patrick called Jewels of Fiji, or maybe Gems of Fiji. It was brilliant. A coach ride to a Village for the cava ceremony and a very tasty lunch cooked in a fire pit followed by a raft trip to a waterfall where we could swim. We loved it!
The Noumea trip was expensive, but worth it. I think there were tours being offered there on arrival.
Hope that is of some help, I’m hoping to see some tips for Lautoka....
Libby
Sent from my iPad using Forums
Thank you Libby,
The tour in Suva, did you buy it in advance or the day of the tour? Independent tour or cruise ship tour?
Noumea: Did you go to Amedee Island? I found someone that offer only transportation instead than all-inclusive and it is 6,500 CFP ($81.25 CA). Cruise ship all-inclusive tour (lunch-wine-bottom glass boat (free or paying???) is $190 CA
Thank you for your input. I posted info on Lautoka specifically for you...
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Hello Kristal Blade and Razer,
Here is my summary on LAUTOKA
Lautoka to Nadi: 35 min (26km)
Lautoka to Vuda Point Marina: 18 min (13 km)
Vuda Point Marina to “First Landing Beach Resort: 3 min walking (230m)
Vuda Point Marina to Garden of the Sleeping Giant: 16 min (12 km S/E)
Garden of the Sleeping Giant to Sabeto Hot Springs and Mud Pool: 4 min (2 km E)
Cruising and docking at this port, it's not the picture perfect image many imagine when they picture Fiji, however that perfect beach is not too far!
-Sabeto Hot Springs and Mud Pool #5/115 (in Nadi and #1/52): Cost: $30FJD ($18.50CA) or $20FJD ($12.30CA). Make sure that you have proper but also quite old clothes to cover you, bring towels and make sure that you also have your new clothes to change for the road. Very simple place to change. Remove clothes in different pools.
-Garden of the Sleeping Giant (orchid farm) #8/115: $18FJD
-Vuda Point Marina #17/115: Only about 20 min away (13 km) from Lautoka. Not far from Vuda Marina are Gardens of the Sleeping Giant (16 min; 12 km S/E of Vuda Marina) and Sabeto Hotspring (4 min; 2 km E of Gardens of the Sleeping Giant) )which are both worthy of a visit. Right beside Vuda Point Marina is “First Landing Beach Resort” (230 m; 3 min walking). You would also have time to visit Port Denarau, & Nadi town. -Nadi Produce Market #30/115:
Independent tours: 1-) If you want to spend that day at a beach island by the beach, please keep in mind that the ones the locals send you are quite close to the mainland and not that stunning. The cruise ship excursions are the ones that take you further out to the more stunning beaches. 2-). On the dock, there are a number of people selling cheap tours ($20 US). In fact all most of them do is take your $$ and give it to a taxi driver. Then the driver inform you that the entrance fees are not included....So it is best to walk out to the dock entrance and negotiate directly with the cab driver for fare only and save about 1/3.
Nothing we saw is really fantastic.
1/2 day: “Garden of the Sleeping Giant (orchid farm)” $18FJD #8/115 Tripadvisor, Viseisei Village ( one of the most important villages north of Nadi by “First Landing Resort”)
For lunch: “First Landing Resort”, 10 min south of Lautoka at Vuda Point. Lovely beachfront and pool.
I would suggest that you take the courtesy bus into Lautoka town, spend some time checking out the local shops and the market, (wonderful array of fruits and veg and spices). After that I suggest that you hire a taxi, (arrange the cost before getting in the vehicle) suggested itinerary- tour around town, Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Vuda Marina (for lunch or a drink -wonderful views) - you can also check out First Landing Resort which is next door to the marina, then back to Lautoka. You could expect to pay about FJ$150-150 for a trip of about 2-3 hours.
Finally, I just found this info yesterday:
Another option is to hire a taxi and go to "Natadola Beach" on our own. It's about 75 min away (74 km) but well worth it. Best beach on the island of Viti Levu. Go at the beach (free), not InterContinental Hotel (FJD $40). Stop by Yatule Resort & Spa for lunch or drinks.
We will see if we make friend on the cruise that want to try "Natadola Beach". If not, we will stick around Vuda Point.
Razer, are you on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean? We are departing Feb 21 and back to Sydney on March 5.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Hi Jasper 15,
Thank you for your input. However I did read this informative post but feel I need more info... I know, I should just go with the flow but I like to be more prepared. I really want to hear from other cruisers so I do not lose time comparing excursions at the port of calls or even worst, selecting a so-so excursion... :eek:
Please people, help me make our first (and probably last) time in Fiji, Vanuatu... the BEST.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Hello all,
We are seasoned cruisers but we need advise for our next cruise which will visit New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji area.
We NEVER purchase cruise excursion but DIY. Sometimes, I organize tours on CC when it is needed (Asia cruise or NZ cruise) and sometimes we just go on our own (Caribbean cruise or European cruise). What about this cruise? Is it like any Caribbean port of call? Tons of people selling different tours as you disembark? What about the cost, are they as good value as in the Caribbean or quite expensive?
If you would be us, what would you do at each port if call? As we live in Canada, we have no idea about that area of the World and will probably never go back as it is so far away for us.
Any information and tips would be greatly appreciated.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Monarch Empress Sept 17-24
We just finished a 12-night package with Gate1 Travel: 2 nights in Budapest- 7 night cruise and 3 nights in Prague.
We loved Budapest. We arrived 3 days before the start of our package and really enjoyed Budapest. We like walking so we never took the tram or subway except when we went to the Szechenyi Bath. Take the “Freetours” and you will not be disappointed. We did the general 3 hour tour of Pest and Buda, the Communist tour and finally the Jewish Quarter Tour. I learned so much...
Now, let’s talk about the river cruise. It was our first river cruise but we have cruised with HAL, Cunard and Celebrity before. The ship was very nice. I have 0 complaint to write about. The workers were outstanding and the wine was flowing endlessly during dinner. We found the food was better on this river cruise than our last few cruises with HAL. The service was better as well but mind you they had only 140 passengers to keep happy. Several guests told me it was as nice as Viking and AMA Waterways. There is no pool on the sun deck Nd no bicycle to borrow. There is a small gym but did not have time to use it.
We did not purchase the extra tours as we were doing Cesky Krumlov on our own after a Prague (I am writing from there) and tomorrow, we are leaving for Salzburg.
All port of calls were great. We took the bus in Linz and went to a former Concentration Camp ‘Mauthausen’ on our own. In Passau, we attended an organ concert at the church and toured around. Regensberg is very pretty, very busy but you will all love it...
Prague is extremely pretty BUT it was my least favourite of 3 cities (Vienna-Budapest-Prague) just because the customer service is so bad. Our guide to a Terezin had mentioned it and laughed it off but I began to understand that same day what she was talking about... It really left a bad taste in my mouth (even the Info Centre was not helpful, disinterested and rude).
I would definitely recommend Gate1 Travel to anyone. You can not beat their Quality/price. I also live their slogan: ‘More of the World for Less’.
Try Gate1, you will not be disappointed...
-
I sent you a private message.
Hello Princess09,
You emailed Dewa, the guide/driver, our angel. He will email you directly. He will sent you info you requested.
You will enjoy him.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
I sent you a private message.
Hello Princess09,
I don't think you can send a private message... If so, where can I see it?
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Hello all,
Today, I had written a long post about our story in Bali. I am assuming it was deleted as I can not find it anymore. Deleted??? Why??? It is a beautiful story.t It was titled Bali: our driver became our 'adoptive son'.
Luckily, I had taken photos of the post. Please view the PDF.
If someone delete it again, please advise me of why????
The Canadians!:cool:
-
After reading glowing reports in this forum . I have been in touch with Zoom for a 1 day city tour of Ho Chi Minh. He has quoted US $140 per person including lunch. Is this expensive ? or am I out of touch ? Thoughts please :confused:
No! We were 15 and we paid $49US each
-
Hello all,
This is how I select cruises: quality/price. We are Canadians but purchased a river cruise on an Australian web site (Luxury Escapes). We purchased in August 2016 and we will cruise in Sept 2017 with Gate1Travel. The package was 2-nights in Budapest in a 5* hotel, 7-night cruise from Budapest to Regensburg, bus to Prague and 3-nights in Prague in a 5* hotel for $3,000 Australian dollar. I thought it was great quality-price! Our ship is Monarch Empress and was built in 2016. However, Gate1Travel is not all-inclusive: wine/beer only during supper, only a few guided tour included.
It was perfect for us as we are independent travellers and will be using Rick Steves' book for Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Cesky Krumlov and Munich. With the savings, we are flying to Vienna (prior to our package) for 6 days on our own, then we will take the train from Vienna to Budapest 3 days before the package starts (which means we will be in Budapest for 5-night), After the package, we will stay in Prague an extra 2 days, will take the bus to Cesky Krumlov for 2-nights and go to Munich for a week.
It all depends what you want: stay longer in Europe or enjoy a 2-week river cruise too-notch. Our lives are very simple so we are not very demanding. Gate1Travel was perfect for us as a mean of transportation. 12 days for $3,000 Australian dollar was an outstanding deal. We will be spending 5 weeks in Europe instead than 2 weeks...
Good luck with your choice.
The Canadians!
-
We're flying into Nice (NCE) and meeting the boat in Arles, which is apparently a 2.5 hour drive...
Hello Ewizabeff,
I am nit going to be much help but I thought I would share with you the following: I created a land-tour for my husband and I and another couple with the help of "my boyfriend" Rick Steve's (we never met but he is my boyfriend!). I should explain he us a famous American author that has been travelling to Europe for over 40 years. I just love him, we travel exactly like him...
We drove from a Paris to Normandy, to Mont-St. Michel, to Le Loire, to Sarlat (Dordogne), to Carcassonne, to Arles then Nice. All places were small except Paris and Nice. Sarlat was the highlight (canoeing in the Dordogne river). Arles was also GREAT. From Arles, we visited "Pont du gard", Orange, Avignon (sur le pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse, sur le pont d'Avignon, on y danse tout en rond).
It is really too bad you are not arriving at least 4 days before your cruise to discover Nice and area. It is very nice, particularly Antibes. You don't need a car in Nice...
Have a wonderful cruise.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Hello Marigold,
Are you starting in Budapest and ending in Prague? We are. Sept 15-27...
Sorry Marigold, I have realized you cruised in 2016 and we will be cruising in Sept 2017...
-
We are booked with Gate 1 for a land tour/Danube river cruise on the Monarch Empress in September. So far I've been impressed with the company both on the phone and online response and info. The hotels all look good and appear to be in good locations for venturing out on foot. I'll be posting a review when I return. I had my eye on this trip for at least four years and finally booked it in January. It's been sold out for a while.
Hello Marigold,
Are you starting in Budapest and ending in Prague? We are. Sept 15-27...
-
We just returned from our 16 day Classic European cruise with Gate 1 from Amsterdam to Budapest. This was our 5th trip with Gate 1 and it met all that we have come to expect with Gate 1. Absolute Perfection! The cruise director, Soma, was extremely knowledgeable about every town, their cathedrals, way of life and the many castles we saw along the way. He went way beyond what should be expected every day of our cruise. He had such a fun personality and was very personable. Soma has been with Gate 1 for 5 years. The assistant director, Armin, was equally as talented. He had us laughing and kept fun in the activities. He organized daily games and dances throughout the cruise along with helping with the organization of our daily tours.
The ship's interior is in very good condition, while the sun deck is a little worn because of the sun beating down on it. There were many chairs, loungers, and tables on the deck. The lounge has very comfortable seating with chairs or couches and tables for your drinks.
It seemed like food was always being served. The breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, cereals, fruit, bread and pastries and more. Eggs were cooked to order if you prefer and another breakfast entree was on the menu daily to order. Lunch was also served buffet style with a good variety of dishes every day with ice cream for dessert. Each day had an item that you could order from a menu. A different soup was offered daily and also a sandwich. Dinner was served to you at your table. There was always a fish choice, meat choice, and a vegetarian dish. Also, everyday had chicken breast and a ceasar salad offered. The dinners consisted of an appetizer, soup, main entree and a dessert. Unlimited wine and beer were served at dinner. Great service.
An afternoon tea time was scheduled daily with a choice of dessert. Then, in the evening, at 10:00, another late night snack was served in the lounge. Believe me, you will not go hungry.
Our french balcony room was very nice. It was a bit smaller than the rooms on an ocean cruise. There was ample storage.
Wifi was available most all the time anywhere on the ship. We had a few periods of times that we could not connect because of our location on the river.
Tours were all very good. Most of the local guides were very good. We had a couple of guides that were knowledgeable, but rather boring to listen to. Each tour had anywhere from 3-6 guides for our group of 126. In some of the towns, a photo group was offered that moved at a slower pace for those that preferred that.
If you have any questions, please let me know and I will do my best to answer them.
Don't hesitate to book with Gate 1.
Hello Champmasin,
We are from Canada and purchased a 12-day package (2 nights in a hotel in Budapest, 7-night cruise from Budapest to Regensburg, bus to Prague and 3-nights in Prague) through LuxuryEscapes (Australian company). We never heard of Gate1Travel before but the deal was too good to pass. We will be on Monark Empress which is a newer ship (I believe) than Monarch Queen.
Could you tell us what you did in Regensburg, Linz and Passau. We have not purchased the xtra tours as we are very independent. We are planning to take the bus or train in Linz to visit Mauthausen Concentration Camp which is only about 23-km.
Can you very much for your review, I really enjoyed it.
P.S. It will be our first river cruise!
The Canadians!:cool:
-
It's not our job to provide an estimate. No one knows except the cruise lines themselves. But my guess is that, while the extra cost is not insubstantial, it's also not nearly as high as some seem to think.
If it were so ruinous to do this, then how is it that:
A) a number of cruiselines already offer prepaid gratuities as a perk. They have to manage that financially somehow -- it's not coming from the customer. And if it was financially onerous, they wouldn't offer it.
B) some lines that do not market primarily to US customers already do this (and they are not necessarily luxury lines).
My guess is that the reason for not doing this is based much more on the imperative to advertise lowest possible cost than on the difficulty and expense of carrying it out....
Hello Cruisemom42,
I really enjoy reading your posts. They are smart and unbiased.
Unfortunately, I can not say the same about a lot of HAL Cruisecritic members who spend A LOT of time bashing people who dare saying anything "against" HAL. I know I will get a lot of bad responses but I can take it... I know HAL has a great quality/price product but I also know it is not the best cruiseline out there... It's just a fact as it is not a luxury cruise line. Also, compared to Celebrity, Celebrity is superior but HAL has a better/quality price. This is why we purchase usually HAL cruises...
Okay, let's get back to the topic. We are just trying to find a way for cruisers to pay the same for gratuities per room category. You might not believe a percentage of cruisers opt out of paying their gratuities but unfortunately, it does happen. So this is maybe why HAL had to increase their gratuities from $12.50 to $13.50. We are now paying more for the "cheap skate" or the people who do not believe in tipping. This is why I can not understand why cruisers are against including the gratuities in the fare. I understand why HAL does not want to as it would increase the cost of the cruise and people might/would purchase another cruise from another cruise line. The losers in this story are the employees. HAL doesn't really care if about 20% of the cruisers opt out of paying gratuities but the crew does...
HAL should set up and explain they care for their employees so they have taken a huge decision by changing their fare and showing a final price before port taxes... The cruisers who do not believe in tipping or the "cheap skate" would look at the price of the cruise and if they fell it's too expensive, they would purchase another cruise line. Let's see how long the employees for the other cruise lines will want to work for them over HAL...
Service would stay the same or even improve as no crew would want to lose their position with innovator HAL...
Just my impartial opinion as I can say out loud what HAL do right AND do WRONG. Sorry die-hard HAL fan.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
I was merely reporting what I encountered on my cruise and what I did to stop it, albeit with only one person. I'm sorry you interpreted my post differently.
Hello Alberta Quilter,
I just meant that regardless if people opting out are tipping or not, I will only focus on myself and do the right thing regardless of others.
Cheers, The Canadians!:cool:
-
One of our tablemates on a cruise told me he had just had the HSC removed, and had gotten cash from the Front Desk so that he could pay his tips directly to the staff members. I advised him that this would not work and explained why. He went back to the Front Desk and confirmed that the cash would have to be turned into the "pool". He promptly reinstated his HSC (and returned the cash).
Hello there,
Please read post #14. I really don't think someone who opt out of paying HSC, give the same amount to their selective employees. Just my humble opinion. But I will focus on myself and just do the right thing...
The Canadians!:cool:
-
I am a little surprised that someone from Guest Services would acknowledge that 20% of passengers opt out of the HSC.
What can I say? He did... maybe he was not too happy about how HAL is dealing with HSC. Maybe he is hoping more people will opt out so HAL needs to change their practice. That would make life much simpler for Guest Services and all cruisers.
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Seems like the "80% - 20% rule" can be applied somehow in just about every situation in life.
It is not shocking that some people figure out a way to skate, steal, circumvent, bend the rules, find a loophole, game the system..... so that they can "get a better deal" but it's always at someone else's expense. No system is perfect, no system is iron clad, no system is unbeatable.
Don't be shocked, and please don't feel like you are the ones getting taken advantage of, that would suck you down to their level. Don't let the rotten apples spoil the whole bunch when you can choose to be grateful for being able enough to enjoy the wonderful benefits of cruising, and that includes meeting and sharing with many interesting and upbeat people.
Putting my soapbox away now.... m--
Thank you for your post. I know how fortunate I am to be able to cruise and I am always so grateful.
However, I was starting to think wrongly and I am happy you all helped me forget about this issue. Do the right thing and forget about everybody else.
HAL should definitely add the HSC in the fare just for the sake of their employees.
Thank you again!
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Just pay your Gratuities and ignore what others are doing. Karma will get them in the end :)
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
Good point!
-
Good day everyone,
I just searched "gratuities" past posts as I never read them before...
Here is my problem:
On our last 28-day cruise, we paid our gratuities as "everyone else" as it is part of cruising and that $$ goes to the crew. Well, what did I find out on the second last day of our cruise from an employee at the "front desk"? 20% of the cruisers do opt out of tipping. I was :mad:. Why did my husband and I paid $700 US (we are Canadian so it means $1,000 CA) more than someone who opted out and did not receive anything else in return.
Later on, we talked to a Canadian couple about my discovery and he informed me he had opted out but gave a very generous tip to the crew who looks after my room"... I did not anything more...
Now I am confused. I surely don't want to "screw" the employees but I don't want to pay more than the 20% of the passengers that opt out of paying their gratuities. Why is HAL not including gratuities in their fare so EVERYONE pays the same AND the employees get their full wage. Please, don't answer "that way, the crew doesn't have to pay a portion to the agency that has found them work with HAL...". Maybe HAL should change their contract with these agencies if they care about their employees. Our Australian friends who cruises always opt out of paying gratuities as they told us it is built in their price cruise in Australia. I believed them but now I don't know if it is true.
Please, don't take me wrong. I just want conformity. Is it too hard to ask?
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Thank you for your input.
We have made contact with the driver you recommended.
We are going to do the elephant cave first ...then the rice terraces then the spa 1 -3 for a massage. As my friend really wants to go there and it's sooo much cheaper than the ship.
I'm hoping we can chat to the driver as we drive and learn bits and pieces as we go along too.
Wish the itinerary gave us longer here as there is so much to do and see.
Any other advice on timings or what to pack or expect. Please share. I'm finding it quite a challenge understanding distances and what to expect etc plus local currency etc
Your driver, Dewa, will give you tons of info... Not to worry.
My best advice for you is not to sweat it. Cruising is soooooo easy. Most of your independent tour will not mind to be pay in USD (I know you are from UK...). We always bring a lot of $1US bill for tips. Bring brand new dollars... if you buy too much USD, you can always keep it for your next trip. I don't know your itinerary but withdrawing $$ in Bali/Ubud is super easy and no fee from Indonesian banks (Thailand= minimum fee of 200 baht). Just write down the conversion for all countries you will visit on a piece of paper and carry it in your wallet so you can quickly find out how much something costs in your currency.
Don't bring too much clothes but a lot of light clothes as it is very hot in Asia (except Hong Kong).
What is your email address so I can contact you directly if you wish more info...
The Canadians!:cool:
PS. In 2015, we did a pre-cruise (Asia) on our own (2 weeks), 28-night cruise then a post cruise (4 weeks where my DH almost died in Bali...). 2017: We just came back from 4 nights in Hong Kong, 28-night cruise and post cruise: 1 week in Koh Samui and 8-nights in Chiang Mai
-
Hello ...new to far east ...
We would like to see the following
Goa Gajah elephant caves
Tegalalong rice terrace
Maybe Temple Besakih and Monkey forest if we have time ?
Then Karsa spa 😍
For a three hour treat !!!
How long do we need in each of the above and from experience is it doable? Any feedback welcome
Hello Lindyloo17,
There is a LOT of traffic and your time will be precious... so I will advice you to skip "Karsa Spa". You really have no time for that. Instead, really experience Bali and Ubud. You might never go back there. You don't want to be stressed out and always looking at your watch as you booked a treatment at a spa. You can always go to any spa in the world.., Just my humble opinion...
The Canadians!:cool:
-
Hello all,
We just came back from our cruise and post cruise. It was our second time cruising Hong Kong to Singapore. The first time, two years ago, we also cruised Singapore to Malaysia,and Myanmar back to Singapore. This time, for our B2B, we cruised Singapore around Indonesia back to Singapore. If you look at my past posts, you will realized I have organized several tours and I always find the best quality/price.
I will review Halong Bay, Baliand Chiang Mai (post cruise) as I believe I have valuable information for travellers.
Halong Bay: As it was going to be our second time cruising Halong Bay, I wanted to find a great cruise but for cheaper than two years ago "Vietnam Private Tours with Stephen" ($100 US for an 8-hour junk boat cruise). After a lot of research I found an awesome travel agent that was very kind and patient for much much cheaper than what we had paid the first time we cruised Halong Bay. Here is the story. At first, I wanted to wing it as we had done a 8-hour junk cruise before and thought $100US was a bit too expensive to do again... But friends informed us that a new departure dock had been constructed and recently opened. It scared me and I started researching... I am so glad I did.
Mrs Ngoan Le Thi (Travel Consultant- Travel Authentic Asia) from travelauthenticasia dot com replied within 24 hours to my emails. I had an awesome feeling about our "collaboration". I ended up organizing a tour on CC "The Best of Halong Bay Tour 9 hours" and within 2 weeks, we were 17. Afterward, more people wanted to join"my" tour but Ngoan instead started a second group so our junk boatwould not be too crowded...
As I said, I can compare with the junk boat cruise we did inJan 2015. "Travel Authentic Asia" was a way better quality/price (more than 30% cheaper!). I wish I would remember the name of our guideas he was excellent. The itinerary was similar as 2015 but we also stopped at a location I had not experienced two years ago: a small island called "Titop Island" where you can climb several steps (I believe 177) and have a panoramic view of the bay. The whole day was magical... And not to forget the 6-course meal which was EXCELLENT (much much better than 2 years ago).
Mrs Ngoan Le Thi is a top notch travel agent. I am so glad I can now call her my friend as we are still emailing each other. I did not just purchase/organize a junk boat cruise from her but also created an endless friendship with her. This is the kind of woman she is. She worked really hard with me (I can not recall how many emails we exchanged during a period of a month) and she deserves my compliments... Thank you Ngoan for the beautiful day you helped us experience.
The Canadians!:cool:
Noumea - Mystery Island - Port Vila - Lautoka - Suva
in Pacific Islands, All
Posted
Hello Libby,
I am overwhelmed by your generosity! Thank you so much for sharing. I will be looking into pre-booking Patrick with the "Jewel of Fiji Foursome Day Tour" and I will research Aquanature after sending this post.
Thank you again!
The Canadians!:cool: