mcsl

We stopped sailing on HAL eight years ago because we were finding little or nothing to do in the evening.  We then

decided to try Celebrity, sailing on the Constitution and the Solstice.  Both were great and we particularly enjoyed the nightly entertainment. This year we found an itinerary in the Mediterranean on the Koningsdam that we really liked.  Checked X and found a similar itinerary but 2 days shorter and more expensive for comperable accommodations so decided to give HAL another chance.  We have just returned from our cruise on the Koningsdam and we had a wonderful time!  The daily program is full of activities, and we loved Lincoln Center Stage and BB Kings. We feel that HAL excels in certain areas while Celebrity excels in others and you can have a great cruise on both lines.  Good luck with your choice!

On 8/25/2019 at 2:29 PM, Toodloo321 said:

I think I am on your cruise -- are you on HAL? Which tour are your going to sign up for with Josko? 

Yes, we are on the Koningsdam, September 24th departure. I am just getting around to contacting Josko and am hoping that it's still possible to join one of his tours on Sept.28.  I think I will request the 2 hour classic Split tour.

Are you planning to take one of his tours?

On 8/25/2019 at 2:29 PM, Toodloo321 said:

 

That is great information! Thank you so much!

We will be in Dubrovnik on September 26, our second time there.  There will be a total of four ships in port that day with a possible total of nearly 8000 passengers.

We would like to book a walking tour when we arrive but I am worried that with so many tourists there, it might be difficult to find one that is available. We would like to do the same when we arrive in Split two days later but fortunately ours will be the only ship in port that day with around 2650 passengers, so waiting to book upon arrival there will hopefully be more feasible. We would appreciate any advice on this. 

We did a partial Panama Canal cruise on HAL a few years ago. Having a balcony was nice but to me, not worth another $2000. (I view that as a large payment towards your next cruise!) Seeing the canal is fascinating and being able to move from side to side out on deck is a great way to see it. We also did a HAL shore excursion which was a canal transit on a small boat from Gatun Lake to Panama City, a brief tour of Panama City and bus back to the ship. I highly recommend such a trip if offered by Princess. We normally don't purchase many shore excursions from the ship but this was one time we were happy we did. There was terrible traffic on the return bus ride and we were 90 minutes late returning to the ship and way past sailing time. We were very happy to see the ship there waiting for our tour when we arrived at the port!

We are at BOI today on Solstice and booked this private cab near where the shuttle bus drops you on Paihai. Very reasonable. Paul is proprietor and took us to those caves, the famous toilets, and the falls . $80 per hour for the two of us. Caves were only strenuous after...so don't do the 'bush' walk after the caves and you are home free. Great glowworms!

Thanks so much. This sounds like a good way to see the caves. Knowing about the bush walk is very helpful. DH has knee problems and can skip the bush walk and still do the cave tour.

We're visiting Bay of Islands in early January and I was considering the above two places of interest. We have been to NZ on quite a few cruises but have never stopped at Bay of Islands before. As I am not sure if we will be returning to the Bay of Islands again, I am wondering which the best one to pick would be.

 

I'm from Melbourne and am wondering if the Hole in the Rock is similar at all to the 12 Apostles. If it is I am feeling inclined to go to the caves as I've never been to a glow worm cave before (though I have been on other cave tours in other parts of the world).

 

At the moment I am very undecided.

 

I'd prefer to use a private operator but our ship (Explorer of the seas) is only scheduled to get to Bay of Islands at 11:00am, and given that it's a tender port I'm really not sure how late we'll get to shore so I will most likely have to book with the cruise company.

 

I did also notice that some private tour operators offer swim with the dolphins experiences at Bay of Islands, which also sounds amazing, but with the late arrival I'm not sure if this will be possible (instead of the caves/hole in the rock).

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

We are on the Solstice cruise Dec. 4 and I am trying to decide the same thing for the Bay of Islands. We arrive at 7am and I am wondering when I could reasonably expect to book a boat trip from Paihia if we are not booking a ship's excursion.

We are also considering going to the Kawiti Caves but the ship's tour is listed as strenuous. We have visited caves in China and Viet Nam with a fair bit of walking and climbing with no problems. DH has knee problems and I am wondering what exactly makes the Kawiti Caves "strenuous." We would love to see the Glow Worms! Any other suggestions for the Bay of Islands are most welcome.