feebie Posted February 9, 2011 #1 Share Posted February 9, 2011 WE just returned from the wonderful adventure with the best cruise Director and crew, Dottie Kuhlassa. This cruise offers an opportunity to see parts of the world one might not ordinarily visit on a land voyage. Some of the stops in africa such as Madagascar and Mozambique offer views into the life of nations who fought for their independance but are still suffering from poverty and lack of education. Myanmar for all of its rules and regulations and authority could focus some of its attention on paving, garbage clean up and other sanitary conditions. However, the cruise was excellent, the staff and crew were so friendly, and we met so many very nice folks. WE had a number of private tours that were excellent arranged on line prior to our vogage. Oceania's tour to Richard's Bay was a disappointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted February 9, 2011 #2 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thanks -- we are looking forward to this one in December. Can you share what private tours were the best?? Did you do any of the extended land tours (game parks or Mandalay??) Could you post this on our role call too... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1306196&page=2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digby Posted February 9, 2011 #3 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Was this the Dottie who used to be on NCL ships? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIWP Posted February 9, 2011 #4 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Yes and her name is Kulasa, and she is married to Tom Drake. We were also on, started in IST for the 65 days, and it was OUTSTANDING!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potterhill Posted February 10, 2011 #5 Share Posted February 10, 2011 So, KWIP, after 65 days do you even want to go home? After 14 days, which is the most we have done thus far, it is quite a shock coming back to reality. Can't imagine how one would manage after that long. Are you checking into a rehab unit for lifestyle readjustment? :D Mo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digby Posted February 12, 2011 #6 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Yes and her name is Kulasa, and she is married to Tom Drake. We were also on, started in IST for the 65 days, and it was OUTSTANDING!!!! She was one of the best CDs I can ever remember. She made my 1st cruise (in the Baltic) in 2001 a wonderful experience. Most of the other CDs on any line are not memorable at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2kiwis Posted February 12, 2011 #7 Share Posted February 12, 2011 She was one of the best CDs I can ever remember. She made my 1st cruise (in the Baltic) in 2001 a wonderful experience. Most of the other CDs on any line are not memorable at all. We completely agree. We have cruised with Dottie on four cruises now and she is the best!! We were on the Capetown to Singapore trip as well and if you want to know anything about excursions etc go to the role call for this year's trip as we have posted some comments on there Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailfar Posted February 13, 2011 #8 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We were on three segments with Dottie Kulasa and her husband Tom Drake. They were both absolutely great. We are currently trying to decide on three cruises. If Dottie was the CD it would sway us in that direction. If Tom was on board as the comedian and a part of the Liar's Club, we would really be extra pleased. Does anyone know their schedule. We are looking at Regatta Papeete to Sydney Jan 2012, Nautica Feb 2012 Hong Kong to Bangkok and Insignia Jan 2012 Valpariso to Valpariso. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecountess Posted February 13, 2011 #9 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We were on a wonderful B2B Baltic and Norway cruise on Azamara in 2008 and had a fantastic, friendly and funny CD named Dottie. She told us she was married to a comedian, but we didn't know his name. Do you think this is the same Dottie? If so, I hope we will be fortunate enough to have her on at least one of our two upcoming O cruises (Alaska in Aug., Australia/New Zealand in late Feb., 2012). Does anyone know her schedule? Harriet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted February 13, 2011 #10 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We were on a wonderful B2B Baltic and Norway cruise on Azamara in 2008 and had a fantastic, friendly and funny CD named Dottie. She told us she was married to a comedian, but we didn't know his name. Do you think this is the same Dottie? If so, I hope we will be fortunate enough to have her on at least one of our two upcoming O cruises (Alaska in Aug., Australia/New Zealand in late Feb., 2012). Does anyone know her schedule?Harriet Certainly sounds like her - she is married to a comedian who is part of the entertainment staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alimerid Posted February 17, 2011 #11 Share Posted February 17, 2011 We will be going a week in advance to Capetown. We are looking for tours, tour companies and a hotel. Any suggestions? Sherry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frqttrvlr09 Posted February 19, 2011 #12 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I boarded Nautica in Istanbul and disembarked in Singapore. It was an amazing 85 days. The last minute changes that Oceania made changing the dates and times in the ports during the first cruise (Istanbul to Cape Town) had a negative impact, as it great shortened the times in those ports. The opportunity to visit West Africa was unique. Casablanca was a big disappointment but it made me want to return to visit the "real" Morocco sometime. With the recent events in Tunis, I appreciate the day in Tunis/Carthage even more. I got off the ship in Walvis Bay and took a 9 day safari in Namibia, rejoining the ship in Durban, South Africa (since I had spent a significant amount of time in South Africa previously) and it was a wonderful experience. The Cape Town to Singapore cruise frankly got old: too many Indian Ocean islands. They all started to seem the same. It was not the cruise we had signed up for, as is now well known, as the East African ports had been cancelled and days were added in the Seychelles as well as stops in Reunion and Mauritius. I really do not know why the ship stopped in Maputo, Mozambique; it was a mess of traffic, crowds, and nothing interesting to see or visit, compounded by unrelenting humidity and heat. It was the rare place where the populace were not friendly. It was also the only place on that cruise (and only one of 3 places) that I went on an Oceania ship's excursion, and it was a disaster: the "guide" was obviously new and inexperienced: she read information on what we were seeing from a scrap of paper in such a soft voice she could not be heard; she did not know some of the places we were passing; and eventually, gave up talking all together. I went ashore because, "when in Rome...", and in retrospect would have been better off taking the local HoHo rather than shelling out $129 for the ship's tour in addition to the $149 visa. Oceania refused to refund my money, notwithstanding the total uselessness of the tour. The highlight of the Cape Town-Singpore trip for me was Myanmar. As with all of the ports except Maputo, I had arranged a private shore excursion, this one with just myself and a guide: one for Yangon, and one for Bagan, where I spent two nights. It was an experience I will never forget and what I learned and saw in those four days will stay with me forever. I recommend to anyone considering going to Myanmar, reading first George Orwell's "Burmese Days" and then the more "Finding George Orwell in Burma", which I purchased a bootleg copy of in a tiny bookstore in Yangon. Oceania is to be commended for scheduling a stop in Myanmar. I believe it impacted everyone who went ashore. I have never, on any cruise, heard so many discussions and so much enthusiasm, from people who did go ashore. I am aware that the stop presented many challenges to Oceania. The Burmese that I talked to were extremely grateful to Oceania for the stop. They hope that the US lifts its economic sanctions, at least as it applies to tourism and the ability of American citizens to purchase products made in Myanmar, and that more Americans visit the country. It puts money in the pockets of the citizens (most of who, except those who profit from - largely members and family members of the ruling military junta) of the country that depend on tourism for a living (though probably also in those of the military junta). I understand it has been some time since a cruise ship visited Myanmar, and I know Oceania is returning this spring. For those of us who had this special experience, we can be ambassadors to tell people to "go to Myanmar." It is a beautiful country, with beautiful people surviving under immensely difficult, repressive circumstances in incredibly poor conditions. We can only hope that there will be change. I also did an overnight trip to Siem Reap to go to Angkor Wat, and spent a night in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, to eliminate the travel time from the ship to the city and maximize my time in those cities. It was well worth it. I realized on these long cruises how much I missed by just spending a day in port rather than a more in depth experience on land. At the same time, I viewed the cruises as an opportunity to "taste test" the ports, some of which I had long considered as destinations in themselves. For the most part, I decided they would not be, at least some of them until the coral bleaching situation improves in the Indian Ocean (I am a scuba diver, and the reefs throughout the region have been impacted by El Nino, global warming and also by the recent tsunami; in fact, since the ship visited Thailand, the government has announced it will like close areas in Koh Samui, Phi Phi and possibly Phuket for snorkelling and diving for the foreseeable future to prevent further damage by man). Singapore to Hong Kong was my first experience in Southeast Asia.I had made short visits many years ago to Singapore and Hong Kong. Again, aside from a trip snorkeling trip in Koh Samui, which was very poor in all respects, I had arranged for a guide in each port. For those planning on this trip in the future, be forewarned: Hanoi is a LONG way from the sea (whether Nah Trang, Danang, or wherever nearby the ship docks). It was a miserable yet often fascinating 3 hour ride on a bumpy, busy, traffic-crazy single land road from Danang, where we docked in the middle of nowhere due to weather. I spent the night in Hanoi and went to see the water puppet show, which is simply delightful. The ride was "fascinating" because of what was going on in the fields and the towns. That fascination was long gone by the dreaded return trip. Hanoi has unbelievably bad traffic problems; I thought Bangkok was bad, until I got to Saigon; Saigon was not nearly as bad as Hanoi. However, getting out and walking around the side "alleys" in Hanoi, like most cities, is most interesting. A trip on the Mekong Delta by long boat is not to be missed in Saigon. similar trip in Thailand, and to the floating markets, is also a once in a lifetime experience. An $8 haircut, $40 for two hours worth of a Thai foot and body massage, and dinner for $3 at my guide's noodle stand, in Bangkok, were wonderful. Hanoi was very cold and windy, as was Canton, China (though I was too sick to get off the ship by then). The last stop was Hong Kong. I was sad to say goodbye to the wonderful crew, from the officers to everyone else who worked with the ship that I had encountered and those behind the scenes, many of whom and personally done many things to assist me on numerous issues and make my long time aboard a generally wonderful experience. The ship truly felt like "home" by then (as I had pasted photos of my family, some of the ports, and a huge map of the continents we were visiting, on my windows, and purchased and installed magnets from all the ports where I could purchase them, outside on my stateroom door), though I was ready to get off. The food choices were repeating themselves frequently and were getting "old", the room service menu is far too limited in my veranda stateroom (not a suite), the small closet, limited storage space, size of the bathroom and the rock hard tiny "sofa" were driving me nuts; the cost of the internet and roaming charges for my Blackberry were mounting; and I was ready for a change. I got it, immediately, with 10 days of independent travel in China. But that is a different,non-cruise story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnies Posted February 19, 2011 #13 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Thank you very much for taking the time to write this review of your 85 day cruise. I agree that the itinerary from Cape Town to Singapore is not as interesting and varied as originally listed but we will still do this cruise. I am hoping you would be kind enough to give me an idea of what you did and which tour guides you used in the following ports of call: Mayotte, Nosy Be, Point des Galets, Port Louis and the Seychelles and Maldives. Any help would be most appreciated. Meg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted February 20, 2011 #14 Share Posted February 20, 2011 frqttrvlr09: We too appreciate you taking the time to write your impressions. We have a deposit on the Dec 2011 Cape Town-Singapore cruise. On our cruise, we have one full day with half days on either side for the visit in Myanmar. Wish O would reconsider some of the island ports and lengthen the stay in Myanmar. Looking forward to hearing from you regarding sunnies question and again, thank you for your trip report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted February 21, 2011 #15 Share Posted February 21, 2011 frqttrvlr09, thank you for posting your review of your cruise. I enjoyed reading about all your ports of call. I confess that everytime I read about the ship's visit to Myanmar I get very upset about the money that indeed is going into the ruling junta's pockets because of this choice of port by Oceania. I understand your point of view and Jack's in his review as well, but I feel somewhat sickened and very saddened by Oceania's choice to visit this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetodancing Posted November 28, 2011 #16 Share Posted November 28, 2011 WE just returned from the wonderful adventure with the best cruise Director and crew, Dottie Kuhlassa. This cruise offers an opportunity to see parts of the world one might not ordinarily visit on a land voyage. Some of the stops in africa such as Madagascar and Mozambique offer views into the life of nations who fought for their independance but are still suffering from poverty and lack of education. Myanmar for all of its rules and regulations and authority could focus some of its attention on paving, garbage clean up and other sanitary conditions. However, the cruise was excellent, the staff and crew were so friendly, and we met so many very nice folks. WE had a number of private tours that were excellent arranged on line prior to our vogage. Oceania's tour to Richard's Bay was a disappointment. Hi Could you give the information regarding the private tours? Thanks for your help Lovetodancing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4urisonly Posted November 28, 2011 #17 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I am so happy to have joined cruise critic. Much to my surprise, the first message I read was about the Oceania cruise from Capetown to Singapore. My husband aqnd I are going on this one in December and we hope Dottie will be our CD. We had her on our 40-day cruise to the Middle East in 2009. Wonderful lady and her husband isn't bad as a comedian either. We are taking the 5-day pre-cruise to Kapama Private Game Reserve. It would be nice meet some people here who are also planning this excursion. I would also be interested in finding a private tour operator in Cape Town to show us around on December 22. Perhaps we can join others to rent a van. Great to be here. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanny18 Posted November 28, 2011 #18 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Hi, why don't you join our thread under Nautica - Cape Town to Singapore- We have almost 90 people who are joining us at our Meet & Greet. You will get some great information....Arlene:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4urisonly Posted November 29, 2011 #19 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I want to join but have been unable to figure out how to log on to this. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted November 29, 2011 #20 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I want to join but have been unable to figure out how to log on to this. Any suggestions? You have to register on Cruise critic which you already have and then log in.....scroll up to the top of this page where you will find Oceania Cruises Go to the Oceania Roll Call Forums and then you can post on the Roll Call thread. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted November 29, 2011 #21 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I want to join but have been unable to figure out how to log on to this. Any suggestions? Click on this link and just post away ;) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1306196 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felidae Posted November 29, 2011 #22 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I am considering this cruise in January 2013. I'll keep looking here for posts. Thanks so much for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4urisonly Posted November 29, 2011 #23 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Thanks you, Vaitape. How do I go about hooking up with other passengers going on this cruise. I understand that one can meet passengers here before the cruise to arrange possible private excursions in minivans or cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted November 29, 2011 #24 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Thanks you, Vaitape. How do I go about hooking up with other passengers going on this cruise. I understand that one can meet passengers here before the cruise to arrange possible private excursions in minivans or cars. To interact with other passengers who are booked on a specific cruise, first go to the Roll Call Board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=420 Then click on the name of the ship that you are sailing on: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=422 From there, you search for the specific sailng date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted November 29, 2011 #25 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Jim and Stan to the rescue AGAIN! and Lyn too. Also, join the Meet and Greet that Arlene has going. You'll meet lots of folks there. Good luck and we'll see you on board!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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