Bali (Benoa)

[happysnapper]

Sailing into Bali in December on the Diamond Princess. It's a tender port for us and I am wondering if any other CCs have disembarked there. Four of us are hiring a driver & people mover but have heard some conflicting reports of the difficulty of getting out of the dock area. Any information would be appreciated.:confused:

[rkmw]

Sailing into Bali in December on the Diamond Princess. It's a tender port for us and I am wondering if any other CCs have disembarked there. Four of us are hiring a driver & people mover but have heard some conflicting reports of the difficulty of getting out of the dock area. Any information would be appreciated.:confused:

 

we havent tendered at Bali but we have at Lombok and unless you are elite or on a princess tour you will have to line up early to get your tender ticket

 

get your drivers mobile number just in case you cant get off early

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We called at Benoa on Diamond Princess a few years ago. There were no problems getting out of the dock area as such. However ,there is very limited room and it does get a bit congested, especially when they are trying to load ship tours onto the buses. The private drivers and vans have to line up outside the port gates , which are not very well defined, and there are lots of them and they all seem to be touting for business.

If you have a private booking it would probably pay to confirm your meeting spot and who to look for.

The congestion also occurs when you return , as everyone wants to spend as much time ashore as they can and then get back for the last tender....so most folk tend to arrive back , en mass , at the same time.

 

 

[happysnapper]

Thanks for the above information. Sounds like fun and DH uses a walking stick when out and about.:eek:

[Flipper133]

We were on Celebrity Solstice last year when we called into Bali for an overnight stop. We had to anchor some way off shore

 

Like you, we had our tours arranged and we were all set.

 

Trouble was the Indonesian Authorities delayed the embarkation of people into the Tenders by some 3 -4 hours. The rumour was that the "Brown Paper Bag " was not full enough.

 

When we finally got ashore, there was a 200-300 metre walk along the wharf to what I will describe as a "Greeting House". You enter here and there are some shops and even some great value massage chairs. On the other side you enter a compound, full of cheerful, but persuasive locals all pushing their services. Our man, who had waited dutifully for hours, was there, with a sign displaying our booking name (bit like at the airport). We visited all we could in the limited time now available...but we were grateful the ship was staying overnight so we did not need to rush back...and of course we had the next day to do other things.

 

To be honest we were a bit disappointed in Bali. The rain did not help, nor did the delays on day 1, but all in all I found the place a bit grubby...although we did not go into Kuta...just visited the countryside.

 

I am sure however you will enjoy your visit....the people are kind, generous and friendly.

 

cheers

Edited June 3, 2014 by Flipper133

[NSWP]

Sailing into Bali in December on the Diamond Princess. It's a tender port for us and I am wondering if any other CCs have disembarked there. Four of us are hiring a driver & people mover but have heard some conflicting reports of the difficulty of getting out of the dock area. Any information would be appreciated.:confused:

When we called into Benoa on Arcadia, 2 years ago, we did a ship's shorex and traffic was horrendous coming back to the port, gridlock. Make sure you have plenty of time to get back if you are getting around by yourself.

 

Above all, Enjoy !!

Edited June 3, 2014 by NSWP

[happysnapper]

Thanks once again for the helpful information. Don't know what I would do without CC forums before I travel. Sharing information is part of the fun of travel. Dh & I have been to Bali a couple of times pre bombings, but am now having second thoughts, I can see potential problems getting off and getting back on.:(

[ozififer]

A couple of years ago we called in at Benoa on the Rhapsody of the Seas. We were off the ship and ashore before 9am as Royal Caribbean had hired very fast big catamarans to convey the passengers to the shore.

[happysnapper]

A couple of years ago we called in at Benoa on the Rhapsody of the Seas. We were off the ship and ashore before 9am as Royal Caribbean had hired very fast big catamarans to convey the passengers to the shore.

 

Princess have used cats in the past at other ports when the sea has been very rough, normally they use their own tenders. They certainly speed things up.

[gaechann]

A couple of years ago we called in at Benoa on the Rhapsody of the Seas. We were off the ship and ashore before 9am as Royal Caribbean had hired very fast big catamarans to convey the passengers to the shore.

 

We docked there in Radiance of the Seas last November. As I had a driver arranged I made sure that I obtained early tender tickets so we were on the first catamaran to the Port.

 

Yes, there was a little bit of a walk but Mum managed it OK with her walking stick. We couldn't see our driver when we came out of the Wharf building so I called him on our mobile. He was with all the other drivers lined up on the drive-way into the Port compound so we just turned to the right and walked out looking for our name.

 

We had a wonderful 5-6 hours driving through the countryside up to Ubud where our driver found a great restaurant for our lunch. Firstly though he found a very reputable bank where we changed $90 into Indonesian money which we used for our lunch and paid our driver.

 

We weren't interested in shopping nor did we want to see monkeys or the usual tourist haunts in Kuta or Denpasar, so he took us to a village temple, some rice paddies, the restaurant set in wonderful gardens, through many different villages, each one specialising in a different craft (wood, glass, stone carvings etc.) and a family compound to see how the locals live then back to the Port.

 

We made sure we were back a couple of hours before the final tender so it all went very smoothly for us.

 

Mum was very concerned about visiting Bali and though it was VERY hot & humid, and yes, there is evidence of poverty, after all it's a poor country compared to ours, she declared it the best day trip of all! :)

 

I hope you have a similar experience!

 

Gae

[happysnapper]

Thanks Gae

What you did is just we were planning to do. We will just have to be careful with the time. Still feel a little apprehensive but will give it a go. By the way we are not far away from you at Port Macquarie.

[silverwillow]

We just returned from Bali last week and we did a wonderful tour with a company called Bali Tradition Tours. The took us to Kintamani Volcano, the rice terraces, the water temple and we even went to a traditional balinese house to have a look around. They have a very good reviews on trip advisor and were prompt and professional. They have other tours on offer too. Bali has a wonderful cultural background to explore. :)

[pn1]

In 2012, I joined a group organised by a fellow (Australian) passenger and had a thoroughly enjoyable day with one of the private drivers. I recall there were about 20 of us and we had three air-conditioned maxi cabs. The whole day went off very well; of course the drivers have "friends" everywhere who get them into nearby parking spots. The whole day was extremely reasonable by Australian standards.

 

Being a solo traveller, before I discovered the private group tour (through Cruise Critic), I had considered simply wandering around. It would have been a bad decision; the wharf (?) is some distance out along a narrow and extremely busy road. It would be almost impossible to try to walk.

 

I was glad I had the day tour of Bali but I wouldn't be hurrying back. Bali is very popular with Australian travellers and currently there is a television series about "what really happens in" Bali!

 

Trust this is of some assistance and enjoy your holiday.

[happysnapper]

Thanks again. Have checked on "Trip Adviser" and found a driver and minivan with great reviews. Will head for Ubud and surrounds and stay clear of Kuta. His name is Ketut so we may run into Rhonda!!!;)