Live from Cape Town: Jan 14-26, 2023. NCL Jade

[deefer]

We are sitting in the airport waiting for our flight to South Africa and what a better way to kill time than to start posting on cruise critic!

 

We will be on the NCL Jade on  Jan 14th - if KentheCruiser would have stayed on for another B2B this would have been his itinerary (although he would have sailed on Jan 2).  Really enjoyed his review!

 

We are doing a 4 night/5 day safari in Kruger Park prior to the cruise so are flying into Johannesburg.  Then have 4 nights in Cape Town with various tours booked - details will follow!

 

Lets start with the cost of this cruise.   There was a significant price drop after final payment.  We would have saved about $2000 if we had waited until after final payment.   I did phone to see if we could get some OBC, was not successful.  We are 9 days out and it still shows cabins available if you want to come!  

 

The next time we visit a unique (to us) part of the world, I may just wait until after final payment.  If the cruise is sells out (or doesn't have the cabin we want) we would just do a "land vacation" for those days.  I would miss the unpacking once and waking up in a different place every day that a cruise gives 🙂

 

Will post again once in Johannesburg....

[cruiser123!]

excited to hear about Kruger and Cape Town.  We'll be doing a land tour there in 2025.   Enjoy ❤️

 

[PATRLR]

Very interested in hearing of your Kruger  Park safari.  

Enjoy Cape Town.  

[Middleager]

We're on the same cruise, and will stay in Cape Town for 3 days after cruise, then fly to JNB to go to Kruger NP for 6d5n.  Would love to hear your experience in Kruger.

 

After Kruger, your probably won't see as much from safaris from Cape Town, or port stops in Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Durban, or Namibia.  But Addo park (Port Elizabeth) should have different species of elephants, St Lucia wetlands (Richards Bay) will have lots of hippos and crocs, etc.

[Bruce Knight]

My mother and I will be on this cruise as well, been trying to get here for three years but covid got in the way!  Have fun on your pre-cruise activities!

[deefer]

We landed in Johannesburg at 4am.   There was no form to fill out for customs.  There were 3 lines - South African passports - visitors needing a visa & visitors not requiring a visa.   You just get in the appropriate one and go to the customs agent.  Ours did not ask any questions - just stamped our passports and we were on our way.

 

We did not get African rand in the US.  Our plan is to use the credit card whenever we can & use cash from ATM's for tipping etc.    We will be flying out this morning to our 1st safari camp so hit the ATM at the airport.  It would not allow me to take out more than 8000 rand.  There was a 50 rand service charge ( $2.92 usd according to google today).

 

The ATM screen gave me the option to use their bank for the currency conversion.  The conversion rate would have been $494 usd - my gut said chase bank would give me a better rate so I declined - just checked my account - was only charged $471 usd.  

  

We will be flying to our Safari camps with Federal Air.  We will be meeting up with them shortly.  If you chose to to fly to camps be aware that there are luggage restrictions for these flights.  

 

 

We will be meeting the Federal Air representative who will take us to their lounge - we were told the  airline would store our  other luggage.    We shall see .... updates to follow.

[deefer]

Federal Air (the company flying us to/from the safari camps)

 

We are instructed to meet the federal Air agent in the bus terminal at their kiosk.  It's a short 2-3 min walk across the street from the airport terminal.

 

Easy to find - this is what it looks like

 

 

We wait about 30 minutes for others to join us - the do not show up so we leave without them in their shuttle.    It's about a 10 minute drive to the Federal Air Terminal.

 

Here we wait in the lounge - our flight is not until 1130 (3.5 hrs) At least it's comfortable.  Complimentary Wifi/snacks/drinks.   There are shower facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is apparently only going to be 3 passengers on the plane - we will be dropped off at our camp first.  The other passenger will then continue on to his/her camp.  Basically it's a "bus system" but with planes.

 

You do not have to fly - you can drive.  The drive from Johannesburg to Kings Camp (the first camp we are staying in) is about 6 hrs.  Not sure how long the drive between the camps is but I know the return from Leopard Hills (the 2nd camp we are staying in) is also about 6 hrs.  

 

Federal Air will store your luggage (free of charge) but only if you have a return flight with them.  Some of the larger camps have their own airstrips and fly you back directly to Johannesburg Airport - in that case you would have to store you luggage at the main terminal.  

 

And here is our plane being prepared

 

 

[deefer]

What we did for vaccines....

 

The vaccine situation for South Africa (like most countries) is fluid - when we first starting planning covid testing was definitely an entry requirement (I cannot recall if the vaccine was also mandatory) but that is no longer the case.   

 

It seems the only "mandatory vaccine" you would need is the yellow fever vaccine but only if you came from a country that is "on the list".  This includes long layovers in their airports (>12h).  Our flight in from the USA stopped in Lome (which is a high risk area) but only for 1 hour - just dropped off/picked up passengers.  

 

We did start taking our daily malaria pills and will continue them for 7 days after our trip is over - Kruger park is high risk for malaria right now.

 

We also are still covered for typhoid from a trip we took pre covid.  

 

And we have the typical North American vaccines, MMR, tdap, flu, covid. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[deefer]

Kings Camp - Timbavati Private Reserve

 

Here is the itinerary for our stay

 

The game drive in the morning is 3.5 hrs - the evening was 2.5 hrs.  The safari trucks have been modified - the middle seat has been made a storage bin for blankets/rain gear.  Because of this there is no bad seat - I will take of photo of it on this evenings game drive. 

 

So far we have seen impalas, elephants, lions, rhinos, hippos & a couple of giraffes and many birds.  Most of the photos are on my phone and when I try to post them they come up sideways.

 

 

 

 

During each game drive you stop for a break - last night was a drink at sunset.  This morning was coffee/tea & cookies.

 

Normally breakfast is right after the morning drive at the lodge.  This morning we had "breakfast in the bush".  It was AMAZING.    The food is delicious and somehow the staff made it feel super luxurious.

 

The omelette/egg station

 

Our table

 

The lodge itself is beautifully appointed.  On arrival yesterday afternoon we were greeted with a refreshing juice drink and given an introduction to the surroundings (and the rules - i.e. no walking after dark unaccompanied by staff).  The lodge only has 8 suites & one family suite.   There are so many areas to sit and relax it is easy to not see other guests if that is your preference. 

 

The entrance to the lodge

 

One of the outdoor covered seating areas

 

One of the outdoor uncovered seating areas (this one by the pool)

 

One of the indoor seating areas

 

Outdoor eating area for meals

 

A little gift shop - I forgot to pack a long sleeved shirt so purchased one - 900 rand - not outrageously priced.

 

We are in one of the 6 luxury suites - there are also 2 honeymoon suites and a family suite.

 

...and at night with the mosquito netting

 

The bathroom (there is also an outdoor sitting area and outdoor shower on the other side of the window)

 

 

There is plenty to drink in the room - a nespresso coffee maker - a fully stocked fridge

 

And this is vodka, gin, brandy, whisky & small bottle of South African red wine

 

The patio/private dipping pool

 

They have insect repellent in the room - but I did not see sunscreen.  This camp (like I think most are) is fully inclusive - only massages at the spa & purchases in the gift shop would incur extra cost. 

 

We only arrived yesterday afternoon but the food and service has been incredible.  LOL..maybe the food tastes so good bc for over 30 hours we ate airport lounge & airplane food.

 

We were so jet lagged yesterday evening that they set up of dinner in our room

 

 

So the big question is would I recommend this camp - absolutely!  The only negative is the cost - although not the most expensive camp in the area it is definitely one of the pricier ones.    I looked to see what it would cost if you booked our room next week - for 2 nights about $6800.  If you book for this time next year its about $3700 for 2 nights. 

 

We used a tour company called Discover Africa to coordinate this safari trip as well as hotel in Cape Town/transfers/flights/tours - so I'm not sure what we paid for the "safari portion" - I'm guessing it was around $1500-1700/night for the 2 of us when we booked.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions!  

 

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by deefer

[Jevsy]

Absolutely following this!! We are on the Cape Town to Dubai cruise after you and also doing a safari from Johannesburg! We're at Pilanesburg National park for our safari though, Tambuti Lodge, which is malaria-free. So excited, we fly out from the UK 17th Jan. 

[deefer]

As promised here is what our Safari truck looks like

 

Seats 6, 7 if someone sits next to the driver

[deefer]

13 hours ago, Jevsy said:

Absolutely following this!! We are on the Cape Town to Dubai cruise after you and also doing a safari from Johannesburg! We're at Pilanesburg National park for our safari though, Tambuti Lodge, which is malaria-free. So excited, we fly out from the UK 17th Jan. 

Nice that you don't have to take malaria meds.  Both my husband and I missed our morning drive today bc we couldn't be away from the bathroom!   No one else at the camp has any GI symptoms....we think it may be a side effect of the malaria meds.   Thankfully we have Imodium.

[Jevsy]

10 hours ago, deefer said:

Nice that you don't have to take malaria meds.  Both my husband and I missed our morning drive today bc we couldn't be away from the bathroom!   No one else at the camp has any GI symptoms....we think it may be a side effect of the malaria meds.   Thankfully we have Imodium.

 

Oh no!! How rubbish! 

We chose Pilanesburg due to its malaria-free status as I didn't want to take meds if I didn't have to due to previous adverse reactions to other different meds. 

Your lodge looks fab! We've never been to this area before and never cruised NCL though many cruises on other lines. 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 1/5/2023 at 3:01 PM, deefer said:

We are sitting in the airport waiting for our flight to South Africa and what a better way to kill time than to start posting on cruise critic!

 

We will be on the NCL Jade on  Jan 14th - if KentheCruiser would have stayed on for another B2B this would have been his itinerary (although he would have sailed on Jan 2).  Really enjoyed his review!

 

We are doing a 4 night/5 day safari in Kruger Park prior to the cruise so are flying into Johannesburg.  Then have 4 nights in Cape Town with various tours booked - details will follow!

 

Lets start with the cost of this cruise.   There was a significant price drop after final payment.  We would have saved about $2000 if we had waited until after final payment.   I did phone to see if we could get some OBC, was not successful.  We are 9 days out and it still shows cabins available if you want to come!  

 

The next time we visit a unique (to us) part of the world, I may just wait until after final payment.  If the cruise is sells out (or doesn't have the cabin we want) we would just do a "land vacation" for those days.  I would miss the unpacking once and waking up in a different place every day that a cruise gives 🙂

 

Will post again once in Johannesburg....

Thanks for the kind words! As you might imagine I'll be following along as this is the leg we missed. Now you can be our eyes! 😃

[deefer]

Leopard  Hills - Sabi Sands Reserve

 

This was our 2nd camp - known for the amount of leopards and in that way it did not disappoint.  Same type of itinerary as the first lodge - mini bar and fridge well stocked just as in our 1st camp.

 

Female 

 

Male

 

It crazy how close you get to the animals - the male walked up to the truck and went under it out the other side.  The guides  are amazing - positioning the truck so you get a front view - then repositioning for a side view.  The only animal we did not see was the cheetah.   

 

The lodge itself is beautiful.  If sits on the face of a hill and has no fencing  so animals can come into all areas of the lodge.  Our guide told us that about once a year someone forgets to close/lock their room and baboons get in and destroy it.   Apparently they see themselves in the mirror - think its a rival group and proceed to rip apart everything apart. 

 

The lobby

 

 

This stair case takes you to the indoor and outdoor eating areas.

I thought I snapped a photo of the eating areas  but can't find it.

 

This is the common pool/sitting area.  Your room also has it's own dipping pool

 

The Room

 

And view from the room with an outdoor shower

 

 

The food looked very good - but bc of  our now resolved GI issues we ate very light so cannot comment on the gourmet meals that were served.

 

One note, if you plan on doing a safari in Kruger Park - you do not need neutral colors.  I purchased shirts/pants in colors I will never wear again as that is what the research told me to do.   The seasoned Safari goers wore regular summer atttire - in various colors - blue shirts, jean shorts, runners.  You could tell the newbies as we looked like something out of a safari clothing catalog!

 

Now having said that - I think if you safari somewhere outside of Kruger Park where the have that Tsetse fly neutral colors are a must.

 

We are on our way to Cape Town this afternoon!

[deefer]

The Table Bay Hotel 

 

We are staying at the Table Bay Hotel on the V&A Waterfront.  The location is excellent.  It is attached to the shopping mall - it's an easy comfortable air conditioned 10 min walk to the Wharf where  most of the restaurants are & where the ferry for the Robben Island tour is.  The shopping mall is huge - over 400 stores (that may include the restaurants too).

 

The lobby 

 

One of the restaurants called the Lounge - we ordered room service from here the night we checked in.  Meals are reasonable priced - most entrees 10-15 usd.   Food was good.

 

The room

 

 

Nespresso coffee, various teas and bottled water replenished daily.  There is an fridge (empty) for use if needed.

 

View from the room

 

Breakfast is included with our room - if you were to pay for it would cost you 410 rand pp (about $24 usd pp).  The selection is HUGE and the food is very good - I snapped several photos but there is a lot more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And the have 2 stations where you can have your omelette/fried eggs made

 

You can eat inside or out on the patio

 

So would I recommend this hotel?  Love the location and the breakfast.  Staff incredibly friendly.  Room is okay (maybe nothing would measure up after being just in such luxury at the safaris?).    If this hotel is priced within your budget I would recommend it.  Would I go over budget for this hotel - no (but I would have for the safaris 😎)

 

Interesitng note - we are on the 6th floor (I think there are only 8 floors)- there is a security guard station at each end of the hall.  I'm not sure if this is on every floor or if there is a VIP staying on our floor.   The hotel is in a very safe area.   If I remember I will ask at the desk.

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions about the hotel - only here for 3 nights and check out tomorrow to board the cruise.

 

Off for our wine tour - will post about that and the Cape Point tour we did yesterday soon - a little behind!

[EllieinNJ]

Loving your report.  So interesting.  Maybe some day.  How is the mosquito and bug problem during the day with all the open venues?

[Middleager]

Love your reports.  we got into Cape Town ourselves last night (after flight delays).  Our Protea Breakwater hotel has pretty good breakfast with omelet station and they make much better omelet than NCL ships.This morning we went to Robben Island (had delay departing due to fog), which was great.  At the end I gave the prison tour guide (a former prisoner) a good tip and a big hug.   After that we went to the Long March to Freedom site of statues.  On the way back to hotel, we stopped by city hall, with a Mandela statue -- marking the place where he walked out of prison and gave a speech for a large crowd of people waiting in Cape Town.

 

After cruise, we go to Viva Safaris Tresmina Lodge for our own Kruger NP stay. 

 

We'll see you and others on Jade tomorrow.

[deefer]

3 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

....  How is the mosquito and bug problem during the day with all the open venues?

 

On the Safari's there was the odd mosiquito - but we do not think we were bitten.  We wore insect repellent on all the drives.   The guides at both camps said the mosquito population was unusually low.    On the other hand at night the non biting bugs were quite a nuissance when eating outdoors - especially at Leopards Hill. 

 

In Cape Town I have not noticed any insects - I'm sure there is the occasional fly/bug of some sort - just have not noticed them. 

 

We are taking our daily malaria pills!

[deefer]

Cape Point Full Day Tour 

 

This was a full day tour that took us down the coastline to Cape Point with some scenic stops along the way.

 

We used the tour company that coordinated our safaris to also book our Cape Town tours.   For this day they used Jarat Tours (they also did our transfer from the airport to the hotel).   If booking independently I would recommend them.  

 

We chose to do a private tour for this day as we sometimes want to spend less or more time at certain sites.

 

The car was very comfortable - in the back had a charger for your devices. Water (sparkling or still), mints, cleaner to clean your glasses. 

 

We start the ride by driving by Camps Bay Beach.  Our guide says during holidays it is very crowded.  It was just after 8am and still a little foggy - only a few people on the beach.

 

Some scenic rugged coast line as we head towards Long Beach

 

 

 

We arrive at Long Beach.  It looks gorgeous - completely empty.   Our guide tells us that this beach is used by locals to walk their dogs & horse rides are offered on the beach.  It's not used as a "normal beach".  Apparently the winds are quite strong, the sand is quite rough and the water very cold.  But it looks beautiful.

 

 

We then head to Boulders Beach to see the African Penguins.  20 yrs ago apparently you could walk amongst the little guys - but now we only observe from the walkway.

 

It's an easy 1- 2 minute walk to get to the penguins - walkway is wheelchair accessible 

 

And the penguins!

 

On route to Cape Point we see ostrich's 

 

We arrive at Cape Pointe.  The tram that takes you to the top is broken - so if we want to see the lighthouse and actually see Cape Pointe we have to walk up the hill.   It is a steep climb - took a good 20 minutes to walk up.

 

This is a photo from the top - you can see the parking lot way down below (not that one white SUV - that's where the tram normally drops you off)

to give you a sense of distance.

 

This is not a wheelchair  accessible pathway - although the majority of the climb is a cobbled walkway you do frequently encounter stairs

 

We get to the top where the light house is

 

And then you see Cape Point

 

I'm pretty sure I was taught in elementary school that this is where the Indian Ocean & Atlantic meet - only to find out that's actually at Cape Agulhas - and per our guide there is nothing to see there. 

 

I was correctly taught that there were many shipwrecks along the point because of rock under the water that the ships did not know about when first exploring the area.  You can see the whitecaps out in the middle of the sea - that's where the rocks are

 

 

Then we stop at the Cape of Good Hope - it's very crowded here.   We just stop to grab a photo of the sign and leave.

 

Along the drive back to our hotel we stop for lunch.  Throughout the drive our guide is giving us the history of the area - pointing out things of interest.   We end with a little tour of Cape Town.   I have very few photos after Cape Point .... not sure why I stopped taking them - I guess I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.  A long enjoyable day.

[Ken the cruiser]

Wasn't that a fun walk up to the lighthouse! It definitely creates a memory, like walking up the donkey trail in Santorini! 😂

[Irajustus]

Hello, we are from germany and we will be on the Jade from capetown to athens. Before we go on the jade we are in the table bay Hotel. We were for 5 years in Capetown on the waterfront too, there are many good restaurant, and we are looking for a good fish restaurant. Have you a recommendation?

PS:we like your and Ken the cruiser reports ☝️

 

 

[cheapflier]

Just saw our stop in Durban was cancelled and Richards Bay was shuffle a bit. Disappointed to miss out on a port. Does anyone know what happened beyond what was in the letter?

[deefer]

3 hours ago, cheapflier said:

Just saw our stop in Durban was cancelled and Richards Bay was shuffle a bit. Disappointed to miss out on a port. Does anyone know what happened beyond what was in the letter?

 

If I recall the post by autotripper1 on our roll call - her tour operator was told by someone in the port authority that there was a scheduling issue (I am guessing that there are too many ships in port?)

[deefer]

8 hours ago, Irajustus said:

Hello, we are from germany and we will be on the Jade from capetown to athens. Before we go on the jade we are in the table bay Hotel. We were for 5 years in Capetown on the waterfront too, there are many good restaurant, and we are looking for a good fish restaurant. Have you a recommendation?

PS:we like your and Ken the cruiser reports ☝️

 

 

We did not eat at any seafood establishments, hopefully one of my other shipmates will see this question and have a recommendation!