Auckland to LA: too many sea days?

[xplrcrzn]

I'm mulling the Dec. '07 Auckland to LA cruise on Mariner. Several TAs are offering great pricing deals on this cruise, which makes stops at several beautiful South Pacific islands. However, this 19 day cruise has 12 sea days! I'm not a sea day person but this is a very cost-effective way to see these islands (which I want to visit sometime). Any thoughts/experiences as to whether the value of the cruise (and the experience of visiting these islands) outweighs the numerous sea days, including one six day stretch before reaching LA? I do have the time to do the cruise--the issue is whether this is the best way to spend my time.

[Jim B]

We are booked on this cruise.

The super deal and sea days are the big reason.

If you would like to know more information please

write to me at my email address. http://www.bastian20@hotmail.com

Please put "cruise" down so I know it is you. Lots I can tell you

about this cruise that you might not know. Really neat stuff.

Just did the Segment #1 AMAZON Cruise on the Mariner 01/09/07

Wonderful Ship and they will have lots to do during sea days.

This has to be one of the best deals I have seen since 2003 on Regent Cruise Line and this will be our 6th cruise with them.

[TedC]

We relish sea days - especially after some busy port days. It's on sea days that usually very good lecturers are scheduled to talk about places you're going to visit and other interesting topics.

 

Most ships also plan other activities, such as trivia, or language, computer, cooking etc classes.

 

Plus we also very much enjoy just being on the ocean with nothing to do except read, watch waves, think about the next meal - and perhaps even nod off once in awhile.

[dfb]

xplrncrzn, only you can decide what is the best use of your time. Make no mistake 6 days at sea is a long stretch. That said, I am one of the world's worst sailors and I have done that 6 day stretch and it was not that bad. Just looked at your schedule and I think it would be much easier than the stretch we did in the opposite direction on last year's World Cruise. In our case, we had to wait 6 days to get to Polynesia and it was a long stretch. But, were the islands worth it? Absolutely! It is an amazingly beautiful part of the world and it is very far from most other places; so it is difficult to reach in any event. It seems to me that 6 days on Mariner would not be too much of a hardship to pay for visiting the islands. Also, you will have some full island days and then 6 sea days to kick back and completely relax before you get back home. It sounds like a pretty good plan and pretty good deal to me. Hopefully, you will be able to schedule an extra day or so up front for exploring Auckland. Best luck with your decision, Debbie

[petlover]

We are also booked on this cruise. The pricing and 2 free nights pre-cruise in Auckland (if booked through B&K) made this a no-brainer. We visited all of the ports on the 2005 WC and they are great. It really is a beautiful part of the world! RSSC has so many activities on sea days or if you're not an activity person, the weather will be warm and you can just soak up the sun on the pool deck and come home with a beautiful tan.

 

We've done many nights on RSSC but this has to be best value for the $ yet!!

There will be lots of great people on this cruise....hope you'll join us!

[JDRMYS]

We took the Mariner's first LA to Aukland cruise which was the 1st segment of RSSC's 1st world cruise in 2003. It was exactly the reverse itinerary of your cruise. We love sea days in general and loved the sea days on this cruise in particular because of the wonderful hot and sunny weather. We also met many interesting people on board.

 

We will almost certainly take the Aukland to LA cruise on the Mariner at some point in the next few years. In the meantime, we have booked 2 19 day cruises with lots of sea days for next fall and winter. One of them is from Lima to Buenos Aires on the Mariner and the other is a TA from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro on Hapag Lloyd's Europa. I can't think of a better vacation than one spent sitting on on a ship's deck, in the sun, reading a good book, with no responsibilities or required appointments.

 

If you are intersted in cooking, take the Cordon Bleu class (we've done it 4 times and love it) and relax.

[xplrcrzn]

Many thanks to all for the helpful input--the "pros" of this trip seem to strongly outweigh the "cons." As dfb noted, spending six sea days in a row on Mariner is not a terrible hardship and these islands are difficult to reach no matter which way you do it. I know others who are also considering this trip and any additional insights or suggestions would be appreciated. In the meantime I will be gathering additional info from the TA with the best deal (I know who that is).

[Jim B]

XPLRCRZN

Petlover kind of explained some of the things I was going to tell you

if you had emailed me.

Better get signed up. Understand it is filling up fast.

[Shipless in Seattle]

I booked this one shortly after it was available. I did a long South Pacific/Hawaii cruise on Mariner several years ago and thought it was one of the best. The sea days on board that ship give plenty to do. Bora Bora SCUBA is best in the world.

 

The price for this crossing was fantastic for the length plus they offered a 10% SS so my partner and I booked two cabins across from each other and will use one as a closet!

 

cheers,

Kent

[londonfog]

I booked this one shortly after it was available. I did a long South Pacific/Hawaii cruise on Mariner several years ago and thought it was one of the best. The sea days on board that ship give plenty to do. Bora Bora SCUBA is best in the world.

 

The price for this crossing was fantastic for the length plus they offered a 10% SS so my partner and I booked two cabins across from each other and will use one as a closet!

 

cheers,

Kent

Hi Kent: Just read about your second cabin, my wife thought that was a wonderful idea and wanted to rent space. Just kidding. Some people are very inventive. See you soon. Londonfog

[Shipless in Seattle]

London Fog:

 

The second bathroom will actually be the best part of having the two cabins. I'm sure we can come to an arrangement with you to rent out a couple of extra drawers or closet space ;-)

 

I look forward to hearing about the earlier portions of your cruise when I am on board...I've been doing some research on Vietnam as I'm booked on the 2008 Asia Circle for that segment. One place I've been told you have to go is Hoi An. check out http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/vietnam/hoi-an/overview.html

 

cheers,

Kent

[Aloha Cruiser]

Aloha Shipless:

 

We visited Vietnam last November on Silversea. We had a driver and translator and made an hour long drive into Hoi An.

 

We were very disappointed with Hoi An for several reasons. The main reason for our reaction was that we were expecting this amazing little town, to sort of go back in time, as we had read in several guidebooks about the town, but when we arrived, as soon as we passed through the main gates, all that we saw were T-shirts shops, souvenir stands, etc.

 

They have preserved most of the buildings, but there is a merchant selling something out of all but a few of them.

 

It reminded me of visiting Besakih, the Mother of all Temples in Bali and being equally disappointed with all the merchants at that sacred spot.

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that Vietnam is a very, very humid country, and we were there in one of the more pleasant times of year! Hoi An is inland quite a bit and we were literally soaking wet the moment we stepped out of the car. This also made it hard to enjoy the place.

 

If you are going on a cruise, my suggestion would be to stay close to the coast if at all possible, which will be considerably cooler.

 

I hope that Halong Bay is on your itinerary. What a magical place! We spent an entire day there and I took over 700 photos (thank you digital photos!). We spent about 4 hours cruising the bay on a traditional Vietnamese junk boat and every time you turned around the view was picture perfect. Some of the shots were so amazing that I framed them for Christmas gifts for friends and family!

 

Enjoy!!!

[Shipless in Seattle]

Thanks Aloha,

 

I'm guessing this is happening to several cities in Vietnam as it becomes the hot new tourist spot. I may still go to Hoi An as it would be an adventure but will do more research. I remember being chased by dozens of merchants in Indonesia at the Borobudur temple several years ago, but still loved my experience there. The cruise does go to Halong Bay and I will definitely take the junk boat out as I've heard that's quite an adventure. The ship stops in Hue which I hear is interesting. We're also planning to do the post cruise trip to Angkor Wat.

 

Any other recommendations? I'd like to hire a private driver/tour for the ports (avoiding the cruise tour bus) as I think we'll get a more interesting view of the country...did you use a good tour company that's on the net? It might be nice to book something in advance rather than to hope for the best at each port.

 

cheers,

Kent

[Aloha Cruiser]

Aloha Shipless:

 

Actually one of our favorite stops in Vietnam was in Ho Chi Min City (Saigon). It is a very progressive and a beautiful city (since it was occupied by the French for 100 years). Lots of tree lined boulevards, a great Chinatown area, temples and excellent shopping.

 

We arranged for a private, air-conditioned car with driver and translator through the ship's tour desk. For 2 of us for each day it was approx. $200 for four hours, which could be extended with the driver if we desired.

 

We felt that compared to an on-board excursion this was very reasonable, and this allowed us to "do our own thing" in each port. I tend to do a lot of research prior to visiting a place, so I had an idea of what we'd like to see at each port.

 

One thing not to miss while in Saigon is, of course, the Rex Hotel. We were fortunate to have an overnight stay and we went back to the Hotel that evening (after the ship's planned dinner there), and we were treated to the host of the restaurant as he performed about 10-12 songs, while accompanied by karaoke music. He was very entertaining and he so enjoyed performing that it was infectious, but in a good way! It was such a memorable evening and one of the highlights of the trip.

 

If you have any other questions I may assist you with, please let me know. We didn't get to see Angkor Wat, and I'm sure that will be amazing.

 

Enjoy!!

[Aloha Cruiser]

Aloha again Kent:

 

One other place which should not be missed is the Chu Chi Tunnels. We went with the ship's tour for this, which was fine.

 

This was out of the port of Na Trang and is well worth a visit. It is quite a somber place, but there is such history there, and if you know anyone who was part of the Vietnam war, it will give you a real sense of what they went through (my brother-in-law was in Da Nang for several years.)

 

If you are claustrophobic (which I am), you may not actually be able to walk through the tunnels themselves, but just going and experiencing the place is quite something, and an experience I will never forget.

 

One shopping tip -- Save a bit of time -- as you exit the Tunnel area there are several shops you may visit. One of them is affiliated with an alligator farm and they had some of the most beautiful handbags, wallets and belts I have ever seen. My husband was lucky enough to get a wallet, but I didn't have time to do any meaningful shopping. We didn't find another shop like this in all of Vietnam.

 

Just a quick disclaimer, I am an avid animal lover, and a member of WWF, so please don't be offended by the above comment. Mahalo nui loa.

[petlover]

Jim (or others),

I don't see a roll call on CC for this cruise ?? (I know there's one on LCT). I see other cruise line roll calls listed but no roll calls for Regent???????

[Jim B]

Yes Marcie.

There is one.

[petlover]

Found it Jim....didn't realize there was "other cruiseline roll call" Sorry!