Which of two itineraries sounds best?

[Coastaljen]

I am thinking about the twenty-one day Princess itinerary for July 2009. It is roundtrip Fremantle. The stops are:

Exmouth, Vung Tau, Sihanoukville, Laem Chabang, Ko Samui, Malacca, Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore

 

Today I found a fourteen day Costa cruise for the same month. It is roundtrip Singapore. It goes to:

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon, Vietnam), Danang (Vietnam), Hong Kong, Manila Phillipines, Kotakinabulu Borneo (Malaysia) and Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei

 

Does one of those sound significantly like a better cruise than the other? If so why?

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

[tomko2]

Have no experience with Asian cruise itineraries but would pick Freemantle as a port of departure in a heartbeat. Also would plan on spending at least a week in Freemantle so we could go swimming in the Indian Ocean and savour the wonderful atmostphere and spirit of Freemantle. We stayed there for 10 weeks in the mid-nineties and loved the people!

Kathy:)

[Coastaljen]

OK ..and you don't work for tourism there? ;)

 

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Sydney in December, and I am going back some day to spend more time.

 

That is great to hear. I honestly knew nothing about Fremantle. My palm trees will be dead here, and my yard will be a mess if I am gone THAT long..not to mention the pet sitter will be independently wealthy. However, I am going to go in at least a couple of days early regardless where I go. Maybe I will make it a few days since Fremantle sounds so great!

 

Now... If only someone knew something about those ports and the differences.

[suekay]

We did the Costa middle east cruise out of Dubai for the itinerary which was great. There were no sea days (thankfully). How many seadays are there on the Costa itinerary? We didn't particularly enjoy the "cruise" experience with Costa, although we'd do it again purely for the itinerary, whereas we'd love sea days with Princess. To me it's like comparing a Days Inn with the Intercontinental. We've done most of the ports on the Princess cruise and can highly recommend them. Haven't done any of the Costa ports yet (April 2009 for some of them)

[Coastaljen]

Wow. I think the decision is made. I will do the Princess. I love sea days. With Princess there are a couple of days between the nine ports. That gives me a day when I don't worry about missing anything. I think the more ports the better especially after reading a typhoon thread. There is a better chance I will get to see atleast something...;)

 

I just thought Costa was like top of the line compared to Princess.

Maybe I am thinking of Oceania.

[tomko2]

Lucky, lucky you! Have a great time in Freemantle and on your cruise. You can take the train or bus into Perth; they have a lovely open air mall plus a terrific casino. The open air mall in Freemantle is a wonderful place for a cappucino, pasty and people watching. If you have a chance you should visit the old jail.

Kathy:)

[Coastaljen]

Well, I just saved the information you gave me about Fremantle. Thanks.

 

I think you should cancel the cruise you want to take Summer 09 and take this one. Someone already started a roll call.

[tomko2]

It sure sounds terrific. We are booked on the Rhapsody out of Freemantle in March 13, 2009 but the flight is so long and we are getting less flexible so want First Class; if we can work that out with our points we'll then have to decide if we want to go on the Rhapsody which is getting long in the tooth. In the meantime, we have it reserved so we can weight the options. Isn't life tough!

Kathy:)

[Coastaljen]

My points are on Delta which are useless. I think they said if I fly a certain airline to Australia, I can get the points. Maybe I should have done that last time. I flew Qantas.

 

Long in the tooth?

[Paul&Kathy]

I think you are making the right choice. We were on the Costa Allegra in December, same itinerary except round trip from Hong Kong. The itinerary was excellent and we will probably try another Costa ship in the future, but the Allegra is small and old and is just no comparison to Princess. We had 4 sea days and the first of them (Hong Kong to Manila) was very rough. I suspect a larger/newer ship would have handled it much better. I have always booked on itinerary rather than ship, hence why we were on the Allegra, but I think anyone considering the Allegra needs to be aware that it is an old 3* ship. That said, it was an enjoyable cruise but I think you will love Princess.

[tomko2]

My points are on Delta which are useless. I think they said if I fly a certain airline to Australia, I can get the points. Maybe I should have done that last time. I flew Qantas.

 

Long in the tooth?

long in the tooth aka getting old

 

We flew Quantas RTW in 1993/94 and earned enough points to fly from Vancouver to Hawaii business class and Ottawa, Ontario to Las Vegas on one of their partners. Quantas even sent us each a lovely business briefcase/overnight carry-on which was really nice.

 

Kathy:)

[Coastaljen]

I will fly Quantas again. I just had no clue what I would ever do with their miles. Maybe I will go back a third time and get a free flight within the country someday.

 

I ALWAYS book by itinerary. This past week I looked into taking the Allegra rt Hong Kong in lieu of my scheduled Christmas trip. The airfare is cheap because it isn't summer, and the cruise is a ton cheaper. That is why the Allegra appealed to me. The only downside is I am traveling solo. I am not sure it would be as easy to meet people (I am talking just sitting and chatting with people.) on the Costa. Also, I am concerned shore excursions could get cancelled. I saw where some had that problem because there were not enough English speaking people signed up. I can't just go wander on my own in southeast Asia. I guess I could, but I wouldn't. Therefore, I guess I am back to thinking Princess for southeast Asia.

[suekay]

WHen we did Costa Classica out of Dubai there were very few English speakers on board. If we ever heard an English voice we immediately stopped and spoke to them - we actually spoke with more people than we do on an English speaking ship:) - I usually find it quite difficult to initiate conversations

[Coastaljen]

I may have the "pathetic" factor in my favor. Since I am alone, people seem to feel the need to invite me to talk and or eat with them. :-)

[Coastaljen]

I bit the bullet and booked it. The price for the same category inside is $2,200 more for the same itinerary this summer. Thus, I thought I better go ahead and get the room now. It is tough to put money like that down over a year in advance.