IWantToLiveOverTheSea

Hi. I just googled excursions on Oceania in Seydisfjordur. They DO list the "In the Footsteps of the Elves" excursion that we took when on Viking in 2021. Being described there doesn't mean they will definitely offer that excursion on your cruise. But I'd keep an eye open for it! The harbor is called Hafnarholmi.

I did an Iceland circumnavigation on Viking maybe 2 years ago. So I don't know what excursions are available to you on Oceania. And other than in Reykjavik, of the ports we went to, there didn't seem to be very many opportunities to book your own tours/excursions. Some of the best sights were a coach tour away from where we docked, and that won't change on Oceania. If you want to see puffins, the best place I saw, in very early August, was on a strangely titled ship excursion called something like In Search of the Elves. It went to a harbor whose name escapes me, but the sightings were close up and wonderful. You can look at my photos for more info if you like. Going mid-July is a great time for puffins. We only saw a few at Vigur Island, a very popular destination from Isafjordur. There are boats going over to it from right near the cruise dock, but on the day we were there, they weren't offering any trips as the cruise line had booked up all of the transportation there. So I took a ship excursion there - interesting, scenic place, but few puffins when I went. Still worth it, though. In Akureyri, we took an excursion called Iceland's Natural Beauty - went to smelly but very colorful sulfur fields (great for photography), and other places. In Djupivogur we went to the glacier; wonderful, not hard to get into the zodiacs, not freezing. Required some time on the road, but I found the landscape fascinating so didn't mind. In Heimaey (warning: only maybe 60% of cruise ships stopping there make it in due to sea/weather conditions) the volcano museum in town was excellent. I also walked partway up a huge hill (mountain). I just took a short "included" excursion which ended at the museum, and the hill was reachable from a path out the back. I walked back to the tender place, but it was a little hard to find the way. I'm not sure how available taxis might be there at the place where you'll likely to be tendered. But you might want to ask the ship's concierge for help (not the one who's available to Concierge veranda cruisers). If he has stopped in Heimaey he/she may able to at least tell you what you might encounter. (When we were on Sirena almost a year ago, the concierge helped me a lot in buying train tickets in a small place in Spain we visited. Until then, I hadn't really known what he might be helpful for!!) In Heimaey, I just walked around a little, close to the tender spot. We saw SOME puffins on a short boat ride (excursion) around the island in the afternoon,and the boat went into a couple caves. That excursion was only so so in my opinion. But maybe it was just too late to see puffins, or the ones there in early August were staying too far away. Bird behavior is hard to predict! In Seydi, I took the "Elves" excursion, and it was a highlight. But Seydi is also a very cute little town that merits at least a walk around. And the port is close to the town, so that's a plus. In Isafjordur, you'll dock within walking distance of some things in town. But I didn't have time to do that, so can't say if anything there is worthwhile. In one port I enjoyed walking up to see some artistic eggs (yes, eggs), but I forget which port that was. In Reykjavik, unless you go early you won't likely be able to see a whole lot. But the little island across from the port always intrigued me. Yoko Ono had a light installation built there. From the port you can get a small boat to take you over - not far. Easy. In general, I'd say don't be cheap about what you do in Iceland. Lots is outside the city. The Ports of Call section here on Cruise Critic might be worth a look. And if you're on Facebook, you might want to look for a Viking Cruises Fan page & then search for Iceland posts. Many people commented on what they saw and did. And look at my photos with captions. Here's the folder for Isafjordur. When done, go back to my home page & find the next folders (galleries) for Akureyri, Heimaey, Djupivogur, Reyk & Seydi: https://pbase.com/roothy123/iceland_aug_2021_isafjorder

We cruised in the South Pacific on Oceania (Marina, one of the larger ships) some years ago. I remember lots of tendering and slow internet on sea days when we were way out in the middle of the Pacific. I guess those things haven't changed. But cruises after that were better. I think to a fairly big extent, the whole cruising experience can be better or worse depending upon where in the world you find yourself.

Not sure about getting it at port. The cruise line we use the most offers to get visas for us, but at a steep price. But what do you need to convert to a jpg? What format is the photo or whatever? Maybe I can point you in right direction.

I can't really answer your question about overnighting on the ship, as we used Dewa for the days we spent in Bali before the cruise. However, my thoughts on what I might have done/experienced are as follows: I absolutely loved waking up (very, very early, I'm afraid, due to 12 hour time difference) and walking around several very quiet Ubud streets. I felt very adventuresome, and felt safe, and I think I'll remember those feelings for a long time. We stayed in a small Ubud hotel, nothing fancy, but located in a great location in which we could easily walk around. In the evenings after touring with Dewa, I was pretty hot and tired and usually my spouse and I didn't really feel like doing much for dinner and beyond. (We were in our late 60s at the time; I'm finding that these days the lesser activity after a day of touring is pretty typical for us. But you may be different.) I had, however, looked at a couple restaurants right outside Ubud that we could apparently have a nice several-course meal out in the rice fields that sounded pretty nice. And I suppose we could have enlisted Dewa or other driver/guide to provide transportation. Or we perhaps could have attended a night time dance/acting performance in Ubud. I believe there is at least one every night somewhere in the Ubud area. But we ended up not doing anything special at night, and for dinner chose local places we could walk to. We stayed at a small, modest hotel off one of the main streets in Ubud. (I'd say center of Ubud might be considered by the Saraswati temple, which you can probably google.) My cousin had recommended the Ibah Hotel on the western side of Ubud. It was a little pricier than I wanted, however, but probably a decent price for most cruisers, and looked wonderful. Of course you can go crazy looking for hotels in Ubud. They are everywhere. Then again, going back to the port (assuming you're going to Benoa; I hear some cruises now stop at a second port) is not a long drive from the Ubud area. And you may find some things you'd like to visit down that way that could be visited before being dropped at the port. Uluwatu temple comes to mind, although of course it's kind of touristy. But there are other things down towards the southern part of the island near the port and airport. I'd probably stay away from the beaches over there, however, unless you're a lot younger than me, or just really like relaxing at a beach. We did spend one night after flying in at Sanur Beach, which I enjoyed. It's a little less known for partying, which was fine for us. But as for doing anything on the ship at night, there isn't anything around or in Benoa port, so you'd likely be just enjoying dinner and a show or drinks or casino or whatever you normally do on a cruise ship. Going back out is probably possible, but you would need transportation. And while the port would likely be open all night, I'd suggest checking to make sure that's true before you go! I probably mentioned this before, but if not: I'd suggest preparing for for hot and VERY humid weather in Bali. I found I could do less sightseeing than I anticipated wanting to do. Dress modestly but lightly, and take a hat, even if you don't like them. Many of the things I wanted to do were outside. But there are also waterfalls, swings for photo opps, museums, and other things to explore that may cool you off. Enjoy it all.

We did a pre-cruise extension in Singapore in late January. The guide we had, arranged by Oceania Cruises for the extension, was this man ("Tiger"). We thought he did a great job for our 2 plus days of adventures. We didn't hire him, but got the impression he was available for private tours for individuals. So you may want to contact him.

As a P.S., I didn't have to call the company or guide on the day of the tour, but I believe the person who organized our tour did that using whatsapp. She may have had a sim card or something to do that; not sure. Here are a couple pictures.

We just did that in early February. We used Corazon Travel & Tours with a small group that someone on our cruise and Cruise Critic Roll Call arranged. We were pleased with Corazon, though be forewarned there's a good amount of waiting and traveling involved that I believe you can't lessen or omit. It was about a 5 minute walk from the ship to where we met the van in a parking lot outside the port gate. Our group met beforehand on the ship and we walked together. The port is large, and the walk was hot, but it's fairly easy to get to where vans and drivers can come - past the coaches that are there for the excursions. (The excursion folks didn't have as far to walk, but even they had to walk.) Then we were driven to a place which was described as Sabang Wharf, 1 hour 30 minutes away. It didn't seem that long, but perhaps it was. For the boat ride, I'd wear shoes that can get wet, as the boats are often bangkas (basically outriggers) and you may get a tiny bit wet. There are people to help you get on the boats. I have some photos, but basically you'll spend some time waiting in two places, one with lots of people, boats, vendors, and benches with shelter, and one with shelter right outside the cave. Our trip with Corazon included a buffet lunch with a drink; it wasn't fabulous of course, but it hit the spot. Lunch came maybe half way through the tour. The cave itself is pretty amazing if you like caves. It's dark with little noise or narration, but the boatman at the front shines his flashlight on things we should see. And I liked the scenery, boat travel, and whole experience of the tour, even though there was definitely some travel and waiting time. Afterwards I was hoping to have time to visit the nearby park in Puerto Princesa, which is an interesting place (google it), but when we came back, I dropped my plan. I was happy, tired, and didn't feel I had enough time to do more. We had a group of 8; think it was USD $130 per person, with a deposit to Paypal pre-cruise and then either pay cash (unmarked, untorn USD) at the end or prepay the balance before you arrive. I'll try to post some pictures later. Their communication pre-cruise was quite good. The guide was good as well. Recommended.

Glad you got it straightened out. I was going to suggest a few things, but I guess it's no longer needed. And when we traveled to Bali in 2019, no visas were required or asked for, so I don't know what the experience is like. But I do know that there's at least one port in Asia which requires a separate procedure for obtaining a visa for a seaport than for entry at an airport. And I do know that some countries are very particular about the size of photos (in MBs, not physical size) which means you have to be able to "compress" a photo), so that's frequently problematic. And if something needs to be in landscape that is generally portrait (or vice versa) that can be tricky. And I know that some cruise lines offer to do visas for you (through GenVisa or other visa company), but you normally pay half to two thirds more for them to do visas for you. Getting visas for my recent 15 day cruise in SE Asia on a competing line wore me out. And for one country (the one alluded to above), evisas for the seaport could not be obtained for the 3 months before our visit. So we and many, many others got on the ship and had to pay for the cruise line to work its expensive magic. Yes, visas are maddening....and then there are landing cards, and entry cards, and this and that, and occasionally an in-person face to face immigration meeting like we had to do for the Philippines. I was exhausted.

We did the pre-extension in Singapore last month. We made our own flight reservations and came in a day early. We booked our own hotel for one night. In this case, we needed to get our own transportation from the airport to our hotel, and then the next day get to the Oceania-used hotel on our own to check in. So if you're doing something unusual, on your own, you will likely not get transportation from Oceania. But taxis were plentiful and reasonably-priced in Singapore, so it was easy to just get our own transport. And Oceania outlined just what to expect (transportation or not, itinerary, etc.) in the pre-extension material they sent us early on.

OK, my Brunei experience Jan. 30, 2024 on Riviera: Port is Muara, 30-45 minutes from capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan. Muara is a small town with a beach that we passed coming in, and some bus (van) service to BSB. The port doesn't allow cars/walkers/taxis, so we all took a short shuttle ride to a terminal which had a number of vendors (nice things, reasonably priced, and I believe some took USD and/or credit cards). More importantly, there was a little kiosk with someone from Dart Brunei, a ride sharing company that offers rides to BSR. We got off the ship promptly to be able to ensure we could get a rideshare with them. They have a website. Generally you can book in advance, but when the cruise day rolled around, they did kiosk sign ups only. The cost to go to BSB and be dropped off was reasonable, but we decided to simply book one of their hourly "tours" in which you paid for a particular number of hours (3 to 5 I think) to have a driver take you wherever you wished. I think they accepted credit cards, but I don't remember for sure. We had Singapore dollars left over and used that, I believe. So credit card would have been accepted if their app was used, and possibly in the port/bus terminal. Or Brunei or Singapore dollars were accepted. I wanted to see the two mosques in BSB, plus the stilt village, and drive around a little in the city. The drivers aren't tour guides, but speak English. We enjoyed our 3 or 4 hour adventure. You can pay $35 to add on an hour tour of the stilt village and a boat ride to look for probiscus monkeys on the river. I'm not sure I'd recommend that, as sightings are iffy and so is the river. But I did want to see the stilt village, so we paid for the $35. In the end, we probably spent almost as much as we would have spent for an Oceania excursion to see roughly the same things. But I enjoyed having the flexibility of going where we wanted, when we wanted. You can apparently pay a boat man to take you to the stilt village from the waterfront, but that sounded just a little more unreliable than I wanted; hence the additional $35 per person paid to Dart. Of course there were Oceania excursions offered, though I didn't really hear what people thought of them. Brunei only gets a few cruise ships every year, so there isn't much tourist infrastructure. But I found it a pretty interesting place, with beautiful mosques and some modest but basic other things of interest to tourists. But it's definitely the kind of place where you won't be able to just get off the ship and amuse/entertain/educate yourself for more than possibly an hour. And some people may wonder why Oceania even bothers to go there. I'd recommend either a ship's excursion or use of the Dart service. I had lined up a rare Tours by Local excursion but the person had to cancel a couple weeks before the arrival of my ship. I think the hours we were there (11 AM to 9 PM) and the uncertainty/complexity of getting people to BSB in a timely fashion for tours made him nervous. And he told me that most people in Brunei have cars, so public transportation and taxis aren't all that common or even desirable. Enjoy your visit there. And if you're going to Borneo, Philippines or Vietnam, and want info on the ports there or what we did, just ask. There were shuttles. There were commercial ports. There were arrival cards. SE Asia was complicated. If you get a Vietnam evisa on your own, give it to Oceania or they may charge you for one. There was a note in the Currents paper about that, but I missed it. Get ready to see, do, and sweat a lot!

Just in case anyone else is wondering: Our ship (Oceania Riviera) docked at Hiep Phuoc (Tan Cang port) about a 45 minute drive from district 1, HCMC. There was a short shuttle ride to the port gates (no walking or cars in port) and Oceania offered a free shuttle to the Ben Thanh Market. I agree that the city was beautifully decorated for Lunar New Year, and very, very crowded.

It's now been 9 or 10 months since I sailed on Sirena. But I found her to be wonderful, and almost the same as I found her a year before that. I think some people expect perfection on a beer budget and are disappointed.

I just returned from sailing under the old O Life (or no O Life). As edgee says, everyone now gets 2 accounts, regardless of how cruise was booked. The television in your room has instructions on how to initially sign in for free wifi using room number, name, birthdate and maybe something else. It's a lot faster to look at the instructions on the room TV than to queue up to see the Oceania at Sea manager to get things straightened out. Basically, you go to settings on your device to make sure your device has a wifi connection, find Oceania wifi, go to Chrome, sign up, use your account - or something in a similar order. It's suggested that you place your device in airplane/flight mode with Wifi on. Once you're in, you won't need to do much more unless you happen to lose the connection or try to use the account on too many devices.

Oceania Shuttles List Please feel free to copy and paste the list, and add updates or corrections directly to it. ========================================================== Free shuttle buses are generally offered when: The ship is docked a long walk from the main thoroughfare Taxis and or public transportation are not easily accessible from the port. . The port is industrial and not pedestrian-friendly. The decision on whether free buses will be offered will be based on the port used and will be made closer to or during the sailing Once on board, a list of ports that will offer a complimentary shuttle into town will be provided / shown in daily Currents ___________________________________________________________ Abidjan, Ivory Coast.....Shuttle to city business centre (post 647) ... April 2023 Acapulco (Mex)............20 min walk to market, lots tours/taxis outside gates -... 04/2023 Acajutla, El Salv...........Free shuttle to Botanical Gardns half hourly - April 2023 Adelaide Aus...............Tram right at port goes to centre city, no shuttle ...Dec 2019 Agios Nikolaos ............Don't need a shuttle as dock near town centre ......update 2020 Airlie Beach (Aust.) .....Tender, then $5AUD pp each way shuttle Akaroa NZ ...................Tender of centre of town. ...... Dec 2019 Alanya (Turkey) ...........Taxis take you to the top of the hill . . update 2020 Albany West Aus .........Shuttle to town centre ...........Dec 2019 Alesund Norway............Dock at town so no shuttle Alexandria ....................Shuttle to city square Alicante Sp ...................free shuttle .............update 2022 Amalfi .......................... No need for shuttle Antigua..........................dock in town ..no shuttle Antofagasta ................. Free shuttle to town Antwerp ....................... Dock in town - no shuttle needed ... Aug 2017 Aqaba ...........................Shuttle Arica, Chile....................Shuttle out of port, town opposite port...April 2023 Arrecife (Canary Is.)......free shuttle .............................per Currents 2014 Ashdod Israel .............. Shuttle to Sea Mall ... April/June 2022 Astor (Oregan) .............Shuttle to town - the trolley bus to 39th St for $1 is fun 07/2023 Athens (Piraeus)...........Shuttle to outside port area in Piraeus - need tour to Athens (2022) Bangkok (Laem Chab'g. Feb 2024 update: assigned to dock 2 days at Sri Racha part of Laem Chabang port; shuttle provided only to Sri Racha on full day there. Laem Chabang can be 2 hours in traffic to BK. And no shuttles on embark/disembark days per O's policy. Plan accordingly. Banjul, The Gambia......Shuttle to Royal Albert Market, #647 recommend tour...04/2023 Bar Harbor ....................Dock at town so no shuttle Barcelona .....................O ships often dock at World Trade Center (Moll de Barcelona). Private company often offers free or paid shuttle from WTC & other terminals to near Drassanes Metro Basseterre, St. Kitts .....Dock at town so no shuttle Belfast ..........................Free shuttle to town (near City Hall) Bermuda (Hamilton)......dock in town .no shuttle Bermuda (St George)....dock in town Bermuda (Kings Wharf) shopping area Bilbao ...........................Free shuttles reported Apr/May 2023 from Getxo port to Bio's Plaza del Museo near Guggenheim OR Fine Arts Museum near Old Town Bordeaux (city) .............Dock on river, no shuttle, tram close. April 2023 Bordeaux (Le Verdon) ..If ship making technical stop only, need shore excursion in area ending in Bordeaux to leave ship..Some itineraries offer shuttle to nearby Soulac sur Mer. Stop is due to tides. Brisbane (Aus) ..............Free shuttle to town Bozcaada, Turkey..........Short tender to small city, no shuttle needed .... April 2022 Broome (Australia).........Free shuttle to town Bruges (Zeebruge) ........Free shuttle to port gates ... August 2017. see #670 May 2023 Brunei - see Muara, Brunei Burnie Tas Aus...............Shuttle to Makers Workshop (meet tours etc) & to town - 2020 Buenos Aires .................Free shuttle to town / Plaza Hotel .......... update 2020 Busan, South Korea.......Free shuttle all day.....April 2023 Cabo Frio, Brazil............Tender, walk to town ......April 2023 Cadiz .............................Dock at town no shuttle. Need train/transport to Seville 05/2023 Cairns Aus .....................Dock at town so no shuttle Callao (Lima) ................ Free shuttle to town Canary Islands ..............Shuttle to terminal then walk ...update 2020 (Tenerife? unreported). Also see Arrecife Capetown......................NO shuttle - walk or cab. (E berth, Terminal, Duncan Rd 01/2019 Cartegena Columbia.....shuttle to port gates/handicraft village Casablanca ..................Free shuttle to town Castries, St Lucia .........Dock at town so no shuttle Chania (Hania), Crete (Greece)....shuttle to city center April 2022 Civitavecchia (for Rome)...Free shuttle to Civitavecchia Cobh.............................Dock at town so no shuttle Colombo ......................Free from ship to Port Gate 1. (local taxis available there) Jan 2019 Concarneau .................Dock at town so no shuttle Copenhagen ................Free shuttle to town – but reports of it being difficult see #301 Coquimbo ....................Free shuttle to a hotel in town...updated April 2023 Corfu ............................Free shuttle to town Corner Brook ...............Dock at town so no shuttle Coron............................Dock in town; took Oceania boat excursion, not sure if walk-off tours possible Cotonou, Benin............Shuttle to town April 2023 Crete............................Shuttle ....Update 2020 ...Oceania stops in several places in Crete; see Chania Daka, Senegal.............Shuttle to Independence Square......April 2023 Dar es Salaam.............Free shuttle from pier to Hyatt Regency in City Center. Long walk from ship to exit gate. There are several gates which may be confusing. Very busy working port (Jan 2019) Darwin Aus .................Free shuttle to town Dubai ..........................Free shuttle from the port to the Dubai Mall Dublin .........................No shuttle provided (June 2023) Dubrovnik ...................Free shuttle to town Dunedin NZ ................Free shuttle to town East London, SA ........Free shuttle from pier to the Hemingsway Mall (Jan 2019) Edinburgh (Leith) .......No shuttle - Closest port to town but still a distance to city centre. Edinburgh (Newhaven)...Free shuttle from pier to Leith terminal see #701- July 2023 Eden Aus ...................Tender then shuttle but only short walk Ensenada Mexico.......20 min. walk into townwith wheelchair, shuttle $4 April 2023. Ephesus (see Kusadasi) .....Quite a drive from Kusadasi - need a tour ..update 2023 Esmeraldas .................Shuttle to Playa de las Palmas (docked or tender) Mar 2019 Exmouth (Aus) ............Free shuttle to town Flam Norway................No shuttle needed - dock in town July 2018 Forteleza, Brazil...........Shuttle to downtown hotel opposite beautiful beach....April 2023 Fremantle/Perth ..........unsure, nearby ferry dock, train station very close to dock..... update Dec 2019 Gdansk (Gydnia).........Shuttle to Gydnia but Gdansk required excur/transport (date unknown, but old) Geiranger ....................No shuttle needed - Dock at town Geraldton West Aus ...Shuttle .................Update Dec 2019 Gijon SP .....................Shuttle to Rodriquez San Pedro ("Las Letronas"), then 5m walk to old town Gisbourne NZ .............Free shuttle to town but short walk Gothenburg ...............Free Shuttle to Gustave Adolf Square.......September 2023 Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas) - tender to island. No shuttle needed. Greenock ...................No shuttle needed - Dock at town (15-20 minute walk to train to Glasgow) Haifa ..........................shuttle to port entrance only (April 2022) Halifax ........................No shuttle needed - Dock at town Halifax pier 31 shuttle to Pier 22 pavillion April 2019 Hamburg ....................Shuttle provided by Port to City Hall ....Aug 2017 Harvest Caye..............ferry to mainland *not* operating for independents when there Mar 2019 Havana, Cuba ............Dock in city. walk off on main street.... April 2017. Helsinki .....................Free shuttle to reach Market Square September 2023 Hiroshima....................Free shuttle all day......updated July 2023 Hobart (aus) ...............Dock at town so no shuttle ... Sep 2017 Ho Chi Minh City (Sai).Docked at Hiep Phuoc Feb. 2024, 5m shuttle to exit (only cruise tour buses allowed in port; drivers = outside gate). 45m shuttle available to Ben Thanh Market, HCMC Distr 1. Holyhead ....................Free shuttle to town (really to end of dock) ... Aug 2017 Hososhima..................Free shuttle all day.....April 2023 Hue (Chan May port)...Shuttle=Lang Co Beach Resort (need excurs or transport to Hue, Hoi An etc.) Imzir (Turkey)...............Shuttle to town .......July 2023 Invergordon ................Dock at town so no shuttle .... August 2017 Kirkwall (Orkney Is)....Shuttle to visitors centre Castle St .... update July 2023 Killybegs, Ireland......Dock at town no shuttle August 2023 Kobe (japan) ..............Shuttle to town July 2023 Koper .........................Dock at town so no shuttle Kota Kinabalu (Borneo) Shuttle to Wisma Merdecka Mall Jan 2024 Kotor ..........................Dock at town so no shuttle Kristiansand ...............Walking distance to town ...(South coast Norway) August 2017 Kristiansund................No shuttle - dock in town (West coast of Norway) July 2018 Kusadasi (for Ephesus) - no shuttle, shopping available nearby in city. April 2022 Kyoto/Kobe..................Free shuttle all day......April 2023 La Coruna ...................Dock at town so no shuttle Langkawi......................Free shuttle from pier to Cenang Duty free Mall Jan 2019 La Rochelle .................Free shuttle to town Le Havre (for Paris)......Free shuttle to city center (Le Havre)... September 2023 Le Verdon ....................Free shuttle to town (Soulac Sur Mer) sometimes offered. Take excursion if not. Also see Bordeaux above Lerwick, Shetland Is...Dock Mair's Pier, free shuttle to town near Tourist Ctr/Victoria Pier. Aug 2023 Lima ...........................Free shuttle to Marriott at Larcomar (Miraflores area) 03/2019 Lisbon .........................Free shuttle reported for some cruises; none for others. Dock below Alfama near transportation/walk opportunities (updated Apr 2022) Liverpool ......................Dock at town so no shuttle ... August 2017 Livorno (for Florence).. Free shuttle to town but need transport if going to Florence Londonderry Nth Ire ...No shuttle provided (June 2023) Luderitz, Namibia.....No shuttle needed - town an easy walk.......April 2023 Male, Maldives.........tender port.... guides waiting + tours there. Walk in town Jan 2019 Mahe, Seychelles.....no shuttle . Jan 2019 Malaga ....................Shuttle ..............update 2022 Manila......................Shuttle to Robinson Mall or do longish walk from port to Rizal Park & Intramuros Manta Ecuador .......Shuttle to main square (longish walk); drops at port gate Mar 2019 Manzanillo Mexico...Long walk to shuttle bus cost $3 (see post 647) April 2023 Maputo ...................Free shuttle from pier to City Center (feima market) Jan 2019 Marcello, Brazil.......Shuttle ->town, shopping, need taxi for interesting places .. 2023 Marseille ................Free shuttle to town (Fort Saint John) Melbourne Vic Aus ...Tram 109 is 5-10 min walk from port, buy ticket at convenience store, no shuttle. Trams within City Centre free, no shuttle ...... update Dec 2019 Messina (Italy) - ship docks at City Center; no shuttle needed. Miami ......................... Free shuttle to Bayside Marketplace (*not* on embarkation day) Mar 2019 Mindelo, Cape Verde Shuttle to Marina Mindelo (downtown.....April 2023 Mitilini..........................This is tender port near town centre....... update 2020 Monte Carlo ............... Dock at town so no shuttle Muara, Brunei..............Muara=30-40 minutes from capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan. Inter-port shuttle to outside port (no walking/taxis), bus terminal & Muara Town. Dart Service to BSB arranged at desk in terminal; limited taxis/buses in Muara. Tours probably best option (Jan. 2024) Murmansk .................. Need to book a tour either O or private for visa Muscat ........................Free shuttle to the Souk Mykonos.......................No shuttle needed, dock in town ...update 2020 Naha (Japan) ..............Free shuttle to town .........July 2023 Napier NZ....................Shuttle to ISite info centre on Marine Parade .... update Dec 2019 Nassau, Bahamas ......dock in town Natal, Brazil ................Shuttle to building with some shops -taxis - NB security see post 647.. Apr 2023. New York .....................no shuttle (Manhattan cruise terminal) Mar 2019 Newcastle ....................Free shuttle to nearest metro station (limited timing) Nha Trang.....................After tendering, shuttle to TTC Hotel 5 mins. from Dam Market Nosy be, Madagascar...Free shuttle (tender port) from pier to Town Market Jan 2019 Okinawa (Japan) ..........Free shuttle to town ....... July 2023 Oporto (Porto)...............Free shuttle to Parque de Alfandega (riverfront transport parking lot) Apr 2023. Walk left as face water about 10 minutes to get to Ribeira/bridge Oslo .............................Dock in town so no shuttle .... Aug 2017 Paphos, Cyprus ......... ? no shuttle. About 10 minutes walk to shops etc April 2022 Palma de Mallorca......Free shuttle to town (cathedral) Paris - see Le Havre Patmos........................Dock in town - no shuttle needed .... update 2020 Perth see Fremantle Phillip Is Vic Aus.........long tender ride in, shuttle to beach /boardwalk, limited car hire/taxis....Dec 2019 Phuket, Thailand........no shuttle Jan 2019 Picton NZ ..................Dock at town so no shuttle Piraeus (Port for Athens)...Shuttle to outside port in Piraeus, need tour to Athens (2022) Pisco ....................... Free shuttle to town Pointe Seraphine..... Walking distance (500 metres) or harbour water taxi to main area town..April 2023 Port Arthur Tas Aus . Tender in to PA Penal Settlement - (no real town so a guess) no shuttle needed updated 2022 Port Elizabeth, South Africa....Free shuttle from pier to the Boardwalk Jan 2019 Port Klang................... Shuttle to Bukit Tinggi Mall. Break from 11:45 - 1:30. Jan 19 Port Stanley (Falklands) Dock visitors center - 10 min. walk through town.....April 2023 Porto - see Oporto Portofino ................... No need for shuttle Puerto Limon............. No shuttle, tours by the local taxis & shops on the pier, walk to town Mar 2019 Portland UK ...............Free shuttle to town Praislin .............. ........No shuttle . Jan 2019 Puerto Arenas.............Shuttle to Handicraft Market....April 2023 Puntarenas Costa Rica no shuttle ride only to port gates Puerto Chacabuco......Tender then shuttle to get out of port...April 2023 Puerto Chiapas Mex....$10 RT shuttle or $60 RT for 45 min. drive to town (post 647)...April 2023 Puerto Limon...............No shuttle, tours by local taxis & shops on pier, walk to town.....March 2019 Puerto Montt Chile.......Tender to tours & taxis, suggest early tender (post 647) .. 2023 Puerto Princesa............No info on shuttle; we took excursion so not sure of other options (Feb 2024) Punta del Este.............Tender docks right in centre of town........April 2023 Quetzal, Guatemala.....No shuttle, many tour operators, small souvenir shops... 2023 Recife, Brazil................Shuttle to terminal where many tours/taxis available....April 2023 Reykjavik, Iceland........Shuttle to Harpa Conference Center, even on disembarkation day...July 2023 Rhodes ........................Dock in town. no shuttle - longish walk to port gates. .April 2022 Roatan ........................No shuttle, Oceania docks in Coxen Hole, many port shops etc Mar 2019; can also dock at Mahogany Bay resort port Richards Bay............... Free shuttle from pier to Boardwalk Mall. (Jan 2019) Riga.............................?no shuttle; easy walk to HoHo bus/Rifleman Statue Rio ...............................?? Free shuttle to town. Terminal with tours & taxis outside....update 2023 Rome ..........................(see Civitavecchia) Ronne, Denmark........Free Shuttle to St. Nicolai Church.......September 2023 Rotterdam...................Free shuttle to Markethal, Rotterdam ....September 2023 Safaga ,Egypt .............Shuttle to downtown Saint John NB .............Dock at town so no shuttle Salalah, Oman ............shuttle to the Souk Salaverry......................shuttle to Trujillo/or shuttle to port gate - private tours. Tours in Trujillo Mar 2019 Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.....Walk off ship, tours & taxis at terminal....April 2023 San Antonio de Chile.....Shuttle out of port, then 10 min. walk to town (huge market) post 647 Apr 2023 San Sebastion de la Gomera ...........None needed ........ update 2020 Santa Cruz De Teneriffe ........Shuttle to terminal ....................update 2019 Santander SP docked along waterfront Almirante Quay near Botin Center Apr 2023, no shuttle needed Santiago de Compostela SP - see Vilagarcia Santo Tomas, ...............no shuttle, tours in the terminal, walk into town Mar 2019 Sao Tome & Principe....Tender, shuttle to main square, taxis available....Apr 2023 Santos ..........................Free shuttle to town - San Paulo (1hour drive). ? 2017 Seward .........................Loop shuttle ARR station and around town - July 2023 Shimizu.........................Free shuttle all day......update July 2023 Sihanoukville................Short port shuttle to gate (no walking) & shuttle to Psar Lu market Feb. 2024 Singapore.................... Embark/disembark day, so no shuttle. But taxis/public transport nearby. Note are 2 cruise ports; Riviera Jan. 2024 was assigned to Singapore Cruise Center near Sentosa Island Skagan Denmark..........free shuttle to town Sorrento .......................Free shuttle to town Split ..............................Dock at town so no shuttle Stavanger ....................dock in town July 2018 Storoway, Scotland....Tender port. August 2023 St Barts ....................... tender to town..no shuttle St. Lucia ..................... Castries: Dock at town so no shuttle. Pointe Seraphine: ........walking (500 metres) or harbour water taxi to main area town. St Malo ........................Dock at town so no shuttle St Jean De Luz ...........Dock at town so no shuttle St Petersburg ..............Need to book a tour - either O or private for required visa Stockholm...................Free shuttle bus to Stromgatan.......September 2023 Sydney N.S. ................Dock at town so no shuttle Sydney Cove/ Circular Quay Aus ......Free shuttle to Darling Harbour centre ..... 2018 Sydney White Bay (Aus) ...turnaround day . no shuttles, taxis available ..... Dec 2019 Tallinn, Estonia..........Free shuttle to reach Mere Boulevard ...September 2023 Tauranga /Rotorua......Believe was shuttle to Tauranga city center; Rotorua requires excursion or transport ..............Dec 2019 Tokyo........................Free shuttle (July 2023) Trapani, Sicily ..........No shuttle; docked very near downtown June 2022 Ushuaia....................Shuttle to town (also walkable) see post 647.............April 2023 Valencia .................. Free shuttle to town Valletta .....................Dock below town. Take elevator return for €1-€2. April 2022 Venice ......................Free shuttle to town (may be outdated; ships not allowed in city May 2023, but may be possible to dock in nearby Fusina, Maghera now or soon?) Vilagarcia (port for Santiago de Compostela) Port authority provided free shuttle Apr 2023 to tourist info center downtown at O Cavadelo (closed at 9 AM). Local buses & cab stand nearby but not much open/few people around. I took cab to train, train to Santiago, walked back to shuttle, shuttle to ship. Walvis Bay, Namibia..Shuttle to Dune Mall (shopping).......April 2023 Warnemunde, Germany.....Short walk to town & train for Rostock & Berlin September 2023 Wellington NZ..............Free shuttle to several places city centre ...... Dec 2019 Zakynthos, Greece .....Tender port, no shuttle, smallish island. Walk to small town - 2022 Zanzibar.......................Free shuttle from pier to Kelele Square (Jan 2019) Zeebruge (for Bruges)..Shuttle to port gates ... Aug 2017 Zihuatanejo.Mexico......Easy walk off pier & you are in town...............April 2023 (Updated Feb. 2024 with info on SE Asia ports.)

I'm back from my cruise which included Brunei. I found it a bit challenging in terms of transportation, but we used the Dart ride service and that worked well. If anyone's interested I'll post more information a little later on what was at the port, in Bandar (main city), things to be aware of, etc. I loved my day there, and was glad I made the effort to get there and explore it. If nothing else, it's certainly an interesting place.

I never book a flight anywhere before 4 hours after the itinerary disembark time, as there is usually some uncertainty as to whether the weather, port and immigration officials and traffic will cooperate well or not so well. But I'm a cautious person, so other people may tell you 3 hours is enough. Also, I've only embarked in Singapore (last month, from cruise terminal near Sentosa Island), so I'm not sure whether that's an easy or not easy port in which to disembark. But I'd definitely consider what time your ship (at this, likely, early point) is scheduled to dock in Singapore. And I might determine which cruise terminal your ship is currently assigned to use (there are two, though both are convenient). Singapore is great because taxis are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. I assume there will be plenty at the dock. Others might be able to give you more specific information. But I wouldn't book a flight that early. And Singapore is fabulous, so I'd try to find a way to at least get a half day tour before leaving.

If you're looking for info on Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), I posted something to a thread called "Saigon" that was started by someone (apparently) called Marsha. Riviera docked at the Tan Cang Hiep Phuoc dock, a container port on the river. There was a shuttle to center city (district 1 of HCMC). I'll try to update the list for shuttles availability in the next few days. (This cruise was from Singapore to Bangkok).

I love the small ships. But this year, Riviera had a wonderful itinerary, so off I went. We made it to all ports, which made me quite happy. Seas were rough from Singapore to Brunei, though. The Sultan there controls a lot, but apparently his reach outside the country is limited.

Hi. I was on Riviera in Hiep Phuoc Feb. 7. The port name is Tan Cang Hiep Phuoc. You can see it on Google, south of HCMC, on the Soi Rap River (I think?). Buses for tours were maybe 1-2 minute walk from ship. Some vendors were setting up outside when we got in early; more came later. They were there at night with some decent, fun souvenirs. I don't remember a local greeting like the ones we got in Borneo and the Philippines ports. A short port shuttle was required for everyone not taking a ship excursion -- bus was kind of hidden and not as well marked as those in some ports I've visited, so make sure you get on the right one if you're going to the port entrance to meet a non-Oceania vendor. The trip to the port entrance was fast, with no waiting, at least for us. The other shuttle buses took people to the Ben Thanh Market in center city HCMC (I think near Opera House in District 1, a great location for exploration). It was reported as leaving every half hour the first day from noon to 10 PM. (We were scheduled to arrive 11:30 the first day. We actually were tied up and cleared a bit earlier than projected, but I don't know if any of the shuttles left early.) The ride was reported as taking up to an hour, though with the madness of Tet, I imagine it took at least an hour. On the second day, I got off the ship and met a pre-arranged driver to take me to a floating temple up north. Then we came back to the city for a short while and then he took me back to the port. I saw the market, but didn't really pay much attention. But I'd suggest making sure you know exactly where to find the shuttle coming back (same place it drops?) And check to see if they run all day without a long lunch break, as there was a somewhat confusing note in the daily Currents paper about no service 1-3 PM. In a city of 9 million during Tet, the market (and whole city) was really hopping. There were some, but not many, taxi drivers outside the port. They didn't speak much English, so if you're not taking the shuttle, be prepared with written info on where you want to go, and what you're prepared to pay. And be aware that Saigon traffic is horrendous, so take patience with you on the ride. As for Nha Trang (Nha Trang Port, Vietnam) first we tendered - a crowded but efficient 10-15 minute ride. I think some smaller ships dock there, but Riviera is one of O's large ships, and she was assigned to anchor. Everyone tendered to a place where many taxi drivers (some with tours) congregated, outside a couple small coffee shops. You could apparently then take a shuttle to the TTC Hotel but I didn't look to see where that was. Shuttles ran every half hour. If you're meeting a vendor, I'd make sure the person uses a sign board, as it's a very busy, crowded place. And in Hue (Chan May port) you'll likely have a shuttle to Lang Co Beach Resort. Lang Co lagoon is a beautiful place, but I imagine many people will find this shuttle very limiting. I personally would take an excursion (ship or non-ship). You'll spend time on a coach, but at least have an enlightening, fulfilling experience. Oceania had a lot of good excursions. One advantage of taking an O tour was that in this port, the tour buses were a lot closer to the ship than where people had to go to meet non-ship excursions. 800 meter walks in SE Asia heat aren't fun. We did it for a TourwithXuan excursion, but be forewarned that the walk to the meeting place was long and sunny. I don't know if any vendors are allowed to actually come into the port, so clarify that if you're not up for a sweaty walk. We loved Hoi An, and the countryside ride was scenic (maybe an hour? I forget). I don't remember if there were any taxis outside the port, but probably there were a few. And some roaming cattle too. Hope this helps prepared you for what you'll encounter. But keep in mind that any of it could be different for YOUR cruise, especially since this was Riviera's first trip to Asia, and things seemed a little fluid. And it was during Tet, which is a huge (and long lasting) celebration. Happy year of the dragon!

I didn't ask or try, but I think the answer is yes. But I think you have to ask your room steward to unlock them.

Ignore. Ended up with 2 posts.

Hi. W