All That Jazz

I doubt if a cruise ship is ever the only access: but here a few more difficult to otherwise access:

 

Komodo Island, Indonesia (there be dragons here)

Polar Ice Barrier

Archangel, Murmansk, & Solovetsky Islands, Russia - all very remote

Petropavlovsk in the Russian Far East

St. Helena, see Napoleon's last home in exile, Longwood

Svalbard in the high Arctic (guide carries a rifle to protect against polar bears)

Devil's Island, French Guiana (there's no escape)

Falklands, West Point Island - not Stanley, but a remote tip of an island with a steep cliff teeming with rock hopper penguins and albatross

 

Been to each of these places on a cruise ship. (note: West Point Island was on an expedition ship.) Amazing sights to see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's very important to clarify what airlines you are considering. Be very careful of the terminology - the "premium" product varies across airlines, and across aircraft and itinerary. Here is a video of Delta's "Premium Select" from the airport serving Seoul to

Detroit.

 

Just google the specific flights you may be taking and there will be a ton of images and videos on youtube. Is it worth it? It is to the people who puchase those seats. Only you can determine your cost/benefit decision.

There will anecdotal reports of breezing through CDG and anecdotal reports of slogging through CDG and barely making (or missing) the connecting flight. We have experienced both cases. Personally, I wouldn't book less than a two hour connection, even if a shorter time is "legal." 

Windstar - 1492

Nothing better - and my go-to cruise line is Crystal

 

Personally, I would call her back and ask. Go to the source and find out.

Assuming that your world cruise starts in the US, and that you will arrive at the departure port at least one day before boarding, you will have opportunities to shop for many of needed supplies, such as toothpaste, over-the-counter meds, shaving supplies, deodorant, etc. to last for 100+ days. Does Princess pay for extra luggage allowance on your flight for world cruisers? Some lines do. Can't hurt to ask.

 

You will get more and better answers from experienced world cruisers on the dedicated world cruises board. Someone on that board has posted about a Princess world cruise in 2021, and someone else responded with a link to their previous world cruise blog. Some may share their packing lists.

On 11/18/2019 at 1:06 AM, Jayayeff said:

 

Linda,

 

In answer to your questions,:

1.  I really don't know, however I will endeavour to find out and post if I find the answer.  As it's for a piece of medical equipment I'll check with one of the main pharmacies and see if they can provide the answer...

 

2.  As far as I'm aware the food tours are usually conducted in the evenings - it's a bit too hot here for most of the year to do daytime walking tours!!! 😃

Dubai has relaxed many of the previous restrictions that used to be an integral part of Ramadan in the UAE so you may find little change from any other time of year.  Some outdoor licensed venues with live entertainment will be closed but other than that most hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions operate normally these days.    The one restriction we do all keep to is not eating, drinking, smoking, etc. etc. in public during fasting hours, and some smaller f&b outlets (cafes, coffee shop, food trucks, etc.) may stay closed throughout the day, only opening in the evenings.   Shops are open as normal during the daytime so you can purchase bottled water, just be discreet about drinking whilst you are 'out in the open' and don't drink or eat openly when out in public places..  Most hotels and many of the larger restaurants will hold daily Iftar dinner/buffet featuring many traditional dishes on their menus, you may like to try on of those, alternatively some also offer Suhoor, which was traditionally a meal taken before the fast begins but now seems to have morphed into an evening event for those who prefer to break their fast with something light early in the evening and then eat their main meal later in the evening.... Any other special events you should be able to find in Whats On, either online or in a hard copy at your hotel...

 

Anne...

Thank you so much. You are a great asset to this board!

Hello Anne,

 

First, thank you for giving so much of your time and knowledge to this board. I have two questions:

1. Where do we go in Dubai to buy distilled water for a CPAP machine?

2. We will be there during Ramadan. How much of the tourist activities are cancelled?

I'm guessing my walking food tour will be out. Any special evening events to attend or avoid?

Can we purchase bottled water during the day?

 

thanks,

Linda

Someone recently asked this same question about Japan. Perhaps you should find that thread with the helpful responses.

It's a roll of the dice. You can get ANY stateroom that is in the exact category you book - or ANY stateroom in a higher category. Ironically, sometimes the "higher" category can result in a less desirable stateroom and/or location.

 

It's up to you to study the deck plans and categories. If you are not willing to take the least desirable stateroom in your category, then don't book a guarantee. Whether someone has been lucky or unlucky with a guarantee will have zero influence on your stateroom assignment.

 

Port or starboard? Usually not a significant difference. On some crossings it can be a choice between morning sun or afternoon sun.

Recently we went to a meet/greet with about 270 participants. The gift exchange table was at the front of the venue with maybe 8 or so gifts lined up on a table. Obviously not much interest.

IMO, it's a harmless activity that attracts a few -- and very easy to ignore.

"If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it."

 

Andrew Denton.

 

 

We've been there four times, and we are not done. However, on our most recent TA cruise, a woman disparaged Antarctica because "there are no cities there." Duh. I resisted the urge to give her a verbal smack down. Some people will never "get" it. It is their loss.

Every airport has an established MCT (minimum connecting time) for all possible combinations of domestic to domestic, domestic to international, international to domestic, and international to international. Factor in which airlines and terminals for additional variables. These times can be found with the KVS tool (paid subscription) for flight information.

 

Airlines will not sell a ticket with a connection that violates the MCT for that particular set of variables. Sounds like Princess cobbled together separate tickets that circumvented the MCT. And didn't much care.

 

There is a wealth of information on the cruise air boards about the risks and benefits of cruise air, EZ air, whatever each cruise line wants to call it. Caveat emptor.

Sign in to your Princess cruise information. Your flights should show up with a locator. A locator does not mean the flights are ticketed, but use the locator (also called confirmation) to access your flight information on the airline website. When you find your flight, look for a receipt. The receipt shows a ticket number. Delta, for example, uses a 13 digit ticket number that always starts with 006.

 

No receipt means you are not yet ticketed.