Izzywiz

We spent a day at the Aquila safari Lodge in December 2022 as part of a post cruise land tour. We have done Safaris in Kruger and the Masai Mara previously so the Aquila didn’t quite match the scale of our other trips but it was a very good introduction to safaris. The members of the tour group for whom this was their first safari experience were extremely impressed. The site is huge and there are very few fenced areas. The animals that roam wild are mostly rescue animals. Below is an extract from my diary that might prove useful… Aquila Safari Lodge The journey to the Safari lodge from central Cape Town took 2.5 hours through very attractive countryside and we arrived just after 09.00. Aquila Lodge. · The lodge buildings are spread across quite a large area and include a shop, swimming pool, bar, lawns and gardens and several accommodation lodges. · We were offered complementary alcoholic drinks before we went to the restaurant. · We had a buffet breakfast in the restaurant where there were plenty of food choices but it was very crowded and the queue was very long. · After breakfast, our group was taken to a large, open Safari vehicle where there was room for all 16 of us. · Our driver/guide took a set route through the huge reserve and we saw several different animals….zebras, ostriches, water buffaloes, giraffes, lions, rock jumpers, impalas… · Part way through the drive, we stopped at a small lodge where there were complementary drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, plus toilets. · The game drive lasted nearly 3 hours. · We had a buffet lunch and had the opportunity to use the swimming pool and sun loungers before returning to Cape town.

Thank you so much for posting the information and the photographs. We are due to have a day in Jeddah in May 2024 so it is really interesting to read about your experience. I will make a note of the dress code as this is particularly useful a look forward to reading more about Saudi.

I much prefer the 'points' system used by several of the cruise lines on which we have sailed (P&O, Azamara, Oceania, Fred Olsen etc) where point are awarded for winning and sometimes just for participating. The points usually come in the form of a laminated card which you keep and collect. Near the end of the cruise, the points can be exchanged for items of your choice from a list of things with various point values. On our last Azamara cruise I got 4 good quality T-shirts. On other cruises I’ve had drinks bottles, hats, bags, pens, alarm clocks, key rings, lanyards, packs of cards and many others things too.

Thanks again for all the information. You have given me hope that, with a bit of perseverance, we may get my beloved kettle. Favourite tea bags, coffee, spoon and mugs ready for packing, no need for milk and sugar as we drink both black and unsweetened. We are getting excited for our trip ‘down-under’…..it’s been a long time coming!

Thank you for your replies and suggestions. I will be asking for a kettle when I get on board. I did this on a Celebrity cruise in South America and was provided with one so maybe I’ll be lucky. I never find the water brought by room service to be hot enough for a good cuppa and we both have some mobility issues which makes it more difficult to bring items from the buffet or international cafe to the cabin. Looking forward to our visit to your beautiful countries.

We are sailing on Majestic Princess from Auckland on Jan 29th and I have my fingers crossed that we will have a kettle on our cabin. We love our early morning cuppa made with our favourite tea bags and fresh boiling water. I would be grateful if someone could let me know one way or another. I know that cabins have kettles on sailings out of UK and Japanese ports so it would be wonderful to have one on this sailing!!!!!

Thank you……I’ll do it now.

We are sailing on Majestic Princess from Auckland on Jan 29th and I have my fingers crossed that we will have a kettle on our cabin. We love our early morning cuppa made with our favourite tea bags and fresh boiling water. I would be grateful if someone could let me know one way or another. I know that cabins have kettles on sailings out of UK and Japanese ports so it would be wonderful to have one on this sailing!!!!!

We have done 2 ‘Northern Lights’ cruises and these are notes from my diaries that may be of help. Our cruises were in late February so it may be slightly warmer when you go in March. Layers of clothing is definitely the right way to dress when outside. This is a list that I made after our first trip Brought/forgotten - used/not used. Forgotten Highlighter pens Polo shirts Casual, thin day wear for around the ship Brought and used. Thermal vests, long johns, socks. Water/wind proof jacket Fleeces to layer Scarf Neck warmer Thick hat with ear protectors Thermal gloves Silk glove liners Camera tripod Snow/lined waterproof boots Crutch/walking stick ice spike Hand/foot warmer gel pouches Brought and not used Ski goggles Crampon studs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We have visited all of your ports so here is some info that may be useful: Trondheim Port the port is quite industrialised. There isn’t a terminal building It is a 2km walk into the town centre Ship’s tour busses are parked a short walk from the gangway I didn’t see independent tours or taxi tours being offered at the port Trondheim Town There are plenty of shops and food outlets the town centre is quite picturesque with a river bordered by historic, colourfully painted warehouses. The cathedral is attractive and the wooden bridge is almost Chinese in its design. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alta. Alta Port The ship docks at an industrial pier on the outskirts of the town. There isn’t a terminal building Tour busses and shuttle busses are parked about 100m from the gangway. I didn’t see any taxis or independent tours being offered. The town is approximately 3 miles from the port. It is a 15-minute journey and a 5km walk. Alta Town. · The town is small and 'modern' with 60s style architecture. · There is a regular free shuttle service from the ship to the town square. · There is not a lot to see in the town except for the tourist information centre by the bus drop-off point, the cathedral and the shopping mall which is opposite the bus park. · The shopping mall has a food court, a variety of shops and a supermarket. I thought prices were very high. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tromso Port the port is industrial It is situated about 2 miles out of the city centre. There isn’t a terminal building The shuttle busses and ship’s tour busses depart from the bottom of the gangway I didn’t see any taxis or private tour companies but couldn’t see all the parking area so there may have been some. There was a shuttle service into Tromso town centre which was free for us but £10 for those on a saver fare for unlimited journeys. Tromso City the city centre has a wide variety of ships and eating outlets There are walkways along the harbour area. There appeared to be boat trips and sightseeing tours being offered but I’m not sure if they were running while we were there Cable car I had done my research online at home so I knew that it was possible to get a bus from the town centre to the cable car. The Bus stop for bus #26 was quite close to the shuttle bus drop off point. Busses were quite frequent Tickets must be purchases from the ticket machine (Instructions can be accessed in English) by credit card before boarding. Unfortunately, this machine wasn’t working so we bought our tickets at the shop across the road… NOK40pp = £3.30pp Tickets must be validated on the machine on the bus. The journey takes about 20 minutes and the driver will call out when to get off. There is a short walk to the lower station where the ticket office is situated. Tickets are NOK280PP = £20. or NOK220pp = £18 or pensioners Each car holds about 20 passengers At the top there is a cafe, toilets, a viewing platform and access to open space where people were skiing etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bodo Port the port is small and situated close to the town centre. There isn’t a terminal building so tour busses were waiting at the bottom of the gangway. Bodo town the town centre is a short walk from the port. It is a typical modern small Norwegian town with plenty of shops, a harbour and marina, good quality housing and some rugged countryside. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and lastly some Borealis pictures. these were taken on my iphone from the ship's deck I hope tou have a wonderful time