Duane T
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Posts posted by Duane T
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Just starting our plans for 2015 or 2016.
Want to do South America in either December or January. Have spent time in various countries there, so we have the land time figured out. Want to do the Horn passage. Looking for inputs on the sea states and sea passage that time of year. Eastbound or westbound for calmer seas?
Thank you!
We sailed around Cape Horn this past December going from the Pacific to the Atlantic. We had calm seas during the passage around Cape Horn but as soon as we crossed over into the Atlantic, we got some snow.
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We will be renting a car for the day on disembarkation day since we have a very late flight home. Do you know what road/route Punchbowl Crater is on or are there brochures in Honolulu that are available with info on sites that we can drive to?
Yes. There should be a few kiosks with pamphlets and maps on the pier. But a better option is just use your google map app on your smartphone.
I live here in Honolulu and we go to Punchbowl 4 times a year. Regarding traffic, you should be aware that Honolulu consistently ranks as having the worst traffic in the US. If you have a late flight out, you may be able to avoid rush hour traffic, but the main freeways are being closed or have reduced traffic lanes for repairs or road improvements.
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If you're referring about the walk once you go past the entrance gate, you first have a short 100 yard hike slight downhill incline to a viewing area where most people take the "National Geographic" photo of Machu Picchu. Then you are walking through the ruins itself up steps and then down depending on where you want to go. I lost about 5 pounds.
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Silly main-lander that I am, I keep thinking Waikiki and Honolulu are different cities. :-)
The thrifty is only 3 miles from the dock, if I can't catch a cab I can walk. Many thanks!
I live here in Honolulu.
The city bus line stops right in front of Aloha Tower that can take you to the airport to get a rental.
You can also get a cab... Faster. The Cab (808) 422-2222 is one I always use.
You are really taking a chance that you can do this all in an 8 hour span. Honolulu has the worst traffic in the US and Sundays are relatively better than a weekday, but you can get delayed.
If you're ships' next port of call is a neighbor island (Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii Island), you can take one of the many commuter flights if you miss you boat..
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Thanks very much for taking time to reply. Good to know that things are " ship shape" on this cruise ship! As we are celebrating our Golden Wedding and my 70th birthday, we are very keen to make the right choice. Any cabin suggestions? Wud like balcony but may have to compromise with an outside. Thanks again
We had a balcony on the port side which was really great when we went around Cape Horn...great front row seat from our Aloha deck balcony. You have to dress for all 4 seasons since you have cool weather that turns hot around the equator. Then it gets cold as you head south around Cape Horn (we had snow). Then it got hot heading up to Buenos Aires and Rio (105 degrees).
You'll have fun!
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Hi there. We are looking at the LA to Rio cruise on the Golden Princess. Only sailed once on Princess, the old Regal. It was a bit disappointing and tired, decor wise and entertainment not the best. I read somewhere that the Golden was being refurb end a tad in early 2014, anyone heard anything about that? If anyone has sailed recently on this ship I would be very grateful for thoughts and info. Many thanks.
We were on the Golden in Dec/Jan on the South American cruise that you are looking at. The ship was in fine physical shape. We had only one issue on a night of rough seas when our room made a lot of creaking noises.
You'll have a great voyage!
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I heard of these rules for sometime, maybe since 2002. They probably need to do some changes but I'm also glad I went 3 months ago.
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Are you midship or aft? Midship probably has but not all aft locations have coverage.
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Timely post. Thanks.
We were planning on sailing on her to go to Aqaba (Petra), Jordon. Now we'll look at other options.
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As you can see I am from the other side of the world (from USA). Am considering South American cruise on Golden Princess either commencing in LA early December 2014 or commencing in Buenos Aires late February 2015. Will probably also do a few days pre and post cruise. Which would you say is best weather-wise and for seeing penguins/sight-seeing generally? Thanks.:)
There's a lot of threads on this so you can also do a search and see tons of comments. We were on the Golden this past December/January. The weather was as expected. It was Warm/Hot in the tropics and Cold/Snow the closer you got to the southern tip of Cape Horn.
We only had one rough sea day leaving Santiago Chile and the rest of the time had calm seas.
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Thanks Cruisin Chick. I've always wanted to try Zumba. Maybe I'll give that one a try on this cruise. I can drag hubby with me for a good laugh! QUOTE]
My wife asked me to go the Zumba class starting on the 2nd day on the Golden last month. It was hard but a lot of fun. I think I sweated more on those classes than I did climbing the steps around Machu Picchu Peru. Go a little early as a lot of Zumba participants were moving chairs/tables to make room in the Vista lounge since the stage filled up fast.
I'm pretty sure I lost 5 lbs from Zumba alone and my cholesterol and glucose levels dropped to "good" levels after these classes.
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I've been looking into this too. DW is concerned about the kids having sign out privileges from the kids club and then not knowing where they are. I've read a lot of reviews saying that the about of steel in the ship limits the range of the radios significantly. I am trying to convince DW to let the kids have fun and to trust them (they are good kids). I'm still working on her to change her mind before I make the purchase.
Most reviews I have read on Amazon and most say that after a day or two, the reception issue is more trouble than it is worth and the radios are abandoned in the cabin.
I saw a few people using these on the ship. The 2-ways work ok but you may get interference when transmitting on a channel used by others or get limited signal depending on where your spouse/partner/friend is at. I thought it would come in handy in the Atrium of some of these ships when your spouse/friend is shopping.
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Wow! I never knew. That explains the customs' query. Thanks.
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I noticed the comment about the future of Century. I have a reservation on Century from Singapore to Dubai on March 2015. I noticed that Century's sailings aren't shown beyond April, 2015. Now I know why.
I'd like to hear your opinion on the quality of the dining and buffet on your cruise.
Thanks.
Duane
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DuanT
Llama and guinea pig? Hubby had kangaroo in Australia so he would definitely try the local meats. Thanks for the tips and what to eat.
Our good friend planned the entire itinerary for our upcoming MP and Galapagos trip in May. We head to Cusco first and were wondering if we should take some altitude pills beforehand. Coca Tea seems to be a local remedy but not sure if it makes sense to get sick first.
I didn't get altitude sickness myself, but I tried some of the local remedies anyway just to see what they tasted like including the Coca Tea. They will offer it all over the place (it was free in our hotel lobby) and it was on sale everywhere. The only odd thing related to the topic of Coca Tea is that when we returned to the US, the Los Angeles airport customs officer saw we had flown in from South America and asked if we brought back Coca Leaves. We didn't bring back any food or agricultural products but I thought it was odd he asked so I asked why, and he said they were illegal to be brought into the US. So drink all the Coca Tea you desire in Peru...just be aware it seems to be an item customs is on the lookout for. Of all the illegal stuff I thought he could ask, I thought it was odd he mentioned Coca Tea leaves as being prohibited for transport back to the US.
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We are booked to stay at the Sheraton Rio in March through Regent's hotel program and are most concerned about recent comments. Who wants to start a luxury cruise with a bad hotel experience? I noted that several others have mentioned similar concerns tucked into another thread.
I am going to try to prompt some action before the poor experience starts. If someone can post the proper email I will try and contact Regent about my concerns . Hopefully if they read this post they may initiate some correction like a different hotel as the Sheraton Rio does not appear to warrant Regent's business .
Please, someone post the email I need. Thanks in advance.
It might be a little late to add this in, but we were in Rio last month at the Windsor Atlantica and Regent Seven Seas also had their own passenger tour desk/hotel guests there. The Windsor Atlantica was an a great hotel right across the beach on Copacabana. We got lucky and got a great room up on the 34 th floor.
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We are in the initial stages of planning a trip to Machu Picchu and are wondering which month is the best to visit weather and crowd wise. We may also combine this holiday with a cruise in the Galapagos but we understand that there is really no bad time to do this!
Thanks in advance for any insight from those of you who have completed this holiday.
Jan
You can google it! But by best time based on crowds and weather is sometimes more luck than anything else. We were on a cruise tour to Machu Picchu this December. There were crowds at the entrance to Machu Picchu but as you walked further in the crowds thinned out. The weather was perfect for us, not too hot or too cold. We had partly cloudy skies so the sun didn't really play a factor. But I've read that recently the trip to Machu Picchu was made more challenging when a landslide hit the switchback road that goes up from the main town (Aguas Calientes). So unless you've already planned to hike to Machu Picchu, you would have to take into account taking quite a few more steps. Also, now the rain seems be coming down so the paths might be more damp and the river swollen.
You can also do a search on this board and a couple of other boards (like the Princess board) and you can pull up a lot of great updates as well. I also used Youtube and Tripadvisor/Virtual Tourist websites to get both written and video logs of past trips during different times of the year.
Good luck...I'm sure you'll have a very memorable trip!
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Princess is a family friendly cruise line so children are always welcomed.
When booking a longer cruise when schools are in session there will be very few children.
LuLu
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Very True. On our Crown Princess cruise in early May, there were less than 15 kids under the age of 16. We saw only 3 since they were with the family group across the hall (in an inside cabin).
But this last cruise over the Christmas/New Year holidays on the Golden Princess, there were visibly more kids in the Dining Rooms and Princess Theaters. But they had programs to keep them busy during At Sea days.
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Last December on the Golden' date=' we couldn't stand waiting for the elevator by the starboard exit of the Princess Theater, the odor was so strong. So maybe it depends on how much smoking is going on each night in the casino.[/quote']
We were on the Golden in December as well and noticed the strong cigar/cig smell. It's not only the Casino, on Deck 7 entrance to the Princess Theater, but smoke seeps through the Smoking Lounge doors on Deck 6 by the Ladies Restroom outside the Princess. I prefer the layout on the Diamond Princess or at least the airflow on the Diamond much better than the older Golden Princess class of ships.
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"How much time you really spent at the site and if you needed more.
Is it very strenuous?"
I should mention even though we spent 3 days acclimating to the altitude, there were a number of people who had varying degrees of nausea. The Lima Tour guides came equipped with different local remedies which seemed to help those who felt dizzy. Bring bottle water.
We had one gal who had to lay down on a flat stone "bench" up in Machu Picchu because she was dizzy. The guide mentioned that "bench" was probably an alter for sacrifices...so don't assume any stone bench up are for tourists to just sit down on.
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We took the Princess Cruisetour to Machu Picchu. It was pricey but here's what you got. Also, you can do a search on Machu Picchu on this South America Board and the Princess Cruise board and you'll pull up a lot of information.
Day 1,2,3 - We arrived in Lima Peru and stayed in the Miraflores district of Lima. We used a local company called Lima Tours. For our large group of 66 people, we had 2 full time Tour Managers assigned to us and there were normally 3 or 4 additional local guides that took us to all the attractions. Lima Tour reps picked us up at the airport and took us to the hotel along the shore route which helped us later since we went to the Larcomar seaside shopping mall (actually on the cliffs) where we had a sunset dinner.
Miraflores district is as real tourist area so the good is that there seems to have been a lot of Miraflores district security on almost all the street corners in addition to police. The whole area caters to tourist so there are a lot of hotels, malls, department stores, restaurants, crafts, and nightlife. We used a local company called Lima Tours. For our large group of 66 people, we had 2 full time Tour Managers assigned to us and there were normally 3 or 4 additional local guides that took us to all the attractions. We went on a Lima City Tour.
Your paying for the personalized service with Lima Tours and they made sure we had all of our reservations for hotels, trainrides, attractions, restaurants and acted as interpreters when needed, helped with lost documents, cameras, bags, etc. A few guides told me they do small groups and Inca Trail hikes (3-5 day journeys) but I can't say how good those tours are. But I found a lot of videos on Youtube and reviews on Tripadvisor where you can get additional information.
We flew up to Cusco and were bused to the Sacred Valley where we stayed at a really luxury hotel in Urubamba. For the next 2 days, we used this spot to to acclimate to the altitude and visit Inca cultural sites in Chinceros, Saqsawayan, and Ollantaytambo. We tried all the local cuisine including guinea pig, Llama, goats, chicken, beef, potatoes (drink only hot drinks, bottle water, stay away from any drink with ice). The excursions from here included sites at 12,000 feet elevation so it was a good way to help acclimate to the altitude.
The airlines (LAN) have a 50 lb weight limitation for suitcases so you may be charged for anything over 55 lbs. We only took an overnight backpack or tote on our trainride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. The rest of our luggage was sent to our Cusco hotel. The Aguas Calientes hotel (Sumaq Machu Picchu) met our group and took our carry on bags and we caught shuttle buses up the switchback road up to Machu Picchu. We spent most of the afternoon and then caught the shuttle back down. We also went up the next morning. I researched the Santuary Lodge since we had planned to stay there but after seeing it, I'm glad we stayed at the Aguas Calientes hotel instead...much more to see, shop, and eat there...all within walking distance since it's a relatively small town.
We spent a week in Peru and it went by fast. The best Inca/Peruvian crafts were in the Sacred Valley at the Pisac Market which is actually a lot of individual shops but a source for a lot of local crafts that you'll find in Lima and Cusco.
I'll stop now and again reference the other board threads that you can search on and get a lot of good tips.
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That was my whole point (I'm thinking perhaps you didn't read all the comments?) - it was NOT just the small smoking space (which I have no issue with) - it was the fact that cigar smoke spread all over 1/2 of Deck 9, significant portions of Deck 10 and 11, and even the indoor corridors and stairway forward on Decks 8 and 9. QUITE a different thing than 'one small smoking area'. It's like if I blasted music in my cabin at 3 a.m. "Well, I'm only making noise in one small room! (And I find people who like music are in general nicer and more fun!" (:rolleyes: <--sarcasm)) Yes....but the noise can be heard a long way away as well.
Listen, I appreciate that people like a good cigar. But I do NOT appreciate the significant, and unexpected (given the smoking restrictions on Azamara) area of the ship that had cigar smoke in it, affecting my enjoyment. Azamara promised one thing and delivered another (on this point).
Yes, I loved my cruise! Yes, I will sail Azamara again! But I still think cigars and pipes should be banned if they can't keep the smoke contained. Heck, even mesh curtains around that portion of the deck would probably help!
Did you know if the crew/staff were aware of the smoke in common areas and did they attempt to mitigate the smoke in anyway?
I had an instance on the Equinox where there was an individual who chose to light up a cigar near the main atrium. I asked him not to smoke but I don't think he spoke English (he just smiled). A crewmember walked by and I pointed out the smoker and she immediately walked over and spoke (in Italian I think) to the individual and put out his cigar. Another individual had a lit cigar on the balcony right next to us (possibly the same fellow) on the Equinox. After I asked him to stop smoking and he continued to smoke, I called the front desk. Less than 5 minutes later, I heard the crew knocking on their door and had a conversation (Italian I think) with the occupants. I never noticed them smoking on their balcony for the rest of the cruise.
I know there will always be smoke near the smoking lounge or bar, but if it drifts to the common or non-smoking areas, I expect the crew to address the problem immediately.
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Question: I have also heard to keep cameras/;purses out of sight. However, being tourists we will want to take pics of Lima. So, how to do this?
our local tour manager told us to "blend in". Being tourist, he then suggested the next best thing is to keep your camera's and bags in front of you, not on your back or on your side.
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The best time to visit most places in India is between Oct/Nov and March. April starts to get very hot up north (Delhi/Agra - even Mumbai). May is the hottest month of the year in Mumbai....and up north temps can reach 100F.
Mumbai Magic is good. I've used them in Mumbai and Udaipur just to check them out. They are more expensive than most other tour companies and I've heard that Deepa is less responsive than she used to be (sometimes happens once you establish a good reputation). I really, really like Reality Tours and Travel in Mumbai. I checked them out doing their "Market" tour.
Good Timing info. I beginning to think October/November is a better time to visit and I recall several cruiselines having itineraries during those months.
How far away is the Punchbowl
in Hawaii
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