chloe kitty

Thank you for your replies. The reason I want to bring some, is that most ships and restaurants don't carry what I like.

Bell Boy, sorry you had a problem on HAL. They aren't my favorite either. Thanks again.

First time on Cunard. Does Cunard have any restrictions about bringing soft drinks on board?

Thank you

We stayed at Skukuza, very acceptable.

Don't know Berg En Dal or that extreme southern end of the NP, but the camp looks very similar to Skukuza.

If the restaurants overlook a river, watering hole or whatever, get along there early - before 7pm - for the perfect table.

 

Yes the camps are fenced and guarded, perfectly safe to walk around inside or cook a bbq meal outside on your braai.

But outside the camps, only get out of your vehicle in the few authorised places - you could lose a lot of money as well as your life because it's illegal to feed the animals ;p

 

Have a great time

 

JB :)

Again, thank you for your wonderful info. We intend to follow our guides orders as we do not want to be an animals dinner. We will only get out of a vehicle if the guide tells us we can !

We are not people who usually get shots and/or take medications if not absolutely needed, but we are doing a Safari in So. Africa next year, and will do what the CDC recommends which is a Hep A shot, a Thyphoid shot, and Malaria pills. It is not what we want to do, but we will do it. I have read about some Malaria medications causing people to become ill, but many do not.

I'd be inclined to deal direct with a safari lodge.

Booking.com is a good place to start - they give very full information, photos, and genuine independent reviews (only those who booked can review) for each lodge - but there are doubtless specialist agencies.

Also consider flying from Jo'burg to the nearest airport such as Eastgate (aka Hoedspruit) or Kruger/Mpumalanga, which avoids a 4 to 5 hour drive from Jo'burg. Transfers from local airports are usually included in safari prices.

 

Just from limited personal experiences, Klasserie private reserve gave us very disappointing sightings whereas Sabi Sands private reserve gave my other half and daughter more and better sightings than one could hope for. I think that's down to the topography, or mebbe just a matter of luck

It seems to us that the higher prices are on reserves where there is abundant game, though you are treated royally at all.

Do be sat down when you check prices, they're eye-watering. But they include at least two game drives per day, all food and sometimes drink.

 

Whether at a private safari lodge or a NP rest-camp you can't go out in the dark, unless in a private lodge on a jeep night-drive. This is in order to avoid affecting the diet of the lions ;)

 

If you are happy to rent a car, do consider just the Nat Park itself and stay in a bungalow in one (or more) of the rest camps or at independent lodgings outside the NP near one of the gates.. That's massively cheaper than the private reserves, and we had great sightings in just a day and a half.

Downsides are that you're on your own, though just like Yellowstone you can be lazy and just watch for knots of other visitors' cars at the side of the road/track or you can book a shared safari jeep. And you're not allowed to leave the designated roads & tracks and plough off into the undergrowth, either in your own car (you wouldn't want to) or in the safari jeeps.

The accommodation at the rest camps is quirky but pleasant and there are plenty of facilities like restaurants, pools, etc. or you can self-cater. Gates to the NP are closed at (6?) pm & day visitors have to be out by then, gates to the rest camps close at (6.30?) pm and residents have to be back in by then. Gates re-open around 5am.

 

IMHO 3 days (first afternoon, 2 full days, last morning) is plenty.

If you choose to drive and flight timings allow, you can rent a car at Jo'burg (O.R.Tambo) airport, head to Pilgrims Rest & Blayde River Canyon and an overnite at Graskop, leaving just an hour's drive to the NP gates next morning.

 

Lots of permutations, lots of different folks' opinions which is best.

 

JB :)

John,

Thank you for all the wonderful info. We seem to have settled on a Safari company highly rated on Trip Advisor. The tour normally uses Skukuza, but a large hotel is being built there, so it seems that almost all of the companies offering 4 day Safari's are now using Berg En Dal rest camp. Accommodations seem to be OK. I will remember not to become a Lion's dinner! Apparently they camp is fenced in to keep out most of the larger animals.

Thanks again for all your great info.

All info provided is great. We have decided to do a 4 day Safari out of Johannesburg to Kruger. Now, we just have to decide on the company (and that is not easy).

Thanks everyone.

Thank you!!!! Never expected so much great info, and pictures.

Just need a little info. Would someone who has been on the QM2, please advise me about the enclosed balcony cabins? Never heard of this before.

Thank you

Thank you for all the help. Now we must decide.

We are planning to book a cruise which originates in Capetown and goes to Port Elizabeth. There is a pre cruise tour which only has one day of Safari. There is a tour in Capetown that has two days Safari and you meet the ship in Port Elizabeth. Finally, there are one day Safari's out of Port Elizabeth. Does anyone have any info on any of these choices? Any suggestions?

Thank you for any help.

We are thinking of booking a cruise out of Cape Town next year. The options are to take a one day safari out of Port Elizabeth, or a three day from Cape Town and end in Port Elizabeth. We are more of a 4 or 5 star hotel type, not campers.. Do you think the accommodations would be comfortable? Do you think we would be able to see enough on a one day tour? We are particularly interested in the Big Cats.

Thank you for all your help.

Appreciate these nice follow-ups and these excellent posts. Below is a connection for the live/blog from our March experiences in doing this fun "adventure" through the Panama Canal. This includes our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great San Francisco. Very special and interesting in seeing the Panama Canal and learning about its creation/construction.

 

Getting ready in six days to be departing for Lisbon and our first visit to Portugal. Then, we will be seeing NW Spain, Bordeaux and Brittany also for the first times in these charming regions. Will do a live/blog for these "adventures". Join in and feel free to ask any questions as we sail. It will be on the Silversea Cruise Critic board.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

Was this the Island Princess? We were on it too. Great cruise.

For some strange reason P&O loyalty members can be used on Princess..?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

RCCL and Celebrity are also honored on each other. Oh well, I was hoping!

Thank you

We are considering a Cunard cruise for next year. We have only taken Princess (Elite), Celebrity (Elite), and RCCL (Diamond). Since Princess and Cunard are both part of Carnival Cruises, do they honor any level reached on the other line?

Thank you.

Do you just want to go to Quincy Market or are you interested in downtown shopping (Macy's) or perhaps Newbury St shopping (http://www.newbury-st.com/) or Prudential Center shopping in Back Bay (http://www.prudentialcenter.com/shop_category.html)?

 

You can take the Silver Line Bus which stops on Black Falcon Ave near the cruise terminal to get to South Station to free transfer to the T subway to get to any of these destinations.

 

If the weather is bad, the Pru Center and Copley Place are connected indoor shopping venues.

Thank you. We will probably want to see the downtown area. Are any of the downtown malls very large? Do you know if TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Steinmart are in the downtown area?

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Anyone have suggestions as to what to do in Portland. Is the cruise port near downtown?

Thank you

We will be in Boston on a Saturday stop. We have been to Boston before, so don't know exactly what we want to do, but Quincy Market is always nice. Would also like to do a little shopping. We don't mind public transportation. How do we go from the cruise dock to the downtown area? Is the transportation close to the dock? Any help is appreciated.

Thank you

We will be in Cochin in June off a Princess ship. I expect some horrible weather. We are taking a half day tour of the area, then we would like to walk and shop. What is the best scenario? What is the worst scenario? If there some shopping near the port?

Thank you

We went to the Tiger Zoo, which is not too far from Pattaya. They also have Elephant rides there. The jury is still out, as the Elephants seemed to be ok, but many of the Tigers seemed to have open wounds. I think these wounds were probably from fighting, and not mishandling, but we really aren't sure.. Also, they have the baby Tiger and Gator holding picture taking there. We are animal lovers, and hate to see any mistreatment. Later in the day, my husband and I walked back to where they take the pictures and suddenly one Tiger escaped and grabbed my husbands leg as if to say, "SAVE ME". What really bothered us is that once they were able to free the Tiger from my husbands leg, they dragged it by it's tail, and put it into a woven container and put the cover on. We felt that was definitely abuse. By the way, Pattaya is an interesting place if you are a single man.

We have been to both cities. I prefer Vladivostok, but the day we were there, it rained so hard that our day was cut short. No Visa was required. We just walked off the ship. That was in May. Petropaviovsk was not that great. We took a ships tour. Next time I would stay on the ship. This port was in July, and the weather was fairly nice.

Just received my passports back from the India Embassy representative. The initial process is a real pain as they ask so many questions and require so much info and photocopies, but it all went well once I completed the app on line. Only took 8 days for mine and a few more for my husband's.

We recently took a ships tour from Puntaranus to San Jose. It was not my favorite tour by far. It is not a town for tourists. Apparently the tour guides are independent contractors. Our guide was Minor. Although his English was very good, he lost control of the group, on purpose. Near the end of our tour, as usual, we stopped at a "Company Sponsored" store. He advised us that we had 45 minutes to look around and shop, then we had to be back on the bus. 45 minutes was plenty of time to shop and purchase items as we did. At 45 minutes, we boarded the bus, where the majority of the passengers had already returned. The bus had 49 passengers, and about 45 we already back on board. We sat and waited for more then 30 more minutes while Minor allowed the remaining passengers to shop and then purchase their items. He just stood there conversing with his buddies. This was very unfair to those of us returning on time, just for the kickback they received from those still shopping. We ended up getting back to the ship 45 minutes late. If someone had early seating, a massage appointment, or a beauty salon appointment, they would have been late. This is a total lack to consideration. I would NEVER recommend Minor as a tour guide. Upon arrival at the ship, I advised him what I thought of the situation. We think that it is only right to tip when your tour was enjoyable, but not in this case.

We will be in Columbia off of a cruise ship. We are taking the ships tour. Do we need local currency, or will US currency be accepted in most places? Thank you

We are taking a cruise which includes Guatemala and Nicaragua. We will be taking ships tours. Do we need to obtain the local currency for these destinations or do they accept US currency?

We are going to be in sjds soon, and are trying to decide on a tour to Managua, or Granada. Is anyone familiar with both these cities, and could advise us which would be the better one to visit.

Thank you