commodoredave

We just did a Miami to Lisbon crossing with stops in the Azores in March. It was lovely and we would do it again. As they say, it's the only way to cross!

Fletcher posted this on another thread. I think it sounds like an amazing itinerary and would take it if not alread booked on a Japan cruise at the time. "Silversea has a rather astonishing trip in April 2024 - a full expedition voyage on the Amazon, across the Atlantic, then Sierra Leone, the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau, then Gambia and ending in Dakar, Senegal. This is probably a one-off, never to be repeated trip. I would love to be aboard but I'll be in French Polynesia at that time. Putin willing." https://www.silversea.com/destinations/south-america-cruise/manaus-to-dakar-wi240414021.html

Who ever hears any updated news, please post it here so we can all benefit. Many thanks.

According to a variety of sources, effective October 1, 2023, Brazil will require nationals of the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia to obtain a visa prior to entering the country for tourism, business, and other purposes. The announcement reverses a visa waiver policy that had been in place since 2019 with the goal of promoting tourism. If you are taking a cruise that begins or ends in Brazil starting October 1, this means you apparently will need a visa. However, the online platform that will allow visitors to apply for these new Visas does not yet appear to be operational. Our cruise departs Barbados October 10 and arrives in Manaus on October 24. Anyone in a similar situation, and if so, do you have any advice?

Agree. Is it possible to get a credit back from SS for the value of the Blacklane transfers? I would imagine there are many people like me who have been using the same chauffeur company for many years and would like to stay with them.

We were on a trans- Atlantic and lots of people were using their second transfer in Lisbon. Transfers have a date limit, so sometimes it’s the only way it will work. Our friends also used Blacklane in London.

Yes, I’m the new Vice-President in charge of transfer happiness.

Very helpful. Thanks. We are also foodies and love trying good quality restaurants with a nice atmosphere where locals like to eat.

I received an email blast from Blacklane this week boasting about their great service. However, when I clicked through to the Blacklane reviews on TrustPilot (link below), the ratings were only 3.3 our of 5, and 20% of them were 2 stars or less. The main criticisms revolved around last-minute cancellations by Blacklane, drivers who refused to pick up passengers because they claimed they had too much luggage, or the plane was late and the driver wouldn't wait. Also some comments about extra fees and surcharges. Apparently, many of the Blacklane drivers are contractors, and they are not as reliable as companies with their own cars and drivers. When I used them my only criticism was that the Blacklane online booking system would automatically change the time I booked in Lisbon time back to Toronto time, meaning my car would be turning up 6 hours earlier than I wanted. So I had to book for six hours later than I wanted local time, and the system changed it to want I wanted. Several people on our cruise waiting at the Lisbon cruise terminal found this out the hard way. Anyone with a good or bad experience with Blacklane? Blacklane Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.blacklane.com (trustpilot.com)

We enjoy architecture and history, so usually find ourselves walking around old sections of a city, sometimes with a guide. We also enjoy museums, particularly ones that showcase local culture and history. Thanks.

I always compare the cost of a cruise line's air and upgrades, versus what I can arrange on my own. Our next SS cruise is to Japan next April and I was able to arrange a much better deal flying through Chicago and onwards to Tokyo with points on JAL than the CDN$10,000 per person it would have cost with SS. Same with our cruise in October with Seabourn from Barbados to Manaus. The last time I found a better air deal from a cruise line was in 2011 with Regent to Australia. How do I have so many airline points? I put every expense I can on my credit cards that are affiliated with either Star Alliance or One World. I also buy points when they are on sale with a bonus of 75% to 100% more points, making them very cost effective. How do my points go so far? I arbitrage different airlines point schedules and look for bargains and special offers. Most of this I learned from reading articles on different websites like the Points Guy. I know that most people don't want to put this much effort into finding less expensive flights that what cruise lines offer, but those that do may save enough money to pay for another cruise or two!

Thanks for the very kind offer. I would love to see your write-up of your Tokyo experience.

I understand. Been cruising since 1980 and have experienced the ups and downs of some cruise lines. I used to love Regent -- sailed with them more than any other cruise line -- but haven't been back in several years due to a couple of disappointments without satisfactory resolution (and they always seem more expensive than SS for similar itinerary). Went off both SS and Seabourn for a stretch, but have been back enjoying both for some time.

I initially missed it, but Seabourn has added a call to Alter do Chao in place of Santarem. An upgrade or downgrade?

We will be arriving 3 days before the cruise departs, so a land trip to Kyoto would work well. And we were already planning for another 3 days in Tokyo at the end of the cruise. Thanks for the great advice.

Just got notice this morning that the October 10 sailing of the Pursuit has dropped Santarem as a port of call on its Amazon itinerary. This latest change is one of several made since we booked the cruise, including the loss of Georgetown (Guyana). For those who know the Amazon, my question is whether the loss of Santarem for another Amazon Experience day with Zodiac excursions (we now have 5 Experience days and just one port of call in Parintins along the Amazon River) is a net plus or negative? Your insights would be appreciated. Thanks.

No problem. But I want a 6% commission on the sale of any bridge on this forum!

Hi Saminina. I agree that Silversea ranks higher than Seabourn as a luxury line, but my experience has been that the difference is not that significant. I would be interested to know in what ways you think the difference today is significant. Thanks.

That's exactly what we did on our March trans-Atlantic, and what we are doing on our Japan cruise next April. It would have cost us CDN$10,000 each for business class tickets on a door to door to Tokyo, so we took the $2,000 each air credit and used airmiles for biz class to Tokyo on JAL. Huge savings!!!

Good tips. I will definitely look into a private tour of Kyoto.

Thank you, Drron29, for your advice. This is indeed our first visit to Japan so I have copied and printed off your detailed comments which I know will be very useful in our planning. Looks like we may see you on the same cruise around Japan departing April 3.

Good points. Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestion. We did look at the Azamara itinerary for Japan because it is a very good one, as are many of their itineraries. But having sailed on one of the old R-Class ships before it was bought by Azamara, I'm not sure we would enjoy the ship as the cabins and bathrooms were small, and we didn't like the overall layout. Having said that, our friends who are looking at the Seabourn Japan cruise are sailing with Azamara next February on back to back cruises from Africa to the Canaries. We will await their report before making any final judgements on Azamara.

Thanks for the insight. Any reason why you think the Seabourn itinerary has better ports? The commenter in the Ports (Asia) said he thought the ports on the Silversea itinerary were better as they had more of the major tourist attractions.

We have a booking on the Silver Muse for April of 2024 to sail in Japan (itinerary below). Our friends are looking at a cruise on the Seabourn Quest in April of 2025 for Japan (itinerary below). As we have never been to Japan, I asked in the ports of call section which itinerary looked best to those with knowledge of Japan. I received one response as follows: "The first itinerary (Seabourn Quest) has several small ports that do not have much significance - except that they are the "Real Japan". That is, the Japan that most Japanese people are familiar with. The sight-seeing in those ports will not have the WOW factor that Tokyo, Shimizu, Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki have. The second itinerary (Silver Muse) is more loaded with the classic tourist things that most visitors to Japan want to see and experience." I would appreciate any other insights that people may have about the itineraries, and other factors that might come into play. Having said that, we love both Silversea and Seabourn, and understand the difference between them. Thanks.