AWorldCruise4Me

I can't answer the question, but while we wait for someone to come along who can, would you be willing to say what overland excursions they are planning to offer?

23 hours ago, Porky55 said:

Hi Smokeyham - just adding a post. I booked our WC on Coral Princess in ‘22 yesterday direct with Princess. But I must admit I do it by phone and I do have a wonderful Princess Cruise Planner who has given me their Ext # and he is the best!! 
 

Porky,

Off topic, but....I am so jealous! We took an almost 3 week cruise on the Coral Princess and I thought it was the perfect ship for a world cruise. The size, amenities, food etc were all perfect (to me) for a long cruise. I hope you have a wonderful time!

My post went poof and then I remembered the board rules which I broke. So I'll try to recreate it.

Very good thoughts from everyone. I will add mine also.

I did a world cruise solo. I used a large reputable TA so as to have someone to contact if I needed help on the trip.

I did a number of independent over lands and had them help with arranging them. Also had them help with trip insurance for them. They handled getting the visa's for the cruise and made sure I had the right ones for the ship and for my independent over lands which were sometimes different because I got off at one port and got on at another which might have been in a different country. They also monitored if the port changed and communicated that to the independent over land tour operator so they could meet me at the right port at the right time. They also monitored the independent overland flights and let me know of any changes while I was in transit. Both the above happened (port change and subsequent flight change to accommodate new port). I didn't know about either until she told me so it wasn't me who initiated the change.

I used to travel alot for business and when things went south with a flight or hotel I would call my large work TA and often get first shot at a route around or a hotel. If I hadn't done that I would have stood in line with everyone else on the flight and waited for the airline to handle it.

When cruising I have had a ship late and the cruise line made hotel reservations for everyone. Or the ship get to the destination late and they helped everyone with their new flights. But for the world cruise I wanted to have the option of a second helpline that was dedicated to me and not having to reroute or handle the entire cruise ship. Having a TA doesn't prevent you from using the ship's accommodations or arrangement but it does give you someone back home to call who can help you get a flight or hotel if you need it and won't be handling calls from everyone on the ship who needs the same service.

The lady I used knew the industry and had the backing of a large travel agency behind her so I felt she could have been a real asset had I needed it. Luckily I didn't but I could have it I had been caught in civil unrest, got hurt or delayed getting back to the ship.

I don't know if this will be helpful because it is dated and not your preferred cruise line. I went on a Princess world cruise as a bucket list item in 2009. I was basically solo, although a neighbor also went solo on the same cruise. We did not share a room.

When I compared cruises it appeared smaller ships seemed to get into more ports that I was interested in so I chose the Tahitian Princess (688 passengers, 30K tons). But they lack amenities and that was ok for 60ish days but by the end of the 107 I really wanted off the ship. I think being solo played a part in this as well as just tiring of what was available on the ship. If I had my husband or a good friend with me I may have been more resilient to spending so much time on the ship. Also if I had booked a balcony cabin that may have helped.

My costs above the basic cruise fare were about $10k for the 39 ports for one person so double this for two. I did a mix of independent excursions through the roll call and some ship tours when deadlines were tight or security was an issue. I did three independent overland tours that I organized and got my neighbor to join and in Egypt folks from the ship that I didn't know. The ones I did were China, Angkor Wat and Egypt. About 4 days off ship for each of them.

I had toyed with doing Machu Picchu or Galapagos but the schedules were too tight for me to comfortably do independent and I would have had to do the ship tour. My rational for skipping them were that I could get back to South American at some point in the future and do a more leisurely tour. But that hasn't happened in 11 years and who knows if it ever will. I also didn't do one to the Taj Mahal in India that the ship offered as it was also really rushed. I highly suggest doing as many off the ship over land tours as you can as the over lands were spectacular. Several people on our cruise mentioned booking the next years cruise with the intent to do more over land tours like I did.

In terms of expenses my $10K per person over the cruise fare is all inclusive of overland tours, ship tours, independent tours, travel insurance for the over lands, internet minutes, laundry, souvenirs, incidentals and everything associated with the cruise except travel to and from. I used miles for the airline flights. I do not drink and only did a couple of spa appts. My guess is the $10K would have doubled if I had done all my tours through the ship.

I did not have a budget for the cruise so didn't really limit my expenses. I felt like I did everything I wanted to. I did save money by booking a guaranteed inside for $14K and was upgraded to an outside. However if I could go back and do it again I would have spent the $35K on the balcony. It would have been well worth it to have the balcony room. I could have afforded it but was just being thrifty for something I didn't think would matter and it turns out it did.

But if I had, it probably would have been a guarantee room vs an assigned room since I booked so late and that could have been disastrous for me if I had gotten a far forward or aft room due to the excessive motion on the ship and my bad back along with my tendency to get motion sickness.

Our first captain seemed to be sailing with out deploying the stabilizers which resulted in excessive motion. When he swapped out with another captain, some time after Australia, all of a sudden the ship became super stable. So my theory was that he was saving fuel by not using the stabilizers. And for me that was a huge issue, even low down and in the middle of the ship. So coulda, shoulda, woulda, could have resulted in a poor trip. But then again maybe I could have scored an assigned room. Who knows.

Despite the above learning's I am really glad to have done the trip. Was the trip of a lifetime and I had a fabulous time. For reference the itinerary is listed below. You can see that we got to some amazing places all in one trip.

One thing I'd like to see changed is how the silverware is done in the main dining room. When we first started cruising it was on Princess and we were disgusted to see the handling of the silverware. They lay it out on the table like you are dining with the Queen of England. Then after each course they pick up the unused silverware and put it back in the box to put out for someone else. I started picking up my unused and putting it on the plate. I also talked to them about this. Eventually we only used the buffet where the silverware was wrapped in napkins. I think this may be the reason the Princess cruises have been so afflicted by this virus. I would see people at other tables handle their silverware and put it back in place like it was unused. Also talking and coughing all over the silverware. Then the crew would remove it if they thought it was unused and put it back in the clean box.

That being said we haven't cruised much in the last 10 years so maybe they had changed this process. But if not then it has to change.

Thanks! The FAQ was very helpful.

Well this is a little concerning:

"Six U.S. states — Alabama, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming — currently have no labs with the verified ability to run COVID-19 diagnostic tests, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday afternoon."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/06/812833596/coronavirus-14-deaths-now-in-u-s-new-cases-in-maryland-colorado

So I guess if you are from one of these states and want to be tested you are out of luck.

2 hours ago, debsjc said:

 

Same person as mentioned in this article maybe? If so it sounds like he was also on the Grand

 

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/colorado-substitute-teacher-self-quarantines-after-returning-from-cruise-with-coronavirus-case

It does sound like he was on the Grand but it is not the positive second case. The Colorado positive second case is an older woman whereas the substitute teacher is a younger man and there has been no report he has actually gotten sick.

https://kdvr.com/news/coronavirus/second-presumptive-positive-colorado-coronavirus-case-is-douglas-county-woman-who-traveled-internationally/

Our second Colorado presumtive positive was also a cruise ship passenger who recently returned from an international cruise.

I don't know why they don't list the cruise ship when making these announcements.

27 minutes ago, CruisinCindy said:

 

We contacted our doctor yesterday to see if we could get tested, but they said no, even though we were on the Grand with confirmed cases.  The doctors are still requiring that you be symptomatic before they'll test, even though there are some people who can be positive but show no symptoms....

That makes sense. But this couple has symptoms.

From the article "Cummins said her husband has been very ill in recent days with no appetite, trouble breathing, and a fever at one point as high as 103 degrees. She told ABC7 News they have been self-quarantining at their Santa Clara home. Mrs. Cummins also said at one point she felt weak and fainted."

I just posted it so people can be prepared if they get the same run around. When you are sick it is often hard to make good decisions, especially when everyone tells you to go someplace else. A sick person might just give up and get sicker at home. It looks like someone notified abc news and the news outlet is attempting to get them headed in the right direction to get tested but are also having no luck.

https://abc7news.com/health/santa-clara-couple-now-sick-after-trip-on-princess-cruise-ship/5988147/

This poor couple is having trouble getting tested.

It looks like they have called 6 different places to get tested with each one telling them to call someone else. It looks like abc news is trying to help them find out who they can contact to get tested. It sounds like they are trying to do the responsible thing and keep away from others and notify a health care facility before showing up.

Thanks for posting this! I have been looking at Galapagos itineraries and did not see this offering on my own. Did the glossy brochure have pictures of the refurbished ship? I can't find anything on Viking's web site or on-line.

I looks like some very nice pre and post cruise packages are offered with this also. Congrats to those who have decided to go!

Edit: now I see it hasn't been done yet hence no photos

Jack,

I do believe you are correct. In fact I have already searched the cruises on the Princess web site this morning. The only circle South America I could find, leaving and returning to the US, was Jan. 6 2022 on Discovery Princess. If you peek at my signature we recently sailed 3 weeks on the Coral Princess and love it! It was my favorite ship ever. I'm not sure I would like a big brand new one like the Discovery. Plus it appears premiumly priced due to being new. Not sure what happened to the Coral and Island offerings for circle South America. I'll have to look a litte harder.

24 minutes ago, 2old4this said:

 

Go as soon as possible.  Rates and cabins are in favor of passengers since the Coronavirus has emptied the cruise lines, hotels, restaurants, etc.  it is going to get a bit worse, I feel, before it improves.  People are already cancelling trips and staying closer to home and away from large crowds.  Cruise lines will be making staggering offers shortly just to survive.   For awhile offers of free Wifi and impossible upgrades will be the norm.  I'm considering something with Princess, myself.  Jack. 

It is a good thought but have concerns regarding quality of experience. In reading the post it appears that recently additional medical screening is delaying them getting into ports and what if the cruises start being refused to dock at all due to an illness on the ship? I also worry that if the cruise line isn't doing well things like food quality will suffer. And what if the staff is demoralized or depleted due to concerns or budget cutting. I'd rather sail on a financially healthy cruise line with all aspects being funded as they should. Since the next offering of this itinerary is in the late fall (I believe) there is some time to assess the situation but right now I'm not in a hurry to jump on an ailing industry. I do hope the budget minded continue to cruise. I'm just not sure I want a budget experience. However it is tempting to book something and see what happens...

Love your reports! This cruise is a bucket list item for me and I had sort of put it aside. Reading your reports makes me want to go next year! Thanks for posting them.

Thanks gobucks. That is a very helpful way to look at it. I was not aware Oceania included all those things.

Love the pics. of the ship and would love to sail the Magic. Thanks for taking the time.

Michelle

Michelle,

 

I am booked in cabin 6190 on the starboard side. Did you happen to see any cabins on that side of the ship? Shouldn't 6190 have the view between the lifeboats like 6189?

 

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

I did not see the cabins on that side. However I think that you are most likely right. It should also have a view between the lifeboats since it is the mirror cabin on the other side.

Cheers!

Michelle

Michelle,

 

I am booked in cabin 6190 on the starboard side. Did you happen to see any cabins on that side of the ship? Shouldn't 6190 have the view between the lifeboats like 6189?

 

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

I did not see the cabins on that side. However I think that you are most likely right. It should also have a view between the lifeboats since it is the mirror cabin on the other side.

Cheers!

Michelle

Thanks for the picture of 6155. That's the one I'll be in in 3 days.

Do you know if the bed is near the balcony or bathroom?

Hi,

It had the bed near the bathroom. An easy way to tell (at least on deck 6 on that side) is the rooms on the deck plan with the triangles and/or squares were bed near the bath. The ones without were bed near the balcony. The exception being the ones at the back where there are no markings. For those you have to count every other room from the ones with markings. I'm not sure if this applies everywhere on the ship as I only researched rooms in that area.

Have a great time!

Michelle

Michelle,

 

Thanks for posting the photos. I am booked for a March sailing in Cabin 6165 and ironically enough was originally booked in cabin 6189. Now I wonder if it is worth the extra $250 to move up a category closer to the bow not to have the obstructed view.

 

Lee

Lee,

Ironically, 6189 has a better view. You can see between the lifeboats down to the water. If you can switch back and save some money I would switch to 6189 over 6165. Also 6189 had no cabin creaking noise. 6165 did but our room stewards seemed to get most of it out. And the phone in 6165 wouldn't become dark after use. In 6189 it did. We had great stewards in both rooms!

Best,

Michelle

....based on the every other cabin configuration that 6175 would have the bed near the bath. My deck plans shows that it is a connecting cabin where they share the same doorway.

Here are some pictures of the obstructed view balconies on Equinox. We were in two different cabins, 6189 and 6165. However I popped into some of the other cabins on the change out day for our back-to-back and got some pictures of other obstructed view.

http://celebrityequinoxancientempiresandtran.blogspot.com/2009/11/equinox-cabin.html

Best,

Michelle

Michelle those are great examples of the obstructed cabins. Maybe those pics could be a sticky as there is one for the Solstice cabins.

 

Or at least make a thread of its own so it can be found easily on the forum search.

Hi eandj,

Thanks! I think the search will pick it up anyways as I tried to include all the key words and room numbers.

Cheers!

Michelle

Here are some views from obstructed cabins on the Equinox. The cabins should be the same as the Solstice.

http://celebrityequinoxancientempiresandtran.blogspot.com/2009/11/equinox-cabin.html

I popped into a few extra cabins on the day between our back-to-back cruises to get pictures of some of the other types of obstructions but didn't always take the room number sign as the idea didn't occur to me to post the photos until later. I believe I have 6189, 6165, 6163, 6159 and 6155 (this one is of an angled balcony).

The best spot is to try and get a cabin between two boats. Then you can see straight down to the water. We were in an 07 first and then a 2C. The 07 was between life boats whereas the 2C was not. However, no matter what the obstruction they all weren't really that obstructed as you could see easily over the lifeboat.

Cheers!

Michelle

It is on the sticky at the top of the page.

Deck - 6

Cabin # - 6300

Class –

Starboard or Port Side -

Bed near? Balcony--aft section

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – No real problems. Since the cabin is in the aft section, not much traffic going through.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Got this cabin on the special where you're guaranteed a balcony, but not a specific cabin. Was concerned about it having obstructed view, but it's only obstructed looking down. The balcony floor extends beyond the railing, although I noted that many of the other cabins had downward view obstructed as well, although they were higher up and therefore the angle mitigated the obstruction.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Large. In fact, about double normal balcony size.

Was wind a problem? No.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? No.

Any specific problems with this cabin? The cabin looked a little smaller than on other ships. Not much storage space.

Any other comments?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=18518658&highlight=6300#post18518658