franski

I bought a sweatshirt with that wording on it for my DH (a huge VW fan) a number of years ago... My son still wears it!! Fran

The prairies have some interesting ones as well... Flin Flon, Moose Jaw, Moosonee, Medicine Hat, Okotoks... My daughter lives in Cranberry-Portage... often just called "Cranberry". Fran

Just back from the UK a couple of months ago and loved the time in Yorkshire. It was always fun when people asked where I was from - and I answered "Whitby...Canada". And it was interesting that Scarborough was just down the road there - as it is here!! Fran

The one that always gets me is "Ver-sales" (Versailles) Kentucky!! Fran

I am very sensitive to motion on a boat... I did have some issues in Russia - but we were crossing Lake Ladoga, so not a river. The feeling was short lived (the captain indicated it was a rough crossing, but not a bid distance to travel) - so I just took some meds & laid down. I have done the Seine twice - with Uniworld & Avalon - without any issues. Fran

We did Vietnam & Cambodia with Emerald... and it was wonderful... One thing that is different with Emerald is that the boat actually sails from Ho Chi Minh City. Many (if not most) of the other lines bus you to My Tho for embarkation. That part of the river - while not particularly scenic - is interesting as it is very much a working river. We loved our trip with Emerald. Fran

We did that as well... and truly enjoyed it. One thing that was not offered as part of the DiscoverMore program was the option to purchase tickets to see "A O" in HCMC. An acrobatic show held just a stones throw away from the hotel. Our guide mentioned this as an opportunity - and most of our group purchased tickets. When we got to the theatre, they took us on a tour of the facility - and then offered tea or a soft drink before the show. During the tour, we sat briefly in the balcony while our guide explained about the production... and the seats were phenomenal. I went right down to the ticket counter at the front and asked if there were any seats left in that area - they are called the "WOW" seats. We lucked out!! There were 2 in the front row - so we paid the difference. When we went in to get our tea, we discovered that WOW seats come with a glass of wine before the show... so a double bonus. If this is offered, it might be worth looking into... Fran

I completely understand!! We told our children we would help them with their first degree/diploma so they could graduate debt free. Then - all bets are off. We are spending their inheritance... one trip at a time. Fran

We have met a few Aussies on our river cruise travels... Most took very long holidays (many booked 4-6 weeks) to justify the travel time. I did both of my degrees (undergrad and grad) distance through Charles Sturt. I told my DH that if he truly loved me, he would send me to NSW for convocation... Too bad CSU sent the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor to Canada and did the ceremony here... Fran

And Emerald has posted some Black Friday specials on their website... 2nd passenger sails for free on selected itineraries and dates... Fran

Good Point... For us, travel time is a big part of the whole trip - and I will do anything to make it less cumbersome. Flying non-stop is the primary objective - if at all possible. And flight times of less than 6 hours are such a treat!! Not often we can get that.... We have good friends that we travel with - and have cruised with them a number of times. They will not even consider an Aquarium class cabin... but we are fine with it. As I said above - to each his own!! Fran

Hi - Welcome to Cruise Critic!! We did the 18 day cruise with Emerald (so we didn't get Hua or Hoi An as part of our itinerary). We flew into Hanoi 3 days early to acclimate to the time change. We flew non-stop Toronto to Tai Pei with EVA air and then onto Hanoi. We splurged on Premium Economy and it was so worth it... We planned a "down day" where we walked and enjoyed the area, and then a pre-booked tour to see some on the sights my DH was interested in - and that were not included with Emerald. I was really looking forward to Ha Long Bay - but I was a bit underwhelmed. It may have been due to the fact that it was a bit cooler than I had anticipated (we went mid-February) but the scenery was spectacular. If you are interested in kayaking or other activities, there seems to be lots to do. We thought we would be able to swim in one of the coves, but it was too cool. We chose to start in Hanoi and cruise from HCMC over to Cambodia. This way we only needed one entrance visa into Vietnam. The visa for Cambodia is taken care of on the ship - and the cost is just added to your ship board account. The washing machines and dryers were a god send... And very busy!! You just had to be strategic (ie: get up early, or stay up later) to ensure you could get to use them. Can't comment on the iron/ironing boards. With steamy hot weather (it ran 37-39C every day once we hit HCMC) wrinkled clothing was not a concern. The passenger mix was primarily Canadian and American. You will have the same group along the way. Our guide was with us in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, on the flight to and then in HCMC - and then on the boat. He stayed with us until the Cambodian border. Then we had a new guide until we got off the boat in Cambodia - and then another in Siem Reap. Each group (ours, the group that did the 21 day tour - and the group that just joined in HCMC) had their own guide and bus. The staff was outstanding. I cannot say enough about them. This was our 17th river cruise (our 2nd with Emerald) and the service was top notch. This was a bucket list trip for my DH - but I enjoyed it every bit as much as he did. I would do this trip again if the travel time wasn't so brutal. On the way home, we had to stop somewhere between Siem Reap and Tai Pei (no direct flights to Tai Pei) so we went via Bangkok. We stayed 3 nights there before heading home. Sorry for the long post... Hope this answers some of your questions. Fran

The show in HCMC is "A O"... and we loved it. We splurged on the "WOW" seats (balcony) and they were great. You get a soft drink in the lobby before the show starts... unless you have the WOW seats - and then you get a glass of wine!! Cost difference was minimal. I agree with taking lots of tissues and hand sanitizer with you. Also - bug spray. I have a DEET based cream bug repellent, and it worked well (when I finally remembered to put it on!!) I found walking some of the paths in Cambodia resulted in +++ bites... ? sand fleas? Didn't see any bugs - but my feet were a mess. We hired a private guide (through Tours by Locals) in Hanoi - and it was great. My DH wanted to see Ho's mausoleum, the B52 Lake and the Hanoi Hilton. I found it all in one tour. I am glad we did the mausoleum with our tour, as our city tour with Emerald was on a Monday, and you cannot get into the mausoleum on Mondays. Luckily we had seen it (and Ho Chi Minh himself) on the Saturday before. Fran

It is really a personal preference... We have booked Aquarium class on all but 2 of our 18 river cruises (China and the Mekong). We were upgraded to a French balcony once and really didn't find having it make a difference to our enjoyment of the cruise. As someone mentioned above, I would sooner save money for the next trip. Or - if the travel time is long - splurge on Premium Economy air. To each his own!! Fran

We use that space to dry any small bits of laundry that we have hand washed... We missed it when we had a balcony suite on the Mekong. Fran

I got an e-mail this morning saying that Uniworld will be having a daily "Black Friday" special... every day for 12 days starting on the 24th. Fran

We went in February this year - bucket list trip for my DH. It was an awesome experience. I would go back - but the travel time is brutal, and don't want to sit on a plane for that many hours again. We also flew with EVA air - but 13+ hours just to get to Taipei was really pushing me out of my comfort zone Glad we went - but doubt we will book another trip that would take us over 20 hours to get to our destination. Maybe if I was younger.... Fran

I would model a pair of your shorts - and ask the opinion of the Cruise Manager. They will be able to tell you if your knees are covered enough. Fran

I would love those recipes!! I love the Nuremberg Lebkuchen... Fran

Sir William Stephenson.... A Man called Intrepid. The training camp - or "Camp X" was in Whitby - where I live. Lots of nods to the man and the history. Streets & parks named in his honour. My father served in WWII. Enlisted into the Queen's Own Rifles at age 17. He hardly ever talked about his time abroad. Apparently did land on the shores on D-Day - but not on the first wave. He never told us - but did share that with my husband. We owe our soldiers a huge debt... Our freedoms are so special today - especially given the lack of freedom we witness in the world right now. Fran

That being said, my DH wore knee length shorts almost every day. There didn't seem to be as much concern about knees as there was with shoulders. Fran

One of our cruises spend a great deal of time in the Netherlands - with a focus being on the history of WWI and WWII. We stood where Lt. Col John McCrae was stationed at the time he wrote that poem. So moving... We also had the privilege of attending the Menin Gate ceremony in Ypres... Lots of sober and emotional moments on that cruise. Fran

If you are only going to Egypt, I would think you should be OK. I expect AMA would be cancelling if they felt that the risk was too great. I wouldn't be surprised if there was extra security during your trip. We had an extra (armed) guard when we were in Cairo (not with AMA) - and things were stable enough at that time that we visited Israel and Jordan as well. (Certainly wouldn't be going to Israel now!! ) I got the sense that safety of tourists is important to the people of Egypt. Do you have travel insurance? If you are hesitant to travel, will they cover the costs if you choose to cancel? Fran

We were lucky when we went, but my daughter ended up with "Mummy Tummy" when she went. Luckily, she recovered quickly and only missed one day of touring. It is stories like the one above that scare me enough that I will *not* travel without good travel insurance. Plan for the worst, hope for the best... Travelling can be a huge expense - I want to make sure that I won't spend the money for the next trip on medical coverage for the bring I am currently on! Fran

If you are in Canada - I am not sure if Gate 1 is a great option for you. I live in Ontario - not far from Toronto. In Ontario we have TICO - which is "Travel Industry Council of Ontario". This is a consumer protection group. that assists with travel related issues. For example, if you took a trip the Caribbean and your travel company went out of business while you are away (this happened here a number of years ago)... then TICO would assist in getting you home. My TA and the company she worked for would not book anything that did not have TICO certification. You could book Gate 1 on your own, but if something went wrong - isn't it nice to know that TICO could potentially help? Fran