Delray2002

1 hour ago, shepherd really said:

and neither does cruisetimetables.com, I wonder if you can pry that info out of Oceania?

 our travel agent checked with Oceania who told her it was too early to know. My conclusion: nobody wanted to be bothered to actually find out.

Has anyone been on a recent (2022-23)  Oceania cruise that stopped in Arrecefe (Lanzarote)?  At which location did you dock?  We've got a car rented at the port for a cruise in June but there are 2 cruise ship piers. The older one,  Muelles de Los Marmoles, is where the car rental office is. The other and newer one, La Boca de Puerto Naos, is 5 km from the older docking location which would make the rental very complicated. Thanks for any guidance you can offer.

Re: previous posts about what’s up for Oceania in Venice. (We’re scheduled to stop there in June on the Nautica.)

“Current schedule shows  Venice not Trieste for Oceania cruises in September (and all other months as well).”     I note that the “fine print” at the top of the CruiseMapper page says, “Port Venice cruise ship schedule  … lists all ships … with cruises going to or leaving from Venice, Marghera, Italy.”  So, additional confirmation that we won’t be docking on the island itself.

Several of you wanted to know how to get between Marghera and Venice. This might help: https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Marghera/Venice  (There are 4 ways to get from Marghera to Venice by bus, train, taxi or car    9 to 11 minutes on average) 

Re: Trieste as an alternate docking location. It’s a 1 hour and 40 minute drive by the fastest route. And Ravenna is a bit over 2 hours away. Sure hope it really is Marghera.

Are Oceania ships above the weight limit for docking at Maritima on the island? Yes, even the small ones. Here’s an article about this situation: https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruising-changes.htm  The regulations apply to ships heavier than 25,000 Gross Weight Tons. Nautica weighs in at 30,277.  Also, ships over 180 meters in length fall under the ban. Nautica is 181+ meters.

And here’s something I didn’t know about until recently. This article is about charging tourists to reserve a ticket for admission to Venice https://www.afar.com/magazine/venice-to-start-charging-tourists-to-enter-the-city-in-2022  If this is actually an in-place policy, it would help to know what Oceania will do for its passengers, especially those who may be doing things independently. Here’s what I wrote to guest services for clarification. if, as articles seem to indicate, Venice is now requiring visitors to pay for entry to the city and to have a reservation to enter, what, if anything, is Oceania doing on behalf of its guests that does not require participation in one of the cruise's shore excursions? We plan to do independent activities and need to know if we have to get admission tickets and make reservations ourselves.

If I get a response, I’ll let you know.

Here's what we did after our 8 AM disembarkation in Tahiti about a year ago. Booked a room for that evening with early arrival at the Sofitel. Had an amazing day. Much better than the so-called day room, which was a banquet hall crowded with cranky travelers killing time until their flight home around midnight. Suggest you book through Starwood and ask for the "Retirement Rate." We paid $244.53 for a Garden Room last year. Pre-booked a 7 PM reservation at their up-scale Le Carre restaurant.

Read my review here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297572-d308289-r567986423-Tahiti_Ia_Ora_Beach_Resort_managed_by_Sofitel-Punaauia_Tahiti_Society_Islands.html

We're working with Kevai tours. Email Johny: kevaitours.tahiti@gmail.com

Lots of good reviews on Trip Advisor.

Their website is http://kevaitours.com/

Hi, Sophiaandalucia. Hadn't checked this thread for a while. We're filled for the tour.

Thanks, KathiB. Already did that ... posted here just in case others were coming in on the same flight that day.

On March 7, 2018 we arrive in Papeete about 5:30 AM on Air Tahiti Nui flight 101 from Los Angeles. Boarding for our cruise starts around 1 PM, so we wanted something to do until then. Found a very accommodating transfer and tour service who offered us two options.

1: If we can find 4 other people who want to join us who are on the same flight, they'll pick all of us up with our luggage for a 4 hour private tour in an 8 passenger air-conditioned van that can include a breakfast stop along the way. Drop-off at the port or in town. $50 per person and only 6 people.

2: If we can't find 4 others, they'll still pick us up as we exit from customs/baggage and take us to the port. If the porters will accept luggage early - great. Otherwise they'll keep the bags in the van and take us to a nearby restaurant for breakfast and a local stroll until their group tour (up to 8 people) starts around 9 AM. Drop off back at the port. This option is $55/person - still a good deal.

If you're interested get in touch. xtxhoward at gmail dot com

sorry for the spacing issues in the above review. I cut and pasted it from a Word doc, and it looked okay in the preview pane, but something happened to it when it posted.

The ship: In goodcondition. Our room on deck 6 was comfortable with adequate drawer and closetspace. Hot on boarding day, but cooled off once the ship departed. Bathroom wassmall but functional. We were blessed with good weather for the entire trip,and felt little motion and no vibration. The pool deck is wasted space. A goodenhancement would be to partially enclose some of it and add a hot tub or two.

The bar/lounge is a nice bright place with a decentassortment of beer and the usual hard liquor. Prices were in-line with or evenslightly less than other cruise ships. Wine by the glass was another story.Must have been the stuff Chilean wineries couldn’t sell anywhere else …. Undrinkable.We stuck with full bottles which the staff would keep for us from meal to meal.A piano player was competent, if unexciting, and lacked rapport withpassengers.

The food: Reallynice buffet on boarding day (4 PM boarding.) Breakfast buffet had a goodassortment including various cheeses, pastries, baked goods, smoked and curedfish, and the usual eggs, meats, potatoes, etc. Service was attentive.

We were in port during lunch most days, but the two we hadon board were very good. The ship provides a basic boxed lunch for those offthe ship, but I agree with an earlier reviewer who suggested picking up someextra cold cuts and cheeses at breakfast to augment the minimal sandwichoffered with the box lunch. (Knowing that ahead of time, we brought plasticsandwich bags along.)

Dinners are full-service. Three main course offerings daily –usually a fish, a meat, and a vegetarian item, with a few “always available:items like broiled salmon (good but needs a sauce) and a burger. I thoughtalmost everything was good to very good. Portions are not over-large.

There’s a second (smaller) dining room on deck 4 which wasmuch in demand. It’s quieter than the main dining room on deck 3 and lesscrowded. Service was always friendly and (usually) prompt. It’s first comefirst served (with only one seating) so get there as they open (nominally 7 PM,but we often got in earlier than that.) A few nights the 4th floordining room was reserved for the Roads Scholars group (re-branded Elderhostel.)

The crew andservices: On boarding day, you can drop your bags at the pier startingaround 7 AM and spend the rest of the day sightseeing in Reykjavik. They’ll bein your room when you board. Had nothing but good experiences with diningstaff, hotel/purser people, and expedition staff – all well-trained and eagerto be of service. Disembarkation was very efficient. They’ll call a cab if you’retravelling independently. Entertainment was minimal .. a few of the crew didsome singing, but people tended to call it a night right after dinner becauseof the early tour departures, so I can’t say entertainment was an issue

Other Passengers: About50% Germans (parent company, I was told, is based in Germany although I dealtwith office staff in Reykjavik for booking and questions prior to thecruise.) After the first day withsequential announcements in German and English, things like port talks andbriefings were done separately. The adult “continuing education” group, RoadsScholars does an all-inclusive booking for these cruises. Their lectures tie upthe top deck observation lounge – often when the ship is leaving port andothers would otherwise be there. Generated a bit of resentment (just sayin’.)

Clothing: Youreally want to bring WATERPROOF hiking shoes. Boots might be better if you’regoing to do serious hiking or glacier walking, but otherwise hiking shoes werefine for us. Waterproof jacket with hood – absolutely! Rain pants? I used mineseveral times, and was glad I had them – and we had really good weather. If we’dhave had more rain, I think my wife would have wished she brought a pair, too.

Gloves? During our ice lagoon cruise some folks wore them. Ijust kept my hands in my pockets, but was glad I had a ski-band for my ears.

Might be a good idea to bring a backpack or small day-bag.Depending on the day and even the hour, we were adding or taking off layers.

The Port Stops andTours:

Stykkisholmur: Wetook the ship’s bus tour around the peninsula – lucky to have a beautiful dayso scenery really stood out. Saw the volcano/glacier featured in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Anothertour took passengers to the top of the glacier on a snow-cat. The Shark Museumintroduced us to two Icelandic specialties … fermented shark, and a liquorknown affectionately as “the black death.” The shark smelled like ammonia …once was enough.But the liquor was interesting … strong caraway flavor like an amped up versionof Danish aquavit.

Isafjordur: DynjandiWaterfall tour – a fairly long bus ride to see a stunning waterfall. If youwant the best views, hike up to the top. Helped to have hiking poles,especially coming down. A few other stops coming and going, but the waterfall’sthe only reason to take this tour (and I recommend it.) Got back to town withenough time to do a little exploring on my own. The ultra-modern church isbeautiful – and best viewed from the side street heading back to town, in myopinion. I also walked across the causeway at the end of the harbor and climbedthe steps to the top of a hill that gives you a different view of the harborand the town …. Worth the effort if you’re okay with steps.

Siglufjordur andGrimsey Island: Wandered around Siglufjordur – little to do and notparticularly scenic. We skipped a fishing/canning museum ship’s tour. Surprisedthat with a ship in port, not much was open. Grimsey was a great stop, though.Ship took us in on Zodiac boats. We walked a path to a location where theArctic Circle runs right across the island – got the requisite photo straddlingthe line. But the real treat was the bird-life. Grimsely’s got about 200full-time residents and about 2 million birds. Arctic terns will dive-bomb youas you walk the path near their nests on the ground (wave a hiking stick overyour head to discourage them.) And if you want to see Puffins – you’ll see themby the hundreds at close range. Terrific photo opportunity.

Akureyri and Husavik: Twostops on two consecutive days. Lots of ship tour options, but we hired IcelandPhoto Travel owned by Benedikt, a professional photographer/guide who took usto all the best places for photographic stops. Amazing variety – waterfalls,lava field still smoking after eruptions in the ‘70s and ‘80s, a geothermal “park,”a giant volcanic crater lake, “pseudo-craters” formed when steam exploded outof the ground, Lake Myvatn – ringed by lava formations, Dimmuborgur – a maze ofstrangely shaped “fortress-like” lava deposits, and the spectacular AsbyrgiCanyon.

Seydisfjordur: Wetook a pass on the ship’s tour in favor of two hikes. Started the morning witha walk to Tvsongir – five domes up in the hills – each tuned to one note of thepentatonic scale. Sing inside if you’re so-inclined and hear your voice resonate(or cheat and play your iPod really loud.) Very scenic location, but a steepwalk up hill so be fit or skip it.

This town is known for its great hiking trails. After lunch,we did the waterfall trail. Most people (the ones with better judgement) startin town and walk about 50% of it then go back. Not 4 of us. We took a taxi to aplateau about 1000 feet above town and about 9 km away. It’s where you get anincredible view of the town and the fjord and where the biggest/best waterfallsare located. We were assured by the local visitor’s center that it was “an easywalk down-hill.” Yeah, if you’re amountain goat! Icelanders evidently don’t believe in improving their trails, andthere were a number of steep, rocky, muddy descents that we had to take verycarefully. And, where there are waterfalls, there are streams …. with rocks …. andno bridges … that you have to cross at your peril. The walk itself wasbeautiful, but it took us (ages 68 and 70) about 5 hours. Exhausting, but nowwe have bragging rights … and some great photos.

Djupivogur: Didthe ship’s tour to the ice lagoon. A long bus ride but a great pay-off (we hada spectacular clear day.) Cruise on the lagoon gave us lots of angles for shotsof the chunks of ice on the lagoon with the mountains and the glaciers in thebackground. We moved to the Atlantic Ocean beach side to watch waves crashinginto and polishing ice that had escaped the lagoon. Gorgeous.

Vestmannaeyjar: Islandoff Iceland’s south coast. Site of massive volcanic eruption in 1973 that forcedthe total evacuation of the island, buried the town in ash, and wiped out morethan 2000 homes. Did two tours on our own: A Volcanos and Puffins tour with Eyja Tours and a high-speed boat ride around the waters surrounding theisland with Ribsafari. Both were well-worth it.

So – in summary: A well-run ship with a great itinerary andsurprisingly good food and service. Amazed how little-known it is in the US.

dinaleah; look at our rollcall for the cruise leaving on July 9th. Someone who is currently on board posted great information including the need for boots in her opinion.

Echoing Paradiselivin1's suggestion: LadyVol1 has been posting a LOT of great information on our roll-call including photos, menus, helpful tips about dining, wine lists, WiFi, the fitness center - here's a link. Her comments start on page 1 and extend to page 3. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2442330

This string of messages is in the Cruise Critic "Cruise Lines/Other Cruise Lines" category. Optimist that I am, I just started a new "roll call" string specific to the departure we're on -- July 9, 2017. You can find it under "Roll Calls/All other Cruise Lines Roll Calls" -- use "Search this Forum" and just enter "Iceland Pro" -- you'll find mine and another one for a previous cruise.

Hope to hear from others on the same departure.

Still early and it's a small ship, but I wondered if anyone new or not yet posting on this thread will be on the July 9, 2017 Iceland Circumnavigation cruise? Looking for another couple to join us for a really interesting 2 day custom tour from Akureyri and Husavik with a professional photographer as guide at a per-person rate lower than the cruise ship offering. email me at xtxhoward@bellsouth.net and I'll send you the details.

Hi, Joan. I went through a brief interval where I wasn't getting through to IcelandPro -- purely a temporary issue. Both these folks from the company were quick to respond when I emailed them. I'm sure either could answer your question about how soon they'll accept bags for drop-off. We're at a local hotel the night before, so we'll probably just leave luggage there for the day before boarding time.

Margret Lindal Steinthórsdóttir

margret.steinthorsdottir@icelandprotravel.com

Tinna Helgadóttir tinna.helgadottir@icelandprocruises.com

Re: my earlier post about shared tours .... I'm having good luck getting in touch with private operators along the route. Way too much info to clutter up the board, but if you're interested in staying in touch, my email is xtxhoward@bellsouth.net

Hi, all. Normally I do this through CC's Roll-Call board. I even asked them to add IcelandPro as an option, but they haven't done so yet, so I'll try this through the more general "other cruise lines" board.

We have had a lot of success on prior cruises setting up private shared tours with others on the same cruise. It's really early, but I'm hoping as people book the same one we're on (July 9-18, 2017 Iceland Circumnavigation), I'll find like-minded fellow passengers who prefer this approach to the more regimented large-group tours the ship offers.

Let me know if you're interested or, if you're looking for others to join a tour you're considering.

Howard - Delray Beach, FL