kirakat

If it’s a Haven room, those are given out the Tuesday before sailing. We’re on that sailing with you in a 2 BR suite.

Hmm. We leave on Saturday and our bids for two Haven rooms are still showing as "pending." Today is Wednesday. Should know before noon tomorrow.

One thing I will mention: the bed is VERY low to the ground, which makes it hard to get in and out of. Just something to think about for your mom. My mom is the same age as yours, and no way could she do that bed.

Thank you!

We are considering a cruise on the Dawn in a 2 bedroom suite. The second room would be for my 81 year old mother. We thought that would be better than having her pay double to get a balcony room of her own. After looking at the videos and floor plan of the second bedroom she was concerned it would be claustrophobic in the smaller bedroom and that the bed would be uncomfortable as it looked like a fold out couch. Any adults have any comments about the second bedroom? We thought it would be fine since it has access to the living/dining room and balcony and has its own bathroom, but she's focusing on the bed. TIA!

Last night the Emerald Star announced it could not sail from Bratislava to Budapest on the evening of August 2 because Hungarian authorities closed the river. Several other ships however departed for Budapest from the same port last night. Is anyone on a ship that sailed into Budapest on either Aug. 3 or 4, 2018? We think there were other reasons we didn't sail based upon some crew errors and comments. Thanks!

We're on the Jade for the September 29 transatlantic cruise. We have a mini-suite. For many months, nothing has been available in the suites or the Haven. Now, we get emails offering us to bid on upgrades in eight categories for suites and the Haven. What's the point if there are no cabins available in any of these categories? And, the minimum bids range from $500 to $2000 per person. It seems the Haven on the Jade isn't as expansive as on other ships and given the time of year, using the pool and/or taking the sun probably will not be happening, so the opening bids seem rather high.

We also just returned from an Emerald Waterways cruise from Bucharest to Budapest. We were supposed to be on the Sun, but because of water levels, we were switched to the Sky, which is very similar. (Most of the review applies equally to the Sky.) We did not have the drawer under the sink in the bath or the area to put on makeup. Nonetheless, the amount of storage was amazing. We only used about half of it.

With regard to wifi, it was spotty in our cabin, which was on the top deck, aft. In the lounge, however, the wifi was very good and we only had issues when going through the locks.

During our cruise we hit record high temperatures. In Belgrade it was 106F (41C). Instead of walking around after the coach/walking tour, we enjoyed the pool. Not many people used the pool even though it was very hot for about half of the cruise. That was fine with us as we enjoyed it a lot.

We loved the ship and thought the crew and food were great. Our travel agent threw in the beverage package, which was a nice extra. We chose Emerald as they were set up to be geared toward a younger crowd. The passenger demographic, however, is almost the same as Scenic, the parent company. At 57, I was, by far, one of the youngest on the ship.

While we loved the ship, the itinerary left a bit to be desired. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to see along the banks for most of the trip and there is a lot of time spent on coaches, up to 2 hours at a time. We will go on Emerald again, but will look for an itinerary that stops at town centers and has walking tours instead of mostly coach tours.

We just returned from an Emerald Waterways cruise. There were tables for two along the windows and other tables for four, six and eight in the rest of the dining room. We usually took a table for two for breakfast and then either sat with people we knew or joined ones we didn't at dinner, depending on the time we arrived at the dining room. We didn't have any unpleasant experiences with any people with whom we shared a table.

We are taking a Bucharest to Budapest cruise with Emerald Waterways in July. Looking for advice on how passengers generally dress for dinner. My husband and I travel with one carry on each so we don't want to bring things that we won't wear. TIA!

We appreciate all of the recommendations from everyone. After looking at those and the recommended tour companies, here is what we have decided to do. I will report back after the cruise.

Tauranga: www.zealandiertours.com/cruise-ship-visitor-tours-html/port-of-tauranga-rotorua-day-tours/hobbiton-movie-set-rotorua-wonderland-tour/

Napier: https://www.viator.com/tours/Napier/Napier-wine-tour/d4760-20539P1

Wellington: https://www.viator.com/tours/Wellington/Wellingtons-Lord-of-the-Rings-Half-Day-Tour/d399-2964RRTHALF for the morning. Then, we'll probably follow Carolyn's tour (minus the special meeting with a local and tour of some LOTR sites.)

Akaroa: We're going to follow the itinerary Carolyn used.

For Dunedin, the cruise ship was the only option for the Taieri Gorge Railway. There are two cruise ships in town that day and they have booked all train tickets. Every private operator I contacted said there were no tickets for private tours. <sigh> So, we have to pay the for the overpriced cruise excursion. We'll probably spend a few hours walking around town on our own after that.

Thanks so much for all of the great information!

Thank you!

Thanks everyone! I'll check out Shore Tours and Zealandier.

We will be in Sydney for several days in March after ending our cruise. Last time we were in Sydney (about 15 years ago) I fell in love with mud crabs--best crabs I've ever tasted! We had them once on the Finger Wharf in Wooloomooloo (maybe Kingsley's) and at Waterhouse, across the quay from the Opera House. I saw Kingsley's has it on the menu, but Waterhouse does not. Any recommendations for the best places to get mud crabs? I know it's expensive, but I'm willing to pay for it since it is so delicious. We are staying in Wooloomooloo, but restaurant location isn't critical if the crab is great! TIA.

We will be on the Dawn Princess February 22 through March 3, stopping in Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Akaroa, and Dunedin. Any recommendations for third party tours that are less expensive and smaller in number of participants than the ship's offerings? If not, any ship's tours that you recommend? TIA.