cruiseaholic78

This might help, maybe your cruise ship will offer a shuttle! Happy planning Rosalyn https://www.visitbruges.be/en/oooh-bruges/bruges-in-360

We were there last November after visiting Tokyo/Japan twice during the cherry blossom time. To be honest cherry blossom is amazing but can be very crowded but Autumn can be pretty amazing too!

To be honest I have never had one of these cabins but would not choose them for two reasons. The balcony is considerably smaller then usual and you will/might be trying to sit there with three of you. Secondly they are also much further forward you might know the term “the more you pay the more you sway” not good for anyone prone to seasickness. We always book the VB cabins aft on deck four which have some of the largest regular balcony cabins.

Admittedly our flight was not until 21:30, we booked a dayroom use (with pool) at the airport and were pleased with this, so maybe this is another option to consider. https://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwirzrSwxtj-AhXL16QKHb17AnEQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dayuse.com%2Fs%2Faustralia%2Fnew-south-wales%2Fsydney%2Fsydney-airport&usg=AOvVaw1AwUQCzYrpAmTZ12LMWTSh

Another option is booking a dayroom at an hotel, you can choose Boston city or Boston airport. Then you can sightsee at will or just relax at the hotel. We did this previously at Sydney had an airport hotel with pool and we were the only ones using it, like having our own private one. https://www.dayuse.com/s/boston?selected_address=Boston&place_id=eyJsYXQiOjQyLjM1ODQzLCJsbmciOi03MS4wNTk3NywidCI6MywicCI6Imdlb25hbWVzIn0%3D%2Bc54929d58f9f5edd6f34d49e87f77913&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6cKiBhD5ARIsAKXUdyazCbnP8Az_hTwi3eFmKTPA4onEoJDXaDi6e3b487AiNQlKthQWvWMaAgAtEALw_wcB

We were there on our circumnavigation of Australia 2022/2023 and in Darwin we took the shuttle which stops opposite the bus station. We then took bus nr8 to the Aviation museum which also has a B 52, my husband is an aviation fan but it was very interesting for me as well. https://www.darwinaviationmuseum.com.au/ happy planning Rosalyn

Under the “sustainable” excuse both Oceania and NC L seem to be reducing port times, as Regent has the same management it could be they are applying the same BS.

Below is showing the top of the page press the blue button start new topic and then you can pose your question. You can also see tips from other people regarding hotels in Rome. You can also put your question in the Trip Advisor search engine and once you find an hotel you are interested in you can then look up the hotel directly and see if you can get a better offer directly. happy planning Rosalyn https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsNear-g187791-d554358-Ostiense-Rome_Lazio.html

We spent 35 days on Oceania over Christmas and New Year with absolutely nothing special except for some Christmas trees and gingerbread houses, not to mention 3/4 hours no power and missing three ports. On New Years Eve we gave up looking for entertainment and were in bed by 23:44 In March we returned for our first post Covid Azamara cruise for ten days, I was blown away by the embarkation buffet, Azamazing evening, white night BBQ lunch and brunch.. More fun on ten days compared to 35! I am not sure how anyone can say the food is better on Oceania, yes they have the reputation but I don’t agree that it is valid, we even cancelled one of our “free” specialities. That said they do have shower doors instead of curtains!! At the moment however none of the Dutch travel agencies are showing Azamara missing revenue, maybe its time to get some “hackers” involved to get the website working properly. Dessert buffet and brunch.

Definitely will buy it for my grandson on board the Westerdam in October.

Is it not possible to first check on another website which shows numbers available? On another note we wanted to book the Journey from Bordeaux to Amsterdam and I couldn’t believe the pricing shown! They were asking more than €11000 euros for a balcony cabin, checked yesterday with a T.A. and he said it was correct. Just had another look and they seem to have gone crazy unless I am missing something, I know there supply and demand but this is ridiculous.

And last but not least get them/one of the to register for CC and join their roll call. happy planning Rosalyn

If I was you I would book an airport hotel with a pool, you can go straight there from the ship and relax. We did that in Sydney and were very pleased that we had. https://www.dayuse.com/s/seattle-tacoma-international-airport?selectedAddress=Seattle-Tacoma+International+Airport&sluggableAddress=Seattle&placeId=eyJsYXQiOjQ3LjQ0ODk5LCJsbmciOi0xMjIuMzA5MjksInQiOjEsInAiOiJnZW9uYW1lcyJ9%2B9c9570d1223c3b698d08b92b8e468005&checkinDate=2023-05-25&equipements=33

If I were you and it sounds like you are not interested in sightseeing in Tokyo I would travel directly to Yokohama and book a hotel there. You should be able to crash out for a nap and then you can wander around Yokohama without any further stress about travel. We have taken the limousine bus from Haneda and Narita to our hotels previously and its more of a coach than a bus with room for luggage underneath. Someone here explains the possibilities. Happy planning https://japantravelplanning.com/narita-airport-to-yokohama/

Maybe your ship like ours (Westerdam October/November) offers the possibility to book “Bangkok on your own”. This is basically just a shuttle there and back with a certain number of free hours to do your own thing with the certainty of getting back to the ship. Happy planning Rosalyn

In January 2023 the railway bridge was closed off so we had to walk up to the station and cross there. We took the train into Perth and used the free busses from the station there to get around. https://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjuwLHmp7_-AhWziP0HHRVUBf0QFnoECBIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.transperth.wa.gov.au%2Ftimetables%2Fcat-timetables&usg=AOvVaw31N6uctgxuOcWIi_UKKEvi

We returned to Azamara in March for the first time since Covid and once again we absolutely loved it. We had better entertainment in our 10 days onboard than on 35 days Oceania round Australia at Christmas. (BBQ white night and of course Azamazing evening) Closest competitors? I presume that you are referring to Oceania? Then you might be disappointed, no Brussel sprouts, roast potatoes or xmas pudding. This was their “typical” Christmas dinner and it wasn’t that good either! To say nothing about the BS we had regarding the Hull cleaning Saga,!

I know they are expensive but has anyone looked at Oceania or Azamara ( preferably the latter for some night life!) for cruising Australia? Happy Planning Rosalyn

One of our most memorable cruises was with the Eurodam in 2019 round trip San Diego to Hawaii and Polynesian Islands. A precruise dinner and various Happy hours, dinners and excursions sealed the deal and we made friends for life. The fotos were taken on an excursion to Fakarava with snorkeling and a BBQ, a day in paradise. We scrubbed up pretty well for the last one.

To me the offer of a rijsttafel looked pretty pathetic ( I’m glad you enjoyed it though) we tried it on N. Statendam in Tamarind and were so dissatisfied at their offering. I was actually looking forward to trying the Canaletto Asian dinners on our Westerdam tour in October, might have to reconsider. One would have thought with all the Indonesian crew they could have done a better job. Here some fotos of what we consider a typical Indonesian rijsttafel. Love Hanks and Cruisemom42 posts will use some of your tips for our trip.

Have fun on your remaining days on board and your arrival in Rotterdam. Our Dutch newspaper had a special about the HAL and I thought you might be interested, I have included the text, maybe sailing Dutchy can translate (see you on Westerdam in October/November) Ann I am still proudly wearing the CC Badge your daughter made for our Copenhagen - Boston cruise. On our last Azamara cruise I was the only person wearing one so everyone presumed I was the Organizer! Rosalyn

The OBC you want to spend on board for extra excursions and dining can be booked from the cabin on your TV. Lounge on the bed choose your accounts and book, no queuing necessary. Happy planning Rosalyn

The park leads to the Playa de Espana which is incredible, the (free) Military Museum there is also worth a visit. My lunch tip is The Terrace cafe overlooking the city and the river it doesn’t get much better than that!

Another suggestion regardless of which suitcase size you choose, do cross pack. In other words make sure that some of each others clothing (if possible) is in each suitcase, in case one gets lots you will all have some clothes. Another tip is to join your roll call, there will be tips and chats from your fellow cruisers, pls see “find your roll call above” as we don’t know which ship you will be on so we can’t provide the correct link. Rosalyn

Just a general tip regarding using OBC in the shop, do not wait until the end of your cruise if you have quite a bit to spend. For some reason they don’t stock nearly enough larger sizes (for men at least) and on our port intensive cruise people were looking round desperately trying to spend their OBC! We managed it by being a bit earlier and DH looks great today wearing his 7diamonds shirt. Rosalyn