cole

Hi all! This will be my first time shipping out of NY. Any suggestions or advice? We are driving from Detroit and need to figure out where to park for the duration. Good place to stay. All the good stuff :)

Thanks.

When will you be sailing? Also, you might check the Roll Call and get additional information in addition to what you will be able to get on this website.

Cole

Very well done. Enjoyed it very much. Not only were the photos and videos interesting, but the comparisons between those countries and the US really added to the presentation. :)

Cole

This is very true and that is why this information is so important. We were very close to booking this itinerary with AMA and there was not of detailed information available on this itinerary. I was grateful that my friend sailed the Duoro just before we were going to book as I was able to ask very specific questions about the experience.

 

I have no doubt that the scenery and wine is fabulous but, for us, it is just too much time spent daytime sailing and on buses.

The bus trips on the Po river cruise was the main reason we switched from that particular itinerary to the Douro, in addition to many people reviewing and saying it wasn't really a river "cruise" just the ship being parked in the Grand Canal and long bus trips. But, Portugal is a beautiful country whether you see it on your own or on a river cruise. :)

Cole

Just returned from a Douro River cruise and enjoyed it tremendously (full review coming soon). However, even though we loved it, we did hear some grumbling on board. Apparently some people didn't read the itinerary carefully and were taken back by several things. I do not feel that the following were negatives, but you may want to consider my observations before you book:

 

With the exception of Porto and one tiny town along the Douro most of the sites require taking a bus. The bus rides can take from 30 minutes to an hour and half. This is because the Douro was not a water highway like the Danube or Rhine.

 

Most of the sites have steps or inclines covered in cobblestones. If mobility is an issue you may find it difficult to get around.

 

Portugal is a very Catholic country. Many points of interest are of churches, or museums with religious artifacts. Along the same line, the Douro is famed for it's vineyards, there are a number of wine tastings.

 

The Portuguese diet relies heavily on fish and pork. The average Portuguese eats codfish three (3) times a week. I ate more codfish in the 9 days I was there than I had eaten in the last 10 years. Beef is not widely eaten. I thought the food flavorful, but subtle in it's use of spices and herbs. Most locals eat dinner late by American standards. If going out and about on your own keep in mind that many restaurants may not open until 7:30 at night.

 

The crew from Captain on down will be Portuguese. I think that's because the Portuguese government controls the river cruise industry on the Douro and the cruise lines are considered "operators." I thought the Portuguese people we met to be warm and friendly, with English widely spoken. That included the staff on board our ship (But I overheard someone complaining about the fact that the staff was Portuguese???-Not sure why that was considered an issue).

 

If you have questions please feel free to ask.

We did this cruise with Uniworld 2 years ago and have done a total of 5 river cruises - I can truthfully say that the Douro would easily be one we would repeat. The bus rides were very scenic (in our opinion), even the longest one to Spain. We absolutely loved being able to sail during the day and enjoy the beautiful scenery. We had no problem with the staff being Portuguese. In fact, it added a little something to the cruise in that they were great sources of information. And the wine and Port!!!!! Outstanding.:D

Cole

Why not take the train from Lucerne to Basel.

Then perhaps consider a taxi from the nearer of the two Basel stations to the port.

 

There are two ports in Basel.

 

Do you know at which one you will be boarding the ship?

I had to smile when I saw "manageable luggage". I have never been able to go on a cruise with "manageable luggage" as far as a train goes - unless you can check your baggage (which we were able to do from Seattle to Vancouver). I assume that if you go on the train to Basel, you will be responsible for carrying everything on yourself - right? If that is the case, any other suggestion other than the train?

Cole

Cruising with Avalon on the Rhine, and will be arriving in Zurich.

Looking for transportation to Lucerne, where we will spend a few days before transfering to our River cruise....any recommendations appreciated.

Elayne

We are doing the same cruise in April and wondered how you were getting from Lucerne to the ship at Basel. Unfortunately, we booked through a travel agent and may have to make our arrangements with her rather than Avalon, but would like to know if Avalon is transferring you from Lucerne to Basel. We are considering renting a car in Zurich, driving to Lucerne to stay one night, then driving to Basel the next day and dropping off the car at the airport. There are 4 of us (adults) with several pieces of luggage.

Cole

Thanks so much everyone. I took some of your suggestions.

 

The Marriott does have the $99 day room (+ $15.35 taxes) but it's from 7:30am to 5:30pm. We'd still have 2 hrs. with nothing to do.

 

I think the Club Lounge is the best option but we WILL have 3 bags checked with us so getting back through EWR security after arriving may be hard. I've sent an email to the United dept. that should know whether we can re-enter or not and hopefully, they'll get back to me with a good answer.

 

I'm still up in the air on which way to go so I'll wait to hear back from UA. Thank you all SO much for the help! You guys are awesome! :)

Every Club Lounge we have been in are after you pass through security in the departure terminals, so unless this one is different, you wouldn't have to work your way back through security. Just deplane and find the one nearest the gate and relax.

Cole

In a spa balcony under the gym, I assume there's no noise at night, but did you hear loud noises during the day?

On a recent cruise, we originally had a cabin under the gym and after reading several reviews about the noise, moved to the other side of the ship. But, we made sure not to book under the outside eating area above. Comments mentioned moving the chairs across the floors at all hours of the day and night.

Cole

We were in Kusadasi this past October and at the beginning of our private tour, our great tour guide showed us a map of Turkey and pointed out how far Kusadasi was from the southeastern border, where the refugee crises seems to be and Istanbul where the latest incident occurred. It really gave us a good perspective as to where we were compared to where the turmoil was occurring. Of course, as we know from recent incidents - you can't always be guaranteed that something would happen. By the way, we loved Kusadasi!

Cole

The tattoo is held on the esplanade (the forecourt) of Edinburgh Caste and cannot be held during the day when it is full of tourists. It is also very much a night-time experience and even the early show on a Saturday is a bit too early in Scotland to get the full impact.

 

Caribbean Princess will be at anchor in the Forth, under the rail bridge and it is a tender operation. Princess tends to organise excursions to the Tattoo from Greenock for Glasgow. That may seem a bit strange to you as Greenock is further away but that's how it is. It does tend to be very very popular and if you check availability of tours for that cruise it may even be sold out.

 

On the other hand a smaller Princess ship usually does a British Isles cruise and I think it is Pacific Princess next year. It has an overnight stay in Rosyth for Edinburgh usually twice during August, specifically aimed at people going to the tattoo. Or you could just organise a day or two in Edinburgh before or after your cruise if the tattoo is a priority. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and well worth an extended stay.

Not sure the Pacific does this itinerary any longer that allows people to attend the Tattoo, but the Caribbean Princess does with the port being Glasgow. You can book the Princess excursion or search for private tour companies that will escort you to other sight seeing options in addition to the Tattoo.

Cole

Our flight home got changed to early morning so we are staying the night near or at the airport.

 

Was wondering if anyone could tell me how long a walk it is from the hotel into the terminal via the walkway?

 

If you've stayed there what was your impression?

 

Thanks!

We have stayed there and loved it. So convenient if your flight leaves from Terminal 4. Food was good in the restaurant. The walk from the hotel is through a covered/enclosed walkway (about 5 - 10 minutes) and we had made arrangements with the bellman to meet us that morning with a luggage cart and walk us to our check-in gate. Of course, there were 4 of us and the two guys had golf bags, so it was well worth it to have that service. We would definitely recommend it (if you are leaving from Terminal 4).

Cole

It is much faster and easier by train.

If you were docked at the other port it would be easier by train, but getting from Rosyth to the train station would also take a cab ride - right? Why not just use the cab to get to Edinburgh?

Cole

Hi

Was it hard to get from the castle back to the ship? We are trying to make our own transport for the Tattoo.

Thanks

Marilyn

We were docked at Rosyth and had booked a private cab through the visitor's center to pick us up at the ship and then after the show. He was waiting for us at the designated place and we were on our way. The easiest trip I think we have ever made! I would highly recommend that means of travel. Contact the visitor's center to make those arrangements. They are a great help. :)

Cole

We have an April cruise booked with Avalon and final payment not due until January. We love Avalon and can't wait to sail on one of their new Suite ships with full wall windows!

Cole

Premier seats, ( not Royal Gallery ) for the Tattoo are listed as having armrest and padded seat and seat backs. Has anyone had these seats, do they look larger that the regular and are they worth the extra price?

Honestly, I can't remember if our seats had armrests or not, but one word of advice as to where you book your seats. We were at the end opposite the castle (basically the end zone) , right above one of the exits and it was perfect. We were able to see the development of each of the performance routines and they exited right under us (which made for wonderful photos). Also, at the end of the performance, we were able to exit very quickly to catch our cab back to the ship. Be sure and dress for very cool (and possible wet) weather - even in August!

Cole

I am booked on Regent Voyager 6/2016 round trip out of London.

 

When I booked the cruise the port for Edinburgh was Leith, docked with easy access to town.

 

They have now relocated us to Rosyth which appears to have no easy access to Edinburgh and requires a 40-45 drive to town.

 

Anyone have experience or knowledge of how Rosyth works as port for Edinburgh?

 

Thanks for any info.

We were on a Princess ship a year ago that docked at Rosyth and didn't find it hard at all getting into Edinburgh. There is an excellent visitor's center right at the dock and they can arrange transportation for you into the city. I believe that the ship also provided a shuttle (at a small charge per person). We attended the Tattoo and had arranged a private cab to take us to it and he was waiting for us when the performance was over. We much preferred this port than Leith (which we have also done) which is right across the canal from Rosyth. Rosyth is only accessible for the smaller cruise ships.

Cole

We are planning an extra day in Switzerland...is that enough time to go check out Lucerne? I have read great things about the lake tour and the area. :)

We have previously sailed with Avalon and loved it and have the Romantic Rhine booked for April. We are hoping to book the Avalon transfer from Zurich to the ship the day we sail and the transfer also includes a trip up the mountain (have forgot the name) and a tour of Lucerne. Movenpick at the airport in Zurich seems to be the pick up location. I believe they open their excursion options after the first of the year.

Cole

Anyone have any suggestions for the best phone plan to switch to for our cruise. Our carrier is AT&T. I can't remember what I did last time.

We recently were on a cruise out of Italy and had the International Package with unlimited texts (we generally don't make telephone calls), but saw on a news report the other day that when you get the International Package - make sure that it is NOT the one that excludes cruises (didn't even know that was an option). A lady had not read the small print and came back home to a $3000 bill from AT&T. Who knew?

Cole

Hi Everyone!

 

The things one learns by reading this board! I recently learned about these hull balconies from reading another thread about another hsip. I know that 11006 is near the front starboard. I can see from exterior pictures that rooms near the front have hull balconies.

 

What I don't know is where the passenger rooms start. I've read on other thread that the first few rooms are crew rooms. If that's the case, then the passenger rooms would start further back, thus throwing off the count. But no one knows for sure.

 

Can someone tell me if 11006 (or 11506 as it is on the opposite side) has a hull or a regular balcony?

 

Also, I've never had a hull balcony. Can someone tell me if thereis any real difference? Any pros or cons?

 

Thank you!

We just returned from a cruise on the Jade and had cabin 11024 and if by "hull" you mean that the balcony is protected by a roof, the answer is "yes". 11024 was the last cabin going forward that had the protection. We were very glad that it was since we had a couple of days when there were sprinkles and we stayed dry when on the balcony. Loved this cabin and have booked the same on the Gem next September.

Col

For those who say "anyone but Viking"--

 

Is it possible that they have more complaints is that they have more ships (and passengers) than everyone else combined?

 

Would it be then correct to say that Viking has more satisfied customers as well?

 

We've never river cruised as yet (probably in 2017 or 2018), so I have no horse in this race, just being devil's advocate.

That's a possibility, but we don't intend on taking a chance, plus refuse to allow a company to use our money a year in advance of a cruise with their requirement that we pay that far in advance. Just playing it safe!;)

Cole

Our motto is (and has been), "any company except Viking" :( It is sad that people who are booking river cruises see all of the beautiful advertisements that Viking puts out, but aren't aware of the repeated bad reviews they receive, particular in the area of customer service.

Cole

I have no problem paying a service charge when ordering a drink from one of the bars, but seriously - when you get something from the mini-bar? Just seems strange that you serve yourself and they charge you a service charge. Just a thought.:rolleyes:

Cole

We just returned from the Mid Eastern Cruise on the Jade (round trip from Venice) and it was a wonderful cruise. We opted to include the 3 day pre-cruise add-on so we could experience Venice and area. We were met at the airport by a local coordinator and took the water taxi to our hotel, which was right on the canal. Included tours (Giouli was the guide and she did a great job) were of Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello islands and plenty of free time to do our own exploring. NCL provided transfers from the hotel to the ship and boarding was a breeze. The Jade at one time was (I think) Pride of the Pacific and has not changed the décor from Hawaiian theme. Hopefully, that will be done in the near future. Our ports were Dubrovnik and Split Croatia, Kusadasi, Turkey and Athens, Greece. We had booked private tours at each port and all met our expectations. We have always found that staff members on the cruise ships are very attentive and the food was adequate. If anyone is thinking about taking this cruise next year and have any questions, please ask and I will try to assist in any way.

Cole

We just returned from a wonderful Mideastern Cruise (round trip from Venice) and thought I would provide some information as to what to expect when you arrive at the departure portion of the Venice Airport. Hope this is helpful. First of all, the departure area is extremely small, especially when there are a couple of cruise ships which have just embarked a several thousand passengers. You cannot check your luggage sooner than 2 hours before your flight, and there is basically no place to sit and wait if you happen to get there too early. You just stand around with the throngs of other passengers, waiting. The lines were very long both to check in and through security. After you get past the security section, the airport opens up with many shops, eating establishments, etc. Just be prepared for what to expect.

Cole

If you read this discussion, I think you will find answers to all of your questions. I have found it extremely helpful.

Cole

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=984351&page=92