Aliasamy

If you are wanting the most amazing holiday and see the Kimberley up close and personal plus have the most adventure packed cruise - look no further than True North.

We have just returned and it was the best holiday we have ever had. Some may look at the price but it is worth every cent.

It is 5 star all the way.

Thank you so much for all of your helpful information.

If the Scenic representative says people have complained, I would take that very seriously. Not to knock Scenic at all, but most of us expect "spin" rather than candor in such circumstances -- so kudos to them for admitting the problem, but then take it very seriously. There are other cruise lines, and Scenic must have other dates. Have you looked at APT?

Thanks for the reply. The reason we are looking at Scenic is because we have some friends on the same cruise and they asked my husband if we wanted to join them.

I was also very surprised when the lady from Scenic mentioned the noise issue. I just think 15 days is a long time to go without sleep...

My husband is set on us doing our first time river cruise next year and looking at the Scenic Jasper, Budapest to Amsterdam departing May 31st 2017 I am not so keen for a variety of reasons but that is just me.

The only cabin available is a Royal Balcony Suite (304) that the Scenic representative told me is above or adjacent to the engine room. She said that some people complain of noise and vibration.

I am the lightest sleeper on the planet after being on call for A & E for a couple of decades. This noise factor possibility is really putting me off. I know someone on this forum said the noise was not a problem because they were at the back of the ship but being adjacent puts a whole new perspective on things. My husband is a very heavy sleeper so this does not bother him.

Any feedback from someone who has been a bit closer to the engine room?

Thanks so much.

We are staying three nights at The Nimb. It looks gorgeous.

We did a fantastic tour with Bordeaux-excursions. They were great. Small group - six from memory and we had a beautiful day in this amazing part of the world.

http://www.bordeaux-excursions.com

Kellie :)

Thanks so much for your help.

In my initial enthusiasm at visiting SPB I booked an ship evening tour to the Hermitage Museum via the Oceania web site. Now being realistic and knowing we will be too tired after a full on 3 day tour with ALLA, we have decided to cancel. Problem is that I cannot find how to cancel the tour. Do I need to call Oceania direct or can you do it via the site? We will be there in four weeks time.

Help!

Hello, Thanks for all of the great information I have read here.

I am interested in doing a cycling tour while in port and found a company on Trip Advisor called HELtours. They only have four reviews however so I am not sure whether they are just a new company or if anyone who lives in Helsinki has heard of them.

Many thanks.

Shocked to hear this on the news when I got up this morning. So sad for everyone involved. The world has gone crazy.

On cruises I have celebrated my wedding (got off the ship in Santorini, got married and got back on!), my 40th birthday, my 50th birthday last year and this year will be our 10th wedding anniversary. The biggest fuss was made the day we got married of course:). I am fairly low key and dislike too much attention so happy to have celebrated my other special occasions in Toscanos with my husband and two friends whom we always travel with. A champagne, cake and being with my loved ones has always made it special. I usually pamper myself a bit on those days and have a massage, get my hair done and a manicure!:D

Thank you so much for all of your replies. I am very excited about this tour and appreciate all of your comments.:)

Thank you so much for your reply. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. I will definitely go ahead and book it now. Hoping it will not be too tiring as we have a three day tour booked with Alla but this is a once in a life time!:)

For something nice, I recommend Catalina's or the Balmoral Bathers Pavillion. We always take the water taxi out and both places have nice views of the water. When you book - ask for a window seat. Especially nice for lunch.

We also love the Hyatt on the Rocks.

We are about to do our fifth Oceania cruise after a few years of sailing with Silverseas. We love the more relaxed feel and the nicer fellow passengers. No complaints from our end:D

I have been told by someone that I work with that this tour offered by the ship was not to be missed. They cruised with Silverseas and I was told there were only about 50 people present on the evening that they went. It sounded as though it was just for their ships passengers which made it sound very intimate. I note Oceania offer a similar sounding tour in St Petersburg - we are cruising on the Marina In August.

Has anyone done this tour and can they give me their thoughts?

It's a dive boat, and they do not provide food on this boat. We'll be on this dive boat from 11:00 to 2:00. So we'll just eat a good breakfast and bring a light snack that we pick up in town. Now that I know I can't bring something from the ship, we will give ourselves enough time to pick something up before transporting to the dive boat. So I think we're all set. :)

Hi Leeane, I am very surprised that the dive boat company do not at least have a plate of fruit or drinks and biscuits. Thinking back, I have never been on a dive boat that didn't offer some type of snack even in very remote places. It gets quite tiring between dives and I always need a drink and nibble on something. Maybe purchase some museli bars or packet of dry fruit while you are in town. I always try and have a banana. Enjoy your dive.:)

Are you going to Riga on your cruise? If so, you might want to check out the art nouveau buildings there. (See photos on same link I gave you.) The magnitude of them was pretty amazing. The area is within walking distance of where we docked, so I think worth it to go. Of course, I don't know if where we docked is the only docking area Riga has, so yours might be different. If you're interested in seeing the blue and white house at 10b Elizabetes, let me know and I'll provide directions to it. The street numbering in the older section of Riga was confusing to me.

Thank you so much for your beautiful photos. It looks amazing. I have never been to this part of the world and very much looking forward to this cruise. Unfortunately we do not go to Riga. Thanks again.:)

Visby is quite bikeable...truly a wonderful place. Unless you are feeling the "need" to work off some of your caloric intake, if your time/visit is short this port is in my view a cruise highlight. Lots of quality shopping, activities, and yes food...do both if time allows....

Thanks for that. I love to cycle but if its a walkable town, given our time restrictions, I might take your advice.:)

I rarely do ship tours but as we are in port for only the afternoon in Visby this August, I thought I would have a look at what the Marina was offering. They have a cycling tour which takes in a few sights and stops for afternoon tea. Is approximately nine miles. Has anyone done this tour and if so - what was the verdict?

Thanks

We are another couple who would prefer to find a small private diving company rather than a ship tour. We always look for a PADI certified dive shop. With the ship - you do not know what you are getting.

I loved Tahiti. Apart from the Maldives it is the best place to scuba dive.

If you want to use the short time you are in Amsterdam, yes you better do. Lines at other museums in general are less longer, but recently the special about Rembrandt at Rijksmuseum made lines again rather long.

Please be aware of this activity from 19-23 August 2015, that will attract many extra visitors again and cruiseships will not dock at ther terminal during these days.https://www.sail.nl/2015

The tall ships look amazing. We will be in Amsterdam on 4th August. Will the weather still be warm?

I think you can do all three. I would use the tram system to shorten time between the sites you want to visit. I would get morning AFH tickets, afterwards walk down Rozengracht through the Jordaan district (maybe popping into a shop or two) past the next canal, where you can catch a tram to the Museum Quarter (trams 3 and 12 stop near the Van Gogh). We had bought Van Gogh tickets ahead of time but still had to wait in line 15 minutes with everyone else who had bought tickets, and this was in November with fewer tourists than in summer. You'll probably need a nice lunch by then. Several restaurants in the area. Then tram 16 or 24 to see the Flower Market on the Singel. (Also lots of restaurants in the nearby Rembrandtplein). If you have time and strength, walk up the Rokin past Dam Square and up Damrak to Centraal Station. Or taxi to your dock, depending on where it is.

Thanks so much for your reply. I will definitely book the tickets online but it looks as though you can only book them out about six weeks in advance for AFH.

If you have reservations, is it possible dot do the Anne Frank, the Van Gogh, and the Flower Market in one day, or is that too much?

We will be in Amsterdam in August from 8am - 4pm. Does this amount of time give us the opportunity to do AFH, the flower market and the Van Gogh and get back to the ship on time? Should we realistically do AFH, the flower market and settle for a nice lunch?