K-Roo-Zers

He was on our March 4 Star Hawaiian cruise. He was so popular that there was a traffic jam outside Crooners every night. We had to get there an hour early to get a seat, and he’s definitely worth the wait. He was the best entertainer we’ve had on 24 Princess cruises.

Couldn't agree with you more. He was so popular on our cruise that people were sitting on the stairs, and so many people were standing that the passengers who were leaving their show in the Princess Theatre, couldn't get through!! They decided to join in and, like the rest of us, looked forward to his show each and every night.

Definitely one of the best and most popular entertainers on Princess.

Thank you for your informative comparison.

We have been loyal to Princess, and are trying Celebrity Silhouette in the Baltic.

We have always found the crew on Princess to be their greatest strength, and totally agree about the bar service and their amazing memories!!

We are trying Aqua for the first time, so it will be interesting.

So pleased to hear you enjoyed Sydney and plan to come back and visit our country.

Enjoying reading your updates and hearing about familiar crew. So glad to hear they are looking after you.

Luca is a lovely destination expert.

You will certainly be getting great coffees Joana - what a gem she is.

Hopefully the weather will improve for you. The weather bureau is currently watching a cyclone in North Queensland.

We will arrive in Civitevecchia on 25th April 2018, which is a public holiday, Liberation Day.

We were planning to catch the train to either Tarquinia and/or Toscania on our own.

Has anyone used public transport on a public holiday? We just wonder how altered the timetables may be. There are a few ships in port on the same day, so we assume the trains to Rome will still run, but perhaps Tarquinia and Toscania will be different.

Second choice would be to stay in and around Civitevecchia as we have been to Rome a few times.

Many thanks in advance for your advice/suggestions.

Nicki

We plan to visit Tarquinia and Toscania on the 25th April 2018, which is Liberation Day, a public holiday.

Does anyone think it will be easy enough to visit there by public transport, as planned, or should we play it safe and just stay around Civitevecchia as we have been to Rome a few times. We feel public transport may be more limited than usual.

Many thanks for your comments.

Nicki

Thank you for a wonderful review. We are booked on the Millennium's Transpacific from Vancouver to Yokohama in September and I have just begun my research on excursions. Your blog is a wonderful resource. Thanks again.

We have visited Japan, via cruise ship, for the past 4 years and it is without doubt our favourite destination.

The people are kind, honest and their integrity and desire to help is something that you will remember for the rest of your lives. They really do appreciate it if you try and speak a few words - they just love it!!

Your blog is wonderful and not only did it put a huge smile on my face, but it made me want to return asap.

Enjoy your time there.

We have had the pleasure of cruising with Michele Tuvo, several times on the Diamond around Japan when he was Staff Captain. We sat with him at the MTP, and had a fantastic time. His sense of humour is amazing!!

We were thrilled to hear he had been promoted to Captain, and we certainly agree with all previous postings, he is without doubt the best and most personable Captain ever, and we too, would cruise with him any day!!

Are Suite passengers also entitled to the wine, in addition to their mini-bar set up?

Just goes to show that money (considering how many days have to be sailed to make the MTP party) doesn't necessarily correlate with having class or even common courtesy.

Could not have said it better myself! Why do some people forget to pack their manners?? Humility ....... where has it gone???

It is nice to be healthy to be able to go cruising!!

Thank you both very much for your prompt response and all the good advice.

If we decide we want to do the Faberge Museum, and I think we will, as it is our first trip to SPB, and it isn't as if Australia is only a short flight to Europe, we want to make the most of our valuable two day stop!

Again, thank you very much.

Nicki

Are you getting your own visa?

If not you won’t be able to catch local transport as you need to be covered by one of the companies who as you say charge more for admission

 

 

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We plan to choose one of the "big four" companies to do a two day tour with, but were hoping to do the Faberge tour on our own in the evening, thus allowing us more time to see the museum.

Irrespective of the company we choose for the day tour, a visa is included.

Are you saying that the visa allocated by the company only allows us to use it when we travel with them, and not on our own in the evening to the Faberge museum?

Many thanks for your help. I appreciate it.

NIcki

DH and I will be visiting the Baltic for the first time in May and I have been really enjoying your comments.

I am currently in the process of "speaking" with various operators such as Alla, SPB and TJ Tours, but am now going to contact some of the other operators mentioned.

Thank you so much for sharing.

Out of interest, has anyone done the Faberge Museum in the evening, on their own? The research that i have done suggests that it is very inexpensive to enter the Museum, but the tours are asking $45 USD, just for the transport. Is it easy to catch local transport? We are more than comfortable to do it, if it is easy enough. Obviously commonsense prevails, but if it is practicable, we will give it a go.

Many thanks for any information.

Nicki

We will be arriving in Sydney to do a land tour for 3 weeks before boarding our cruise leaving Sydney on Celebrity Solstice - Oct.21-2015. Could anyone give us some advise on what to see and do. We would like to visit the Blue Mountains during this visit and possibly drive the coast or fly to areas of interest. Thank you, Ross and Margie

Hi gateway11,

The Blue Mountains are certainly spectacular and worth seeing. Other good options may be to catch a ferry to Manly Beach and have a look around. Sydney Harbour is beautiful and the ride to Manly is fun. Another famous beach is Bondi which is either a bus or train ride away. It is full of good cafes with lovely cakes and has a nice European flavour.

Taronga Zoo is also worth considering but not everyone likes the idea of visiting a zoo. The location is stunning and some of the animals have the best view in Sydney! You can catch the Taronga Zoo ferry from Circular Quay and there is a bus that connects and drops you right at the zoo. I also believe you can catch a chairlift as well, something I haven't done.

I agree that flying to Cairns will save you time. Another beautiful place to visit is Port Douglas, located about 1 hour north of Cairns. It is stunning and is a lovely place to walk around. If you have time, I would suggest spending some of your time in both Cairns and Port Douglas. I used to live and work in Cairns and I love the place. We returned recently on a cruise ship, and it was so nice to experience the lovely laidback feel of the place. You will also be able to do a tour to the Barrier Reef, especially the Outer Reef which is well worthwhile.

The weather will be Spring - not too hot or humid by Cairns standards, but still, be prepared as the heat affects a lot of people!!

If you need any other help, just ask, and we will try our best!

Never been to Vancouver, but DH and i are dying to visit. We have quite a few friends who live there and they love it! We are "foodies" and we keep hearing about all the wonderful food, so we can't wait! I would spend all my time in Trader Joes - we don't have one here and it is probably just as well that we don't as I would spend all my money there.

Nicki

I find the train from the airport to be very efficient, cheap and reliable.... depending on which hotel you are staying at you can often roll your luggage from the station to the hotel within a few minutes with only some stations having stairs, most have escalators...

Hi,

Agree, however give some thought to the amount of luggage you have, and your level of mobility.

At the airport, there are many bus services (mini buses that squash you in like sardines) offering to take you to the cbd, but be aware that they stop at many inner city hotels and hostels and it can take forever!!

Nicki

New ad on TV (Trivago) caught my eye, so I took a look. It's brilliant for choosing that pre-cruise stay in Sydney.

It is good because you get to compare the various sites and their prices. Makes it nice and easy.

Had a look at my cruise planner on Celebrity's website and while there are ship shore tours for every port, there are none for Bali. I heard the ships may not be stopping there due to corruption? Anyone know anything? If we don't go to Bali, are we likely to go somewhere else? Anyone been to Bali on a ship recently (or not)? If so, what line?

Hi,

We were in Bali (Benoa) on Diamond Princess in Nov 2014, and we had no problems.

Diamond is scheduled to return there twice, on in March, and again in April.

I am sure you will be fine.

Enjoy your time there.

Nicki

Thanks John.

Hi Jim,

We have stayed at both the Intercontinental Hotel Yokohama and also the Monterey. The limousine bus dropped us at the Monterey. We preferred the IC as we try to stay with them whenever we travel, however, it depends on the price.

Good luck.

Nicki

When are you cruising?

13 working days for us in Aussieland. Nice to have another 10 years cruising ahead of us :D

Hi Anna,

We renewed ours just before Christmas and they were back in under ten working days. Boy, were we impressed.

As you said, nice to have to worry for another ten years.

This time, we opted for the extra pages! We must be optimists when it comes to cruising!!

Nicki

Thank You Nicki. I had thought about using that airport as well. When I looked at connection and arrival times and how long it took, it seemed the other airport might be a better choice. When I read reviews people were talking about carring their luggage on the train. Forget that.

 

A guestion. Will these limo buses drop you at a hotel or just the cruise port.

Hi Jim,

We were lucky in that the bus stop was only a hop, skip and a jump from our hotel in Yokohama.

We ended up moving hotels, and we noticed a bus stop outside the Intercontinental hotel in Yokohama. Where are you staying?

Tamara has posted a good site for you to check.

Good luck.

Nicki

One of my favorites--do order it. I predict that you'll love it if you enjoy creamy, cheesy, rich appetizers. It's truly delicious!

Couldn't agree more! Very decadent and delicious, but really rich.

Certainly worth trying! I am lactose intolerant, but always take a tablet before I eat it as it is one of my favourites.

Hope you enjoy it.

Nicki

We are trying to plan a cruise for Japan next year. Does anyone have information on the Bus service (shuttle) from Narita Aiport to Yokohoma. We would come in a few days early and book a hotel. I tried the Asian board and there was not a lot of comment about the travel between.

 

I would also like to get some suggestions on moderate hotels in Yokohoma that anyone has used.

 

Thanks ahead of time, Jim

Hi Jim,

DH and I did the Japan season last year. We didn't fly into Narita, I think it was Haneda, however the buses are available everywhere. We used what they call a "limousine bus" which operates from the airport. They are brilliant and beautifully organised, like everything in Japan. We purchased our tickets at the airport, paid, and waited for the bus to arrive. We were assisted with our luggage and the service couldn't have been better. It didn't cost much and was a wonderful service.

Nicki

Hi Nicki' date='

 

That is really strange that they charged in US$ on the Sun Princess. Maybe they have changed it since being based in Asia now.[/quote']

 

On the Sun Princess last year, around Japan in June, not departing from Sydney, we were also charged in US$. At least we were forewarned, so no nasty surprises!

 

I will keep in touch.

 

Nicki

Hi Eileen

Just disembarked Sun Princess in Kobe and although we were charged in US$, our daily gratutities were removed by the cruise line, however they added the 15% surcharge to all drinks etc.

I will let you know what they do on the Diamond, next week, when we board.

Nicki

Further to my earlier posting, the no tipping policy will commence with her late 2014 sailings from OZ. :o

 

If you want confirmation, ring Princess to confirm.;)

Last year, on Sun Princess, sailing around Japan, not only were we charged the daily tipping rate, but also our folio at the end of the cruise was charged in US dollars. Quite a lot of people were surprised.

Nicki

Won't be long and she will be heading off for her refurb for the Japan season. Looking forward to it.

Nicki