sagittarius

Despite buying package land and cruise trip with flights we have to make

our own arrangements to get from cruise terminal at Baoshan Shanghai to Shanghai Hongqiao airport. The travel agent company are quoting between $175 - $200 for a pre booked car. Is this reasonable? Does anyone know if RCI Quantum of the Seas will offer a shuttle as this is a cruise aimed at the Chinese market, (Shanghai to Japan return)?

Anyone with experience of this port and ease of using a taxi as I don't speak Chinese.

Quantum are offering sight seeing with drop off but only mentions Pudong airport in Shanghai: the main international one.

Information would be great as the travel company are not in the least bit helpful and don't seem to be all knowledgeable about their own product!

We will be on Quantum of the Seas out of Shanghai in June as part of a trip we got great deal on which gives some days in China and then short cruise to Japan. So i too am interested in what the experience will be like with mainly Chinese clientele. I am aware that it will be different to sailing from Australia and know that there will be at least a group of non chinese as the tour of china we will be doing is with TA based here in australia. any info how the experience will differ would be much appreciated.

Thanks. Will get onto it today.

Yes you can cancel online and rebook you will have to wait for the credit to be refund to your credit card about a week

 

 

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Do you mean wait for refund before being able to rebook or just rebook shortly after cancelling?

Another question: bought ships excursion for Lautoka (don't normally buy them due to cost) but decided it did what we wanted and it's NYE and paid online. Now see it's almost $100 cheaper. Can I cancel and rebook? Is it easy or not if I've already paid or do I merely accept the situation as just my hard luck?

Yes they have a fridge only just cool enough for insulin we survived ok if you want it a bit cooler just ask your cabin stuard for a bucket of ice

 

 

As for the onboard account just say no otherwise you will get hit twice with the currency exchange you will still have to pay for the overseas transaction as it will be billed from Miami"

 

 

Thanks for that, only need to keep my pills cool as thankfully not insulin etc but thyroid medication.

 

Plus thanks to all the replies re credit card charges, knew that better to allow my bank to convert even with their fees (not enough time from booking to sort fee free card) but the online check in form asks if my card is one of several currencies including AUD which if I answer YES (which it is) will that mean the cruise line does the currency conversion? So then I click NO?

 

If the question had been do you want: A) us to convert or B) your bank

I would have known which to answer.

Do have some left over USD which will put onto my account thus hopefully reducing what goes onto my card.

 

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Do inside cabins on Explorer of the Seas have a fridge, I need to keep medication cool?

When setting up my onboard account with Aus credit card at question "currency conversion authorisation" I assume I choose NO and ignore it asking me what currency my card is in?

How do I buy myself some OBC?

Thanks for all the info you knowledgeable people impart.

@beatleman thanks for info on coffee places, will probably get a card as sure between the 2 of us we'll use it all.

@KAYTWO thanks for info on paid venues and hopefully we'll get changed to MTD, will ask when we get on if needs be although based on our cabin location we might be last on.

@possum52 the ice show ticketing you describe seems reasonable and most efficient way to cope so will look for notices. Trip has 6sea days so if not too rocky sure there will plenty of chance for all who want to see show.

Thanks again to you have replied, it's been really helpful.

@MrYellowDuck thanks for the info on the paid eateries. May give the sushi place a miss as where we live, due to number of Japanese who live in the area, really good sushi, sashimi and more are to be found! And so we've been spoilt.

@whimsey no problem doing internet free cruise in the past but having young grandchildren would have been nice to connect on Christmas Day, even if only to share photos etc. We'll see the photos etc when we get back...they live in far north WA so we're used to that. Maybe there will be WiFi in Noumea or even Fiji, not hopeful re Lifou. But thinking about it definitely in Noumea as sure the crew will all be heading off to do the same, connect with family back home.

@banzai will look out for ice show slot and take note that we need to arrive early. I am in awe of skaters so really want to see the show. Didn't think one could get in more than once unless allocated passengers didn't arrive. Thanks for the tip.

Got allocated our cabin today and it's as expected, very humble but it's ours for the trip.

Thanks to all who have replied and if anyone thinks of info please post.

@jaspar15. Thanks for info about internet. Can't find dining package in cruise planner which I imagine is because of Xmas/New Year timing and price increase in paid venues for holiday nights.

@banzai....thanks for response and we normally use MDR but cos of our late booking we had no choice but late fixed times and 8.30pm is later than my body expects to eat. We'll see how it goes.

Although called Anytime....it's not completely Anytime. Rather they have slots early and late. From memory 5.30/5.45/6pm and then something similar once more after 7pm. So you're not locked to early or late but you do need to book if a specific time is wanted. Good idea to book for first night when get on board and then it is possible to book each night for following eve, if wished. They try to stagger numbers at each time slot. The whole process can be great or a total failure.

But can't be booked till on board.

Another quick question: re Internet....on cruise planner there are options for one to multiple devices priced per day but needs to be bought for every day..is there a timed package e.g 100 minutes for $xxxx cost? Not sure what everyday just enough to post Merry Christmas etc.

@Sanjanjo that's what I'm hoping for. It's just that we've not had texts etc previously, so wondered if they were more strict now. We'll take a chance our preferred boarding status will get us on board!! At least we're going on a cruising holiday!!

Just asking for update on Princess boarding times/suggestions. This is the first time we've had emails and texts re deck allocated times. The fine print indicates that even preferred boarding passes only mean first in your time slot. Don't need to be first on but would prefer earlier than 2.30pm time slot. Like having time to get re-acquainted with the ship before muster etc. Hoping it's still same as indicated in this thread earlier in the year. Thanks.

Thanks to all those who replied:

@sinbad...as this may be my only trip to Fiji thanks for suggesting I try an island trip so may have to pay Cruise line prices.

@DT1304. Is the dining package only sold on board as can't seem to find it online, wondered if not available as there is big price jump for the paid restaurants for Xmas day/new year. As we booked a few days ago we were only offered late seating although we are waitlisted for My Time. Did the dining room do a "traditional Xmas meal"?

@mr walker thanks for the comments..we are waitlisted for MTD but it is what it is.. we may prebook tours even tho we're not all that keen on cruise ship tours. Definitely want to see the ice show! And for some reason my hubby wants to try the rock climbing wall!

Does anyone know cost of "specialty" coffee as wondering if the coffee card is value for money.

Thanks all.

This is our first trip on RCI ship...Explorer of the Seas..Dec 24-Jan 4th, so would appreciate any hints and tips with regards to how this cruise line works. Just the two of us. We booked only few days ago and have been assigned late time dining and just wondered how likely would be to get onto My Time as assume early will be busy with families on this sailing. Can I try and swop once on board or is that a no-no?

What are the "paid" restaurants like? Which would you suggest I try? Saw something about a dining package but then couldn't find any further info.

Not having sailed on a ship with this number of passengers or extra activities that require pre-booking not sure how to go about it or if I need to. Is it cheaper pre-cruise? As it's school/festive holiday season does this make a difference?

Other than that this is also our first visit to Fiji so any hints on tours etc would be great. How easy is it to DIY once ashore or does the over three thousand people make it more difficult to "wing" it?

Did try searching the forum but not very successful.

Sure I'll think of other things in the coming days but if any of you helpful and knowledgeable people could respond I'd be most grateful.

Possible to DIY snorkel as it's walkable from where you come ashore to the wreck site. Just need to be aware that currents can be tricky.

I am taking a 12 day cruise to the British Isles in June 2017. on the Caribbean Princess. I can't afford to take excursions in every port. any suggestions on ones that I can do on my own?

Several of the ports have the hop on hop off buses which are a great way to see the places. And if you join your date roll call then often independent trips can be organised with your fellow passengers which keeps costs down. And Greenock if you go there offer free tours.

Thanks for reading along. We did have a wonderful time and thankfully didn't experience any of the negative issues that others have posted previously. Only irritant was Princess decision to not provide an in cabin TV guide but have the tedious scrolling guide on the TV. Glad to read lots of the rest of you hate it too. Let's hope Princess listen to us.

When we can afford would love to try one of the newer/bigger ships now based down under.

Final thoughts

Bit of a delay in finishing this review as hubby went to have his knee replacement op and life got bit hectic. Our thoughts on Caribbean Princess, (and this is the biggest ship we'd sailed on as until recently we didn't get the bigger ships down in Australia.) and so we were unsure how we'd go. Plus all the negative comments meant we were careful not to set our expectations too high. It's such a port intensive cruise that we went with the mindset that as long as we had a bed and access to edible food we'd be fine.

Well we really liked this ship. Being bigger it had some extra spots that Dawn, Sun, Sea don't have like anytime dining, Sabatini's, more pools and hot tubs, International Cafe to name a few. We appreciated that there were more members of the entertainment group. And the shows were very enjoyable and we saw several we'd not seen previously. We particularly enjoyed Bravo which was music from opera etc with guest soloist who was very good. There was one show that didn't seem to gel and we felt that the special effects etc were driving the show rather than the music. Guest performers were good too. And again sailing from UK meant we saw different people than we've seen from Australia. We didn't experience any problem in finding seats in the theatre and didn't get there very early either. The place did fill up for some of the shows though.

We were planning on trying Anytime Dining but in the end never made it to the dining room. I know lots of people have reservations about the buffet with regards to hygiene but we really like Princess salad bar and there were evenings when we didn't feel we could face the wait at the dining room, either to get a table or being served etc. The long light nights meant that Horizon Court felt really spacious and we never had a problem finding a table with a view of the sea. We did eat at Sabatini's one evening which was very pleasant. But never made it to pizza lunch which was a shame as Princess pizza is usually very good. With regards to food, we never went hungry and though there were times when the offerings were ordinary there were also some really good meals too. It's not Michelin star quality menus but we knew that. Personally I often find the desserts look better than they taste which is great for the waist line. Although do like the fruit tartlets!! Liked lot of the offerings in International Cafe and had to be restrained with how often I visited. I wonder if being the port intensive itinerary helped but there wasn't an outbreak of the dreaded norovirus which was a bonus. Or maybe we had cruisers who were hygiene aware.

I'm starting to believe I'm one of the few people who has never found the beds onboard uncomfortable and always sleep well when sailing. On the other hand I find the pillows too soft and would prefer different types. And we cope well with the shower, don't find them too small. Although I wish they would provide larger bath towels as I have to take the deck ones for use in the cabin. There were plenty on deck rather than having them in the cabin. We were fortunate that we didn't encounter any issues with non functioning toilet, leaking showers or unpleasant smells.

The pools were very warm which was good as the weather wasn't but we did swim a few times. We didn't get to the gym and we normally use the gym every day while away. Looked good though. But the weather/itinerary meant not a lot of sun bathing went on so no problem with "chair hogs". We enjoyed sitting out at the back of ship on the two sea days we had.

We really enjoyed meeting plenty of people from America and Canada as well as lots of Brits too, and mostly everyone seemed to be enjoying their trip.

In conclusion we would be quite happy to sail on this ship again.

DAY ELEVEN SEA DAY

Not a lot to say really as we did very little other than got up, ate meals and rested. Looked at whether to head out to Bruges, which we had been to before and it's a Sunday, seems like a hassle to DYI it and it's a shortish day. Sadly the weather was cool so our hope of some time in The Sanctuary was soon dismissed. We bought some duty free alcohol. Gosh what boring people we are.

But the do nothing was what we needed to recharge the batteries as we were off to spend time with family in the UK and be part of our son's wedding.

I will try to post something about the shows, our view of the food and other general comments about the ship, which may or may not be of help to others.

Hi Sagittarius

Did you see the Nessie sign,

 

For all cruise ship passengers guaranteed sightings the day after you board your ship, sounds like you enjoyed Scotland we might be small but have much to offer the visitor , so only the only question is when are coming back,

Yours Shogun

Had been to other parts of Scotland when still lived in England just not these parts. As child had father who was obsessed with Scotland, not drop of Scottish blood mind, so did Scottish country dancing etc usually took male part as we were short on boys so even worn a kilt, ate haggis on a regular basis, listened to lot of bagpipe music and admired men in kilts!!! As older person even involved in hogmany first footing. It's a bloody long way from sydney so may be a while before we make it but would love to revisit soon.

DAY TEN: EDINBURGH

Not as cold as in Guernsey but not as pleasant as previous Scottish ports. This a tender port and then not to Edinburgh itself but to South Queensferry which is still a way from the city. From reading a blog by Delorean Girl and posts by Tartan Exile I was aware of a couple of ways to get to Edinburgh that were cheaper than Princess offered tour. A local bus company offered a shuttle and prices seemed quite reasonable. But we opted for the train, which is a short walk and Delorean Girl had posted photos of the route, it wasn't always well signed. As we got off the tender the welcome party also had a hand drawn sketch showing the route. Quick phone photo and we were set. Signage has improved and it wasn't too far, the station is unmanned but has a ticket machine that accepts cards. We were able to get day returns and then found some extra tickets with receipt in the drawer. Asked on the platform but no-one responded and a train had recently gone through. However while on the train spoke to lovely American couple and it turned out to be their tickets. They hadn't realised they needed two tickets each, one for each journey. How spooky was that.

In Edinburgh we did the HOHO bus, a complete circuit, and sat outside upstairs till the rain was too heavy. The dense traffic meant we moved quite slowly with plenty of stopping so we got some great photos. The live commentary was fun too. We had already decided that the we'd not go to the castle as it would be very busy and would require more time than we had really. We'd also discovered a place called Real Mary King's Close which sounded quite intriguing. Originally a "close" a sort of alley where people lived, it was built over in 1700s and only recently has it been opened up to the public once more although through a guided tour operation. However it is very well done and really interesting. The tour lasts about an hour and is done by time slots.

We found a good pub for lunch and then had a walk along the Royal Mile and hopped back on the HOHO to get us closer to the train station. Getting back to South Queensferry we went to the pub there and sat and a beer watching people lining up for the tender. It was quite a late all aboard so we didn't feel the need to rush back and as a local ferry was being used we didn't have to wait too long once we joined the line.

That evening the captain announced that we wouldn't be going to Le Havre due to strikes there and would go to Zeebrugge which is the port for Bruges. As we've been to Paris this wasn't too much of a disappointment for us unlike for some. But tomorrow is our only other sea day and I was was grateful for a rest.

DAY NINE : INVERGORDON/INVERNESS

We were booked on a small group tour, organised by Tania via CC roll call. So many thanks to al her hard work in sourcing/researching the options and putting together the itinerary. We met at the IC and we're off the ship fairly quickly. We had little trouble finding our driver/ guide for the day and he was wearing a kilt as promised! John was an excellent guide who was very knowledgeable and having worked at several of the historic sites in the area knew a lot of the staff which proved useful. We headed off to Cawdor Castle, the furthest away place on our list and reputedly the castle in Macbeth. (Actually highly unlikely as not built till later). When we arrived it wasn't open and not due to open for at least an hour but fate was on our side...castle staff arriving as opening early because there was a cruise ship docked in nearby Invergordon. Score one to us, and as John knew a couple of them they let us into the gardens and opened up the toilets, then went to set up for the day. To be honest the gardens were magnificent and I could have spent longer there. But we wanted to be ahead of the first big tour group so got ourselves into the castle proper. It's still someone's home for at least part of the year.

John had discovered that 6 on this trip had either read/watched (or done both) Outlander which is set in The Highlands and he too had seen some of the TV show. We knew of the show but had not seen any of it nor read any of the books. Our next stop was Clava Cairns, standing stones and possible real location for start of the book. I hadn't realised how many standing stones locations there are in Scotland but it's a lot. This place is quite wonderful and during the Victorian era when the English became bit besotted with Scotland lots of trees were planted all around and the place did have quite a spiritual air to it.

We next went to Culloden battlefield which has an impressive looking exhibition centre, which we didn't have time to visit but John had worked there and was able to take us onto the battlefield and explain how the battle was won and lost. We learned a lot about the Highlanders fought normally and how incredibly fierce and fearless they could be. The Scots had won several battles in their quest to put Charles on the Scottish throne but the defeat at Culloden was an annihilation and afterwards the English slaughtered the population.

We ate at the cafe area here and of course we had to have haggis, and followed that with a locally made ice cream. We headed off to Loch Ness for a boat trip and visit to Urqhart Castle. We didn't see Nessie but the scenery on the way there was glorious and the sun was shining and it was warm. The only downside was the amount of people visiting the castle ruins which was very busy. The drive back to the ship was done along back roads to avoid the inevitable heavy traffic on the main roads as John was very conscious of the need to get us back by all aboard, which we did with time to spare.

So glad we did this small group tour and the itinerary was great. Trying to visit these places as part of a large bus group would not have been as pleasant and we had a great time with a wonderful guide, from Happy Tours.

Once more we were piped away as we left.

And as a footnote there were episodes of Outlander on the entertainment on our long flight home which we watched and I've already got the first two books.

Hi sagittarius

 

Glad you enjoyed Kirkwall, pity you missed the chapel you must have driven past it,

 

did you try any local black pudding, or a dram of Highland Park,

 

so much in a tiny place, wish more folks would visit.

 

 

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/eastmainland/italianchapel/

 

 

yours Shogun

Would love to spend a week on the island to do some bird watching, visit the distilleries and sample the local whisky etc. will have to start doing the lottery and hope to win so that I can return. A spectacular place and lovely people.