efghi9

Why not investigate a private wine tour? Try googling Baja Test Kitchen and contact them. We took their tour at the end of November and enjoyed it very much. We visited 3 boutique wineries and had lunch prior to returning to the ship.

Yes I have initiated an email to BTK but so far it is just Kyle and I and the cost is a bit high for me. Also our ship docks at 1:00 and sails at 7:00pm not as conducive for their typical tour times.

Thank you for the suggestion.

sandra

Hi Sandra,

 

We did this tour last year, it was fun. Anyway, the description says you need to be 18 to take the tour, then it says guests under 18 will not be permitted in the tasting room. Kind of confusing so you may just have to wait till you board to find out for sure.

 

See you on board, Sharon

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Forums mobile app

Thank You Sharon. yes one way or another we will make a visit to the wine country. My son is a very mature 15 year old. I understand they cannot do tastings, but he is old enough to be on his own while I do the tasting. Will wait and see what Princess says and have a backup plan if he is not allowed.

Sandra

Princess Cruise on the Grand - was wondering if the cruise ship winery excursion requires all participants to be of legal drinking age? My son (aged 15) and I would like to take the excursion (this information is not readily available on the site for reasons too lengthy to explain here). I can try the wines and he can purchase olives and see the countryside.

If there is an age restriction on Princess Excursion then I would research the options. One other independent tour group I looked at did in fact have an age limit. We could rent a taxi for the afternoon to take us to the winery.

thank you in advance.

Sandra

great news thank you for responding, so now all I really have to worry about is my son's stinky feet and stinky shoes...no balcony to air out both he and his stinky shoes on.

sandra

Excellent feedback. thank you LO LO. I have to admit after many cruises I have started to become more aware of the noise points near cabins. I am one of those light sleepers. We always book forward if we can.

sandra

Has anybody stayed in this cabin? what is the white space beside? I am thinking it is a crew cabin. Maybe someone has stayed on another deck in same location. Still wondering if there is a service/crew elevator this far forward. thanks in advance for any input.

We are booked in this cabin on the Regal. Previously, we have sailed twice on the Royal with balconies.

Sandra

Thanks again Goofy for speedy input. Still hoping to hear form someone who has stayed in an 'inside' forward cabin (goofy was blessed with balconies!) and any info on where the service/crew elevators are on these two ships.

Sandra

thank you both for your replied. wrt calling Princess for detailed deck plan white space descriptions, yes i did that too. just heard back and they have said that there is a service elevator on the port side of this white space but that it should not impact the starboard side inside cabins. not sure i understand why it would not be multiple elevators (i,e, a row of elevators similar to other banks of service elevators).

Goofy any crew doors near by your cabins. we have had some bad experiences in the past and trying to avoid if possible.

thank you both again for your speedy replies. We really like Princess cruises.

Sandra

I am considering booking a forward inside cabin on Regal M125 or M124. There is a white space that travels the height of the ship and I was wondering if this area includes an elevator shaft for a crew only service elevator. Has anyone stayed near this area, inside or balcony, who could verify? Do the hallway doors (crew access points to this white space) differ between the port side and the starboard side hallway?

Royal would have similar situation so either ship.

Thank you in advance.

Sandra

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. Alex71 good to know that last year the .5 carafe was still available. The 7 euro is a great price even if not the best of the best. When in Rome...so we will adapt to the water situation at dinner.

Sandra

Thanks AmoMondo,

so you definitely think they will have the carafe option, but you are just not sure of the price. We are second seating so yes service may not be fast.

we are really looking forward to this cruise and trying out MSC. We have cruised a lot on Princess. It is myself and my 13 yr old son. We are looking forward to the cultural difference!!

Sandra

Thank you Babyeddiedog for posting the cost of a bottle of house wine. Certainly much higher than the 7 € for the half carafe. I expect prices to rise each year but that is quite a jump. If others have any info on the half carafe availability and price for Med cruise please jump on this thread.

Sandra

Hi, brand new to MSC (Canadian) and I read on another post from 2 years ago that MSC serves 1/2 carafe of wine in the MDR (7 € + 15% that was the price 2 yrs ago) and was wondering if this is still the case. Sailing Fantasia out of Genoa 11 days this March 2015. I don't need any other drinks other than some wine with dinner. Please advise if still available and what the cost is. I understand that it won't be top of the line, but still a good option if available. If so can you purchase this in the buffet too for the odd night that we may end up there?

thank you in advance for your help.

Sandra

Hallasm - I have asked the company/driver to suggest where to meet, but they do not seem to know where the tender drop off is. They are geared more for hotel pickups it would seem. Also I was alerted on another travel forum that the jetty at the north end of the beach is being used this year for tendering. So maybe it depends on wind and sea conditions etc.

Our ship makes one stop there before our visit so I can ask on aboard and then email the driver. I do not have a mobile phone. thank you again for taking the time to answer.

Sandra

Thank you Hallasm, I had actually watched your video a number of times and tried to analyze the surroundings to see if north or south end but I don't know enough about the area and the landmarks. Thank you so much for clarifying for me.

Do you have a suggestion for a good spot to meet up? I was thinking of the Holiday Inn Resort but upon review of the google street view maps the Holiday Inn looks to be too far away.

Sandra

We are scheduled to tender in Phuket at Patong Beach January 2015 (Sapphire Princess). I have searched high and low trying to determine where the jetty is located along Patong Beach. We are planning on booking a car & driver for the day and not sure where to tell the driver to meet us. Where is the jetty located - north or south end of the beach and what is a good location to meet for a private pre-arranged tour?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Sandra

I hope you do your homework regarding the Grand Palace. Without a tour guide, you may not know the significance of what you are seeing, or the history regarding the site. It is an incredible place!

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I most certainly have been doing my research...that is half the fun for me. I have guide books and printed notes. However, I have not found a good map yet! The guide books have good over views but not street maps. I am not sure where I will get this before we go.

Sandra

Great spot to be dropped. The Asia Hotel is actually attached to the BTS (Skytrain) so it is very quick and easy to reach both the Grand Palace and Wat Po without using being stuck in traffic or using taxis.

 

Take the BTS one stop to Siam then change lines until you reach Saphan Taksim (about 6 stops). When you alight the river will be just ahead of you and you can get one of the boats to the Grand Palace, you will easily spot the Palace as the boat approaches.

 

The ticket booth in the stations are usually manned by very helpful ladies who will advise if a day ticket is better value for you.

 

Don't be taken in by anyone who approaches you to say that the Palace is closed. It's a scam and they want to take you to "their" shops:D

 

Have a great trip.

 

PS You could walk to Siam about 10 mins but better to save your energy for the Palace and Wat Po

thank you so much for the above......very much appreciated. I apologize for the tardy response back to you.

sandra

Echo about grand palace scam. It has been going on for decades and in spite of story after story on the internet...google grand palace scam....many still fall for it....you will be approached by a person who tells you the Grand Palace is closed for a holiday...then a second or even third "reputabable" looking thai will be walking along seemingly at random and they will confirm that yes it is closed....and then you will be taken to a jewelry store where there is a special sale ...DO NOT FALL FOR ANY OF THIS...the Grand Palace is rarely if ever closed and it is a shame that many people miss seeing it due to this scam....why the Thai Tourism authority and police allow this to go on year after year after year is beyond stupid. I had a friend that even after being warned fell for it as it can be very slick and convincing.......

thank you for taking the time to caution us.. helps so much to be prepared. I will make a note of this on my guide sheets and remind myself a few times during the day.

Sandra

We have booked the Princess Bangkok On Your Own excursion 8:00am to 4:00pm weekday. I understand that the excursion buses are not allowed into the Rattanakosin district, where the Grand Palace is located. The Princess Excursion description states that we will be dropped off at the Asia Hotel located at the Ratchathewi Station on the SUKHUMVIT Train LINE. We would like to make our way to the Grand Palace. We were thinking of walking to the nearest SILOM TRAIN LINE station and taking the train to the Saphan Taksin Station where we could pick up the “river bus” (the Chao Pharaya Express Boat Service) to the Grand Palace area.

The traffic can be hectic and as such a taxi ride from the Asia Hotel may be slow. It was suggested that the best way to get to the Grand Palace and Wats was via the river. Our first time in Bangkok and we have no mobility issues. Any thoughts, suggestions or better ideas welcome.

Thanks for checking that for me. I will purchase on board.

Sandra

I am booked on AOS 14 nights this July, European Cruise out of Southampton and I decided to purchase the 7 bottle package price which is listed as $210.60 Canadian as of today June 18th. Sounded to good to be true which it was apparently. So I add it to my cart (just for myself - 1 person) and when I "checked out" the price was $270 Canadian. How did they come to that figure? An additional 15% would bring the total to $241. Anybody have any ideas? The RCI agent didn't have an answer. I would prefer to purchase prior to cruise and pay Canadian versus US dollars on the ship.

Sandra

Thank you Bob... I actually wanted both pieces of the puzzle.. what is on offer with and without the package. thank you for both your help and your speedy response. Would you agree that the package offerings seem more attractive.

Sandra

The MDR wine list is around the middle of Gambee's drink list here:

 

http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/

so that's all the choice...hhmm. I thought maybe there was a limited list for the package holders. So this is the list for the entire wine selection by the bottle, package or not.

Sandra

Thanks for posting. That is awesome. Let me make sure I understand. The black is a savings per bottle with the package, the red is a cost per bottle with the package. In other words if I pick the cheaper per bottle wines, there is not much savings or it actually costs me more buying the package? If I like the cheaper bottles I would be better to just buy by the bottle and skip the package?

 

I am on AOS out of Southampton 14 days Spain July 6th 2014. My first RCI cruise. I drink wine with dinner and would consider the wine & dine 7 bottle package (just me sailing with my 12 yr old son) but as was pointed out above if you don't mind plunk I might be just as well off buying a $30 at dinner. Question: is there a decent selection of $30 wine bracket. If not the 7 bottle package would be more attractive. thank you in advance for your info. We do not drink fancy coffees, sodas etc so just looking at the wine & dine package.

Sandra