corpkid

Thank you - I think my partner and I would enjoy the River Cruise whereas my friend might not as much so I'll save that for another day. I'm starting to get a little tired of ocean cruising as I've already been most places that make sense to visit via ocean ship that I care to visit at this time, so who knows - maybe next year?

Thanks again and happing cruising! :)

Thank you all for the fantastic advice! I'm typically the youngest adult passenger when we (my partner and I) sail on our preferred ocean line, Oceania. Never been a problem and I have a great time and meet plenty of interesting people from all over.

This will be a trip with my best friend - he's never been to Europe and I have a feeling he will love the tours and history that a river cruise offers he's a huge history buff and likes structure. Plus I will love not having to plan out a super detailed itinerary (already working on one for the Cyclades islands next spring). :)

We're both big time into food so we'd ideally like to at least have dinner in port most nights but then you face the dreaded "well I already paid for a nice dinner on the boat" connundrum. If the boat is even still docked... and that makes me wonder if maybe a land tour wouldn't be a better introduction to Europe, day AND night? We can get by on 6 or 7 hours of sleep.

Hi all. My friend and I are looking at river cruises. We are experienced ocean cruisers who are thinking about trying a river cruise. We are also both just about 40. We are certainly not party animals, though we do like to stay up a little late and explore cities, etc.

Not knowing much about river cruises except the demographic tends to be older than us, which lines would you recommend? Particularly interested in ones that stay in port late or overnight and might have a few people closer to our age (though I realize that can vary on ANY cruise). This would be for a European cruise.

Many thanks and happy cruising!

Would help if you have TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry (with included TSA Pre-Check). Last time in MIA the regular security lines were horrendous.

 

John

This... 100%. MIA can be a real nightmare at peak times (such as morning). TSA Pre will almost certainly get you through TSA in less than 30 minutes if not less than 10! $100 for that PLUS Global Entry (expedited US Border Control) and is good for five years. A must have if you fly at least once a year IMHO.

Funny story today. I was flying back from OKC (small airport) and I actually witnessed a guy trying to get hedge clippers through TSA screening in his carryon. Add we were 2 seconds from take off when a lady right next to me started having a straight out panic attack and panickly screaming "get me off, get me off!" (in the exit row, to boot). We headed back to the gate to let her off. My arm is bruised from her grabbing it whilst said freak out was going on. All this before 8:00am.

Business travel... :rolleyes:

Kudos to you. You kept your cool and handled it with class.

I think that person's behavior was inexcusable.

What I wanted to do/say was VERY different than what I did say/do. I'm no stranger to laundry etiquette and this one blew me away as I NEVER leave my clothes to sit for even a minute. The problem that particular day was the loads got way out of sync pretty early... so you had a wait for the dryers that was 2 or 3 people deep and dinner time was fast approaching. Either way it made for interesting conversation with those who witnessed it for the rest of the cruise. :)

EDIT to add that I saw her later on in the cruise at Martini's and she couldn't have given me more of a cold shoulder. To which I say "WHATEVER!" <grin> We packed super light so I had to do laundry 4 times (under-stuff, etc) on our 30 day journey around North Asia. By the end of the cruise I figured out doing laundry at 7pm was the way to go... I'd throw a load in, grab a drink in my room, go back and put it in the dryer and hit the Terrace for a quick bite... worked out very well. This was also my first time on an R class ship with Oceania - we've always done the O class which have 4 or 5 laundry rooms and much less "laundry drama." :p

Just curious - how did you handle that?

I approached her and said "oh I didn't think they'd be dry yet" and reached in the basket and said - "oh wait, these aren't dry - why are you taking them out?" Mind you the room was completely full of people so this already was quite the scene. She just said she "thought they were dry enough" and I said, "I don't think you should make that call with other people's belongings" and she put the stuff back in the dryer and walked out of the room, not even apologizing. Everyone knew what had transpired and it was awkward.

Are the machines and laundry detergent complimentary??

 

Thanks

$2 per wash and $2 per dry. Detergent is free from a dispenser (it's "ocean friendly" but works fine). Just spent almost a month on Nautica and YES the laundry can be downright competitive (walked in on someone taking my still wet clothes out with 20 minutes left on the cycle). It was fairly awkward. Much better on the O-class ships as there are multiple laundry rooms.

If you like dryer sheets, bring a zip lock full and hand them out to make new friends. :) Also, set a timer on your phone - clothes left sitting WILL be removed unceremoniously... Rules of the laundry room I'm learning. Best time to do laundry is either while people are in port or during dinner. Laundry closes at about 10pm.

Thank you all - that's what I was hoping to hear. Not much of a fan of the formal nights to begin with... I have to wear a suit every day for work - why do I want to wear one on vacation!? I do however understand the desire by some.

Maybe someone can answer another newbie question for me... We have purchased the premium beverage package - does that extend to CoCo Cay?

Thank you all again!

Experienced cruiser, however never been on RCCL nor have I ever been on a 3 night cruise. My question is (for men) what is the dress attire in the evenings? We will be dining at Chops one (perhaps two) nights if that matters. Trying to pack lightly. I am planning on slacks and a nice button up shirt, and some loafers. Would that suffice? Is there a formal night on such a short cruise? I really appreciate any advice!

(This time, we are doing a one nighter after our cruise to get a quick fix. Probably pool time, Downtown Disney...or whatever it is called now, dinner at Contemporary, fly home the next day. Better than nothing!)

My friends from back up North hate me because we call that "Saturday" here (minus the flying - maybe a 30 minute uber ride)! <smirk> Disney Springs is coming along nicely and will be pretty great when it's done very soon (I heard mid-May). Have Fun!

Also keep in mind that Uber & Lyft (preferred) are HUGE here in Orlando and especially in the tourist areas. I use them all the time to park hop as it's much faster than the Disney transportation and just a couple of dollars per trip. I also use them to get to and from the parks from Downtown Orlando (about 25 miles north of Disney).

People always fail to account for just how long it takes to get from A to B in Disney World using the busses and ferries (and the monorail is almost pointless unless you are going to the 3 resorts on that loop or MK-Epcot - Parking)... The only caveat is you can't get one at Magic Kingdom as it's only serviced by Disney transit options, but you can take the 5 minute walk to/from the Contemporary and catch one there. They are safe, inexpensive and plentiful. :)

Hi All. A buddy and me are hopping on Enchantment of the Seas July 1st in Miami for a 3 night R&R. We’ve got the drink package, the sunblock, and the aft facing Jr. Suite. so I think we’re off to a good start. I’ve never sailed out of Miami (we live in Orlando) and I’ve never sailed RCL. That all said I have a few questions if anyone could help….

1. Is there any covering from above/shade for the rear facing Jr. Suite 8170?

2. Are there loungers on the balcony?

3. Chef’s Table - worth it on a 3 nighter?

4. Are there any private excursions on Cococay or is what you see what you get. We want to rent jet skis for a few hours - we both drive them so just want to rent/not a slow tour.

5. Can you order alcoholic drinks through room service and how long does it take? We plan to spend a lot of time chilling on the balcony, drink in hand and would like to avoid running to bars overtime we get low. :)

6. What time do you need to disembark by?

7. Parking in Miami - just use the port’s lot?

8. Is the casino any good? We play craps.

Many thanks!

Hawaii Dan, We used the ship accommodations and tours in Beijing following a Crystal Cruise and we were very happy. I would get more details from Oceania before you eliminate that option.

 

Re Catherine Lu, we stayed on in Beijing and used her for 1 day to see some other locations including some art galleries. We found her to be okay, but not comfortable or knowledgeable outside of the usual tourist spots and a bit irreverent. She was our least favorite guide and we had arranged our own tours in several other areas of China. She seemed a bit more interested in getting a good review than in giving a good tour. I know she is rated very highly but just did not meet our needs that well. She may be fine for you but wanted to give you a heads up.

Keep in mind there are different guides for Catherine Lu (which is a company). Do you remember who you had because Sophie was very accommodating and very friendly and personable...? We had her customize on the fly so we could do more "culinary" type things such as markets and street food without issue.

Yes - you do need to send in photos.

We stayed at the Renaissance Wangfujing 3 nights prior to our cruise. I work for Marriott so it cost us about $24 / night and it's a fantastic hotel. We upgraded to the club for an additional $20 a night and it was worth it for breakfast and evening canapés and cocktails plus the "view" (smog based) of the forbidden city... Location is pretty great - highly recommend this hotel especially if you want to use Marriott points.

We used Catherine Lu tours for two days and saw all the highlights privately and had a great driver and guide. HIGHLY recommend this outfit. All said we paid about 5000 CNY (about $750) for two great touring days including the wall and all the sights as well as a transfer from PEK to the hotel and a transfer from the hotel to the Tianjin port. They are very flexible and again, highly recommended.

If you do stay at this hotel, and you enjoy cooking, try to make time to do the Beijing Cooking school. A total blast and I'll share the details if interested. The house you cook in is right around the corner from the hotel.

Just got back from a cruise that started in Beijing and ended in Hong Kong (with various entries into China throughout).

We used VisaHQ.com and just mailed out the forms, photo and passport to the agency in Dallas (there's no Chinese Consulate in Florida where we live). VERY easy to do and got them back in about 5 days. All in with overnight shipping it was about $180 per visa. Certainly get the 10 year multiple entry option as it doesn't cost any more. Oceania will just give you a link to a similar service and take $100+ for the "convenience" though there is none. :rolleyes: One thing we were told is to make sure EVERY field is filled out completely - even if it doesn't apply just put an "N/A" to indicate that you really meant to leave that field blank. It's really not that difficult and they have great support if you have any questions.

We've used VisaHQ for our Brazilian Visas as well - never a problem and very professional and helpful.

I know Baristas has the pink stuff, whatever that is not knowing my artificial sweeteners... Also I know the yellow packets are available in Terrace and with coffee in the MDR and specialties.

Regarding the hightailing it out of Korea - I know you mentioned some port time changes because of navy or military maneuvers, are tensions heating up between North and South (more so than normal)?

 

 

 

Great to see you are having a good time, even with all the curve balls that have been thrown at you.

 

 

 

They are doing the annual military games in the area though this year is the biggest yet (over 300,000 troops). The captain told us the day before yesterday while we were in Seoul that it was deemed unsafe to move on to Jeju and we'd spend the night in the port (actually in a lock - safer?) and then go around the activity and head straight to Hiroshima. We dock early tomorrow. Really rough seas today with wind at over 60 knots. The ship is listing hard and rocking around. Watching everyone try to navigate the buffet is rather amusing. ;)

Mentioning "DH" these days doesn't necessarily mean you are a female!

 

John

My DH appreciates this sentiment :)

Having a blast on Nautica right now as we hightail it out of Korea (for obvious reasons) en route to Hiroshima! Yes an older crowd but certainly not "old" by any means. Making friends everywhere and having a great time...

We strolled right on with 4 liters of hooch we picked up from the China duty free at the port two days ago. Not an eye was batted. They don't care at all, really. We asked our stewardess (who is amazing) to keep the fridge stocked with tonic and Diet Coke and it has been since dinner that night. Oceania are pretty great when it comes to this. Enjoy!

Thanks Paul. It's a difficult area to cruise as there are so many factors. We visited Seoul today and the immigration took longer than expected so that truncated the day. Of course we missed our food tour of Tianjin due to the whole fog issue on day 1 & 2. And when we got back to the ship today from Seoul the captain announced we will miss the next port of Jeju due to the large military exercises going on + bad weather so we are staying in Incheon overnight and leaving tomorrow at 11a heading straight to Hiroshima. That all said everyone (well at least the people we've been hanging out with) understand and are in good spirits. Fingers crossed the rest of the ports go smoothly.

The Tianjin cruise terminal (very modern and HUGE) was literally covered in ads for RCCL cruises in 2016. I mean EVERYWHERE. I couldn't read them as they were in Mandarin but they sure were advertising those mega ships.

Beijing was amazing and I would tell anyone who has the means to visit for several days at least once. It is very safe and you can openly "explore" the alleys (hutongs) etc. We enjoyed it very much. It takes about an hour from the airport to downtown Beijing. About two hours from the Tianjin port. The Great Wall is about 90 minutes from Beijing. China is quite honestly the most fascinating place I've ever visited. It's one of those places that really changes your perspective on the world.

The Hilton is really nice and people seem to be in OK spirits. We had a nice breakfast and it looks like we will be boarding in not too long. Had to cancel our private Tianjin food tour but no big deal - things happen when you travel. We are fortunate in that we came into Beijing early and had three days to do the sights. Understand why some would be disappointed but that ship has sailed (pun intended). Hope those heading home are able to do so without too much trouble. It is China after all. :)

I'm 38 and was 34 the first time I sailed Oceania (going on my 4th cruise day after tomorrow). You will be lucky to find someone in our age bracket. That doesn't make it a bad thing unless you are looking to party/stay out late. Oceania usually gets quiet pretty early (think 11 or midnight). I did have one group on my Baltics cruise where they were a big family and there were some people my age who (also) enjoyed playing craps in the casino and we had fun into the wee hours a few nights. But the average age pushes 60 I'd say. We always make friends and have a great time as the people generally are interesting and worldly. Not a party, but more like a long country club trip which I enjoy (thus the 4th cruise Monday). We tour pretty heavy in port usually so when we get back to the ship it's shower/dinner/nightcap/bed usually. Sea days can be a little bit of a struggle unless you can entertain yourself (I never sail without the internet package). Also the food is pretty great so if you are into cooking do sign up for some of the culinary classes (younger spirits usually in there and I make tons of friends each class). It's like staying at a 5 star hotel that goes to bed really early. :)