jig

In canton it’s 72. I’m aware of the 144 but never had to use it. Not avail in all cities.

I gave the reg visa, as everyone should, so never had to deal with the rules. But it’s good to know. The 144 seems to be much looser.

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Incorrect. You do not need a visa. If you enter Shanghai under the visa exemption, you can travel to the Zhejiang province where Hangzhou is located.

You sure? In canton you can NOT get a train ticket to Guilin with the 72 hour non visa. You must have a full visa to pick up the ticket. Maybe Shanghai is different. They do enforce things differently here and there. But unless your entering one city and leaving another you are to gave a full visa. It’s good now for 10 years and as many times. If your an American.

The 72 hour non visa is issued city by city to encourage people transiting to stay. Chinese airlines allow stopovers for free or $100. I use china southern to fly from USA to Australia all the time.

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Define terrible?

 

Do you mean hot? Or wet?

 

They can design the itinerary around that to some extent

Both. There are storms up by Darwin now. I’ve never seen one that late. Kakadu is now closed. Litchfield is most likely closed. There is not a chance I would do it at this time of the year.

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Actually the Regatta is going around right now and is also scheduled to go around again starting the middle of Dec 2018. The Regent Seven Seas Mariner is also going around Australia starting in the middle of Dec 2018.

Really. The storms up there can be intense. There are some big ones now.

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Thanks Bodogbodog!! I definitely will as we definitely want to come again and cruise around your wonderful country!!

 

For those interested, here are the dates through 2022 I could find for the Maasdam and the Regatta. It gives us hope anyway that we might have a chance sailing around Australia in late 2019. We'll have to wait and see how their schedules line up to these dates:

 

HAL Maasdam: 26 Sep 2019, 17 Oct 2019, 6 Jan 2020, 22 Oct 2019, 3 Feb 2020, 16 Nov 2019, 21 Nov 2019, 3 Dec 2019, 5 Dec 2019,

23 Dec 2019, 3 Jan 2020, 6 Jan 2020, 18 Jan 2020

 

Oceania Regatta: 6 Dec 2019, 6 Jan 2020, 3 Feb 2020

Well then it can’t be Oceania. The round Australia can’t be in in dec, Jan as the weather is terrible.

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I can check Sydney ports.

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I checked out Sydney ports for after sept 2019. There are sailing listed till 2022. Believe it or not reservations are made years in advance. So they have lots of dep from late sept till Jan of different number of days. However they have the massdam arriving and leaving sept 26 2019. The cruise arriving from japan is arriving sept 27. So there is a mistake. I think that the new use of the massdam has caused many changes.

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Looking foward to reading it every day. If possible. Our friends, Greg and Heo, were just in San Juan and the old town is fine. Angola is one of the most expensive places in the world. Gone of the $12 can of Coke. In Senegal try to get out to the pink lake. Really nice. I was on the princendam on its first stop in.gambia. Both are interesting and the reason to travel. Enjoy.

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The 1st class ticket is $18 and the business class is $34. Much much more comfy but on a train less then an hour not needed.

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The main thing in hangzhou is the lake. When you get off the train there is a metro. All metros in china are in English. Take it to the stop closet to the lake. I think it’s one or two stops and walk around as much if the lake as you want. There are two causeways that cut some of it. As you leave the train station take a picture of it. When you done with whatever your doing get a taxi and show the picture of the station. Very easy. Beautiful place. If it’s too much may I recommend Suzhou. The city of gardens. Many more tourists but still nice.

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Not for a while. The latest ones just came out.

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Thank you, JIG. That takes care of one piece of the puzzle as long as the ship docks as scheduled.

 

We were thinking it would be easier to take a taxi from the ship to the train station. Would that be outrageously expensive?

 

 

 

Barbara

Not really. However you have to deal with many factors. I guess I misread. Didn’t realize your going from the ship. You must have Chinese money. No $. Then you need to make sure which station you leaving from. You must have it written in Chinese. Once in the station there is an info desk in the middle. Show them the app ticket and they will give you the window number to get the ticket. If it’s a rt you will pay a fee if $1 for the return ticket. You go through an airport like security and then it’s easy. Get a fc ticket.

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Easy to do. However I would get the tickets in advance. Get the app Ctrip. Has a new name but it’s the same. You can buy rail tickets very easy. They will send you a receipt. You go to the station and pick up the tickets.

China rail tickets sell out very very fast. And all the info on the app is in English. You must have your passport to pick up the tickets. And you must have a real visa. The 72 hour visa is no good. Only good for where you arrive and transit to point of dep.

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Keep your eye on the massdam. It returns to Sydney and the circle Australia is usually sold out. It’s becoming an expedition ship. Small ports. Very different cruises. For Hal.

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One thing missing. I’ve been on several b2b as well as b2b2b’s and yes you can pay at the end. But, any mistakes must be cleared up before the end of each cruise. The acct is closed and the records removed so watch for that.

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I too have read all the years of your could cruises. Thanks.

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The itinerary is not in the newsletter anymore. It is on the front page of the port guide book from now on. Is there music in the ocean bar every night now? We had it once every 3 days. Other nights it was dark. And very empty.

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On the noordam we were in the pinnacle and one of the people at the table for four next to us ordered from the Italian restaurant. Thought it was strange but the waiter says it happens every now and then.

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We did a b2b on the noordam and did not have to do the second muster. New rules we were told that you only have to do it once a month.

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Rhodes is beautiful. Nafplion is nothing like it. Nice town. Nice taverna's but a quiet place. Lots of ships stop there.

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The new plates were on the noordam a few months ago. I think bought the pouring of the soup was nice. It was usually hot. My wife one night mentioned to the head waiter that the food could be a little hotter and for the next 20+ nights our waiter was bringing them to the table holding a towel. They were placed on a heater in the kitchen and then bought to us. The hottest food ever. If. It can be done.

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The Indonesian Tim Tams are not a knock off in that they are made under license from Arnotts in Australia. They are just lighter and taste pretty bad. We have seen them for sale in Asia outside of Singapore which seems to get the ones from Australia.

Enjoy them. My wife's family used to make them.

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When we were in Colombo on a ship we walked to the Hilton hotel and hired a car and driver from them. We got a nice A/C car for 6 hours and hoped in and out. Went for lunch at the galle hotel while he waited. A very civilized way to see the city.

Have had those scams in several cities. Same man in Bangkok 6 years apart. Delhi every 200 meters. The life of a traveller.

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We were on the noordam and there are no more ice carvers. Also the florist was very candid. The flower budget gas been cut by about a third so they floral displays gave been cut as well. Did not realize he gets a weekly budget.

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English is THE official language of Singapore. All gov business is transacted in it. All signs are in English. Like on the metro English comes first then in smaller print you'll see Chinese. Malay. Hindi. And Tamil. I always say it's and English speaking country that no one speaks it. Within an ethnic group it will never be spoken. But inter group it's the only way as it's very very rare for someone to speak another ethnic groups language.

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