Giantfan13

Another silly question, I think I have decided against walking to the zoo, I am pretty sure taking the bus is a better option especially with a 3 year old. Can anyone just tell me what the seating is like on the buses, are they coach like buses with individual seats or more like NYC- like buses. My son is always in a car seat when we travel but if the trip over to the zoo isn't that long I think we'll be OK.

Kimmy

The bus is a sort of Jitney, more like a very old small school bus. It ain't a Greyhound if you know what I mean. The seats are tight together. You can hold your child on your lap or let him sit on his own. it is about a 10 minute ride. For that period, it is OK. I wouldn't want to do a long haul in that bus, but for a buck and a quarter, who cares, it will get you where you want to go. If you are at all concerned with safety, take a taxi, they are all right there where the ship docks and will pester you enough you might consider it. Bus is cheaper, taxi is door to door.

Just to add, people are very friendly. The bus driver will let you know exactly where to get off and where to get the bus going back. As I said previously, we couldn't find a bus stop for the return trip, saw the bus coming, stuck out my arm and he stopped in the middle of the street to let us on.. Paid when we got off.

Cheers

Len

Now that some have mentioned it, I would also like to see longer cruises from NY. Even the cruises to Canada last year were 5 days. A few 9 or 10 day cruises would be nice.

Cheers

Len

yes, please! Need ear plugs on lido now. Can't talk to the person next to you.

yes

We only used the HoHo bus in Stockholm, basically because we had no choice. We docked on a Sunday when the local bus wasn't running. We docked at Frihamnen which is not close to anything and they basically sent a fleet of HoHo buses to the ship, so it was either that or walking. They weren't cheap either, about $40 PP, but it took us to Vasa, and then we reboarded and got us to Gamla Stan and then back to the ship. So we basically used it just for transportation.

In all the other ports, it is pretty easy to get around if you are mobile and don't mind walking a couple of miles total. The only other port where you might need transportation is Helsinki if you want to get to the Church in the Rock. Most people buy the day pass and use the tram.

Cheers

Len

What suggestions would you make to Carnival to 'improve' the cruise experience.

We just got off the Splendor, and if I would have one suggestion it would be to either have ONE of the dining rooms open for lunch, or extend the brunch time to at least 2:00PM. My thinking being, we had 4 sea days on this cruise and we really despise eating at the buffet. The idea of the 'brunch' is to allow one to sleep a bit later, get up and enjoy either breakfast or brunch. Fine, but if we eat at say (9:30 and that is late for us to eat breakfast, to go back at 1:00PM to try and eat a lunch is to soon. There are no other options for a sit down lunch after that. I just felt if they extended the brunch time to say 2:00, that would give those that wanted to eat both breakfast AND a lunch in the dining room, a much better option.

Since I am at it, would it be too hard to put a weather station on the TV so we could find out what the weather is going to be like that day. We get up, and have no idea if it is going to be warm, hot, rainy, showery, whatever. They give you the current temp but that's it. Wouldn't it make a bit of sense to just give you the days forecast?.

Cheers

Len

The Zoo itself is really nothing to speak of, but the highlites are the times when they let the public feed the Parrots and when they do a little show called March of the Flamingo's. These things are done 3 times a day, so you have to time your visit to incorporate these two things into your visit there. http://www.ardastra.com/.

If you time it right, the zoo can be done in a couple of hours, or you could spend much more time there.

Cheers

Len

Hi, everyone. We are in London 5 days post cruise. Below are the things that are important to my family members, individually or collectively (DH, me, 15 yo and 17 yo). We are spending one day on a day trip to York. That leaves 4 full days for London itself. How would you group the following activities by area? I don't want to spend all of my time running from one end of London to another because I wasn't knowledgeable enough to cluster the activities for location and length of time of the activity. I'm hoping those of you who have experience in London with sites and transportation (we will be using the tube and public busses) will be able to group these activities together for us. Thank you!

 

Tower of London

Windsor castle

Hampton palace

Westminster Abbey

Tower bridge tour

Kensington palace

Royal mews

Wellington arch

Churchill war room

London bridge experience

Thames river boat cruise hop on hop off

Canal boat regent's canal

Chelsea stadium tour

Wembley stadium tour

Arsenal stadium tour

Buckingham Palace

London Eye

I have suggested a different way of doing things before, so let me continue in that vein.

I'll give you OUR experience, so I know it works. If it is good for you, it just may help you spend a very enjoyable day.

If you like to walk and see things from a walking perspective, this may be for you.

Start out at the Tower of London. You can spend all day here or just a few hours, that just depends on you and how you want to approach it. Our hotel was by the Tower, so this was our starting point. We were there as soon as it opened.

We did the Tower of London, saw the Crown Jewels and just roamed around fairly quickly on this day. From the Tower, it is a short walk to the Tower Bridge. You can go up in one of the towers for the Tower Bridge Experience, but it is really nothing to write home about. From here we walked along the Thames River to the Globe Theater. We did a tour of the Globe but no show was being held then so we moved on. A bit further along the Thames is the Millennium Bridge. Cross over and St Paul's Cathedral is a block away. We went inside, toured the lower rooms and had some lunch and ice cream here. Back across the Millennium Bridge and walked to The London Eye. A short walk further will put you on Westminster Bridge. Going across is Big Ben and Parliament. We decided to save that for another day because it was getting dark. We stopped to eat at some out door café, took some great pixs of Parliament at Dusk, and then did the Thames River cruise back to Tower Bridge which was all lit up at night.

Yes it was a long day, and we should have done it in two parts, but time is short and we had a magnificent time and met some very interesting people along the way. We didn't rush and had plenty of time to just sit and enjoy where we were. We had no intention of going up in the Eye, but if you do, you can pre book the exact day and time and avoid the huge lines that are always there.

A few pixs of our journey

The Tower of London

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2127.jpg

Tower Bridge from the Tower of London

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe036.jpg

The Globe Theater

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster060-1.jpg

St Paul's cathedral

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe067.jpg

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe080.jpg

Big Ben and Parliament at Twilight

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe139.jpg

Hopes this helps in some way.

Cheers

Len

Thanks Len for sharing your photos and info. We are going with a private tour car and they are planning on two hours. There is now a new visitors center so you have to park and ride a shuttle. Also reading we have to get timed tickets as well. Thanks for the tip on the weather. Will plan to dress in layers and take a waterproof jacket. I'm sure the weTher could be anything the first week of June.

 

Mary

You are quite welcome Mary. If we can be of any other help, please do not hesitate to ask.

Cheers

Len

We are coming in to Stockholm on July 2 Wed 8:00 am and departing next day July 3 Th at 5 pm.

 

I was wondering if this can be a DIY rather than going with a tour? We are in good health and will be traveling with a 13-year old son, who loves history.

 

Any suggestion is appreciated? Would a tour be the better course?

 

Holland America has a 7-hour tour to Gamla Stan, Vasa Museum, then Sigtuna. Really don't like cruise tours, but will do so if it's not convenient. Right now, if booked before the end of the month -- $155/person.

 

Can we on our own just go to Gamla Stan then go to Vasa Museum. Any thoughts or past notes would be appreciated.

thanks

You get much better advice from our friends who live right there, but in my very humble opinion, Stockholm is a very easy to do it yourself city.

First of all, museums like the Vasa have their own tour guides so whomever you tour with basically leaves you off at the door. In Gamla Stan, the fun of this entire area is to just wander about on your own, discovering all sorts of riches. It is impossible to do a guided tour in here.

The only thing a tour can do is MAYBE get you into the Vasa Museum if there is a line out front. Get there early and you won't have to worry about this.

The Royal Palace at the beginning of the area known as Gamla Stan

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1241.jpg

The guards where these very shiny helmets

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1255.jpg

Every day they have a Changing of the Guard ceremony

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1306.jpg

Part of the wonderful harbor area of Stockholm

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1318.jpg

Entering Gamla Stan, with many wonderful places to sit and eat

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1265.jpg

Gamla Stan is a wonderful place to just roam around, with very narrow, cobblestone streets

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1271.jpg

Hope you enjoy

Cheers

Len

I would say that an hour is a good time frame for Stonehenge. If you use the audio tour, then plan on a bit more time, if not, and you choose to just wander on your own and try and feel the mystique, an hour will do fine.

We loved Stonehenge, if for no other reason it has always been on our Bucket list and just being there was inspirational.

You cannot touch the stones as they are roped off. You can get to about 10-15 feet of them but that is about it. They do have tours where you can do a sunset tour and are able to go into the circle and be right there with the stones, but that is the only one, I believe.

Here are a few of my pix of this fabulous place

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2258.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2273.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2275.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2276.jpg

We went in mid August and it was very windy and cold there. Don't know if that is ordinary or unusual, but just a warning.

Cheers

Len

I've read before on any ship how a lot of times the kids/teens are so disrespectful. I'd kick my kid in the ass for doing that.

Next time we sail during a holiday week, you can be our guest

LOL

Cheers

Len

My in-laws are on the Splendor right now, and they called a few minutes ago saying that the sushi bar has been replaced by the Taste Bar, and that the Mongolian Wok is down due to electrical issues, but that's expected to be temporary. I'll let you know if I hear more! :)

If there is a Mongolian wok still on the Splendor, then I spent 8 days and missed it completely. I visited every possible place to eat except the special dinning option, and saw NO Mongolian Wok anywhere on the ship. No wonder it isn't working.

Cheers

Len

We did the same thing. We printed out the forms, got new photos from the local Walgreens, did what was required from the forms and attached photos, included the necessary check and off it went. we were pleasantly surprised when our new passports arrived less than 4 weeks later as it says 6-8 weeks. We also got our old passports back under a separate cover.

Pretty simple stuff.

Cheers

Len

Appreciate the kind thoughts and nice words. Thanks.

Cheers

Len

We just got off the Splendor the other day. If you tell me what shows you saw, I'll tell you if they are the same.

I would assume the menus are the same though.

Cheers

Len

Hey thank you for the review and heads up.

 

Just out of curiosity did you happen to save the Funtimes and do you think you can scan or take pics of them and post, please... Pretty please?

I have some but it would be easier to email me at Giantfanlen@msn.com and I can try and get them to you.

Cheers

Len

Thanks for the review. We are sailing in 5 weeks and doing the segway tour in Freeport too!

We loved the Segway tour. We had Felix as our guide and teacher. Takes about 2 minutes to explain what to do, then they let you ride around a circular track for about 5 minutes to get used to it and then off you go. There were 2 groups, so 1/2 went out first while the other half enjoyed the beach, and when we came back, we switched. Nice little beach they take you too. (NUDE Beach, in fact, but we decided not to scare away the tourists and kept our clothes on) . Don't worry, there are very few people even walking on the beach and NO ONE was nude, but the sign says, if you want, you can.:D:D:D

Check out the Bahamas board, I posted a more detailed description.

Cheers

Len

Thanks, Len. I have another thread asking advice re: day trips. Both kids and I were in Paris last year for our respective school trips, but it's definitely a city worth seeing again. However, only having one day there would probably be frustrating for all of us. Right now, I'm torn between Stratford, York, and Bath. Didn't know about being able to book the Palace tour. Will definitely look into that!

I'm not sure of your travel dates, but Buckingham Palace is open during a special time during the summertime, when the Queen is 'out of town'. Our local friends can help more with the dates, but you do need to prebook a time and date.

Cheers

Len

We just got off a cruise from NY to the Bahamas, which left on a Friday during a huge snowstorm in the Northeast. They said as many as 400 people missed the departure because the airports were closed. Even people who lived in neighboring states came in a day early so as not to miss the ship.

As the old expression goes **** happens. Why take the chance.

Cheers

Len

Most of the conversations complained about driving past sites that they would have liked to tour. The other was having bag lunches instead of visiting nice restaurants. Another was the lackluster of their tour guide. I have a feeling that these folks may have not read the information about the tour they chose very clearly. They saw it was rather inexpensive and just signed up for it. The companies they were talking about were Alla and SPB -- however, some people just like to complain if they don't get what they want.

Muti

I am not saying I don't believe what you say, but I have been on this forum for over 5 years and have NEVER heard that about either SPB Tours or ALLA Tours, or any other tour company for that matter. NEVER.

All the tour companies pride themselves in doing an outstanding job, and very, very, very rarely do we even see ONE negative review of any of these companies. And now you come here and say that a HUGE number of people said those things about two of the major players in St Petersburg.

Sorry, but I really doubt what you say is the truth.

Cheers

Len

You're correct. There aren't droves of people walking on that street. It is a very busy road though, lots of traffic and I don't categorize it as unsafe. I spent some time in the Bahamas and it used to be that you could leave cars and even your doors at home unlocked - this is what their current crime is being compared to...The crime in the media is sensationalized - it's actually all in low income residential areas. I can honestly say the Bahamas has done a great job in tourist zones. A journalist from Puerto Rico told me that the mistake the Bahamas is making is in making it front page news and keeping the US abreast on what's going on. In other countries they sweep crime under the rug. Hopefully the Bahamas can get a handle on things in those neighborhoods. Also consider, the Bahamas has manyyyy other islands that are completely crime free. There is a lot that comes along with millions of people annually trekking through a tiny island.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do not doubt what you say is correct. But just from our experience, in the ships newsletter, there is a warning from the US Embassy saying that crime IS on the upswing and all tourist be extra careful as to their where a bouts and other things. They stated that the Bahamian Police are working extra hard to curb the latest rash of crime, but try and stay with crowds and avoid being in areas by yourself. Since I don't know Nassau, I don't know which areas are safe and which are not, but when I find myself and my DW walking a street where there are no other people, being a NYer, I tend to get a bit defensive. I just wanted to set the record straight on the walk. It is NOT a walk where you will be with throngs of other people.

For $1.25, the bus will drop you right on the corner where the Fish fry is and the zoo is a short few blocks up from there. A much better option.

Cheers

Len

that is EXACTLY correct. If you book a 1A which are upper and lower berths, that is your guarantee of that or better. If you book a 4A, they cannot put you in a 1A which would be considered a downgrade, not an upgrade.

Cheers

Len

We just got off the Splendor for a HOLIDAY WEEK sailing and it was NOT sold out. There were cabins available the day before sailing.

We couldn't even walk outside on the first sea day because of so much snow on the decks, and the last sea day back was also cold enough to chase most cruisers inside.

We get to Port Canaveral and there are 6 ships there waiting to sail, so we think why spend 2 days there and 2 days back to get to warmer weather when you can just fly there in a few hours and enjoy all the holiday week in warm weather.

Why we did this, the price was too good to pass up. But we are seniors and love the sea days, can most families who sail Carnival say that??

Cheers

Len

We are 2 seniors and I'd be insulted if they asked me is I wanted to go to the front of the line because they thought I was old.:D:D:D:D

Cheers

Len

Might really depend on your age group also. Princess tends to be more of an adult cruise experience while Carnival is a whole lot more families. If you like quiet spaces, Carnival has their Serenity areas where only adults can sit and relax, or you can head to the Lido and watch movies, swim or just be part of the fun. There is always something going on there.

We are seniors, and like some quiet time during cruising, but we also like to have some fun when we wish. It suits everyone.

Cheers

Len