dr alaok

Had scheduled a South America cruise for 11/13/2020, but reconsidered and cancelled it yesterday.  We now have plans of maybe November 2022.  Both of us are 74 with underlying conditions.  If a miracle vaccine appears early next year we can always reschedule for November 2021 but I'm not holding my breath.  Hopefully we can just tour around the U.S. next year.

Have cruise booked for South America in November 2020.  As many others have said, we will also wait for a vaccine.  However even then how effective will the vaccine be?  Even with the flu shot this year the vaccine is only <50% effective.

I also have a question regarding the cabins.

We are looking at the Crystal for next summer.  Just wondering what the difference is between the Premium (XC Superior) and the Deluxe (XD Superior)?  I'm thinking the XD is a suite?

Thanks.

GeorgeCharlie,

Thanks for the response.  I had never thought of doing the helicopter tour.  Even though it is more expensive I think it will be a great idea.

Just curious as to anyone that has done this cruise; what excursion did you do in the Falkland Islands?

My wife and I are going to be in Stanley in November as part of a Holland America cruise. We would like to take the excursion to Volunteer Point. We are both in early 70's and in reasonably good health except for wife who is type I diabetic and wears an insulin pump. Can anyone advice whether or not it would be a good idea for her to go to VP? Like are there facilities (restrooms and restaurants) on Volunteer Point or on the road down? Perhaps there are diabetics out there that have made the trip and would like to chime in?

🌟🌟

I am in the beginning process of finding a cruise for August 2019. When I first started this our priority was to see the Scandinavian countries. However in doing my limited research we have found a cruise that we like: It is a Holland America 21 day cruise (Norwegian Fjords and Baltic Jewels) next August. Besides Norway, it goes to St Petersburg, Russia, Stockholm, Finland, Estomia, Germany, and Estonia.

I have searched Norwegian, Princess, Viking, Cunard, and Celebrity cruise lines and there don't seem to be a great selection of cruises to this area (if combining Norway and the Baltic.) I would appreciate any advice as to cruise lines or any other helpful information that anyone has to offer regarding cruising to this area.

Thank you.

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Looks as if we will not include Japan into our itinerary next year as China has enough to see. Also will do China by land as I have found most people recommend the land tours. We have also narrowed it down to April or May 2019.

Anyway I do have one question regarding bathrooms in China. I have read elsewhere that bathrooms in China are horrible. I'm hoping that bathrooms being horrible is an exaggeration but could someone comment on the state of the bathrooms in hotel's and public restrooms.

Thanks.

:confused:I'm in the beginning stages of planning for a 2019 trip. Our main priority is going to China. My first thought was doing a land tour, then I thought maybe a river cruise and after more thought I am thinking maybe an ocean cruise would be best. Additionally I got to thinking maybe it would be a good time to include Japan.

I've tried researching this but can't seem to find any good info on which companies would serve me best. Before talking to my travel agent I would like to narrow things down a bit.

Anyone out there that has done both China and Japan either as land, river cruise or ocean cruise, or anyone else that could provide some direction to my problem?

Thanks.

We have not received specific info on disembarking yet but the following is a description of the excursion which is six hours long:

"See the castle and old medieval town so steeped in romance that they stood at the center of the German Romantic movement. You will join your guide for a drive to Heidelberg, several miles up the Neckar River. The town sits on a narrow passage of the river at one end of the graceful Old Bridge. You will ascend to the majestic Heidelberg Castle, which has long inspired writers as varied as Johann von Goethe and Mark Twain. Originally built during the early 13th century, it was the residence of the Palatinate monarchy through the 18th century. Descend into the Altstadt, or Old Town, for a walking tour toward the turreted Heidelberg University. Founded in 1386, it is Germany’s oldest. You can see the school’s tower in which unruly boys were incarcerated for misdeeds, and the Red Ox tavern in which they boasted to their mates about their imprisonment."

Based on the info you all have provided we will probably go to Heidelberg since it will be a once in a lifetime experience.

Thanks to all!

We are sailing from north to south from Amsterdam to Basel. I was told the group will join the ship later in Gernsheim or Mannheim depending on the direction of the cruise. I am not familiar with the towns but looking on a map these two towns seem to be north of Heidelberg which doesn't make sense to me.??

:cool::cool:We will be taking a Viking river cruise on the Rhine in June and are trying to decide on our excursions. We have a free option to disembark and transfer for a tour of Heidelberg which is supposed to be fantastic. Those that don't go to Heidelberg will stay on board and sail to another town. The sailing is supposed to be thorough a scenic area and is supposed to be very gorgeous.

We are considering staying on board to enjoy the scenic views. Looking for anyone that has done this cruise and can provide some information as to the pros and cons of staying on board or not.

Thanks.

$299 per person. At some point in time I read where it is fully worthwhile (13 hour tour), however I will check out your suggestion and Google private tour guides.

Thanks

We will end our tour with an extension and are being offered the Pearls of Switzerland tour for $299. This looks like something we would like to do. But are there other tours through private tour guides that could do the same thing for maybe less cost?

Thanks.

:cool::cool::cool:We will be taking our first riverboat excursion on the Rhine with Viking in June, 2018. I was wondering if it is necessary to sign up for their shore excursions now or would it be advisable to wait until we are on the cruise?

Anyone that can advise on this would be helpful.

Thanks.

:ship::cool: My wife and I are in the beginning stages of planning a river cruise in June of 2018. Have decided on taking Viking. We were trying to decide which Viking ship to take. Anyone have any experience with taking a Viking Rhine River cruise? Any suggestions, pro or con would be very helpful?

Thank you.

We are in the initial stages of planning a family cruise for our family. There will be 16 people; my wife and I in our late 60's, and our children along with our grandkids. The grandkids range in age from 4 to 20. Since our one daughter and her husband and their kids live in Florida we would prefer to leave from a port in florida. Have been thinking a Disney cruise although I am wondering if the two oldest grand kids (ages 19 and 20) would find Disney boring? We are looking for a cruise of 4 to 7 days.

Any suggestions for a cruise for our family?

Thanks

My wife and I will be going to Cuba for six days. Hotels and meals are already paid for. How much cash do we need to take for spending money for gifts, etc.? Also do the stores in Cuba accept US currency or do we need to exchange?

Thanks.

Cruising on the Star on January 3rd with departure time of 4:00 p.m. from Tampa. What is the earliest embarkation time for boarding the ship?

Thanks

Could someone suggest a good tour guide company in Cozumel and maybe sharing your personal experience with such company?

Thanks

My wife and I will be in Cozumel for a 9 hour cruise stopover and wondering what we can do. We are probably out of place as we don't care for the beaches, swimming, snorkeling, et. But we would be interested in sightseeing tours of historic areas, cultures, food, etc.

Can anyone help by suggesting a good tour company to show us around? Or are there things to see near the pier?

Thanks.

We have just made a quick decision to take a Western Caribbean cruise on the Star in January 2016 since we will already be in Tampa to visit family. Before we go ahead and purchase our cruise we would like to know which balcony rooms would be best or more importantly which ones would not be recommended. If anyone could provide some info on this or anything else regarding this cruise we would appreciate it.

Thanks

My wife and I visited Cartagena last February while on a cruise but we were not able to make it to Lee Emeralds store to look at his emerald jewelry. By all accounts I hear that he is an honest businessman and sells quality merchandise.

Now I would like to purchase an emerald ring for my wife for Christmas and would consider buying from Mr. Emerald. However I have a concern about paying for it and receiving what I bought.

My questions is: has anyone on CC ever had any experience purchasing an emerald from Mr. Emerald though emails? If so did the transaction go smoothly?

Thanks

We have cruised with both Princess and Holland America in the past. Will be cruising with Princess through the Canal next month. Enjoyed cruising with both companies but Princess will give veterans up to a $250 OBC. So if you are a veteran you might want to take into consideration the OBC, everything else being equal.

My suggestion would be to read both "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough and "Cruisning the Panama Canal" by Richard Dietrich.

"The Path Between the Seas" is very lengthy and detailed but worth reading if you have the time. Dietrich's book is short and a "must read" before taking the cruise and is a good book to take along as a reference while on the cruise.