surfcitygirl

WE were also on the Austral Loop cruise with Charlie Chan and I heartily agree with him. The expedition team was awesome and the captain and Florence worked seamlessly together to give us an experience in Antarctica that was absolutely unforgettable.

I had booked this tango show and paid in full for a show in November. Because of your post I contacted the vendor and they responded that the show was indeed closed and it is unknown when it might reopen. They had not contacted me at all and now they are processing my refund. Am now checking out the others for reservations.  This goes to show how helpful Cruise Critic members and their postings can be. thank you!

Does anyone know if ships are sailing on the Danube from the Black Sea to Budapest? Thanks for any info.

We were on a charter of the Vantage ship River Discovery II leaving Vienna August 27. We were bused to Budapest via Bratislava and then boarded the ship in Budapest and sailed down the Danube to Romania (we were not scheduled to go all the way to the Black Sea, but only to Turnu Magurele). The ship is now on its way back to Budapest.

We were on the Crystal last year in Cuba and would have to agree. We also had an inside cabin and though it was smaller than most, all we really did in there was change, sleep and shower. Loved the food, the crew and the shows and would not hesitate to try them for a Greek cruise.

As far as I know, L'Austral has zodiacs, so that part shouldn't be a problem.

Another vote for Waiheke. Would go back again if in Auckland and stay longer. Did a wine tour for a day with Fuller's, the company that runs the ferry. Wineries were all upscale and the tour included lunch at one and tastings at two others. The island is very scenic with hillsides covered by vineyards and awesome sea views.

In November we did an awesome helicopter flight over the reef from Cairns with Nautilus Aviation.

Thank you all for your quick answers. We will be docking at the Cairns Cruise Terminal, but it seems the timing is too tight to risk. We prefer setting up our own outside tours, but do ship's tours when it looks like time is tight. We also did a ship's tour for Pulpit Rock, since only had a half hour do spare! thanks again.

Cairns is our second stop in Australia and we are scheduled to be there from 8 AM - 11 PM. Wondering about the timing to get off the ship to take a privately operated tour. For those of you with prior experience, would it be possible to get off the ship by about 8:15 since the ship had already cleared Australian customs on an earlier stop? Thank you.

We also booked our own online last year and they told us to get in the boarding line and checked it on the train. Great trip.

probably about 40 minutes

We just drove my the Hotel Nacionale a few times. If you wanted to go there on your own, you would have to take a taxi. It's quite a distance away from old Havana. As for the tours, they were pretty good. The afternoon in Havana you can choose whether you want to do the art museum or the Museum of the Revolution. Agree with steamboats that Gala dinner was the sea day after Havana.

The quote we got was $50 each way. It was about a half hour. So with the 170 for the tickets and 100 for the taxi, we thought $28 was a small savings for the convenience of the easy trip. On the way back is was past midnight and it also felt better being in the bus with the group than driving through pretty empty streets in a cab.

jalynn, we did the included people to people tours and after they were done wandered around on our own. There are vintage american car taxis all around the squares and near tourist hot spots and you can negotiate a price for a ride. They generally want to do at least an hour tour for 45-50 CUC. We only wanted a short ride and it took a while to find someone to agree. The paladero was Cafe Lamperilla. We were trying to go to one that I had found on trip advisor, but it was fully booked with a tour and this one was down the street and those lobsters looked inviting. It's only a short walk from the terminal at the corner of Mercaderes and San Ignacio. The second afternoon in Havana, you will have plenty of time to see more sights on your own, the tour is done around 1 PM. The only extra tour we paid for was the Tropicana nightclub show the first night. This can also be done on your own, but once you add the taxi costs for the roundtrip and the entrance fee, the price differential with the ship wasn't that much. I have posted a review n the member reviews section and have more comments there. surfcitygirl

jalynn, We did not spend much. Only about $100, which included a few hats and little items and 30 CUC for lunch in a paladero in Havana (my husband's favorite meal of the trip 14 CUC for a huge lobster tail with 2 sides, coffee and dessert). If you are into art, there is a lot a nice stuff.

I fell in love with ships in 1963 when I crossed the Atlantic to visit my grandfather in Holland and since then, my favorite way to travel! Live in NJ so easy access to many lines, but usually go for the destination.

There is a currency exchange office right at the dock area in Santiago de Cuba. There was no surcharge if you used Euros. I had both and used my Euros because the exchange rate was better and no surcharge. For 200 Euros I got 202 CUC. For $200 I would have gotten 174 CUC. Worked since I had gotten the Euros a while ago at a good exchange rate.

We ended our cruise on the 20th. For the Gala evening, only a few men had a jacket and tie. Most just a collared shirt.

Our last cruise on Riviera we booked inside guarantee and were upgraded to a veranda and received our room assignment several days before sailing.

Thank you for sharing again. Always look forward to your postings. It's because of you that we took Patrick's excursion in Bora Bora and I will always be grateful. Have a very Merry Christmas, wonderful new year and fantastic world cruise on the Amsterdam.

We were just there last week. The booths at the entrances to the park are closed, so there is no entrance fee. The views are great.

We were on the 9/7 Zuiderdam cruise and there was a HoHo trolley right at the dock offering a trip through town with about seven stops, including the Fisherman's Memorial for $3 a person.

Is it possible to purchase thermal pass before the cruise?

We purchased the thermal suite pass for our cruise in advance by telephone and paid in full at the time. When we got on the ship and went to the spa the first day the special price was $100 less than we paid. Fortunately we were able to get the matter resolved and received a credit on our account. So just be aware!

Is that $400/14 nights for two people or one?

it was $400 for two people.

we were on 14 day Midnight Sun cruise and booked on the first day. It was $400 for the two weeks. Used it at least once every day and enjoyed it very much. Would do it again.

Totally agree with you on views and the Koningsdam. We were on the May 29 two week Fjords and Midnight sun and were also blessed by having a aft facing balcony. The location is priceless, especially on the Fjords itinerary. I posted a good review, highly recommending the ship. Chance can be hard to accept sometimes, but I think they did a lot of stuff right and would certainly sail the ship again.