Any update on Bali port closing

[Cassicruiser]

Been to bali heaps of time I even let my 12 yr old son go off on his own while we were in kuta having said that dont like kuta its dirty and full of tattooed aussies

balinese are fantastic though and I never forget how privileged I am to to be able to go there

so just get off the ship and spend some money there

You let your 12 year old son go off on his own in Kuta?!:eek: Sorry to sound judgemental but gosh.....

[The Mommy]

I must admit to being more than a little concerned about some of the comments above concerning the safety of visiting Bali. I believe that Celebrity would not visit if there was serious concern for the safety or welfare of its passengers and have shown that if there are any problems whatsoever for any reason then the port will be cancelled from the cruise. I personally welcome such action taken on my behalf even though I was looking forward to this stop.

 

We are taking our first cruise East and I am already quite apprehensive - moreso after reading some of the safety concerns.

I was treating this as a beach stop so am surprised to hear that it is not so?

 

We had planned to take a local tour on the first day, return to the ship and visit a hotel for the day on the 2nd day.

I sincerely hope that this will be OK.

 

I will be ready to alter plans for new ports should the need arise (good advice) thank you

 

Many thanks to all for sharing views and experiences and I hope ours turns out to be a good one.

[need2bespoiled]

I must admit to being more than a little concerned about some of the comments above concerning the safety of visiting Bali. I believe that Celebrity would not visit if there was serious concern for the safety or welfare of its passengers and have shown that if there are any problems whatsoever for any reason then the port will be cancelled from the cruise. I personally welcome such action taken on my behalf even though I was looking forward to this stop.

 

We are taking our first cruise East and I am already quite apprehensive - moreso after reading some of the safety concerns.

I was treating this as a beach stop so am surprised to hear that it is not so?

 

We had planned to take a local tour on the first day, return to the ship and visit a hotel for the day on the 2nd day.

I sincerely hope that this will be OK.

 

I will be ready to alter plans for new ports should the need arise (good advice) thank you

 

Many thanks to all for sharing views and experiences and I hope ours turns out to be a good one.

 

You'll be fine.

 

For Day 1, with plenty of time go inland to Ubud and the rice terraces. It is quite nice. Day 2 pick a nice resort and enjoy, there are many nice beach resorts. The town of Kuta is a lot touristy with stalls selling junk and crafts, some of the crafts are higher quality and locally made, but it is NOT unsafe any more than the London subway.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[The Mommy]

You'll be fine.

 

For Day 1, with plenty of time go inland to Ubud and the rice terraces. It is quite nice. Day 2 pick a nice resort and enjoy, there are many nice beach resorts. The town of Kuta is a lot touristy with stalls selling junk and crafts, some of the crafts are higher quality and locally made, but it is NOT unsafe any more than the London subway.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

I enjoyed your review - thank you for the time taken to share and thank you for your response to my post.

[need2bespoiled]

I enjoyed your review - thank you for the time taken to share and thank you for your response to my post.

 

You don't necessarily have to go to a beach in Kuta. You can easily take a boat trip out to Lembongan or go to Nusa Dua beach resorts which is connected to Kuta. The drive in won't look like much, but beaches are nice.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Pushka]

Of course it can be a beach stop. The beaches of Seminyak and Legian on the northern side of Kuta are beautiful as is Jimbaran Bay. There is Nuss Dua full of luxury resorts. Then Sanur which is also nice. Our favs are Seminyak and Jimbaran Bay. Have a look at the Intervontinental Gardens while there. They are gorgeous.

[TinaPerth_Australia]

Gee, I'm a bit shocked at some of the comments on here. You must remember Bali is a third world country and whilst not 100% safe - guess what, no place is. Would I let my 12 year old walk around on their own - NO!! But there are not many places I would let my 12 year old walk around on their own, if only they were still that young. The majority of Balinese people are lovely, kind and gentle and they would be hurt that we are fearful of their island home.

Personally if you want lovely clean beaches go to Australia, Fiji or NZ, appreciate Bali for their Hindu culture, history and grace. Look for clean and pristine elsewhere, cause you are not going to get that in asia.

Most fearful I have felt was in Athens but would still go again, fear is good as it makes you alert to trouble.

Leave Bali for us Aussie bogans - LOL!!:cool:

[Cassicruiser]

Agree with above poster. Bali is perfectly safe and beautiful but I wouldn't bother going into Kuta or Seminyak - crowded, some dodgy areas and dirty grey sand beaches. Nusa Dua has nice clean beaches and 5 star resorts.

Much of Asia has dirty beaches, with the exception of Thailand - beautiful clean white sand beaches. I'm sure there are parts of other Asian countries with lovely beaches, so I can't really generalize.

 

If you are on a cruise that goes to Bali and Phuket (as we did last January) do cultural things in Bali (and there are many beautiful, fascinating things to see) and if you specifically want a beach day, do this in Phuket (but I would recommend you go a little further away from crowded, vendor infested Patong beach - to Karon or Kata beach about a 10 minute Tuk Tuk ride away).

[floridafolks]

We are scheduled to stop in Bali on our February 2015 Solstice Top End Australia cruise. I am hoping that those folks scheduled to stop in Bali on Celebrity in January will provide feedback on how the stop and tendering went--cancellation or delays? Were Elites provided priority tendering?

 

This thread seems like a good place for those comments-- it sure would be appreciated to help us in our planning of the port stop in Bali to know what might be expected. Thanks in advance for your help.

[need2bespoiled]

We are scheduled to stop in Bali on our February 2015 Solstice Top End Australia cruise. I am hoping that those folks scheduled to stop in Bali on Celebrity in January will provide feedback on how the stop and tendering went--cancellation or delays? Were Elites provided priority tendering?

 

This thread seems like a good place for those comments-- it sure would be appreciated to help us in our planning of the port stop in Bali to know what might be expected. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Based on our tendering experiences in Asia last month, I would say tendering goes like this:

 

1. Celebrity Excursions first

 

2. Suite guests as needed filtered in by escort of concierge as room permits (she would radio down, checking for room on tenders)

 

3. Sky Suite guests, tickets distributed evening before in cabins by butlers

 

4. Tickets distributed based on priority in theater (CC E+, CC E, etc)

 

Unless Bali changes, it is a 300 person port tender (not a ship boat) that needs to be full loaded, which will take time, then a 45 minute ride, then unloaded. First on, first off would be good, but last on, last off would add a lot of time.

 

Any other delays would, of course add to the challenge.

 

I definitely recommend a hotel if you're overnight there, given the extra tendering time and availability and reasonable cost of hotels.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna