Jump to content

Good Bye 2015!!


Hydrokitty
 Share

Recommended Posts

I agree with you, Lois. We all have different wish lists depending on our interests, budgets, and abilities. And these days, the world situation influences our decisions as well. I would love to return to Turkey and Greece, and to visit Russia and Israel, but DH won't go so those areas are off the list for the time being.

 

DH really would love to do a safari in Africa. Me, not so much. We have looked into this a few times but flights to Africa are just too long in coach and business class to this destination is out of our financial comfort zone. If that were different, I would go along for the ride but it is not on my personal bucket list.

 

This was the big issue I had to overcome for DW to feel comfortable. What I found is that if you focus on Tanzania you can do a very comprehensive trip (we will visit Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Grumeti River crossing, and a mobile tented camp that follows the Great Migration for 2 nights each) with reasonable air flights to get there and back. We will fly NY to AMS, stay over 1 night to get over jet lag, then fly on to JRO for the Safari. On the way back the same KLM flight will pick us up in JRO, touch down in Dar es Salaam for an hour, and bring us back to AMS. After a 30-hour layover (you could do 6-hours, but we want a good night's sleep), we fly back to NY. Each flight is 8-9 hours, so no need to pay for business class, especially with a nice hotel bed in the middle of the journey both ways. Total airfare for these 4 legs is under $2,000 in coach -- not cheap, but getting DW's approval? Priceless!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jazz, if we were retired and had weeks to travel, then perhaps an itinerary like you suggest would be appealing. But we are not and two weeks is the absolute maximum we have. Normally our trips are 9-12 days.

 

Anything over 7 hours we book Premium and even with two 9 hour fights, even with a hotel stay in between, I would dread those distances in coach.

 

The flight is always the part of the trip I dread. PE makes it palatable but on those rare occasions when I can score a really great price - like our upcoming trip to Bordeaux - business makes it something I even look forward to.:)

Edited by caviargal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The beauty with River Cruises is that you can determine the level of physical participation. We use the ship as our floating our hotel, but once we are in the towns and cities we are walking for miles, even in the pouring rain, climbing to the top of steeples to get a birdsye view, climbing down the stairs of the Eiffel Tower to avoid elevator waits. We are thrilled to be able to secure a cabin on AMA because they carry bicycles on board and if Dh wants, he can bike ride the 25 so miles to the next stop, while I lounge on the sun deck.:)

 

 

You sound like us and I agree, as long as the itinerary allows it. We seriously considered the Douro but the itinerary would not allow us to be as active as we prefer, since sailing is all during the day. Saving that one until we are looking more for relaxation and scenery. We learned early on that we need itineraries that offer limited daytime sailing and lots of port time to have the experience we enjoy; overnights in port are a bonus so that we can get out after dinner and walk and explore. Our Rhone cruises were our favorites so far and we are looking forward next to Bordeaux where we have lots of port time and overnights.

 

I hope you enjoy AMA as much as we do!

Edited by caviargal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"The rivers will always be there when we are no longer able to withstand the rigors of a safari or a walking tour of Tuscany..." or traveling halfway around the world routinely to jump in rough water and dive down to 100 feet or so. ;)

 

Actually, I was giving this advice to another (somewhat younger) scuba diver who was rattling off all the places still on his bucket list. I have been fortunate enough (or perhaps had sufficient foresight) to have done a lot of rigorous 'adventure' traveling when I was younger. I've tapered off both in terms of the distances I'm willing to travel to a remote location, and also the level of physical exertion required and the associated risks. One of the reasons I had never vacationed in Europe until last year (despite visiting various airports around the globe for decades) was because my attitude was that I could do that when I was "older." Well, I guess my DH and I are getting to that point since we've started adding in a smattering of land-based trips along with our regular underwater journeys. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jazz, if we were retired and had weeks to travel, then perhaps an itinerary like you suggest would be appealing. But we are not and two weeks is the absolute maximum we have. Normally our trips are 9-12 days.

 

The itinerary I quoted is 14 days, including the evening flight from NY (so could be done with 13 days off from work). A day or two could easily be trimmed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The beauty with River Cruises is that you can determine the level of physical participation. We use the ship as our floating our hotel, but once we are in the towns and cities we are walking for miles, even in the pouring rain, climbing to the top of steeples to get a birdsye view, climbing down the stairs of the Eiffel Tower to avoid elevator waits. We are thrilled to be able to secure a cabin on AMA because they carry bicycles on board and if Dh wants, he can bike ride the 25 so miles to the next stop, while I lounge on the sun deck.:)

 

This is why we love river cruises....we'll do the same things you do, but wait for the elevator and I have to pass on climbing to the top of steeples and settle for the squirrels view instead of the birds! :D

 

Does your DH really ride the bike between ports???? Even when I was in my 20's I'd be on the lounge sipping wine and waving to him!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is why we love river cruises....we'll do the same things you do, but wait for the elevator and I have to pass on climbing to the top of steeples and settle for the squirrels view instead of the birds! :D

 

 

 

Does your DH really ride the bike between ports???? Even when I was in my 20's I'd be on the lounge sipping wine and waving to him!!

 

 

He's planning to if they allow him. Lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hydrokitty, Happy belated New Year to you as well. Thanks for starting this most enjoyable thread! Even though 2015 was fun, we're looking forward to many more good times this year. Maybe we'll finally get to cruise the Danube?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hydrokitty, Happy belated New Year to you as well. Thanks for starting this most enjoyable thread! Even though 2015 was fun, we're looking forward to many more good times this year. Maybe we'll finally get to cruise the Danube?

 

Rhine-Danube is one of the most beautiful of all the cruises, I would say second in scenic beauty would be Rhine-Moselle. Danube from Budapest to Bucharest is very scenic as well... which one are you looking at?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty standard fare. We're already booked. Budapest - Passau on Uniworld, for April.

 

The "maybe we'll finally get to cruise the Danube" references two prior bookings that never happened. Once we canceled, and once Mother Nature canceled (in a big way - June 2013...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...