drsel Posted September 3, 2017 #51 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Woohoo, Thanks to a bunch of techies who were unhappy with Photobucket my photos are now back and visible. So, anybody who wants to have a look, there are some photos of the NeoClassica showing that she was not in bad shape earlier this year. Alicat Do you think that it is worth while to do the 14 night Mumbai to Male to Mumbai round trip? How much did you pay for it? Kindly post your review on http://www.cruisecritic.com The latest 2 reviews (Feb 2017 & July 2016) are very derogatory and not even recent. Just 1 review in the last 14 months! It appears that nobody is interested in the Neoclassica, more so now that it is being sold or scrapped (acc. to cruisecritic expert review) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat58 Posted September 3, 2017 Author #52 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Hi Drsel This is my review. If you start from page one you will now be able to see some of the ship and food and also the ports we visited. I have only written one of our cruises as a review(Serena) and it was a UK site. It is much more fun writing about the cruise "blog style) with others commenting in between. I am sorry but I cannot recall how much we paid. I think something like £800 pp. Might have been less. We thought it was worthwhile and really enjoyed it. If you look at the February review on CC (could have been the same time as our cruise) , it looks as if we were on different ships. We enjoyed the entertainment in the lounges. Yes, the music can become repetetive but for goodness sakes it is a 14 day cruise! Good luck. Alicat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan_Varong Posted October 1, 2017 #53 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Maldives next. We were close to Male in the bay for 3 days. It is a tender port.The tenders ran frequently, but if you tried to get offf early you had to go to the theatre and get a ticket. Later in the day it was not needed. Hi alicat, right now I'm planning excursions for my own stay in Malé. One company wants to know how early I can leave the ship the second day. Do you remember the tender times? Costa is not very helpful with information. Thanks Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat58 Posted October 1, 2017 Author #54 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hi Just back from our cruise on the NeoRiviera. I am sorry but I cannot remember at all what the times where. I recall that the first day was a later start but from then they seem to run from early to quite late in the evenings. We did not do much when we were in Male. The beach resorts were very expensive and the island itself did not have anything to offer. I could have happily skipped Male altogether but I am not a beach person and I don't swim well enough to do snorkling or diving. Alicat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan_Varong Posted October 1, 2017 #55 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Anyway thank you very much for your replay and I hope you enjoyed your stay on the neoRiviera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigNance Posted October 4, 2017 #56 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Hi Alicat, How was the neoRiviera? We are sailing on it the end of this month. Any pointers for meals? which bars are the best? is there shade on the deck? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 5, 2017 #57 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Hi Just back from our cruise on the NeoRiviera. I am sorry but I cannot remember at all what the times where. I recall that the first day was a later start but from then they seem to run from early to quite late in the evenings. We did not do much when we were in Male. The beach resorts were very expensive and the island itself did not have anything to offer. I could have happily skipped Male altogether but I am not a beach person and I don't swim well enough to do snorkling or diving. Alicat Dear Alicat, how are the shows, activities, food and entertainment on NeoRiviera and how do they compare with Neoclassica? Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat58 Posted October 7, 2017 Author #58 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Hi All I loved the NeoRiviera but after 7 days I still got lost on the smallest Costa ship! The decor is much more subdued than the larger ships and there are more bars than the other 2 small ships. Cafe Ezi is the coffee place. We spend most of our time either on the pool deck or in Cafe Positano when aboard. The bar staff were really nice, specially Doyo and Mohammad Khan. They both make mean Martinis. Entertainment here starts at about 6pm. There are 2 groups. We preferrede the 2 guitarists who played Latin style. The other guys were not bad and there was sometimes a female singer with a really good voice. We only went to the grand bar once because the music starts late. The evening we went I thought the band was good. Usual 80's pop. Then there is Porquiroles. Good buzz and a pianist that played really well. We only went to one show and the dancers were actually mediocre. The choreography was dire, the costumes the worst ever. The singers were OK. There is a disco on deck 12. They start playing taped music at 6pm. The bar does not open till very late and when we looked in it was totally deserted. Similar to the NeoClassica an amazing space but totally wasted. We ate all out meals in the St Tropez restaurant because of club status. Had some really great meals and I had two dubious dishes but maybe I chose badly. This time less puddings. I don't like creamy stuff and there were lots of those. I plan to do a review with photos and hope to start this weekend. I don't have time during the week because of work:mad: Hope that helps for now. Alicat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 7, 2017 #59 Share Posted October 7, 2017 So overall, is the NeoRiviera much better than the Neoclassica? Were the shows in Neoclassica similar or identical to the one you saw on NeoRiviera? And the live music and activities also similar? Does it make sense to do BOTH Neoclassica and NeoRiviera, or would it be duplication? Are they almost identical? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigNance Posted October 7, 2017 #60 Share Posted October 7, 2017 That is helpful! Thanks! I look forward to your postings! I have the work thing also, gotta pay for these vacays! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 7, 2017 #61 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Alicat, we look forward to reading all your highly helpful and informative reviews Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVJ Posted October 28, 2017 #62 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Hi We are booked on the same cruise as you went on last year and need advice on Indian Visa requirements we think a E Visa will be ok we have British passports what do you think? We have sent lots of emails to Indian Visa office but no replies yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.M.T. Posted October 28, 2017 #63 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Hi We are booked on the same cruise as you went on last year and need advice on Indian Visa requirements we think a E Visa will be ok we have British passports what do you think? We have sent lots of emails to Indian Visa office but no replies yet. I would suggest you look for a rollcall for your actual cruise, if there isn't one then you can create / start one. The reason being this is an old thread and may not be looked at by people on your cruise. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=488 The last news Iheard is that the E-Visa has been extended to cover certain ports (Kochi, Goa) BUT NOT Mumbai which requires the normal visa. Also try posting on the Ports Of Call forum, other Brits traveling on other cruise lines: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70 Here are some links that maybe helpful: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2399767 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2555350 Also be careful of some web sites, they look very offical but in fact visa agencies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 29, 2017 #64 Share Posted October 29, 2017 If you are planning to do sightseeing tours in India, it's better to have the regular multiple entry visa on your passport. With the e-visa, you have to waste 2 hours (in queue) on retina scan and fingerprinting at the port and miss your tour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 29, 2017 #65 Share Posted October 29, 2017 (edited) With the e-visa you have a cheaper visa that you can't apply for until a set amount of days prior to arrival in India and it is only good for two entries. A standard multiple entry visa costs more, but is good for 10 years. It might be a little more complicated to complete, but if you ever return to India, it is well worth it. Edited October 29, 2017 by drsel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.M.T. Posted October 29, 2017 #66 Share Posted October 29, 2017 A standard multiple entry visa costs more, but is good for 10 years. It might be a little more complicated to complete, but if you ever return to India, it is well worth it. This is not true. It depends entirely on the passport holders nationality, for UK passports either: Up to One Year (Single / Multiple entry)(maximum stay of 180 days per visit) OR Visa Duration From One Year Up to Five Years (Multiple entries) (maximum stay of 180 days per visit) http://www.vfsglobal.com/india/uk/Tourist.html Spreading false information can do more harm than good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 29, 2017 #67 Share Posted October 29, 2017 This is not true. It depends entirely on the passport holders nationality, for UK passports either: Up to One Year (Single / Multiple entry)(maximum stay of 180 days per visit) OR Visa Duration From One Year Up to Five Years (Multiple entries) (maximum stay of 180 days per visit) http://www.vfsglobal.com/india/uk/Tourist.html Spreading false information can do more harm than good. It's definitely true for US passports on a reciprocal basis. USA also gives a 10 year multiple entry visa to Indians.http://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/india-visa.html Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 29, 2017 #68 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Even Canadian passport holders can get a 10 year multiple entry visa Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat58 Posted October 29, 2017 Author #69 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Hi We travel on UK passports. GMT is correct. We could not use the E-visa. We had to get the full visa because of multiple ports in India. It was expensive. I think £119 each and we had to go for a face to face interview. I cannot recall what the place was called but it is close to Heathrow. You need to make an appointment for this and it is only after you submitted your completed forms with the odd sized photos. Out visa was only for a year and is expiring in 2w. The interview lasted all of 5 minutes. It was a 4 hour round trip and there is no parking. If you look on the boards for India you will find lots of info. Hubby called them because he did not have a response to emails either. Don't spoil your cruise by being marooned on the ship in Indian ports. Alicat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsel Posted October 29, 2017 #70 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Correct. The full visa is required for multiple entries. You can get a 5 year multiple entry Indian visa by paying £333. The cost is around the same (expensive) price that UK charges Indians for a UK visa. Sent from my Lenovo P2a42 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverandUnderwater Posted October 30, 2017 #71 Share Posted October 30, 2017 As an American I researched this too including an email exchange with a very nice Indian official in Mangalore and what I was told is that India considers every port stop an entry even if you never leave Indian territorial waters so he highly suggested the multiple entry hard visa which of course was not cheap but considering what we could miss, worth it in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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