Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Kapricorn]

Donald - “As I walked to the supermarket on a nearly deserted-street . . .” as a native Texan, I came to a complete stop at that remark. For decades in Texas, if one did not own a vehicle, one did not have a life.

 

So good on you, Donald, for having a compact area in which you can live, shop, and board a ship a-sailing.

 

I've heard that Vancouver is the only major North American city which does not have a single freeway within its city limits. Lately our city hall has gone all-out in making the city as "green" as possible, by expanding public transit, painting bicycle lanes on streets and even closing off one lane of a major downtown bridge for the use of bicycles only.

 

During the Olympics, two downtown traffic viaducts were closed for security reasons because they passed major Olympics venues. It was noted that traffic was not adversely affected to a great extent by this closure, and already there are suggestions about demolishing these viaducts and setting up commercial and residential areas in their places.

 

Cities should be designed around people, not around cars. It is people who give cities their vibrancy.

 

on qe maiden, like to try her sometime if i get the money to do so. doing OCEAN COUNTESS april.

SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE june O/N

NCL EPIC june

CELEBRITY ECLIPSE NOV.

any thoughts?

dave

 

Dave, what an interesting variety of cruise liners you are booked on this year, from small, to large, to mega-barges! Also, you are not tied to any one cruise line; it's great to do it all across the board and enjoy what each line has to offer. Way to go!

 

Donald.

[MMDown Under]

 

Marion - I agree that Australians pay too much to cruise. I enjoy intermingling on ships with Aussies and Kiwis and when they talk about their cruise prices, it is an astounding difference. As you know, Antarctica is much less expensive for Americans than Aussies. What is wrong with this picture?

 

Ruby

 

I like a diversity of travel companions also, Ruby, as it adds to the experience.

 

Yes, many Australian and Kiwis are angry about the discrimination, especially when we cruise overseas. More experienced cruisers book their cruises with overseas TAs, however, the cruise industry has now made it more difficult to do this.

 

In the meantime, we will continue to book all other forms of travel, theatre, accommodation, etc., direct on the internet, at great savings to us. Our time in the sun is returning, as our $Aussie strengthens.

 

To put things into perspective, your younger daughter and her friend are currently in Nepal for a month, living on under $US25 per day, food and accommodation, with free internet provided.

 

This was posted on a P&O Australia thread -

 

Australia is gold for Silversea Cruises. Australians are emerging as

the most valued passengers on luxury cruises, with yet another cruise line

announcing our ranking as the fastest growing market.

THE MAJORITY OF PASSENGERS ON SILVERSEA

Cruises’ inaugural circumnavigation of Australia will be locals – and 40% of cabins on Silver Shadow are still available. Internationally, Australians are also taking over the line’s ships, largely choosing Europe, the Arctic and Antarctica.

Visiting Sydney yesterday, Ken Watson, executive vice president, Silversea, said Australian sales now make up 15% of Silversea’s business, compared to 13% in 2009; and 20% of its expedition cruises on

 

Prince Albert II

.

The figures reconfirm Australia is the company’s third biggest market behind the US and UK and its fastest growing market globally.

According to Watson, our continued enthusiasm for luxury cruising boosted the company during a tough 2008-09 because “you all came out of the recession faster”. “People here have money and are willing to spend it,” he said.

 

Watson revealed that Australia was its highest yield country in the world.

“Our average daily rate in Australia is the highest of any of our markets,”

he said.

By contrast, in the US last year, Silversea was forced to reduce its

average daily rate by 15% “to help fill our ships”. But 2010 had shown more stability, with most cruises “virtually full”, he said.

Steve Odell, Silversea’s senior vice president Asia Pacific, said Australians liked Silversea because it was “upmarket but not pretentious”.

“There is high demand for mid to top suites,” he said. However, the greatest opportunity exists on the Australian circumnavigation, a 30-day Sydney roundtrip, from 19 January to 18 February 2011.

The 540-passenger, all-suite Silver Shadow will sail counter-clockwise calling at

Brisbane, Whitsundays, Willis Island (Great Barrier Reef), Port Douglas, Cooktown, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth, Perth, Albany, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Hobart. “People here have money and are willing to spend it.”

 

source cruise weekly

 

 

 

__________________

[MMDown Under]

.

Marion - I agree that Australians pay too much to cruise. I enjoy intermingling on ships with Aussies and Kiwis and when they talk about their cruise prices, it is an astounding difference. As you know, Antarctica is much less expensive for Americans than Aussies. What is wrong with this picture?

 

Ruby

 

Ruby,

 

If you are interested, here is the link to the on going discussion, under the P&O Australia thread, which covers all Australian based cruises.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=23615659&posted=1#post23615659

[Host Sharon]

Now the 2011 itineraries are released I am seriously tempted by a Holy Land cruise with Cunard. Has anyone been there??

[MMDown Under]

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Cleaning up, found these old Aussie dollar conversion rates.

 

26/5

 

US .05671

Can .8428

NZ 1.2443

UK .3833

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't state the year. However today's rates for the Aussie $ are -

 

.92312

.93357

1.2891

.60399

Plus

.67635 Euro

[Kapricorn]

I remember that when my parents and I traveled to New Zealand and Australia in 1983, the exchange rates to the Canadian dollar was something like .69 NZL and 1.05 AUS. Checking the figures today, it's .72 NZL and 1.07 AUS. Not much has changed in 27 years, but no doubt there has been considerable fluctuations during that interval.

 

From that travel (my last such long one!) I still possess a sculpure of a Maori canoe with four separate oars, and four bright orange and brown NZL table mats and napkins (still too pretty to be used ... the napkins are tiny anyway).

 

I remember that my parents and I were astounded at the high cost of film development in Sydney, as we wanted to see photographs from two rolls of camera photographs taken so far. How these days were different from instant viewing in digital cameras!

 

Donald.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Kapricorn

[MMDown Under]

I remember that when my parents and I traveled to New Zealand and Australia in 1983, the exchange rates to the Canadian dollar was something like .69 NZL and 1.05 AUS. Checking the figures today, it's .72 NZL and 1.07 AUS. Not much has changed in 27 years, but no doubt there has been considerable fluctuations during that interval.

 

From that travel (my last such long one!) I still possess a sculpure of a Maori canoe with four separate oars, and four bright orange and brown NZL table mats and napkins (still too pretty to be used ... the napkins are tiny anyway).

 

I remember that my parents and I were astounded at the high cost of film development in Sydney, as we wanted to see photographs from two rolls of camera photographs taken so far. How these days were different from instant viewing in digital cameras!

 

Donald.

 

That is very close, Donald.

 

I think I got $1.45 US for my dollar the first time I went to the States.

 

Our dollar has been all over the place since it was deregulated. We even had Japanese housewives investing (gambling) in the NZ and Aust dollar, as Japan was on 0%. Not to mention the huge hedge funds. I wasn't sorry when some of them did their money in the financial meltdown.

 

Yes, I couldn't believe how cheap film developing was in the States, and everything else for that matter. We used to always bring home 2 large suitcases and 1 hand luggage each, full of goodies, every visit.

 

Do you have the NZ sculpture out on display? It must bring back happy memories.

[Kapricorn]

Do you have the NZ sculpture out on display? It must bring back happy memories.

 

I had the NZ sculpture on display for about two decades, and for some time now it has been in a box full of odds and goods that were just too good to toss into the trash can. It happened that today I was thinking of putting that canoe back on display, this time placing it on top of one of the NZ place mats, and tiny orange napkin to the side, as background. It's a shame to hide these beautiful mats and napkins from view, and unused, for nearly 30 years.

 

Maybe I'll change displays every six months or so, as I have that box full of interesting artifacts. The decor of my apartment is sort of in the minimalist style, with no clutter (and less cleaning!).

 

Donald.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Kapricorn

[Kapricorn]

Yes, I couldn't believe how cheap film developing was in the States, and everything else for that matter. We used to always bring home 2 large suitcases and 1 hand luggage each, full of goodies, every visit.

 

I forgot to mention that during the 1970s an Aussie gal friend of mine stayed here in Vancouver for several years. When she moved back to Sydney, she had most of her new furniture shipped back there, because it was much cheaper to do so than to purchase new furniture in Sydney. I couldn't believe it!

 

Donald.

[MMDown Under]

I forgot to mention that during the 1970s an Aussie gal friend of mine stayed here in Vancouver for several years. When she moved back to Sydney, she had most of her new furniture shipped back there, because it was much cheaper to do so than to purchase new furniture in Sydney. I couldn't believe it!

 

Donald.

 

Yes, I believe it!

 

My elder daughter's dream is to get an overseas job where the company pays for the furniture shift, as some of her friends have had. She just went off on her own, for an unknown time, from tropics to UK, with 20 kg luggage limit.

 

Younger daughter is currently travelling in Nepal on 10 kg, even less (then she is going to work in Toronto, Canada for a couple of years).

[MMDown Under]

I had the NZ sculpture on display for about two decades, and for some time now it has been in a box full of odds and goods that were just too good to toss into the trash can. It happened that today I was thinking of putting that canoe back on display, this time placing it on top of one of the NZ place mats, and tiny orange napkin to the side, as background. It's a shame to hide these beautiful mats and napkins from view, and unused, for nearly 30 years.

 

Maybe I'll change displays every six months or so, as I have that box full of interesting artifacts. The decor of my apartment is sort of in the minimalist style, with no clutter (and less cleaning!).

 

Donald.

 

Good idea! Should look really nice.

 

I am a clutterer, who receives much joy from her momentos.

 

However, I'm finally going through the girls' stuff and donating it this week to a mother who needs to raise funds for a sick child. All I needed was a good cause. :)

[Saga Ruby]

Now the 2011 itineraries are released I am seriously tempted by a Holy Land cruise with Cunard. Has anyone been there??

 

In August 1962, my family went on a tour with car and driver before the weddings of my sister and I later that fall. So obviously I cannot speak to current accommodations and the state of towns, but I did learn a few important points from our Jordanian guide:

 

The actual ground you walk on is 21+ feet higher than when Christ was in the area. So when you are walking along the Via Dolorosa and noting the stations of the cross, you take 2-3 steps down into the tiny chapels which mark the various spots of Christ's final journey. In Bethlehem, you go down stairs in the Church of the Nativity into the sub-basement to see the ceramic star which is exactly where Christ was born, on and on. I enjoyed the peace and serenity of the Garden of Gethsemane after the hurly-burly of the cities.

 

Digression - At a B&B in NZ in '98, an Israeli guest pointed out that Bethlehem is no longer a part of Israel as it was in '62 which caught me by surprise. I think it's now part of the West Bank but don't count on me for that factoid - anybody know this one?

 

Golgotha is completely enclosed by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the daily warring religious factions who protect their turf inside the church to the utmost inch are fascinating - unless a fight amongst the various monks has broken out over which sect is to clean the floors that day.

 

One of the Jordanian's comments struck home - hundreds of years after Christ's resurrection, Constantine's mom walked around the Holy Land and pointed out where Christ was crucified, where he was born, where he threw out the moneychangers - the point being that you can take these spots as historically accurate - or not.

 

On that trip, we sailed on the Greek ship Acropolis out of Venezia, left the ship in Cyprus and flew to Israel for our 3-day private tour, then rejoined the ship in Haifa. We had lunch at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and, at some point, we visited the Dead Sea where "swimmers" were bobbing around like corks in that supersalinated water. I am confident there were never any drowning deaths in that water!

 

The Holy Land is an exciting place to visit with much ground to cover, and unforgettable. I highly recommend it.

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

Perhaps you didn't see it, but there is another thread on this page reporting that Saga Ruby (the ship) has run aground entering the harbor in Java.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Druke I

[MMDown Under]

Perhaps you didn't see it, but there is another thread on this page reporting that Saga Ruby (the ship) has run aground entering the harbor in Java.

 

Thanks Michael.

 

I didn't notice it.

[Druke I]

Well, she could not have been "too hard aground", as it is now reported she is free, after aa bit of work by three tugs.

[Host Sharon]

Thanks Ruby. I may have found two friends to travel with which makes the 19 night cruise a bargain - if they decide to go ahead. The only Isreali ports are Ashdod for Jerusalem and Haifa, but we also get Port Said for Cairo, Rhodes etc, so it would be a lovely run up to Christmas!

 

Very glad to hear Saga Ruby is proceeding as normal. I would not like to think the last of the NAL ships had run agound!!

[Druke I]

Is everyone away?

 

This thread has been very quiet.

[Saga Ruby]

In the April 2010 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, there is a fine article about old Jerusalem. I know your possible visit is on the far horizon but the points made by the writer are excellent. He says he quickly realized that the real story of that ancient city is the tourists from multiple countries and religions. Whether you get to the Holy Land or not, it's an interesting, informative article.

 

You have me smiling at the itinerary for that cruise - you would be one busy gal for the days of the Holy Land and Egypt. It takes two hours by bus to get from Port Said into Cairo, then, of course, two hours back at the end of a long day. Be sure to get on a tour that has comfy seats!

 

Which Cunard ship is making that voyage?

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

In the April 2010 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, there is a fine article about old Jerusalem. I know your possible visit is on the far horizon but the points made by the writer are excellent. He says he quickly realized that the real story of that ancient city is the tourists from multiple countries and religions. Whether you get to the Holy Land or not, it's an interesting, informative article.

 

You have me smiling at the itinerary for that cruise - you would be one busy gal for the days of the Holy Land and Egypt. It takes two hours by bus to get from Port Said into Cairo, then, of course, two hours back at the end of a long day. Be sure to get on a tour that has comfy seats!

 

Which Cunard ship is making that voyage?

 

Ruby

 

Thanks Ruby. I do know about the long trip into Cairo as I did it in 2005, but it is well worth the effort IMO. It is on the Queen Elizabeth, although since then I found an even nicer one on P&O Oceana - 24 nights to Cadiz, Tripoli (for Leptis Magna), Cairo, Limassol, Ashdod, Haifa, Athens, Katakolon, Messina, Valencia and Lisbon. This has a very acceptable single supplement so it might just win over Cunard. Food for thought anyway. I will go and look for the magazine, thanks.

Edited March 26, 2010 by ships cat

[Saga Ruby]

Thanks Ruby. I do know about the long trip into Cairo as I did it in 2005, but it is well worth the effort IMO. It is on the Queen Elizabeth, although since then I found an even nicer one on P&O Oceana - 24 nights to Cadiz, Tripoli (for Leptis Magna), Cairo, Limassol, Ashdod, Haifa, Athens, Katakolon, Messina, Valencia and Lisbon. This has a very acceptable single supplement so it might just win over Cunard. Food for thought anyway. I will go and look for the magazine, thanks.

 

Just curious - since you've done the Port Said run to Cairo, would you do it again? I agree that, when we are in Port Said, we have to go to Cairo and Giza if we haven't done it before, but a second time? I would have to think about that one. To me the killer was the 3 hrs. from the port of Safaga to Luxor - and 3 hrs. back. I lucked out and stayed overnight in the Egyptian desert for a night but, if I were to "do" the Nile River again, I would definitely make a cruise out of it.

 

Michael- you were on Nautica when we made these long drives. What are your thoughts?

 

Ruby

Edited March 26, 2010 by Saga Ruby

[Druke I]

I didn't participate, so have no valid opinion.

[Host Sharon]

Just curious - since you've done the Port Said run to Cairo, would you do it again? I agree that, when we are in Port Said, we have to go to Cairo and Giza if we haven't done it before, but a second time? I would have to think about that one. To me the killer was the 3 hrs. from the port of Safaga to Luxor - and 3 hrs. back. I lucked out and stayed overnight in the Egyptian desert for a night but, if I were to "do" the Nile River again, I would definitely make a cruise out of it.

 

Michael- you were on Nautica when we made these long drives. What are your thoughts?

 

Ruby

 

My answer would be yes I would. One day in Cairo is not really enough. I did a fabulous tour which included a guided walk around the medieval part, free time in aspice bazaar, lunch on a felucca on the Nile, the Menial Palace and Giza for sunset. I still have not seen the Cairo Museum for example. I have just re-read my journal entry for the day as I had forgotten many of my impressions. I was certainly very wary of my visit as I hate animal neglect and cruelty and I have to confess to some upsetting sights, but in another way it captivated me. Just for interest this was what I wrote at the time.

Saturday 26th November 2005

Very early start. We berth in Port Said. Up early for breakfast in Conservatory. Lovely dawn over the minarets of the city. Watch as we sail up to the berth alongside the street where Mum and Dad had their flat. We have to leave at 7am for the 3 hour drive to Cairo.

What to write? The drive took us alongside the Suez Canal and you could just see the superstructure of the ships as we drove past. We travelled past Ismailia. Even the central reservations of the motorways were cultivated. Impressions of poverty and dirt. Cats and poor donkeys, smells of spices, tobaccos, sewers, perfumes….Noise and chaos but fascinating. Lovely smiley people despite the obvious poverty. Man with whole family on scooter, cows in the back of a pick-up truck. Our armed escort cleared all the traffic for our convoy of coaches. Walking tour of the old medieval part of the city over rough ground, over piles of earth, past shops just preparing to open for the day. Past the mosques and ancient buildings. Saw a hoopoe. Wandering up the bazaar listening to the shopkeepers trying to entice us in. Colour and glitter from the fabrics, brassware etc.

The Menial Palace was Moorish and medieval and the gardens beautiful. Banyan and flame trees lined the streets, along with palms and jacaranda. Lunch was on a felucca on the Nile and the sudden peace in the middle of the river was lovely as we sailed to and fro. You could just hear the calls from the muezzin as it was midday. Pelicans gathered near the restaurant for food and there were swallows and ibis. Then on to Giza for the Pyramids. The sudden glimpse of them between the tower blocks of Giza was amazing. In many ways they were disappointing in close-up especially with the coach park right in the centre of them. We were given time to walk and wander. Police on camels patrolled to control the hawkers etc. I succumbed to a set of brass pyramids for £1. The view with the Sphinx was wonderful and as we left the sun began to set and the whole scene was magical with the Sphinx and Pyramids silhouetted against the clear blue sky. We stopped off at a papyrus institute for souvenirs then the long drive back to the ship.

[Saga Ruby]

ships cat - Thanks for the notes from your earlier visit to Cairo. I had to look up a hoopoe and was gobsmacked to see such a lovely bird. And your other adventures were quite interesting - I had no knowledge of the Menial Palace so it was nice to learn that one.

 

Upper Egypt needs time to explore, to absorb a bit of the culture, both the good and the bad. I read a book by an American woman who decided to row a boat from Aswan to Cairo - it was a scarily interesting book but I thought she was mad to try it. The writer seemed to think her major challenge would be the physical rowing of that river but, as a regular rower, she knew she was able to do such a distance. Her biggest problem was that no Egyptian man would sell a woman a rowboat.

 

She naively had not factored in the Egyptian culture but, after many troubles, she did manage to buy a poorest-quality boat and row it up the Nile to Cairo.

 

Personally I would book a Nile cruise on a well-recommended ship!

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

She naively had not factored in the Egyptian culture but, after many troubles, she did manage to buy a poorest-quality boat and row it up the Nile to Cairo.

 

Personally I would book a Nile cruise on a well-recommended ship!

 

Ruby

 

 

As I once said, and have never been allowed to forget - I don't do cheap! I agree with you Ruby - crew v. rowing myself everytime :) Besides, I would not have felt comfortable in Egypt on my own, and I have dark hair. Blondes were hassled everywhere!

 

Well, the book is finally complete and I have allowed myself to get the cases out ready for my last voyage on Artemis :( and even booked a mini spring break on QM2 in late May as it was such a bargain !! Thanks goodness winter seesm over for now and I can start to think cruising again.

[seabourndt]

my mum who had just had her 86th birthday sadly passed away last week. my faMILy are no help at all and had to orgaNIse the funeral on my own for this thursday. a verty sad time for me i only saw here the day before she died!! she had this awful cough and got pneumonia just like my dad. asny idea about putting ashes at sea(are there any rules forb this do you know?)

dave