treesah

I'm addicted to the almond croissants, fresh out of the even, divine taste and smell, crunch, crunch.

Auckland looks lovely.  Several years ago, we stayed in Auckland for 4 - 5 days and I remember saying that within an hour, it was sunny, then it rained, then the atrocious wind picked up and after that it was freezing.  Variety is the spice of life but that was too much.  The Kiwis are so friendly and helpful.

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

The sun is back!  And it is warm and humid.  I believe it's the Royal Princess in port today?  I'll confirm in a bit when we go on our walkabout.

 

You dragged the California sunshine to Sydney.  Thus, we ended up with snow in the Laguna mountains.  Have a fabulous trip.

Fabulous post.  Thank you for taking the time to share.

Thank you for sharing your adventures.  It's second best to actually being on board.  It takes a lot of time and effort to do a "live from".  Very much appreciated.

Cruisey, thank you for a refreshing journal of your Discovery adventure.  We were on her the previous week so a bit of vicarious living was in order.  It's a lovely ship and the crew is outstanding.

@Woobstr112GThank you for taking us along.  I enjoy your postings and photos.  You manage to make the mundane sound interesting.

On 8/25/2023 at 11:10 AM, kremerlorraine said:

At the Manta cruise terminal yesterday the tourist taxis were quoting $25 per hour per taxi. A tour taking in the main sights including Montecristi was expected to take approx. three hours. We just walked across the street to the Pacifico Mall (quite nice with lots of shops and eateries), where I got my glasses repaired at an optician (for the princely sum of $3!) As we only really wanted to go to Montecristi and back we got a taxi outside the mall for $20 return and he waited for about an hour while we strolled around and chose our Panama hats. I can recommend the Modesto shop if you are in the market for a new hat.

 

Thank you so much for chiming in.  Great info.

What a bummer, Ms. R, that you got the big C.  I know how careful you are about following protocols and moving away when your immediate neighbors start coughing.  You sure made a limoncello out of the lemon/s.   Stay well.  

Teresa

Any recommendations for day tours in Manta?  Our cruise ship will be there on December 10th.  Museums, Montecristi, rain forest, beaches?  Thank you.

4 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

Which cruise solo? I'm doing May 29,  I am from Los Angeles

I'll be on the June 3rd sailing.  We'll probably cross paths at the cruise terminal.  Wishing you blue skies and calm seas.

@kernow  Thank you for taking the time to post.  That's very generous of you.  I'll be sailing the Virtuosa in two weeks, solo, and I'm curious about the dress code.  Wishing you an improvement in the weather department.

@insidecabinThank you for posting.  I'm so grateful to the lovely people who take the time to  share their impressions and daily activities.  Very generous of you.  I'll be sailing the Virtuosa in June (solo) so these postings are of great interest to me.  

Thanks for sharing.  I'll definitely travel light, carry-on suitcase.  It won't be easy since I'm cruising to Iceland where the weather could be dicey from what I've seen.  I'm planning to stuff my heavy ski jacket into a pillowcase and use it as a pillow on the plane.

Love your postings.  We're doing this cruise in reverse in December.  You've given me some new ideas.  Thank you.

@Lena11033Hope you have a great cruise.  If possible, could you post your impressions of the cruise after you've returned home?  I'll be traveling solo on the Virtuosa in June and perhaps you could provide some ideas for a solo traveler.

Thanks for posting, Tracie.  I'll be following you on the Sky thus your comments and observations will be very much appreciated.  Blue skies and calm seas to you.

Thanks for the updates.  I have a question re:  library.  Do they have a fair number of fiction and non-fiction books in English?  Some of the libraries are bare bones.  TIA.

@Shelly97060  Thanks for posting.  I assume the internet is decent?  We were on the Ruby in Alaska and it was worthless.  Should have asked for my money back.

@sfoh  Thank you.  I'm feeling much better about our Diamond adventure on 12/17.

We're booked on the Diamond 12/17/22.  After reading Nobbi's report I'll lower my expectations.  Thanks for posting.

@Steelers36 So, so true.  I called Princess re: changing cabin and re-faring.  Got a numpty for sure.  Screwed up my booking so I told her to get me back to the original cabin which she did with a $200+ overcharge.  Spent 1-1/2 hours trying to correct with no success.  I proceeded to the Chat feature and the problem was resolved in 10 minutes.  Caution:  if the so called Navigator starts calling you Miss XYZ, find an excuse to hang up.

I'm enjoying your report.  Thank you.  Great photos.  I admire cruisers who take the time to share their adventures with those back home.  It takes time and effort.  Kudos to you.

Thank you, PandaBear.  I'm curious as to the weather you've experienced on your cruise.  Any rain?

Thank you for posting.  We'll be following you on 7/29 so I'm very interested in your impressions and comments.  Your packing list was helpful.  Hope you have lovely weather in the next ten days.