the mice

16 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks.

Two points.

 

Item # 5. I believe the no fee change is only up to the 180 day point.

 

Not any more.  Changed a while ago.  Did a booking about a week ago for 12/27 sailing on Vista.   Here are the first 2 lines of the cancellation policy:

Guest Cancellation Schedule
The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all cancellations received prior to departure up to the scheduled time of departure.
181 days or more prior to departure $150.00 per person
180 to 151 days prior to departure 20-Jun-24 to 19-Jul-24 $500.00 per person

@Rick Derris We have cruised Oceania but never in Asia.  We will be on Oceania and Vietnam will be 4 ports mid-cruise.  On previous cruises Oceania has never kept our passports and I am not expecting them to do so now.  They are also offering us Vietnam visa on arrival but at 4x the price of doing it ourselves. 

On 1/13/2024 at 10:02 AM, WeMissSeaView said:

Same here.

Same here as well.  Show up in Points History but not added to the total.  (I have a log I keep). 

Yes, we board on Feb 12 in Bangkok. Enjoy your cruise. 

Why would the dates need to be different - ie., add extra days before and after?   Is that CYA on RCCL's part or just asking for trouble? Because you have to put your location address (the ship), don't you? And if you are somewhere else on those days... 

Life shouldn't be this complicated.  🙄

On 1/7/2024 at 10:32 AM, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Oh, and just in case you have a passport (like a U.S. one) that combines both first and middle names as one, you check to make sure your name is reflected exactly as shown on your passport.  I'm told that's important. So if you are, for example, Betty Ann White, you should put "White" as surname (first block) and "Betty Ann" as given names (second block).  And make sure the dates are correct - day, month, year.  I put the "issued by" or something like that as "U.S. State Department," although I don't remember if that was required or not.  And for entry or exit ports, I selected Chan May Seaport (near Hue) and Ho Chi Minh City Seaport, but of course those may be different for you. And if your photo doesn't load, it could be something other than file size that's the hiccup.  I had to resize mine to be more like 2" by 3" rather than the 2x2 that my passport has.  And plain background, no eyeglasses, neutral expression...... 

I think we are on the same Oceania Riviera cruise.   We are doing the segments Bangkok to Seoul.

Our 1st port on Feb. 18  is listed as Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) with 3 subsequent ports (Na Trang, Hue and Hanoi) all in a row, leaving Vietnam on Feb. 23.

I'd like to get e-Visas for less than the $99 pp that O will charge, but I am concerned that if we get e-Visas they may not be correct.  And then we are paying again onboard. 

It sounds like you successfully applied for your Vietnam Visa so I have some questions.

1. what is the correct working page for the e-Visa.  Won't connect in Chrome.  Edge doesn't take me to an page where I can input data.  I think I got there once before but cannot now. 

2. Single entry visa since it is 4 ports in a row or multiple?

3.  Looked at the list of ports.  On the list of ports I see this:  Cảng TP.Hồ Chí Minh Ho Chi Minh City Seaport   Is that what you put in as port of entry?

And I see you used Chan May for the exit port  We leave from Ha Long Bay which is not on the list.

So did your application complete successfully?   And, more importantly, are you sure your e-Visa will be accepted when we enter Vietnam on RIviera?

Thanks.  

We have done the Med on both AZ and O, and Greece/Turkey on Windstar, as well as traveling independently in France, Italy and Croatia.  Enjoyed it all. 

Some cruisers prefer the country intensive itineraries that AZ offers.  Some prefer variety of multiple countries, but it will be just a "teaser" of each country. 

The French ports offer much to see, as does Barcelona. 

Will you add any time pre or post cruise? 

What port(s) in Italy and on which cruise?  

Is this for a special occasion?  Have you cruised before?  What are the specific ports and what are you interested in doing in them - historic sites, art, food, wine?  Have you been to any of these places before? Since these are all short cruises, are there any seas days or are they very port intensive? More info about your interests / travel style would help in giving suggestions. 

Azamara is an older, smaller ship with more traditional decor, has smaller cabins, food quality can be uneven, only 2 specialty restaurants for a fee, overall excellent crew which is what makes Azamara special for most people, often spends longer time in ports if that matters to you. 

Oceania is a larger ship with 4 excellent specialty restaurants at no fee (can be a bit challenging to book on a 7 day cruise), a dedicated Culinary Arts center for cooking classes (popular-these book up quickly and not sure of offerings on a 7 day), wonderful afternoon tea daily, more contemporary decor and larger cabins, less crew/officer interaction but still very good service. 

Never cruised Seabourn, but it's considered a true luxury line whereas Azamara and Oceania are premium lines. 

Good luck with choosing. 

4 hours ago, pmjnh said:

Thank you for your input, especially the one ticket..our flights have always been either domestic or easy  non-stops to/from  Europe. Flying to NZ is new to us and a bit daunting but I think I have a handle now on what we need to do.

Happy to help.  

The only way to not have a single ticket would be if you have an overnight stay between flights, but depending on the time of year that you go, even that has some risk. 

For example, we flew in October from NY to Vancouver and stayed overnight to meet friends.  We flew to Australia the next day on a separate ticket, but both flights were on Air Canada. Not sure that would have helped if there were problems. Luckily no weather issues impacted either flight but it could have hsppened. 

Since you are flying from the east coast, and most people go to NZ in what is our winter, you have to take that into consideration.  If you are flying to take a cruise, do plan to arrive a few days early.  Auckland has lots to see and do. 

Good luck with your planning. Go and enjoy NZ - wonderful places to see. 

They also loan out the iPads loaded with the digital classes so you can take them at your convenience.  You do lose the interaction of the live class but it's a nice option. 

No, you are not.  I just mentioned what we flew.  We were happy with our choices but 4 years later, that probably is not relevant to flying there today. I only mentioned it because we slept well in business class.

It helps to know that you are paying, not using miles. 

But it would be useful to know:

Where from the east coast do you want to fly from?   Boston, NY, DC, or other? 

What class of service,

as that might determine routes and number of stops.  If flying business class, you might be able to sleep so could perhaps handle a longer flight.  If flying premium economy you would need to find airlines offering it.  If flying economy, you would have to decide how long you would like any one segment to be. 

Different airlines/planes have different seating in each class of service which affects recommendations.   

How many stops total?  1 or 2? Will you break up the flights with an overnight stay? East coast nonstop to Hawaii is around 11 hrs.  Or you can stop on the west coast.   If you want to use Hawaii as a stop, then you need to look at flights from there to NZ.  If you are making such connections you would want to be sure all flights are issued as one ticket.  You don't want any separate tickets as that's asking for trouble. 

These things help answer your question. 

Hope this is helpful. 

We went in October-November 2019, so pre-COVID which might not be that relevant now..  Went to Australia and New Zealand.  Flew business class using miles.   We flew Air Canada in paid economy to Vancouver where we stayed overnight and then flew in AC business using miles to Melbourne.  For our return, we flew Air New Zealand business on miles from Auckland to Houston and then United economy (on miles) from there to LaGuardia.    We slept on both of the long business class legs.

You didn't say what class of service and if you are paying or plan to use miles.  Business class tickets can be a challenge using miles, especially if your dates are not flexible.  

So, before anyone can really provide useful advice, you need to provide some more information on your potential plans.  NZ is wonderful. 

21 hours ago, rebeccac said:

Personally, I would use Lyft or Uber.  Usually a bit cheaper than the taxis.  

How easy to get Uber or Lyft?  Special area for pickup?

Thanks.

 We spent about 9 days in Malta back in 2006 and a port day in 2009 and still haven't seen all that Malta has to offer.   Abaolutely wonderful - you will surely have a great time.  Just too bad you won't get there 3 times 😄.

Agree with @Globaliser  Also, flying out of LHR you are hit with rather high departure taxes and fees.   I think it is one of the most expensive airports for that.

This just popped up in my email 

https://www.travelandleisure.com/middle-name-airline-ticket-7566603?hid=3055218feb5d0af5e77897898dd6f9477de9b156&did=10729942-20231020&utm_source=tal&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=just-in_newsletter&utm_content=102023&utm_term=PM&lctg=3055218feb5d0af5e77897898dd6f9477de9b156

Has happened to me and I didn't have a problem.  Even had my middle name added to my first and then had the middle name again.  Checked my airline profile and could never figure out how that happened since it  didn't show that way when I booked the flight.

Both menus look good.  La Bocca Felice looks a tad bit pricier and a bit more formal, perhaps?

12 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

what kinds of food do you like?

 

I don't drink either but San Pedro Brewing does have very good food, Green Onion has good California style Mexican food, Buonos is pretty good pizza there are some other nice places within walking distance from the Crowne 

 

since you have a car you could go further out: if you want seafood you could go the 22nd street landing or try the new Trani's Dockside Station (I haven't eaten there yet but have heard good things & it was opened by one of our best local chefs) these would both be pricier than the first three...J Trani's is a long time San Pedro dining staple but you might need to make reservations ahead,

Italian is a favorite, but rarely eat pizza (like 2x a year or for lunch sometimes when in Europe) despite my italian heritage!  Expect to eat a lot on our Oceania 16 day cruise, so  just looking for good food, no particular cuisine, but doesn't have to be a high end dining experience,  We tend to cook at home most of the time and don't eat out that often. 

Thanks, will check it out.

1 minute ago, KreinKrunker said:

San Pedro Brewing Co. on 6th St.

Thanks but we don't drink alcohol.   Although we have gone to brew pub restaurants in the past and ordered club sodas.  But generally not our first choice.  

2 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

so glad you got the info you needed to make the best plan for you. If you arrive early enough & are interested in such things, the USS Iowa is walking distance from the Crowne Plaza & is well worth the visit. There are also some very nice places to eat within walking distance.

We have the earliest check in time and the plan is to visit the USS Iowa after lunch. Our  saila way is 7pm.  I already asked on the Oceania board if we would be allowed off after check-in, and a TA, who is a long time Oceania cruiser and knows the head of O very well, confirmed that we could do so. 
Hopefully, it all works out.  As NYers who are used to traffic, I think we can handle one day in LA .  I'll probably stress out more my first time ordering a Uber 🤣  (not a thing here in the 'burbs).

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza on Thursday night (Hertz is across the street).  Any restaurant recommendation for dinner?  

Thanks for your helpful posts.  Much appreciated. 

10 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

You have gotten a ton of good info & I don't know that what I have to say is much help, but...I would also definitely lean towards not renting a car & using uber...I think the freedom of not having to navigate our freeways & streets is worth something even if you don't save much money although it  sounds like would save money as well

 

I like San Pedro (I better since I live here) but I don't know that it is worth packing, checking out & moving to a new place for one night just to be nearer the port on embarkation day especially if turning in a rental is out of the equation. You could leisurely get ready Friday morning & request an Uber & be at the port at whatever time seems good to you, there is a big window for boarding so it's not like a flight where you want to get there early enough but not so early you are sitting waiting for hours...I hope you have a wonderful trip whatever you decide & that your husband's hand continues to heal quickly

Thank you.  Based on significant difference in points, I've rebooked us from Santa Monica to Marina del Rey for our 1st 2 nights (Tues,- Wed.) since we don't expect to be in the room much.  We will walk around Venice and up to Santa Monica and plan to Uber back. Ŵe will pick up our rental on Thursday morning and drive with our luggage to the Getty Center and then the Peterson .  Then drive down to San Pedro whatever time that is.  Planning to return rental across the street in the morning.  I think we can handle that limited amount of driving and it should be better with our luggage in tow.

And thanks for the good wishes for my husband's hand.   He's making progress but we don't think that he will ever regain full movement in that one finger joint.  Thank goodness it wasn't more serious. Looking forward to a relaxing trip.  And my first time ever using Uber.  

We were on Onward last Oct-Nov and docked at Moll Adossant.  I think it was Terminal C.  There was a port shuttle that runs on a loop so we got on and had to ride all the way round. It was empty when we got on, but then the next ship was Costa - what a zoo.  At the time it only took cash, and the drive didn't have much in the way of change. (I got a handful of coins - €0.96  instead of  €1 ).  So best to check the price and be prepared before boarding. A lot of the Costa cruisers didn't have the cash and it was crazy with some people trying to help pay for others.  

Getting the shuttle back (we were overnighting) was even crazier.   No such thing as a queue.  People were pushing to try to get on so they would not have to wait longer.  We were fortunate to be standing close to the bus door.  

The next day we had a private tour and were supposed to meet at a hotel a short distance from the Columbus monument, but the guide decided to come into the port and save us the trouble.  

2 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Perhaps not applicable to your situation, however for info:

Note they are 1st entry and Westbound from Alaska to Japan.

Regent forum, Live from Explorer, post # 134.

Thank you for pointing this out.   This is exactly what the poster on HAL described.

4 hours ago, Cape Hernlopen said:

Dear TM:

We visited seven Japanese ports on our June tour from Bangkok to Tokyo (on Insignia) and never had any problems with Japanese immigration authorities. We stopped in Ishigaki on a Viking cruise in 2018 without any problems.  There is not much to do or see in Ishigaki. 

Joel Barry

Thank you for this.

Hard to find anything much to do on Ishigaki. Saw some videos and it does look scenic if you get away from the town close to the port, which does not look that interesting.  Ship's excursions are very expensive here.  The only interesting one is an OS to Iriomote and it is $289pp (or $216.75 with the 25% discount).On Viator, not much aside from stand up paddle boarding (not for us).  What did you do on Ishigaki?  Any suggestions appreciated.