buggins0402

2 minutes ago, crimmj said:

Random question - how do the travellers get all their belongings back in a situation like this?

In our situation, the contents of our cabin were packed and shipped to us.  Arrived about 2 weeks after the event. Contents of the safe were collected by ship personnel and distributed to passengers prior to flying home.  But, I imagine every situation is different. 

57 minutes ago, portofinoitaly said:

This is a pic of the waves (8 days of it) on Ponant. The waves were largest going to S. Georgia and we still had to do the Drake after Antarctica.

We were lucky on our Viking cruise doing the British Isles and ending in Bergen this past Sept. Calm seas. Having done Norway in prior years, the seas can be terrible. Happy we have "Been there done That". 

I still think I have PTSD after the Antarctica cruise LOL!

 

This incident has truly provided all with an eye opener. Best of luck to all who arrive safely and a happy journey home.

With regards to Antarctica,  another question arises.  Could Argentina or Chile pull off a rescue of a large passenger ship, given the remoteness of the area?  An expedition ship, might be within the resource capabilities, but what about the size ships that HAL and Celebrity sail to Antarctica.  We just sailed around the horn on a mass market and it did cross my mind that if we lost power in rough seas that rescue would be difficult. 

Norway rescue teams and emergency response teams should be given kudos for their very capable response.

Does anyone know if the passengers are still in muster stations or have they been allowed back to cabins?

8 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

I get your point... but... most of us here are just being armchair quarterbacks.  If you're on the ship or evacuated I would like to hear your story.  For the rest of us, we are going to discuss and debate until this is over.

As to your earlier question about medications..at the safety drill you are instructed to bring medications,  if you hear the alarm and dress warmly. I will only speculate, but my guess is Viking crew is going cabin by cabin retrieving meds of those that did not bring theirs to the muster location.  Note: I have been through an abandon ship call..but, it was nothing like this situation, as our ship was in port in calm seas.

20 minutes ago, Mylisa said:

Bugging, Can you please send me the contact info of the guide in Usahaia and the company you used from Valparaiso for transfer to the airport?  Did you use a transfer company from BA to the ship as well?

We used Perro Tour, https://perrotour.com/.  We did the reverse itinerary (Santiago to BA) so they picked us up from the hotel and delevered us to the port.  From the ship to port in BA we used a hotel car.  I had difficulty arranging this, as Marriott group hotels has made it difficult to find hotel contacts.  The concierge on our ship made the arrangements. If you are staying in a hotel in BA, you could probably do it a bit cheaper with a radio cab.  Our hotel car was not that expensive (we were in Retiro)...only $25 and we were staying in a 5*, but a honest taxi would probably been only $15 at most. However, after our Santiago experience, I felt better getting our start in BA with a hotel car, given the disembarkation mess. 

I will send a copy of the email I sent to the other poster. 

On 3/5/2019 at 10:18 PM, drreena said:

I agree that calculations and experiences figure differently for people based on their preferences and choices. My husband and I are now considering a 21 day cruise with NCL (Arabian Odyssey) on the Jade beginning in Rome and ending in Dubai. I did a line by line comparison of our recent 12 day cruise with Oceania and factored in any added costs not provided by NCL (i.e., Internet beyond the 250 minutes provided by NCL; speciality coffees) as well as subtracted costs provided by NCL that were not provided by Oceania (i.e., alcohol). Our stateroom choice is comparable (junior suite) and we are provided with 5 speciality dining room dinners for each of us as was the case with Oceania. Dollar for dollar, the 21 day cruise with NCL is approximately $750 cheaper than the 12 day cruise with Oceania. We also get $50 off excursions which overall run a lot cheaper than Oceania. 

 

Our attraction to this NCL cruise is its itinerary since few cruise lines offer port stops within Egypt (most just cross the Suez Canal without a stop). Our attraction to our recent Oceania cruise was also its itinerary (French Polynesia) which are limited with cruise lines. I have checked NCL's menus that are posted online, as well as their fitness room info, photos of the staterooms and other parts of the ship. Since the cruise is scheduled for November 2019, I don't expect there will be many children onboard. All things considered, this cruise looks promising.

We took a similar approach for the “around the horn” we just completed...NCL suite versus a non suite cabin on O.  The major reason we made this decision was that in 2019 Oceania did not do the itinerary during the month we wanted to do the cruise.

We had a very nice cruise. But, as Paul says the two experiences are apples and oranges. We had 10 of our 14 dinners in specialty dining. Even in specialty, there is no way that the food quality compares.  I should note, the ship we were on did not have a Haven.  Suite dining for beakfast and lunch was in Cagney’s.  Breakfast was fine there.  The lunch menu is limited and fine for me, but not for my husband, who avoids bread, red meat and fats. 

Due to the limited menu at lunch, we used the buffet the first few non port days for that meal. What a bun fight...not even close to Terrace in ambiance and quality....but, it did have some grainy salads and Indian food which my husband loves.  After selecting food there ( served on plastic) we would hunt for a table through three connecting restaurants. Drink service is pretty much self service in the buffet, unlike Terrace. After a while, we asked the suite staff in Cagney’s if my husband could bring in his buffet selections, so we could at least enjoy a quiet lunch.  Instead, they offered to bring Indian food to him.  This worked, but it took over half the cruise to hit on it. Note, although Oatmeal is not on the suite breakfast menu, they have no issues bringing in that to the suite dining.  

There were two things we did very much enjoy on NCL.  The concierge was awesome and having that individual split some of the duties that the butler provides works very well. The lounge entertainment was excellent and light years more extensive than Oceania (I am not referring to main show theater shows, but various shows throughout the ship). There were three different piano players, a jazz band, two guitarists,  a string trio and a Latin duo, in addition to the show band ( some individuals did double duty...eg, band member doing a solo act. 

Also note that NCL’s drink package only includes drinks up to $15. If you are fussy on your pours, you will find some upcharges.  I did opt from time to time to get a little better wine, not that my wine palate is that fine tuned, which incurred an upcharge.

As to the shore excursion credit, at best it will bring the cost down to what you might pay for a group arranged private excursion. That said, we did do a few ship excursions for the first time in many years. They were fine. The big bus was not a detriment since they were not the type of tour where upon arriving at the destination you followed a guide, instead they were more transportation to a site and do it on your own and background information was provided on the way there.

Would we we do this again? Yes, with the right itinerary that has many sea days, and entertainment becomes an overriding factor.  But, we will miss Terrace and the quality of seafood choices that Oceania has in it’s MDR and Specialty restaurants. 

2 hours ago, HilsTas said:

 

 

I'd appreciate the contact details please buggins0402 -  my email is hilarysubs at gmail.com.

 

many thanks,  Hilary

Will send tomorrow and I will try to figure out how to include the pictures of Bluff Cove that my shipmate sent from her previous cruise.  Look for an email from 0402 at the end.

I should add that I agree with Mura, add time in both Santiago and Buenos Aires.  I was using points for some hotels and airlines, so our time in each city was driven by the dates that I found low mile business class air. In BA, we had 4 nights and I easily could have spent 3 more days there. We had 5 nights and  4 full days in Santiago...we did a wine tour one of the days. We could have gotten by with just 4 nights there, but on point redemption we had a free night and it worked with the timing of frequent flyer point availability at lowest redemption terms. 

We flew paid air first class to Panama City on Delta and stayed a few nights there. Then we flew business class with United points on Copa.  The seat on Copa was like domestic first in the US, which was fine for a six hour daylight flight.  Service was excellent. On the return from BA, we flew United business to Newark on points. Flight was fine, but the seat configuration was such that the window seat did not had aisle access when in aisle seat was in lie flat mode. 

We just did this itinerary on NCL in reverse, Santiago to BA (just returned Thursday.) There was a definite advantage to being on the port side for Glacier Alley.  In the BA to Santiago direction, it would probably be starboard.  The best views of Cape Horn were starboard (ship does a loop de loop by it... not around it.). To be absolutely certain, I would do a search on the SA port board on CC and look for anything written by BudgetQueen as to best side. She was on our cruise and has done this itinerary 13 times. She might not be help for excursions because she does many ports DIY with rental cars and busses, but you can get an idea where she heads in each port.

We did a combination of ship excursions and DIY.  In Montevideo, we walked around on our own. It was very easy.  The port has a marked trail from the ship into the city, where you are greeted by local Tourist Information people handing out maps of walking tours. LIkewise, we just walked around Punta Arenas after taking the ship shuttle into the city. Those two ports worked as a DIY for those that don’t mind walking a few miles. One of major sites in Puerto Arenas is the cemetery which is a bit of a hike.  Puerto Arenas is not a tender port but is one port that is iffy if winds are high. A couple ships did miss it this past season.

In Usahaia, we had planned to just hire a port taxi to Tierra Del Fuego National Park.  However, upon exiting the port we were met with a crowd of taxi vendors and it was quite a zoo.  We did luck out though....there was one guy standing with a sign at a better price than the taxi hawkers, which also included the National Park entry fee.  It turned out to be small van tour, but since the vendor could only find one other couple, it ended up semi private.  He spoke perfect English and it was a great tour. I do have his card. We did speak with another couple who had did a combo Beagle Channel and Park tour who said they were disappointed in the Park after the cruise portion. But, given the time in port, their time in the Park would have been much less in depth. 

For the other ports, we did ship excursions. On NCL, they give a shore excursion credit per port for those in suites, so many times the price of tours compared favorably with private. 

Our ship missed Falklands due to high seas. We entered the territorial waters and those with binoculars could see penguins if they knew where to look (BudgetQueen). For that port, I do know that she always takes a private tour to Volunteer Point to see the King Penguins. We had Bluff Cove scheduled.  It is an easier trek and also has some Kings (but not as many).  Bluff Cove contracts with the cruise companies, so it is only offered as a ship excursion. One person on our roll call had done this excursion in the past and had sent me pictures and they had looked wonderful, so we opted for this excursion instead of Volunteer Point due to my husband’s back issues. We are so sorry we missed it.

In Puerto Madryn we took a ship excursion to Punta Tombo, because of the credit and distance involved (two hour there and back). We were on the first bus, so it really didn’t make a difference private or ship, it wasn’t crowded when we got there.  Our guide was very good. I chose Punta Tombo because the ships always seem to make this port and it would be assured Penguin viewing.  I did talk to those that had done the Valdez Peninsula and my sense was the Penguin viewing was at a distance, whereas in Tombo you walk on a path in the rookery itself and frequently have to give way to Penguins on the walkway. 

For our other two Chilean ports we did ship excursions.  Both were ok, but weather was not on our side....we were constantly fighting rain. In Puerto Montt we took a ship excursion to Puerto Varas and Fruitillar. We did walk to the PuertoMontt fish market after and had lunch and enjoyed that.  In Chacabuco, we took a short ship excursion of the surrounding area which is quite beautiful. My thought there was that we had a great forward facing suite, so we would spend time on our balcony enjoying the fjord after the tour...however, the skies opened to a downpour.  I guess I was just as glad we weren’t on a longer tour in the rain.

For our transfer from Santiago to San Antonio we used a company from Valparaiso.  Their prices were far better than anything that others on our roll call were finding for transfer only.  I can give you the name if you are interested.  This was a straight transfer but they also do tours. 

If you take taxis taxis during your stays in BA or Santiago be careful. I had a Santiago taxi driver switch two 20,000 CLP notes for counterfeits plus overcharge us about 10,000 CLP with a fast meter, so what should have been a $15 ride ended up being $75. The concierge at the Ritz Carlton in Santiago said this was common. Take Radio taxis in BA, which are considered to be generally honest.  The hotels use them and monitor which cab they are putting you in so that if there is an issue they can deal with it. One day in BA we hired a hotel (Park Towers) car for the day.  It was only $25 an hour.  Another ship suite passenger staying at our hotel used them for their entire stay in BA. 

On 2/10/2019 at 12:04 AM, Paulchili said:

This is just a note for those that are not familiar with this cabin.

This large veranda comes at a price - too steep for us. These cabins are smaller than a regular PH (narrower) with much less room between the foot of the bed and the wall. Also, instead of a walk-in closet they have a regular wall closet. This cabin is great for those that love the outside space at the price of a smaller cabin.

We’ve never stayed in one of these but this is my recollection. If wrong, someone will correct me.

My recollection is that they do have a walk in closet, but it is slightly smaller than the other PH cabins. Perhaps StanandJim can confirm.

Is the Toscana chef in the top picture?  He looks like the same one we had earlier this year on Insignia. Toscana had always ranked lowest for specialties on my prior cruises, but on that cruise, it really knocked it out of the park...it was outstanding.

Neat race tee.  It would almost be worth running 62.4 miles for it.  Ex marathoner here, and I have always admired ultra runners. 

2 hours ago, Damicom said:

I’m evaluating my plans for Ho Chi Minh City. Does anyone know where we will dock or if there is a shuttle to the city? I booked a ship’s tour of the city but I don’t think that’s what I really want  to do. Is the city easy to see on your Own? 

I can’t answer as to shuttles or port. But, we did spend 4 days there a few years ago and saw the sights independently.  It is somewhat walkable in the center...but, watch out for the scooters..they will use the sidewalks when traffic is bad. Also, crossing streets in Vietnam is a learned art.  Locals will see you hesitate and signal you to follow them into the melee, which helps.  Check TripAdvisor for the two recommended taxi companies and stick with those. 

15 hours ago, SelectSys said:

 

 

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/what-has-gone-wrong-at-norwegian-air-1.3775965

 

Daniel Roeska, analyst at Bernstein, said the equity raising was almost inevitable.

“There’s no way they could have made it through Q1, and that made this not a choice but a necessity, otherwise the bonds go bust at the end of March.

“I don’t think, if you want to get until the end of 2020, this will be the last cash or equity injection they need.”

 

Picking up Norway's richest man as an investor can't hurt either, even if it is n ego or patriotic play.

 

 

Google the name mentioned (Fredriksen) and one of his companies...Seadrill.

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

 

My expectation is that airfares will remain low if Norwegian stays in the market.  I just looked at prices for LA-London and LA-Paris.  Round trip airfares are around $500.00.  The price spreads in Paris between Norwegian and Air France can be stunning with fare differences of more than $2000.00 

Might be of interest to those CAS (Casino at Sea) cruisers. 😄

Zitsky...after following many of your posts for SA and seeing what you might like, you might take a look at the Oceania Marina sailings.  Look at outsides ...good enough on that ship given the itinerary. They are the same size as balconies with windows the size of the sliders in balcony cabins. 

The benefit with a ship this size is you are virtually assured a sail in through the Stockholm Archipelago.  The itineraries are usually open jaw, allowing you to do land portions in Stockholm and Copenhagen and fully enjoy those cities. 

We hold Nicaragua near and dear to our hearts as one of our most favorite warm weather get-aways. We were also there about 10 years ago, It would be so sad if it became politically impossible to travel there. 

Thanks for the pictures.  

Just now, Sauer-kraut said:

SpecialEventsSUN@NCL.com

Thank you so much!!,

On 1/10/2019 at 2:07 PM, CruisinHarvey said:

 

BTW don't pay any attention to the meet and mingle information for NCL on cruise critic.  It's way old. I've told them about it several times, but nothings changed. To contact NCL the email address is specialeventsxxxxx@NCL.com where xxxxx is your ship name.  The old one doesn't get a failure, but no one responds to it. 

We now have enough people interested.

So for the Sun, would the email address be specialeventsnorwegiansun@NCL.com or do I just replace the XXXXX with sun?

TIA

On 1/12/2019 at 11:33 PM, bob brown said:

Yes....say 'hi' for me too!  Tell them (thanks to your thread), they can be "stalked' even while I'm at sea on another ship...

For those that want to follow Bob on his other ship, he is contributing to a group “around the world” cruise thread on the Oceania board. Here is the link:

19 hours ago, zitsky said:

I'm thinking something that starts and ends in Sydney or Bali.  I've seen it somewhere but now I cannot remember where.  Lots of Aus and NZ trips but I have been to NZ multiple times.

Link to a current “Live from” blog on the Oceania board:

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9156462

5 minutes ago, bob brown said:

Just got this update delivered to room...

Just what I need....a tour of my town😄

 

Actually, it is kind of a creative way to “entertain” the delayed passengers.

Better than camping out at Pier 88, I suppose...like I had to do when my last cruise on the NCL Breakaway departed in October...

Great attitude...I would think the best way to get through a 180 day cruise is sometimes ship happens. Looking forward to further reports.

17 minutes ago, ORV said:

Likely story, sounds like another Oceania conspiracy to save money. 

I really did laugh out loud on that one! 

We are only 5 weeks away from sailing.  If we just get to 25, what would the experienced planners say to do....should we request a M & G, but ask NCL to keep it down to maybe just someone from the hotel side, or do an informal sail away gathering in the Great Outdoors on our own? 

Roll Call activity has been light, despite the fact that this is an Around the Horn, South America cruise.  If everyone who has posted on the board were to show interest in a M & G(unlikely),  I think we’d only be at 40.  Then factor in no shows. As others have pointed out, I would hate to take officers away from their busy schedule for a poorly attended gathering.