Bellaggio Cruisers

We were in suite 917 in the Caribbean in March. It was fine. But bad vibration in the theater.

Will go back again. Loved the cruise.

Sheila

We booked our own flights for the CPT - CPT cruise and are flying IAD - CPT with one change in Johannesburg. Layover is about one and a half hours. Did it with United mileage. Flying South African Airlines. They have been delightful to deal with.

Just returned from the Caribbean - 10 days on the Navigator. We viewed your photographs before we left and expected a lovely cruise. It wasn't! It was fabulous!!! The suites were so comfortable, the dining was luxurious. The crew attended to your every need. The tours were fun. And, we met the nicest people. Can't rave enough!

DH, who hates cruising, said that he will only cruise on Regent from now on.

Sheila :)

Clarkston is the gateway to Hell's Canyon. Best way to see is by boat tour.

Car rental to Lolo Pass is pleasant with a stop for lunch at Lochsa Lodge. Idaho is serene and avoids I-5 traffic hassles at the Portland end.

We will check it out. Driving from Spokane to Whitefish. Then touring Glacier. Then driving back to Spokane. Any other advice. Always looking to make it a better trip.

Thanks

Sheila

Thank you, suite traveler, for your helpful response. We've never been to Idaho so I think we'll start there a few days before the trip. What do you think? What's to see in nearby Idaho?

We are doing this cruise 8/15/15. We are arriving in Spokane, then heading to Glacier National Park for 3 days. Should be a wonderful drive. Then back to Spokane and the river cruise.

Regards

Hello

Anyone out there taking this Columbia River cruise on the American Empress from Clarkston to Portland, starting on August 15th?

If so, let's talk!

Regards

Sheila and Herb:)

Fantastic post and pics! We have booked Navigator Suite 930 for 2015 and it was great to see all the wonderful pictures. All our thanks!

We are scheduled on the January 17, 2015 cruise to the Caribbean. First time on Navigator. Best photos I have seen. Thanks for your hard work. Really looking forward now. The ship looks nicer than I expected.

Sheila :)

Just my two cents.

We used Romeinlimo last year for transfers from the airport to our hotel in Rome and then from the hotel to the ship.

They were courteous, professional and made the transfers enjoyable. Our driver in Rome passed sights that we remembered from our last trip. He pointed out everything.

We just arranged to use them again in April.

Sheila

Thanks to everyone for your help. Problem resolved. We cancelled this trip to Brazil for November and decided to travel to Southeast Asia again in February 2015. Plenty of time to renew passport and obtain all necessary visas for Burma etc.

regards

Sheila

LIG :)

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your advice with regard to the Brazilian visas. My timeline for travel was so confusing that we decided to jump ship and rescheduled a different cruise to Burma and Malaysia. All visas can be obtained on board the ship.

Thanks again. Safe journeys!!!

Sheila

Well, as they say, you pays your money and you take your chances. We are lucky with Brazil as the Houston Brazilian Consulate and we were able to drive to the Consulate and be in and out in 20 minutes with our visas inserted in our passports. Unfortunately Miami won't work that way. The norm is that the passport agency does return the old passport with a hole or holes in it but, it does not come back with the new passport. Got my renewal in 2012 and think it came in the mail a week or two later.

 

Just went to the passport website and the current time standard is 4 to 6 weeks while expedited is 2 to 3 weeks door to door. Price is an additional $60 plus the cost of overnight return. When we get toward summer, would expect the processing times to increase. Think if it were me and I had the schedule you do, I would follow your plan but, pay for expedited processing on your DH's passport and you should then have both back in time for the Brazil trip as you won't get into Brazil without the old passport with the visa.

 

Hope this makes sense and I envy all of your wonderful trips.

Hi Dave

What you are saying makes sense. Do you know if we can go to a U.S. consulate in New York City to renew the passport in person???

That way, we would explain the situation and hope they can help us..

Thoughts???

Sheila

I see one possible problem in your plan and depending on your response, possibly one suggestion.

 

You stated that your Husband's Passport expires less than 6 months from your return. Without specific dates can't be completely specific however, you passport has to be valid for 6 months after you get your visa and 6 months after your cruise ends. Depending on the specific dates, you might not be able to get his Visa or board the ship. Should his passport meet both requirements, he will be traveling with a new passport on your cruise and you will have to make sure he gets his old passport back prior to your cruise and he carries it with him on the cruise as the visa will be in the old passport. A visa remains valid even if the passport expires and that means you have to carry the old and the new passports if you need to use the visa that is valid for 10 years.

 

Hope your plan still works under these circumstances.

I agree with you.

However, when we send for the passport renewal, I will request a return of the old passport and we can take both his passports to the Amazon.

We could apply for the visas after the passport is renewed, but then we probably will not have enough time to get the visas by mail either before we leave for Israel or when we return. We will not be returning to Florida until mid October..

So what do you think????

Sheila

Hi Helpers

Thanks for all your wonderful information. I think you may have solved my problem!

Hows this game plan?

We are traveling out of the country to the Caribbean at the end of January to beginning of February.

When we return, we will take the passports with all necessary paperwork to the Brazilian Consulate in Miami. Apply for visas. This gives us 6 weeks to get it done, before we leave Florida again, beginning of April. (This trip on Regent Mariner - Adriatic cruise).

We will return to the U.S. beginning of May.

That gives us time (8 weeks) to have DH passport renewed from N.J. before we leave again at the beginning of August for Israel. (returning to the U.S mid August). His passport expires less than 6 months from our return.

Then to the Amazon in November.

Mission Accomplished!! (I think?)

I know... Too many trips planned... To close together. (But, we are getting older very quickly and have a lot of bucket list items left).

I have been so concerned. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks so very much for your advice and help!!!

Sheila

Question:

We are booked on the Amazon cruise ( Navigator) in November 2014. We are Florida residents so we need to get our visas from Miami. We have a pretty heavy travel schedule in the next few months, for which we need our passports

Can we get our visas in February 2014 for our November 2014 trip???? Sent an email to the Brazilian Consulate with no success.

Hope someone can help!!!!!

Sheila

We have booked the July 30, 2012 trip- from Odessa to Kiev. We are planning to remain in Kiev several days and will investigate some private tours to small towns in which our parents and grandparents were born and raised. Does anyone know a private guide that can help us with these arrangements?

We appreciate any help we can get--

We are arranging flights on American Airlines --JFK to Budapest - then Malev from Budapest to Odessa -- We are returning on Lufthanse through Frankfurt to JFK.

Sheila and Herb - Lake Worth Florida