Mercury

We are considering this cabin but we are worried that the sofa bed will not be comfortable for 2 children to share (10 and 13 years old).

Would appreciate if anyone has any photos of the sofa bed made up and/or if you have experience of using the sofa bed for two children

I see you were in a Haven 2 bedroom.

Did anyone make use of the sofa bed? I have 2 tween children and I am wondering if the sofa bed will be comfortable to sleep 2?

Hi ColoradoTravel Lover

I have similar questions regarding the sofa bed in the H6 and was wondering if you went on your cruise and how it was for your children?

Anyone back from the Getaway that has used the HOHO this year?

I have read many mixed reports. 

Are there regular HOHO buses from Nynashamn to Stockholm?

Happy to assist. We have travelled the world extensively but always find that our safaris are an absolute highlight and we never tire of them. It's great to share this passion. The experience of being amongst wildlife is very precious.

Sailco, I must agree with Globaliser regarding budget. That is a big part of your consideration. The other big consideration is whether you want to go into a malaria area or not. As you are going in January, this is definitely mosquito season (summer) and if it were my decision, I would rather go to Pilansberg (not a malaria area) at this time of year. There are many other safari options from Joburg that are not malaria areas.

If you go to Pilansberg, consider Black Rhino as it is a small exclusive lodge and there will be fewer children than if you go to (eg) Bakubung. The suggestion to go to Entabeni is an excellent one and then I would recommend Hanglip Mountain lodge which is in a better part of the park than Ravineside. Wildside Tented Camp is a great choice too. 

All these options are excellent value for money and we have personally stayed at all of them. We will be going on our first safari to Leopardsong in Dinokeng which has been highly recommended to us. I will report back after this as it is very convenient from Joburg Intnl Airport and they will provide transport to/from the lodge.

Thanks allygory  - your reply is very helpful.

I'm sure my daughter is going to thoroughly enjoy the gluten free options!

Does anyone know why only some people get upgrade emails? Surely if NCL invited everyone to participate they would get higher bids?

Am I right that you will only get an email if you have booked with a US Travel Agent or booked directly online with NCL?

Thanks so much johnlcruise for all that excellent information.

I can see that my daughter will be well catered for on NCL which is very reassuring.

I will be sure to find the head waiter on day 1 of the cruise. 

Thank-you - it sounds like there is a wonderful gluten free choice. So pleased!

My daughter is not celiac but has been advised by the doctor to avoid gluten. She has been doing this for the past month and we have seen a marked improvement. So we are not wanting her to start eating gluten again on the ship.

I will follow your advice to make contact with the restaurant manager and to contact NCL in advance.

I have searched this topic and found that there are no recent posts.

My daughter follows a gluten free  diet and it would be great to hear from anyone who has experienced the gluten free food offerings on the Getaway.

I have seen suggestions that you should go to the special needs staff on the first day of the cruise so that you can be put in touch with the restaurant manager in charge of dietary requirements. Is this correct?

For breakfast - where is the best place to eat? Will there be gluten free options in the Garden Cafe - for example, is there gluten free pancakes, bread, cereals etc?

Is it better to go to Savor for breakfast?

Is Gluten free bread/rolls served in the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants?

Does La Cucina have gluten free pizzas/pastas?

Any other info on Gluten free eating on board Getaway would be most helpful!

Here is an article which should clear up any confusion:

https://www.discoverafrica.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-krugers-private-reserves-parks-and-concessions/

Globaliser your example is an excellent one!

Kiwi cruiser - I agree that your best option is to go to Addo from PE.

Perhaps after a small taste of a safari, you will want to return for the real experience!

Have a wonderful cruise!

On 5/24/2019 at 11:13 AM, Globaliser said:

 

There are actually some good private reserves where it won't cost you a fortune. There are some in the Waterberg, for example, which also have the additional benefit of being non-malarial. Searching this forum for "Waterberg" should bring up the previous thread(s) in which some specific places have been mentioned.

Absolutely correct. We have been on many safaris and have always done so at a reasonable price.

I have previously recommended the following places that are all excellent value for money:

I just checked in case I had missed something re Nahoon Beach deteriorating. The latest reviews on TripAdvisor give it the thumbs up. It is a popular surfing beach too. 

Of course, if you are worried about water quality, the views are still spectacular.

Enjoy your time in South Africa!

https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Attraction_Review-g312556-d9762434-Reviews-Nahoon_Beach-East_London_Eastern_Cape.html#REVIEWS

https://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/easterncape/nahoon-beach/

Regarding East London:

Nahoon Beach is very beautiful and worth a visit.

Would also recommend a visit to Marlene Neumann's Gallery in East London. She won the South African Creative Art award a few years ago. She also has a book "Sky meets Land" which would make a perfect souvenir of this area as it has the most beautiful photographs.

http://www.marleneneumann.com/about-marlene/

5 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

While I’m not on this cruise, the offered compensation seems fair to me...

 

That said, any cruise on any line right before or after a dry dock is a crap shoot....good insurance is a must. 

How do you find out when a ship is going into dry dock?

Is this posted well in advance as we usually book our cruises a year in advance?

On 4/12/2019 at 1:45 PM, Omega1 said:

It would certainly be worth considering  splitting your time with 2 or 3 nights in Franschhoek to immerse yourselves in the wonderful food, wine and scenery.

I absolutely agree. Franschoek is one of our favourite places!

For a different experience, try Courcheval cottages. We loved our stay there.

Reubens Restaurant is highly recommended. 

Best picnic on the outskirts of Franschoek is at Boschendal.

The Franschoek wine tram is a wonderful way to visit the wine farms.

Fantastic review!

Would love to do this cruise one day!

It's impossible to predict.

We've been on a Baltic cruise in August and missed Helsinki because the winds were so strong. It's also very busy as it's peak travel time. 

We've done a Norwegian Fjords cruise in July and had a mixed bag of weather with some rough sea days and some perfectly calm days.

This year, we're going in September just because it suits us best and we know there will be less crowds.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

There's also plenty of information in this recent thread:

Thanks Desdichado.

Appreciate your assistance.

On 6/19/2018 at 8:02 AM, Desdichado62 said:

IIRC they stopped selling one-stop-tickets a few years ago, it probably wasn't profitable. A taxi would cost around 300 SEK (~ 34 USD)

so I agree it would be cheaper the HoHo boats. It would not necessary be quicker though since there could be lots of traffic

in the morning and with the construction of Slussen things could be even worse.

 

I don't know which date and at what time your ship will berth but there is a third option which is the harbour ferry M/S Emelie.

It has a stop at S167 cruise berth (Masthamnen) and it has temporarily changed from stopping at Allmänna gränd to stopping at Vasa.

 

It would be the cheapest option and the quickest option but it depends on when your ship berths and how fast you

could disembark. M/S Emelie leaves once an hour 07.28, 08.28, 09.38.... and it only costs 60 SEK (~7 USD) for an adult,

You buy tickets on board the ship from ticket machines and it requires a VISA card or a MasterCard.

 

 

http://ressel.se/?page_id=1430&lang=sv http://ressel.se/?page_id=3628&lang=sv

We will be on Breakaway in September stopping in Nynashamn.

I am disappointed that we will miss the cruise portion farther up the archipelago and was wondering if MS Emelie is an option for us?

Where is the first stop of MS Emelie - would it be an option to get a taxi from Nynashamn to this first stop?

Would the cruise on MS Emelie provide a very scenic view into Stockhom that we will obviously miss since the Breakaway only goes to Nynashamn?

Or should we just accept that the train is a better option into Stockholm?

Thanks for any assistance!

Or sparkling mineral water?

Are club sodas included in this package?