scmomofboys

Hi, we have our first Seabourn cruise booked for October 2024. Anyone have a referral coupon they'd like to share?

Thanks!

We did this cruise on another cruise line in 2019. It was fantastic! We booked a private wine tour on our Picton NZ stop with https://discoverywinetours.co.nz/. They pick up at multiple locations. Our guide was Chris. Excellent tour! He was very communicative via email prior to the tour and everything was as described or better. He crafted the tour to suit our tastes and we shipped quite a bit of wine home (after we swore we wouldn't do this at the start of the trip). 

In Auckland, we did a tour to Hobbiton with https://bushandbeach.co.nz/. They picked us up from our hotel. We were not really Lord of the Rings fans, but when in Hobbiton... It was an enjoyable tour and I do recommend if at all interested. We also did a private wine tour while in Auckland over to Waiheke Island via ferry with https://www.insidertouring.co.nz/. Also highly recommend.

Haven't been on the Silhouette but recently (November 2023) on Infinity. It is definitely showing age and the outdoor 'Retreat' is non-existent on the Infinity. No outdoor area designated for Retreat guests at all. The Michael's Club is very nice and large but no views outside at all. It does have Luminae restaurant for suites guests. I will say, the staff in all Retreat areas were wonderful. However, the only bar we got a decent drink at was in Michael's Club. We won't sail another M class ship unless it has been properly refit for Retreat guest. Just not worth the extra cost vs what you get on other newer ships IMO. 

We did this on our pre-cruise tour in May 2022. It was very enjoyable and led by one of the hosts. We took a tour bus from our hotel to a stop near the palace, then walked to the restaurants which were all fairly close to each other. We visited 3 different restaurants and sampled a few tapas and wines at each. I believe we also stopped at a candy store which had free samples and chance to purchase items. I think it was about 100 euro (cash) per person. 

Enjoying your trip report very much! Did Celebrity have a shuttle into Porto from the port area (free or purchase)?  Thanks!

We did the Madrid add on before our cruise that left out of Barcelona. We were blown away by Madrid! Viking did everything right on that trip and this add on was no different. We had great guides (loved the Prado too and we aren't really art enthusiasts either). The high speed train was a fantastic way to travel - much better than flying I can tell you. Everything was seamless and we would highly recommend. We didn't really see much of Barcelona that trip (we went to Monseratt -excellent! - which ate up much of our time there) so we are going a few days early on our trip this November. So I can't compare the two but Madrid was a definite gem!

Just off the Beyond in Sky Suite 10140 and relatives is 10142. The noise was unreal - cracking, popping and slamming (kept thinking the door was opening and closing) any time we were underway and even in moderate seas. It was worse when we had some rolling seas but still very noisy regardless. Noise cancelling headphones did not help. My relative had maintenance come twice to make "adjustments". That was a waste of time. Our assumption is that it is a design issue and there is nothing they can do to "fix" it. The noise was a topic multiple people joined in whenever we discussed, so not an isolated problem to this deck or class of cabins. We sailed on the Edge twice in same location (SS & CS) and never experienced anything like this. We won't sail Beyond again for this reason - my husband calls it Cap't Kate's Creaky Crate. It's such a shame, as this ship is beautiful and we loved almost everything about it - except if you want to sleep.

Sorry to jump in here with my question, but I've not been able to find an answer to mine on CC or Viking website. Our final payment is due the end of June for May 2022 cruise in the Med. We've added business air to our reservation. Can I drop the Viking air and get a refund for it if we find cheaper air ourselves after final payment, but before we've selected a Viking flight? I typically book when flights open up for our travel, roughly 300 days out from return flight date. This will be after our final payment is due. Thanks for anyone who knows the answer to this.

We just had the pleasure of doing Capt. Bob's wonderful excursion. Earlier this month. It was both exhilarating (the boat ride) and relaxing (the beach/snorkel stops). All the previous reviews here are dead on correct in describing this tour. A fabulous day and worth every penny. However, the snorkeling, when compared with Bonaire, ....well there's no comparison. Bonaire is like swimming in an aquarium. St. Maarten is crystal clear with some turtles and fish here and there. Don't get me wrong, it was nice snorkeling there, but Bonaire is the hands down winner for snorkeling/ diving. It has spoiled us for any where else we've been in the Caribbean.

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Springhill Suites Atlanta Airport Gateway! Also the Marriott Gateway next door. We've stayed at the Springhill Suites twice and it is very convenient.The free Sky Train that goes from the airport (domestic terminal) to the rental car station stops between these 2 hotels. You can park your car, stay at the hotel, then take the Sky Train to the terminal for your flight. If you have to go to the international terminal, you just get off at the domestic and take the bus shuttle (also free) to the international terminal (allow for an extra half hour travel time if doing this). When we returned, we took the Sky Train to the hotel, got the exit code from the hotel front desk to leave the parking lot and were on our way. Very easy and very convenient. The staff was very helpful, the hotel clean,comfortable and quiet, considering how close you are to the airport. Much better, in my opinion, than the Camp Creek hotels, which we had done in the past.

I can't help with taxi cost, as we were staying on Bonaire with a vehicle. It is only a quick 10 or 15 minute ride north from the cruise terminal. Lac Bay, which the OP mentioned, is about twice the time/distance in the opposite direction.

Also, in re-reading the OP's question, I should caution that Eden Beach is not very big, so I'd get there early if you want chairs. The beach & pool are situated between condos on one side and Spice Restaurant on the other. There wasn't a cruise ship in town the day we were there so chairs were plentiful. I've attached (I think!) a picture showing the beach area. This is looking at roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of the beach area.You can just see the corner of the bar in the left side of the picture and the pool is directly behind where I took the picture. The strip of land you see in the far distance is Klein Bonaire. This was about 10am.

I haven't been to the Sorobon Resort, but Eden Beach has nicer facilities, in my opinion, than Jibe City @ Lac Bay. We went to Lac Bay mainly to watch people wind surf.

Eden Beach is a nice place to spend the day. There are chairs and umbrellas for $10 for the day, per person. Behind this area is a small pool, again for $10 for the day, per person. There is a good bar and food available either at the bar (bar seating & tables) or they will bring it to your chair. Wait staff bring the food from the adjacent restaurant Spice but I didn't see anyone eating in the restaurant for lunch. Clean restrooms are available here. No shower facilities that I saw. Note: there were a couple women sunbathing topless when we were here.

Almost all of Bonaire is "iron shore" with white coral and rocks - not sandy beach. Lac Bay, where you've been, is the exception.The area at Eden Beach where the chairs are is sandy, but there is a seawall at the water. There is a pier here with a ladder for easy entry to snorkel. There is also a water taxi here ($15 per person) over to Klein Bonaire, where the snorkeling is phenomenal! Klein has a beautiful sandy beach, but absolutely NO facilities. You can bring bottled water (a must!), coolers, towels etc on the taxi and leave on Klein's beach while you snorkel. I believe the taxi runs every 2 hours starting around 10:30. Hope this was helpful.:)