Wayfairers

If I make the reservations now, I need to pay. I am guessing once I get to 5 star I will get reimbursed for my payment? I will make the reservations for several days after our 500th day.

We did Petra one day and Wadi Rum the next on an overnight stop in Aqaba several years ago. Even with having a one day tour to Petra, only 4 of us in the group made it to the Monastery and back and we were walking fast. Both Petra and Wadi Rum are interesting and worth seeing. Whether you will be happy with doing both in one day really depends upon how you want to travel. If you think this may be your only visit to the area, and you are ok with just a taste of both places, then I would visit both in one day knowing that you seen them, but not fully experienced them. Yeah, the day will be more rushed than if you just visit one, but then you’ve seen both and know which one you want to spend more time at should you ever return. If you want to see more detail, do some hiking, really experience one or the other expecting to return in the future to see the other one, then I would visit one this time and the other on your next visit. I would recommend Petra over Wadi Rum because it truly is something to see - and this is coming from someone that avoids museums and can only enjoy a limited number of ruins in one day. I was mesmerized by the buildings built into the rocks, the ruins and with everything being red. I love being in nature and typically pick a hike or scenic drive or boat ride or something along that line and Wadi Rum was very nice. We enjoyed seeing the desert and the rocks and even some climbing/hiking - however, be aware, you are riding in the back of a truck on benches and it is very, very dusty.

I have heard there is a difference Petra entrance price if you are spending the night in Jordan versus doing a day trip.

No, Holland America Grand Africa.

I talked to my tour guide in Agadir and he said all is good and my tour is still on. We will be there in next month

That is good to know! Do you have to make a reservation?

We both do!

Do we each get two meals ?

I knew it was treated differently on a grand cruise. That is awesome they gave you 4 star so quickly

We will have about 16 days left in the Grand Africa when we hit 5 star. Looks like we don’t get alot for that achievement, but at least there are 3 perks (better than nothing!): $30 towards internet package 2 complimentary dinners at Pinnacle or Tamarind or Canaletto Complimentary day pass to Greenhouse Spa and Salon Since we will be on a Grand Voyage it seems we will be awarded the star while on board. Does that mean from the day we hit 5 star to the end of the cruise we have all 3 perks? Do the complimentary dinners need to be in different restaurants? What does it mean to have a complimentary day pass to Greenhouse Spa and Salon - can I get pedi/mani for free on one day? Does the $30 go toward the internet package I have already purchased for the Grand Africa? Will the front desk tell us to come pick up new room keys with the 5th star?

Where we eat depends upon where we are and what we are doing - we’ve probably eat lunch in the port more often than on board because many times we aren’t near the ship when we want to eat. We’ve walked one direction from port in the morning, back to the ship for lunch and the opposite direction in the afternoon. We’ve also walked past a restaurant that looks interesting and stopped to eat. Once, we couldn’t speak or read the local language so just pointed to dishes others were eating and ordered that way. When we book a private tour I ask the tour guide for lunch with local food and drink, a place they would go - that has been interesting at times!

Great idea to celebrate your 50th - in marriage and number of states! Congrats on both!! We did a cruise/land tour with Princess in 2008 as a family trip for my parent’s 50th anniversary. Then, the whole family spent several more days on our own in Alaska and everyone went their separate ways. DH and I took the Rocky Mountaineer Vancouver to Jasper then Canadian VIA rail back to Toronto so we had a shorter flight home. It was wonderful. We now sail HAL most of the time because we like the itineraries. I cannot really compare it to Princess because it has been too long since we sailed with them and we’ve never sailed with HAL to Alaska. Definitely spend a few days at the Mt McKinley Lodge - the view of the mountain is amazing. If you don’t mind small planes, the flight over the mountain (the one where you have to use oxygen) is the best - we did both options. I would book on itinerary and if they are identical, the smaller ship. There used to be smaller ships (not mainstream names) that could take you into smaller bays and I heard that was the way to go if they are still around.

Great idea! Cruising is so much better than flying. We’ve used a cruise as transportation to another continent and stayed for a few months before cruising home, but that isn’t the same as actually moving. What do you expect to be different on moving via a cruise ship vs by airplane? Wouldn’t your belongings move on a cargo ship either way?

That is a nice feature. Thanks for the heads up.

Every cruise is different. We try all the bars and then mostly go to the one where we most enjoy the bartenders and the crowd. We’ve done B2B cruises and changed bars from one cruise to the next because the atmosphere of the bar changed. Luckily the HAL ships we have sailed are small enough that it doesn’t matter which bar you use…you are always fairly close to wherever you choose to eat.

I’ve used Blue Lanka for day tours and been very happy. They are easy to work with, flexible and knowledgeable

Thanks for the info about the shuttle to Kwon Tong Station and the nearby APM mall. That is good to know. I’ll figure out our day starting from that station.

Yes, we have sent passport numbers and sometimes a picture of the first page of the passport Never had a problem.

Is there a way to know which malls will have a free shuttle at the cruise terminal?

If you didn’t know, you apply for the Sri Lanka visa no more than 90 days before arrival.

Thanks!

How did you make sure they were the right size?

I need to get a Saudi Arabia visa for a day trip from Jordan during a cruise next year. I saw one person say they took the photo themselves and resized it on a mac. Any other suggestions on how to get the photo? I am American and cannot find a business that sells electronic passport photos.

We will be doing a day trip into Saudi Arabia from Jordan on a cruise next year. I am trying to figure out how to get an electronic photo. It appears I can take a pic with my phone and then upload it to an app that checks the photo to resize and make sure it meets passport photo requirements before adding it to the visa application. How did you get your photo?

It is always interesting to hear other’s perspectives, especially those that differ from mine. I personally don’t think anything is wrong with jeans and t-shirt or whatever anyone wants to wear when they board a ship and am surprised to see that someone thinks jeans are inappropriate for a cruise ship. To me, it is a vacation on a big boat instead of at a resort or a land trip. No difference in my mind and actually many of our cruises are part of a longer trip that includes land trips and resorts. I wear the same clothes throughout the trip and wear those same clothes at home. However, I usually don’t wear jeans while traveling because they are bulky to pack. For me, that is what determines what gets packed - how well it packs and if it wrinkles.