voyager1964

Not sure if the link works, but the pool appears to be surrounded by a barrier:

This pool adjacent to the Lotus Spa, appears to have a graduated entry into water - certainly a good thing for people with limited mobility. But, it also appears that the only way to access this pool is from deck 16, by using a flight of stairs down. Is there a way to access this pool for deck 15, perhaps barrier free? On Diamond Princess, in particular?

Thanks in advance!

On 9/21/2023 at 11:03 PM, arxcards said:

Not so much a recommendation, but food for thought .... | Kiwi Adventure | New Zealand Cruises | P&O Cruises Australia (pocruises.com.au)

I agree that this particular itinerary is very appealing. But, the company 😞

If you have sailed with them, could you please tell me how accessible the Byron area is on Adventure? I saw the pool and it appears to have a graduated entry that my wife can take. But, can you get to the pool from the ground level (it seems as if you need to enter the area from the deck above). Do they have a lift for the tender like the Royal Princess has?

Thanks again, the inputs I get here are so useful

The reason for the option 1 timing (late October - early November) is that we wanted to stay at GBR before...

12 hours ago, Vader1111 said:

As a slightly different perspective, I'd be seriously contemplating option #3.

 

Option #3 is the only cruise going south to north.  As such, it will see you enter Milford Sound around dawn, when it's at its most majestic.  Don't get me wrong, the Sounds are magnificent at any time of the day, but Milford at dawn is extra special.

 

North to South cruises will see you pass through Milford as your last itinerary item before leaving NZ, usually mid-late afternoon.

Could you please clarify this as the itinerary shows the Fjords from 7 am to 4 pm for both option 1 and 3...

An update:

Contemplating a fourth option with Royal Princess from Sydney in early December 2024 (from 7th to 21st).

Sydney

3 days at sea

Bay of Islands

Auckland

Tauranga

Day at sea

Wellington

Lyttelton

Port Chalmers

Fjords

2 days at sea

Sydney

What do you think about this option as compared to the previous three? Will this sailing/ports of call be crowdy?

Thanks!

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

Have you looked at one way cruises?

Yes, but unfortunately either only North island is covered (e.g., Royal Princess), or a luxury line (Viking, Silversea and the likes), which not only too expensive but also using a sort of a gangway with stairs. The only exception is indeed HAL's Westerdam, but it sails there in January and its itinerary includes Melbourne and Hobart, the two places we are planning to visit on ourselves..

I am contemplating a cruise to NZ from Australia and came up with these three options.

1) Celebrity Edge, 13 nights from Nov 18-December 1, 2024. Sydney, 2 days at sea, Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Auckland, Napier, Picton, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Fjords, 2 days at sea, Sydney.

2) Diamond Princess, 14 nights from October 26-November 11, 2024. Melbourne, 4 days at sea, Auckland, Tauranga, day at sea, Wellington, Lyttelton, Port Chalmers, Fjords, 2 days at sea, Melbourne

3) Diamond Princess, 14 nights from January 13-27, 2025. Brisbane, 3 days at sea, Fjords, Port Chalmers, at sea, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland, 3 days at sea, Brisbane.

The Celebrity's cruise is ~ 50% more expensive than Princess's.

What I need help with are these questions

a) Why would Diamond spend 4 days at sea out but only 2 days in? Would they be seeking a less "wavy" path in Tasmanian sea?

b) Would the January cruise be much more crowdy (in terms of both ship and ports) than the other two?

c) Is it OK to visit NZ in Spring with those specific ports of call, or a much better experience would be in Summer (i.e., January)?

d) Are Princess's itineraries in NZ worse than Celebrity's?

DW has mobility limitations (no stairs), if this makes any difference.

I would appreciate inputs and thoughts of experts.

Thanks in advance

Thanks for your thoughts!

A follow-up question: if we compare the Eurodam 11-days cruise in March with the same cruise but in February, how many more children should we expect in March? Like <100, 100-200 or still 200+?

Hello HAL cruisers,

Seeking your help to decide between two itineraries

1. Nieuw Amsterdam (FLL, Day at sea, Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, 1/2 Moon Cay, FLL), from March 16

2. Eurodam (FLL, Day at sea, Day at sea, St. Maarten, St. Johns, Roseau, Castries, Basseterre, St. Thomas, day at sea, 1/2 Moon Cay, FLL), also from March 16.

Due to my work commitments, I would prefer the first option, but am afraid there would be too many children as this is more or less a school break time. But, I am not sure there would be significantly less overcrowding on the second itinerary.

What would experienced mariners advise?

For a background, we have usually sailed with Celebrity, also tried RCCL, NCL, and, more recently, Azamara. My wife has difficulty with stairs. And, you can guess the reason for this cruise from my screen name:)

Thanks!

There is no surprise the promised on-line check-in does not work. To me, its importance is related to spreading out the crowds based on the assigned check-in time.

8 hours ago, groryjm said:

This is the card from yesterdays lunch

Hello @groryjm

I am sorry but I actually tried to locate the tapas place near Sagrada, not in Marseille. Although the bouillabaisse looks lovely too 🙂

On 5/12/2023 at 9:37 AM, groryjm said:

After such a wonderful visit food callede and a table for five was secured within a stones throw of the Cathedral and along with some amazing Tapas , including an unbelievably good plate of "Surf and Turf" meatballs in a black squid ink sauce, we sampled probably the best Paella I have ever tasted.

Following up your report with great interest. Do you remember the name of that place?

Thanks,

On 5/10/2023 at 8:25 AM, tyler6597 said:

At 11 am they allowed us to check in

I see that they have finally abandoned the 2 pm earliest check in. Yet it is not shown on their website

I guess you get a lot of privacy with these balconies. Not only you are protected from prying eyes from above, but also from both sides 😉 Or you are not?

@Sleep7 Thank you so much for the detailed review!

I noticed that the gangway was all stairs - did you get a chance to see wheelchair-assisted people on it? 

Thanks in advance

Thank you very much @cavaaller for your live review! I am sorry it did not get as much attention as it deserves, apparently due to the distraction caused by the IT transition.

Did you happen to pay a visit to the spa/T-pool? 

A recent review (https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=698117) suggests that "They have cocktail servers coming in to serve guests which contributes to a rather loud and crowded atmosphere... Imagine it’s fun to be with your group in a private setting yet change the name of the Spa from Sanctum to Sorority House."

Any observations to corroborate? 

Thanks

2 hours ago, JM0115 said:

It really will make the cruise quite stressful to get in line to sign up for excursions.

They appear to admit that the check-in readiness on May 15 is wishful thinking. Given their stubborn reluctance to start the embarkation process earlier, the real mess will greet you in the port in the foreseeable future. I would suggest arriving for embarkation as late as possible to avoid that mess, but then again you will be late to book the special restaurants. And the excursions.

There are blames for RCI/Celebrity-related data corruption being the reason for the Azamara's IT fiasco. Perhaps.

The problem, however, is that they have been working for a week or so trying to sort out the existing bookings sailing in the next 30 days. I daresay those represent ~5% out of the 30,000 individual bookings they need to sort out. I guess the extrapolation and the underlying unfortunate conclusions are straightforward.

7 hours ago, uktog said:

I would speak to the Hotel Director or Chief Housekeeper @cavaaller about the vibration issue in case it is something that has loosened (although unfortunately aft rooms on Azamara ships are prone to vibration issues

FWIW, there was a discussion on the structural vibrations on which a professional input was provided: 

Based on that discussion, I would excpect that

1) The vibrations in the Owners suites should go down as you go up, i.e., the maximum vibrations would be on deck 6 and minimum vibrations - on deck 8. Although anything is possible given the variability in the actual construction.

2) To get out of the resonance, a small change in the propeller/ship speed could be enough. That is, the OP may want to request a minor change in the speed (0.5 knot?) and see what happens. 

On 3/24/2023 at 5:29 AM, cavaaller said:

The night was rough, as I already mentioned. And -because the captain was going at full speed - it was incredibly loud in the cabin. 

Thanks for your review!

Could you please clarify - I think you are in an aft suite - what deck is your suite.. Did you notice as much movement in the pool/spa area?

TIA

12 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

We never saw this happen.

Glad to hear that! The "rumors" are actually reports on Tripadvisor - you will find many such stories by searching e.g., for "carry on" in TAP Portugal reviews...

Could anybody comment on TAP carry on policy? There are horror stories about flight attendants demanding checking all cabin luggage, even in the business class...

I think he has invented the bidding for upgrade process that many cruiselines unfortunately copied

On 3/17/2023 at 1:26 PM, cw2go said:

Sorry, I'm kinda hijacking this thread but my question may also help the OP. Since you've sailed Antarctica can you share if you have regrets of "no Landings" 

It is very difficult to get an unbiased answer to this question, because the underlying costs are very different..