luv2cruise450

LOVE the various fruit soups that they offer in the MDR for dinner...

:)The first time we went to Alaska...we thought that it would be our only time too and decided to do a cruise tour. It was a most fantastic trip and seeing some of the interior parts of Alaska was sooooo worth the extra money! We have been back 2 more times since then and will be going back again this June! So my advice to friends and family who are considering an Alaskan cruise is that if it is possibly in their budget...then do a cruise tour because seeing places like Denali, the Yukon, Anchorage, Fairbanks etc etc is just awesome. Our 1sr cruise tour we spent 2 fascinating days in Anchorage on our own before meeting up with the group for the HAL land tour...for another 8 days of experiencing the interior of Alaska!

So my opinion is if your family members have long wanted to go to Alaska...then the extra money for a land trip pre or post is a must! The cruise lines offer a variety of land packages from 2-3 days to more than a week...so pick what suits your budget and interests...but GO! And have a great time!

For Carolyn's inquiry...we were in Cuba 3 weeks ago on a land trip and regarding the exchange of euros for CUC's...yes you would get a little better deal if you exhanged euros or British pounds instead of US dollars. It was a 1-1 exhange if using euros (and pounds) but when you exchanged with US dollars....there was a 13% fee so that for every $1.00 US exchanged you got back 87 cents worth of CUC's. This was the case whether you used a cambio or a bank.

Hope this helps

If your ship docks in the Kai Tak cruise port...then the Regal Oriental Hotel is probably the closest...we have stayed there before and is quite nice. And when we were there, they had free shuttles for guests (they gave out shuttle passes when you requested them) and it would drop you off at a specific place in the downtown area and for pick up to return to the hotel.

If your ship docks at the Ocean Terminal...there are several hotels right there...or nearby like the YMCA or the Omni. In that general area...we have stayed at the Regal Kowloon and at the Kowloon Shangri La...both are lovely hotels.

Hope this helps...

Thank you very much for taking the time to post this info about how to DIY from Greenock to Glasgow...my DH and I will be on a British Isles sailing in a few weeks on the Celebrity Silhouette that includes a port day in Greenock and this gives us enough info that we feel we can do something similar to give us a taste of Glasgow. We do hope to do a land trip to Ireland and Scotland in the near future...but a port day gives you a feel for the area.

Thanks and happy sailings!

Thank you for taking the time to do a write up about your sailing...we will be doing a similar sailing in July with Celebrity and your info about what you did in some of the ports are very helpful...

Happy future sailings!

Glad that the info helped...Happy sailing to you!

There is a wonderful Chihuly Collection on exhibit in St. Petersburg, FL too if you are interested.

While we enjoy HAL very much (170+ days sailing with them), for French Polynesia we chose the PG. If what you want is to sail the French Polynesian islands than you are not really comparing apples to apples if the HAL sailing is 40+ days that is doing more of a transpacific sailing...not just the FP islands.

The PG is a smaller luxury ship that was built specifically for sailing the waters of French Polynesia. The PG even has its own onboard watersports marina for kayaking (gratis). Plus the first day...you can go down and be fitted with snorkeling masks and fins that are yours to use for the duration of the sailing. And then there are the Les Gauguines, local Tahitians who serve as cruise staff, entertainers and storytellers. They are just fabulous and personify the Polynesian spirit. They taught us about their history, culture and also some of their crafts. I don't think there is anything similar to them on any other line. The PG experience really focuses on the region so that one gets an amazing sailing that just immerses you in the culture there. The price you pay for sailing on the PG include the gratuities and complimentary beverages. Plus there was a fabulous day at their private motu which included watersports and a great feast with bar service.

IMHO if you want to sail the French Polynesian islands...you can't go wrong with choosing the PG.

Thank you to all who replied...June and the 2 musicians with her were just the epitome of Island friendliness and really enhanced our transpacific sailing...I asked Celebrity but they didn't have info at this time, maybe I'll try again.

Happy sailing!

Hi...

We sailed from SD to Hawaii and back a few years ago on the Century and there was a Hawaiian woman named June who basically ran all the shipboard activities that really got one into the Hawaiian spirit. She was fantastic and her programs were always jammed...from Hula classes to the various craft activities, etc. Also on board with her were 2 Hawaiian men who taught ukulele classes and also did some performing in several venues on the ship.

I tried doing searches for info on the forums but have not found anything about whether she is still doing this and if so on which Celebrity ship?

My DH and I have talked about her and the 2 musicians and how they made this wonderful sailing even more interesting and now several friends are thinking of doing a similar sailing. And if June is on a Celebrity ship doing this we would love to sail with her again. Any info would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

We are leaving next week for embarkation on the Connie in Istanbul...and our itinerary has 3 days in Israel (10/27-10/29)...how soon would Celebrity notify pax on that sailing? I guess I'm asking when did your neighbors get notified? Our itinerary was changed a few weeks ago when they took away our overnight in Istanbul and we are now getting a day at sea for our 2nd day. And there were many on our roll call who were quite upset by that already.

I understand safety comes first...but many (like us) booked this sailing specifically 'cause it gave us a few days in Israel.

So I'm kinda waiting for the 'other shoe to drop' since it doesn't seem like events there will calm down in the next 2 weeks...

Happy sailings...

We were on the Constellation last July for a Baltic sailing and booked the 2 day 'deluxe' St Petersburg tour with SPB (after reading many posts here on CC and on TripAdvisor about them) and it was a fantastic 2 days filled with so much to see and experience there. And afterwards...from speaking to other pax who had booked the ship's excursions...we saw and experienced soooo much more. Several venues that we actually got to go in to experience for ourselves...they only saw 'in passing'. SPB must be one of the biggest agencies there providing tours...'cause they had over 2 dozen plus 'mini buses' waiting for the pax who had booked tours with them. We had 16 in our mini bus with a great driver (Alexy) and a fabulous guide (Tatiana). Viktoria...the owner of SPB was there the first day to get us situated and was there again when we returned to the ship on our 2nd day to wish us an enjoyable rest of the cruise and to thank us for touring with them. I cannot say enough good things about our 2 days there with SPB and would not hesitate to recommend them to others traveling there. St Petersburg is a fascinating city!

How great that you have not stopped traveling and exploring even tho you now travel solo!

I wish you continued adventures wherever you travel to!

Happy and safe journeys ahead!

Bon voyage! Bonne chance!

Betty

In preparing for our upcoming Baltic sailing (Aug. 1)...I have read thru many posts about the various ports on this sailing in preparation and thank you very much for your generous postings full of very helpful information.

Betty

Thanks for the information as we will be on the Constellation's Baltic sailing in August...just hoping that the Crimean situation doesn't escalate any more by that time...

Happy sailing!

Thanks Crewsweeper for your suggestions...much appreciated...well since my teen aged niece requested a chance to see the ruins...we'll make a stop there to satisfy her interest...wouldn't want to stifle ANY interest in historical sites!!! I'll bet she'd like the chance to do some shell hunting too....thanks again for replying...

Happy sailings!

Betty

To all who have posted about their experience with Gerry and Lazaro as 'tour guides'...I emailed Mike last week and he got back to me and we have booked Gerry for 7/8/09 in the afternoon...since the Imagination doesn't arrive 'til 1 PM. I finally convinced my sister, brother-in-law and niece to try a 'short' cruise. They liked the idea of doing a 'general' tour of the island since they have never been there. I've been there several times but have not been to the eastern side of the island. My niece has asked to go see the ruins at San Gervasio...for those that have been there...would an hour be enough to allot to it? I never went there while in Cozumel because on previous land trips to Cancun and environs I've already done the day trips to Chichen Itza and one to Coba. Thanks for any info in advance.

We are looking forward to meeting Gerry and someone in a previous post said that Gerry has a little 4-5 year daughter...so I bought a pre-k book (in Spanish) and some coloring books with some markers for him to give to her.

For those who will be touring with either Gerry or Lazaro before we do...please post back here about your tour and day in Cozumel. Thanks...

Happy sailing!

On our Noordam cruise last fall...we were invited to sit at the Captain's table for the Mariner's luncheon...I think it was just random...we were asked as we walked into the dining room and I was reluctant 'cause I didn't get very 'dressed up' for the luncheon...I wore a nice sundress and DH was wearing a button down shirt with a pair of dockers but I saw that others at the table were dressed in cocktail dresses and a few of the men had on sportjackets/suits...but the maitre d' who asked us and was escorting us to the table as I was saying it was OK to ask someone else just kept saying to 'please sit here'...so we sat down at the table and it was a very nice hour...the captain of the Noordam is one of the most visible and congenial captains that we've ever sailed with. So I think that there are no specific critieria for being invited to sit with the captain for a meal...I wasn't even wearing my copper pin or medallion so there wasn't any way that they knew if this was my 2nd or 10th cruise with HAL.

Happy sailing!

Our first real oceangoing cruise was on the Maasdam in 2000 sailing RT from Barcelona to the western Mediterranean and the ports were Tunisia, Palermo, Civetavcchia, Monaco and Marseille! We also did a pre stay of 2 1/2 days in Barcelona and a post stay in Madrid. Absolutely wonderful cruise and trip! It took a little bit of a hard sell to convince DH to give cruising a try. And we have been hooked ever since. HAL remains our favorite line and we love those DAM ships...but we have been willing to give other lines a try and have enjoyed ALL of our cruises. These days it's more the itinerary and timing that we look for in booking a cruise.

Happy sailing to all!

Our first real oceangoing cruise was on the Maasdam in 2000 sailing RT from Barcelona to the western Mediterranean and the ports were Tunisia, Palermo, Civetavcchia, Monaco and Marseille! We also did a pre stay of 2 1/2 days in Barcelona and a post stay in Madrid. Absolutely wonderful cruise and trip! It took a little bit of a hard sell to convince DH to give cruising a try. And we have been hooked ever since. HAL remains our favorite line and we love those DAM ships...but we have been willing to give other lines a try and have enjoyed ALL of our cruises. These days it's more the itinerary and timing that we look for in booking a cruise.

Happy sailing to all!