BoatyBex

Our experience in the Caribbean' date=' the Baltic, and the Mediterranean is that HAL uses the least convenient dock when there is a choice. I presume the port fees are less at the container docks.[/quote']

White Bay is the new dedicated cruise ship terminal, its not a container dock at all

Big cruise ships (e.g. Oosterdam) calling at Sydney are now docking at the new White Bay Cruise Terminal. This is 6 km across a harbor from downtown' date=' with no public transportation and no hotels nearby. Any comments by cruisers who have used the new terminal would be helpful to future cruisers.[/quote']

 

I was told that they are trying to get all ships to now go to white bay, except of course those that wont fit under the Sydney Harbour bridge. They were using Barangaroo as a temporary site until white bay was finished.

They say its due to the congestion in circular quay area from 2000 people getting off and trying to find taxis, and 2000 getting on with no where for relatives to park to drop them off. That I can understand. Maybe they are only letting ships in OPT circular quay if its not a start or end of cruise so they just have day tourists instead.?

White Bay Cruise Terminal is plain and has no real services or allure to being there , (except for sailing under the bridge and getting a photo of the harbour bridge and opera house in one photo).

The only way to get there is by the fruise line shuttle if you are flying in to Sydney or by taxi cab. If you catch a train to wynyard station a taxi is cheaper but that also means negotiating wynyard station with luggage.

In November we caught a cab from Sydney domestic airport, and it cost $35 for 2 ppl and 3 suitcases, if that helps with costs. but we had to explain to the driver where the cruise terminal was, as he had never heard of it. Another couple on board got dropped off at Circular quay by the taxi company (by mistake and they didnt look at the ship either)and they ended up catching a water taxi to White Bay cruise terminal. their taxi was also $35 and $30 for water taxi

Sometimes the solo guitarist is excellent and sometimes not. In 2012 on the Volendam, there was a young man from South Africa that played nearly every evening in the Piano Bar area and he really packed the people in! People were standing is the walkway at the side of the lounge to listen to him.

 

Yes !! Micheal is his name, he is fabulous. I believe he is on Volendam again right now. I never missed a night in 55 nights on the Volendam. On another note, I feel for performers, I guess there is only so many songs you can sing.. 3 or 4 hours a night, every night for 6 months or more. and not feel stale or jaded

On our last day we went to Admiralty Bay and it was snowing and by MY standards, cold. Most everyone was bundled up well with hat, mittens, coats, etc. ONe guy was wandering around the top deck IN SHORTS and a tee shirt and not showing any signs he was uncomfortable in the least. One guy in our RC, from Austrailia, commented to us "and that bloke in the shorts is Aussie! One of the funniest comments of the trip!:D

I had the same problems last January on the Prinsendam, my shoes were soaked from the ice and snow on the front and rear decks, so I gave up changing wet socks and shoes and wore my flip-flops (thongs to us Aussies) and just dried my feet. Everyone was taking photos of the weird Aussie lady in her flip flops in Antarctica.!:D

We also just returned from a Feb cruise similar to your including Antarctica. We dressed similar but no heavy coat, we just had wind breaker/rain proof type clothing and were fine. We found our hands to also be the only part that really got too cold. We would go inside for breaks every so often and were fine.

I took fingerless woollen gloves, kept my hands warm and could still use my camera

I was on a cruise with Silversea last month - my first with them. We had open seating at dinner. One night my husband and I were seated with two other couples. One of the woman asked what cruise lines we had been on. When I told her Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Holland America, her immediate reply was, "I would never sail on one of those cruise lines. They have such filthy people."

On the same note, I was on a cruise few years back and at a function in MDR a woman seated at our table said "my next cruise is to Australia, then I have been to every country in the world:

I asked her her favourite sights things she visited etc.. her replied silenced the lot of us "oh I never get off the boat nor would I mingle with those filthy native people."

WE crossed the international date line, I was at the front desk listening to a "lady" screaming at the desk staff that she "wanted a refund of the night she missed, it was a 20 night cruise and the day of the 12th disappeared so she wanted a refund" The front desk explained in every possible way how the dateline worked but just kept getting screamed at. So finally front desk said "mam you aree flying back to uSA at the end of the cruise arent you?" "Yes" "well you will gain a day flying home"

"well dont think I am paying the airline for that !" I didnt see the resolution as I was doubled over laughing around the corner

On Prinsendam I was looking at the giant world globe by explorers lounge, a lady looking out the window sees a line of floating kelp and comes over to globe and points at the

longitude and latitude lines on the globe and says "do you think that is one of those line? "

I mean what can you reply to that ??????

Is there hope that Holland America will make an attempt to serve something local during the Baltic cruise?:)

Each Holland America Ive done they have had local food.

Australian BBQ with kangaroo , emu, crocodile. (on all 3 Aussie cruises)

Indonesian & Philipino

South America , Chile Argentinean

Hawaiian

So I guess they would do something baltic.

They also serve proper English tea and have a selection of 20 different "flavour " tea bags at the coffee machine, from camomile , peppermint English breakfast & PG tips, even a Holland America blend. So my British, tea addicted mum thought it was perfectly fine.

I think the practice of feeding the dragons was halted in 1995

 

http://www.komodo.asia/

I agree, THe ranger said that last year, He said they no longer feed them as it makes them come around humans more.

But before the cruise gets there, freshly killed goats are left out for breakfast. there was ALS deer roaming around. We took a private tour arranged by one of the members on cruise critic... After a two hour tour on the island, the tour operator took us by boat to a place we could snorkel and fed us lunch. It was around $120 per person. The tour guides were not from the island but enterprising Indonesians.

Hi, That was me organising that tour..

Thank you boatybex, we posted this on our roll call and loads of folks wanted to join. Thanks for the thumbs up on jeffery.

 

David

You are welcome.

So heres link to my Komodo Island blog with some pics of jeffry's boat and the trail map and hiking conditions so you can get an idea of what the day should be like.

http://journals.worldnomads.com/boatybex/

We have booked with this guy for our cruise in March on Azamara Journey.

 

David

You will love, its a great day, great excursion, great tour guy

I hope he delivers.

I have done the Komodo trip as a Shore-Ex with Jeffry twice and have a third booked for later this year. He is Fab, very professional and well organised. It was a great day out, hence the reason I keep booking it through him !!

Jeffry's information is earlier on this thread but here it is again

 

Jeffry Buana email is mykomodo@yahoo.com

 

He also does tours in other parts of Indonesia I think.

Ldog.. Im so glad you liked the day and it worked out..