happyholidaycampers

22 hours ago, mchell810 said:

You can definitely see the fireworks from Azamara's position at White Bay.  The video below is from NYE 2023; I have seen others years back with similar views

Wow Michelle

Thats the view I was hoping for! 

Did Azamara arrange for any shuttles etc to Circular Quay/Opera House?

Thx

Thanks for the reply. Guess I'll have to wait a little closer and see if there is an offer of some sort.

Does anyone have any information re the ships position and the view from 2023 NYE?

Also would love to know if Azamara offered anything special to see the fireworks-I just googled a boat cruise on the harbour and it was $1,400 per person 🤨

Hoping there's a reasonable view from White Bay Terminal

Any other suggestions please

TIA

Hi we did the tubing with Kauai Backcountry adventures in April 2019 and loved it although I did wonder about spending time underground in such a beautiful place but would still recommend it!!!!! Our group had all kinds of people(ie size, weight and abilities) and everyone had a great time. Staff are great.

We only had one day in Kauai 8-5 on our cruise so hiring a car didnt seem a good idea. We caught the free Hilo Hatties shuttle, checked out the store and then caught a taxi from there. Had a little trouble as we didnt have a phone but staff at Hilos rang a taxi for us. Driver gave us a card for Backcountry to ring for the return journey. Not particularly cheap but reasonable and not much difference between each trip.

People kept suggesting we use Uber !!!! Our taxi driver did say that she was the only  driver who hadnt managed to pick up a full day tour fare so am guessing that cars may be hard to get on cruise days. 

It all works!!!! The Trolley people provide a shuttle from the port direct to DFS Galleria Shopping Centre where you can connect with any of the lines. They are easy to spot at the terminal and you can buy your tickets there. Its very popular and can be very busy. Not sure if its free as we had already got a all day pass and had a wristband!

From memory Hilo Hatties had a free shuttle to their store.

When you get to DFS Galleria you get a number for your first line of choice (do this straight away!!!!!). If you do more than one line you need to plan timing. Strongly recommend the Blue line which goes out of town to Haumana Bay and rugged coast(sit on top deck on RHS for best photos). Blue line take approx 2 hours and has limited times so factor this in first, the others are shorter and far more frequent.

We also did the Green and Red lines and I thought it was too much, covering the same roads etc.  2 lines would have been better and allow for more exploring on foot. The red line also stopped at the port up to 4.30 pm approx. Not sure re the pickup situation tho.

Driver gives very interesting commentary, most people tend to stay on  for the whole circuit.

Clearing immigration took almost 2 hours so factor that in!!!!!!

DFS Galleria is close to the Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki Beach and great mai tais at sunset. ENJOY

We know about Strongbow and Angry Orchard but it wasn't either of them. Although we had a Strongbow Elderberry and something in Vietnam which was good!

But that's not the one we are trying to find. Thanks tho

Hi everyone

We traveled on NCL Sun Santiago to San Francisco in 2018 (I think!) and have forgotten the name of the ciders they offered on board..... One in particular we ordered from the sportsbar was very good, not too sweet.

My DH thinks it was a Canadian one, maybe???? The brand was difficult to get in Australia, i did manage to get one carton but now we have forgotten the name

Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Raema

Hi again, another question re Waikiki, this time about how to access to Blue Line Trolley bus from the cruise port.

We are arriving with the Sea Princess on April 22,Monday, at 6am. Will need to clear customs/immigration and then hope to join the first tour leaving around 8.30 from Ilikai Hotel???? or T Galleria by DFS leaving 0842 or 1100. 

I think we dock at Pier 2 so do I need to get to Ala Moana, catch the Pink Line to intersect with the Blue Line.

So many people seem to use the trolley and rate it highly but i cant seem to work out how to access it!!!! What am i missing

Hoping theres a special addition for cruise ships!!!!!

Thanks

Thanks everyone for your input, we have a rental car lined up to do the island circle tour but still considering whether to stay local. We only have one day albeit a long one 6am to 11pm. Not sure how long customs and clearance from the ship will take also as this is our first USA port of the cruise.

Would have loved to see the Pipeline Masters!!!!!! We will be there in May.

Appreciate your comments and time.

A question.....

Have never been to Oahu and would love to see the north shore beaches. Trying to find options that arent ship excursions( ie 40 people) or dont cost the earth (ie US$800 must be a fabulous private tour!!!!!)

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the responses, yes it is the Sydney to Hawaii/Tahiti cruise.  I was hoping that we might get to see the coast from the ocean but dont want the high winds!!!!!

May have to seriously consider the helicopter option

Can anyone tell me if the Sea Princess sails close enough to have a a great,good or average views of the Napali Coastline when arriving or leaving Kauai?

And where the best viewing options are?

Thanks

Thanks Nervouslyexcited and ROCruiser, we had a little chuckle at your adventures and suggestions and thought why not we will give it ago! Sounds like fun.

Thankyou::D

Thank you ROCruiser for the info/pictures. We are very familiar with the area having stayed at Kantary Bay Resort (near Aquarium) on numerous occasions for up to six weeks at a time. It looks like drivers can pick up in the port. If no luck arranging for our friendly driver we will walk out to the road and catch the local bus to Phuket town - as we have done dozens of time before. Very easy to wave down local bus and pay something like 50bht each to Phuket town and then at the terminal catching the Patong Beach bus (they run every 30mins). We have already done the touristy things and I only want to shop at Robinsons, Expo and Central Festival.

Would love to catch the local bus, how will I know which one!!! Does it have a number, specific stop marker etc. ps I don't speak or read thai. We would like to go to Phuket Town not Patong Beach. Will be on Princess in August and they will dock at the Deep Sea Port

Did this on our own in combination with a Galapagos cruise.

 

Would never do it with Celebrity. First of all, the price is literally 2-3 times what you can do it for on your own. Secondly, you may have much less time at Machu Picchu. When we did our tour, we had made a morning tour of the ruins and were having lunch when the Celebrity group first arrived. We also stayed after they left in the afternoon (since we were spending the night in Aguas Calientes) and had time to go back to the ruins in the morning before we took the train back to Cuzco.

 

Yes, the Celebrity tour uses the Hiram Bingham (the "upscale" train) but you are going to be stomping around ruins for an afternoon, how important is the "class" of the train?

 

And, you lose 3 days off the ship. Honestly, I am quite confident you could return to the USA, fly to Lima at a later date, spend 4 or 5 days in Lima and Cuzco and Aguas Calientes, including 2 days at Machu Picchu and do it for LESS than the Celebrity tour. For example, our tour for 4 days which included all accommodation, the train trip, guide in both Cuzco and MP, was less than $1500 total for 2. Airfare from Lima to Cuzco is less than $200 per person RT.

 

"Convenience" is simply not worth that kind of $$$ to us.

Hi we also plan to take a private tour to Machu Picchu and would love to know about your 4 day tour ie who arranged the guide, driver, did you book the train and entry into MP yourself etc. Thanks in anticipation

Raema

Do you know if the City of Ba ria still has shuttle bus from Phu My port to Ba Ria and at what cost?

Great news -this is what we will do also!

while I was browsing some Asian destinations for my cruise in January, I stumbled over this thread. Just wanted to let you know what I found on a german cruise forum. Public transport is only a 10 min taxi ride away from the cruise terminal. The station is called Port Klang - . The trains are called KTM komuter. They're modern trains with aircondition etc. They're leaving every 15 mins and the ride into KL takes 1 hour 15 minutes. I've heard they are very reliable - and there'll be no issues with taxi/ traffic. They're stopping at KL sentral. In the heart of KL. A ride costs 3,40 EUR (return). A taxi ride to the station should not be more than 8 Euros- but of course they will try to get more from you. Just in case anybode is interested to explore the town on their own.

 

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I have heard of this option but thought than when you return to Port Klang Station it was difficult to get a taxi back to the ship. Has anyone had experience with this?

Hi sorry to tag onto your post but maybe you can help me....

I understand that Dawn Princess has an all inclusive drinks package but do they offer another package of say '7 bottles of wine for $x' once you get on board? We will be travelling in August.

We have only travelled with HAL and they have this option.

Hi GradUT.

Thanks for the wonderful info it reconfirms our plans for our forthcoming Baltic trip.

Do you know what it is like in the Gamla Stan, Stockholm, on a Wed evening? Are shops open etc, is it worth visiting at this time for a walking tour(self guided) or much better in the day, well lit etc?

Would love any info from anyone else in the know also

Thanks

The complimentary alcohol is available at any of the bars and restaurants during their opening hours. The times of these are published in the daily Pursuits paper. Some open earlier than others (Pool Bar and Mosaic Cafe being two of them) and others open later and stay open later too (eg Looking Glass). I'm not sure about an early bar for say a breakfast Bloody Mary. Perhaps someone else can help. No problem taking complimentary drinks back to the cabin.

 

Phil

Thanks Phil for the info. Not sure if I would have a breakfast Bloody Mary but just curious as to the availability. Didn't wasn't to sit in the dinning room just to have a drink!

Thanks Raema

Hi all, this will be our first time cruising with Azamara Quest and we have a number of sea days.

Can you tell me when you can access the free drinks;

Is it only while you are in the dining room/rooms?

Can you have pre dinner, lunch or even breakfast!!! drinks in different venue?

Are certain bars open at different times?

Can you take the free drinks to your cabin etc etc etc

Anything else I should be aware of?

I have read the official policy re what you can take on at embarkation/corkage and have read this thread with interest

Thanks in anticipation

Cheers