Bali again

I'm starting a new thread, didn't want to tack on to the one 3 years old.

We are going to be in Bali in January 2017 on a one day cruise stop. It is the turn-around port for most passengers but we are on a b2b. We were in Bali before on a cruise stop and have mixed memories. We had a lovely morning excursion around the countryside (volcano, rice terraces, temple, traditional village, excellent lunch in a garden restaurant) which went downhill fast in Ubud with a tacky market, a boring silver jewelry shop and incredible traffic jams. The only thing missing was the monkey forest.

I don't know if our ship is going to offer a good excursion for the b2b passengers. It's not an anglophone ship with a cc roll call, so no use trying to find other passengers for an excursion. We are not interested in beaches or spending the day at a resort. We like markets for locals but not the crowded ones with junk exclusively for tourists.

Those of you who know Bali, where would you go? How would you go about it?

FYI, Cekebrity cancelled Bali on the most recent Millennium cruise due to terrorist threats.

Too bad for those passengers.

Too bad for those passengers.

We are due to stop in Bali on our next cruise, and we would be perfectly happy if they canceled our stop. Have been there, and don't care to go back. Feel bad for those who would have liked to see it.

I will never step foot on a cruise ship that goes to Bali .There seems to be a total disconnect with cruise ship operators and the vast majority of passengers expressing a dislike in relation to this port stop.

It's not my favorite stop either, but maybe someone can come up with a helpful answer to my question.;)

I have looked at a few places I might be interested in, but I need to know whether it is best to pre-book a private tour or just pick up a taxi at the cruise port. What did you do? If you had a reliable company/driver for your tour, please tell me who it was.

I was reading on a land based forum and people here always talk about pick-up from their hotel. They don't have to worry about being late for the ship's departure.

We're stopping there in October (or perhaps not stopping after recent cancellations), we've now decided we won't be getting off the ship, but prior to that decision I had been researching drivers. There are quite a few recommended on Trip Advisor and several with a website or Facebook page. The going rate seems to be US$50 for the day, sorry I don't have a personal recommendation for one, but there are heaps on other websites, or someone here may have previously used one.

We used one last April for a day trip. I found him on tripadvisor. He was very good, not great, we didnt get to all the places we had pre-discussed with him, but it didn't help that we were late arriving and then it took 2-3 hours before we we tendered ashore. Major stuff up. buddybail.com or buddybalitour.com his email is buddybali@yahoo.com He offers various suggestions and has a 4 and 6 seater car. Although we were a group of 4 we booked the 6 seater for more space and also if we met someone on board who we clicked with we were able to invite them along which was the case. We told Buddy we wanted to go out into the countryside not to any markets and we would like to see a village. Unfortunately he said we didnt have time to go to the volcanos area, but he did take us to a village and to a lovely waterfall and the ride paddocks. We told him we wanted to be back an hour before official time to allow for any hiccups. His car was very comfortable, air conditioned and he was an excellent driver. His communication with me via email was excellent and his english was quite understandable. We paid $75AUD for the day. AUD. It was $10 cheaper for the 4 seater.

We said we didnt want to stop for lunch which was wise as it was so late getting to shore. I was communicating by text with him whilst we were stuck on the ship and also on the tender.

I would pre-book as at least you know what type of van/car you are getting. There were some very suspect looking transport on the dock trying to get passengers. You might save a few $ but not sure it would be worth it. When we walked through the masses we were able to say already booked and they left us alone. I will add, in European ports we dont bother pre booking and take something from the terminal but I wouldnt do it in Bali.

Thank you very much for the valuable information. I'll e-mail him once we are closer to the cruise and will also look on trip advisor. Bali will not be cancelled because it is the port where passengers will leave the ship and new ones will come aboard, but the ship will only be there in the afternoon. Not that much time to do anything.

Hi,

Back in February we were at the start of a 21 day South East Asia crusie on the Sapphire Princess and our first port of call was Bali. Being aware of the crazy traffice and business of the place we had clear instructions given to our tour guide for the day - Putu Supartana who was superb. We went to most of the places we wanted to see but unfortunately did not get to visit Ulun Danu Bratan temple as it was too far out and Putu was concerned about getting back in time if we wre to see some of the opther attractions on our list. We took his advice and ended up having the most marvellous day out. He was informative about Bali and the local culture and very easy going with a good sense of humour and we also importantly felt very safe in his airconditioned van. He was also conscoius about getting us back in plenty of time for our ship departure time. The tour was also cheap at US$50 for 10 hours so I would highly recommend Putu to you.

We went to the Ubud Monkey Forest, the Ubud markets, Gunung Lebah Temple and the Tirta Empul Temple as well as having a very enjoyable lunch at Tegalaland Rice Terraces where there wer some interesting little shops across the road. Afte rlunch we went to the Temen Coffeee Plantation where we tried a selection of different teas and coffees including saffron tea - lovely and the famous Luwak coffee which was strong but also enjoyable.

Putu's contact details are: putu.supartana@yahoo.com and his website www.putudriverinbali.wordpress.com.

You will not regret using his services.

We spent several days in Bali before an Azamara cruise in 2015. The morning before the embarkation we chose to go to Bali Bird Park. It is a very pleasant facility with good signs, lots of birds in aviaries that you can walk into and in some of them the birds land on your hat and arms and staff let you get some good pictures. It was different from the other things that we did. We used Dean of Bali Drivers of Distinction. email deanbalidean@gmail.com. The trouble with the cruise port is that it is so far south and has so much traffic in that area. When you got away from Ubud and the port area -- the rest was so beautiful. Rice terraces spectacular as was the temple over the rock bridge but they are in the far north. We enjoyed lunch/rest on a shady porch and a snorkel using Diver's café -- a local spot and very scenic. I would recommend Dean to take you away from the maddening crowds. Tell him Barbara who rode the motorcycle up the mountain to appear as holy one sent you:p

Lots of excellent choices, thank you everyone.

Hello Floridiana,

I have posted some info about Bali and our experience in the past. Please, looked at my last posts but meanwhile, I have "copied & pasted" one of my previous post. It is very unfortunate that some cruisers did not enjoy their day in Bali and I believe it's because they did not have the right driver/guide. Please read below, and you will understand that Dewa is a very exceptional person with a strong aura. We know consider him a member of our family, we email about twice a week and are sponsoring his daughter so she can learn English at an international school in Ubud. For you who did not care for Bali, please give it another chance...

Past post:

We cruised Asia in Jan-Feb 2015 but did not cruise Indonesia. However, we did a post-cruise in Bali. We spend 7 days in Ubud and 10 days in Seminyak.

As it was our first time in that beautiful part of the world, Bali's way of life blew our socks off! The rice fields are a gift for the eyes. I just don't have the words to explain how wonderful our time in Bali was. We had asked our small Balinese hotel (only 6 rooms) to included transportation. Well, the person, Dewa, who picked us up was a blessing. He toured us around Ubud and area for 3 days (including rain forest, rice paddies, volcano, temples...).

Dewa became a dear friend to us. His passion for his country and his religion was addictive. Their community is really important for them and they are selfless people. Everyday, he would give us all he got; his passion for his work. So it was easy to become close friend. After 7 days, he drove us from Ubud to Seminyak (60 min). We thought, we would not see Dewa anymore. We were wrong! My DH became seriously ill and almost died! He spent 2 weeks at the international hospital. I emailed Dewa to let him know what was happening... Who did we see at the hospital? Dewa. He drove twice an hour away to visit DH. And he felt bad he could not come more often! We were blown away by his generosity and care.

Dewa's email is dgrock1140 at yahoo.com

Believe me, if you hire him, you will know you have been touched by someone really special.

The Canadians!

P.S. Search his name on CC and you will see that other people have hired him and were extremely happy.

Happy travelling! :D

Floridiana,

Here is another post I posted this morning in response to someone who was on my cruise in January 2015 (over a year ago):

Originally Posted by jaylaykay

Anyone fancy a return trip over Christmas in case you missed the Indonesian leg last time? Komodo, anyone?

Hope you are well and planning another great trip or three!

All the best!

From Cashmeremypuppydog

Hello Jaylaykay,

What a nice surprise to receive this email from Cruisecritic! Our 28-day cruise was so wonderful.

I will update this post after I hear from our friends Cathy and Ken who are currently in Japan (they just disembarked Volendam after 3 cruises). They first cruised the Indonesian leg (14-day), then Singapore to Hong Kong and finally, Singapore to Yokohama, Japan. We hope they are alright (because of the earthquake) as they disembarked April 16...

Here is my humble point of view. After our 28-day cruise, we spent 17 days in Bali (March 2015). Maybe we were very fortunate, but Bali blew us away with their kindness, authenticity and their dedication in what they believe. We spent 7 days in Ubud and hired a driver/guide for 4 days. This meeting was more than a casual introduction to Bali. Dewa, our guide, showed us what it is to have a strong aura. Also, he was not just a guide but he was an educator and we learned so much about Balinese people and their belief. It is very hard to explain in words what we experienced in Bali. After our week in Ubud, Dewa drove us to Seminyak by the ocean. We thought we would never see Dewa again... But my husband got terribly sick and almost died (nothing to do with Bali so don't get scared). He spent time in intensive care and 2 weeks on a ward. I didn't know anybody in Bali so I emailed Dewa to let him know what was happened... Well, he came to visit My husband even though he had to drive one hour and is a very busy guide. I could go on and on about our experience but you have to live it to appreciate it.

Here are what I think you should all consider:

- Indonesia is all Muslim country (the majority) except Bali which Hinduism is the primary religion.

- Hinduism is a very gentle and respectful religion.

- instead than cruising Indonesua, I would definitely instead spend 2 weeks or a month in Bali and really duscover this part of Indonesia.

- That way, you will truly immersed yourself in the magic of Bali and you will not be disappointed if you are open to new experiences...

- I really hope you cruisers out there use my wisdom/knowledge of travelling in those area and in different countries...

- Our driver, now friend is Dewa: drock1140 at yahoo dot com

Regards,

The Canadians!:D

Thank you very much for the information. I really appreciate it.

I hope the 'Canadian' is ok.

Thank you very much for the information. I really appreciate it.

 

I hope the 'Canadian' is ok.

DH is great, he had encephalitis from a viral infection. Tests were done and it was determined that the viral infection had been dormant for a long time (years and years). Dehydration woke up the viral infection.

It is a miracle that DH has no side effects from his sickness as he was "gone". He received A+ treatments and care at Siloam International Hospital.

Thanks and enjoy Bali.

The Canadians!:D

That is really dangerous.

I wish the two of you many happy and healthy travels.

We're stopping there in October (or perhaps not stopping after recent cancellations), we've now decided we won't be getting off the ship, but prior to that decision I had been researching drivers. There are quite a few recommended on Trip Advisor and several with a website or Facebook page. The going rate seems to be US$50 for the day, sorry I don't have a personal recommendation for one, but there are heaps on other websites, or someone here may have previously used one.

I have an excellent recommendation for a guide & driver. First, here is my review: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297694-d6584084-r204435902-Discover_Bali_Tour_Dewa_Marco_Private_Day_Tours-Denpasar_Bali.html

I have an excellent recommendation for a guide & driver. First, here is my review: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297694-d6584084-r204435902-Discover_Bali_Tour_Dewa_Marco_Private_Day_Tours-Denpasar_Bali.html

Thank you, although I think the Bali experience is very different if you fly in and actually spend a decent amount of time there. On a ship, bombarded and harassed when getting off is a very different experience and not one I want to put my 6 year old through.

I would like to second the recommendation of a previous Cruise Critic reviewer and highly recommend Dean of Bali Drivers with Distinction. My wife and I have been on over 30 cruises and find that Bali is one of our favorite ports. We have been there twice, each time for two days. Our first visit was in February, 2015 and our second visit was in February, 2016. Before our first visit I did a lot of research on the best way to view the island. Based upon very favorable recommendations found on Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor, we decided to hire Dean as our driver/guide in advance. What a great choice! After several communications with Dean concerning what we were looking to get out of our stay and what we weren’t interested in, we left it up to Dean to plan our outings. We were a little apprehensive leaving all of the details up to him as we only knew him through the email communications, but our apprehensions quickly dissipated after arriving at the port. Dean was waiting for us in a clean, comfortable, air conditioned vehicle. He made us feel right at home with his affable style. He not only told us about his beautiful island but we felt like good friends before the day was out. He took us to so many truly magnificent sights the first day, we felt like we had seen all there was to offer on the island. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that our second day was equally spectacular. Dean is a professional photographer, check out his website at distinctionbali.com for ideas on what you would like to see. When we decided to take a cruise in 2016 that again included a two day stop in Bali, we immediately contacted Dean to show us around for another two days. This second time we never discussed what we should do, we only requested that we see and do more of the same. Dean delivered once again. We had another fantastic stay in Bali. I doubt if we would have seen and done so much with any other driver. Just tell him what you want and he will make sure the magic happens. He can be reached at deanbalidean@gmail.com.

Hello Floridiana,

I have posted some info about Bali and our experience in the past. Please, looked at my last posts but meanwhile, I have "copied & pasted" one of my previous post. It is very unfortunate that some cruisers did not enjoy their day in Bali and I believe it's because they did not have the right driver/guide. Please read below, and you will understand that Dewa is a very exceptional person with a strong aura. We know consider him a member of our family, we email about twice a week and are sponsoring his daughter so she can learn English at an international school in Ubud. For you who did not care for Bali, please give it another chance...

 

Past post:

We cruised Asia in Jan-Feb 2015 but did not cruise Indonesia. However, we did a post-cruise in Bali. We spend 7 days in Ubud and 10 days in Seminyak.

As it was our first time in that beautiful part of the world, Bali's way of life blew our socks off! The rice fields are a gift for the eyes. I just don't have the words to explain how wonderful our time in Bali was. We had asked our small Balinese hotel (only 6 rooms) to included transportation. Well, the person, Dewa, who picked us up was a blessing. He toured us around Ubud and area for 3 days (including rain forest, rice paddies, volcano, temples...).

 

Dewa became a dear friend to us. His passion for his country and his religion was addictive. Their community is really important for them and they are selfless people. Everyday, he would give us all he got; his passion for his work. So it was easy to become close friend. After 7 days, he drove us from Ubud to Seminyak (60 min). We thought, we would not see Dewa anymore. We were wrong! My DH became seriously ill and almost died! He spent 2 weeks at the international hospital. I emailed Dewa to let him know what was happening... Who did we see at the hospital? Dewa. He drove twice an hour away to visit DH. And he felt bad he could not come more often! We were blown away by his generosity and care.

 

Dewa's email is dgrock1140 at yahoo.com

 

Believe me, if you hire him, you will know you have been touched by someone really special.

The Canadians!

 

P.S. Search his name on CC and you will see that other people have hired him and were extremely happy.

 

Happy travelling! :D

Hello all,

It is so great you found "your angel guide" in Bali. We are going back this February through a Volendam cruise (overnight in Bali). We will sleep in Ubud. I don't have to add that Dewa is picking us up (we are bringing another couple with us). He will show us around and after, DH and I are organizing (obviously with the help of Dewa and his wife) a huge birthday party for Dewa's daughter (Ayu) that will turn 8 the day after our departure. It will be her first ever birthday party!

We are sponsoring Ayu so she can go to English school. We believe it can help her finding a better employment when she gets older... Dewa will invite 30 children. I am sure most of them never have attended a birthday party...

All that to say, it is because of our connection with this super human being, Dewa. We can not repay him enough for the kindness he showed us when DH was hospitalized. Again, if you are looking for great character in your guide/driver, you will not be disappointed. His email address is:

dgrock1140 at yahoo dot com

The Canadians!:o:D

Our ship had an overnight in Bali, so we wanted to tour for two days. Based on the recommendation of "The Canadians," we hired Dewa (dgrock1140 at yahoo.com) to be our guide. They are 100% accurate in their description of Dewa. He is a lovely person, speaks very good English, and took us to places we really enjoyed. His fee, including a high-quality air-conditioned vehicle, is unbelievably reasonable.

We learned so much about Balinese culture in just two days. Dewa even took us to his own home so that we could see what a typical Balinese compound is like. I can't say enough good things about our time with him: I feel so enthusiastic that I'm literally writing this an hour after we ended our second day of touring!

It will be our first stop on our cruise in Feb 2018. My friend wants to see the rice fields and an elephant sanctury and some kind of traditional dancing?

Any suggestions please

We cruise on sapphire with Princess

I will never step foot on a cruise ship that goes to Bali .There seems to be a total disconnect with cruise ship operators and the vast majority of passengers expressing a dislike in relation to this port stop.

We had a negative opinion of Bali, due to the outrageous manner in which we were delayed by the local authorities before we could enter the country. The cruise was a Top End of Australia cruise in 2013 and we had an overnight there, but arrived in the early morning and we were all waiting to go ashore, but clearance took over three hours.

I was likely that the bribe was not large enough.

Once we made it to the island, we had a reasonably good time. We saw much natural beauty. However, I don't care to go back to Indonesia.

Cashmeremypuppydog

thank you so much 😍😍😍😍

I emailed Dewa just now... within a hour he has replied and suggested all the itinerary I wanted 😀

Very happy so far.

I'm desperate to get this cruise right as it's both mine and my friends 50th birthdays and she's never cruised before. We are both "Virgins" to the far east too

So alot to read , learn and prepare for 🙄

I will share my experience.

However I'm happy to say 11th Feb 2018... I now have a guide booked 😍