Solstice Live: Australia/NZ/Hawaii, Many Pix’s, Jan. 20-Feb. 3

[TLCOhio]

Here is more from our whale watch sailing with Captain Dan. Plus, a sunset view!! Adventures in paradise??!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Finding whales is not easy and automatic. Fortunately, we were in Hawaii at the peak of their "season" before they headed back up north towards Alaska. Here is Captain Dan guiding the ship from the top with my wife on the right looking on. Yes, we found the whales and I was able to catch them jumping out of the water and having other exciting action/fun. Dolphins? Yes, caught them on our way sailing back to port. Lots of them!! Including many playing together. I did not capture it on my camera, but I got to see one dolphin do a triple-rotation out of the water. WOW!! Really wonderful to see and experience this live marine action with both whales and dolphins.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is some of the coastal rock and water action as we sailed back to port on the Big Island. We docked about four miles of the Kona Airport. In the background, you can see more of the land as it rises up the mountains that tower over this less-developed portion of Hawaii.:

 

 

 

Finally, here is one of the sunset pictures from our Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort where we spent four wonderful evenings after our Australia-New Zealand cruise. The views are nice this afternoon in our wooded, ravine-setting at our home in Columbus. The snow covering makes things look pretty today, but the warmer weather of Hawaii's Big Island was much more fun. And so enjoyable to be outside in low 80's, sunny Hawaii weather and settings.:

 

Edited March 2, 2014 by TLCOhio

[TLCOhio]

From the International Business Times yesterday, they have this headline: "Kate Middleton & Prince William's Australia and New Zealand Royal Tour Details: Prince George to Travel Along". After getting back from our travels in both countries earlier this year, we are glad that the Royals will be following in our "footsteps". Great honor that they will be visiting and enjoy both great countries. We will follow from our American shore to see where they visit and what they do down under.

 

Among the story highlights: "Royal couple Kate Middleton and Prince William will be undertaking a royal tour together in April. Speculation are running wild, contemplating pieces of jewelry will Kate Middleton show off from Queen's royal collection. This will be Prince William's and Kate Middleton's third royal tour together. Previously, they have visited Canada and California in 2011 and South East Asia in 2012. A report by New Zealand Herald leaked all the details of the royal tour. According to New Zealand Herald report, Queen Elizabeth met with Australian incoming governor-general to discuss the details. Following this, the Australian Governor dished out the details to reporters including that the 'little one' will be joining Prince William and Kate Middleton. The official further disclosed that the couple will 'be in Sydney and then in Canberra after their sojourn in New Zealand,' according to New Zealand Herald report. Entertainmentwise.com revealed that the tour will be a mix of 'state occasions' along with visits to places of cultural importance and 'those of special interest to the couple.' Prince William will be paying a visit to the flooded areas in Australia which he visited in 2011. He will also be visiting Christchurch in New Zealand."

 

Any more better reporting, added details from news sources there?

 

Full story at:

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/541129/20140228/australia-new-zealand-kate-middleton-prince-william.htm#.UxN9H3lZvdU

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[bcscot]

They are not the only ones to be following you, Terry. We were two weeks behind you, on the HAL Oosterdam. I enjoyed seeing your photos which brought back a lot of recent memories. We met the Solstice in Doubtful Sound on her way back. The weather was glorious in Fiordland and we even had a smooth crossing of the Tasman! I'm glad you enjoyed New Zealand and Queenstown (I lived there 30 years ago!).

Thanks for your review and wonderful photos. :)

[TLCOhio]

They are not the only ones to be following you, Terry. We were two weeks behind you, on the HAL Oosterdam. I enjoyed seeing your photos which brought back a lot of recent memories. We met the Solstice in Doubtful Sound on her way back. The weather was glorious in Fiordland and we even had a smooth crossing of the Tasman! I'm glad you enjoyed New Zealand and Queenstown (I lived there 30 years ago!). Thanks for your review and wonderful photos. :)

 

Appreciate this kind follow-up and glad to hear about your great Tasman Sea crossing, nice Fjordland weather, etc. I shared your experience with my wife this morning and she gave me back a quick "That wasn't our experience!". She's still trying to figure out who to call on that rough Tasman Sea crossing we had.

 

More to come, hopefully later today, on an index for all of the earlier posting to make it easier and quicker to find specific pictures/details on the many options we enjoyed from Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.

 

This posting is now approaching 40,000 views. Keep up the good questions, comments, sharing.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 163,226 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[guidance lady]

I believe the birds in the bottom picture are Rainbow Lorikeets

The large Black ones may be Yellow-tailed Black cockatoos

Thanks for the great Blog, Terry!

 

They are indeed Rainbow Lorikeets and they fly in great droves. They are usually very friendly, especially if you have some bread crumbs for them. Thank you for reminding me of our time in Oz. What a lovely journal you have kept Terry.

Nely

[bcscot]

Thanks for taking time to do this we board as you disembark in Auckland. You're really whetting our appetite!

 

Hello. We waved to you in Doubtful Sound! ;)

[TLCOhio]

They are indeed Rainbow Lorikeets and they fly in great droves. They are usually very friendly, especially if you have some bread crumbs for them. Thank you for reminding me of our time in Oz. What a lovely journal you have kept Terry. Nely

 

bcscot: Hello. We waved to you in Doubtful Sound!

 

Appreciate these good added follow-ups. Keep sharing. More postings coming soon from me' date=' including an easier to use "index" for what all is located where.

 

This posting is now [b']over 40,000 views[/b]. Glad for the interest, comments, questions, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 135,521 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[dtiwoon]

Hi Terry

 

We have been following your blog for a month or so. Thanks for posting so much great information about tours & what not to miss in the various ports. We leave in about 10 days to start our Celebrity cruise in Auckland & end up in Sydney (the reverse of your cruise). Do you have any restaurant suggestions for Auckland & Sydney? We have a few days before & after our cruise so that's a lot of food to consume & savor.

 

Thanks

Barbara

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry We have been following your blog for a month or so. Thanks for posting so much great information about tours & what not to miss in the various ports. We leave in about 10 days to start our Celebrity cruise in Auckland & end up in Sydney (the reverse of your cruise). Do you have any restaurant suggestions for Auckland & Sydney? We have a few days before & after our cruise so that's a lot of food to consume & savor. Thanks Barbara

 

Appreciate, Barbara, your good follow-up question. In Sydney, the way our timing/schedule worked, including being on the ship for one of the evenings there, we did not have a chance to really sample that much on dining treats in that great city. Clearly, there are lots of great options there. BUT, I cannot offer any first-hand experiences/suggestions, nor visuals from there.

 

But for Auckland, you are in good luck. First, as a must-do, if you're an interested foodie and have some budget flexibility would be O'Connell Street Bistro, 3 O'Connell Street, Auckland Central, From Travel Advisor, it is ranked #18 of 1,084 restaurants in that town. Their website is: http://www.oconnellstbistro.com

 

In my wife's view, this might have been the best meal of the whole trip. We had lots of super dining and this charming, small dining room in Auckland was super excellent. Can I prove it? Look at five of my pictures below!! My camera does not fib. Looked great and tasted even better.

 

The next night in Auckland, we dined at a more casual but at a very good location in the North part of the harbor/dock area. We dined here after doing the day on Waikeke Island. We walked to dinner at Marvel Grill. Worked well.

 

Keep up the good questions, expressions of interest!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, you might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture. This posting has now had 34,526 views and I appreciate those who have dropped by and tuned in.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

 

From O'Connell Street Bistro in Auckland, here are my visuals on three of the different main entrees. Look good? Then, here are two different desserts!! Also, outstanding!! Super enjoyed this dining star.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Essexlass2]

Hi Terry

 

We're back from cuddling our new great-grandson George who is, of course, the bestest baby in the world. Super lovely visit to the family as you say and lots of fun with our own little Prince. Now its back to business and I have a few questions for you please -

 

Is Copenhagen compact enough for us to walk around the sights? Our ship docks at Langelinie from 7am to 4pm and we plan to walk the area as far as Rosenborg Castle and Nyhaven, maybe a little of Stroget too, time permitting, but roughly that area stopping off at the places of interest. We won't visit Tivoli Gardens this time but will save that for a future date. From what you said at the time, it seems Penny put this city as one of her favourites.

 

We plan to take the HoHo bus in Helsinki to visit the Church in the Rock and Sibelius Park and Monument before returning to the Market Square

[Essexlass2]

Hi Terry

 

We're back from visiting our new great-grandson George who is, of course, the bestest baby in the world. Super lovely visit to the family in the north-east of England as you say and lots of fun with our own little Prince. Now its back to business and I have a few questions for you please -

 

Is Copenhagen compact enough for us to walk around the sights? Our ship docks at Langelinie from 7am to 4pm and we plan to walk the area as far as Rosenborg Castle and Nyhaven, maybe a little of Stroget too time permitting, but roughly that area stopping off at the places of interest. We won't visit Tivoli Gardens this time, but will save that for a future visit. From what you said at the time, it seems Penny put this city as one of her favourites.

 

We plan to take the HoHo bus in Helsinki to visit the Olympic Stadium, the Church in the Rock and Sibelius Park and Monument as well as Senate Square and the Cathedral before returning to the Market Square. You didn't say much about Helsinki, but it doesn't look an easy place to move around on foot.

 

We're hoping upon hope that things will settle down on the political front and that we shall be able to visit St Petersburg. We have booked two days with Alla Tours as we wanted to include Yusupov Palace. The itinerary sounds full on but so interesting and will undoubtedly be the highlight of the cruise. Unfortunately, we are unable to afford a private guide.

 

We shall walk Tallinn following a DIY walk around the town and I may have to do a little retail therapy there too as its recommended to be one of the best places on our itinerary for that.

 

In Stockholm we plan to take the HoHo boat across to the Vasa Museum and Skansen as well as fitting in a visit to Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace and Armories. We shall look forward to seeing the Changing of the Guard both here and in Copenhagen too, if only to compare with the changing of the guard at our own Buckingham Palace.

 

If you have any comments or advice, it will be gratefully received. I hope you have a lovely weekend, Terry and Penny - we have lovely warm sunshine here in south-east England today. :D

[TLCOhio]

We plan to take the HoHo bus in Helsinki to visit the Olympic Stadium, the Church in the Rock and Sibelius Park and Monument as well as Senate Square and the Cathedral before returning to the Market Square. You didn't say much about Helsinki, but it doesn't look an easy place to move around on foot.

We're hoping upon hope that things will settle down on the political front and that we shall be able to visit St Petersburg. We have booked two days with Alla Tours as we wanted to include Yusupov Palace. The itinerary sounds full on but so interesting and will undoubtedly be the highlight of the cruise. Unfortunately, we are unable to afford a private guide.

We shall walk Tallinn following a DIY walk around the town and I may have to do a little retail therapy there too as its recommended to be one of the best places on our itinerary for that.

In Stockholm we plan to take the HoHo boat across to the Vasa Museum and Skansen as well as fitting in a visit to Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace and Armories. We shall look forward to seeing the Changing of the Guard both here and in Copenhagen too, if only to compare with the changing of the guard at our own Buckingham Palace.

If you have any comments or advice, it will be gratefully received. I hope you have a lovely weekend, Terry and Penny - we have lovely warm sunshine here in south-east England today.

 

Essexlass2: I'm back! Hi Terry. We're back from cuddling our new great-grandson George who is' date=' of course, the bestest baby in the world. Super lovely visit to the family as you say and lots of fun with our own little Prince. Now its back to business and I have a few questions for you please -

Is [b']Copenhagen[/b] compact enough for us to walk around the sights? Our ship docks at Langelinie from 7am to 4pm and we plan to walk the area as far as Rosenborg Castle and Nyhaven, maybe a little of Stroget too, time permitting, but roughly that area stopping off at the places of interest. We won't visit Tivoli Gardens this time but will save that for a future date. From what you said at the time, it seems Penny put this city as one of her favorites.

 

Appreciate the follow-up and kind comments from our great friend in the wonderful UK. Yes, we are getting nicer, warmer, sunny weather now in Ohio. Spring is closer, winter nearly over. Soon will have the daft and tulips coming up. Hopefully!!

 

On the Baltics, here are a few added responses, background.

 

1. For Helsinki, we had a wonderful day there. Had a tour through our travel agent/consortium that took us out into the countryside and we also saw the Olympic Stadium, Church in the Rock, Sibelius Park, Senate Square, the Cathedral, the Market Square, etc. Finland does not have the "Royal" history as seen in Copenhagen and Stockholm, but we liked our time there, all that we did there.

 

2. St Petersburg is THE superstar of the Baltics and my view is that nothing too dire will happen in the "battles" of Russia versus the Ukraine. Right now, my guess would be that there will continue to be lots of "talk" and posturing, but that nothing drastic will happen to cut off cruise ship visits to St. Petersburg. Lots of meetings will happen. Studies will be done. Concerns expressed, etc.

 

3. We enjoyed very much visiting Yusupov Palace and learning ALL of the interesting history there and with that family's involvement with the Czars, etc.

 

4. Yes, so much in charming Tallinn can be done DIY. Great shopping there. Wonderful history and architecture. Loved our stop and experience there. One of the best highlights.

 

5. Seems that you have very good plan for Stockholm. Much can be walked in and around that famed historic area.

 

6. For Copenhagen, YES, it is fairly compact and very walkable. BUT, with your sail-away at 4 pm, that does narrow your "timing window"!! We walked the three miles back from Tivoli to our docking location at Langelinie. As noted in detail below, it was a super wonderful walk and experience. But, our ship did not leave till much later that evening. There is so much, so super great in Copenhagen that I would consider some "logistical help" and/or using a ship tour for part of your time to help on those travel/timing needs. The canal boat tour was a super great experience that we loved so much. Don't miss that option.

 

Copenhagen: Why Walking Back to the Ship Is Super Great!!!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=975779

 

Below are a few more of my visuals from the Baltics to help build up your excitement.

 

Glad to have these follow-up and interest. This live/blog is now at 41,238 views. Keep up the good involvement.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 163,968 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

A guard and statue in front of the current Royal Palace in Copenhagen. Amalienborg Slot includes four rococo-styled residences of Denmark’s royal family. This site includes a museum surrounding an octagonal cobblestone courtyard. You can witness the Royal guards walk from Rosenborg Castle to Amalienborg Palace for the Changing of the Guard daily at noon. Adult fee for museum about $13. For more info, see: ses.dk/amalienborg.:

 

 

 

Copenhagen's new Opera House across the canal from a charming fountain and near the current Royal Palace. This structure opened in 2005, costing $500 million with most of the funds coming from a Danish shipping company owner.:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s Church of Rock, or Temppeliaukion Kirkko, is carved out of solid stone with a unique contemporary design. This Lutheran church was opened in September 1969. For economic reasons, its suggested plan was scaled back and the interior space reduced to about one-quarter of the original, pre-WWII plan. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the glazed dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue with its excellent acoustics. The acoustic quality is created by the rough, virtually unworked rock surfaces. The Temppeliaukio church is one of the most popular tourist attractions in this city with half a million people visiting annually. :

 

 

 

As we entered Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band. This Rococo summer residence of the Russian Czars is located in the town of Pushkin, 15 miles SE of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I engaged a German architect to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, Empress Anna found her mother's residence outdated and had her court architect demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and in 1756 the new 325-meter-long palace amazed courtiers, foreign ambassadors and other visitors. During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its lavish exterior, including more than 100 kilograms of gold used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.:

 

 

 

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard was one of our highlights from visiting this historic capital in Sweden. Loved this part of our visit.:

 

 

 

Dancers marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate. So much charm, character and history in this somewhat hidden treasure of a town!! Tallinn's Old Town is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its history goes back to the 1100's and it was an important port for trade between Russia and Scandinavia. In 1285, the city became the northern-most member of the Hanseatic League, a famed trading and military alliance of German-dominated cities.:

 

[dtiwoon]

Terry

 

Thanks so much for your dining suggestions. Your food porn pictures are the best! We leave next Sunday & are so looking forward to our trip to NZ & Sydney!

 

 

Barbara

[TLCOhio]

Terry. Thanks so much for your dining suggestions. Your food porn pictures are the best! We leave next Sunday & are so looking forward to our trip to NZ & Sydney! Barbara

 

Appreciate, Barbara, your nice follow-up and kind comments. Good luck on your cruise. Check in here and report back about your top highlights, best thrills, most exciting adventures/stops. Look forward to hearing more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 135,842 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Essexlass2]

"I would consider some "logistical help" and/or using a ship tour for part of your time to help on those travel/timing needs. The canal boat tour was a super great experience that we loved so much. Don't miss that option. "

 

Thank you so much Terry, really appreciate your lovely pictures, comments and help. As we have an early sailaway from Copenhagen but want to see so much in this city, we shall have to be up and off the ship really early to make the most of our day there. What "logistical help" would you suggest please? I'm not quite sure where to go or what to do for that. We shall try to fit in a canal boat tour too if at all possible as you recommend that. I will also look more into what tours the ship has to offer. We had hoped to have had time to go into Rosenborg Castle as well. So many places, so little time ..................

 

Where do you hope to cruise next, any thoughts?

Edited March 11, 2014 by Essexlass2

[TLCOhio]

Thank you so much Terry, really appreciate your lovely pictures, comments and help. As we have an early sailaway from Copenhagen but want to see so much in this city, we shall have to be up and off the ship really early to make the most of our day there. What "logistical help" would you suggest please? I'm not quite sure where to go or what to do for that. We shall try to fit in a canal boat tour too if at all possible as you recommend that. I will also look more into what tours the ship has to offer. We had hoped to have had time to go into Rosenborg Castle as well. So many places, so little time Where do you hope to cruise next, any thoughts?

 

Appreciate the good follow-up and added questions from our excellent UK friend. Because Copenhagen is so "rich" in great options to do and see during your limited time period there, here would be my added suggestions, ideas:

 

1. Do more than average advance "research" on the many and varied options there to get your top, best priorities right. Look at good visual books such as Eyewitness to figure out what is best for your needs. Some ports are just "one-trick ponies". Get off of the ship, walk around, see one or two things. Done. That is not Copenhagen. Too many good to excellent potentials here.

 

2. My term "logistical help" means spending more than average in cost or more than by only doing it DIY to be able to get around more quickly, most efficiently from location to location in this city. It is a fairly compact town, but saving time is really vital here. Ship tours are not always cheap, but they can save time, get easier, quicker admission to certain places/attractions, etc.

 

3. For Rosenborg Castle, we were there, but did not do the interior tour. From others who have done it, there is value and good things to see. BUT, if you are going to St. Petersburg, maybe its need and importance will not be as high of a priority. Choice? Options? You have to consider what is and is not possible in a limited time period.

 

Not sure on our next cruise or trip. The grandsons in Charlottesville, Va., are the next "trip". Early next month. From meeting this week with our financial planner, he told us about their South America, Chile to Argentina trip on the Celebrity Infinity in late December, early January. They liked it, but South Africa and/or nearby is also on our immediate wish list. His view? Africa is THE place to see and do as being totally amazing. A key Columbus attorney, with whom I am working on a case right now, is also a super, super fan for Africa. But, cruise options do not work that well for seeing the greatness that goes with much of Africa.

 

Until they find the missing airline there, Malaysia, Vietnam, SE Asia, etc., are not on our immediate, must-do, next-to-visit list. Still trying to figure out that big mystery on that flight!! Still thinking on our next big adventure.

 

Have a big "get-together" dinner this evening with six of the seven couples from our travel group tonight. Will take lots of notes and share more on the "impressions and memories" from others now that we all have had time to let things soak in and simmer in our brains from this down under trip.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 164,419 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[May B]

Perhaps the most important piece of being time efficient is, as Terry says, deciding what's at the top of your must-see list. Mr. B. and I went inside Rosenborg Castle as well as its Treasury and we thoroughly enjoyed the comparison between the extravagance of St. Petersburg and the subdued, down to earth, generations-old Rosenborg, as well as learning the history of royalty in Denmark. We took a city bus to get there, which is sometimes logistically sensible but sometimes much more time-consuming than a taxi. We overnighted in Copenhagen, and the second day I was almost too tired to get off the ship! And I didn't do as Terry did, walking back from Tivoli! I'm looking forward to reading about that!

 

We chose not to do a canal cruise and we've never been sorry, although plenty of tourists, like Terry, rave about it just like Terry does. Our canals cruise in St. Petersburg was our biggest disappointment in our sightseeing, and the same is true for Amsterdam. But that's just us. It obviously isn't true for the people who rave about it.

 

Reading Rick Steves is to me the best way to decide what to see and do.

 

Reading what Terry did for Oz and NZ is a great way for future travelers to decide whether to do what Terry did or skip some of it and do some other things. You can't go wrong with what Terry and his fellow travelers did!

 

I am pleased to be part of the 40,000+ readers of this post.

[TLCOhio]

Perhaps the most important piece of being time efficient is, as Terry says, deciding what's at the top of your must-see list. Mr. B. and I went inside Rosenborg Castle as well as its Treasury and we thoroughly enjoyed the comparison between the extravagance of St. Petersburg and the subdued, down to earth, generations-old Rosenborg, as well as learning the history of royalty in Denmark. We took a city bus to get there, which is sometimes logistically sensible but sometimes much more time-consuming than a taxi. We overnighted in Copenhagen, and the second day I was almost too tired to get off the ship! And I didn't do as Terry did, walking back from Tivoli! I'm looking forward to reading about that! We chose not to do a canal cruise and we've never been sorry, although plenty of tourists, like Terry, rave about it just like Terry does. Our canals cruise in St. Petersburg was our biggest disappointment in our sightseeing, and the same is true for Amsterdam. But that's just us. It obviously isn't true for the people who rave about it. Reading Rick Steves is to me the best way to decide what to see and do. Reading what Terry did for Oz and NZ is a great way for future travelers to decide whether to do what Terry did or skip some of it and do some other things. You can't go wrong with what Terry and his fellow travelers did! I am pleased to be part of the 40,000+ readers of this post.

 

Appreciate these excellent follow-up comments by May B. That does not mean what we might have done is perfect for everyone else. The key point is to consider, AHEAD OF TIME, what you most want to see, do and experience. Do your research, gain added info, etc.

 

For us, the St. Petersburg canal cruise worked for well during our trip. For others, maybe that is not as much of interest or a lower priority. Lots of great options. Plan ahead, think about your overall plan, etc. Do not do something just because somebody else liked or enjoyed it. Fortunately, there are so many great options in Australia, New Zealand and other super places in the world.

 

More to come later on our group dinner last night in Columbus.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 136,329 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Essexlass2]

Thank you Terry and May B for your comments and advice. All much appreciated and well absorbed.

The ship's tours really do not appeal to us at all. We decided that a HoHo bus would be ideal to save my husband the problem of walking too far with his arthritic knees, but it seems the earliest starts at 9.30am. The ship docks at 7am and we had hoped to be ashore by 8am latest as we will have to be back on board by around 3pm for a 4pm sailaway. One thing we have decided though from reading your posts is that we won't go into Rosenborg as we shall be seeing good things in St Petersburg later on the cruise. Maybe we can fit in a canal tour using that time. Yes, lots more planning and discussion required to make the most of our visit to wonderful Copenhagen.

 

Enjoy your trip to see the grandsons in Charlottesville, Terry. That's another place that we have on our to-do list as part of a road trip from Washington down to Florida. As I said before, so many places, so little time ... and another trip 'down under' before too long as well.

 

Africa! Yes, I would agree that you should go there, but not on a cruise. We were totally surprised at the way Africa gripped our emotions whilst we were enjoying all the amazing sights to be seen there. We have visited north and west Africa, loved it all, but our nephew has seen much, much more of this vast continent and apart from loving it all, his favourite place is Namibia which, to us, looks like a lot of sand dunes BUT its the best place to go apparently. One thing many of us do after a visit to Africa is to leave all our clothes and many possessions there with the friendly folk we meet during our visit. I have often done this and also managed to twin our local junior school pupils with those at a school in The Gambia.

 

Please God let that Malaysia Airlines plane be found so that, one way or another, the relatives of those passengers will know what happened. We have flown with the airline a few times, scary now to think what could happen.

 

I hope your get-together dinner with the couples from your travel group went well and you all had a great time reminiscing. New Zealand is still the best country in the world!

Edited March 14, 2014 by Essexlass2

[Cie]

delete

Edited March 15, 2014 by Cie

[Cie]

Appreciate these excellent follow-up comments by May B. That does not mean what we might have done is perfect for everyone else. The key point is to consider, AHEAD OF TIME, what you most want to see, do and experience. Do your research, gain added info, etc.

 

For us, the St. Petersburg canal cruise worked for well during our trip. For others, maybe that is not as much of interest or a lower priority. Lots of great options. Plan ahead, think about your overall plan, etc. Do not do something just because somebody else liked or enjoyed it. Fortunately, there are so many great options in Australia, New Zealand and other super places in the world.

 

More to come later on our group dinner last night in Columbus.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 136,329 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Loved your posts

Hi

Terry,

 

I am considering this cruise in Jan 2015 to celebrate my retirement. I think reading it has convinced me to just do it. Thank you. I was wondering if there is any way to get from you the list of all the tours and guides you used. I just copied and pasted all your posts into a word doc to go over it with my hubby. 45 pages LOL.

 

My email is cie_prompt@hotmail.com

 

Thanks in advance

[TLCOhio]

Loved your posts Hi Terry, I am considering this cruise in Jan 2015 to celebrate my retirement. I think reading it has convinced me to just do it. Thank you. I was wondering if there is any way to get from you the list of all the tours and guides you used. I just copied and pasted all your posts into a word doc to go over it with my hubby. 45 pages LOL. Thanks in advance

 

Essexlass2: Thank you Terry and May B for your comments and advice. All much appreciated and well absorbed. The ship's tours really do not appeal to us at all. We decided that a HoHo bus would be ideal to save my husband the problem of walking too far with his arthritic knees' date=' but it seems the earliest starts at 9.30am. The ship docks at 7am and we had hoped to be ashore by 8am latest as we will have to be back on board by around 3pm for a 4pm sailaway. One thing we have decided though from reading your posts is that we won't go into Rosenborg as we shall be seeing good things in St Petersburg later on the cruise. Maybe we can fit in a canal tour using that time. [b']Yes, lots more planning and discussion required to make the most of our visit to wonderful Copenhagen.[/b] Enjoy your trip to see the grandsons in Charlottesville, Terry. That's another place that we have on our to-do list as part of a road trip from Washington down to Florida. As I said before, so many places, so little time ... and another trip 'down under' before too long as well. Africa! Yes, I would agree that you should go there, but not on a cruise. We were totally surprised at the way Africa gripped our emotions whilst we were enjoying all the amazing sights to be seen there. We have visited north and west Africa, loved it all, but our nephew has seen much, much more of this vast continent and apart from loving it all, his favourite place is Namibia which, to us, looks like a lot of sand dunes BUT its the best place to go apparently. One thing many of us do after a visit to Africa is to leave all our clothes and many possessions there with the friendly folk we meet during our visit. I have often done this and also managed to twin our local junior school pupils with those at a school in The Gambia. Please God let that Malaysia Airlines plane be found so that, one way or another, the relatives of those passengers will know what happened. We have flown with the airline a few times, scary now to think what could happen. I hope your get-together dinner with the couples from your travel group went well and you all had a great time reminiscing. New Zealand is still the best country in the world!

 

Appreciate the excellent follow-ups from Cie and our wonderful UK friend. For Cie, I am trying to wrap up in the next couple of days that listing of guides/tour/contacts, plus a better index for finding specific postings and details from this full live/blog. Right now, I have some time flexibility to get that done. I will see how that works out.

 

Great thoughts from Essexlass2 about your planning for Copenhagen and the Baltics. Ship tours are not always ideal, but they can help on your "logistics". Waiting till 9:30 am seems like such a waste. Personally, I would get off of the ship at 7:45 am or so, talk to a cab driver or two, make sure you can communicate well or OK in English, then have them take you on a tour around town, get an overall sampling, etc. We did that in Wellington, NZ, and it worked so well. It will cost a little, but it was well worth such a personalized tour, getting questions answered, etc.

 

Africa seems like a definite. Just need to plunge in for consider where to start, go, etc. Lots of good options there. But, it's a long, long ways to go.

 

Keep the excellent questions and comments rolling along.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, you might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture. This posting has now nearly at 40,000 views and I appreciate those who have dropped by and tuned in.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[Cie]

Appreciate the excellent follow-ups from Cie and our wonderful UK friend. For Cie, I am trying to wrap up in the next couple of days that listing of guides/tour/contacts, plus a better index for finding specific postings and details from this full live/blog. Right now, I have some time flexibility to get that done. I will see how that works out.

 

Thank you I am soo looking forward to this having read your postings. Galapagos will wait for another year :D

[snowyboy]

Appreciate these excellent follow-up comments by May B. That does not mean what we might have done is perfect for everyone else. The key point is to consider, AHEAD OF TIME, what you most want to see, do and experience. Do your research, gain added info, etc.

 

For us, the St. Petersburg canal cruise worked for well during our trip. For others, maybe that is not as much of interest or a lower priority. Lots of great options. Plan ahead, think about your overall plan, etc. Do not do something just because somebody else liked or enjoyed it. Fortunately, there are so many great options in Australia, New Zealand and other super places in the world.

 

More to come later on our group dinner last night in Columbus.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 136,329 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Just wasted an afternoon reading all your post, wasted is not right loved reading them all, now more confused than when I started we are doing New Zealand and OZ the opposite way that you did on the Solstice in November 14 we are also doing the Baltic on Eclipse in June14.

THank you for a wonderful read when you finish you blog please let me know as would like to read it all again. Thank you also for the tips for Oz & NZ. our route to NZ takes us from London to Dubai, Dubai to Auckland pick up ship Sydney to Singapore then back to Dubai then home to London.

John & Pam

[quilter06]

Hi Terry,

I am echoing Cie's post wondering if you have lists of tours, etc. from your Jan. New Zealand Australia cruise. We were booked on that cruise but in Nov. developed a deep veiinous thrombosis prohibiting me from air travel. So had to cancel but rebooked the exact trip for Jan. 4, 2015 when I am able to fly again. Up to then I was religiously reading your posts. We want to arrive Auckland 2 days pre cruise. After the cruise ends in Sidney we want to spend at least 2 days there and perhaps a few more days to places in Australia. I'm at a loss on how to plan the post cruise. We like private tours unless they are too strenuous on my knee replacement. Don't mind independent travel either. Plan to use Choice Air right now but I don't know dates to book. Any suggestions will be so appreciated. We live in Maysville, Ky. so we're almost neighbors!

Many, many thanks in advance!

Joanne