Legend of the Seas Asian Cruise Review Aug 2015

[guineapig]

Sorry its so long but it is a detailed description of our cruise holiday.

We are a couple from the UK in our 60's, cruised many times before with RC, first time to Asia, going to Japan later.

Please enjoy!

Thursday 13th/Friday 14th August

London/Hong Kong

Left home about 11.00 AM and drove to purple parking in torrential rain took a bit longer than normal but had allowed extra time. Transfer from parking to terminal five Heathrow took about half an hour. Too early to book in cases so found some sandwiches and drink and free wi-fi and just waited! 3:40pm booked in cases before clearing security and a bit more wandering. Boarded the plane on time but we were delayed as connection from Paris delayed, it was nearly an hour late taking off. Flight was good had meal before settling down for a few hours sleep, watched a film, time went better than I thought it would, what with meals, films, sleep and reading it went by quickly (12.5 hours)

Got to Hong Kong on time but had to wait to land, so again, about an hour late before landing. Got baggage and found transfer company in baggage hall B, all very smooth considering we didn't know where we were going! Took about 40 minutes to get to hotel ( Novotel Hong Kong 348 Nathan Road Kowloon ), but that went quickly as enjoying seeing the sights as we went along. Soon in our room at about 4:30pm, relaxed then before going out and walking along Nathan Road. Weather warm and humid with showers, many hawkers along road shouting " copy watch/handbag!". We wandered along to the "Avenue of Stars" before waiting for laser show to start at 8.00 PM on the harbour front, it was okay not very spectacular, I did expect more of a show. Then we found "Cafe de la Coral" which was located inside a shopping area and had some dinner before walking back towards Temple Road night market, just a quick look before a Starbucks for a coffee and got some cake for breakfast before bed, around 11pm.

Saturday 15th August

Hong Kong

I didn't sleep well, by hubbie did. Raining hard outside, walked down Nathan Road to the Star Ferry, wasn't sure what we were going to do, whether walk around in heavy rain or get a taxi or bus, spoke to the big bus lady (HOHO) and got 24 hour day tickets covering the three routes, which included the star ferry and peak tram tickets. Started on the red route in the rain and got off at the Peak Tram stop and took the tram to the top of the hill, a short wait to board the tram, about 15mins, it was still raining and cloudy when we reached the peak, but while having coffee around 12:30pm, the cloud suddenly cleared and we had good views across Hong Kong Harbour. After many photos we queued up to go back down, we had to wait about half an hour for a big bus (HOHO), didn't care if it was the red or green route whichever came first! The queue for the tram up the peak was now getting extremely long(I reckon at least a few hours!), the green route bus came along first and as the weather had improved we took a tour to the other side of the island, the Stanley Market area. It was well worth going across to the other side of the island, we went through a long tunnel and the area consisted of hotels, small beaches and a theme park, so different to built up Hong Kong city, didn't get off as we were on the last green route bus. Back to Hong Kong harbour front area, we jumped on the last red bus route of the day,6:15pm. Saw downtown Hong Kong just as the light was changing and the buildings were lighting up, it was well worth doing the rest of the red route around Hong Kong. Back across on the Star Ferry, very well organised, hardly any waiting for a ferry and plenty of room once onboard, we then walked the streets of Kowloon to find some food, ended up in the basement of a shopping mall it always amazed me how big these malls are once you get inside, it seems that many have a food court in the basement area. Walked back up Nathan Road collecting cakes and drink for the morning, most shops still open and lots of people on the streets, but felt safe. Back to room by 9:30pm and collapsed! Just got off to sleep when hotel phone rang-it was the pickup driver for tomorrow ringing us at 11pm to check on our pick up time tomorrow! Weather today had been humid, hot, wet and cloudy.

Sunday 16th August

Hong Kong/Legend of the Seas

Awake early, checked my phone (free wi-fi in room). Packed cases ready to transfer to ship. Decided to walk down to Kowloon Park, wrong idea, very high humidity, we were both soaked by the time we got back, enjoyed the short visit to Kowloon Park, people doing tie chi and relaxing in the quiet surroundings. Checked out the hotel and had a very efficient transfer to the port, even though there was no ship! Dropped off cases right on the waterfront and then the woman who accompanied our driver showed us where to check in later in the day, the mall attached to the pier was very pricey and a bit highbrow for us! So we wandered from 12:30pm till 3:30pm around the harbour area, then went back to check in, a very long queue had formed not going anywhere we waited and waited! Finally after over 2 hours we boarded the ship it had been a long and tiring afternoon, seems immigration had not cleared the ship quickly enough causing the long wait, but the ship only docked at 1pm so was not surprised things not ready. We went to our cabin first to check it out, lovely view of Hong Kong harbour from our balcony, then to Windjammer Cafe, strangely not many people there, never had that before, had some dinner, then Peter our cabin boy introduced himself and he went off and found our luggage, we unpacked watching the Hong Kong laser show from our balcony at the same time. Muster drill was 9:15pm. Went up to top deck for sail away, late leaving should have been 10pm but it was past 10:30pm, well worth seeing the sights of Hong Kong as we sailed away. Back to room by 11:30pm and to bed. Stayed very humid but dry all day.

Monday 17th August

Day at Sea

Slept well, smooth night, finally got up and went out on to the balcony for half an hour while hubbie still sleeping, tea making facilities in our cabin. Had breakfast in Romeo and Juliet restaurant was okay, sat with some Aussies, but we do prefer to go to Windjammers as they have more choice. Then we walked around the ship, took a few photos and done a trivia quiz. We then wandered the few shops before changing into our pool wear, tried sun-bathing for half an hour by much too hot! It was like your were frying in the sun, how some people stayed out in the sun I do not know. Found some shade and had a beef barbecue roll (Beef being cooked down by the pool) and an ice cream for lunch, before back to room about 4:15pm and got ready for formal dinner in main restaurant. The people we met at the trivia quiz were on the next table to us and some people from Tortola, meal was okay, waiters extra nice. Went to captains champagne get-together and was going to watch the show in the theatre, Danny Elliott a multi-instrumentalist, heard later he was very good, but decided to go to room and get ready for early start tomorrow, as we both felt very tired. The weather had been sunny, cloudy, dry and very hot.

Tuesday 18th August

Keelung/Taipei Taiwan

Set alarm for 6.20 AM. Issue getting photo ID picked up before the tour, Hubbie had to queue up on our deck early for us to take on tour with us. Breakfast in Windjammer and it was very busy. Chaos reigned when getting ready for tour, a big queue just to get into the theatre and get our tour stickers, never seen anything like that before, never that bad, waited a long while before tour number was called and then a long walk down through the corridors to disembark and go to the bus. We often do ships tours and this was the worst set up we have ever encountered. Tour was for 8.20 AM but we were running late, once on the tour bus it was a very good tour, Andy our guide was very good, some words he found difficult to pronounce and we found it difficult to understand some of his words, but we got used to him and really enjoyed his company. Went to Tower 101 up to the very top for an hour, in there, caught the fastest lift in the world to the top, wonderful views, very high, free wi-fi, so sent some pictures to the family. Then a photo stop at National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall before on to Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, which was lovely and guide explained things very well about how temple is used, saw all of the surrounding area and a very large gift shop. By 1:30 PM we were back at the ship so decided to take a quick walk into Keelung town on our own, just 5mins from the ship, walked around one block of shops and along the waterfront, seeing small market stalls and some fish jumping in the harbour, at 2.30 PM walked back to the ship to Windjammers and had lots to drink, very thirsty, also had some food before resting in our cabin. Did find the heat and humidity made you tired just walking around. Engineer came and fixed out air conditioning, it was never cold enough, even after he fixed it! Watched sail away on our balcony in the pouring rain, before getting ready for dinner. Went to Romeo and Juliet restaurant for dinner, then had a drink which we took to the theatre to watch "Swing City" show with the ship's dancers and singers, very good, before back to cabin around 10.00 PM. Typhoon not far away and we heard from the engineer they were hoping the storm was going slow and we could out-run it, it was making me nervous! The weather had been cloudy with heavy rain showers and some sun.

Wednesday 19th August

Day at Sea

Woke fairly early and went out onto the balcony for a short time, watched some black gannets fishing close to the ship, a beautiful hot, sunny morning. Breakfast about 9:30am in Windjammers before going to trivia quiz, but arrived too late so just listened and had a guess at the answers. Then went to the library and collected daily quiz, crossword and soduko, sat and done them while watching the art auction from deck six (never buy, just watch!). Then went and had a hot chocolate and collected some cookies for tomorrow's tour, took them back to the cabin, to find a message from the shore excursions desk about the Boracay excursion we had pre-booked, had to go to desk and queue up only to find they had made a mistake. Sorted that, then went to top deck, found some shade, sat in a wind tunnel! We had some paella which was being made down by the pool, then had some ice cream. We decided to take a walk around the top deck about five times just to stretch our legs, we watched the belly flop competition which was great fun, just before a very heavy rain shower forced every one inside, rain stopped within an hour. We went to Windjammers for a drink before returning to our cabin to rest and relax. Dinner was at 6.15 PM in the Romeo and Juliet restaurant, then went to Anchors Aweigh and listened to the 70's themed quiz, didn't do well, but Flavvio, the crew member taking the quiz was interesting! Then we went to the theatre to watch the juggling and singing act David Dimuzio, he was very good. We returned to our cabin about 10.00 PM to get ready for tomorrow, the 70's party was very loud that was being held in the Centrum three floors down, but did manage to sleep. Weather was mainly very hot and dry, sunny with one sharp shower.

Thursday 20th August

Manila Philippines

Up for 7.00 AM to get ready for a tour, after breakfast in Windjammers went to the theatre and queued! Waited ages to get into theatre and also for our number to be called, it should have been 9.15 AM but it was not till 9.50 AM that we left the theatre. As we left the ship there were band's and dancers greeting us on our arrival in Manila, they were fantastic, very entertaining and wonderful to watch. Once on the bus we met our tour guide, she was not very good, she never showed us personally around the sites unlike some of the other tour guides did on the other buses doing the same tour, also she was very short and difficult to see in crowds as she did not hold up her tour number plaque. We were taken to Rizla Park for a quick photo stop, there were many people trying to sell you various items and they kept pestering us and I found it a bit uncomfortable, we then went on to Santiago Fort which wasn't too far away, again there were people pestering you to buy things, then we walked around the fort on our own, the tour guide seemed to stay in one place, so it was up to us to learn about the fort by reading the signs. After about 1/2 hour wait for our bus to come back we took a very short trip to Manila Cathedral, we could have walked to it in less than the half hour we waited for the bus! The cathedral was very nice, worth seeing, took a few photos before boarding the bus again. Next stop San Agustin Church and adjacent monastery, again they were fairly close but took a while as the streets were very busy, we walked through the monastery it was very enjoyable and into the church while mass was going on, a very ornate, pretty church. When we came out it was raining very hard, so sheltered under trees until our bus came back. Our last stop was a newly built shopping mall, for one hour, a very large shopping centre with an ice rink in the middle of it, also got free wi-fi so sent more messages home, after wandering around some of the shops we stopped at Starbucks and grabbed of coffee to go as it was time to get back on the bus. When we got back to the port there were two more bands playing, but the weather had changed and it was now very windy with heavy downpours, so the musicians and dancers got very wet but they were still very, very good, they continue to play until the ship was almost ready to leave. We were due to leave about 5.20 PM but it was delayed due to tours coming back late. After dinner we went to music trivia quiz in Anchors Aweigh before going to the show "Invitation to Dance" in the main theatre. After the show it was time to go back to our cabin as another early start tomorrow. The ship was rocking a lot tonight, so I took some tablets just to be on the safe side. The weather was very warm, cloudy and later in the day, heavy rain and strong winds, later we found out this was the edge of the typhoon just starting.

Friday 21st August

Boracay Philippines/Day at Sea

Rocky night so didn't sleep too well, up early ready for our island hopping tour, but while we were eating breakfast it was announced over the tannoy that we would not be docking in Boracay due to adverse weather conditions, it would not be safe to tender in and use the dock in Boracay. We had asked the night before about our tour and possible cancellation due to bad weather, but we were told nothing had been decided yet and as far as they were concerned the tour would be still going ahead. Got refund for tour, guess if you had booked anything yourself then you would lose that money. After breakfast we decided to go back to bed for a few hours and I fell asleep again! Later went to Windjammers for hot chocolate and breakfast number two! We then decided to go to the trivia quiz. We sat in the Centrum and watch the cake decorating contest. Then it was time for lunch in Windjammers before picking up a crossword etc. and finding somewhere to sit and do them. We watched Flavvio teaching some of the passengers how to do the thriller dance practice number two, it was good fun to watch, very entertaining. Back to our cabin to relax and get ready for dinner. After dinner did Beatles quiz in Anchors Aweigh then down to the theatre for the Beatnixs show, they were very good, but seemed to lack something, but mostly entertaining. The weather was still very windy (there have been strong winds and rain on and off all day) but strangely I did not get seasick the ship was very stable. The captain said we were catching the tail end of typhoon Goni, let's hope it improves for tomorrow! Suddenly realized we have not been outside all day as the weather was pretty bad! The weather has been strong winds and heavy rain showers most of the day.

Saturday 22nd August

Puerto Princesa Philippines

Awake by 5.45 AM as an early tour (usually allow 2hrs to get ready in morning that includes breakfast). After breakfast went to the theatre to wait for our tour, not so much queuing today, only a short line inside the theatre. As we left the ship there was music and dancing and more necklaces were being given away to the passengers, just like the other ports of call. Our tour took us to Palawan Butterfly Ecological Garden and Tribal Village which were both very interesting, lots of local butterflies flying around in the enclosure and you could get very close to them, at the tribal village, a short uphill walk from the butterfly garden, we met an indigenous tribe who showed us some of their tools, musical instruments and told us about their life in the hills. Next we went on to Iwahig Penal Farm, an open prison where we saw prisoners dancing and had the chance of to buy gifts if we wished, we saw paddy fields and small farms which the prisoners maintained, it was a bit strange and surreal being inside a prison, was not that enamoured with the prison, it looks like you can also do for fire fly watching at night in the prison. Next we moved on to Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre where we saw the hatchling house, where all the crocodiles are hatched before crossing a metal walkway over the older crocodiles, they are hoping to release the crocodiles back in to the wild as they are becoming endangered, sadly we did not have time to visit the nature park which looked like a walk in the jungle. On the way back to the ship we stopped at a large shop where we had the chance to buy souvenirs, we did not buying anything as we felt a lot of the souvenirs were a bit tacky, while we were there a heavy rainstorm came through. We waited for the rain to stop which was not long, before boarding the bus again, as we neared the harbour we stopped at a war memorial for the Palawan massacre in 1944 on the 14th of December, where many American soldiers were killed by the Japanese, next to this was the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, the main church, it was a beautiful simple church with blue light coming through the windows. We got back to the ship in time for lunch and met our evening waiter serving in Windjammers, we took a few photos out on deck, also saw many people having massages on the quayside as they were cheap here, before returning to our cabin for a rest, Sat out on the balcony watching the swallows and housemartins zooming up and down the side of the ship before the rains returned. Formal night tonight again, we did get to watch sail away before we went to dinner even though we were an hour late leaving port. After dinner we caught the end of the trivia quiz before going to the theatre for the show, it was an Asian Aussie woman called Tamara Guo who sang very loud, her range of songs were very good she sang both Asian and Western songs but also did a lot of talking which spoilt the show. On the way back to our cabin Flavvio was doing a salsa dance class in the Centrum, so we stood and watched, he does make me smile he is very good with the passengers. Bed around 11.00 PM. The weather was very hot and humid with a couple of heavy showers, cloud and sun.

Sunday 23rd August

Kota Kinabalu Malaysia

Woke up gradually as a late start today, took our time getting dressed and having breakfast. I broke the sink tap, it wouldn't turn off! Phoned maintenance and they arrived within 5 minutes. Down to the theatre, the queue moved a bit quicker but lots of people waiting around again. Smoothly on to the coach good thing air con blasting out as it was a very hot day. Went out to the Mari Mari Cultural Village situated amidst a remote forest setting, in the village, we were introduced to various traditional homes of Sabahan ethnic communities—the Bajau, Lundayeh, Murut, Rungus and Dusun—which are built by descendants of the tribes which they represent. we had the chance to see a blowpipe demonstration and some people had a go, fire-starting demonstration using bamboo, tattoo-making demonstration and have a go on a wooden trampoline, we also got the chance to sample Sabahan traditional delicacies from each of the ethnic groups, it was very good and we learnt a lot about Sabahan traditions, lunch was also included. Back to the bus and a quick photo stop at Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, and the Sabah Foundation Building before returning to the ship by 4.00 PM. Very hot and tired so relaxed in our cabin. After dinner went to Anchors Aweigh for Elvis music quiz, heard there was a magician on in the theatre called Duck Cameron, but we don't like magicians very much so stayed in the bar and had a drink. Back to cabin by 10.00 PM as another long day tomorrow. The weather today had been hot, humid and dry.

Monday 24th August

Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei

A long day ahead today, up at 6.15 AM ready for trip at 8.15 AM, finally get underway about 8.45 AM. Grace our guide was very loud and bubbly but also very nice, she took us to the outdoor market called Kianggeh Market and explained what some of the foods were and how they are used. Next we went to the Royal Regalia Building this museum is totally devoted to the life of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, what's on display is just amazing, the golden coronation and anniversary chariots, his enthronement Dais and many gifts he has been given over the years. Then it was onto Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque the largest mosque in Brunei, we had 20 minutes to wander round the grounds of the mosque and take photos before returning to the bus, it was very hot so didn't want to spend too long in the sun. Our lunch was at a Chinese restaurant, very nice, a bit hectic with everyone trying to get food at the same time, bonus free wi-fi. After an hour it was time to go to the river boats, we went to the Brunei River near Kampong Ayer the water village, where we picked up small motorised boats which took us up river for about an hour into the mangrove swamps, we saw White Kite eagles, a water monitor lizard and glimpsed some proboscis monkeys which was lovely to see, hoped to see more wildlife but we think it was too hot as it was early afternoon. Next stop was the water village, the river boat took us to one of the houses in the village, where we were given a drink of cold tea and some of nibbles, none of which I recognised, the river boat took us back to the shore where we boarded our coach. Our next stop was the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, a short stop just to take photos outside, but it was a beautiful mosque. We returned to the ship about 4.30 PM just in time, we were one of the last coaches back we were supposed to have sailed at 4.30 PM. Got ourselves a cold coffee drink and relaxed in our cabin till dinner, very hot, very tired. After dinner in Romeo and Juliet restaurant we caught the end of the trivia quiz before heading to the theatre to watch "Absolutely Fab" show, after the show had a drink and then watched Flavvio do merengue dancing in the Centrum before back to cabin. Sleep around 11.00 PM.

Tuesday 25th August

Day at Sea

Leisurely breakfast then picked up our passports and read all the paperwork in our room about departure tomorrow. Hubbie picked up statement from guest relations desk after joining a long queue, as it would not be available to check until tomorrow which we felt was too late, I sat and did crossword etc. while waiting for him. We went back to our cabin to check the statement against our receipts and before going up on to top deck for some fresh air. Went inside and watched the aerialists practicing over the Centrum, after lunch in Windjammers we went back to our cabin to sort our clothes and pack some of them up, went to dinner and then to the theatre to see last show starring Reuben Laurente Manilas pop virtuoso, he was okay but again too much talking, it was also the crews farewell to the passengers. We managed to watch the thriller dance in the Centrum, this was the last performance by the passengers to the rest of us, it was very good. We then returned to our cabin and finished packing and put our luggage outside before 11.00pm, then to bed early start tomorrow. The weather had been hot, humid with one sharp rain shower.

Wednesday 26th August

Singapore

Up at 6.30 AM for early breakfast and finish packing. Left cabin about 8.45 AM as had to be out by 9.00 AM. Took some photos up on deck before making our way to dining room, as we are platinum members it was a nice place to wait. We were called about 9.40 AM, it was a fairly long walk off the ship, we had a job finding one of our suitcases so asked for help, the label had come off and the suitcase had been put to one side along with many others. Out to the exit hall, bit chaotic as we were looking for our pick-up, waited about 10 minutes then the man appeared. It took about half an hour to reach the hotel (Orchard Hotel Orchard Road), but we enjoyed the views on the way. Went to our room and sorted some stuff, main cases not arrived yet but decided to go out for a walk down Orchard Road. We ended up in the ION shopping mall, it was like another world, hundreds of shops over three or four floors very easy to get lost in! Went to come outside, it was raining, but kept dry by using shop fronts and subways, even in the subways there were lots of shops. Picked up some chocolates, stopped at a 7-11 to pick-up breakfast stuff, then had a Starbucks and cake to tide us over till tonight. Took everything back to our room, quickly unpacked clothes and decided to catch the HOHO bus for one quick trip around the block just in case we didn't get to see anything tomorrow. The trip gave us a good feeling about the layout of the city the tour lasted about an hour. We then met some old friends who live in Singapore, they took us to dinner and the next day took us around all the main sites.

Thursday 27th August

Singapore

Firstly we went to Raffles Hotel, we took a walk around the grounds and found the long bar but sadly it was closed as it was still early in the morning. We did the harbour duck tour, it starts off on the land and then goes into the river, we sailed into the main Harbour area and saw the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer, the Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Sands Hotel and other sites before returning to the shore. Next we boarded the Singapore Flyer. The 40 minutes sightseeing big wheel gave us amazing views across the city, the weather was so clear you could see for miles. We then did a quick stop in China Town at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and street market before heading off to the Gardens by the Bay, we visited both the Bio-Domes with amazing plants and wonderful views it's a must see, inside the Cloud Forest dome was an amazing waterfall pouring down from a 35 metre tall mountain covered in lush vegetation, we caught the lift to the top of the mountain and walked down through the various planted walls. Outside was the Supertree Grove unique trees of up to 16 storeys in height, over 162,900 plants comprising more than 200 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and tropical flowering climbers are planted on the Supertrees. We had dinner at Satay by the Bay an area with many satay stalls and other various eateries, then headed back to the gardens once it got dark and watched an amazing light show that was held in the Supertrees, as music played the trees twinkled and changed colour as if dancing to the music, it was a truly magical experience. From here we drove to the Skypark which is on top of the Marina Sands Hotel, we walked through three floors of shops and caught the lift to the top of the hotel, you could see the whole city lit up from the top, the views were fantastic, there's even a bar and a swimming pool up on top. Such a memorable time, we feel we could never have done what we did today without our friends help. The weather was very hot, sunny and not much wind.

Friday 28th August

Singapore and Home

Slept till 8.45 AM and then slowly got up, had breakfast and packed. Checking the transfer voucher noticed it said not being picked up till 6.00 PM! (we thought it was 12.00 PM) flight was not until 22:45 PM, we thought it was 6.00 PM! So we found we had another 6 hours in Singapore. Checked out of hotel room just before 12.00 PM and left our luggage with reception for pick up later. We decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens about 20 minutes from the hotel, while at hotel downloaded a map of the gardens to take with us, it was very hot and sweaty walking along a busy road, resting often until we got there, found there were plenty of maps to use near the entrance of the gardens. Walked around, think we saw a kingfisher, some swans, squirrels and some hummingbirds in the Ginger Garden, we paid $1.00 senior citizens' rate to go into the Orchid Garden, well worth it. Relaxed in the hotel foyer before getting changed, in the toilets, into our travelling clothes, good thing we had them as we were soaking wet from sweat due to the high humidity. Picked up a bit early by our airport transfer, 5.50 PM, we went to Changi Airport, a lot of traffic and it took about an hour. Time when quickly, it was a 13 hour flight back to Heathrow, the plane was quiet and I was able to sleep for quite awhile. Plane landed on time and we were through customs and baggage claim fairly quickly it was 5.30 AM in London, got transfer to car park and picked up our car, roads clear most of the way home. It seems we did not suffer too much jet lag just a bit tired but that was to be expected. The weather in Singapore had been humid, hot and sunny with no rain, the weather in England was dry but cool.:D:D:D:D

[Clarea]

Though tough to read, it is very interesting, and I enjoyed hearing about one of our favorite ships, thanks.:)

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your very detailed report.

 

Keith

[guineapig]

As I said too long a review really, but it's as I wrote in my diary at the time. Just thought people might get an idea of cruising in Asia and on Legend of the Seas. I know I value other peoples reviews long or short to help me when researching my next cruise! Thanks to Cruise Critic for supplying all the info.