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So plan now otherwise you will lose out.BTW after talking with a rep from RCL,when the Genesis class sets out(2009??) It will be going to the Western Carribean--That #$&^%@ Mexico again. This seems to be the favorite of first time cruisers. What a poor way to start cruising!!!!!! IMHO !!!! Also due to the size of this ship ,tendering will be the rule as most ports won't be able to handle her for docking. Can you imagine all the passengers waiting to get ashore!
Frosty 4
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:BTW after talking with a rep from RCL,when the Genesis class sets out(2009??) It will be going to the Western Carribean--That #$&^%@ Mexico again. This seems to be the favorite of first time cruisers. What a poor way to start cruising!!!!!! IMHO !!!! Also due to the size of this ship ,tendering will be the rule as most ports won't be able to handle her for docking. Can you imagine all the passengers waiting to get ashore!
quote:Originally posted by Waynaro:Maybe Genesis will have NORWAY's landing crafts on her bow
...or maybe the Norway as landing craft.
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4: Can you imagine all the passengers waiting to get ashore!
If only the pasengers realized that there will be more to see and do onboard than there will be ashore!
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:After a long search with our travel agent we finally got booked on a cruise to Australia/NZ for next Jan.2008.Most cruise lines are already fully booked--eg Oceania. The others only had a few cabins in less than ideal locations and in some cases very $$$.As cruising gets more and more popular don't be surprised if it will be 2 years out before you can get on some cruises that have short Summer only cruises-as in this case Australia / NZ.So plan now otherwise you will lose out.
So plan now otherwise you will lose out.
This is a problem we constantly face down here in NZ and Australia.We have to book a long way ahead to get realistic air fares but are constantly told that the ships are booked out and that we will have to go on a wait list ,which does not help in booking an air fare.In reality we have found that it is not always the case.Many TA's block book, or are allocated space to sell and vacancies appear,as if by magic, closer to sailing date.The other problem is the future cruise credits that allow passengers to book for a very low,fully refundable deposit, and then they cancel without penalty.We have found Princess to be the worst for this.P&O Australia now demand and get $AU4,000.00 NON REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS,to ensure people are genuine about a booking.You just take out cancellation insurance as a protection.We did try a wait list once for Sapphire Princess and were contacted a few days before sailing to be told our numbers had come up,but a last minute air fare would have cost more than the cruise.
As I'm sure most of us here look for the best possible fare. We found that RCL( returning to this area) had a 14 day(no Tasmania)a few more ports in NZ for $1700/person more for our current fare and this was basically for 2 days at sea returning from Auckland to Sydney. I'm sure we can get a few days in Sydney(before) and Auckland (after),plus all our shore excursions for a lot less than paying that for 2 days at sea.$3400!!!! Shop around early and SAVE$$$.
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:That #$&^%@ Mexico again. This seems to be the favorite of first time cruisers. What a poor way to start cruising!!!!!! IMHO !!!! Frosty 4
Whats wrong with Mexico? Is that not a good cruise desination?
As to Mexico-- Lost American jobs( I felt this problem),serious illegal alien problems, terrible polution, corruption. pushy people trying to sell you something or looking for a hand out. dirty. Need I go on!!!!Frosty 4
quote:
True, but Puerta Vallarta is great, clean, and the people were nice, would love to return there on a cruise.
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:No plans yet for Sydney. We do have the Princess info book (not the detailed shore excursion book). Can you recommend something? I'm glad Pascal gave us some info on Aix en Provence on our Western Med cruise. We visited this town. Very nice! Frosty 4
Sorry, but it's very likely I won't be of any help for your upcoming Aussie cruise...
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:No plans yet for Sydney. We do have the Princess info book (not the detailed shore excursion book). Can you recommend something? I'm glad Pascal gave us some info on Aix en Provence on our Western Med cruise. We visited this town. Very nice! Too bad we did not meet however.As to Mexico-- Lost American jobs( I felt this problem),serious illegal alien problems, terrible polution, corruption. pushy people trying to sell you something or looking for a hand out. dirty. Need I go on!!!!Frosty 4
Have you ever been to Sydney before or is this your first time? I hope you have a good time. I heard of this thing where you can climb all around the Sydney Harbor Bridge. That would be pretty cool but I think its pretty hard. As to Mexico I have to say I don't totally agree with you.
One is overcrowding in the ports, particularly Grand Cayman. They desperately need the cruise tourists' money, so they are allowing as many as eight ships in at a time, making tendering a long process.
Another is ports like Costa Maya and Calica, which are ports in name only. Costa Maya is a glorified strip shopping center, without even a decent beach that you can get to without paying for a tour. Calica is a gravel quarry. Even the Mexicans look around and say, "What the heck are cruise ships doing here?"
Then there's Cozumel, whose docks were destroyed in the hurricane. They're getting them repaired but in the meantime most ships have to tender.
Some of these problems are temporary, some are permanent.
Nevertheless, the worst day on a cruise is better than the best day at work!
quote:Originally posted by Cunard Fan:I heard of this thing where you can climb all around the Sydney Harbor Bridge. That would be pretty cool but I think its pretty hard.
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