Re: 2017 cruise

Hi realspeed, I really hope you enjoy your cruise next year. My wife and I have been cruising out there several times and really enjoyed it. The taxis are so cheap and the drivers very friendly, it is better not to book the excursions from the ship.

I hope you have better luck than us earlier this year. We booked a 5 week cruise to Bermuda and the USA/Canada. 2 weeks before we were due to go,my wife went down with serious heart problems, so we were banned from travel. Luckily I had just switched our bank account to Nationwide, and as part of the deal we got free travel insurance. They repaid every pound that we had laid out.

Best wishe for a lovely cruise.

Re: 2017 cruise

My brother and his wife have been on a cruise which took in the Carribean islands a number of times and on each occasion they had a wonderful holiday
Unfortunately last time they booked my brother developed a heart condition and they had to cancel.

I hope you and Sue have a wonderful time Bazza

Re: 2017 cruise

All tours booked from home so no problems there. On other cruises we have always done a guided tour and at least Royal Carribean cruise line the ship has to wait until all tours are back on board. This happened to us when the tour we were on got back late. With that company if you do a "go it alone" wander about the ship does not have to wait. I suspect it is the same with all crise lines.
In the past we have seen people trying to book tours onboard ship and the tours are fully booked, so we book ASAP they are published.
Same with booking a cabin we found to get the one you want you need to book at least 18 months in advance.

Re: 2017 cruise

Hi realspeed,
Everything you say we have done in the past. It is what you feel comfortable with that matters. We always book our cruises early, and always take a guided tour whenever we visit for the first time. We only started teaming up with other people and hiring a taxi for places we have previously visited.

Anyway I hope that you have a really good time in a lovely part of the world.

Best Wishes
Arthur

Re: 2017 cruise

Of all the countries my wife and I have visited but not on a Cruise was China

Fotget all about what they do or don't do and the politics and enjoy the country for what it is.
Ok we did the "tourist" thing with our own personal guides -car drive etc so got to go places where coach parties don't go. Just one example we saw a coach parth step off the coach and within a few steps were on the great wall.

Where we went we had to use a ski lift to see this . we were so high up it was a job to breath the air was so thin

yes we walked up there as well China on the left and Mongolia on the right

Wife and I going around old Bejing

yes we did the other "sites"as well but China has left me with a lastly impression and would love to go back and see more