jacketwatch

thanks for the replies!

We booked a cruise with free grats on the Sapphire so I was thinking what happens to this money for the crew. Does the cruise line pay for the tips?

I agree. Its a fair price. Sometimes getting a visa can be a hassle anyway.

Actually I some prelim docs from Princess after a dep. was made and they said its the same for one of our other stops, Sihanoukville, Cambodia. They will automatically charge you the visa fee which is currently the same, $31.00.

Ok so I learned that Princess does this for,you and charges a fee that is currently $31.00 per person. Good for us. Sometimes getting travel visas are a hassle.

Actually for summer 2015 the Allure is in the Med and has an itinerary thats appealing so we will see. Thank you.

I know you need a visa for land trips but what about cruisers with one day stops. Do you also need a visa? Thanks!

I hear great things about the Dream. Congrats!

You bet! When we booked this one my wife said rather forlornly "but what will we do next year" Don't worry honey we'll think of something. Though I am not too crazy about the itinerary booking one of those Oasis class ships is a possibility as is our first with NCL on maybe the Breakaway of the Getaway.

I wonder how much it costs the cruise company?

Another idea is to get meds from your MD in case you get sick, I mean prescription meds. If you have insurance it will be much cheaper than what the ship will charge for the meds as well as the MD visit. Also there was a report I heard which said the so called "cruise ship virus" is more common on land. Actually Noro was discovered in a school outbreak in Norwalk, CT.

It is a long way off but we have something to look f/w too also. I have friends in Kuala Lumpur which is close to Singapore and in BKK so I hope to see them.

THANK YOU! Now the wait.

Any f/u as to how the boy is doing?

Well I have never booked a cruise this far out before. Its in Feb. of 2016 but my TA had a one day sale which according to her offered her agency exclusive pricing offers so we got free gratuities for this 11 dat cruise, $50.00 OBC and we spun a wheel ala wheel of Fortune and got an additional 3% off so all in all it was a savings of about $450.00. The ports look amazing and we have never been in any of them save for Bangkok which we practically missed d/t my wifes illness while there. Yep, I am http://cruise.expedia.com/Itinerary5.aspx?item=855902&tpid=1&eapid=0 Its the Feb. 24th departure.

We were on the AOS but that was in 2008. We were wowed by how cool this ship is, especially the promenade. It's the ships design that sells it. The food and service were good. We did have a problem with the maitre'd of all people who basically lied to us but we bumped it up to the hotel manager who cleaned up the situation splendidly.

So sad to hear. Pray for the best outcome. It's hard to understand how this happened in daylight around lunchtime.

If you need Oyas services pls. let me know and I'll email her.

Our guide wasa gal named Oya Oran who worked for "Hello Ephesus" but freelances now. She is soft spoken and a virtual walking encyclopedia inre to the history of this site and probably Turkey in general. We were there in late Oct. so weather was pretty nice then. I hope its not too warm for you Jan. I suggest to hydrate well and wear a hat or take an umbrella. Ephesus is pretty much wide open, no shade so hope for a nice day, maybe a little cloudy.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293976-d3397485-Reviews-Bizim_Ev_Hanimeli_Restaurant-Selcuk_Izmir_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

Great! A private tour is the way to go. I know a terrific guide so that is why I was asking. We have used her twice. BTW nearby there is a totally spectacular local Turkish restaurant called Bizim Ev. We have eaten there twice and the lunch buffet offers like literally 20 servings of fresh authentic dishes. You won't be disappointed!

Are you going to Kusadasi?

So if it is built what happens after it's maiden voyage and BTW how much is the fare? I read it's astronomical.

Us too. Given the loss of life building the PC it could have never been built today under those conditions.

Very cool. More options for passengers. We have a niece in Oz. Hmmm. one day hopefully!