ALEX' s: Pre & Post Cruise Options

Direct Words from our travel agent, Alex! 

She says ...”You shouldn’t start thinking about 

airfare until you’ve thought about how many nights you can or want to stay in Bangkok, prior to the cruise, or after the cruise in Beijing (for 16 day-ers) or in Whittier/Anchorage, Alaska for (32 day-ers). I will be offering a 2 night package in Bangkok with 1 full day touring. In Beijing, I will be offering a 2 night, 1-1/2 day tour package with transfer included in both destinations.

If you would like something other than these 2 options, please contact me either by phone or email and I can price out whatever you would like to do.”

Photo: Davis' 08 Mediterranean Cruise, Venice Italy

BANGKOK: Top 10 Things To Do

Thanks Karen and Buzz for sharing this simple but easy website. Since many of us are looking at a short Pre-Cruise stay in Bangkok. This may be the website you have been looking for. “Top 10s for Bangkok".  Thanks again Karen & Buzz...I know the group appreciates you sharing, as it truly is starting to become a reality as we begin to make our trip plans! 

Here is the link that you can visit:  http://www.bangkok.com/most-popular-historical.htm

On this same website there are other Top 10s of Bangkok that might also interest you. Just check this out at the website's top heading under "Top Ten".

Photo provided by Bangkok Top 10s.

Seriously, Shopping for 2013, NOW????

Shopping for 2013, NOW??? Seriously Diana, you have got to be kidding! Actually I’m not!

We embark on our cruise ship on April 17, 2013 and though you may think,”Oh I can go shopping later”. Well this may very well be the case, if you would like Fall/Winter clothing as your selection! Where we are headed in the beginning portion of our cruise Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam count on it being hot, humid and sultry. Did I mention hot & humid? And as we sail north towards China, Korea and Japan as well as ultimately to Alaska. Well layering our clothes to accommodate our cooler temp will be our intent and plan. So yes, now is the time to jump on board the sales and get those summer items for next year. 

On the chiff website it was noted that since July 4th is on a Wednesday this year, the stores will be having weeklong sales from July 1st through the 8th!  So besides the fireworks, picnics and BBQ parties...think about hitting the summer sales to enhance your cruise wardrobe. And let us know on the comment section of this blog article any good deals that you come across...good luck on your shopping adventures!

Photo provided by: Flickr: ladybugbkt

Princess Cruises' SHORE EXCURSIONS

Still not registered on Princess Cruises? Okay,  then check this one for Ports and Excursions! 

Head to ... Princess.com home page > Learn About Princess > Ports & Excursions > Browse By Port > Select a Destination (Asia/Africa or World Tour) > Select a Port of Call. 

The Ports are listed under the cruise itinerary for you on the right hand side bar of our blog. So how hard was that...not bad huh?

The Princess Cruise Shore Excursions are basically categorized in the following:

SIGHTSEEING & TOURS

Guided tours that show you many of the top highlights of a port city and/or the local area

NATURE & WILDLIFE

Excursions that allow you to enjoy wilderness areas, view/interact with local fauna or marine life.

ACTIVITIES & ADVENTURES

Fun, exciting explorations that get you outdoors in the sun or surf: hikes, rides, water sports, beach visits, ziplines, flightseeing and more!

                                                                                                                                                                      

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Focused excursions and walking tours that visit select highlights while exploring particular aspects of the port's appeal in greater depth: Cuisine, History, Art/Culture, Religion, or Guided Shopping.

EXPLORING ON YOUR OWN

Resources that help you make the most of an independent exploration of the area.

Now if you are registered and have access to MY PRINCESS then Princess Cruise recommends:

Already Booked? Visit Cruise Personalizer

Visit Cruise Personalizer to

• Browse excursions, create your wishlist and share with your travel companions
• Pre-reserve excursions within 120 days of sailing

Photo and Information provided by: 

Princess.Com

Princess Cruises' PORTS OF CALL

There are Wonders of the World and then there is the Wonders of the Internet!

In our last posting, I had directed you to start by getting yourself registered with Princess Cruises. So you haven’t done so yet, right? Well fear not, as I thought this might be the case for some of you. So, lets ease you into taking a few steps at a time to explore  Princess Cruises website and NOT having to register. As I explored the pages of Princess Cruises: Prepare for Your Cruise, I couldn’t wait to share this source with you:

Yup, you will have to register at some point or pull out your check book and sweet talk Alex to do your work and then maybe she just might assist? ....Well for right now, let’s just start getting you to explore, drill, search and enjoy the journey of the Wonders of the Internet! So grab a drink of your choice, as Roger often says,  and let me lead you to a source for preparation and exploration to some of our Ports of Call via Princess Cruises....Oh by the way, be sure your drink of choice isn’t too close to your computer as Diana found out that her coffee cup hates that laptop screen when it leans and makes her coffee pour all over the tabletop. Yikes, what a mess!

On this blog posting, I have linked for you some of the pages on Princess Cruises where you can explore the various ports of call we will be visiting. Just double click on the highlighted turquoise word or phrases in this blog to get you to the appropriate page.

Also, I want to point out some great information for you to either create a hardcopy notebook or download to your computer folder for reference. Under each port of call page is also a pdf icon which has terrific introduction information to get you started on each of the city/ports of call we will be visiting. So be sure to look for this. 

I leave you with this thought....”A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” Lao Tzu ...so shall we begin our journey?!

Ports of Call - Asia

Bangkok, (Laem Chanang) Thailand

Singapore, Malaysia

Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Hong Kong, China

Shanghai, China

Nagasaki, Japan

Busan, South Korea

Beijing (Tianjin) China

Dalian, China

Osaka, Japan

Tokyo, (Yokohama) Japan

Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska

Photo provided by Princess Cruises - Find A Cruise

MY PRINCESS

As you start preparing for your upcoming Asia Cruise it is now time to sign up on the Princess Cruise Website to establish your account and register for ‘My Princess’. You should have a copy of your Booking Confirmation Number that Alex had sent to you when you placed your deposit and were assigned a stateroom. The booking number is located under the Princess Cruise logo on the upper left hand side of your Passenger Copy Booking Confirmation. If, by chance, you lost or may have deleted your confirmation email attachment, please contact Alex for assistance. Also to register on line with Princess Cruise you will need to provide your email and a password. 

Once you establish your My Princess account, you will need to eventually complete the information on your Cruise Personalizer. Cruise Personalizer is also a part of the My Princess Page. Below is a content peek to:

MY PRINCESS:

• Spotlights YOUR booked cruise - 16 day or 32 day option
• Brochure
• Weather
• Ship: Diamond Princess
• Saved and Shared Cruises
• Cruise Personalizer
• Referral Rewards
• Personal Profile
• My Dream Deals
• Preferences
• Cruise Countdown
• How to Book

CRUISE PERSONALIZER

• View Booking Summary
• View Itinerary
• Complete passenger Immigration
• Book Flights
• Provide Independent Air Information
• Excursion Reservations
• Update Special requests
• Update Onboard Preferences
• Additional Services

More then likely you will be inputting your information in stages. To make it easy and efficient, be sure you have at hand the following information for you as well as your booked companion’s information:

• Passport Number Expiration Dates - current US Passport Booklet 
• Address, Phone Numbers, Email Address
• Emergency Contact Information, not on the cruise
• Booked Flight Information
• Booked Hotel for Pre/Post Cruise
• Credit Card Number

Logo provided by Princess Cruises

UNESCO SITES for VIET NAM

Listed below are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for Viet Nam. Unfortunately with our only two Ports of Call for Vietnam being Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. The UNESCO sites are not within an easy access for a day trip and so it is my personal guess as to why Princess Cruise Shore Excursions do not offer these on this particular cruise. 

I understand that some of our guests may be particularly intrigued with Vietnam and if these stops are of importance. I recommend a couple of options. First, extend your Pre-Cruise Days and contact Alex directly to see how she can assist you to make arrangements for meeting your particular needs.  Secondly, I would like to encourage you to explore the option to return and consider a River Cruise with Viking River Cruise as an example and be sure your itinerary covers these points of interest. The other option is  to consider a private tour or a smaller cruise ship sailing which will allow you more access to other Ports of Call in Vietnam and even other countries we will be visiting. 

The Diamond Princess is a larger ship and though it will provide you with many fantastic cruise ship amenities and options on your sailing days. Unfortunately, our access to some of these sites such as those listed below for the UNESCO Heritage Sites for Vietnam is not always accessible to larger ships such as the Diamond Princess. 

Stay tuned and come back to our blog for future postings as we spotlight the specific ports of call such as Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. And a special thanks to Cristen for her question as to Vietnam's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

VIETNAM

• Complex of Hue Monument
• Ha Long Bay
• Hoi An Ancient Town
• My Son Sanctuary
• Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
• Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long- Hanoi
• Citadel of the Ho Dynasty

Photo provided by: UNESCO & Wikipedia

UNESCO World Heritage

With our cruise visiting seven different countries, including USA when we land in Anchorage Alaska. There will be plenty of shore excursions and sightseeing to be had.

In my previous blog article “Diana’s Top Five Trip Thoughts for Now”, the number three thought highlighted, was Shore Excursions you might want to participate in. So in this article I wanted to introduce the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that our Ports of Call may entice you to visit.

To begin with what is UNESCO? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO, seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world which are considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. And by the way, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional, is its universal application. World Heritage sites, truly belong to all the people of the world and noted below I have listed some of the closer sites by their countries we will be cruising to so you can begin to research and explore your options.

THAILAND

• Historic City of Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya Province
• Historic Town of Sukhothai & Associated Historic towns, Sukhothai and Kamphaeng Phet Provinces
• Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries, Kanchanaburi, Tak and Uthai Thani provinces

CHINA

• Imperial Palaces of the Ming & Qing Dynasties in Beijing
• Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
• Temple of Heaven:an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
• The Great Wall, Beijing, Tianjin, and other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.
• Imperial Tombs of the Ming & Qing Dynasties, Changping District, Beijing (Ming Tombs)
• Mountain Resort & its Outlying Temple Chengde, Chengde City, Hebei Province
• Historic Centre of Macao, Macao Special Administrative Region/Hong Kong

JAPAN

• Buddist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, Nara Prefecture
• Himeji-jo, Hyogo Prefecture
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Kyoto & Shiga Prefectures
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial/Genbaku Dome), Hiroshima Prefecture
• Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, Hiroshima Prefecture
• Historic Monument of Ancient Nara, Nara Prefecture

KOREA, Republic of

• Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks
• Seokguram Grotto & Bulguksa Temple
• Historic Villages of Korea:Hahoe & Yangdong

ALASKA

• Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek

CAMBODIA

• Angkor
• Temple of Preah Vihear

Although Cambodia is not one of our visiting ports of call. I wanted to point out that Princess Cruise shore excursion options are available for Angkor and can be accessed prior to the cruise. If you are thinking about this option, be sure to contact Alex our travel agent for alternative options as well. 

Additionally, allow me to apologize in advance if some of these UNESCO sites are not accessible as I had posted. Believe you me, I am not an expert by any means and so some of these locations are truly new and a learning exploration for me as well. So let us explore together and we can further the adventures with our upcoming future study groups. Thanks for your understanding!


Photo provided by: UNESCO Education Blog

China's UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Came across this interesting and helpful website called
China Highlights. It had this easy read reference matrix
of China's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here is the
website address:

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/world-heritage/

China Highlights website also has a number of other information
about China its customs, culture, photos and other helpful travel tools. Enjoy exploring and browsing!

Photo provided by China Highlight website

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HAVE YOU MET.... Posted: 14 May 2012 06:30 AM PDT You call or email her and you wonder who can this friendly face be on the line. She has a smile in her voice, a thoughtfulness in her response and you can’t help but wonder who is she really? Well you have just met Alexandra Kuncio, our official certified travel agent! Known simply as “Alex”, Roger and I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting this go to wonder person through Wendy Brown, a fellow cruiser who will also be joining us on our upcoming Asia to Alaska cruise.  Alex first became a part of the Roger and Diana clan in 2005, when she assisted us in our 15th Anniversary Renewal Ceremony with a Caribbean Cruise for some 40 friends and family. Alex has had a career in the travel industry for over 30 plus years, which also included sharing her professional travel industry wisdom through teaching and mentoring. Crossing off one of her personal goals, Alex has now personally traveled to over 100 different countries and has special interest in salsa dancing, yoga/zumba, scuba diving and gourmet foods. Alex is married to Ted Rodriguez and has been with him for 34 years. Both Alex and Ted will be joining us on the 16 Day Cruise option.     On a more personal note from Roger, he wanted to point out that Alex has a wonderful sense of humor but, is not much of a card player (oh yeah sure, next to Peggy Alby, also another card shark and a fellow 32 day Asia-Alaska Cruiser. We can label these two as competitive?!) so please be gentle with her if you play the progressive rummy game on this next cruise. If you haven’t met Alex yet, please introduce yourself as I’m sure you will enjoy her as much as we do.  You are subscribed to email updates from Roger & Diana's Asia to Alaska 2013 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 6061 Email delivery powered by Google