Best Of
Re: September Canyonlands tour- Packing suggestions?
Just got back from the May 14 trip.
I agree with everything previously said about the layering and temperatures. It was down to 30 degrees at Bryce Canyon.
One suggestion to those that sunburn easily is a Columbia Sportwear fishing SPF fishing shirt. I got through the whole tour without burning, which is a miracle in itself.
One other suggestion is to be sure to hydrate. I would suggest filling a wide mouth water bottle everyday at the hotel and refilling it as needed from the water carried by the bus.
Speaking of hydration, here is out tour guide from the Slot Canyon:
TwoWoofs
Re: Abercrombie & Kent - Comparison with Tauck
I believe Kensington does only private tours with no scheduled dates. The A&K comments I've read are more about issues re US pre-tour staff rather than the tours themselves. I'll be trying out A&K in a few weeks, a simple itinerary to Scotland, All's fine so far and was delighted to learn that our TD has lived there for 20 years, which is a rarity in my Tauck experience. I wasn't interested in the sheep and falcons on Tauck's sched, preferring the art focus and liked that we don't cover as many km as Tauck.
Re: Tour of Delhi or Old Delhi
The very best thing for you to do is to contact the concierge at the hotel at the email address I posted earlier. They will send you a complete description of the tours. The concierge is very good and responds quickly.
You're not committing to anything by contacting them.
Re: Opinion Needed
Alcohol and tips are included in the small ship tours as well. And if you look at the “what’s included’ on the website description of the tour it tells you exactly how many meals are included. Our next river cruise is Savoring France. It is ten days including the arrival and departure days, and includes 23 meals. There is one meal each on the arrival and departure days, which leaves 21 meals for the other eight days. So if you eat three meals a day, which we don’t, you will have three meals on your own during those eight days. Personally, I like having a few meals away from the tour group. I typically eat a lot less than what Tauck provides. In any case on our next river cruise it is ‘al inclusive’ except for three meals which we will probably only eat if it is a dinner meal. If it is lunch it will likely be coffee or a glass of wine.
Sealord
Re: Kingdoms & Dragons: Singapore to Bali Review - Part 3 Sights and Activities
Day 2 - Walking tour of the colonial district and a bumboat ride on the Singapore River in the morning. Sights include Victoria Theater and Memorial Hall, Old Supreme Court Building, the Arts House, the Old Hill Street Police Station, and the new Supreme Court Building. These are all just walk-bys with the Local Guide providing the historical details.
On the bumboat ride you motor down the Singapore River to the little bay that the Marina Bay Sands hotel is next to and then back. The sights and history of the area are described throughout the ride.
Next up is a visit to a public housing block, a series of nearly 50 story buildings all connected at two different levels. We visited the top level for some amazing views of Singapore. The guides detail the way housing works in Singapore. Housing and owning a car is seriously expensive.
We make a short stop to walk through a couple of office buildings in downtown Singapore to view and discuss their history and architecture prior to heading to lunch and visit at the InTan Home Museum dedicated to the Paranakan culture. The lunch concludes with a bit of piano playing and singing by the host and the local tour guide. The singing was a fun way to conclude the visit/lunch.
We returned to the hotel around 3:30, in time to do the hotel history tour if desired (which we did). If so, a reservation should be obtained via the concierge in the morning or after the previous days Meet and Greet.
After the hotel tour we stopped by the Long Bar (with a time reserved via the concierge) for a Singapore Sling and some peanuts with the shells discarded onto the floor per tradition. NOTE: If you go to the Long Bar be sure to get a reservation with the concierge so you can bypass the line which is always there.
The day ended with a late dinner in the hotel.
Kingdoms & Dragons: Singapore to Bali Review - Part 3 Sights and Activities
Day 0 - Gift of Time Day and Day 1 Up to the Meet and Greet Meeting
We headed out from the hotel towards the Singapore Flyer area with plans to walk around the ‘lagoon’ that sits in front of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and then back to the hotel. We found that the Formula 1 barricades being erected for the September race presented a bit of a challenge to our intended route. We eventually made our way across the Helix Bridge and went into the shopping center by the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. We went to the food court to hydrate and rest a bit (this was our first exposure to the Singapore heat/humidity). We continued our walk around the lagoon taking pictures along the way. The ladies posed in front of a fancy Louis Vuitton store on the shoreline. We continued our navigation of the lagoon when we reached the Merlion statue & fountain and then crossed the Jubilee Bridge. At this point we fumbled upon a route that took us via mostly underground and air conditions walkways most of the way back to the hotel (past the Raffles Metro station and through Raffles City shopping mall).
Day 1 - Meet and Greet Reception and Dinner at 6:00 PM.
The 18 tour guests met the Tour Director, Debra Grant, in the Raffles Hotel Library, got acquainted, and then had dinner in a meeting room in the hotel.
Re: Michigan's Lakes and Mackinac Island
Most of my photos are not transferring from my phone to my iPad here. I assume it is because each person is only able to connect one device at a time to the internet. Apart from that, any time I want internet service on the ship, I’ve connected, no problem. Here are a few photos of the Grand Hotel which have appeared
British
