Just got back from South Africa-Trip Blog and Picture link!!! Finished!!!

[Forever a Princess]

Hello!!!

We just got back from the South Africa trip. It was an amazing journey!!!! We feel so blessed to have gone on this trip. :cool1:

I am currently in the process of doing a blog about the trip. Go to foreveraprincessrenee.blogspot.com to see the blog.

Please note: there are spoilers on the blog regarding the mouse magic and the surprises that we had the on the trip. So keep this in mind if you do wish to read the blog.

For our pictures go to weluvdisney.smugmug.com. Click on the Travel section.

Enjoy!!!
Renee

[Tozzie]

Hello!!!

We just got back from the South Africa trip. It was an amazing journey!!!! We feel so blessed to have gone on this trip. :cool1:

I am currently in the process of doing a blog about the trip. Go to foreveraprincessrenee.blogspot.com to see the blog.

Please note: there are spoilers on the blog regarding the mouse magic and the surprises that we had the on the trip. So keep this in mind if you do wish to read the blog.

For our pictures go to weluvdisney.smugmug.com. Click on the Travel section.

Enjoy!!!
Renee


The pictures are amazing, it looks like you had an awesome trip!!! Thanks for Sharing.

I would love to go on this trip but i would starve, I wouldn't like the food.

[kidcoos3]

Food wasn't a problem on this trip at all! Lots of places were buffets with many choices. Even the restaurants typically had a few choices.

[sayhello]

The pics look great! Are you going to do more captioning? If you are, I'll wait to look at the rest until they're captioned, so I can know what I'm looking at! :)

But it looks spectacular so far. I'll check out your blog when I get home from work!

Sayhello

[Forever a Princess]

The pics look great! Are you going to do more captioning? If you are, I'll wait to look at the rest until they're captioned, so I can know what I'm looking at! :)

But it looks spectacular so far. I'll check out your blog when I get home from work!

Sayhello

Thank you!!!

Yes! DH will be working on captioning in the next couple of weeks. That way you can search by Safari etc.

Enjoy the pics and the blog!

P.S. I see that you will be doing the ABD Mediterranean cruise in May. Tina our ABD guide from South Africa will be one of your guides on this adventure. Tina is AWESOME!!! You're in for a real treat. Have a great time and I can hardly wait to see your pics and trip report. We want to do this Adventure next year!!!!

Renee

[beachbunny]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I'm going next April and I'm really excited that they included the Elephant place.

You saw rock hyraxs. I just love them! We had them scampering across the roof of our tent last time we were out in the Serengeti following the Great Migration.

This is just an off the wall question, but did you eat the salads? I usually don't eat salad in Africa, but wanted to know if S.Africa was safe.

[Diskidatheart]

Great pictures! I didn't get to go through them all, but the one's that I saw were beautiful. I'd love to go on this trip, but my wife is concerned that we would go all that way and wouldn't see any animals on the safaris. Is that even a possibility?

[sayhello]

Thank you!!!

Yes! DH will be working on captioning in the next couple of weeks. That way you can search by Safari etc.

Enjoy the pics and the blog!

P.S. I see that you will be doing the ABD Mediterranean cruise in May. Tina our ABD guide from South Africa will be one of your guides on this adventure. Tina is AWESOME!!! You're in for a real treat. Have a great time and I can hardly wait to see your pics and trip report. We want to do this Adventure next year!!!!

ReneeI look forward to the pics & blog!

Yes, I'm doing the ABD Med cruise! 5 weeks to go. :yay: So one of our Guides will be Tina? Cool! Do you have a picture of her you can point me to? It will be neat being able to recognize a Guide when I get there. Glad to hear she is awesome! The Guides really make these trips!

Sayhello

[Forever a Princess]

For a picture of Tina go to this link.

weluvdisney.smugmug.com/Travel/South-Africa-2010/Day-11-The-Little-5/11705436_HAKun#826603668_Y8PZX-A-LB

Let me know if this does not go through.

Renee

[Forever a Princess]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I'm going next April and I'm really excited that they included the Elephant place.

You saw rock hyraxs. I just love them! We had them scampering across the roof of our tent last time we were out in the Serengeti following the Great Migration.

This is just an off the wall question, but did you eat the salads? I usually don't eat salad in Africa, but wanted to know if S.Africa was safe.

The Elephant place was something that we did on our own and was not officially part of the adventure. The guides set everything up for us-transportation there and back etc. But our guides could not go with us.

We ate the salads and fruits. DH had no problems. I had to back off and stick with the warm foods for the latter half of the trip.

[sayhello]

For a picture of Tina go to this link.

weluvdisney.smugmug.com/Travel/South-Africa-2010/Day-11-The-Little-5/11705436_HAKun#826603668_Y8PZX-A-LB

Let me know if this does not go through.

ReneeI cut & pasted it into the address bar, got to a picture of a cute blond woman and a Guide named Craig, both wrapped in a rather large snake!!! :thumbsup2 She looks like a lot of fun! Cool! Thanks. I'll tell her "Hi!" from you!

Sayhello

[beachbunny]

How much did the elephant place cost? How long did this last, and did you miss anything the group did by going there?

Were there other activities that were extra?

Did you change money before you left? How much should I expect to spend - I'm a shopper. What was the best souvenier you purchased?

Did you arrive in Capetown a day early? I'm thinking about flying to London for a couple of days and arriving in Capetown on Day 1.

Thanks for your answers!

[kidcoos3]

Tell her "hi" from the Petersons too! Both guides are great fun. It's Craig's birthday on Saturday!:bday:

Leslie
I cut & pasted it into the address bar, got to a picture of a cute blond woman and a Guide named Craig, both wrapped in a rather large snake!!! :thumbsup2 She looks like a lot of fun! Cool! Thanks. I'll tell her "Hi!" from you!

Sayhello

[sayhello]

Tell her "hi" from the Petersons too! Both guides are great fun. It's Craig's birthday on Saturday!:bday:

LeslieI absolutely will! :) "Hi!" from Renee and from the Petersons. Gotcha! :thumbsup2

Sayhello

[Forever a Princess]

I cut & pasted it into the address bar, got to a picture of a cute blond woman and a Guide named Craig, both wrapped in a rather large snake!!! :thumbsup2 She looks like a lot of fun! Cool! Thanks. I'll tell her "Hi!" from you!

Sayhello

Thank you for saying "Hi' to Tina for me!

[brewcrew]

I sat here and read your blog with my 9 year old and now she wants to go on this trip! Great trip report. I'm glad you had a great time!

[Forever a Princess]

How much did the elephant place cost? How long did this last, and did you miss anything the group did by going there?

The Elephant Ride and experience was about $100 per person plus about $80 per person for the van ride from the hotel to the Elephant place (We could not use Disney Transportation since this was not an Adventure event). The Photo package and the DVD was also about $60. The whole experience was well worth the price. The Elephant ride was priceless.

Craig and Tina set up the van ride for us. We purchased our tickets for the elephant experience when we got there.

We did this on Day 8 of the Adventure. We did not miss anything as that time period was slated as an afternoon/evening on our own.

We headed out to the Elephant place about 3pm and we got back around 6:30 P.M.

Were there other activities that were extra?
-There was a couple of nights that we had time on our own to go out to dinner and shop. Craig made recommendations for places to eat and he set up the reservations for us.
-Tina set up a couples massage for us at Kapama Lodge. Beautiful Spa!!! The price for couples massage was quite reasonable.

Did you change money before you left?

I could of exchanged money in Atlanta but I exchanged for a small amount at the Cape Town Airport when we arrived. The next day Tina told us that the best way to obtain Rand was to use an ATM. So I used my bank card to get out Rand both in Cape Town and in Knysna. There are no easily accessible ATM's to Adventurers in George or Kapama Lodge. Tina kept reminding us of this during our trip. I also used my credit card for a few of the purchases.

Remember to call your credit card company and your bank before you go!!!

How much should I expect to spend - I'm a shopper.

I'm a shopper too!!! The shopping in South Africa was to die for!!!!
Customs limit for an individual is $800, family is $1600. This is equivalent to about 5864 Rand for an individual. That's quite a bit of Rand!!!!!!!

We bought sooooooooooo much stuff and did not hit the customs limit.

What was the best souvenir you purchased?

1. Painted Ostrich Egg.
2. Replica of part of an African Door.
3. Small wood carving of the continent of Africa.
4. Elephant tail jewelry.
5. Ostrich purse and coin purse.
6. Map book of Africa.

I'm currently working on my blog page for Knysna. This will talk about the wonderful shopping in more detail. I'll have pictures of #1-#3 in this blog. And I'll explain #2 in more detail. I'll have the first part of the Knysna blog up by this weekend.

For a picture of the Ostrich purse and the coin purse see my blog page on In George by George. They are gorgeous items!!!!

The best place to purchase Elephant tail jewelry and the BEST store to shop in is at the Waterfront at Cape Town. The store's name is Out of Africa. There is a smaller one in the mall itself. This is not the one that I am talking about though. The big huge Out of Africa store is over by the draw bridge/Robben Island Museum. Craig will give you a map of the Waterfront when you get there. He can circle that area on the map.

Did you arrive in Capetown a day early? I'm thinking about flying to London for a couple of days and arriving in Capetown on Day 1.

Yes!!! We flew in a day early to get a jump start on acclimating to the time zone. We're so glad we did!!!! There is so much shopping to do at the Waterfront. You'll be glad that you had the extra time as once the Adventure starts you go! go! go!

Thanks for your answers!

Your Welcome! I enjoyed answering them!!!

Renee

[Forever a Princess]

I sat here and read your blog with my 9 year old and now she wants to go on this trip! Great trip report. I'm glad you had a great time!

Thank You!!!! :banana:

[beachbunny]

Thank you so much for your answers! I'm getting excited already and I still have a year to go!

Please keep coming back here because I know I'll have more questions.

[2littlestitches]

Wow, this trip looks amazing! I loved seeing all the pics. We did the ABD Australia trip, which was so wonderful, but the Africa one has been on my radar. After seeing the pics, I think it's a must-do!

My kids are ages 7 and 9. I had one question....were the younger kids allowed on the safari rides? In reading up on this ABD trip there were some disclaimers about younger kids possibly not being allowed on the rides. Realistically, my kids will likely be a few years older before we are able to do this trip, but just wondering what restrictions were placed on the kids.

Thanks for sharing your amazing pics!

[Forever a Princess]

Your Welcome! I enjoyed answering them!!!

Renee

Ooops Transportation to the Elephant place was about 80 Rand per person (not dollars, LOL)!!!

[Forever a Princess]

Wow, this trip looks amazing! I loved seeing all the pics. We did the ABD Australia trip, which was so wonderful, but the Africa one has been on my radar. After seeing the pics, I think it's a must-do!

My kids are ages 7 and 9. I had one question....were the younger kids allowed on the safari rides? In reading up on this ABD trip there were some disclaimers about younger kids possibly not being allowed on the rides. Realistically, my kids will likely be a few years older before we are able to do this trip, but just wondering what restrictions were placed on the kids.

Thanks for sharing your amazing pics!

You're Welcome!!!

Yes the Junior Adventurers do go on the Safari Game Rides. Our Junior Adventurers were 8 and 9 y.o and turned 9 and 10 y.o respectively on the trip. They had a blast!!!!!

Your kids will be old enough when you go. They will have no restrictions to all of the great activities!!!

[Forever a Princess]

Thank you so much for your answers! I'm getting excited already and I still have a year to go!

Please keep coming back here because I know I'll have more questions.

I will do just that!!!

[beachbunny]

A few more questions: Did you purchase your airfare through ABD? What route did you fly and with what airlines?

I'm flying from Honolulu so I'm thinking about booking two separate flights. Honolulu to London and then London to South Africa. I don't want to fly direct because it takes three days and it'll take me just as long to recover from the jet lag (day 1 Honolulu to anywhere on the mainland; day 2 mainland to London; and day 3 London to South Africa). So I may layover in London for 2 or 3 nights and arrive a day early. Boy, that's going to be a long vacation!

[beachbunny]

Okay, so I found the second page of your blog and know that you flew from Atlanta to Jo'berg. OMG! Would you do that direct flight again? Or would you break it up, like I'm thinking about doing?

What airlines did you fly?

[Forever a Princess]

A few more questions: Did you purchase your airfare through ABD? What route did you fly and with what airlines?

I'm flying from Honolulu so I'm thinking about booking two separate flights. Honolulu to London and then London to South Africa. I don't want to fly direct because it takes three days and it'll take me just as long to recover from the jet lag (day 1 Honolulu to anywhere on the mainland; day 2 mainland to London; and day 3 London to South Africa). So I may layover in London for 2 or 3 nights and arrive a day early. Boy, that's going to be a long vacation!

Yes, as you saw we flew Atlanta to Joberg. And flew back Joberg to Atlanta. Trip going was 15.5 hours. Back was 16.5 hours.

If we had the vacation days we would of stopped in London for a few days coming and going. However we just don't have the vacation time to do this.

Hope this helps!

[beachbunny]

Hello fellow shopper. Did you use cash or credit card for all of you shopping? I'm trying to figure out which would be the better choice.

By the way, I love the carved door.

Did you encounter mosquitoes or tsetse flies while on safari? Don't want to pack repellent if I don't need to.

[Forever a Princess]

Hello fellow shopper. Did you use cash or credit card for all of you shopping? I'm trying to figure out which would be the better choice.

By the way, I love the carved door.

Did you encounter mosquitoes or tsetse flies while on safari? Don't want to pack repellent if I don't need to.

Hello!!!

I used mostly cash as I was charged a surcharge every time I used my credit card. It wasn't much but still... I took along my bank card to withdraw cash from the ATMs. If you do this make sure you notify your bank before you go.

Thanks for the comment on the door. I love this piece!!!

We did not encounter mosquitoes or tsetse flies while we were on safari. No need to pack the bug spray though. There is a can of this in the room at the Kapama Lodge (they think of everything there!).

Have a great trip!

[Forever a Princess]

Hello!

We got our ABD photo CD last week on Thursday. Over the weekend I have been adding pictures to each Day of the trip.

Enjoy!!!

[beachbunny]

Okay, I've read the entire blog (except for the last section you're working on). Loved it! Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

One more question: What otc and prescription meds did you take with you? When we went on safari on our own we had a big bag of meds with us. Is that necessary with an ABD tour?

[Forever a Princess]

Okay, I've read the entire blog (except for the last section you're working on). Loved it! Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

One more question: What otc and prescription meds did you take with you? When we went on safari on our own we had a big bag of meds with us. Is that necessary with an ABD tour?

Thank You for reading my blog!!! It was my pleasure to put this together!!!

We took Advil, Tylenol, cold medicine, Immodium etc. I think it was necessary as none of the Hotels have gift shops. Also besides Cape Town we were not near any pharmacy or grocery store.

[Forever a Princess]

My Blog is now done. Safari days and pics have been added. Happy reading all!!! :thumbsup2

[Tozzie]

My Blog is now done. Safari days and pics have been added. Happy reading all!!! :thumbsup2

I read it, the pictures are fabulous and it looks like you had an amaing trip. I never thought about going to SA but this trip report and the photos makes me want to take the trip.

[Forever a Princess]

Sorry for any inconvenience. I had a problem with getting my last page (Best of the Best) of my blog to "stick." I think I have this fixed. Happy reading!!

[Forever a Princess]

I read it, the pictures are fabulous and it looks like you had an amaing trip. I never thought about going to SA but this trip report and the photos makes me want to take the trip.

Thank you for reading my blog! SA is a beautiful country. I would highly recommend that you go!!!!:thumbsup2

[tksbaskets]

What wonderful pictures. I think I may have had trouble with the food...looked fairly 'exotic'. How was it in person? It was a very small group. What are the normal numbers for SA?

Thanks for sharing,
TK

[Forever a Princess]

What wonderful pictures. I think I may have had trouble with the food...looked fairly 'exotic'. How was it in person? It was a very small group. What are the normal numbers for SA?

Thanks for sharing,
TK

Thank You!

Remember that John and I are foodies!!!! That means we are adventurous eaters and we eat all of the "exotic" stuff. There is plenty of "regular" food to eat at each location.

This was a small group at 10 Adults and 2 kids. I do not know what the usual numbers are but the guides mentioned that this was one of the smaller groups.

Renee

[tiggrbaby]

Thank you thank you thank you for such a wonderful blog! My sister and I are on the 7/31 trip, and you have made the anticipation so much more exciting! I would not have budgeted for the elephants without your info.

[Forever a Princess]

Thank you thank you thank you for such a wonderful blog! My sister and I are on the 7/31 trip, and you have made the anticipation so much more exciting! I would not have budgeted for the elephants without your info.

You're Welcome!!!! :thumbsup2

July will be winter time in South Africa. I think I recall hearing Tina or Craig say that some of the previous Adventurers whilst on their trip in the winter months purchased long john's in Cape Town before going on the rest of the trip.

I would suggest bringing a warm jacket and a pair of gloves at the very least. The evening game drives on the Safari can be quite chilly!!!

Enjoy this beautiful country!!!! If you have any questions before you go please let me know!

Renee

[Forever a Princess]

My blog is now listed in the Trip Report section. A big Thank You to Say Hello for helping me make this post!!!!! :thumbsup2

[tiggrbaby]

You're Welcome!!!! :thumbsup2

July will be winter time in South Africa. I think I recall hearing Tina or Craig say that some of the previous Adventurers whilst on their trip in the winter months purchased long john's in Cape Town before going on the rest of the trip.

I would suggest bringing a warm jacket and a pair of gloves at the very least. The evening game drives on the Safari can be quite chilly!!!

Enjoy this beautiful country!!!! If you have any questions before you go please let me know!

Renee

For my birthday I got silk long underwear: two tops and one pair of leggings! I got those in mind for the trip. I also picked up a hat, scarf, and gloves on clearance at the end of the season. I just got a knit polarfleece hooded jacket that is loose enough for two layers underneath. I figure it will all come in handy for cradling my purchases on the way home!

[Forever a Princess]

Sounds like you are all set! Have a great trip!!!

[LisaTex]

I absolutely will! :) "Hi!" from Renee and from the Petersons. Gotcha! :thumbsup2

Sayhello

Also a big hello from the Schneider's from the one and only Hawaii year. we hope to see her next summer in S. Africa!

[beachbunny]

Hi again!

Your blog didn't go into it, but can you share what you did on that extra pre-tour day in Capetown?

Also, if you have one, can you share your packing list?

[Forever a Princess]

Hi again!

Your blog didn't go into it, but can you share what you did on that extra pre-tour day in Capetown?

Also, if you have one, can you share your packing list?

Hello!

Our pre-Adventure day was a Sunday. We got up that morning feeling great! We had crashed when we got in the night before. We went down to the hotel lobby and met our ABD guides Tina and Craig. Craig called a cab for us to go to church in downtown Cape Town.

While waiting for the cab Tina gave us a map of Victoria and Alberts Waterfront. Both Guides suggested that we spend the day at the Waterfront after church.

Craig suggested several places for us to eat. He set up reservations for us to eat at Balducci's (Lunch) and Ba'ia (Dinner). Both were seafood restaurants at our request.

We went to church in downtown Cape Town. The cab driver that had taken us there came back for us when church was done. He then took us down to the Waterfront. I had exchanged some money at the Cape Town Airport the night that we flew in so I had Rand on hand for the cab drive.

We spent a bit of time looking around at the Waterfront and made our way over to Balducci's. The food was fabulous! I especially loved the chocolate fondant!!!! After eating lunch we walked around the Waterfront and did a lot of shopping.

We checked on going to Robben's Island (boat leaves from the Waterfront) but they were all sold out for Sunday. I did not think of asking Craig that morning about tickets for this. I hear that the Robben Island tickets can be purchased prior to going so I would suggest this if you have any interest in this.

One of the neat things that we did was shopping at the Waterfront's Market. Essentially this is a (red) building where vendors have items for sale. The prices were marked on the items so no bartering was needed. We bought quite a bit in here.

We did check on going on a helicopter ride over Table Mountain etc. However it was quit cloudy that day so we would not of been able to see much so we passed on this.

Near the end of the afternoon we found a grocery store (in the Waterfront) and also a pharmacy (Walgreens equivalent). At these stores we loaded up on pop, an electrical converter and snack items (breakfast bars) for the trip. We also bought a couple of other items that we had forgot to pack. We then went and got on the free hotel shuttle and went back to the hotel for a rest. The jet lag was getting to us at the point so the rest was quite welcomed.

Around 6 pm we then headed back out to the Waterfront for our Dinner reservation (again on the free hotel shuttle). Our Dinner at Ba'ia was wonderful. We couldn't help but notice that we had one of the best tables in the restaurant (right by the windows) overlooking the Waterfront. (Mouse Magic Rules!!!) The seafood was fabulous!!! We would love to go back here someday. Our Dinner experience took a couple of hours so by the time we were done the mall was closed. We took the shuttle back to the hotel and crashed for the night.

Sorry I do not have a packing list. Any specific questions I can ask about packing for the South Africa trip??

Renee princess:

[beachbunny]

Thanks for the pre-trip report!

I think we're going to have half a day more than you because we arrive in the morning whereas you arrived at night. So after we settle in, we'll have the rest of our arrival day plus the next day before touring starts on Day 2. With all that extra time, I'll definitely look into visiting Robben Island.

Packing: We'll be going around the same time as you - April - and I wanted to know how cold it got and what you brought (fleece, light jacket?). I'm a real wimp when it comes to cold weather! Also, how many pairs of pants, shirts, etc. did you bring? I plan on doing some washing of undies in the room, but don't want to be washing heavy stuff like jeans.

[Forever a Princess]

Lets see, you are packing for 2 climate types. Cape Town is mild weather. It was mostly 70's when we were there. Kapama days were hot/early morning and late evenings were chilly.

We did laundry in the room every couple of days. Wash in sink-->rinse in tub-->hang to dry. :laundy: We usually washed on the day that we moved to a different hotel. That gave the clothes enough time to dry. Specifically I'm talking about the socks. Take more pairs then you think. We bought the quick dry ones. But it took them two days to dry.

We did like the quick dry underclothes that we bought and brought with us. Those dried overnight.

I brought both a lightweight safari jacket and also a fleece hooded sweatshirt. I would wear both layered on the safari game drives in the early morning and in the late evening. I'm like you. I'm always cold!!

I also took one lightweight sweater.

Other stuff I packed:
1 tank top
3 short sleeve shirts
3 almost long sleeve shirts
1 pair of cargo pants
1 pair of cargo capris
2 pair of shorts (I only needed one pair)
2 skirts (did not really need them)

Hope this helps!
princess:

[tiggrbaby]

Lets see, you are packing for 2 climate types. Cape Town is mild weather. It was mostly 70's when we were there. Kapama days were hot/early morning and late evenings were chilly.

We did laundry in the room every couple of days. Wash in sink-->rinse in tub-->hang to dry. :laundy: We usually washed on the day that we moved to a different hotel. That gave the clothes enough time to dry. Specifically I'm talking about the socks. Take more pairs then you think. We bought the quick dry ones. But it took them two days to dry.

We did like the quick dry underclothes that we bought and brought with us. Those dried overnight.

I brought both a lightweight safari jacket and also a fleece hooded sweatshirt. I would wear both layered on the safari game drives in the early morning and in the late evening. I'm like you. I'm always cold!!

I also took one lightweight sweater.

Other stuff I packed:
1 tank top
3 short sleeve shirts
3 almost long sleeve shirts
1 pair of cargo pants
1 pair of cargo capris
2 pair of shorts (I only needed one pair)
2 skirts (did not really need them)

Hope this helps!
princess:

:worship::worship::worship: You are soooo helpful! I took your advice and booked the Robben Island tour for our pre-trip day. I have been reading your blog over and over to try and commit your tips to memory! I am hoping to be able to afford to get two ostrich eggs: one for me and one for my parents. But how do you tranport them home? My carry-on will be stuffed with my laptop, camera, and kindle to begin with!

[beachbunny]

Thanks Renee!

tiggrbaby: I always bring bubble wrap and duct tape with me when I travel to foreign countries. It allowed me to pack wood carvings (animals and bowls) in Tanzania and ceramic pottery in Ecuador. I don't think I'd pack an egg - no matter how hard the shell. I think I'd bubble wrap it and carry it in the free duffel you get from ABD.

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks Renee!

tiggrbaby: I always bring bubble wrap and duct tape with me when I travel to foreign countries. It allowed me to pack wood carvings (animals and bowls) in Tanzania and ceramic pottery in Ecuador. I don't think I'd pack an egg - no matter how hard the shell. I think I'd bubble wrap it and carry it in the free duffel you get from ABD.

Bubble wrap! What a great idea! thanks!

Free duffel? In addition to the backpack I got last week? Will they allow me two carry-ons?

[Forever a Princess]

:worship::worship::worship: You are soooo helpful! I took your advice and booked the Robben Island tour for our pre-trip day. I have been reading your blog over and over to try and commit your tips to memory! I am hoping to be able to afford to get two ostrich eggs: one for me and one for my parents. But how do you tranport them home? My carry-on will be stuffed with my laptop, camera, and kindle to begin with!

You're Welcome!!!!

I would like to hear about your Robben Island tour when you get back. Can't wait to see pics of this!!!

Yes you are allowed two carry ons. I had a small purse that fit inside the ABD backpack. Then I also carried on the duffle bag.

ABD gives you both the backpack (pretrip) and the duffle bag (when you get there). The Mouse thinks of everything! :thumbsup2

The duffle that ABD gives you is big enough for all of your souvenirs including the ostrich eggs. I had every square inch of my duffle packed to the gills. Not to mention the backpack..... :banana::banana:

The overhead bins on the international planes are HUGE. Think size of a small car trunk. Plenty of room for the egg or you can place it under your feet. Our Cabin Captain Steward was joking that "all of you think that it's your job to fill these things." Right he is!!!!!

The shop owner will wrap your egg in bubble wrap/tissue and place the ostrich egg in a box. My egg made it through 4 airports by the time that I got it home!!!!!

I had originally not planned on purchasing an ostrich egg as I thought that it would not make the trip. The Ostrich eggs are quite sturdy. Boy I'm glad I got it. It's my favorite souvenir of the trip!!!

Tip-Just remember to also purchase the wood egg stand when you are there. The wood stands look like a bracelet or can be more ornate.

Have fun shopping!!!
Renee

[Forever a Princess]

Thanks Renee!

tiggrbaby: I always bring bubble wrap and duct tape with me when I travel to foreign countries. It allowed me to pack wood carvings (animals and bowls) in Tanzania and ceramic pottery in Ecuador. I don't think I'd pack an egg - no matter how hard the shell. I think I'd bubble wrap it and carry it in the free duffel you get from ABD.

You're Welcome!!!

Great idea on the bubble wrap! I'm going to add this to my must take list for future trips!!

[briano72]

awesome!

[beachbunny]

Renee: Why do you think they cut out this year's days 5 and 6 (the Protea Hotel King George days)? The 2011 tour looks mostly like the 2010 tour except that those two days are cut out and the price has increased significantly. Now I'm kinda glad that I signed up for the 2010 tour (but going in April 2011).

[Forever a Princess]

awesome!

Thank You!!!!!! :cool1:

[Forever a Princess]

Renee: Why do you think they cut out this year's days 5 and 6 (the Protea Hotel King George days)? The 2011 tour looks mostly like the 2010 tour except that those two days are cut out and the price has increased significantly. Now I'm kinda glad that I signed up for the 2010 tour (but going in April 2011).

Hello!

John and I were discussing the changes last night.

My answers are of course pure speculation. :)

Two thoughts on the change in number of days/nights:

1. First.

On Day Five is/was the Lunch in Swellendam in Roosje van De Kaap’s Restaurant. I heard Roosje saying that she was closing the Restaurant in the near future. I'm not sure when she will be doing this. By removing this lunch option Disney may have had some difficulty with finding another Restaurant in the surrounding area .

One of the best meals was Under the Sky by Chef Conrad at the George
Protea Hotel. That was the best part of George.

The Ostrich Farm in George, Dias Museum in Mossel Bay and Railroad Museum in George were all fun. That being said I don't think they will be greatly missed by others on the trip.

George is a nice little town. It's just not a WOW like Cape Town (and surrounding areas), Knysna and Kapama Reserve. Ultimately I think Disney knew this and pulled these days from the roster. (Again very much speculation on my part).

2. Second.

I am wondering if the change to 10 days will bring more folks to South Africa. With ten adventure days and four days for travel this would bring the total time to two weeks.

Both my place of work and John's have little problem with taking off of work for vacation for two weeks. However taking over two weeks for vacation from my employer took a bit of work. "Trip of a life time etc."

Maybe other employers are this way? Perhaps a fourteen day trip vs sixteen day trip will bring more Adventurers to South Africa?????

As for the money part. When we booked our trip in 2008 Disney was cheaper than the tour operators that we looked at.

I looked at Tauck Bridges web site for Africa 2010. Price for June through August starts around $6000 and December 2010 starts at about $6300.

My speculation is that Disney has looked at the other tour operators pricing and are now adjusting accordingly.

That being said I had sticker shock by the new pricing. :scared1:

Enjoy your Safari!!

Renee

[beachbunny]

Interesting. I appreciate your insight.

I agree the amount of time away from work will be long. I'm looking at about three weeks off from work - two days to get to London, two nights in London for jet lag, shopping, and the Royal Opera (love it!), one day to fly to Cape town, one pre-tour night, the tour, one night in London because I can't make the connection, and then fly home.

I also had looked at Tauck, Abercrombie and Kent, etc. But they were kinda pricey. With the ABD 2010 prices plus a really super pin code ($400 off per person), it was a no-brainer.

[Forever a Princess]

Interesting. I appreciate your insight.

I agree the amount of time away from work will be long. I'm looking at about three weeks off from work - two days to get to London, two nights in London for jet lag, shopping, and the Royal Opera (love it!), one day to fly to Cape town, one pre-tour night, the tour, one night in London because I can't make the connection, and then fly home.

I also had looked at Tauck, Abercrombie and Kent, etc. But they were kinda pricey. With the ABD 2010 prices plus a really super pin code ($400 off per person), it was a no-brainer.

:thumbsup2

[carolinatennisgirl]

Thanks so much for all the great information. We have always wanted to go to South Africa and I'd like your opinion. We are a family of four with two teenagers, thus our schedule is dictated by their school breaks. If you had to choose between going in December and going in June, which do you think would be best weather wise? I understand Cape Town is much milder than the rest of the trip, but am worried about going in December and being too hot on the Safari days.

[Forever a Princess]

Thanks so much for all the great information. We have always wanted to go to South Africa and I'd like your opinion. We are a family of four with two teenagers, thus our schedule is dictated by their school breaks. If you had to choose between going in December and going in June, which do you think would be best weather wise? I understand Cape Town is much milder than the rest of the trip, but am worried about going in December and being too hot on the Safari days.

I'm glad that you are thinking about going!!! It definitely is a trip of a lifetime.
Our Kapama days were quite hot. Almost to the point of being uncomfortable during the day. I would suggest going in June for this very reason.

[carolinatennisgirl]

Thank you for your thoughts. I am leaning towards June/July, but it is very tempting to go in December with the extra two days and lower pricing. I am concerned about the need for anti-Malaria drugs. Did you and your husband take the anti-malaria drugs? I've looked on the CDC website and the Kapama area looks like its right on the edge of the Malaria risk zone.

[tiggrbaby]

Thank you for your thoughts. I am leaning towards June/July, but it is very tempting to go in December with the extra two days and lower pricing. I am concerned about the need for anti-Malaria drugs. Did you and your husband take the anti-malaria drugs? I've looked on the CDC website and the Kapama area looks like its right on the edge of the Malaria risk zone.

I went to a travel doctor and was given a prescription for the anti-malaria meds. I took my first one this morning as we are eaving tomorrow, and you have to start two days before and continue seven days after. I was also told to get a bug cream that has a high concentration of deet and cover exposed skin, which won't be much with temps a high in the sixties!

[rbhiking]

Thanks for the information. We are going soon and everything is soooo helpful. We had a question about tipping guides. Is it customary to tip them each day or at the end of the trip? Thank you.

[abbyjt]

We did South Africa last summer. Our travel medicine doctor gave us malaria meds to take the day before the safari part began, during and for a week after we returned. When we were at Kapama and spoke to the Kapama guides, they said that it is winter, there are few mosquitos at that time of year and they don't take the meds in the winter. We decided to not take them. Also Kapama is not really in Kruger National park.

You tip the guides at the end of the week. Usually the last night.

[Forever a Princess]

Thanks for the information. We are going soon and everything is soooo helpful. We had a question about tipping guides. Is it customary to tip them each day or at the end of the trip? Thank you.

You're Welcome!!! This will be a trip to remember!! When are you going??

You tip the guides on the last night at the Farewell Dinner.