the more ports the better

I agree that R ships are on their way out. There is too much pressure, both economically and environmentally, on the cruise lines to be more efficient. You can only do so much to an older ship. Eventually, the engines, HVAC systems, generators, water filtration, ventilation, etc become so outdated that they will not net meet today’s expectations for efficiency. Cruise lines are retiring older ships now more than ever.

Susie, you received your passport in about a week, is that correct? I will return to the US Aug 4 after a Nautica sailing. I leave for a sailing on Riveria on Oct 6. My passport expires Feb 4th so I have to renew between the two sailings. Friends recently cancelled a trip as they didn’t receive their expedited passport in time, they had 12 weeks. I figure I will just pay the $800 and use the FedEx/RushMyPassport service and not risk it as I only have 8 weeks between trips. Were you happy with the service? Anyone else have experience with an expediter? I haven’t used one for awhile.

Thanks all, I’ll go ahead and book a tour for 8. Our roll call is very active so probably no issue finding three couples. A few years ago, we rented a car and drove from Paris and stayed in Caan for a few days. We went to the ww2 museum and spent the entire day there. The next day we went to the beaches and Point Du Hoc but decided next time we really need a guide. Overlord is exactly what we are looking for.

How far in advance did you book Overlord. We plan to use them in June 24 on Marnia (first sailing after the refurb so hopefully completed on time). We have three sailings between now and then and some of the excursions we are looking at are already sold out.

Hi Elaine, I will post a response on our roll call with our ideas if you want to follow up. We have the same thing going on. Our Riveria roll call in October is already pages long with all kinds of tours being planned. This one is almost non existent. Crazy!

Yes, the views from anchor are fabulous. The Amalfi Cathedral is more impressive from the exterior but still very worthwhile to take a walk through. I agree with mauibabes, Ravello is beautiful. Taxis from Amalfi are $40 to $50 each way depending on how busy they are. Right off the main square in Ravello is Villa Rufolo. Definitely walk through the Villa and the terrace gardens, it’s maybe $10 or so and the views are spectacular. We spend a week on the Amalfi coast every year. You can easily go to Ravello and Positano in a day. The ferry from Amalfi to Positano is only 20 min. The schedule is at naplesbayferry.com If you enjoy hiking, The Path of the Gods hike followed by lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking Positano is about as good a day as you can get on the Amalfi coast but honestly, I can think of so many amazing experiences there. It is otherworldly beautiful so whatever you do, it will be fantastic. Below is the Ravello view from Villa Rufolo.

The forward few PH staterooms on Marina and Riveria on deck 10 are right under and behind the bridge. No view forward. 10003 and 10005 have spotlights hanging down further obstructing view. Also, the bridge has a clear view of the balcony and into the stateroom.

We get a choice of liquor and wine. Six bottles. We order one Jack, one Grey Goose and 4 bottles of wine. It’s more than enough and we usually bring most of the liquor home.

We are on Nautica July 19. Just about sold out ship. I booked a few great private tours. Typically, the roll call would be full of people looking to share tours but our roll call consists of a few people with one posting maybe once per month. We plan to take the booked tours by ourselves but it is always fun to meet new friends so a bit disappointing. I figured as we were getting closer to sailing it would get more active but no one has posted for quite awhile. Has anyone else been having this same experience?

Will O change their loyalty program? I hope not. Between O club, shareholder and premier, It is $700 OBC and prepaid gratuities. That equates to the sailings being all inclusive aside from shore excursions which I always do private anyway. I hope if O adds shore ex credit, they will start offering small group (8 or less) excursions with more flexibility to appeal to a wider ranger of people. Spending a day in port on a bus tour with 30 or so people makes it almost impossible to have any sort of a personalized or immersive experience. Otherwise the shore ex credit is useless.

We have done both and prefer East to west. Mainly because seas are warmer in October than in April so the weather is usually nicer outdoors at sea in the fall.

I’m booked on Riveria in February 2024 from Bangkok to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Seoul and Seoul to Tokyo. Not sure where it goes after that but I can pretty much guarantee it will be in the Pacific after I get off in Tokyo.

I agree with Sunlover. We changed sailings about in April to a sailing on July19. We have been looking to book a sailing excursion to Delos and Rhenia from Mykonos which is probably the most sought after place to see in the Mykonos port. O offers 1 excursion which has been sold out since day 1. There are a zillion options on Viator but O has not andded any additional space. I think we all will still be paying for private excursions in port even if O includes an excursion.

Thanks all. I really appreciate all the advice!

Thanks guys, great info!!! I sold a minority interest in my company to a PE group and they are big big on insurance. We are on Nautica next month going to Israel. Israel is usually quite safe as a country but it seems that there are always rockets being launched all around them! I have Allianz annual now and they evac to the nearest facility that can address your medical issue as opposed to your choice. Better safe than sorry.

Hi All, A few months back someone mentioned travel insurance where you can pick your location if are evacuated medically. Also was an option where they will go in rescue in the event of political unrest. I have searched the boards and I cannot find it. Does anyone know where I can find it? thanks

ATM’s in Europe are not expensive. Just make sure your account has no foreign transaction fee. Be sure to go to a bank not a euronet machine. They are highway robbery! Typically $500 euro is only a few dollars at a bank.

We never check in before 3:00 and many times not until much later and there are never crowds. If we can sit on the ship or see an interesting city, the interesting city wind 100% of the time. You can check out of your hotel and they will happily hold your luggage. Also, there are always day tours where they end at the port and will keep your luggage in the trunk of their car while you see the sites. One more thing, there are left luggage’s all over Europe, usually smaller hotels in tourist cities who store luggage for a small fee. You can google “left luggage” and whatever city you are in then enjoy the sites!

There is an ATM in the casino with a minimal charge. My bank, Chase, doesn’t charge a foreign fee so much cheaper than guest services.

I would have loudly told the guide and everyone else on the tour, and a security guard if one was around. I bought an alabaster carving in Luxor at an alabaster workshop. I was pulled aside and questioned at the airport in Cairo when they saw the sculpture in the X-ray machine to make sure it was not an antiquity as some are priceless. I hope he is caught and arrested upon attempting to fly home. Stealing is one thing and wrong but stealing something sacred to another culture in their country deserves major consequences. What an ass!!!

+1

On Marina and Riveria, deck 12 is very quiet. Once, we were in the first room, closest to the elevator and sharing a wall with the culinary center. No noise at all. The rooms are deep with the baths and media room near the hallway and the living and bedroom near the outside wall and balcony. The living areas are well insulated from any interior noise, including elevator. Soooo convenient though. On Vista, you will be below the culinary center as opposed to being next to it and I doubt there will be much noise. There are not many classes and during the class, there is very little walking around, mainly, chopping and mixing but usually standing in one place.

I too was surprised about the Turkey rules but it’s on the Fed ex website in the section for processing Chinese visas. Maybe a new rule since the issues in the Xinjiang region. Apparently you are ok unless your passport is stamped or has a Turkish visa when the passport goes to the Chinese consulate for the visa sticker. I’m booked on the same sailing as YWG but I think I’m going to cut it short and finish up in Hong Kong although I would love to circumvent Japan in the final segment.

We started on Royal 30 years ago when the kids were little. We have 50 or so cruises with them some on Celebrity too. Once the kids were a little older and we started occasionally vacationing without them, we tried O, Azamara, Seabourn, Paul Gauguin, Sliver Seas….. All are great. Now, we sail 4-5 times a year. The past several years, we sailed on O much more than the others. Azamara has the longest port days and many overnights which is nice. O has the best food but the worst customer communications. We still sail on Royal when doing extended family, kids and grandkids cruises and enjoy them immensely. Our last sailing, however, on Wonder of the Seas in March, a week in an OS on Royal was double the cost of 12 days in a PH on Riveria. Kind of silly as Royal can not compare to O but we still had a great time with family.

FYI…Fed ex works in conjunction with Rush My Passport. They process Chinese Visas. $145 Consulate fee plus their $365 service fee. They only process 10 year visas. For anyone who has cruised to or visited Turkey, China has strict requirements Prior Travel to Turkey If you have previously traveled to Turkey and have Turkish visas or entry stamps in your passport, you must also submit a letter explaining your travel. List the dates of entry and exit for your visit(s) to Turkey. State the reason for your travel to Turkey, such as tourism or business meetings. The letter must bear the applicant's original signature. Accompany your letter with any available copies of flight itineraries or eTickets from your trip(s) to Turkey. Please note that processing delays are possible if you have previously traveled to Turkey.