andiamo76

I find this all interesting as we have now done 2 Seabourn cruises and both had port changes, mostly w/ no explanation.  1st) May '23 Med cruise on the Quest, 3 ports cancelled but at least as I recall all were replaced and the cruise ended up well.  We went to some very small ports.  Granted little to do, but nice small picturesque ports, easy to wander around.  THEN, the biggy - Quest in January MIA-BA, Argentina.  Not enough space nor time to list all that happened, but numerous port changes, granted Peru stops were ultimately cancelled "due to unrest".  Duh, this had been brewing for months, numerous State Department warnings to get out now!, don't go/avoid....  Even so we went to Lima, protests/riots erupted on day 2 there.  Ship was held in port an extra day as Peru would not allow it to leave.  At least they finally cancelled the pricey side trip to Machu Picchu.  Speculation was that they still went into Lima (other cruise lines had cancelled Peru stops well before this), as they had passengers, crew and the expedition team getting on.  That would have taken a lot of juggling to have them get on elsewhere.  It felt to many though that convenience to Sb and money was more important than passengers.  NOT a good message to send. 

Other small ports were simply "expedition cruise by" "ports" for of course the zodiac tour price of around $199 p.p.  Those were cancelled, "for operational reasons".  What an excuse to give for something using the zodiacs that we would be dependent upon for Antarctica, So. Georgia and the Falklands!  So WHAT operational reason?  as in a problem with the zodiacs?  they never got clearance/permits or whatever was required to do the zodiac cruises?  Who knows as they never said, but these were uninhabited by people - only had birds and wildlife.  The list of issues goes on but the real topper was not having enough parkas for everyone!  Seriously - an expedition cruise where special parkas were to be included and are obviously needed.  Not just a few were missing, but several!  So that meant one flimsy excuse after another, basically stall tactics waiting for the Venture to eventually make it somewhat close so they could drop off some extras they magically had.  Still not enough for everyone.  And yes, this cost us time in Antarctica.  We shake our heads and it is obviously a very sore wound.  We have another cruise coming up and are within the full cancellation penalty otherwise we would have cancelled it.  We do however have yet another one booked for '24.  We will see how this next cruise goes, especially watching for port cancellations, none yet.  If it actually goes well, we may keep the '24 booking.  Otherwise, there are plenty of other ships in the sea.  The pattern of port cancellations is important as most of us book cruises due to particular ports.  When those get cancelled for some odd unknown reason, or worse yet screwed up for a clear serious HQ operational screwup that would have been so easy to avoid with simple basic inventory control procedures ... it just isn't worth using the company again.  Sad as we had really hoped to like this line, especially with Crystal gone.  We really hope the new Crystal can be great again.        

We booked 2 Manta tours as we will be there 2 days.  Seem to be good companies although Manta Tour Guides is the easiest and most straight forward to work with.  We will be taking their tour to the Pacoche Rain Forest and Montecristi (Panama hats) as well as a couple other stops.  

We are also booked for a day trip to go up river to Isla Corazon with Manta SOS.  They also seem very pleasant however they only take payment through Western Union which ended up being quite an ordeal as it kept getting rejected by WU as they saw it as a possible scam ie paying in advance for a tour.  Manta SOS is inconsistent with what they tell people booking as some are told to pay the day of - cash in a sealed envelope.  We will be part of a "private small group" of 8 so are charged $27 p.p. more for that as opposed to a "small group tour" that can be up to 14.  Some in the group of 8 were paid to pay up front while others of us were told to pay in advance but through WU as they don't take credit cards.  Go figure.  I'm sure both tours will be nicely done and both companies get high ratings on TA.  Google them and see what they offer.  Minimum of 2 people.

Our cruise doesn't stop in Costa Rica so I'm no help there.  

Actually, the Seabourn Quest does offer a side trip to the Galapagos departing from the stop in Manta Ecuador.  I think if you go to their website and look for the Quest sailing(s) that depart from MIA on January 6, '23; check itinerary & scroll to Manta - click on more information (or something to that effect on the right side of the pg) it may list the excursions and descriptions so you can read about it. 

bear in mind  - doing it this way you stay in a hotel on one of the few islands in the Galapagos that allow limited people to live on it.  From there you do day trips to nearby islands.  We took a Galapagos trip using Silversea in April and loved it as there is no time consumed in the back and forth of a day trip.  Trade offs to everything.  It is a pricey extension, but a Galapagos trip is that way no matter what.  And yes it is showing as sold out.  I have no idea how many slots were available.  They also offer side trips to Quito and to Machu Picchu.  Obviously for all of these you miss some of the ports of call since you will be away. 

As for Manta we booked a tour with Manta Tour Guides who seem very professional and easy to work with.  Sounds like it should be good.  There are at least a couple companies there that offer tours akin to the ship excursions, so do your research and decide what appeals to you.  I did read that it is best to stay to the southern end of town as it can be dodgier to the north from the pier.  Double check that to be sure I have the directions correct. 

We took the Ss Origen in mid April, 2022.  Fantastic time.  I did extensive research of several companies to decide which to use for this trip.   Many were very close in pricing, for the comparable length of time and product and svc offered.  Some go for shorter time or don't include as much so be sure to dig into the particulars.  Our TA highly recommended Ss as she has rarely gotten a complaint or whisper of disappointment from any of her clients who used Silversea.  A poster above correctly stated that the newest Celebrity ship and the Origen are "sister ships" likely tailored for the 2 different cruise line specs.  We enjoyed our 2 nights pre-cruise in time in Quito.  The guides and crew on Ss were superb.  It was a very fun and active trip.  We did it all - the various "hikes" (guided nature walks at a relaxed pace giving us plenty of time to watch the birds and animals & take photos, snorkeling and kayaking, so our days were very busy. The ship is lovely and has a terrific interactive "research/information" section for guests to use for more information.  We had a room with the drop down window and thus no balcony as that space was part of the room which we enjoyed.  Delightful fellow passengers.  Highly recommend going around April as it is mating season and some of the seasonal birds were returning to mate and nest so we saw a lot!  The currents are changing then so the water starts getting cooler.  Thankfully someone recommended I take a "rashguard" to wear under the Ss provided wetsuit.  It did help although I only had a top and would recommend, the leggings, water gloves and a hat if you are cold sensitive.  Weather was glorious.  One of our favorite trips and would go again to other islands.  And yes I would use Ss again for this trip!  

Good to hear your kudos for the Seabourn Quest Antarctica, since we have been booked on that for 3 years now, along with the Marina S. America sailings, figuring surely one or the other would go eventually.  So since both are sailing we have stayed with our Seabourn booking and will be sailing January 6th.

I see tradeoffs to both the Sb Quest and the Marina sailings.  Along with the obvious ones discussed above, the Marina has an excellent itinerary for S. America.  The Quest does not go to nearly as many places, so personally I like the Marina S. America itinerary better for seeing more of S. America. 

Also, you save money not actually going onto the continent.  While yes commonly a parka is provided (yours to keep), and you rent the special boots, still there are special, socks, gloves, hats/face guards, long underwear possibly ski goggles for the glare....to be purchased.  Naturally I finally parted with my nice ski clothes a few years ago.  So here I am buying the things, trying on my "arctic pants", feeling like the Michelin commercial.  Now I'm thinking maybe I should book an arctic cruise to get a few more wearings out of all this!

The penguins better be extra cute to make it all worth it.  Ah yes, another positive for the sail by - you don't keel over from the smell of the  oh so cute penguins.  Such a deal!

Whatever you do, you will have a wonderful trip.        

Correct on both accounts. Good to see things improving.  May it continue to do so.  For passengers and Atlas's sake!

I know of 2 couples on the current sailing booked for the February 2nd Antarctica sailing. 

Have been hearing from some of those aboard.  They are now at sea for 8 days to cross to the Caribbean.  Using wifi sparingly.  Food and wine seem to have improved.  Heard there have been some significant staffing and supplier changes.  Wine I heard was "French and decent".

As to picking up wine if in a bubble - what about airport duty free?  Would that work?  Be thankful your cruise will be short so many issues are easier to blow off if necessary.  Just live and learn.   Perhaps make different decisions in the future.

Keeping people in a "bubble" is not totally unheard of in this environment.  Sounds like that may also happen the last day or two on the current cruise.  The advertised big hoopla plans for a 2-day Inaugural celebration ending in Barbados were scrapped and now the ship may spend 2 days anchored off St. Maarten.  Last day may be a bubble -  breakfast on ship, bus ride around island (37 square miles of beach and nice resorts , well those that have been repaired since the last hurricane not too long ago.  then dropped at airport to wait for 3:40 pm. flight home.  Everything is relative.     

well, it will be "interesting" I'm sure.  Docs arrived almost 3 days to the hour before we are leaving.  Typos, incorrect and outdated information, missing information that is key - like the pre-cruise hotel, airport transfer pick up, basic schedule of "events" such as they may be.  We are flying in a day early due to the timing of our flights and coming from the west coast so won't arrive until about 6 pm.  The package starts with morning flight arrivals and pick ups so we had to arrive the day before in order to meet up with the group at least for the initial lunch.  We kept getting mixed signals as to which hotel would be used and if we also would have an airport pick up and transfer to the hotel.  Flights were booked through Atlas.  This has been going on for literally weeks and actually initially started months ago when 2 of us were given totally different information.  So with nothing in the document packets, my husband called and was told something different than the last we had been told.  I called my other passenger contact and she was told  - by the same person no less!  different information within an hour of my husband calling!   I shake my head.  Off to pack for our somewhere whatever cruise.  I have a 6 bottle wine carrier set out for wine shopping in Portugal.  Reds and a nice port or two!  

jwsfun:  Thank you for posting and giving an honest and fair assessment of your experience and observations.  Given the food seemed to start with very positive reviews, (albeit, very limited offerings as the ship is so small), I do wonder if the wiring issues may have impacted the kitchen food storage.  Or perhaps food was thawed improperly which can significantly alter the texture and taste.  Or where supplies were brought on board - they may have gotten poor quality from a supplier, in which case hopefully that one will be replaced.  We shall see how they do after re-provisioning in Lisbon and hopefully continuing to fix the wiring issues.  A/C will be needed for sure as the ship sails down to the Caribbean.  Maybe they will stock up on Portuguese wines along with Vodka and whatever else they may be low on.   As I am now setting out things to pack, I set out a 6 bottle wine bag so we can stock up a little "just in case".  

Hope your return home went smoothly.  Thanks for responding.  I did read your very well written recap of the cruise.  Wow.  I greatly appreciate your honesty and observations.  While disappointing, sadly I am not surprised as it as we had begun to suspect when thinking things through.  Seemingly "little things" like the laundry, internet, and room service not being as advertised and which have been so swiftly swept aside by Atlas and not dealt with in a professional manner nor consistent with how a true "luxury" line deals with things, often can be good indicators of other and bigger things.   I just wish people would read and think before making a booking or getting into the refund penalty period.  Unfortunately we ignored initial gut instincts and red flags when booking our upcoming cruise and the realities didn't start really hitting until shortly after we were in the 100% penalty phase.  Oh well.  We shall make the best of it and learn from this.  One and done.  Far worse things in life.  

Meanwhile I have done some quick research of Portuguese wines and wine shops in Lisbon to hopefully do a little stocking up before embarking.  But not a full case worth!

On 9/15/2021 at 12:25 PM, OceanPatter said:

Markham, we’ll look so forward to meeting you on the Quest in 2023! We booked the 45-day  segment, which had plenty of availability only a few months ago.

 

We didn’t know how to proceed with travel insurance, and ended up foregoing the early purchase for pre-existing coverage. We’ll just purchase medical evacuation at a later date.

So have one of you started a thread for any of those segments?  We too held our nose at the price and booked the 46 day '23 cruise on Quest.  I just wish I had known when those itineraries came out so I could have booked at those prices.  Does anyone know when they came our for sale?  I'm curious.  I have had an around the horn cruise booked on Oceania  - Miami-BA which we have rolled forward a few times now, starting in December 2019.  It will sail in late February leaving BA heading to Miami.  It does not stop in S. Georgia or Antarctica, so for that we were booked on the Quest 24 day sailing.  We have not sailed on Seabourn but always heard good things so we very excited last year, then again this year....  So I will run the numbers to check my sanity of reserving on the 46 day Quest in January of '23.  Of course by the time all this blew up we got the leftover last of the littler and have perhaps the dog cabin on 5 of the ship.  Anyone with insight about those V1 cabins, please let me know.  I have a hunch when I do a handy dandy spreadsheet of the Oceania cruise + the 24 day Quest we just "lost", that the total of the 2 may not be so heart stopping as seeing them in one number now on the Quest '23 sailing.  Still, I wish I had known Quest would be back in '23 when the itineraries first came out.  Life!  And yes we are all very blessed and fortunate to even be doing any of these sailings.       

And look or start it under Rollcall.  This is a "Board".  More topic related whereas the other is for your specific cruise.  I do suggest reading a number of the other boards and rollcalls as you can glean a wealth of general information.  And for sure stay on top of everything, get information in writing and keep a vigilant eye on your airline accounts to see if your flights disappear as it can be a common occurrence but you will not necessarily be notified of any changes or simply no longer having a flight.  Always remember this is an adventure!  It is not for the faint of heart.  Whee!  What a rush! 

On 9/14/2021 at 5:35 AM, jwsfun said:

I'm on the World Navigator starting Saturday and plan to give some good updates on many facets of the trip! 

Ditto re all information you can provide would be most appreciated.  Let us know how they handle wifi, laundry and room service also if you can.  Maybe take pics of the wine bottles. 

On another thread someone posted the names of the included wines, 6 Hats being the bulk of the 6 varieties offered as I recall.  I looked a couple up and indeed they retail for $8-20/bottle.  Not really what I would picture as "Premium" Unlimited Pours.  Maybe the unlimited is so that as we drink our taste buds diminish, so one won't notice how good or not it is. 

I also do not recall that any were Portguese.  Of course they have a handy dandy wine menu for ones you can purchase.

I also asked my TA to ask Atlas about bringing wine onboard.  For now it is fine, and they do not charge a corkage fee.  They wanted to know how many bottles or cases I would be bringing on board!  Maybe they thought I would be touring wineries before boarding which had been part of our original plan but we nixed our pre-cruise land travels.  Sad as we would have been there now.  

I hope to fit in some time in Lisbon before we board there on 10/4 to purchase a few bottles of wine and a port to have after dinner, enjoying the veranda at the end of the day, talking about what a wonderful day we had.  I'm thinking positive here. 

I certainly am not a wine aficionado, but I for sure had anticipated they would have a wonderful fun selection to try show casing the wines from where we depart and yes, due to being a Portuguese company.  It sort of, but not really, surprises me they missed this simple opportunity to make something like the wine a nice highlight to help differentiate themselves from the masses and seem more special.    

May you have a fun cruise jwsfun!

Not ungrateful at all.  I think other lines just pay attention to details more and of course have much more experience.  As to special celebration days during a cruise, I think in general we as passengers do have to let them know, which obviously you did!  Even so I know many really don't just naturally do something special.  But when it is specially requested we certainly do anticipate something.  And actually on most of the lines, you can request just about anything anytime and they bend over backwards to do it for you.  All part of the pampering  to entice us to come back.  I have even heard repeated stories on Oceania of guests request a family favorite and they will make it, even the exact old family recipe if you give them that and a couple days advance notice!   Shoot I'm just happy when I request truffles and they make a special batch they keep with our name and cabin so anytime I want some they can send them up.  Not a good habit to get into but sure is nummy!

I know I sound quite negative now which is not my usual self.  We are just so fed up with them by this point.  I spent hours the past 2 days reading through numerous Boards and Roll Calls and it was exhausting reading all the endless changing of their story, cheapening of what they deliver etc.  This was supposed to be a fun special trip celebrating my husbands "special number" birthday.  A starting number that most of us don't like to see but at this point only gets worse!  But as we say, consider the alternative.  Many don't get this opportunity.  Atlas has been such an aggravation and disappointment to deal with it has put quite a damper on our usual enthusiasm.  There were so many other very neat things we could have done instead so this has been a major factor in our irritation.  Way too much needless time spent.  On to better things!  As the saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.  

I thought it must be an RCCL person.  We have never used them but have heard and seen from friends that do.  Always fun and it was indeed very thoughtful of him.  Curious what his name is.  Perhaps we can try to be in his section.  It does sound like they have a good pleasant crew and some nice food.   Guests always appreciate that.  By now it is pretty much expected as it is so much the norm.  I like the sound of their country theme dinners.  We always enjoy those on other lines.   

On 9/8/2021 at 5:14 AM, Cybele 727 said:

Hi, we are really enjoying the cruise so far. The people are wonderful and the food is execellent  . 
There are approximately 76 passengers on board. 

wine….there are approx 3 wihites and 3 reds available for free. 
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc ( both 6 Hats ) and Riesling ( German)

Syrah ( (6 hats), Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander RE ) , JovenTemprano  (Spanish )

I found the Sauvignon Blanc (6 Hats ) was my go to for white., And we bring red from on shore.  
Wine list does not look bad and prices fair.  They don’t mind you purchasing wine on shore to open at dinner.

Thank goodness they allow wine brought onboard.  Do they charge a corkage fee?  As for the other issues, laundry WIFI etc., it astounds me how they continue to state one thing then renege over and over.  They are exhausting to deal with, untrustworthy and banking on people being travel deprived and willing to put up with whatever they choose to dish out.  Clearly passengers are simply a money stream to them.  BTW  I just googled 6 Hats wine.  It retails for $8-20/bottle.  Woo hoo!  Joven Temprano listed on the web as Tempranillo rated 3.6/5 retails for under $15.  I see some wine shoppin gin our future.  We'll be looking for some interesting Portuguese wines.

On 7/5/2021 at 8:56 AM, AA-Flier said:

What is missing is a history of actually delivering a cruising product at the quality of SS and SB. It is one thing to describe what should happen, but to actually deliver can be difficult. 

This is a key statement.  If you are truly interested in checking out their delivery to date, read a number of these Boards as well as some of the roll calls for what cruises have taken place as well as a few of those upcoming.  There is a wealth of information and naturally opinions, but still many inconsistences between what was/is advertised and represented and the realities of what is being delivered.  Even little clues/red flags can be found in small less noticed details like check the ads and see how often there are spelling and basic grammatical errors.  If ad campaigns are not being proofed then what else is falling through the cracks?  At least they have a standard line "marketing error".  I guess Marketing runs the operation.  But that still doesn't excuse saying something is included then finding it is not and being blown off for thinking and expecting it should be given as it was alleged.  Our personal experience has been abysmal.  We have expended countless pointless hours dealing with endless hassles and chaos, while also trying to stay abreast of what the latest discovery of what is not included or being done as alleged.  When a business cuts special deals with individual passengers, it erodes trust even more. We have zero trust in this company at this point and will be glad to have the trip over with.  Buyer beware.  If it sounds to good to be true it probably is.   Some businesses survive in spite of themselves.  Just as some passengers are enthralled with catchy terms designed to suck people in and make them feel better than others.   Something for everyone. 

I completely understand.  I predict though that these prices are merely the teaser introductory prices to hook people in before they raise prices considerably.  They have quite a ways to go to hopefully improve their customer service and basic organizational issues, which is also a large part of marketing oneself as part of the "luxury" crowd.  But then again as my husband has often said, "there are businesses that survive in spite of themselves".

I am finally catching up on my CC reading.

While somewhat irritating as it is yet one more Atlas cutback, in all fairness it makes more sense to me to not have the in room bar.  While a nice sounding touch, it is ultimately pretty wasteful.  At least I would think so.  We had that once on an Oceania cruise, (they gave us 4 bottles and replenished or added anything else when requested), and found that we ended up with leftovers in various bottles even though we had done some entertaining in our room with other passengers and didn't get carried away ordering more. So we were giving out our partially used bottles since they should toss whatever is left.  At least I sure hope they do that.

I do however think for a company to advertise themselves so highly this has become a very limited selection.  I agree - what about a champagne or prosecco?  Again given the Portuguese connection what about a port?  The port makes sense to me not just because I like port, but it would be a nice special something to enjoy after dinner in our room, perhaps sitting on the veranda and reminiscing about what a wonderful day we had.  I can see it already!  Hopefully they at least offer one from the bar which we can have brought to our room.  We will know in just over 3 weeks.   

Well, so did you ever get your cake?  Or did they blow through it again on the second night and figured fun napkins ala RCL & Carnival covered it?

Here's our experience on an Oceania cruise over my husband's birthday.  We hadn't said anything but obviously it is in our profile.  We went to a nice dinner, in one of the specialty restaurants, returned to our room and found it decorated with balloons, a fun towel heart and nice heart on the bed made from the turndown chocolates!  Right up our alley being chocoholics.  It really surprised us and touched our hearts.  It turns out our cabin attendants had seen the date in our profile and took it upon themselves to do some decorating.  They explained the ship provides balloons and it is up to the cabin attendants as to whether or not they wish to do something for the guest.  

Another year we were on a Crystal cruise.  For those having a birthday to celebrate on the cruise, they had a special cocktail party in the Captains suite, with him, some of the officers and of course all of us with a birthday that cruise.  For breakfast they make a special breakfast which had a beautiful array of specially made breakfast items sort of like a bruschetta or cheese board kind of idea for the presentation of things not on any of the breakfast menus.  Dinner was a specially made dinner for however many were in "my" travel party finished with a gorgeously decorated special chocolate torte.  They were doing a special birthday promotion gimmick that year so if your birthday fell during the cruise which mine did, we received a gift certificate for 50% off my cruise fare on a future cruise. And yes, that is 50% off whatever the already discounted published fare, not the faux "original" price.  Quite amazing.  Talk about an all around special day and top class way to handle the birthday!   I don't recall for sure whether or not there was also champagne so I will have to look back though my photos.  But yes there was also a card from Crystal.           

Oops.  I meant to mention that.  Even more the reason to showcase wines on the Lisbon to wherever cruise.  They "are working on where to go" given Barbados appears to have a mandatory 7 day quarantine for those coming from - a list of countries, Portugal being one of them.  Hmmm.  Now I am generally pretty optimistic but I am also a realistic and believe in planning and organization.  So personally, I think I would have had some alternate plans formulated months ago given the current environment.  But perhaps while they have known of this for several weeks (perhaps due to the numerous posts about it), they too are being optimistic that surely somehow it will resolve itself in the 5 weeks until the ship docks there.  Alas, I have digressed from the topic.  Well, whatever happens we shall just hope it is something people find drinkable and a notch or two above 2 Buck Chuck.           

Might be best to do some wine shopping before embarking if they let people bring their own onboard and drink it.  One would think for the cruises ending and for sure departing from Lisbon that they would have some good Portuguese wines and ports.  Hope springs eternal.  Well usually, but not with Atlas's track record thus far.

I agree with pretty much everything above.  Too many things simply don't add up.  Sure seems like a money decision to us, which is understandable in this environment (why get less for something when you realize there are people out there who will pay more).  But sure doesn't feel good to feel somewhat used.  Whatever.  We too will likely use someone else.  The Venture is lovely I am sure but I don't need to pay for the extra toys which I would think if they charge for kayaking they would charge for the Submarine etc.  At least I think the Venture has a little submersible.   The "luxury expedition ship" is quite the new game in town.  Guess that would be on the sea.  

I have to say for all who look into using another line just DON'T pick Atlas!!  If you want to feel totally suckered and hassled then go for it.  They will certainly do that.  There are plenty of posts on rollcall and boards if you need reading material.  And that is just tip of the iceberg.  Oh.  Not good term to use.  

VERY disappointing, but not altogether surprised.  I had truly hoped they would be able to do a rerouting but it does sound like that would entail too many significant changes.  Everyone has their limits, companies included.  Not to ponder what to do when we get our own official notice.

Many good points shared above.  I for one want to be advised of changes as they roll along.  It gives me time to adjust our thoughts and plans.  It is preferable for us to find out as we go rather than learn through the grapevine or some time down the road, even though admittedly in this wacky time we are living in plans may and do change repeatedly.    We have come to learn through the grapevine that unlike more experienced lines which generally make several back up plans, there are some large and significant missing gaps in our Lisbon to Barbados cruise which seemingly currently have no plans.  Our attitude for now is that theoretically we should end up sailing somewhere in between somewhere and somewhere.  

But then again, maybe others will, but not us as we just checked for our  flight reservations over to Lisbon to catch the ship, and see that we no longer have any flights.  When we last checked about 8 days ago, they were showing under the airline, but with a large red notice that if not paid for by the date shown (within the next 8 days), they would be cancelled.  Lovely.  So it appears Atlas took our money for the upgraded flights when final payment was made, but oops, didn’t pay the airline.  So now we seem to be back to trying to get flight arrangements made.  Along with wondering what happened to our money that Atlas was very prompt to take.  

Joyce:

I am also glad your wonderful photography skills were put to extra good use sharing your photos with all of us.   I am a quasi travel writer of sorts which started some years ago when a few friends asked me to send photos and comments as I travel.  The list has grown considerably over time, but it has proven to be a good way for me to keep a diary of sorts and go through my endless photos to delete many and scale down to the better ones.  So there is a benefit to me.  The trade off is that I well know about the enormous time it takes to put together and then send it out.  Not an easy feat with the challenges of internet while traveling.  And yes the internet in places like the fjords of Iceland and Greenland, is non existent at times.  So to you I say an extra big thank you for spending so much of your time doing this for all of us, along with researching and answering our questions.  It has meant to much to many of us as well as clearly prompting lots of interesting discussion and posts!

I am pleased to hear how well Atlas stepped up to the plate with handling the change in plans, even though in reality they didn’t have much of a choice given the circumstances.  

It is also good to hear they did appear to have somewhat addressed the far more minor issues of laundry and wifi.  It will be interesting from here to see what they do going forward for those booked and paid under the original “all inclusive claims”.  Customer service big or small is all part of what influences choices in who a person books with over the long run..  There are a number of excellent options already out there.