cruisr

My DH and I get too many.  

i have been to all five ports.  Took a provided shuttle into Bodrum

All other ports are easily walkable.  In Valetta you can walk to the elevator which takes you up to the main area of town or you can do steps.

Also do not miss the Baroque church with the Caravaggio paintings in Valetta.

Rhodes I lobed just wandering as I did in the other ports.

I am glad I cancelled this cruise last year.  Hope no more ports are cancelled or changed and I am afraid Dakar may be next.  No travel advisories though 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68209178

19 minutes ago, Stereojeff said:

Are there any issues with open seating at Waterside? I ask because we were on another line and "open seating" resulted in a scrum when the doors opened and later arrivals were sometimes left out.

 

Jeff

Was that a mass market line?  I have heard that when the dining room opens there are sometimes a lot of people but it is Crystal and it will be sorted out quickly.  We have arrived as 8:45 pm and were never “left out”.

i have been forward of the forward staircases many times on deck 9, 10 and 11 and I have never had a problem but as said above if you are prone to motion discomfort, which I am not, it may be an issue.  

it is approximately a 4.5 hour train ride from Gare Lyon.  I have done similar without any issues and that is what I would do also.

Book directly with French Rail and look for senior discounts if applicable 

I enjoy the trains in Europe very much 

You go to Waterside whenever you want during open hours.  In my recent cruise it was either 6:00 or 6:30 opening until 9:00pm.  We only dine at two tops and asked for that when we checked in.  If you want a particular section you can ask for that and they will try to seat you there.  We never dined before 8:00pm and never had issues.

Fernando was the most amazing cruise director I have ever sailed with (and i sailed with him many times) in my close to 100 cruises.  I asked him once how he does what he does, every single day.  His answer was “Good drugs”.  He use to give language lessons on days at sea and on one cruise with a lot of sea days we were treated to lessons in five different languages.  Two more sea days and we could have had two more lessons.

People adore Fernando and yes he adores them back,

Had Starlink on our recent Crystal cruise and it was fabulous.  Both DH and I were streaming different shows on our Ipads when we were on the pool deck.  We both have new Bose headphones and used them for the streaming shows.  The internet speed was super fast.  Great move for Seabourn 

On 1/3/2024 at 7:46 AM, Arizonasunshine said:

I'm in the don't trust category. I had a cruise costed while on board in October. EJ's policy, as I was told by the representative, was that I had seven days to place a deposit and keep my on board booking discount. I paid for the cruise in full in EJ's window, two days later the cruise line that would " never lower prices " reduced my cruise by 40%. New bookings only. Being in their seven day window to cancel a cruise at no cost I tried to cancel the cruise and rebook. No way,  EJ considered the first day of the quoted price as the date booked, even though I had no deposit made. That put me outside EJ's no penalty timeframe, I had to pay the $200pp penalty. 

I too worry about changed itineraries, a downgrade in food and service. They have backtracked and changed many of the features that made EJ interesting. Clearly they have lost confidence in their original strategy and are sailing in a fog.

What an awful way to handle your booking and the price decrease.

If you are at the NYPST it is much easier to go in/out EWR.  Going crosstown to get to LGA is usually a traffic nightmare.  Terminal A which is brand new is gorgeous and many airlines are in Terminal A now.

1 hour ago, Kinky Boats said:

I received an exclusive invitation for a North Pole cruise. I thought maybe it was a Chairmen's cruise, but it is only the Ambassador who will be on board. Still, not inexpensive at almost $50,000 per person for 18 days!

Yes, I received one also.  Actually I would rather cruise with Fernando, who is fabulous, than the other two.  Though I do know someone who knows Kent well nd says he is a nice chap,  The North Pole does have a ring to it as an answer to someone’s question about a favorite place visited.  Especially since it seems everyone I know has been to Antarctica, LOL.

And the pre cruise land for the 6 day cruise is entirely in Saudi Arabia.  Its also very expensive but that is to be expected for A and K.

Have just gotten off an absolutely wonderful cruise on Crystal which included two visits to the spa.  Both had 20% gratuity tacked on.  That was quite surprising to me.

I also went after a cruise which ended in B.A.  It was wonderful and after Antarctica I wasn’t t sure I would be impressed but I was blown away.  It was amazing.  I stayed two nights at the then Sheraton in a fallsview room and just loved it.  I did it all on my own and super easy, not to mention I used Sheraton points for the room so it was free.

I was in Morocco and was leaving the day after it started.  Everything was dead during the day and restaurants and tourist sites were closed.  It became crazy after sunset as the fast can then be broken for that day.  Its crazy, even the tea shops, coffee shops are closed as it is forbidden to eat or drink anything, including water, from sun up to sun down.

Easy peezy leaving Terminal E this am.  Uber arrived in 8 minutes and it was $31.96 for the ride to MIA.  Tons of taxis also for people who do not use Uber or Lyft.

The itinerary is lovely and I have done all the ports except Jeddah which I will not visit.

The entire middle east is a tinder box.  Each to their own decisions of course. 

Ditto the pool deck staff.  I think if we asked to be carried to the pool so our bare feet do not touch the hot deck they would do it.  And the kindness is genuine.  
 

And tonight we set our clocks back so another hour to enjoy everything lol.

Only negative are the shows and White Night, last night, were rock concert loud.  We left a few minutes after it started.  My days of enjoying head banging music are long over.

And grilled lobster tails at Marketplace for lunch today.  Delicious.  Scoops is beyond amazing,  the flavors are sublime and different ones everyday.  Crew, as with OC, cannot do enough for you.  It is so nice to be asked how you want to be addressed.  My DH and I are very informal and so we tell them just call us by our first names.

approximately 350 guest onboard.  I cannot remember if i was told 346 or 364 so i am going with 350.

@travelberlin In 2021 the flat rate cab was actually cheaper than Uber.  sadly, I cant remember the exact price but I went with cab as it was cheaper than the Uber app quoted.

I have never had any issues ever getting a cab or Uber to MIA from the port, including, arriving a few days before Christmas in 2021

I for one am glad that the dessert are a bit underwhelming in Waterside.  My waistline is glad also.  Less temptation = less pounds on our upcoming cruise,

I agree 100% with Service.  disagree with the win for best for singles.  I sailed in one of those cabins once (on OC) and never booked it again and never will.Horrid locations and it astounds me that doubles actually book those cabins.  I am spoiled by Silversea and Seabourn and their suites and all the room they afford for a single or a couple.  The low single fares on Explora is very attractive and I booked a suite as a single on them. 

Service on Crystal is amazing and DH and I are looking forward to experiencing it again this month.

2 hours ago, ryndam said:

This afternoon’s snack.

 

Is this only for PHs?