Gourmet Gal

Those who have sailed SS previously can book shorex 210 days in advance and it is not unusual for at least a few to be booked up right away. Sometimes SS will add more departures and things change once onboard. Be sure to waitlist for your top choices. If the shorex on your cruise booked further out than 210 days then I don’t understand what happened. Your second cruise may have a later window for booking as well.

On river cruises the lounge is open after dinner and in my experience with Tauck and Uniworld there is always some sort of entertainment even if it’s just piano music.

When I had an airline issue, my friend who booked the trip for us told me she’d get back to me when she finished her tennis match! A professional TA would at the very least not tell me if she had a tennis match to finish…LOL.

Just want to mention that using the services of a TA who is also a friend could be awkward when something goes wrong that may be a result of that person’s inexperience or outright error. That happened to me before my current TA and I find I can never talk about my travels around her lest she wonder why she doesn’t get to book it.

Well, that’s rather harsh but you and I are both entitled to our opinions here on Cruise Critic. The SS dress code is obviously going to adapt to the modern world eventually but don’t worry, you will still be able to dress up as much as you would like.

First of all, check the various stickies at the top of the River Cruising forum to help determine which river, which cruise line, read comparisons, etc. There’s excellent info there whether you plan to use a TA or not. I’m also a planner and have taken some very complicated trips. Cruises are the easiest to plan but no matter how much planning I do, I’ll turn it over to my TA to further my planning and research and then to book. I'm lucky to have an excellent one and she is well worth it for her opinion, expertise, guidance and perks. It’s true that there are fewer things to spend OBC on but if the river ship has a spa, charges for laundry or has an upgraded wine list the OBC can come in handy. A good TA can also provide hotel perks such as breakfast, upgrades, early check in, late check out, spa credits, etc. Have fun with your planning!

Agree with respecting rules, whatever they may be. I just wish the vibe and dress codes were more country club or high-end resort rather than black-tie gala at the dressiest spectrum. I disagree that the formal night dress code is what makes SS special. The line has plenty more going for it.

Well, there is that little thing called inflation and perhaps you’ve noticed the major fuel price increases. I certainly wouldn’t expect the pricing to be the same. Air fares have increased dramatically just this year and it is what it is. I’ve heard some chatter that fuel prices may decrease for awhile but then may increase again. Sounds like SS is trying to apply some sort of dynamic or variable pricing.

Oh yeah. She’s a gem.

If the second cruise is less than 6 days you would not be required to test. When are your cruises? All test requirements for vaccinated pax may be eliminated in the next few months.

Honestly, as long as you are presentable there’s no staff that will turn you away.

Never happened to me but I’ve read here of other instances where cruises have been chartered and booked pax had to scramble. You have good reason to be disappointed but other cruise lines have done this so I wouldn’t avoid Uniworld for this reason as they are a more premium, luxury experience than Viking. Fortunately, this wasn’t last minute so you had plenty of time to adjust and you had a great TA who was able to accommodate you. Hopefully, you have insurance to shield any major issues.

Hopefully! Though shorts should be verboten in the evening, period. Seems clear the gents have had it with tuxes and even suits on vacay.

It’s always a good idea to check the official websites of countries you are visiting rather than relying on a third party but Tauck should keep their website more updated.

My TA was able to resolve the name problem only by having SS give her permission to work with BA directly because SS agents are not allowed to call or communicate with airlines other than to make reservations, changes, and to issue tickets. They cannot call the airlines and refused to do so in our case. It took my TA almost all of yesterday to fix a simple name mistake and she didn’t make a penny on the air portion of the cruise.

AFAIK the policy includes SS. I think the testing gives pax a false sense of security and they abandon strategic masking.

That is the case with my TA. She happily offers to take care of air arrangements even though I may have already been researching flight options. I also agree there is a level of security in having SS book air but lately they’ve been more trouble than it’s worth. My TA can take care of last minute changes it’s just that it may cost me.

I think our concerns are such simple fixes and the problem is with SS in their mistake in my case and booking a very bad connection in your case. The problem is not with the airlines. Our TA’s are making an excellent commission on these cruises so they shouldn’t mind pushing a little more.

I would try really hard right now to escalate this issue because as time goes by, the fewer options there will be. It’s so shocking that SS will just knowingly push off this problem that will create a bigger problem in real time in your return. I’m having an issue with them right now regarding my son’s fiancé’s name on her ticket. We used SS for their flight because they will be returning earlier from a different airport and the flights worked. But when we look at the rez on BA’s website it is misspelled and her middle name is broken up. When my TA brought it to the attention of SS they’re saying just wait until after the ticket is issued and then they’ll attempt to fix it. That makes zero sense because it will be harder to change then. We’re going to escalate this and we’ll definitely not use SS air again and we’re really souring on SS in general.

That’s good. Interesting statistic is that per household when there is a case of Covid the average is 40% of members of that household will end up contracting it.

Oh, right. Well, you could ask but they’re responsible for getting you home so I would think they should be on the hook for hotel but worst case, Lisbon hotel prices are very reasonable and there should be plenty of options. I also don’t think you should have to spend the night at FRA if thngs break down there. Again, you should speak with SS to discuss options for the various scenarios. Best of luck! Look out for us onboard….my DH and I will be traveling with our son and his beautiful fiancé - a young gorgeous couple!

Yes, if you have to get Covid then the day you return from a great trip is ideal!

It’s hard to stay away from Covid on such small ships and busses. I think a lot of transmission happens at meals, in the lounge and on the busses.

If you’re booking air through SS they are responsible for getting you to the ship. Your late arrival in FRA could be a problem for rebooking but then flight delays begin to accumulate as the day progresses so you may get lucky. So sorry to hear this is such a problem.

Thanks for the report. I took this cruise a few years ago when there were fewer cruise ships on the Moselle and it was a nice trip. Sorry to hear ahout Covid. Just wondering, were people masking onhoard when not eating or drinking? Was there any sort of mask requirement. I took a Tauck cruise this spring and assumed all the coughing pax had Covid - my husband also tested positive as soon as we got home. The only way to know if one has Covid or not is to test.