Gourmet Gal

Agree that Albergo del Senato is a great location but very average. My DH and I had a terrible time with the air quality in our rooms. We could see dust blowing in from the vents and needless to say I ended up with a bad sinus infection. Can’t recommend it. We actually prefer the Bernini because we prefer a more quiet neighborhood but it’s understandable if it’s one’s first visit to Rome you may want to be more in the touristy area.

I did this cruise with Tauck and it’s a great itinerary. Tauck is as all-inclusive as SS and the service is excellent though less “formal” than SS. Food choices are more limited due to the small size of the ship and again the cuisine is less fussy but well-prepared. Tauck’s guides are really the highlight as the tour groups are smaller and the guides are very knowledgeable. There will also be little surprises along the way that can be quite delightful. Tauck began as a company in the ‘20’s as a tour company so that is where they excel. They do not own any ships and the ships are not crewed by Tauck employees. That isn’t usually a negative at all but I believe in the case of Ponant it can be problematic. I believe for the river cruises Tauck compares favorably to SS. If you’ve not taken a river cruise before you’ll be surprised at how tiny the cabins are. I highly recommend that you book a suite - still small but more comfortable. I have also sailed on Uniworld and find Tauck superior because they have even fewer passengers in general and a better staff to pax ratio and of course the tours are much better. I personally would not sail Uniworld again after experiencing Tauck. Someone here may also chime in about Scenic and they are quite comparable to Tauck. There is not a Tauck specific forum on CC but as you may know, Tauck has their own forum and you can glean a lot of info just reading through it. You’ll see a thread specifically for your itinerary.

How long ago did this happen to you?

This is my experience as well. Several of my excursions on an upcoming cruise now carry a charge but no increase for our bookings. Sounds like it probably is a good idea to book ASAP and perhaps this issue is happening so often that SS has a system in place to honor the no-cost bookings.

Once you’re in Europe anything is possible. Are you asking if a cruise line offers such a pairing or if it’s logistically possible to extend the trip yourself by taking a train or driving to Switzerland? Of course the later is possible and very easy. Perhaps your TA can assist in researching for a cruise line that has the same option. You could also consider a B2B Tulip Time followed by a Rhine cruise that ends in Basel - then it’s an easy and beautiful drive to the Swiss Alps. Depending on itinerary you could fly home from Zurich or Geneva.

All good questions. The OP appears to live in Williamsburg so would be flying from Richmond or Norfolk….not many (any?) international flights from either airport and would probably need connections. Still wondering where Aon and Leon are.

Where are Aon and Leon? True, bag check fees are a minor detail. How long are the flights? Is it overnight at least one way? I would never fly econ overnight anywhere but that’s what most people do.

Be careful…you’re so close to the edge! 😱

To hell in a cruise ship would be so much better.

If guilt is the only thing giving you pause and not your budget then I say go for it. I have sailed Celebrity, though years ago, but SS is nicer in so many ways. Service, food, beverages, staterooms, staff to pax ratio. The all-inclusiveness is a big factor as well - gratuities, beverages, excursions. You will sense the difference in comfort and luxury as soon as you board the ship though your very first impression may be surprise at how small the ship is. You will not be thrilled with the casino or the entertainment but as you say, you’ll be in the Med. and the cruise is port-intensive. You won’t be bored.

Well I know business class is worth the upgrade on an international, overnight flight. It’s my understanding the premium economy seats are bigger, more comfortable and have more incline than standard seats though they are not lie-flat. Honestly, any improvement over standard seating is probably worth it for such a long flight.

Jazz, how are you finding the condition of the ship? Whisper is one of the older ones and was our first SS cruise.

After reading your comment about included tours switched to extra-cost I checked my upcoming cruise and noticed that 2 of my booked included tours now carry an extra charge. A line is drawn through the price on my booking so I’m assuming there’ll be no charge. So it pays to book excursions ASAP apparently.

Thanks. Perhaps I was reading too fast but I couldn’t tell from the original post.

Thanks for posting. Which ship are you on?

You can find private guides and drivers for far less than what is offered on SS. But there are some interesting non-included tour options with special access that range from $200 to $5000 or more. For example, we booked the Monaco Grand Prix apartment viewing for almost $5000 PP and a cooking class in Sicily for several hundred PP and those prices actually are in line with what you can book on your own. But their prices for just a car and driver are quite high.

That deck 6 cabin is too far forward if you’re concerned about seasickness. And so true about anchor chain noise as well as when there are high seas there will be noise from the pounding waves on the bow.

Just wondering, how full is the ship on these long sea segments?

We took this cruise in September 2022 in the opposite direction in Silver Moon and it was quite rough. Had to wear a patch for seasickness. We did miss the port that is near Biarritz due to rough seas so our San Sebastián excursion was cancelled.

Apparently there is the replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall on display in Hilo. It’s been on tour nationwide and just arrived this week.

Surf has been incredibly high this week. Enjoy Hilo.

Nice photos. What was your original port if not Hilo?

Aren’t the 7-day Med cruises without formal nights? Not sure how being European translates to formal attire.

Glad you enjoyed your stay. We’re staying in an apartment at a small boutique hotel in the Gothic Quarter. SS is refunding the hotel charge.

That’s probably the weather that will hit us tomorrow. Apparently this atmospheric river spanned the Pacific all the way to Japan. 4 days of rain on the way here but Hawaii should be nice. How many overnights in Hawaii?