Ace4th

On 4/20/2020 at 11:58 AM, Jancruz said:

I was thinking about it and was wondering if anyone will cruise before there is a vaccine..I know I would anyone else??

Jancruz1

I wouldn't worry about a vaccine,  just as I won't need a vaccine to go to a play or concert.

We are due to sail on June 7 from Barcelona to Athens -- I'm sure that trip will be cancelled and that itinerary is not offered in 2021.  I find it concerning that Oceania is among a very short list (6) that have not updated their cancellation list -- all, but these 6 have cancelled all sailings until June 11 or later.    My preference is to still go on the trip (3 weeks with pre/post stays) - but it won't happen - Oceania just won't tell me yet it won't happen.  I won't be interested in Future Cruise Credit.  

Doubt we will do much (if any) cruising in the future - we go occasionally and I like it - Husband is not crazy about sea days.  He actually picked this particular Cruise because it was port intensive, we had heard great things about Oceania and were going to stay in Athens for a week after the cruise in a friend's apartment.  There will be (from all I've read) extra constraints on those 70+ .  I expect we will go back to the ways we usually travel - which is rent a house for a month and explore.

As for coffee at 5 AM, room service is easiest, but if you have someone sleeping and don't want to risk waking them up, you might find that either Horizons (one side only) or the Terrace or both have self-service coffee that time of day.  I'm not sure of the hours, though. 

Thank you - we don't cruise much, but my limited experience is that there is always self serve coffee available somewhere.  It's just a matter of knowing where to look.  On our Celebrity 45 passenger cruise, I found it in the Deck bar kitchen.

I'll check both Horizons and the Terrace .... you are correct, I often get up early - don't want to disturb my husband, so I try to tip toe out and find coffee and a chair to do a little reading.

I'm not concerned much about breakfast - I eat at a reasonable time and as long as they have smoked salmon I'm a happy morning person.

My main concern is a cup of coffee at 5am.  I tend to wake up early a lot and want coffee immediately.  We will be on the Riviera this summer in the Med.  Any coffee anywhere as early as 5am?

This Cruisecritic thread about travel from Civi to Rome (and back) is worth a read.

Are you aware of the new express train (and return) to Rome?  As you read through the thread you will get a good idea of timing and walking distances.

On 7/1/2019 at 10:46 PM, Anita Latte said:

 

I need to reacquaint myself with your original packing list ...but my thoughts reading this affirm what I believe to be true of Alaska cruises. That is, people are packing the recommended layers and are more casual overall. The absence of jeans doesn’t surprise me at all...jeans are heavy and bulky. Khakis are a much more port friendly and suitcase friendly option, especially with some sophisticated tech fabrics that dry quickly but look nice to transition from day to evening. The khakis play better with casual inclement weather friendly travel wardrobes.

On 6/29/2019 at 4:43 PM, PandaBear62 said:

Thanks for asking! I brought too many clothes! I had more tops than I needed. I brought two tunics (I only needed one), two "dressy" stops (only wore one and really didn't need either). I brought 7 or 8 tops and easily could have had 5 or 6. 

 

I had 4 pairs of pants and could have done with three. I loved my blue jean jeggings. I had a pair of jeans, and two pairs of black pants. One would have been fine.

 

I had a dress for sleeping (basically a long tee dress from Costco), a dress as a swim cover up and 2 nicer dresses. Since I only used the swim cover up to go to and from the spa (using the thermal spa), I could have just used my sleep tee.  Also, instead of 2 dresses for formal nights, for Europe I am bringing one dress and two different wraps (one is maroon/wine red and the other a gold/yellow) for a floral dress. I purposely brought two very different colors because I think they will make the dress look quite different. (One had lace and the other, more shimmery with rhinestones).

 

I ended up finding a cute sweatshirt type jacket at Chico's, so brought that. But I used it frequently, as well as the packable rain jacket and the puffer coat.

 

I also used my pashmina frequently, as a scarf. When it was really cold, I wore it over my head and wrapped around my neck with my rain jacket hood. I also used a lightweight gaiter around my neck, made of breathable, wicking fabric. I bought my from Eddie Bauer, but it was kind of like this: https://www.amazon.com/Ligart-Protection-Headwear-Balaclava-Breathable/dp/B07F85Q19J/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2HCQ7KENVRQIS&keywords=neck%2Bgaiter%2Bwomen&qid=1561844202&s=gateway&sprefix=gaiter%2B%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-6&th=1

 

I'm actually packing for Europe now (I leave in two weeks) as a trial run. I'll post my final list soon.

 

Just one more observation.....we sailed on Princess and had the first seating. People dressed much nicer for the dining room than I expected. Regular cruise casual nights....almost all men in button down shirts or polos with khaki pants or slacks....way fewer jeans than I expected. Women wore nice slacks and tops or dresses. Gala night, on the other hand, wasn't super formal, but I definitely saw a few tuxes, more suits and many slacks with dress shorts. Women in what I'd consider nicer cruise casual all the way to long dresses.

 

 

 

I also only travel with a carry-on.  We are leaving on a 3 week trip next week to Alaska.  Week land, week cruise and week in Victoria, BC.  I got a few tips from this thread (pillow case), need for a scarf (although there is a Heat Wave in Alaska now. I handle dinner dressing a bit differently - 1 take one pair of easy pack nylon/rayon no wrinkle black pants and 4 silk tank tops in prints - layer over with 3/4 sleeve lightweight black sweater.  Silk takes up almost no space to pack.  I'll take one pair of Columbia capris, one pair of denim leggings, 1 flannel shirt, 3  short sleeve tees, 1 3/4 sleeve tee and one long sleeve tech shirt + micro fleece sweatshirt, silk long handles and packable rain jacket.  Formal is the same black pants with a black tank and Chico crinkle evening jacket + 1 chiffon poncho type topper.  All the tops are folded into an Eagle Creek Pack-it envelope. Underwear, calf length black tights for exercise & sleep & 4 pairs of Darn Tough socks are in a cube.  Flat woven Mary Jane shoes for evening a one pair of canvas shoes + flip flops.  Pants are rolled.  I wear regular light weight jeans and tee with overshirt on the plane + my keens and carry on my standard (never travel with out it) Med wt Black Ruana.  I will take advantage on the laundry on Princess and grateful to have it.  I normally pack washing drops and inflatable hangers to do my laundry.

I was in Ecuador twice last year - 2 weeks each time.  One week in cold weather (miserable rain) in the mountains and one week in the Amazon rain forest -- same trip and really tough to pack for.  Columbia pants and Columbia capris + tech shirts to dry fast and had to do laundry (not easy in a rain forest). Think lightweight, easy pack, go with everything, layer and attempt to lock down the weather if possible.  I always pack a compression bag (unfilled) & some large zip locks. Consider also that you don't know people and as long as you are close to appropriate & comfortable with your choices - don't worry about what others wear.  It's likely they won't worry about what you wear. 

Does anyone do this? We're doing our second two week cruise coming up in October. We do it with a carry on size bag each. Yes, even my bride. But this time, I was thinking about maybe doing a wee bit of laundry so I could pack a little less. Like not having to take two weeks worth of socks and underwear. Maybe a few fewer shirts. It's going to be cool to cold so I should be able to rotate shirts to wear them each three times but might want to wash one or two out.

I live in khakis and can go several days on one pair, especially in cool weather and those little Tide Spot cleaner pens do a good job for minor spills. Three pairs of Khaki pants will do for me.

 

I suppose you can wash out a few things at night in the sink or even the shower and hang them to dry. I'd rather not have underwear hanging out when the steward cleans the room each morning but I'm sure he/she has seen it all before.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

We have done the "carry on" in Europe (everywhere else also) for 15 years. Our kids convinced us the only way to go was the backpack route while traveling by train around the UK. They were correct and we have been converts ever sense. It just takes a bit more planning and few special purchases.

We generally wash a few things every 3 days. I travel with the Latex braided clothesline, a few inflatable hangers, soap ( dry soap sheets or small bottle of concentrate) a few hooks and a large microfiber towel. The secret is the fiber of your clothing. Quick dry (no wrinkle) Nylon or Poly Travel Shirts, underwear and coolmax socks are key. Wash the garment, lay it on the towel and roll up - squeeze out and then hang on the Line or on the Hanger. The hanger will allow air through the shirt, shorts, pants and it will all dry overnight. I do all my laundry in the evenings and it's ready by morning. Doesn't matter about the length of the trip - 4 pair socks and 4 pair underwear is plenty and allows washing every 3-4 days.

Hubby does his own socks and underwear and I usually do any shirts (because I'm more careful with them) - the Towel is key - I have a waffle weave Aqua towel and have had it, the hangers & Latex line for 15 years.

Send me a PM if you have any questions.