OneSixtyToOne

On our cruise the room steward “fixed” it by using a door stop.

I just noticed there is a new Cities of Antiquity itinerary that now includes Malta. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/europe/cities-antiquity/index.html

The Alhambra restricts cruise lines to a single bus per day. On top of that, their security required your ticket to have your name on it and they randomly check it against your passport. Therefore even if there are cancellations on board, the seats can’t be resold to another passenger. Fortunately, we were able to get the excursion, even though we were a DV. It was the first excursion we booked when the window opened. It sold out within an hour. The other excursions that tend to sell out are the Privileged Access tours. Those are also usually restricted to a single group. With other sold out excursions, they can sometimes add additional times when demand warrants it.

If you ever get a chance to attend, Santa Barbara has a street festival and parade sometime around the Spring Equinox. The floats and costumes are handmade. The festival is sponsored by the art museum, which is also worth a visit. This theme was sci-fi:

The Santa Barbara Courthouse is indeed worth a visit.

Yes indeed

Yes, we had a refreshment and a snack while looking at the rugs being tossed about. The Turkish government subsidizes the rug weaving to keep the tradition (and commerce) alive and the weavers attend a local school to learn the skill. The weaving and the silk production demonstrations were great. The wool rugs are all natural dyes, the weaving is a double knot technique, and the designs are Kurdish tribal. BTW when you purchase a rug they have you sign the back to ensure at delivery it it the one you bought. IMG_9867.mov

The rug stores after the Ephesus tour that Viking takes you to are run by the government. The price includes delivery to your home. We bought a beautiful runner that was delivered in about 6 weeks. IMG_9874.mov

We have Verizon but their international plan is too expensive. We bought an e-sim card from Airalo and have used that when in Europe and South America.

Here is my Almost Live thread about our trip last spring. Split Review of the Meštrovic Gallery and Diocletian Place https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2927474-almost-live-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2023/?do=findComment&comment=65148610 Walls of Dubrovnik https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2927474-almost-live-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2023/?do=findComment&comment=65159269 Corfu https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2927474-almost-live-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2023/?do=findComment&comment=65181734

It's there for me. Do you have a filter on?

They have those at my Costco for $849.99. Saving up… 🤪

We were on Athens to Rome last January. There were gale force winds leaving Athens as a major winter storm arrived. It was pretty rough. Some people were very seasick. You can never tell. I get seasick too but took Bonine and never had an issue. View from our aft cabin leaving Athens: IMG_9759.mov

CFAR was available on our policy for an additional charge. One interesting thing I discovered is our policy only covers bankruptcy of the carrier if you are going through a 3rd party, meaning if you don’t use a travel agent, it’s not covered.

Yemen is the problem: Maersk Pausing Red Sea Transits 'Until Further Notice' After Attack https://gcaptain.com/maersk-pausing-red-sea-transits-until-further-notice/

No.

Due to security concerns, I doubt anyone who is not booked on the 2nd leg of the cruise will be allowed to stay aboard. They need everyone to swipe their card at disembarkation to make sure everyone is accounted for. You can ask while aboard but I seriously doubt they will allow it. Seems like a violation of their security procedures. It might also be an insurance liability issue. What if your husband is injured aboard? He is no longer a passenger.

They are some of the best preserved Roman homes in the world. Viking offers two optional excursions of Ephesus. The one that includes the home tour has an additional cost to cover admission. It’s well worth it.

We had previously used Trip Mate but our next cruise isn't scheduled until 2025 so I looked elsewhere. As long as you take a minimum coverage amount within X days of you first deposit, you are covered for pre-existing conditions. Unlike Trip Mate, which insures the entire cost upfront, you can then increase the coverage on your policy when you make your payments for the trip.

Always get to know the sommelier. They will fix you up.

We were on Journey to Antiquity and Mediterranean Odyssey last year. Demanding typically involves lots of walking, uneven footing, and or stairs / elevation changes. Walking the walls of Dubrovnik required climbing an initial killer staircase but the rest of the tour was moderate. Meanwhile Pompeii is flat but has a lot of uneven stones and steps. Ephesus is mostly flat / uneven but the tour of the Roman houses requires climbing modern staircases erected within the ruins.

Both

This is concerning: Maersk Pausing Red Sea Transits 'Until Further Notice' After Attack https://gcaptain.com/maersk-pausing-red-sea-transits-until-further-notice/

We had the post extension and had a 10 PM flight to Houston on United. Shuttle bus left the Hilton at 4:30 PM.

Octantis was one of the most stable ships I’ve been on. Last October we hit 10-11 on the Beaufort Scale and hardly felt it. IMG_5434.mov