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We haven't cruised on Oceania, but from what I have read and heard first-hand your suspicions are well founded. Fellow cruisers on Regent who have also cruised on Oceania feel Regent's food is better. We enjoy the entertainment on Regent, but it's closer to what you describe on Oceania than what might be available on lines such at Celebrity. There are lounges with entertainment as well as a main stage with well done shows. Our second cruise experience on Celebrity was 55 days on the Edge in the Med and a TA. We enjoyed an excellent time in the Retreat. The food was mostly excellent and the entertainment was top notch. As mentioned above, we're on the Ascent for a TA in October. If you haven't reached final payment for your Oceania cruise, I strongly suggest you give one of Celebrity's Edge class ships a close look. There are some good videos on YouTube you might want to check out.

Very interesting... We visited Napa Valley a number of years ago, but didn't get over to Russian River, and more recently Paso Robles in 2019. I'll have to look for some Russian River Pinot Noir to try. We always book winery tours and tastings when we travel in Europe. We're looking forward to an overnight in Bordeaux in October. We have a full schedule threre with the highlight being dinner at Château du Tertre.

Yes, we are... 🍷🍷

@marne-c... Thank you for relating your experience sailing on Ascent. Like you, we're Regent cruisers who will be catching a ride home on the Ascent TA this fall after 27 days on Splendor out of Southampton around the UK then down the coast to Barcelona. See you onboard Ascent...

We've enjoyed lunch at La Cisterna del Moro, Via Bonifacio, 1, 98039 Taormina a number of times and have never been disappointed. Follow this link to their website. Google Translate does a good job with the site.

Believe it or not, it's kinda' late in the game for finding a hotel priced less than $200 (~€187) per night in October. I would be happy to check my usual sources if you provide your exact dates.

The lounges in the photo do not appear to be located in the covered, shaded area.

You're correct...see below. Here's a link to the Chase Sapphire Guide to Benefits.

You're referring to the Chase Sapphire cards. There are two that include this feature...Sapphire Reserve and Preferred. We've had to collect once on a claim and I have to say it was much easier than dealing with the travel insurance company. The $20,000 offered by Chase reduces the amount you need to purchase in travel insurance.

InsureMyTrip.com, SquareMouth.com, and TripInsuranceStore.com are all good. However, Steve Dassos at TripInsuranceStore.com offers a lot of value added benefits in the way of information and advice. I would recommend you call Steve for his recommendation.

There's no policy against posting the names of tour companies. It's done all the time.

You can download and install an eSIM and activate it when you're ready to use it. Check out the eSIM Database for a listing of just about every option. I've used Airalo and found it very easy to use.

Can't do that here on CC...not allowed. That's why I suggested you speak with fellow cruisers. A good TA will likely know more about cruise line offerings than those who work there in customer service. If you find a good TA, she will get back to you with the answers you need...and others at her agency can serve you if she is busy or out of the office.

You might want to ask fellow cruisers on your next cruise about what their TA offers in value added benefits. By dealing directly with the cruise line you may be missing out on discounts, rebates, OBCs, and other benefits. I book only cruise travel with our TA. Everything else I book myself.

This email address has worked well for me: specialrequests@rssc.com

That area is currently closed to cruise ship traffic. See the following published on TravelPULSE: Last updated: 7:35 PM ET, Thu October 12, 2023 Currently home to Europe’s largest cruise port, the popular Spanish city of Barcelona is restricting port access in an effort to mitigate the impacts of overtourism, an issue that continues to overwhelm many sought-after European destinations. Following an agreement with local authorities to relocate cruise ships further from the city proper, officials have closed Barcelona’s northern port terminal to all cruise traffic. Passenger cruise vessels will now be required to dock at the Moll d’Adossat pier, situated furthest from the storied city center.

There is one cruise port in Barcelona with one long pier. No need to know which berth. Your taxi driver just needs to drive down the pier until he sees your ship.

if you’re referring to RomeCabs, yes they do drop off and pick up at the ship within the port.

We have used RomeCabs for airport and port transfers for years and have always received excellent service. They are well regarded by many on this forum.

It's not a scientific analysis...just an observation.

Don't be bummed if Starlink isn't up and running in time for your cruise. As I previously mentioned, internet speed on Splendor was about twice as fast without Starlink than on Grandeur with it.

When we cruised on Grandeur in January and February we could very rarely hear muffled conversation, but never the TV...

Living in the US and dealing with a Canadian TA opens up a whole new set of issues apparently. My suggestion would be to obtain a credit card that does not charge international transaction fees such as the Citi Costco card which is free...there are other free and paid credit cards. Also, consider a Schwab debit card for free ATM withdrawals worldwide. It's the best way to obtain foreign currency. Any fees incurred are reimbursed to your account at the end of the month. Can't say enough good things about Schwab.

This may or may not be readable...

If your dates are May 26 - 30, 2025, I'm seeing plenty of availability. Try this link.