warburg

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone. .Believe it or not, the tuxedo was invented in Tuxedo New York to be a comfortable, relaxing garment.. I have noticed  that almost all men look very attractive in one. There is something about them that does that. For women, formal nights are very easy since a long black skirt with a dressy top will do the trick.. I have one so basic I've worn it to a barbecue with a light blue denim shirt and a wide western belt with a Texas toad buckle., It has also attended formal weddings with appropriate additions. I will bring it on my Oasis cruise and wear it more than once. I used to live in NYC and sailed QM2 very often because it was docked in Red Hook, Brooklyn. TransAtlantics has three formal nights. Almost everyone cooperated. Very attractive crowd.  

Mary

Hello, LuvCruising8. On my travel documents for Odyssey February 5th, six day cruise, the formal nights are  2 and 5. From comments here on CC, attire ranges from formal to not so much. To me this means wear whatever makes you happy. On QM2, formal nights were observed by almost everyone. Dark suits with tux bow ties were worn by some with luggage limitations. Our last QM2 cruise was in 2010 because we moved to Florida that year. At the time, it was possible to rent a tux.  I don't know about now. I will do formal.This is my first solo cruise because I am now a widow. 

Mary

Greetings from South Beach. My husband and I took many cruises, the longest 46 days. No matter how long the cruise,  for formal or dressy nights, I'd take a few items flexible enough for whatever. What makes them special is hand washable, no pressing and if rolled in a towel, very  quick crying. You can find clothes like this many places. Chicos and Nordstrom, are my recent suppliers The current skirt, ankle length from Nordstrom, looks fit to meet the Queen with the right accessories.  I've  worn it to a barbecue with a fancy tee, Texas style belt and Gucci sneakers. Have fun packing. I do.

Mary

Hello from South Beach, Everyone. My husband and I made our own arrangements whenever possible. The thing to keep in mind when planning Capri and similar is the details. Where your ship is docked, distance from ferry  or other return methods, if you will be able to do it all in time allotted. On the daily program, there is  the address and phone number of who to call if you have a problem. Take it with you. Once we were on a ship  anchored off Mykonos. We tendered in, the return schedule was posted right there.  At departure,  names and cabin numbers of a few people were repeated on the public address system. This was quite awhile ago and we were on a Greek ship called the Stella Solaris. No cell phones yet. Those people missed the ship. On a trip years later, a few didn't make it back on Grenada. Once,  our ship was ready to sail except for an already late mother of two teenage boys. The mother still wanted awnted to return to a gift shop right there on the dock. The gate people told her not to do it. She turned and ran to the store anyway. The gate was closed and she was on the wrong side and there she remained as we pulled away from the dock.

Mary

Greetings, Everyone from South Beach, twenty minutes from Port of Miami.. A recent article outlined the growing number of complaints from disappointed passengers addressing the same issues that bothered CussJeff. The cruise lines are caught in a terrible economic spot. The lock down was a total disaster.  Today's economic reality is also horrific.  In my opinion, Royal should decide. if it wants to keep its passengers happy and provide the expected product. If not, the line will accept losing CussJeff and others who feel as he does. To his credit, he's spoken up. One onion ring each and no burger at all has an Oliver Twistish quality to it. In February I sail on Odyssey in a junior suite. I will report on my experience as CussJeff has done. At the moment, I am optimistic and expect to have a good time. 

Mary

I have pre existing conditions, not one of which has ever caused any trouble on a cruise.  However, I buy insurance within 21 days of booking. Paying to cover  the deposit is all that is necessary because he insurance may be purchased long in advance. My company of choice is SteveTripinsurancestore.com. Steve is a specialist and has had two recent question and answer sessions on CruiseCritic.Every once in a while someone without insurance posts here, expecting the line to refund to cover a necessary cancellation.Maybe they do but I doubt it.

Hello, 4774Papa. I am a veteran of at least 16 TransAtlanics. My husband and I loved them. In the beginning, they were lightly booked because dearth of ports was a turnoff. Over time that changed. Our preference was from West to East because I like to get the flying out of the way and Europe is not crammed with tourists. Barcelona and Lisbon are charming cities and we stayed at least a week before our voyage. No matter what balcony you get, using it will probably be a sometime thing. Both directions are not in the warmest seasons and engine speed is also a factor. There was one exception on our travels. We booked an accidental repositioning from Galveston to Rouen in the summer. For the entire trip the Atlantic was a soup bowl, no waves and very light breezes.

Greetings from South Beach, tropiclvrs. If you want to be seated alone, you can ask for that. If not available,  and you are placed with others. just introduce yourself to whoever is there. You will be dining in a different venue every night with the package.

I am also traveling solo for the first time. My worst fear is ending solo on a charter where the bulk of passengers are undertakers or fertilizer salesmen. We once ended up on a Greek Island cruise chartered for 300 doctors and lawyers whose only interest was malpractice. We were part of the other 40 who had booked this trip. That group had use all event venues during the day.. The ship's defense was that we were welcome at every one. To be fair, evening shows were for everyone. We did attend a couple of  presentations. Our glimpse into the dark side of medicine had  a lasting impact on us. After that we always asked our TA to check for Charters.

The ride from the port to Rome depends on traffic, a major factor in all things Roman. Fiumicino has hotels Staying in one of them will assure that you don't miss your flight, shuttle or not. My husband and I spent months in Rome and experienced a wide range of what were spectacular traffic jams, a couple of times just far enough from our destination to guarantee that we would never get there on time. Once, we were in Rome for a week before boarding Oceania's Marina for a transAtlantic to Miami. The available routes in this case to the port depended on the last digit of the driver's license. Our driver had the correct digit. However, the police were catching bad digits and pulling them over. We didn't care because our ship wasn't sailing until late afternoon. That the cops were issuing tickets drove our driver into a rage  because he saw another money grab money grab by the evil government. We regretted that our driver spoke English.

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone. I am sad to say I cancelled my April cruise on Odyssey because life wearing a mask whenever indoors is not for me. Getting rid of the mask aboard doesn't seem possible now because so many people are afraid to do without it. I have a TA booked for April of 2023. Absent mask, I will be aboard.. This TA sails to Lisbon, a beautiful port. We were there several times, and it was enjoyable. The seafood lunch we once had in Cascias, a town near Lisbon, was extraordinary, as was the setting..I am cautiously optimistic about getting on a cruise ship in the future.

Mary

Hello, CherylCT. Call customer service. The people there answer questions very well, The website is poorly designed and rigid. If you end up in the wrong spot, it is almost  impossible to get out of it. Two computers helps.

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone. We are human beings. Our specie is thriving. That tells me something. Disease has always been with us and you are alive and reading this post. There are over 100,000 diseases on earth and we can do something about very few of them. I intend to take my booked cruises unless I fall ill  or they are cancelled. The shutdowns and assorted imposed restrictions did more damage than the virus. I'm glad the cruise industry survived. Over 100,000 restaurants weren't so lucky. I live 20  minutes from Port of Miami. The horn blasts from departing cruise ships, including Disney's, are music to my ears. On April 9th, I hope to be aboard Odyssey and hear it from my balcony while sipping champagne. When cruises leave from PoM, I would be on deck toI wave goodbye to my condo as the ship passes it. Odyssey sails from Port Everglades, thus the champagne. No hardship there.

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone. On November 10th, I booked  April 9th on Odyssey and added dining and drinks programs. Somewhat later I noticed price reductions on the web site, and  already had the correct amount of cruise credit posted to my account.  That was a very pleasant surprise. After reading about the Key's advantages on CruiseCritic, I booked that too at a reduced  price. It has been too long since ny last cruise. This one will be very welcome. Too bad we are not departing from Royal's spectacular terminal in Miami. After watching its construction, I've been curious about the interior.

Mary

Greetings from South Beach,  texhockey. Thank you an impressive review  It makes me wish my Odyssey B2B in March of 2023 were closer. Too bad this ship leaves from Port Everglades. The RCL terminal in Miami is gorgeous and the highlight of the port at night. It's also pretty impressive during the day,

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone.  The heading on this post got my attention. Rather extreme, I'd say. While it is upsetting to have a change like this, it is still far enough in advance that airfare isn't also an issue. My husband and I sailed on over fifty cruises. We loved Barcelona and added at least a week there before or after every Trans Atlantic. We stayed at the Hotel Colon with a balcony overlooking Catedral. My husband loved the food there, especially seafood. I am a widow now, still cruising. Four days would be a treat for me especially if another cruise were at its end.

We have been jumping through all size hoops for what will soon be two years because of one disease. The world is home to at least 100,000 diseases and only some of them have cures. Under the circumstances, a batter course might be to trash the hoops and return to  pre Covid reality. Disease will be with us for at least the foreseeable future and we can live with that because we all did. As far as Bermude is concerned, go elsewhere now. When things are easier, visit then.

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, close enough to POM to hear the triple blast and see my condo as we sail out. Hoping to hear it today. I am booked on NLC 's Encore from Miami in March  and am a cancellation veteran. Hoping for better days now. Bon Voyage to the lucky ones hopefully departing today.

Mary

Greetings, MorganClark, from South Beach. I am a recent widow and am also trying the Studio. We were regulars in Ph''s on Oceania and Regent. In fact, for my husband's 90th, we were booked in the Haven on the Bliss. That one was a covid casualty. Before the Haven, we sailed Villa on the Jewel. Lovely but no designated restaurant for dinner. Breakfast and lunch were in Gatsby's. I never met solos on any of those cruises and I like the idea of the lounge that goes with the Studio. We loved cruising and  this will be my first alone. It is smart of NCL to create the Studio. 

Mary 

Greetings from South Beach. This is a resort but I still want to cruise. A victim of multiple cancellations and a recent widow, I booked a Studio on the Encore because I want to meet other solos in the designated lounge. My husband and I sailed PH's on Oceania, and Haven on NCL. I never met a solo in either of those categories. Everyone on  American Dream in  Singapore was confined to quarters when covid was discovered. The incident when the woman was Medevaced back to the Bronx although first testing negative twice including at boarding also has me worried. The idea of being confined in a Studio is unacceptable. I have claustrophobia that is manageable only if leaving is unrestricted. Final payment is due in November. There is time to see how things play out. It is reasonable to confine people who on board who test positive, and a retest is also reasonable. It is unreasonable to confine everyone else. If that is the new norm, the cruise industry will have trouble surviving. Destroying life as we know it because of a disease defies logic.

.

Greetings, Everyone, from South Beach 20 minutes from Port of Miami. Every time I book a cruise, something happens that makes me rethink the whole thing. In Singapore all passengers were confined to staterooms even though everyone was supposed to be virus free at departure.  A woman who had previously tested negative  tested positive on the second day of the cruise, according to the story I read. That could happen on any cruise. On NCL my husband and I sailed  penthouse and Haven. We loved the services of the butler and the extra perks but I can't recall meeting solos up there.  I booked the Studio  to meet solo people in the special lounge. Now, though, because the Studio is inside, and I fear being confined, it may have to go. In the good old days, when noro virus hit, only the sick were confined. Some ship sites were closed, but the dining rooms and bars remained open.  In 60+ cruises, we never faced that but friends who did told us about it. Sadly, my cruising days may be over. 

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone. As a frequent traveler to Venice, this does not surprise me. When we first sailed there, the ships were much smaller. One was Oceania's Insignia. We were docked right across from the Danieli Hotel right in St. Mark's Square. On another, a yacht that had been given to Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, was moored ahead of us in the same place. Much later, on a larger vessel, our berth was pretty far from the Square. We were spoiled by then and didn't  like taking the Vaporetta to Saint Marco. From the point of view of lagoon condition, this move makes sense. However, many small businesses need high volume to succeed and remain in the city. They will lose business if tourists don't have enough time to shop The population  is already quite small and composed mostly of people who run businesses serving visitors. . On our last trip, we saw a canal and a building in it under restoration. The miracle that such a  gorgeous place was ever built in the first place. The building was on top of looked like masses of thick poles. Wow!

Greeting from South Beach, Everyone.  For obvious reasons, ships do not have excursions for arriving passengers. If there are things of note to see on the way, you may be told about them. In this case,  you are going to Civitavecchia, the Port of Rome. It takes about 40 minutes in the express lane, under ideal circumstances to arrive at the ship. However, the chances an excursion bus will hit the ideal are remote If you can arrive in Rome and spend a couple of full days, that is the better way.  Prebook whatever possible. Beware of pickpockets. They are everywhere. If you see a sign, Beware of Pickpockets, DO NOT pat where your valuables are. People standing around may be in the business and you are next.

Mary

I am a Barcelona veteran, having taken many TA's from Miami. Once disembarkation was delayed for a couple of hours because of some kind of port glitch. Early fliers missed their flights. Disembarkation time everywhere depends on so many factors, cutting it close is risky.

If the vaccinated reject associating with anyone not vaccinated, it's time to  buy a boat and invite only the qualified. I am vaccinated and wore a mask in the elevator after that because it was required. Now I don't. We have a note about wearing one as a courtesy to others. It's time for the mask wears to be courteous. A year and a half of masks and all the rest of it was enough. The regulation has been set aside, and the anxious can wait for an empty elevator.

Be careful what you wish for. The desire to know who is vaccinated with the government's help may seem reasonable because disease causes anxiety. Remember, disease has always been with us and there are 7.8  billion people alive today. We are not in danger of extinction just yet, although we walked around right here with swine flu, and other viruses and are alive to read this. This type of policy can very easily go too far. It's better not to open what could turn into Pandora's Box.