Riverroad

Can you tell me the all-over condition of Marina? We are thinking of a last minute booking on the April transatlantic to Barcelona. I know the refurbishment is happening in May and wonder if they are letting things go until then. The first few days of that cruise are in warm weather and would be very upset if the a/c didn’t work.

You’re exactly right. It’s the number of reviews. Many more people on Viking so many more votes. Doesn’t mean they’re actually the best.

Look at Oceania to the Caribbean on one of their 4 smaller ships. Few to no kids.

While you certainly can bring glitz for your Oceania cruise if you like, it’s not at all necessary. I bring black pants and a few different tops. Sometimes I bring a simple black dress and change it up with jewelry or scarf. I never waste the luggage space with a cocktail dress. Remember you’re never going to see these people again. When we do cruise with friends I remind myself that they’ve already seen most of my wardrobe!

Did you get a Medicare supplement plan in addition to your regular Medicare? The supplement or “Medigap” plan pays the 20% that Medicare doesn’t pay. If you have the supplement plan, it’s possible that the dr’s office sent you the invoice before the supplement plan has paid him. Call the dr’s office before you pay the bill.

My TA told me the new policy took effect as of July 1, 2022. We had to cancel after penalty and was hoping we could apply it to the new cruise we booked. Nope.

We live in NY and have flown into/out of Bridgetown on JetBlue. Took cab to ship. No problems whatsoever. As has been said, many hotels for pre-cruise stay.

You can request San Pellegrino for your cabin. We’ve gotten it (‘22) but not sure about currently.

We stayed at Les Marrioniers a number of years ago while our daughter was studying in Paris. Great location but the rooms are tiny! The first room they gave us was in the attic, sort of like a garret. Very atmospheric but DH couldn’t stand up in it. The next room was so small that one of us had to get dressed and leave so the other could get dressed. Only way to dry my hair was to take the mirror off the wall and sit on the floor in front of it. Typical tiny Parisian elevator. Lois, don’t take your big luggage if you decide to stay there. True, the garden is lovely and peaceful. One night might be o.k. but not more than that for me.

For those of you just recently off Riviera, what was disembarkation like? I know earlier in this thread jonthomas said it was easy but Woofa had a lengthy wait. Trying to figure out if we can make a 12:15 flight from MIA.

Thanks for your review of the ports. We have the same ones in March. Who did you use for your private San Juan tour?

We’ll be on Riviera in March and that sounds dreadful! I can’t imagine trivia via PowerPoint.

Can we make a 12:10 flight from FLL after a POM cruise? This is on Sunday, March 12 with 8 ships at POM. We would do this to avoid the anticipated crush at MIA. If so would you recommend SAS or Uber or taxi?

Do you know how your friend made arrangements to spend the day at the Hyatt in St. Kitts? We would like to do the same when we are in St. Kitts in March.

How long is the ride from POM to Palm Beach airport? We will be disembarking Oceania’s Riviera on Sunday, March 12. The flight from PBI is around 3:00.

What did you do in Puerto Plata? We will be there on Riviera in March and looking for excursion ideas.

We are on the March 2 cruise on Riviera. I’ll go join the roll call.

Why can’t you just go to a beauty supply store and buy it yourself?

Go to The Man in Seat 61. He has everything you need to know about train travel in Europe. The section on Spain will give you all the options on Madrid-Barcelona travel. We took the more expensive option because my husband wanted to be comfortable but I wouldn’t call it exorbitant.

Definitely stay in Madrid for at least a day, preferably 2. Then take the train to Barcelona. We just did it in April and it’s easy, peasy and a great trip. As has already been explained, there are several train lines to choose from including one very cheap one. I would never fly between those two cities.

Why not just get it from your stylist and bring it with you? She/he can give you the proportions.

Medicare doesn’t cover you outside of the country. Plan F covers medical expenses outside of the US with a $250 deductible. I believe you pay the costs you incur, submit the bill to your plan and they reimburse you minus the deductible. There’s a lifetime limit which I don’t remember off hand. I still think you need trip insurance with good medical coverage in case of a real disaster while traveling.

Lois, unless you are covered by your previous employer, you’ll need a Medicare supplement plan too, also called Medigap. It’s not cheap but it covers everything plain Medicare doesn’t. I’ve had both hips and a knee replaced and it hasn’t cost us a penny. We chose Plan F which is pricier than some of the others but it covers medical costs overseas after a $250 deductible. Be very careful if you are looking at an Advantage Plan, the ones that are heavily advertising now. They’re not all that the ads promise. The worst part is that your doctor of choice could be in the plan this year and then not next. Keep doing your research.

In July, I had no trouble adding 2 friends to our reservation when we were in PH and they were in Concierge. What I couldn’t do was add another couple, also Concierge, for a total of 6. The system wouldn’t allow it and 3 O reps couldn’t do it either. No explanation provided but I was told it was not Covid rules.

For our cruise in July I was unable to make specialty restaurant reservations for 6 online. We were in a PH and I tried at 12:01 on the day reservations opened for PH. Everyone was paid in full. I could do 4 but not 6. I called O 3 times and none of the reps I spoke to could do it either. I thought it might be Covid rules but they said that wasn’t it. I gave up and decided to wait til we boarded. The minute we got on the ship in NY, I raced to the reservation desk which was outside the GDR. We were now 7. In 5 minutes, the woman at the desk got us reservations for the days and times we wanted, maybe because we were in a PH. There was a complicated reason why I couldn’t ask my TA to do it so perhaps she could have. Bottom line, unless O has fixed their system, you can’t make reservations for 6 online.