rosepark

SALT Lab requires reservations for classes. SALT Kitchen, for dinner, does not. 
Rp

6 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

But did you go?

Yes. How disappointing to have missed you. 

This washing machine cruise continued today with our whale watching tour. Lots of

bumpity bumpity bump but the whales were conspicuous by their, virtual, absence. 

Rp

15 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

It turned out to be bust, and a bunch of not very interesting people 🤣

Hit La Terazza for the Duck Pasta and the Fegato

Oh dear. I always thought I was rather fascinating. 
Rp

3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Are you coming to the SS Passenger get together at 6:30 this evening?

We were contemplating it. Shall you be there?

Rp

17 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

You'll have yourself a great wee cruise, so you will. 

We will, so we will. 
Rp

apologies to the non Norn Iron folk. 

Lumpity bumpity bump. Afternoon all. It is indeed a  tad lumpy atm but at least we can tell we are on the high seas. Cap’n says it is going to get a bit more interesting this evening. I may have to ditch the high heels for formal night.
First trivia this morning with a second one this afternoon - not sure the brain cell can cope with a double dose. 
Rp
 

“We’re on our way

From misery

To happiness today”

The Proclaimers

Rp

See you on Tuesday. 
Rp

So relieved to hear that you are safe

Rp

Julian would have told you to" Play the game, Old chap"

Rp

3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Are you joining in Barcelona or Lisbon?

Lisbon, so 3 weeks time

Rp

I also caught the wretched thing very shortly after our return from The Moon at the end of August. Despite having similar symptoms, my husband consistently tested negative. I have no doubt I/we caught a it during the holiday but whether on board or at an airport is anyone’s guess. The proximity to others in the Salt Bar is a consideration and, of course , as one is drinking there, we never wore masks there.  I would say that the majority of people wore maps on tenders and on tour busses. Actual enforcement was minimal though crew did give masks to guests on tenders who boarded sans masks,  the most of whom then wore them round their chins. 

On  positive note, we will be back on the Moon in a couple of weeks time and will, hopefully, have reasonable immunity.  Without that and in light of machotspur’s observation, I might be tempted to give the Salt Bar a miss.  
Rp

If you interested in theatre to any degree then Covent Garden is a great place to be. And of course The Royal Opera houser is on your doorstep. Not sure what hotels are like in and around Greenwich, but there is certainly enough to keep you entertained for a day there. 
Rp

There is so much to see in Greenwich; National maritime museum including Nelson’s uniform complete with musket ball hole, The Painted Hall- both a short level walk from Cutty Sark. Even  a Fan Museum, not the electric kind. The area can be a bit hectic at weekends but interesting. You may need to get timed entry tickets for Cutty Sark so do check online to avoid disappointment. 
there are also river-busses from Greenwich Pier upstream to Central London. Even if you only go as far as Tower Bridge and back, it’s quite fun. 
Rp

Les is right. We did indeed book the Copenhagen to Stockholm voyage in August and it was shown on the SS website at a very much reduced base cost compared to that at which it had been originally advertised. We booked through an agent who seems to have further discounted it and chose D2D as that actually worked out cheaper than the P2P price, taking the cost of flights and transfers into account. We also reckon that if we have D2D, SS will get us there somehow, even if the flight is cancelled. Having said that, they are flying us with SAS, which I gather has a fairly poor business class product but the flight times are short and I'll try to be a brave girl and cope.

Rp

On 5/18/2022 at 7:16 PM, les37b said:

 

You could give me six stars if you work it out!

 

If only you could see my email address, I could forward you the email.

 

I did, Les, many thanks, and we done the deed, though not through your recommendation. And so off we will go , assuming our "friend" to the East doesn't decide to exact revenge on Finland and Sweden. 

As an aside, one of the excursions listed is to a former concentration camp. I find I have a problem with  that as a shore excursion, what do others feel? Am I being sanctimonious, given that going on a luxurious cruise shouldn't sit comfortably at all in the context of what is happening in Ukraine.

Rp

6 hours ago, les37b said:

 

 I would have picked a heavily discounted SS D2D Western Baltic cruise on the Moon instead of the booing made. Obviously that's a "late booking" but nonetheless, deals are available (and I know you love a bargain! lol) Nothing to do with the 10% discount company I mentioned.... But a different one  I will ping over so you can see there may be possibilities after all!

We are looking at one of those ones Les. I'd be interested to know the company to which you refer? I know you can't  give the name but a hint would be useful. Many thanks.

Rp

Les, I have been following your travels and travails on this one and I can’t believe that you are not sitting in a corner gibberish at this point. I feel that those of us who will be near enough to do so should be at Heathrow with a huge banner to welcome you back to Blighty when you do make it. I’d be incandescent about the shoes if I were Mrs Les. I find it hard to believe that CCTV throws no light in the matter. Perhaps someone with clout can pass this problem up to  Barbara Muckleman to resolve?

Good luck 

Rp

I think you can still get an flight allowance in some instances if you take Door to Door and do your own flights, this may still allow the VS discount to be used. 

RP

6 hours ago, CruisinPashmina said:

I am on The Moon right now..posting from a very squishy comfortable lounge chair…by the pool while my daughters have gone off to go mountain Biking in Corfu.

 

The ship is SO beautiful. Everything I thought was missing in the design of The Muse has been modified…..much more color…still subtle but making the decor warmer. They have moved the small corner bar into the center of The Dolce Vita…it is round and can probably seat about 20. The chandelier over it is modern and spectacular. Instead of all brown and gray, there are a lot of teal and aqua accents. The room is truly beautiful.

 

We had dinner in The SALT restaurant last night…delicious and a bit adventurous….great fun, and better than ever SS service. The Crew seems so happy to be back and this adds to every aspect of this cruise.

 

The Arts Cafe feels expanded and the AWFUL Art has been replaced by less “Avant-garde” pieces. There’s also a full bar which may have been on The Muse, but I don’t remember it. We had wonderful coffee and cookies there yesterday afternoon. 
 

One of the very best improvements is the new decor in La Terrasse. There is carpeting, and the dinky chairs have been replaced with more substantial ones. The room no longer looks like a cavernous cafeteria…it is now a very pretty restaurant……with wonderful food served by warm attentive people. Lunch, without the usual serve yourself buffet, is awkward, but we all know this is Covid related and I am hopeful things will normalize soon.

 

The Panorama looks pretty much the same. The improvement here is a much bigger semi circular bar instead of the service like bar at which almost no one ever sat. The new design here, as on all of The Moon, is much more thought out from the Passenger perspective than on the Muse.

 

I LOVE THIS SHIP!

 

Delighted to see that you are sailing and enjoying a life on the ocean wave. We will be donning our sea legs at the beginning of November, all being well

RP

Best eishes form us both

May I make a case for early September? We went on the last Alaska cruise of the season which didn't go as far up as Juneau but we had the most wonderful black bear encounters at a salmon hatchery. Otters, orcas, whales, eagles,  one or two brown bear ( at a safe distance) and no mozzies. As we sailed away from Wrangell, the shore crew called to the ship's crew " Bye , see you next year" which struck me as a rather poignant sign that a long, dark, cold winter was about to set in.

The weather was  reasonable,  the light was good and the crowds were bearable.

RP

Excellent news, thank you.

RP

Of course, that makes sense. Who was your HD, btw?

Many thanks

RP

Afternoon all, if anyone reading this is currently on the Shadow, could you let me know approximately how many crew are on  board, please? Have the crew numbers been reduced to correspond with a reduction in passengers, which would seem sensible? 

Many thanks

RP

Boo boo. I was looking forward to Carthage via Tunis in November. Just been notified that both Tunis and Tangier have been removed as ports of call. Not at all surprised but I was so looking forward to visiting Cartage on an elephant. Tant pis. 
Rp