BVILady

that is the reason why I will not be able to take any more World Cruises, which is a pity. I did love to unpack ad pack only once, but life is short and I want to see as much as possible of this beautiful planet.

OOps, he will be in trouble there because I do not know how to tie a black tie, wondering who can help, maybe we have to purchase a clip-on.

Thank you all for the positive comments. I think some commenters have not read that I had booked the cruise by itinerary not aware of strict dress-codes. I travelled 2023 and now will travel 2024 for 5 month, so far I have 3 month scheduled for 2025, so might not do as much research on cruise-lines as I probably should. My son has decided to come and I have booked his cruise yesterday and we are looking forward to the itinerary, even quite a few ports are already well known to us, but not Sardinia and Corsica. We will be in Rome a few days before this cruise and I am looking forward to getting him a nice suit, always loved Italian men's wear.

I am waiting for my son to decide, but I am not willing to pay the equivalent of 4 person fare for 2 persons and then being excluded from the Gala-night menu, just because the cruise-line is stack somewhere in the 1950's 😂

I am currently working on something similar for Europe in 2025. It get's a little boring going to the same ports over and over again. It will not be similar to a World Cruise but just Europe and again 2 month, like my kids and I did in 2022, considering they don't have more then 2 month time off. On the cruises I have so far picked I have been to a few of the ports already but the one's we have not been to make up for that. Will spend time in between in places I have not been to since 1971 like Malta. Have found some excursions there I am looking forward to take. To early to look for accommodations and flights but checking on what is offered for 2024 it looks like it will be a great trip. I am fortunate to speak German besides English so for 2026 I have booked a cruise going through the Caribbean Islands offering more ports then the one's which are usually included in all North American Cruise-lines. Funny thing is living in the Caribbean I will fly to Europe to take this cruise. I will get off in Rio but the cruise continues around South America but have been there several times already.

Thank you Victoria2. We will both be booked single-occupancy, so that will be quite a cash-outlay and definitely not something you want to get into and being made uncomfortable.

I don't know, I had booked that cruise because I liked the itinerary. If a black suit is not going to be enough (which I will have to talk him into already), I will just have no choice then to cancel and cut my losses with the deposit already paid. Never thought we well-traveled island-people will end up not being suitable for any trip. 🤣😀🤣 This is just too much trouble for the money we are spending.

I do live on a Tropical Island and even fur funerals or weddings gentlemen do not wear suits. How does the Tuxedo-Rental work, anyone can advise me on that? Is there an option for us to eat at the Buffet on Gala Nights, I really don't want to have to buy a suit for these 2 weeks, he will never have use for again. We will be in Europe for about 6 weeks, the suit will take up luggage-space we don't have. Whenever he travels with me and his sister he needs available empty space in his suit-case to take back our purchases which don't fit in our suit-case 🙂 So he will need a smart black pants, dress-shirts and one or 2 ties and dress-shoes.

I am also on Costa Deliziosa and in contact with At7Seas. Here is a message from him: “I can’t follow this report up, because I got blocked for my obscene and abusive language, for being intimidating and other things. I have not even an idea what I did wrong in particular, but obviously my style is unwanted. I am sorry and I thank you for following me on this short part of my voyage. At 7 Seas” I followed the blog and am very sorry t see that.

I am also on the ship for this World Cruise. I have been on Costa before, including last years World Cruise and always like the food. I have to say the food on this cruise is excellent. I have never been a person taking pictures of my meals, but I am actually tempted now. I am at the early sitting at dinner and quite a few people find the wait for the 2nd show at 21.00 kind of long, so that might be why people might not be hanging out longer after the shows. I am enjoying your reports and pictures a lot. Please keep them coming. Thank you very much.

thank you, he is laid back, we live in the Caribbean so I am pretty sure dressing up is not what he is looking for, will have to twist his arm hard. What will he need for smart attire? Thanks

I have not been on Cunard before but am booked now for 2025 on Queen Victoria, due to the schedule offered. I usually do only book according the schedule suiting my fancy and am not loyal to any cruise-line. I am currently on a World Cruise with Costa but had a nasty fall before my departure and will have to rest about 4 weeks out of my 4 month cruise instead of taking excursions, Now I am questioning how advisable it is for me to travel solo and consider maybe talk my son to book the cruise also, The problem is he is in IT and probably never has even worn a tie. What would he necessarily need to come along, if he should decide to. I do get that schedules say Gala Night black/white - again what is the minimum requirement. What, even for me, stands Masquerade or Roaring Twenties for. Will hate to have to cancel the cruise and naturally take a loss on the deposit.

exiledowl thank you so much for pointing to Phoenix Reisen. I went on their website and discovered the same cruise At7Seas will be going on and he fortunately was able to put me onto the segment of the Caribbean and South America to Rio, which was better suitable for me, having been around South America already twice. That is the best cruise for the Caribbean Islands I have seen so far with visiting so many islands usually not on cruise-schedules and spending the night in several. Should you have previously been in Buenos Aires I recommend doing the excursion to Iguazo Falls. I did it early this year on the Costa World Cruise and loved it.

How much is the current fee for the full internet package? Thanks in advance

yeap seems to have been a mistake. But too late now. Read somewhere that bookings made with a cruiseline direct can be transfered at a later date to a TA, is that correct for HAL also?

Good Afternoon. Does anyone have an e-mail address for HAL to get that done. Have been hanging on the phone for too long and no luck with the chat, it doesn't connect at all. Thanks in advance. Booked already but cannot find anything to change this on their website. Do not recall even being offered the option when I made my booking, just cabin-category.

there is a sale on my sandals now - not happy - had bought 2 pairs, black and white at regular price. If anyone interested, here it is.https://ara-shoes.net/collections/clearance-sale?omnisendContactID=650c9e8ad469ac7c12b44042&utm_campaign=campaign%3A+11.28.23+Black+Friday+-+Extra+20%+off+extended++(6566297300d536ec25f42e83)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=omnisend

lol, not really "which car would you recommend" - I see it what do you want to spend and what do you expect to be covered. I am not like you, I will definitely be on shore in every port, since my reason to go on a World Cruise is to see the world. I am still swallowing on the price I had been quoted for single-occupancy by Viking, which had been around $ 100,000. So when you look at Heidi 13 calculations I would have been charged about $ 30.000 for business-class airfare. Corresponding with other people on another board, calculating their business class flight to Japan might be $ 8000 p.p. - but now is late in the year to compare price for 2024 to the date they will need it for 2025. Early booking it might be less anyhow. When it comes to the OBC, how much would I have gotten? Also drink-package, I hardly drink anything, wine with dinner, most of the time not even with lunch - and lunch would only be on seadays anyhow. And now learning that the better wine is not included, so I wouldn't even have been able to select that! Got on HAL the HIA package (early booking perk) which includes 2 dinners in a Specialty restaurant which I really don't need and booking in advance being solo-cruiser will be difficult. Just read on Facebook how people compliment the quality of HAL food in the Main-Dining Room these days. My main-factor selecting a cruise is the itinerary, date and price - so that is why I am not loyal to any line. Looking forward to all the cruises I have currently booked. Hope you enjoy your Princess cruise!

So the cost of flights would be a large amount of money I would give to Viking without any reason to me. I get my flights on my airline/credit card points, only had to pay for one flight on my 2023 cruise because it was effected by Holiday black-out dates for reward tickets due to my departure airport. I usually take day-flights Premium Economy and if available night-flights lay-flat business class. Got plenty of points right now for my 2 long distance trips in 2025 to be most probably covered. I also have booked quite a few excursions not with the cruise-line but individually because they were more attractive Usually I do prefer to book with the cruise line but sometimes something better comes along. Both times when I was in Manila (HAL and Costa) I was very happy I did so, watching the traffic in Manila. I also did notice that an excursion I had booked with Costa being much more reasonable priced then one I saw on an itinerary on Oceania (same excursion - port-agents do contract with local tour-companies) So again I do not see why I would pay about $ 60.000 more to Viking then I pay as total for a more main stream cruise line (everything included) and Costa Deliziosa is not a Mega-ship with less then 2600 passengers, so quite acceptable to me. So if someone tells me that in the end Viking is a better deal, I cannot agree to that. But everyone to his/her own. Gail and Marty if you are comfortable on HAL, go for it. I do like HAL, have been on several cruises with them and currently booked for March 2025 Japan/South Korea - looking forward to it. And can't wait for my Cunard Med-cruise also in 2025. I don't think I will do another World Cruise, have been in to many ports already several times and now picking shorter cruises with at least a few ports I have not been to yet and do land-stay's in between. Can't wait to finalize all my bookings later in 2024 with accommodations and flights for 2025. Keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to live the nomad life for a few more years. And that the world is not messing up my plans again - like with Covid.

Cabin-Stewards, I had 2 - a main-steward and his helper, Why would I want to bring drinks with me onboard, when I supposedly have unlimited supply of top-shelf drinks. And if spending a few Dollars for a bottle of water will bankrupt me, I should have stayed home. For budget-conscious people they can always fill up their bottles at the bufffet. Costa Deliziosa is well maintained, I didn't see any rust-spots or anything else bad anywhere - and I am living in the tropics and had managed a hotel here for 35 years, so I do walk around with open eyes. Costa World Cruise had 3 segments as far as I read, but I did not notice that, because I did see the same people the entire cruise. The 2024 apparently did not have any segments, they only opened the booking of segments a few month ago I see on facebook. But then people say they cannot find the segment they were considering. Food, I am not a gourmet but I have all my life have eaten in upscale restaurants and I had no problems with the food on Costa - ok I have always loved Italian food, being European. I am always booked into a LUXURY interior cabin, so I do spend lot's of time in the public places and I was perfectly happy with the view and had no problem with any noise. I am cruising solo, so my cabin had plenty of space for me on my own, no complaints there. Naturally I would have loved to have a luxury suite, but not for the price. Bridge procedure - I have no idea what that means and since I don't know what that means I also have not noticed it having a negative effect on my cruise. Basically I am not convinced that whatever you are claiming to be the a plus for booking a luxury cruise line is not worth the difference in price to me. I just do not understand how you come up with the endprice being the same to what you spend on Viking and what I would have spend on Costa. As I had mentioned already previously, I did everything I wanted to do - 2 overland-excursions and any excursion I wanted, had any drink I wanted to and plenty of cappuccinos, had shipped one suitcase home, had insurance and actually did include my 1 flight and my hotel prior the cruise in my calculations and my total was $ 40.000 - against the price Viking had quoted me, which was over $ 100.000 and did not include the excursions I would have booked, because looking at it, I did not like the ones included in Viking fare. Just my cheopo 2 cents.

looks like a big waste of time and money to me. Pack, Unpack, Pack, going through the airports, flying to different destinations going through customs and immigration at each destination , check-in and check-out of hotels. There is just not enough time at each destination to make it worthwhile to have all these headaches. To avoid all these headaches is why I am cruising and on my land-trips I do stay in each destination about 1 week, to be really able to explore the place.

I have not found one, was also looking for a fitness watch I can also use in the water, have not found any. So happen to travel now with 2 watches, 1 for the water where I manually can adjust the time and my fit-bit, just have to remember to take the fit-bit off when going into the water - real pain. If anyone is aware of a watch fitting all my requirements I would love to hear about it.

It all depends on your financial situation and attitude towards Spending. Even I do have no problem spending my children's inheritance (just joking would never touch my real-estate), I just don't see any reason to spend 3 or 4 times as much on a cruise then is available to me with another line. Considering 190 days that will be also to long for me, need to see my Adult Children and my dog in between. I am not loyal to any cruise-line. I have no problem spending extra on excursions or whatever else I like, but I do that at home too. Having been on Costa 2023 World Cruise, it did offer me everything I could have asked for. Now I am booked on Costa, Cunard and Holland-America for my next 3 cruises, one of them being Costa World Cruise. The fourth cruise I am considering is another Costa but will wait for when I get onboard to get my discount. Like At7Seas I want to travel and see as much of the world as possible for as long as I will be able to, but not waste my hard-earned money. So besides cruising I do quite a lot of land-vacations. 2025 will be a mixture of 4 cruises and 6 or 7 land-stays, split into 2 long distance flights, one East and one West. I am 74 now, holding my fingers crossed that I will manage to do so a few more years.

I was able to make MDR reservation on the website but had no time-option. Any trick to that I didn't see? I like to eat early to not go to bed with a full stomach 😂

wouldn't that be the perfect world.