JeffElizabeth

This will help on our cruise to Hawaii from Vancouver in October.

We were curious too. We always loved the big eight person tables, and will be on a Hawaii cruise in October. Would hate to be confined to a 2 person setup. On Princess in September, we were traveling as two couples and were always seated at a four top.

The Emerald Princess wasn't full for our September cruise, I thought it was because they didn't have enough passengers, but now you think they didn't have enough staff?

We were just on this same cruise and the starboard side of the ship and agree with this poster. We liked the cruise a lot. Beautiful shots of the Scottish bridges. I got some sunset ones of those too.

Great point. Buffets in my city disappeared during the pandemic so I actually enjoyed having that option again on the Emerald Princess. My BIL also buffets only, he is a vegetarian and finds the main dining room too limited.

We just got done with a Emerald Princess cruise around the British Isles and we're for the most part pleasantly surprised. The boat was only about half full and a couple of the restaurants weren't open for this cruise but the service was great and it was nice to not be overcrowded. This was only our second Princess cruise and that one was about five years ago so I don't think service has declined.

Very true. Retired people can take longer cruises.

We are HAL people and we always heard they attracted the oldest, and believed it. Had an assistant cruise director joke, "Night of the Living Dead" described a Holland America formal night. We are mid-fifties and don't mind hanging out with our elders. I would guess Princess is slightly younger, more likely to have kids.

That pre-pay rule really makes me avoid Viking.

Exactly! I tend to lose weight on cruises. I do three meals but my breakfast tends to be light, just some sausage and some fruit. Lunch we prefer to do on shore, and dinner isn't overloaded with starches.

The bus trip from Trieste to Venice was long, traffic was bad on the highway in April, but I was glad I took the excursion. Even got to see a cruise ship being built in Finesterra (sp?)

I don't have an issue traveling with unvaccinated passengers. My four shots should protect me, right?

We find 35 days about a week too long on either line, especially if you aren't cruisers. We are long term cruisers on HAL and like them. I slightly prefer Oceania. My wife finds HA easier to deal with and she does all the communication. Either way, I hope you have a great trip.

Our Oceania Mediterranean cruise on Rivera was mostly great, we did have a few troubles with contractors and tours but many of our guides told us we were their first customers in years, so we understood. Some of our guides were fantastic, especially in Dubrovnik.

Agree. Many of our Canadian tour guides wintered in Florida.

Thanks for this information. We were on Oceania in March and April and our ship was at 50%. The service was awesome even with the large amount of new crew being trained. I was worried about cost cutting with inflation but I never expected them to have so much trouble getting enough staff.

We will miss the piano bar. Had some really enjoyable evenings there, one especially memorable time was on a trip above the Arctic Circle where the sun never went down on the entertainment.

We were on a Mediterranean/Atlantic cruise in March and April. About 700 out of 1200 in the Atlantic. Down to 500 after Rome. We enjoyed not having to wait for elevators or excursions.

And right now Carnival stock is relatively cheap. I bought mine years ago for much more $ per share.

Looks like Azamera and a couple other cruise lines have stopped requiring pre-testing. Will others join them?

If we are testing on cruise ships, why not every airline flight? On flights, you are closer together and the air system is similar.

Just saw where the Rotterdam is sailing out of Rotterdam for the next couple weeks because the Rhine is so low, they don't want to use the locks and get salt water into the country's interior. The dry Rhine must be hurting the river cruises.

True. You often don't know if it was a good trip until the end.

I pay $20 but that may go down depending on the tour or effort.

Opposite. Mask restrictions make us less likely to take a cruise.