AMHuntFerry

If you don't see them, just leave a note where they will see it and they will probably fix it right away or the next service.

There were salt and pepper shakers on the table and they were walking around with the giant pepper mill on our recent cruise. It's like we're sailing on different lines.

If people would follow just one rule, "do what the crew tells you to do when they tell you to do it", everything would go as well as possible. Alas...

It will likely come from an automated machine which doesn't make doppios. Regular or Decaf Espresso, Americano, Latte, Cappucino, or hot water were the choices. If you want just steamed milk, there is a way to do that too (sneaky trick shown to me by staff...involves hitting "stop" at the correct time). We stop at baristas when we want a "real" coffee...they also do ristrettos and melanges (and probably any other you can think of).

The only way I knew the time was to turn on the TV or look at my fitness "watch". My watch is linked to my phone but doesn't update time. I talked to another lady whose fitness watch keeps the same time as her phone so she was off 1 hour.

And another observation: If you and/or a spouse is angsty about missing a sporting event, you can see the guide for the sports channel Sport24 (https://sport24live.com/schedule/sea). Note that, like all satellite TV, weather and other (port) interference may occur which either creates a slide show or a black screen. If you've ever had satellite TV where it snows or where you get heavy thunderstorms, you know what I mean.

One more observation (still have docs to post): This was our first time using wifi calling onboard. Usually we throw the phones in the safe and forget about them (relying on email or ship's phone for emergencies), but my husband wanted to be available via his phone for a special situation at his volunteer "job". The wifi calling/texting worked great, although there are ports where it may not work (according to Currents). However, if you have time changes, our phones only changed when we were in a port with non-wifi coverage. When the time changed at sea (i.e., wifi only), our phones did not change; we were not the only ones as a lot of people were one-hour off that day (some didn't realize until after lunch time).

I'm guessing a lot of people don't even watch once, and most people need repetition to learn anyway (quick quiz...is the emergency number 911 or 999 or 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3 for your upcoming cruise?). The video on your cabin's TV is longer than the pre-cruise one so keep an ear/eye open for anything you don't already know. Upon boarding we head to the muster station to check in. When our room is ready we watch the video. Done!

Agreed! I tried to get my "spicy" dishes spicy in RG. I emphasized eye-watering, and got barely-hot (i.e., I could tell there were peppers added, but just a tad). Have you had the "special" Indian menu in Terrace (not the regular one with lamb curry, etc.)...I'm blanking on what the call those night..."chef's special" or something similar? I had high hopes for it, but it sounds like it may be just as bland so what's the point?

There has rarely been Indian food in Terrace on my itineraries (once on our recent 7-night cruise).

I have heard whispers that there is sometimes an Indian specialty night in Terrace that actually has spices, but haven't seen it yet. The regular Indian menu in Terrace/GDR lacks the spices I expect in even buffet Indian food (e.g., lunch buffet in a restaurant run by Indian/Pakistanis). I'd be really impressed if they included some southern India dishes which might appeal to the I-don't-like-curry crowd.

Here are some related topics from earlier this year that you can peruse while waiting for the flood 😉

I've been wondering if the Ember concept is just a temporary "holding pattern" until O forms a partnership with a chef or some other brand. I also like to eat things that aren't readily available at home (or that are subpar) and that I won't normally cook. I've often thought, "I should try making a souffle" but it's never happened, so we tried some dessert souffles (didn't see the others) last week...yum! (Although my spouse said the strawberry souffle tasted like booberry cereal 🤪👻)

If I understand correctly you are trying to find an appropriate doctor in one or more ports. You may already been doing this...my regular medical coverage has an international version; part of the coverage is referrals to medical services. If you have this type of coverage (mine is part of the BCBS system), this may be a good place to start (and you can check direct-pay vs. reimbursement policies). I think referrals are also available through trip insurance companies (going on memory though so ??).

Current prices are subject to change on July 1 (the prices typically are subject to change every quarter, but not all do), so even without the new SimplyMore program, it is usually a good idea to put down your deposit on a cruise you want to take to avoid an increase. You can cancel with no penalty until a certain date (varies by cruise length, etc.) and can take advantage of the new program (or any net-saving sales) that may appear before then.

I'm guessing it's about the same as the percentage of students who read the course syllabus (i.e., single digits).

No need to apologize. I'm too analytical for my own good and often forget that things I find interesting may cause others to freak out, so it is good to be nudged into the don't-freak-people out language once in a while.

Some people find speculation fun while others find it nerve racking. Those in the latter camp should probably unfollow this and similar topics. Let us have out fun since we don't win O points for guessing correctly.

After my post I spent way too much time on the Windstar site. It looks like there are 4 elevators (2 aft, 1 mid, 1 fwd-mid) for those who want them. There is a note that stairs are required for getting on/off the ship. I know at some point my kness (or ?) will balk at stairs, but until then I need the stairs to work off my gluttony (I'm proud to say that I didn't use the elevator once on our last cruise and the 4 pound "gain" has subsided...I guess it was just bread bloat 😉 ). For people who are fine booking oceanviews and French balconies on O, these ships are a viable alternative... even a step up, since as you mentioned 277 sq. ft. is bigger than an O veranda, and bigger than the interior space (i.e., not including veranda) of an O penthouse on the R ships (and somewhere between interior space of veranda and PH on O's larger ships). And for those who want balconies there are 6 cabins, but they probably sell out quickly so maybe not as viable an alternative for them. There are also rooms designated as accessible, but I'd want details if I had specific accessibility needs. Food may be limited in selection (is that a bad thing?), but they are heavily advertising affiliation with James Beard and certain chefs, so I think it's worth a try. And did I mention they have kayaks? (OK, I'll shut up about them...they are my favorite water sport).

Thanks for the glimpse of ORV at sea. This has been a calm respite from the storm.

Now I've got Tom Petty singing "way-ay-ting is the hardest part" in my head (not a bad thing). Sometimes it will be easy to spend the shorex money (Sept. cruise we have 4 O shorex booked). I just booked the 4th today in case YWC 25% discount changes (don't panic! (Brits may snicker)). But sometimes I just want to be completely flexible and do things on the spur of the moment like we did on our recent cruise. I had short-lists of possibilities for each port and we did what we wanted when we wanted. We even cancelled a specialty reservation (gasp) because there was something we wanted to do more (Yay Nuggets!).

...and even the smallest 277 sq. ft. cabins have two bathroom sinks, a (cozey) walk-in closet, and seating for 4 in the living room (5 if you use the desk chair). I'm hoping the new O system works since we've fallen in love, but I feel better knowing there is a back-up plan.

I haven't looked at Windstar for a while and just looked at the cabins and deck plans. 6 of the suites on the larger ships have "real" balconies (not the ~2 feet wide ones).

If I remember correctly Windstar's non-sail ("yacht") ships were purchased from Seabourn. At least one was recently cut in half and a whole mid-section was added so it's much bigger than before. There's a blurb on their website that I read a few months ago.

The smaller ships with fewer passengers have less appeal since we're introverts; a friend highly recommended Lindblad (sp?), but I just wouldn't be comfortable with so few people. Even the 350 pax ships may be too small in that respect.