ggo85

Suggest all cruisers put it on the comment card. Sorry, but I’m not buying an inflatable stool nor hauling one with me. Every other line I’ve cruised on provides them. There are choices out there.

Yet another reason for Retreat guests to move to a luxury line.

I was told footstool was for safety reasons. Huh? If you want to jump overboard, just stand on your chair. There is still a small table about the size of a footstool. I just don’t get it. I just use the second chair as a footstool, using a towel, of course. True luxury. Not.

On Reflection. They were taken away last week. Loungers also gone from larger balconies. It’s a deal breaker for us. Seriously One of our real pleasures is lounging on the balcony with our feet up! We have one more cruise booked on X and then we’re done.

Fort Lauderdale is the port. Departure is early - 3:30.

I know suite and Zenith passengers can board at their leisure once boarding begins. How do you determine when that is? [When I checked in, my only option for boarding time was very late in the process]. We'll be at a hotel O/N and don't want to sit in the terminal when I could be sitting at the hotel. Didn't see the time in any of the pre-cruise documents. BTW, not saying we want to be the very first ones on board -- just want to understand when we could start and work from there.

As the OP, happy to hear it. 👏👏

We're looking to book a cruise for 2025. For the categories we're considering, the only price option is door-to-door. We already know that their limo service doesn't cover our area. We want to book our own air as we have plenty of miles that we want to use rather than pay for airfare. Is port-to-port an option if we ask? If not, we'll probably choose another line.

We were just in 1115 on Muse. We never heard any noise from the laundry or the elevators. None at all. Never saw any traffic in/out of the laundry. But for the fact I saw the sign on the door, I would never have known a laundry was there. Never saw any traffic to the forward lounge / library. Elevators were quick as there aren't as many people using the forward bank. And they are super close! It was nice to be able quickly to look out and see whether the pool or pizza place was crowded (yes, I know you can view the pool deck on your TV). Also, there aren't many cabins on 11, so there aren't many people in the area. You do have a bit more of a walk to get to activities aft on the ship. But it's not a big ship so we're talking an extra 1 minute of walking. I would not hesitate to book this cabin again.

FWIW, at the Q&A with the CEO on Muse recently, she noted that SS has a department/group that constantly monitors the world situation and makes adjustments to itineraries as needed to ensure passenger (and crew) safety. She added that the locations available to cruise are “shrinking” at the moment. This was in response to a question about a return to St. Petersburg but her response obviously incorporated the Middle East.

Note that The Grille requires reservations, so you must plan ahead. And while it has numerous options, the menu doesn’t change and it’s primarily meat. I love meat but don’t want it - or Grille — nightly. And that still means a jacket after dinner, which is the craziest thing . . . Casual options that don’t require reservations and /or an upcharge are limited to pizza or room service. After a long, hot day, my hair is sticky gross and I need a shower, not a sink whatever. Whomever suggested that is almost certainly a man. 😀 I also don’t want to put on my nice clothes over . . . You get the picture. We cruised Crystal for years. They had a casual dress code most nights, which meant collared shirt and long pants. No jeans, no shorts, no T-shirts. One or two nights were formal optional, for which almost all men wore jackets. Some wore tuxes. NEVER heard a complaint or issue with dress code and never saw anyone not complying. [And please don’t start on the whole Crystal bankruptcy thing as it’s irrelevant to dress code. I mention it only to show that a luxury line can do “casual” without controversy and without sacrificing “ambiance.”] Once again, my original post was directed to “informal” dress on port nights. I don’t understand why so many here find it so critical to force everyone to dress up on port nights. If you want to wear a tux after being out all day, do it! Just don’t make me do it. That’s all I’m asking.

As I’ve already said, for me at least there is a difference between getting ready for casual and informal. It means packing a lot of extra clothes and shoes. It’s also an attitude. As many times as I’ve worn informal and formal in my life (and it’s a lot), I rarely feel relaxed in that dress - and I want to RELAX on vacation. Not shorts and a T-shirt, but khakis and a polo / female equivalent. Formal optional is ok 1-2 nights, not most of the cruise. I respect the desire of many SS aficionados to dress up every night. We don’t have that same desire, which is the main reason we have no future cruises booked on SS. We’ve done 3 and generally enjoyed them. But the nonsensical application of the dress code on this recent cruise has driven us away. That may sound crazy to some, but not to us. Dressing up is important to really enjoying SS, and we don’t enjoy doing it 9 days of a 14-day cruise. SS isn’t going to change (for now). So we move on. That’s fine with us - there other luxury lines that are equally good. And one less person that the dress code lovers have to deal with. 😀

^^^^^ Exactly. Makes it so easy and relaxing to eat dinner and enjoy the evening entertainment, especially after getting back to the ship hot and sweaty after 6 pm. 🙄🙄

Depends on the ship. On Muse, LaT was informal on formal night, which meant jackets for men. On Muse, the only casual options on formal night were the Grille and pizza.

Agree with above points. My intent was to be realistic, not discouraging. On one tour, there was a gentleman who could walk but not stand for long periods. For various reasons, we ended up standing for long periods inside one of the tour sites. There was no place to sit inside. So the guide stopped the tour for 15 minutes while he took the man to a seat outside. The man missed the rest of the this site while the other 20 members of the group stood around in the hot building waiting for guide to return. No one was thrilled, though the man seemed more upset at missing out on the tour. Also, on our cruise, the shore excursion folks were no help. The info they provided, such as whether sites had a dress code or were air conditioned was, invariably, incorrect. If you have mobility challenges or don’t do well in high heat and humidity, do your own research in advance so that you CAN participate as fully as possible.

Having just completed a cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore, wanted to share some thoughts for those considering this or a similar cruise in the future. We visited Vietnam and Thailand: Halong Bay (1 day), Da Nang (1 day), Ho Chi Minh City (2.5 days), and Bangkok (2 days). First, the itinerary is absolutely fantastic! Each port was interesting and unique – I would not have wanted to miss any of them. Another good thing was having a sea day between each port, which was really helpful in terms of “recovery” after long days of touring (see below). For tours, I did Hanoi in Halong Bay, Hoi An in Da Nang, War Relics and City Tour in Saigon, Temples and Flower Market in Thailand. All except Saigon were 9-11 hours; Saigon tours were about 5.5 hours. I thought every tour was wonderful and the sites are fascinating. Wish we’d had more time/days! The itinerary / tours are fairly arduous so IMHO you need to be reasonably mobile / agile to enjoy them to their fullest. You don’t have to be a fitness nut, but you do need to be able to stand for long periods, walk, and climb stairs. I don’t recommend this cruise / itinerary for the mobility challenged. Asia has no ADA-like requirements for accessibility at tourist sites. The buses were air conditioned and comfortable; they did have steep steps. Sometimes, we had to get on / off quickly as the bus could only stop briefly. Many tours required extensive walking and / or standing. Many of the sites, including temples, had lots of (steep) steps and most had no railings. Afternoon rain made for slippery footing. Almost none of the places we visited (including museums) had air conditioning. Few had places for visitors to sit and almost none had elevators. The 90+ degree heat and 80% humidity were oppressive, especially if you’re not used to it; there was little relief outside of the bus. The climate literally saps your energy, even when downing copious amounts of water. Bus rides to/from were often long. Trip to Hanoi was 2.5 hours each way; 1-2 hours each way in Ho Chi Minh City and 2.5-3 hours each way in Bangkok. SOME of the above would be ameliorated with a private car/tour, but for many of the sites (e.g., temples in Bangkok), there’s no way to avoid walking and climbing. The above is not to complain – this is the reality of touring in southeast Asia. But if you’re considering this itinerary, you need to consider your state of health and mobility. In almost every location, the ship tied up at an industrial port – there was not much (if anything) in walking distance. I never saw taxis (though there might have been some). SS provided free shuttle service to/from the city at most, if not all, ports. Many tours offered a reasonable amount of free time, as there was rarely any shopping at the pier. Most temples and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum area have a “dress code” for women, which means shoulders and knees must be covered. The sites can be very strict. You can bring scarves but IMHO it’s easier to wear slacks/long skirt and a short-sleeved shirt. Men can wear shorts; not sure about tank tops but didn’t see any. The above are just some general reflections. Others who took different tours or did things on their own may have differing opinions. Overall, highly recommend this itinerary.

To answer a couple of questions above. We’re in Bangkok. It’s a 5+ hour RT bus ride - plus a 5-hour tour. Anyone going into Bangkok will have a 10-11 hour day and others have afternoon tours of local attractions. Given the number of buses, I think most will be back after 6. Last night, the butlers formed a “welcome back” committee around 6 pm because so many of us returned at that time. This is day 2 of this. People are tired. DH doesn’t want to wear a dress shirt, dress pants, dress shoes and a jacket. I just want to wear (clean) Skechers, casual pants and a casual top. Not garden clothes. For us, the dress code means something- otherwise why have it? Informal for women means nice slacks, dressy blouse, nice shoes, makeup, hair and jewelry. It’s not just the dress; it’s the idea of making an effort to look nice vs look decent. It’s enjoying dressing up (which we do) vs. loathing it. It’s the attitude as much as the attire. I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to have casual night when most of the passengers come back to the ship after 6 pm for the second day in a row. Why is it so important to be informal tonight?? As I said at the outset, it’s not the dress code per se, but rather that the way it’s applied seems to lack reason or rationality.

To finish off this tale, tomorrow 4/5 ship tours are >9.5 hours, meaning most are back after 6 pm. Weather is 90 degrees and equally humid. Rain in the forecast. Dress code is Informal. Didn’t make reservations Even so, I’m tired of the Grille. Don’t want the volume of food at Kaiseki. And do NOT want to dress up after a long, hot day of touring. So it’s pizza yet again. 😕 The nonsensical implementation of the dress code has become a deal breaker for us. I’m EXACTLY the demographic the CEO says SS is targeting and I have no new SS cruise booked — mostly because of the way the dress code is applied. Not kidding. Just booked a cruise on an other luxury line today. 3 cruises next year and none on SS. I know most of the OG love the status quo. We love so much of SS but I want dress flexibility on port days. Some may think me crazy, but it’s my vacation. And, again, I am SS’s target audience. Just saying. Please don’t flame. It’s my opinion. I know there are many who love the status quo. Enjoy!

We at at La T on Muse last night for the second time on this cruise. Service was excellent - personal and efficient. Food was good. No complaints but IMHO not standout Italian food. The main courses are not what one usually sees at an Italian place. No basic veal or chicken dishes (piccata, parmigiana). I had tuna. It was fine. Slightly overcooked (ordered medium rare and got medium) but nothing about it screamed Italian. DH had lasagna - it was fine but he’s had better. Our first visit was generally the same. Great service, ok food.

You can absolutely wear a jacket on casual night. However, it seemed clear that these passengers didn’t understand that Grille was always casual. Once they realized it, the men were more than happy to shed their jackets. Why do people assume that financial security and the desire for formal dress go hand in hand? There’s a distinct and important difference between knowing how to dress for various occasions and wanting to dress up while on vacation.

So . . . Tonight we ate in the Grille on Informal night. We observed several passengers who showed up in jackets and then either realized or were told dress was casual. One man left to change. The others immediately removed their jackets. My point is that the current situation is . . . Nonsensical and confusing.

If the dress code included shorts, I could live with that. I might not love it, but I wouldn’t throw a fit. Under the current dress code, it’s not appropriate. As I said at the outset, I’m not totally opposed to the dress code. However, after an 8-11 hour tour in 95 degree heat and 90% humidity with zero air conditioning, asking folks to dress up for dinner is - IMHO - unreasonable. We’re headed to Thailand where most of the tours are 10-11 hours. I’m hoping we get casual dress both nights. If not, it’s back to pizza.

I fully agree that shorts aren’t appropriate at dinner for any venue other than maybe the pizza place. Or, of course, your room.

When we boarded, the Chronicles listed dress for each night of the cruise. I didn’t recall 2 casual nights in a row at any time. Last night was casual and tonight is as well. So, I’m thinking one of the, was changed. To be fair, I may have misremembered, but don’t think so.

Here’s the thing. I’ve cruised on 10 lines in nearly 40 years 😱 and NEVER had so many questions and issues re dress code as on SS. And this isn’t our first cruise on SS. I’m happy to report that the ship apparently took my suggestion and changed tomorrow night’s dress from informal to casual. We’re in port and the tours are long and HOT and, for some, monsoon-like. People come back to the ship hot, tired and often wet. It’s really nice to be able to relax at dinner without having to dress up. I would note that tonight (casual) some wore informal. Good for them (seriously). It’s what they obviously wanted to do and thus should do. And the overwhelming majority enjoyed casual.