kreastman

So sorry to hear this news. I never met Don, but felt I knew him through his many postings on various topics on this board over the years. I was looking forward to possibly meeting him and Betsy on a future O cruise. It was through Don that I found my great TA, for which I'll always be grateful. Deepest condolences to the family.

For Florence, highly recommend Guido Bandinelli of Guido's Tours http://http://www.guidos-tours.com/contacts.html We spent several days touring Florence and Tuscany with Guido and couldn't have been happier. Highly rated on TripAdvisor, also.

Can anyone tell me how much credit O is currently offering if I book my own flights to Australia/New Zealand from Los Angeles?

Has anyone mentioned that Concierge level can order a hot room service breakfast (eggs, bacon, etc.) while non-Concierge level can't? For some, that is a deciding factor.

Not exactly a mid-range hotel, but highly recommend the Albergo del Senato, ranked #6 on TripAdvisor. Literally steps from the Pantheon, and walking distance from many other attractions. Staff recommended several wonderful nearby restaurants. Roof-top bar has a great view of the city.

We had the short ribs in La Reserve on our first Marina cruise, then on our second trip on Marina, they offered them one night in the Terrace buffet. They were identical—extremely tender and without an ounce of fat. Delicious!

On our Marina Barcelona to Copenhagen cruise a couple of years ago, CBS sportscaster Verne Lundquist was a guest lecturer. He gave two excellent talks, plus an extra, spur-of-the-moment one when one of our ports was cancelled due to bad weather.

We used Spain Day Tours in Barcelona for a couple of day trips pre-cruise and also for tours in Valencia, Seville and Lisbon. They were excellent.

Genuine grade A-5 Kobe beef from Japan has been available in the U.S. since last September. My son works at Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio in Las Vegas, and they have featured it for the last month or two ($35 per ounce, with a 2-ounce minimum).