YoPhilly

I know you said no 5-star, but every once in a blue moon, the Intercontinental at the port offers a good deal. It doesn't hurt to check. Fingers crossed for you!

I had to see the ship's doctor in December. When I got home, I filed a claim with GeoBlue, and they reimbursed me the entire amount. Very prompt. No jumping through hoops to get it.

Yes, I spent 10 days on the islands of Serifos and Sifnos...I'd go back there in a heartbeat. I first visited Krakow in 2012 - a beautiful city - and did a daytrip to easternn Poland to meet distant relatives. This year I'm returning to stay with them for a week before continuing my adventure. My husband and I are both retired, but he doesn't enjoy travel as I do. He'll do a cruise, and I can usually get him "onboard" with that idea. Most years, I do a couple of solo trips. It works well for us. He's happy b/c he'll spend those weeks out on his son's farm chopping trees, building things, and hanging out. And I'm happy b/c I'm off on another grand adventure...often learning a little of the local language before leaving home. So many places to see!

That's what I do. This past September I traveled around Greece solo for 3 weeks (my husband didn't want to go). I ferry-hopped a couple of islands, then drove all over the Peleponnese peninsula. This summer I'll be solo-ing from Sweden to the Baltics to Poland. It's a big world out there!

I use an annual GeoBlue plan, but my understanding is that one must have a domestic (US) Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan to be eligible.

We'll be in Sydney at the end of next February, and their performance schedule isn't out yet for those dates. I'll keep checking.

This thread is very helpful. Thanks to all for your contributions.

Hank, you've got me thinking about adding on to our August 2024 TA. Oh, the possibilities! 😁

I've never asked for anything on O that wasn't brought promptly by our cabin steward. On Marina in December, I asked for a lounge chair for our standard veranda balcony. It was a tight squeeze, but our cabin steward didn't bat an eye. He simply made it work. I don't have any complaints about soaps or shampoos. We had plenty....and if we didn't, we would have asked for more.

I totally agree about Viking's payment policy. I just canceled a cruise with them for just that reason.

Not so. I'm booked with a TA but received my email directly from O.

I have 4 cruises booked: three on O and one on Celebrity. The true luxury lines are out for us for two reasons: too expensive and too formal. I've been looking at small lines like Noble Caledonia...I was ready to book them this summer but there was only one sailing for my preferred itinerary and it was sold out. Some small lines offer better pricing for solo travel - for those times my husband doesn't want to go. (This summer I'm paying 200% on Riviera... I still have a couple of months to let that sink in.)

I was just notified of reduced port times on my Baltic cruise. How can I experience Stockholm in only 8 hours??

OK, that's make sense - why I couldn't find it on O's website. Thanks for the clarification.

I see Delft is very close to Rotterdam. I was worried that the town is all about ceramics and not much else, but it sounds like there's more to it. I'll look into it. Thanks!

Nansi, thank you (and your husband) for the suggestions. I visited Amsterdam previously so it isn't in my plans this time. I've done a lot of traveling over the years, and more-and-more I find that I enjoy visiting small towns much more than the big capital cities. Of course, this cruise calls at Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, etc., so I do want to get to some less-busy places. I'll do some research on your recommendations. Feel free to add any other comments. - Nancy

We are expected to dock in Rotterdam from 11AM-8PM. I'd love to visit Bruges but see that it's about 110 miles from Rotterdam. Probably not the best idea to risk an evening traffic jam getting back to the ship. As an alternate to the charming Bruges, what town would you recommend from Rotterdam? Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Thanks for sharing. I'll be there this summer and looking forward to it.

We were on Marina last month, and I can't help but wonder what some people's expectations are. I did see a tiny bit of rust on our balcony, but really, this is a ship - it's to be expected. The lovely Marina is hardly the rust-bucket being described here. O is not a luxury line, so I don't expect absolute perfection. I expect good value for my money, comfortable cabins, very good cuisine, and a pleasant, engaged crew. That's what we got. Sure, there were a few hits/misses but wouldn't life be boring if everything were perfect! For those of you who talk about canceling, evaluate your own expectations and then decide. Marina is a lovely ship, with a fabulous crew. Enjoy!

I haven’t looked at the site to confirm, but I believe that segment is at the beginning of the ATW cruise on Insignia. Perhaps that’s why it’s expensive. I only know this because we’re actually booked on the segment from Los Angeles to Auckland.

I’ve been scouring through the T&C and can’t find this excerpt. Would you mind posting the link that you are reading?

I totally agree. That’s no “sale”!

Brilliant tip!! I didn't know that.

It was offered onboard Marina last month.

I always order the veal osso bucco in Toscana. I used to make this time-consuming dish at home when entertaining way back in the 80s, so I can appreciate a fine preparation. It’s luscious and tender. I’m an affirmed pasta snob and am not impressed with the pasta dishes….they’re too over-the-top. But that’s just my preference. 😀 For a true comfort food experience, you can’t beat the roast chicken in the GDR. Excellent!