newlondon

I agree Norway is better than Chile, but only by the slightest margin. My take is that there is more green in Norway and the shore excursions are more diversified. We actually did both on Silversea and certainly did not have to worry about size. On both cruises we were never out of sightseeing distance. 

To the OP we passed Hurtigruten everyday, so unless they have changed their itinerary I would not be too concerned about your viewing opportunities. 

schmerl, Good choice. St. Petersburg is MUCH better with a private tour.

Two other quotes Shrouds don't have pockets. You don't see a Brinks truck following the hearse😀

Which is better, not knowing or having a heart attack because of a last second arrival?

While the itinerary is slightly different the Tauck price for 9/19 Great Lakes cruise is actually less than Ponant.

Moi aussi.

Got to admit Lonely Planet certainly is in the right neighborhood with their assessment. Terry great pics. We stayed at the Maria Cristina which was within easy walking distance of the Old Town and all its bars/cafes and therefore spent two evenings sampling the fare. There were many other good options and for any one who makes SS try to get a tour and lunch at the Food Academy.

Brian, Couldn't agree more with your shopping comment. DW takes forever to select and a cool libation in the shade is a wonderful offset:D:D.:D:D:D:D

No doubt Lois, a great talent. Carole King, however, was not a "soul singer" and, therefore, I preferred her style.

UK Jeff, Chac'un as they say. I 1000% would rather listen to Carole King than AF God rest her soul.

We loved Kotor as well. I can't imagine doing the hike to the fort in hot weather. We were there on a fall day and still thought it looked daunting. We, instead visited a farm and had a wonderful experience. The city itself was crowded as it was for you, but as you said the shops are good. Best part--the cruise in and out!

To be fair, I'm 6'1" and had absolutely no problem in the Wind's shower.

However, also missing is a string quartet playing in public spaces after dinner as on O.

DW and I made a point to get to this 1+ hr concert every night on Nautica, which we have cruised twice.

Terry, You will love Nautica. We have sailed her twice and yes the cabins reflect the size of the ship. We bid, however, on one cruise for anOS and were accepted at quite a discount. What fun!

You do not need an OS, though, to love N. The atmosphere is classic and all the requirements; food etc. are luxury class.

As you like to say,

Enjoy

Imo Colin Brown is the best CD at sea with no one in second place.

Dave, We have done two on Nautica. Absolutely loved it. The feel is classic and the service is outstanding. We stayed in PH once and bid to upgrade to OS the second time. Fortunately our bid was accepted!

Food of course is subjective, but even being foodies we were very happy.

JP, You will love the St. Pancras Renaissance. We stayed 2 years ago before railing it to Edinburgh. Only drawback is location as we are not fond of the tube. No problem, however, as the restaurant is outstanding.

If you ask the concierge you can get a personalized transfer, although the Eurostar is easily accessible. We were personally escorted to Kings Cross--across the street, and delivered to the first class wait room.

Enjoy

JP, Let me put forward Ghent due to the presence of one of the greatest paintings still in existence, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyck. I have been to Bruges and everyone is right it is a spectacular example of a medieval city; but there are other medieval cities. I saw the Altarpiece when it traveled to the Met in NY years ago and tbh it is worth a special trip, nothing like it!

Hey Wes, Good to see you again

Bill

MissSophia, I concur with Dave on Le Chevre d'Or. It sits high on a cliff in Eze with a 2* dining room with glass sides looking over Cap Ferat. The rooms are spectacular. DW and I stayed there two nights after a long tour of France and in some ways it was the high point--after Normandy.

Eze is truly a tourist town, not trap. Cars are not allowed and the ambience reflects that.

Chateau Eze is also outstanding and recommended by the Andrew Harper guide among others. Did not stay there, but it did look romantic.

The drive to Nice airport is about 1 hr.

Agree that the survey was not constructed well. I don't see, however, why there should be such bitterness about a commercial venture trying to maximize their returns. I would add the benies for $500 in a heartbeat since shipping luggage and personal transfers would be way more than that. $2500, in your dreams SS.

My personal preference wasn't even there-free business class air. I know you pay for it one way or the other, but in order to be competitive the top companies either have to negotiate lower fares with the airlines or eat a little of the cost.

Hi Jeff again, Post 4533 replies to your comments about Mark being CEO. Any comments?

It looks to me as if Mark's hands were at least partially tied. That does not come close to the settlement we received when he was at RSSC.

I know there are many Brits on this thread, but for those interested yesterdays (7/8) NYT Travel section had a fun front page article on cruising. The author was a big supporter as opposed to many travel writers who look down their noses.

Love Coleman's but not on burgers. Ham and cheese sandwich yes!