vistaman

and the Tanqueray 10 as well !!!😝 and extra for VSOP Cognac !!!🤑

I forgot to mention tickets for trams are not sold on the tram or bus anymore pay by bank card of CC in the whithe small automat

yes i do recommend that excursion ! the small street is Vlaeykensgang with a very good restaurant the " red light " district is reduced to 2 streets and there is window prostitution as well I will not deny the beauties of Bruges - but it is always extremely crowded - if you have the bad luck 2 sea monsters are in the port of Zeebrugge ( so + 3000 pax ships ) ...not fun ! if you are looking for a drink after the tour there are plenty occasions on the market place the Town hall is a flemish Renaissance building ( see the contrast with the gothic cathedral ) and in summer with plenty of flags - all the flags of the European Union + all the flags of the countries with a consul in Antwerp ...

cheapest way is the so called Airport express at 10 € by coach every 2 hours as from 4 am calling at the Crowne plaza hotel - outside the center by request and in the center at Rooseveltplaats ( not so convenient ) with luggage and taxi ?? direct train from airport 2 trains every hour direct to Antwerpen centraal at 11 and 41 past the hour first class is 17 € ( take first class !! ) the taxis in Antwerp for the moment do practice a rate of 90 € - biggest and most serious company is Antwerp tax ( they have a website ) taxis in Brussels do charge far more !!! personal transfer by van : for many years i do use annlivens.be 75€ website is in Dutch but you can send an email for info

probably you never saw the buffets on Hapag Lloyd : Europa 2 and Europa ...

11th July is the holiday of the Flemish Community : so on Groenplaats before the hotel and on Grote markt - Market Place - some festivities are being organised. The hotel is somewhat 400 meter from the cruise terminal. The Rubens mansion is closed for refurbishment until 2030 ( yes it seems very complicated ) You can go to the cathedral with 4 world famous paintings by Rubens entrance 12 € You can go to Vrijdagmarkt where the Plantin Moretus museum is located - Unesco item an old printing house where several " fast " portrets by Rubens are shown and also the small store A lovely small museum is Mayer van den Bergh with a famous old Brueghel "Mad Meggie "- lange Gasthuisstraat - close to the hotel - you can see a Rubens for free in the Carolus church on a pleasant square Conscienceplein near the hotel Do not miss to visit the Vlaeykensgang - a small street near Oude Koornmarkt Worth to see the Central Station - take tram 9 or 15 in the metro and leave in Diamant The Royal Museum of Arts is further away : take tram 4 direction Zwaantjes on Groenplaats in front of hotel 2 other museums : museum aan stroom MAS a 66 meter high building on top the most famous and most expensive restaurant in Antwerp ZILTE with 3 Michelin stars ( only 2 in Belgium ) and Red Star Museum about imigration to the US - both to reach by tram 7 in front of the hotel you can buy a basket of real fries "Max" with one of the 15 sauces 😁 for restaurants you can consult Michelin guide or Gault Millau on line difficult to make recommendations : real belgian food is aside the Town Hall - Zeven Schaken generous portions - Maritime on Suikerrui is good if you like fish

I am booked on that cruise as well - I will send information asap - are you staying in the Hilton ?

Regent is having a few calls in my hometown Antwerpen. If you want information feel free and ask ...

avoid the Marriott Athens : i made the bokking by myself - very poor and bad service for a high price ! if you have to book by yourself try the Intercontinental I stayed in the Grande Bretagne as well - extremely good , now i will try the neighbour King George in October.

I finally got my 2250 dollar minus some "transfer charges" 🤑 in my country that is done otherwise : so mr A with 60K , myself with 18 K and Mrs B with one deposit of 3K all the same 2250$ here they divide the available money in view of the debt so % degree

i had the same experince a few weks ago on regent

I had to book BA long distance to Barbados last month joining the Splendor. I did it by myself I took BA just because it was the most convenient way , living in Belgium and not willing to change in the US I travelled business - Club World ex Heathrow - unfortunately not the best experience on board. A far cheaper sour Champagne , no more rosé Champagne , cheap wines - there was no single French wine - and steak replaced by stew and they made it very clear cheese or dessert - not both - no more cognac only Baileys or Cointreau on the way back they ran out of ice rather fast - lukewarm soft drinks ??? poor breakfast For long distance i do prefer Swiss or Lufthansa ,( the catering is better on Swiss, the planes are bigger and newer exception for the 747 - on Lufthansa ) far above BA

I endured the experience last year when on Europa 2 : I do not know the connections to the US but I think for international flights it will be be Milano nearest Airport is Venice Marco Polo - extremely busy in season - overcrowded i took the fastest possibility a direct flight to Brussels despite I hate the Belgian company Brussels Airlines if you flight is before 11 am then the luggage could be kept on board , if you flight is after 11 am then the luggage is sent to a terminal building Marco Polo airport with a first ( poor quality ) coach you are brought to that terminal , where you have to identify and pick up your luggage , fast inspection by authorities but nearly all pax were European Union porters were available ( lucky me because i do have a condition ) then a far better full airco coach is bringing you to the airport - well some 300 meters away from the entrance - there was a mini van 9 places for people with a condition the luggage was sent to the entrance of the airport - i found a trolley 😁 - and had arguments with people because i was traveling business and was allowed to check in with priority ( not fun ) this adventure was 80 euro on Hapag Lloyd when the ship was on a terminal i paid 50 eur to a decent taxi 2 years ago

please read my review :failure of luxury last month Explora did downgrade the complimentary Champagne and the welcome Champagne unless you are in a residence - it is also wrong to call the bigger suites" penthouse" as what regular cruise pax qualify as a penthouse is on Explora a residence so no butler and other niceties usually granted on a penthouse on Explora. also if Explora ran out of something, from butter over mineral water to cranberry juice , they are not buying local but simply are waiting until the next container is delivered during my cruise : no sparkling water Pellegrino for 5 days and last days no unsalted butter , so salted butter on rolls and croissants ???

no they are not , they call themselve luxury it is not because a ship does carry a vast and vertical collection of Ch Latour ( very expensive Bordeaux) it is luxurious Ponant is 4 starred food is not luxurious at all !!

said by high level pax

i am door to door Barcelona to Rome SS did book me on Brussels Airlines in business , an airline I am trying to avoid as much as possible - one of the worsest business in Europe i prefer to fly over Munich or Zurich . My flight to Barcelona is too late , arriving later as the embarkation time and collecting luggage is extremely slow in that airport so on the ship at 4,30pm ??? My flight Rome to Brussels is also very late 5,15 pm and i do have to leave the ship around 9 am still not knowing what SS is intending to do, I say NO to a farewell excursion by coach - ( probably with a guide talking all the time about the olives and artichoke plants ) so will book a dayroom at the airport and private transfer on my own expenses

on my recent cruise on Splendor there were rumouts the CD was not visible enough...

my next cruise on Europa 2 is only in September 24, since i do have a condition i prefer to do one week ( max 9 days ) cruises and unfortunately those on Europa 2 are in mid summer in the Med what is also too hot for me those carafes are between 10 and i believe 15 € there is a daily suggestion a white and a red - until 2007 i was knowing very little about german and Austrian wines I learnt that on board. there is also a gin tasting what is free and a wine or Champagne tasting what was usually 85 € but great bubbles (Don P and similar ) were involved - it IS worth the money ! the Champagine during parties is Jacquart Mosaique imho better as that sour Heidsieck Monopole. if you are coming back from excursion fruit juice is offered and for breakfast there are at least 3 fresh juices - the jams are made on board and there is Nutella as well egg dishes must be ordered at the table and a waiter is bringing your order if you prefer to have breakfast in the main dining room there are some delicacies , a small steak tartare , gooseliver with orange confit , parma ham and white sausages😁 with sweet bavarian mustard ( senf ) if you are very late for breakfast you can have it at Sansibar with a selection of cheese and cold cuts smoked salmon and egg dish made to order. my only complaint on HL is that the very beautiful restaurant Serenissima is not "Italian" enough otherwise said some dishes only do have a fancy Italian name they have 2 great Italian white wines Cervaro dela Salla by Antinori and Dreams by Jermann - i think it was 70 and 112 € however many cheaper possibilities are availakle

US clients did obtain cheques months ago , European clients not a cent yet .

No, what I want to make clear that the money is obviously there and available on an account owned by the assignee , obviously for more than half a year , - and the money for the victims - old C clients - is not forwarded swiftly at all years ago in Belgium there was a scandal where lawyers were involved , keeping the available money from cases ( selling houses , damages ... ) far too long - several months - on their accounts and sometimes causing financial problems for their clients.

to conclude our wine conversation : before the "bar" code I went to see and look for bottles with obviously too low price labels - in all the better stores and supermarkets known for wine ( I NEVER did change the labels however !! ) I found Ducru Beaucaillou once for 140 Belgian francs ( had to be 1140) 3,5€ and la Fleur Pétrus for 98 ( had to be 980) 2,4 €😍 and nobody was aware of the price of Pichon Comtesse so they put a price on it of 10 € but once I could not resist to mention to the assistant manager in an upper market store a student did label the entire supply of Taittinger Rosé with the labels of an Italian pink bubble wine - she was very grateful ! ( and I did receive a voucher "gratitude" of 15 € but I had a happy feeling ) : enjoy your wines !!!

maybe you can risk something : a wine adventure : Regent does have the Palmer 2013 - a bad year , but Palmer does have the same quality as Latour and Léoville las Cases : even in a bad year it is very ok and decanting well in advance can do a small wonder ... at 400 $ 😁 i still have a few P from 2000 🤑 cheers

still nothing in our Kingdom - Belgium🤑 despite I had six bookings !

in the late 90s i was drinking Sassicaia for around 50 to 60$ yes ! and rosé by Roederer with a year (not the Cristal ! ) for 39 $ I remember in 1993 on the defunct Royal Viking Sun I had Mouton R 1984 ( ok very bad year ) for 49 $ ... later on the year it was 79 $ 😃 because - fixed tables - I had bad wine company I was drinking those wines for lunch headwaiter was suggesting special dishes for the wine During my first SS in 2005 I had Cheval Blanc for 200 $ - times did change thanks to the "new markets" that war involved country R and China ... I remember during my very first luxury cruise in 1990 Giscours was 40 $ but Latour ( the real one not the second Les Forts ) was 98 - stupid me economising on the wine as my cruise was expensive - and half Trottevielle for some 24 $ I cannot understand where all those US pax are receiving the OBC from - I do not have an Amex platinum because I refused to tell them what i do have on the bank , but one level lower is it from TA ?- not done in Belgium at all ... on my next cruise i do have 500 $ by SS and on my next regent 400 by Regent and on my Queen Anne some 200 by TA in the UK by the way the Krug bubbles were 250 on Regent and the Cristal 325 and Dom P 240 but would increase ! Unfortunately the Belle Epoque and the Billecart salmon Rosé were sold out ...😝 My next cruise is on SS with a bigger special wine list but complimentary wines are quite poor comparing to Regent ( and Crystal but there the connoisseur list is VERY expensive ) .