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Carnival is offering a transatlantic out of New Orleans I think next year 2025 on the Valor. And they will be offering a return transatlantic directly to New Orleans. Not really into Carnival having tried it but thinking these sailings are tempting.

Thanks that did not help.

Looking for a car/driver to drive us around to Portofino area and bring us back to the pier after some time. Any suggestions?

Thanks again. I usually book forward facing balconies but the island doesn't have them. I'll be delighted if I can go out there and feel the wind. 

Thank you! 

I'm a big fan of the bow view. Specific to IP, looking at the pictures, am I seeing public spaces on the Island Princess on the bow and on the 3 cabin decks above the bow?  Are those areas open to passengers?

Yes it’s possible. But I would not book a flight too early; it is not like the Caribbean. The airport is not near the cruise port. Definitely prebook a transfer.

https://www.istanbultourstudio.com/

Used this company in Istanbul last May. Licensed and very engaging guide with driver.

Spent 21 nights in L101 in the Med Sea this spring. The people next door keep their balcony light on for 2 weeks at night. Exactly no one cared. No one told us to close our balcony curtains and no one told us we couldn’t go on the balcony when the ship was underway. In fact the radar-looking device in the front was wrapped in canvas and unused. It’s possible that in 2022 this is no longer a thing. I loved this cabin. 

This Spring we went on a 21 night Med Sea cruise. I expected it to count as 1 cruise because that is what we booked. I expected to be Gold after its completion. To my surprise I am showing as Ruby as apparently the 21 night cruise counted as 3 cruises completed. Now I'm looking at a 14 day Transatlantic. Will that count as 1 cruise or 2 as it's 2 x 7 days? Not sure of Princess math.

May 28th Regal disembarkation experience: if flight out of Rome was earlier than 12:30pm then you got a letter to get a test between 6am and 7am the day before. We tested on the 27th at about 6:30am then went on about our day in Florence from Livorno. We got the hard copy of our negative results after 6pm and scrambled to complete the BA check in requirements for Verifly. Due to the terrible internet we didn’t make it. Showed up at Rome airport on the 28th morning and was not asked for test results but our docs were approved by Verifly by that time. No problem.

Thank you. I promise to never come back. You have found my failings and blistered me with your burning knowledge. I run to hang my head in shame. Adieu Great One.

I honestly tried to read that thread but it seems to be about bickering. As near as I can figure since the restart; Rotterdam allows interior smoking. Eurodam does not. The message from HAL is therefore mixed. I haven't checked on the NA or Konigsdam as their itineraries didn't appeal to me but it might be of interest to others. 

Ok so I’ve sailed on HAL 3 times but all 3 times have been on the Zuiderdam. For me, HAL is the Zuiderdam. 3 very different itineraries in different parts of the world and no complaints. We are very low key and hate fake luxury. Anyway we might cheat on Zuidy and sail on Oosty. I know the ships are carbon copies (good) just different color schemes (whatever). We will have the lovely full promenade deck and covered pool bar in inclement weather. Before the shutdown, was the Oosterdam largely smoke-free? I liked Zuidy’s smoke-free interior. I know Oosterdam hasn’t restarted yet but is there any guidance yet on how smoking will be handled? Can anyone refer me to the relevant HAL guidance on smoking post-restart?

It is disappointing. We are on the May 7th sailing. Wondering what level of dry dock/maintenance this is and will it push us back too. Sigh. 

1 hour ago, Clutj said:

A while back they had a Nicholas Feuillatte brut reserve for $13. Charles & Charles Rose sparkling for $8.  The terms say you are charged for the cost over $12… Dom Perignon was by bottle for $199.  I think package gets you 25% discount on bottles. 

Sounds good to me! I’ve never been on Princess before so really excited to try the product.Thank you!

Do they have (real) champagne by the glass? Would it be a surcharge over the $12 limit or would you have to pay the entire drink price? 

Does anybody see their promo beverage package for a Eurodam sailing? We booked on the NS with free grats/dining/shore ex discount (which technically expired back in April) and the free inside cabin. Still not seeing a complete final booking confirmation.

I can still get in to look at my October booking in the Med Sea but it does appear blocked for new bookings. I am assuming we will be cancelled. The ship is in the Bahamas still to obtain CDC approval. Probably want to redeploy to the Carib. Of course this is pure speculation right now.

Does paused mean cancelled? 

1 hour ago, mocruzer said:

More than 2 years now since we sailed on NS and will be interesting if she makes it to Europe in September.  

This is my question too. She has a charter Oct 9-19 in the Med (sigh not my crowd) so maybe? 

18 minutes ago, CI66774 said:

Reasonable accommodation might involve having the person take a COVID test every few days and wearing a mask everywhere, etc. if the person doesn’t have COVID and continually tests negative, they’re not a risk to anyone.

How do you "police" this on a cruise ship? Do we assume non-vaccinated people will comply with mask wearing and be diligent in their interactions on and off the ship? I can tell you the answer to that. 

It is far more straightforward to make the minimum safety standard to be fully vaccinated. 

I would suggest to look up videos on YouTube for MSC cruises. It shows clearly the reduced # of pax, the chairs spread out, and no masks required when at the pool. They require masks when guests are forced to congregate in tighter spaces such as disembarkation. 

Hawaii has been offering vaccinations to merchant mariners for months. 

Sigh.