Carolfay

Did you perhaps see Richard Thomas in "Mockingbird"?  The Richard Harris I'm familiar with has been dead for quite a while.

I'm curious, too.  I'm to sail Silver Wind on October 16 from San Diego.

I wear pantyhose as self tanner for my legs.  Works OK for me.

Another vote for Lancome.  I'm into Monsiour Big right now, but most of their formulas have worked well for me.

Sure.  Just some little trinkets I could wear to dinner.

I'm fine with all the fragrances and colors; what I'd really like is some Bulgari jewelry.

Always heels, always hosiery in the evenings.  Without them, I feel like Daisy Mae Yokum.  (And, to be fair, I'm short with very white legs.)

On most evenings, I saw only one couple dancing (sedately) to the music in the Horizons lounge.

I've used it probably four times for embarkation, and it has worked smoothly.  Bear in mind that they want your bag packed and ready for pickup eight to ten days before the ship sails, so wardrobe choices have to be made well in advance of departure.  Tracking notifications are sent, so you're aware when your bag arrives at the ship terminal.  (Actually, since I tend to procrastinate, it's probably good for me to have a deadline for choosing my clothes.)

Overall, I've been satisfied with the service, but it hasn't always been seamless.  When I disembarked from Regatta on July 8 in Seattle, I waited about 45 minutes before the Luggage Forward driver made it to us.  Employees at the terminal generally had never heard of Luggage Forward and didn't know where to direct me to pickup.  It ultimately got sorted, but there was confusion.  Not ideal.  Ultimately, my suitcase was collected, and it was delivered to my front doorstep three days later.  Worth it - for me.

I've used Luggage Forward several times for cruises and am glad I did.  Since I'm usually traveling alone, it's worth it not to be dragging suitcases through airport terminals - and wondering if my luggage is going to show up on the carousel on arrival.  It's not cheap, but it's made sense for me.

I also was on the cruise departing June 27 from Seattle, and I can corroborate what the previous posters have written.  The whale watching in Icy Point Strait was indeed extraordinary - some of us speculated that the humpback was really an animatronic device performing for us.  My other whale watch was also outstanding, and we used Gastineau Guiding.  Captain Mike found a very energetic whale for us, and we watched lunge feeding for nearly half an hour - stunning.  Our guide for that outing was the delightful and whip-smart Mikaela, who provided excellent commentary.

Our bear "hunt" in Hoonah was well handled, and we did indeed spot one adult brown bear, who entertained us while feeding from berry bushes.  From Ketchikan (the Ward Cove terminal), we shuttled to a walk through the Tongass Forest, escorted by a fun and informative guide named Debbie.  Quite a character - she even recounted her Sasquatch encounter a few years prior.  If you stop in Victoria, I can recommend the "sights and bites" walk with a fun guide named Emily.  She's affiliated with Hidden Victoria, and she was full of excellent insights into her city.

I was favorably impressed by my first Oceania cruise and will certainly consider them for future adventures.  

https://www.cruisehive.com/the-cdc-is-reevaluating-testing-for-cruise-ships/74496

This, maybe?

Well done, watcher30 David - you've captured our tour beautifully.

Salamanca was in fact one of the highlights for me.  We had an excellent local guide who brought the city's history to life.  Our bus ride took less than two hours each way and didn't feel excessive.

Our Ama cruise included a brief sunset/dusk cruise the first evening, before the boat headed upriver.  Lights of the city were charming.  I didn't investigate any other options for additional cruising, though there appear to be many boats in Porto offering brief river trips.  It was near dusk when we returned to Porto seven days later, and city lights were beginning to twinkle then, too.

I've just returned from seven days via Ama Waterways on the Douro.  I loved it and would be happy to repeat this route one day.  I'd welcome any questions.  We started and finished in Porto, which is a beautiful and lively city.  We lucked out with weather; clear and sunny and not excessively hot - so long as you can find some shade.  English is widely spoken, and the locals are friendly.  Port wine was offered just about everywhere, though we were served decent table wines at lunch and dinner, too.  Excursions were well planned. I wouldn't have missed the Salamanca day - gorgeous city with much to see, and the bus ride each way didn't seem objectionable.

Yep - I got six more yesterday - identical and all addressed to me.  Doesn't exactly inspire confidence about their operations.

Two days ago, there were six identical mailers in my mailbox.  

Judging from comments in the Windstar forum, the setbacks in the ships' renovation have resulted in several canceled cruises - and a lot of disgruntled customers.

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/windstars-star-plus-renovations-delayed-asbestos-removal

Inexpensive?  Nope.  But worth it to me as a solo traveler?  Absolutely.  I've used the service twice for Seabourn cruises and twice for theater jaunts to NYC, and everything has been handled as promised.  And tv24 is correct: You have to be thoughtful in your packing, as the bag has typically been collected from my home a week before I travel.  Of course, this pays off in not having the last-minute packing frenzy I've sometimes gone through . . .

The all-inclusive package was right for me, as I like my cocktails and my wine with dinner and didn't want to be signing chits every time I wanted a drink.  The Windstar per-drink cost seemed pretty high, anyway.  I made good use of the Wi-Fi to communicate with the spouse at home, I was glad to have the gratuities dispensed with beforehand, and it was dandy to have access to laundry service.  On Seabourn (my preferred cruise line), I like having the drinks and gratuities included in the fare.  Yes, it looks like a steep price for the Windstar package, but they're at least allowing passengers to make the choice.  For me, "You can pay 'em now, or you can pay 'em later."

And by the way, this thread really does need a different heading . . .

The corny joke many of the guides tell goes as follows: Tourist to young man: "Does it always rain here in Bergen?"  Young man to tourist: "I don't know.  I'm only 16."

I was on board, and we did arrive in Reykjavik one day earlier than scheduled.  We had the day for sightseeing and tours, slept aboard, and disembarked as scheduled the following morning - so they did in fact feed and shelter us for the agreed number of nights.

If you're on board Windstar, where most of the staff and crew are Indonesian and Filipino, you might try asking if you can have what they're having.  During my recent Star Pride cruise, our chef explained that there's a separate kitchen on board and a chef dedicated to preparing the crew meals.  As he put it, "They don't want to eat what you're eating."  Interesting . . .