frantic36

Hi Shyla, A friend from Brisbane was due to board Ovation end of last month in Barcelona but pulled out a couple of days before going because of health issues. She did tell me she had been required to fill out the Spanish Health Form because they don'y recognise the International Covid certificate our federal government signed up for. I know my TA has mentioned it to me though she will check closer to the time. Maybe your TA can help clarify this?

I would guess short shorts giving the impression of no pants. Even so not what I expect at an inside bar, though they could do so at the Sky Bar. 😲 Yikes

This is as I understand it as well. The 270 day rule relates to the primary 2 dose vaccine regime and if you have at least one booster after this time you are covered.

What I like is when I enlarge the image you can see a cheeky smile on the dog's face. So glad they restored it to it's original as it gives insight into Titian's thinking.

Yes I have tendered in Bandol a few times and it is a straightforward process. Ship tours get priority for the tender so I check to see when most are departing to work out how full the tender will be. The tenders run regularly with usually two or three running. 2018 was the last time I visited and my memory is hazy but I don't remember it being a long ride at all.

Unfortunately no sad face emoji available about just missing by a day or two the cancellation of needing a test. Looking forward to further updates.

Interesting the change in Champagne on your sailing though Seabourn prior to Covid started serving Montaudon Champagne. I thought from friends that have sailed in the last year it was still served. Maybe there was a supply issue. Monopole and Pommery is what Silversea serves onboard. It was Nicolas Feuilatte they used to serve, never Pommery, since when I started sailing with them in 2010.

They haven't done flambes for years. I think even before the small triplets were sold but can't be sure. I did hear from a friend there was an incidence on one of the Odyssey class, a flambe presentation set of the sprinkler system on the area involved. That and safety concerns is why it was stopped. I was a little sad but it has been so long I am quite used to it now. I am one who doesn't care about a candle as I just think it is more clutter on the table. The single vase with a flower is enough decor. They did try and get rid of the linen table cloths because Mr Keller didn't like them in the MDR but feedback indicated most guests preferred to have them otherwise it looked very stark and inhospitable. So they came back.

How sad for it to be so obvious. Was there a point to prove about their wealth? Oh well, I will continue to give to the Crew Welfare Fund as I prefer to thank all onboard who helped make the cruise enjoyable including the laundry people and the person who cleans the stairwell frequently every day.

This is what we do as well. Maybe not straight away but early in the cruise. We used to do it at the end but once on a shorter cruise when I went too guest services it was busy every time so I had to try to remember to do it after dinner when likely to be quiet. Easier to do it early.

I remember a bartender we knew well explained it to me thus. When people get tipped by certain passengers regularly it can upset the equilibrium below decks as human nature means people jockey to try and serve them to get the tip. Thus some jealousy develops. Not a good thing below deck. Wouldn't surprise me if you saw people tipping, which I thought was supposed to be discrete so people shouldn't see it. From friends who have sailed a few times in the last year there are quite a few new to Seabourn onboard and mainly Americans.

Depends where you come from. To me it doesn't seem weird at all because in Australia we pay higher wages for service industries. I would only tip if I received service beyond normal expectation. Even then on Seabourn I have had crew refuse a tip. So we give to the crew welfare fund at Guest Services in Seabourn Square. That way all the crew benefit with special events etc.

Yum!!! A menu I would love. I must ask for this next time I cruise.

Hi, Do you remember the name of the market in Cartagena? We will be there next month and have planned a on our own tour and this might be suitable to get lunch from.

So glad you had some wonderful meals pre cruise and are now enjoying the cruise. I will do the test run at Casa Bleve and report back if it was worthwhile. Just over a month before we board. How was the boarding procedure at Civi and did you test prior to going to the port or at the port? If you prefer since we can't private message, you can contact me on julie z marshall at icloud dot com. Julie

You might not want to wear a mask but you should still make sure you have some with you. I just read a blog about Spain and they were still required to wear a mask on tour buses. This may change or it may not but surely it is best to be prepared and have some with you. I know for Italy even if they drop the requirement for masks in most places on 15 June they will still require it for certain medical places which includes pharmacies.

Same with us and our Finn. We weren't planning to get another dog after losing our last one in September but in November bumped into another Jap Spitz owner we knew but hadn't seen for 18 months and had to break the sad news about losing our boys. Two hours later she was knocking on our door to tell us she new a breeder in Perth who was just about to put some pups on the market and he had agreed to let us look straight away. The rest is history 😊. On a side note when we took our Pup for our Vet to check over he was amazed we had got any puppy as they were in very sparse supply.

As mentioned there is dancing but the dance floor is much smaller than the one on Crystal in Palm Cove I think was the name? We have danced on Seabourn~ but usually modern, though we have tried modified jive and cha cha, waltzing won't work.

😁Been there last year and our pup is now 8 months old. I am sure she will bring you much joy but watch out for the puppy teeth and claws, I forgot how sharp they can be. It is heart wrenching to lose a faithful friend and I am glad you were able to be there for her when your old girl passed.

No problems @cruiseej . I have done the same before but want to hear more about cruising. No promises, as I can get busy onboard doing nothing much, but I will try and post while onboard in July.

Can we get back on track people. I am more interested about thebigcruiseguy and ciaoyachts current observations about the ships since I have a cruise coming up soon. Talking about jeans or not jeans can go into the other discussion on formal dress. And then I can skip over that thread since it is a rehashed topic.

Thanks for the update marazul. My husband and I have worked out masks we are comfortable wearing that are also high grade. We will wear them on the flights, at the airport and in other crowded situations. We wear them because 1) Singapore and Australia still require them at airports and 2) I want to reduce our risk of flying all the way to Rome and testing positive before boarding the ship. This is even if the mask requirements change in Italy.

Sicily was a highlight on a cruise I did in 2014 and one reason was actually seeing a red squirrel as I had never seen one before and likely won't get to see another one. It reminded me of my Disney films when growing up. Sorry for the blurriness.

I meant to say the rumours are all over the travel internet.

They do say Japanese Spitz dogs are very similar to cats and here is Exhibit A when I was working on research for upcoming cruise...