lenetere

Thanks, @Spudd.

I don't want to presume that English is the primary language spoken onboard. Since I'm not fluent in any other language, though, this matters to me!

When we were in Germany, some called for one Euro, some called for .50. And some will have machines; others have attendants. One attendant was really, uhhh, demanding that we have exact change. She wouldn't allow small coins, she wanted the specific denomination. Other tourists were helpful with making change in that particular case.

Of course, it's easiest if all the countries I travel to accept Euros. But I'm pretty sure not all of them will. We're traveling from Budapest to Bucharest. Most of our stops are in Hungary and Romania, although we also hit Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Has anyone traveled to any of these countries recently and know if they do or do not accept Euros? Charging is an option if a vendor accepts it, but I imagine some small shops or restaurants only take cash. Thanks for any insight!

What time is early seating, usually? On several cruise lines, it's been moved up to 5 pm, which is way too early (for me). I've been away from HAL for a while, so don't presume anything is the way it used to be.

We went there some years ago. Beautiful facilities. Lunch was buffet and very good. Unfortunately for us, the price went up considerably, so we haven't been there in a long time. No idea what this year's price is.

TA-DA!!! I'm betting this is what I read about!! Thank you so much for your input!

Thanks, but definitely not Murano.

I've read somewhere that Celebrity has not only a Chef's Dinner, but a Cellar Master's Table. I've done searches all over and can't find that info now! It's quite possible that it is no longer done since cruising restarted after covid. Or it's possible that I'm confused about the cruise line (that does happen). I'm specifically interested in Silhouette. Can anyone provide information?

@pontac, thanks, that's quite helpful!

It's probably the same, other than Emerald being Discover More for Mateus Palace. Thank you so much!

All I know is this: Today, on an included excursion, you will visit the marvelous Baroque village of Lamego, stopping to see the picturesque Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies, a structure that stands gracefully over the town

I posted this a few days ago in the Ports forum, but haven't gotten any responses. Hope someone here can help! Our Douro River cruise has an included Guided tour of Lamego. It also has an optional tour of the Mateus Manor House. Does anyone have thoughts on either of these? If Mateus is marvelous, then I would certainly go. But if Lamego is charming and not to be missed, then I want to do that!!!

Thanks. Actually, I'm thinking of other ports on a typical (if there are typical ports) Antarctica cruise, such as Port Stanley.

Since there is such a small window of time for Antarctica cruises, I would expect they fill up. Do they? I'm wondering about having to wait for a tender in some ports, and how long that wait is. Another part of that question, then, is whether taking a ship excursion makes more sense since you'd likely get an earlier tender if you're on a ship excursion.

That would have been nice! Was yours recent? Ours was last spring. South France.

Don't overlook Emerald Cruises. Scenic's little sister. We've cruised both, and don't think Emerald is a big step down. You do get fewer excursion choices, but Emerald had the option for less mobile pax, while Scenic put us all on the same bus. Emerald doesn't have all inclusive beverages all day, but does have with meals. BUT like Scenic, does have gratuities included. Give them a look!

We went with Cosol Tours many years ago. Had a fabulous tour. And guess who our tour guide was? Baptiste!!! TTEllis is correct that you should request him. A great guide makes all the difference!!!

We were heading to Rome, where we'd already booked a tour with someone else. A few days before Rome we got a notice from the vendor that they couldn't accommodate us, after all. We were totally panicked! I had heard of Italy Tours from our roll call, and contacted them. They were able to take us in a small van with some others. The driver was amazingly courteous and professional. Our goal was to see the Coliseum, which we did. Because we were so late booking, we couldn't get into the Vatican museum with the rest of our group, so we opted to wander instead. The driver gave us great ideas and good instructions of where to find him when we were tired of walking. Yes, I'd definitely book with Italy Tours again!!

Last month, they were 7:30 and 9:30, almost always. I believe there was one night with a one-time show at 8:30.

I had the exact thing happen to me. My TA is dogged in pursuing these things for me, and she said she had NO luck with Princess. I'm hoping a Black Friday sale takes care of this annoyance!

We're joining this cruise in Barcelona, 11/6, and still don't have our room assignment. Lene

I was in France on a Scenic tour May 12-25. This isn't a cruise review, but just a few tidbits. It was our second river cruise--our first was on Emerald, Scenic's little sister. We did a Paris visit through Scenic prior to the river cruise. Typically, they send a truck to the hotel to get all the luggage to take to the ship in Lyon. Turns out that since we only had 6, they did not, and we had to haul all our stuff onto the train!! Luckily Josh, our tour guide in Paris, was really proactive and was able to get us to the front of the line so we could get our luggage stowed. It didn't ruin our cruise, but didn't feel like the beginning of a luxury cruise. The housekeeping, bar, and wait staff were all fabulous. Cheerful and hardworking. But really, really understaffed. There were a few additions to the staff as the cruise progressed, but they were being trained on the job. The ship was fairly full--only about 20 vacancies. The US is the only country that requires a covid test 24 hours before returning flight. There were a dozen of us that needed one, and our cruise director agreed to arrange it for us at a local pharmacy. One of these people tested positive and had to scramble to find accommodations for the next 5 nights!! Our cabin had an issue. The first night we realized our AC wasn't working. It was not quite smooth, but we did have another cabin to sleep in the first night, and by the second day we had been relocated to another cabin (slight downgrade, same deck). My biggest annoyance throughout the cruise was that any correspondence for us went to the original cabin. Even when discussing our disembarkation plans, the original room was showing as our active room. Due to Covid, some excursions did not go as planned. However, the cruise director was almost always able to come up with a substitution. There were a few covid cases onboard. You could tell by the serving tray in the hallway!! Oh, and disregard dress code information. The info that came (at the last minute) sounded as though it was on the formal side. Far from it!! Pack what you feel comfortable wearing! The quality of food was quite good. The Scenic Enrich activities were fabulous. Oh, and beds are remarkably comfortable.

Scenic has two opposing statements on the website about testing to board. I'm thinking that when the website went back up, some old information may have been put there. The statements are below. Can anyone who's onboard now, or recently, tell me what your experience was? 1 - Q.Do I need to provide a negative PCR Covid-19 test prior to embarking my cruise? A.We require guests to provide the relevant proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test (taken within 72 hours of their voyage departure), when boarding the ship. 2 -