fdnycruiser

4 hours ago, Syd58 said:

Was this part of a world cruise?

No it wasn’t. The world cruise is on the Silver Dawn, and does not involve passage through the Red Sea. It will start in Tokyo, and go around the Cape in South Africa and up the Atlantic Coast.

We’ll be on the Capetown to Southampton legs of the WC.  A few years back we the Sydney to Singapore legs of the WC, which included a Hong Kong to Singapore. It was a great cruise, and I hope you enjoy that Hong Long to Sydney.

PS:   They let them know that you gave the reference 

Terry, my friends thank you for the guide referral in Istanbul and will be using them next month. They’re already impressed with the timeliness of communication, information etc. 

Ashley, we’ve sailed on both, and your review is right on the mark. Agree 100% . We’ll be back on the Dawn in March for 32 days. 

Thanks Terry !  I wish I was going myself. 

Hi Terry, sorry to interrupt your thread, but have a question. Have a friend going to Istanbul for a few days. I know that when you went you had a private guided tour which they’re looking for. Would you happen to have the name, pricing etc.Thank you in advance.

Bob

On 7/28/2024 at 1:50 PM, pinotlover said:

I’d suggest American through Charlotte. American may go MUN-MIA, direct depending upon season.

Have had connections at both Charlotte and Atlanta. Never had a problem with the immigration/ customs. Actually, it was pretty smooth 

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Seatguru has become an abandoned website.  Incorrect information, aircraft that are no longer in fleets and airlines that no longer exist.

 

I assume it exists only to funnel airfare searches to the Trip Advisor website.

 

 

I stand corrected 

Check out seat guru for seating plans, and stay alert to any aircraft changes. Also pays to download the app of the airline you’re flying on.

See if there’s a roll call for your cruise. If so, ask if anyone is interested in playing, and you may get a group going before you even board.

23 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

That's really not the answer in the least.  

 

That's one anecdotal flight. 

 

Flyertalker's advice is best.  In addition to being flexible also be prepared to invest the time to search the flexible itineraries.  To many of us, this is a challenge,  game and possibly even obsession. 

I totally agree with you 100% . We recently got 2 Q Suites on Qatar from Miami to Capetown for a total of 140,000 points .  It took a lot of patience, perseverance and a few days to complete the transaction. There are also many free sites that you can subscribe to for much information on using points. As pirate has written it’s a challenge,game and obsession. However, getting a piece of the treasure makes it worth it.

We did our first cruise on Silversea in 2013. It was the final segment of the WC from Capetown to Ft. Lauderdale. We enjoyed meeting people from unbelievable different cultures. I can’t begin to tell you how nice the people were. You’ll gain a whole new perspective. Next year  we’re doing 2 segments on the WC from Capetown to Southampton 

Only speculating, but perhaps they’re planning to send it around Africa. The Red Sea still has a lot of Houthi Rebel activity, disrupting shipping.Israel just launched an attack in Yemen against them.

Have a done segments over the years. World cruisers were usually happy to see some new faces. Will be doing 3 segments in March. 

My advice would be to save yourself from that stress. Enjoy a nice afternoon and evening in London, and a nice easy trip to Heathrow in the morning. JMHO

Ports in the USA fit that description. 

Very true, and I believe Mallorca is like Miami during spring break 

Wow !  That is a new low.  A stick up man without a gun.

Great pictures!  Brought back fond memories of out TA on the Nova last year. The 

“ orange trees “ outside the SALT bar fooled me for a couple of days. I thought they were real. And that was BEFORE I went into the bar.

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

All these benefits from AMEX are either paid for in fees by the merchants or the cardholders. Back to another thread one soon realizes why many merchants won’t accept AMEX cards. 🙄

Perhaps, but enough do to be able to collect enough points for $15,000 worth of business class tickets .

Upcharge for LaDame, Keseiki, and Chefs Dinner 

There’s a lot that goes into planning a debarkation time.  Tides, availability of a pilot, tugboats, longshoremen etc, etc.  I sure worry enough about getting back on time, 

23 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

JJ:

How about a crossing on the Ray?

 We did a crossing on the Nova in the fall and everything was just great. We had decent weather and although a little breezy at times, we were able to use all the venues .

On 5/20/2024 at 4:25 PM, EJL2023 said:

Just used for a final payment and it worked. So have used two AMEX offers on same cruise, both months after the initial deposit.  

Mea Culpa ! I paid the balance of my November cruise with Amex and got the points.