IslandThyme

Hey, can we pay corkage with OBC? Also, wine shop recommendations in Ft. Lauderdale?

Ok, so what is good to send to the laundry? Pants, socks, tee shirts, etc.? The World Voyage will be my first Azamara cruise, and I'm remembering how HAL did dry cleaning quite nicely.

I have a laundry question that will affect my packing plans. I know there's self-service, and that I'll have one free bag per week. What I don't know: Is there dry cleaning onboard, for fancier or more delicate garments? And if not, would you send those things to be cold water washed in the laundry, or better to do them by hand? I'm specifically thinking of silks. I guess the bottom-line question is what the ship's laundry does best, and what to avoid sending them, to maximize the benefit of that one bag per week.

Is it possible to Zoom at that speed?

It's the World Cruise, so there's a bit of everything. Thanks for all of your insight into the randomness of it all.

On another line, in a certain class of ship, I've always preferred starboard, because that's normally the side facing the dock and I like to be able to watch all the goings-on from my balcony. On the Azamara ships, is there a regular dock side? Or are the ships ambi-dock-strous? (Sorry, groan, couldn't resist)

I will call Steve, and have purchased insurance through him several times in the past, but in the meantime I'm curious - does anyone here have experience insuring a world cruise, which is long (155 days) and expensive ($$$$)?

Thanks for the Hobart referral, I've contacted them. And as for Chef Jimmy, I did his tour the last time I was in Sydney and loved it. Thanks!

I know this is off-topic, but this thread seems to be where wine-focused folks hang out. I'm looking into putting together some AU/NZ wine tours for the 2024 WC roll call and am wondering whether any of you have favorite wineries or tours to recommend. We'll be in Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Picton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hobart, Eden, Sydney, Mooloolaba, Airlie Beach, and Cairns. Thanks so much for any and all advice, and if there's another thread where this has already been discussed please feel free to point me to it.

I have seen lots of reviews citing a "Euro atmosphere" on MSC. Having lived for a few years in Europe, to me that suggests a more sophisticated and cultured atmosphere. But the tons of comments about mediocre food certainly don't sound "Euro" to me.

I'm interested in the comments about loving or hating MSC, and am not familiar with the reasons. Could someone summarize the perceived pros and cons? To me a Euro atmosphere sounds appealing.

That amazing Gambian excursion looks like just my thing. I envy you that one!

Lovely writing.

I want to ask you about language issues. On the Grand Asia I did walk around alone in all the ports except Tokyo, using just one word of Japanese (sumimasen) and a lot of gestures plus a smattering of English, but I didn't venture onto trains or buses alone. Assuming that you don't read Japanese, how do you find your DIY way everywhere without getting hopelessly lost?

It's sounding like there's no industry standard, judging from replies ranging from "won't sail without it" to "really they might not do anything at all."

Hi Virginia! No, it's a TA thing.

Would those of you who have been on a hosted voyage please tell me what that might entail, what are the positive aspects, any negative ones, etc.?

Thanks for sharing this trip with us. I'm contemplating the Majestic Japan trip on Westerdam next year and will be closely following your adventures.

Thanks! I had never considered deleting pictures to be an actual activity, even though I do a lot of it myself.

I have a safari question. Pretty much every itinerary I see has something on the order of a 2 hour game drive in the morning, another in the evening, and free time for most of the day. What is there to do in the free time hours?

I love that friendship flag pin. And there's one for every country? Where did you get them?

Thanks for posting that sweet video. It's so nice to see those familiar faces again.

I see a big flurry of publicity about these ships now, evidently sailing as soon as next month. Does anyone have any non-PR information?

I just want to say that I LOVE all of your included detail. It's so practical and useful and I will certainly use it when next I'm down that way.

I think there's a difference between "cruising solo by choice" and "cruising solo by circumstance." My first solo cruise after my husband's death was an 89 day trip. I'm not naturally gregarious and I was lonely a lot, although I would rate my overall experience on that voyage as fabulous. For me too, dinner, in the MDR or specialty restaurant, was the hardest part of the day. I always took my Kindle to dinner, and very often sat alone and read. I did have a favorite server and always asked to be seated in his section. He made my dinners so much more pleasant with his friendliness and compassion. On my second solo trip I got a message halfway through that my house had flooded with sewage. I had to arrange to get off the ship 11 days early and get home (from Auckland) and deal with it all. That was definitely hard, especially since my house remained uninhabitable for 10 weeks after my return. I have a WC coming up in 2024, and I wonder whether the pandemic, during which I have spent nearly three years in virtual isolation, will have made solo cruising easier. I will confess that I hope to find a friendly group, maybe on my rollcall, with whom to share the experience.