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1 hour ago, SATaxman said:

On our October Marina cruise, we chose to stay on the ship. Although it is lovely to eat in a great restaurant at the top, we decided "been there, done that" and stayed on the ship. 

Yup. We had a car and drove to a wonderful place overlooking the volcano. Just lovely but totally "been there, done that."

35 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Perhaps if he is wearing fashionable shirts and on trend shoes he is wearing non casual/dressy jeans???

I don't think so. I saw someone dressed as you describe who was turned away.

6 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Considered by whom?

I used to be on a food site and that was their consensus .

 

17 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

This is Viking.  No chicken fingers 'cause there are no kids on a Viking cruise.  She can get a burger and fries at lunch, but don't know if they will accommodate her with a burger at dinner or not.

I didn't mean literally chicken fingers but what about chicken breast, a small steak, some spaghetti and meatballs. And what about asking ahead if the kitchen can accommodate such a simple request? Or tell her what it's going to be like and maybe she'll stay home. If not perhaps ask her if she could refrain from negative comments?

6 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We are cruising with a family member for the first time this coming November.  

 

I know that this particular individual is very picky eating and just adverse to trying anything that she does not know and has not eaten before.

 

I asked my brother how this would go over at meals, and his response was, as long as they can offer breaded chicken fingers, fries, or a burger, she will be fine.

 

I actually look forward to the experience as we eat and try everything.  I will just be experiencing my own amusement in my head as she watches the wonders of food that we will be eating.

I certainly don't know about other lines but the one we're currently using I have googled "*** sample menu" and found what I was looking for. 

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

I thought the dish we had in Rome had cream.

I understand that cooking/eating in Rome (considered Northern Italy) is more apt to have cream.

16 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

 

I love the dish!  If not adding cream (which I thought was the way is was made) how do you make yours?

From a reputable site:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pasta-cacio-e-pepe

31 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

I guess most people who receive the current items that don’t hang out on CC and enjoy getting them would not be happy and stomp down to main desk to complain wildly. 

How many do you on any given cruise would be eligible? One? Two?

I wonder how people would react if, on the last night of their cruise, when they returned to their cabin there was very high quality stationary with a note thanking them for their loyalty for "x" number of cruises. And that O is making a donation in their honor to a particular charity (do they have one that they publicly support?) That would please me.

15 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Oslo has a tourist card.  It includes all public transportation and admission to many venues.

Thanks to you and everyone else. We'll have a day there and are really looking forward to it. We've been to Bergen, precruise, and loved and had hoped to take the awesome train between them but another time hopefully.

15 hours ago, no fuss travel said:

 Taxis can be hit or miss

Are you talking about Istanbul specifically or just generally? We've taken taxis all over the world perhaps with no problems.

19 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

DW & I used to go to a resort in south Florida.  It was a fairly large place with several buildings.  Our main entertainment was having our morning coffee on our balcony which overlooked the main pool at the resort.  That pool remained locked until security opened the gate at 8AM each day.  There would be a line of people waiting at the gate starting at about 7:30 or so.  The people in line were loaded down with cheap beach towels purchased at local souvenir shops.  When the gate opened it was like the start of the Kentucky Derby!  We saw many people grabbing poolside tables, placing a couple of towels on some chairs at the table and then dragging over four loungers to the table and placing the remaining towels on the four loungers.  Then they would leave the pool and return to their condos for breakfast or whatever.  The pool area was once again empty in ten minutes.  Those tables and loungers would remain empty until about 11 AM and then they'd be empty from about 12:30 to 1:30 for lunch.

 

On checkout day, they wouldn't even take the towels home with them.  I suppose they wouldn't fit in the luggage for the flight home.  Year after year we saw this happen until we finally stopped going there and switched to watching chair hogs on cruise ships.  😄 

That is so hilarious! Thanks for sharing. Puts things in perspective.

On 4/27/2024 at 6:46 PM, Daniel A said:

Chair hogs have never presented a problem for me.  If I see an empty lounger for a while and nobody using it - I'm next!  When somebody comes back an hour later, they just pick up their stuff and move on.  I've never seen an argument where a chair hog returned after a while.  I do think going to lunch at the MDR or buffet and leaving your stuff on the chair is being a chair hog.  You're either at the pool or in a restaurant.  You can't be in both places at the same time.

I've tried putting this downthread and I don't think it's working. But I think your answer is the best workable. JUST DO IT.

15 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Trust me on this: Clelford is the absolutely worst CD ever employed by O. He was on some mass market line previously and the bottom-of-the-barrel mentality and attitude shoes through in all that he does.

and it wasn’t just one time. We’ve had him at least twice and the badness just blends together. 
I even went so far as to write management at O (and NCLH) and recommend that they require him and all newly hired CDs to intern for at least part of a contract with Ray Carr.

If you are unlucky enough to ever get stuck with Clelford, do be proactive and voice your legitimate concerns with O management (both on and off the ship). He is a monstrous zero and major O embarassment. 

Did you hear back from management?

2 minutes ago, deadzone1003 said:

Then would you skip Venice because of the crowds?  It is such a beautiful place that it is difficult to say no.  Best way to see Santorini is to fly there and stay for 2 or more nights.  Going on a cruise ship is a little bit hectic and crowded.  We went back to Santorini for a 4 night stay last September.  

Actually we took the ferry to Santorini and then Naxos and Paros. And rented cars. And, as you know, being anywhere after the ships have left is better. Believe it or not I've done very little of Italy Here's what the NYT had to say:

"Venice is so congested that it has become the embodiment of overtourism. Each year millions of tourists flock to this small city, home to a dwindling local population of 50,000, and the hordes in St. Mark's Square are legendary.Aug 2, 2023

4 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

what suite we are in.

How do they even know you're in a suite?

4 hours ago, deadzone1003 said:

When there are over 10,000 passengers in port that day, the only sensible path is to book a ship's tour which bypasses the cable car going up, but drops you off at Fira when done.  However, depending on your ship's departure, you have the option of either walking down the donkey path to the tender or wait until evening when most of the ships have departed and catch the cable car going down.  The latter is an option if you wish to see the sunset from Fira.  Go to cruisetimetables.com and check port schedule to see when all your fellow ships arrive and depart, and plan accordingly.  Do not skip Santorini if you have never been there before.  Would you skip Venice because of crowds if you never been there?  (Last tip, you have to properly assess your physical ability to walk down that donkey path plus if you have the proper shoes as well as not rushing down that path.)

You are very wise. And good at math 🙂  It's one of very few places I wouldn't return to because of the crowds.

4 hours ago, roberts2005 said:

Dubrovnik is nice, but if you have been there more than once, not much new to see.   Best to get out of town either by boat or bus.

It was insanely overcrowded. But I read that UNESCO threatened their status if they didn't do something. That something was like limiting the number of cruise ships.

11 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Check your dictionary - one person cannot constitute a “couple” - three is ordinarily referred to as a ménage, and no one would refer to a group of four or more as a “couple”.

I was allowing the OP and others to modify their posts. No problem that they didn't. 

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Yes, that was my idea as the thread initiator.

Thanks. Your choice of course.

7 minutes ago, martincath said:

You're welcome, although I think it was entirely coincidental that my post in any way helped someone from your neck of the woods!

 

For Seattlites, I'd recommend driving your own car across on the Black Ball for several days on the Island (transit around Vic, and to and from ferry/airport, is decent but everywhere else especially going town to town varies from god awful to "What is this transit you speak of? I do not know this word!" levels) and getting to the bits that cruisers and daytrippers never see. Compare and contrast Cathedral Grove with your own woods out on the peninsula, which I understand now have both Quiet Park and Dark Sky Preserve status in parts of Olympic NP, stormwatch or surf in Tofino (watch out for the beach wolves though - do not take that delicious-looking dog in your pic!), check out the roofgoats of Coombes, etc. etc.

 

Or for a quicky Just Vic weekend, the Clipper from downtown to downtown has a stellar convenience factor!

Some Seattle-ites cruise out of YVR .

14 minutes ago, martincath said:

^Yup, while the wedding photo lineup has dropped quite a bit at QEP thanks to the waterfall being turned off (we're trying to get it compliant with new rules about water re-use, so hopefully it returns soon - back in the day every summer visit I'd see a queue of wedding parties waitingf for their turn at the 'bride and groom in front of the waterfall' shot!) the resto, Seasons in the Park, is undoubtedly the most scenic resto patio view within the city being right up at the highest point of Vancouver.

 

I always tell folks who ask this question the same thing - if you can fly in to YYJ instead of YVR (or out, post-cruise) then only having one full day in Vic might be worthwhile. If you're locked into your Vancouver flight/hotel/both, then the only way to actually get plenty of time at Butchart is an independent visit rather than a coach tour. Throw money at the problem for flights both ways and you can easily get a decent visit to the gardens, enough time downtown to do the museum, a gallery or shopping or whatnot, even a whalewatch within the same length of day as the day trips by bus/ferry which only give you 2 hours tops at Butchart. It's a helluva long day though, exhaustingly so - we did this on our first visit as tourists, enjoyed it at the time but it really wiped us out so we ended up having to cut back on planned Vancouver activities the next day so in hindsight, it was a bad move. Flight prices now are almost four times what we paid back then as Harbour Air have bought up all their competition and jacked up prices to match HeliJet, and flying offpeak times cripples a trip like this - you really need to be on the first and last flights, and that first one is often packed with business travelers heading to Vic for morning meetings as that's where oh so many of our provincial government departments, big unions, etc. have their HQs.

 

If all you want to do is Butchart, taking public transit to and from the ferry makes for a cheap day, and you can stay much longer at Butchart than the day trip coach tours - $5pp for a day trip bus ticket on the Island, about $20 each way on the ferry as walk-ons (senior rates differ), transit costs on the mainland depend on day, time, age of traveler but worst case an Adult day pass is less than CAD$12. Still a 12 hour day, but you can have 4+ hours at Butchart.

 

But personally I'd stay in Vancouver - while Butchart packages several excellent gardens on one site, they do charge a hefty fee for entry on top of the required travel time and expense. Unless you literally have Butchart on your bucket list and will never return to these parts (many RT Seattle cruises allow an easy Butchart visit for example), it's a waste of both your time and money. You can spend a fraction of the money visiting all of the great gardens in Vancouver, even if you take cabs between all of them, and fill every daylight hour with pretty plants right here.

 

Free Rose Gardens at both UBC and Stanley (which also offers the Shakespeare and Rhododendron gardens among the more tree-filled parts of the park), VanDusen Botanic is even better than UBCs from a garden perspective (traditional English Hedge Maze, but UBC does have a better Arboretum with the Treewalk), you can save a buck or two with a combo ticket for VD and Bloedel (the rest of QEP is all free). Nitobe is an even better Japanese garden than the one at Butchart (which is the middle one of three designed by the same man, so it's not even the best one in Greater Victoria!) and you can take in a traditional tea ceremony at Nitobe if you time your visit right.

 

Sun Yat-Sen is literally the best Chinese Scholar's garden anywhere outside Suzhou - it was completely constructed of traditional materials by Chinese master artisans using entirely traditional methods for Expo 86 and fully renovated just before Covid (still costs less than $20 with free docent tours to explain the ludicrous complexities of its construction!) Even the freebie park next door, which shares the Koi pond, is pretty damn nice despite being built inauthentically on the cheap.

 

Anoither way to think about this - if you were visiting London, England would you even think for a second about visiting a site in France, Belgium, or the Netherlands for the day? If not, abandon Butchart plans, because whether flying or taking Eurostar you're looking at a similar logistical effort to do that as to get to Butchart for the day from Vancouver!

Thank you immensely. We live in Seattle.

Does this thread take "couple" to mean two people? I was single til I was 40 and am awfully glad that "couples" would include me in their activities.

7 hours ago, Woodrowst said:

We are currently on the Silversea Silver Endeavor and have a female butler.  Her name is Khai.

Hurray! Thanks.

2 hours ago, Kay S said:

I'm not in a butler-class

It doesn't appeal in the least to me. I guess some is I'm giving up a small amount of privacy. And I don't plan everything in advance and I might want to change my mind at the last minute. I don't want to think that I'm 'bothering' the butler with my last minute changes. And, hey, to be honest, it doesn't sound like there are any female butlers. Are there? And if not, why not?