avalong

5 minutes ago, Woodrowst said:

To cope with covid anxiety before our recent cruise we took both covid tests and PAXLOVID with us (our physician wrote a prescription so we could have it when we traveled).  That way we could both diagnose and treat Covid if we got it on the cruise.  Of course we would have also isolated ourselves during the active phase.  Knowing that we were prepared for the worst case scenario helped.

Great idea! I took tests, but not paxlovid.

11 hours ago, MAEUNC said:

We would be on the Breeze.  It has balconies.  I'd like to see a menu.  My husband is a meat and potatoes guy

To be clear, they are French balconies.

One of the couples we shared a table with at La Reserve were, I think, pescaterians (?). They ate only fish and veggies. They were served some wonderful alternatives to the courses the rest of us had. Just let La Reserve know in advance and I'm sure you'll be fine.

7 minutes ago, SellaVee said:

Good luck with that.  I’ve seen cruise passengers that don’t even know how to turn taps off, and lots of people don’t bother to wash their hands.

Or flush toilets. Just unbelievable. 

My advice would be to mask in the elevators and on the excursion buses. That's not too onerous, and it is probably where you're most susceptible. Then you can just roll the dice the rest of the time.

As a side note, we were on the Regatta for one week in May and came away completely unscathed (we didn't mask at all). Guess we got cocky.

Very very few passengers were wearing masks, including us, until my husband became symptomatic. Then we masked up and laid low, room service, etc. I could count on 2 hands the number of passengers we saw wearing masks.

My husband and I left the ship on the 11th. My husband tested positive on the 11th and I tested positive today. Mild symptoms, but be aware that it's still out there folks! Many of our excursion buses sounded like kennels with all the coughing.

3 minutes ago, ridethetide said:

This photo was taken from our cabin on Deck 1 of the Wind Star while cruising from Colon, Panama to Bermuda, a re-positioning cruise that they never have repeated.

LOL.Yes, we had a bit of that in the Med too on deck 1 of the Wind Surf. Didn't last too long.

3 hours ago, ltcTN said:

I was just on the Wind Spirit. 215 is near the aft of deck 2, near the small fitness center and medical center. The marina deck is aft on this level. I cannot think of any reason it would be abnormally noisy. I personally don't know of a bad room on the ship.

Unless you've actually been in most of the cabins how would you know? That's why we compiled this list from many people with personal experience of the individual cabins.  There's no question that the aft cabins on deck 1 have some engine noise and vibration.

5 hours ago, JM0115 said:

We are booked in 215. It says noisyx2.  Why would it be noisy? Cannot find the actual comment from anyone in 215.

I seem to recall it had to do with the gangway operation and people lining up in the hallway to leave the ship.

3 hours ago, susiesan said:

All 3 Windstar yachts have now been cut in half and stretched. They went from 212 pax to 312. The standard cabins are much much bigger than the veranda cabins on the R ships.

 

During the stretching of the yachts and elevator was added. The small sailing ships gave only 4 decks so elevators are not needed for the majority of passengers.

 

All of the 6 Windstar ships have the water sports platform at the back for those who enjoy swimming and water activities.

It should be noted that the largest of the 3 sailing ships, the Windsurf, does have an elevator. She carries 310 passengers, same as the stretched yachts.

Thanks so much for the beautiful pics of Hamburg. They are a real eye-opener. Apparently I've seen too many Beatles documentaries emphasizing the seedier side of Hamburg. Who knew it was charming?

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

When we first started cruising with O (more than a decade ago), many of the bartenders were from Bali (collectively and lovingly referred to as the “Bali Boys”). And they pretty much all had attended some formal bartender prep program plus had land and/or cruise experience.

Today, the bar crew is far more diversified (though there are Bali Boys scattered across the fleet). Both among those vets and the newer hires as well, the knowledge of classic/staple cocktails is more than adequate. 
 

However, like the food prep, there’s O’s standards for popular cocktails and then there’s the real thing. Ask for an unspecified SideCar and you’ll get a mix of well brandy, triple sec and citrus mixer. 
 

And therein lies the challenge: if you want a “classic” like a true SideCar, you’ll need to be specific (until the barkeeps know you). For example, when we order a SideCar, it’s VSOP Cognac (Hennessy preferred), Cointreau and fresh squeezed lemon juice (ask nicely and they’ll do it for you; treat them well and they’ll squirrel away a small supply as well).

 
“How much does THAT cost?” you ask. For the most part, not a penny more than the well swill you’d get if you don’t make the “call.”

 

Remember that, unless it’s on the “top shelf” of Cognacs and Scotches (or the occasional “special” pour like Gunpowder Irish gin or El Tesoro Anejo Tequila) ite like Bombay Sapphirmse Gin are readily available without an extra charge.

 

Now for the bad news: you will find some O bartenders stumped by some fairly standard cocktails for which O does not carry all the ingredients (Sazerac [which requires absinthe] and Aviation [which requires Creme de Violette] come to mind) or are only recently finding their way onto the menus of many cosmopolitan bars and lounges. Yes, ordering a “Corpse Reviver II” will get you a strange look.

 

All that said, I’ve found most (but not all) O barkeeps to be eager to learn not only the composition of, but also the back story for, “newer” (to them) items that are increasingly being requested.   

Are you sure? I could swear my Sapphire martini cost more than a well martini.

10 hours ago, calicakes said:

I bake with American butter an I buy Kerry Gold to use on toast/potatoes, etc.  I love butter and wanted to try some French Butter.  I've purchased Plugra' if I'm baking sable'.  

Try Land O' Lakes butter. I think it's the best of American mainstream brands.

On 6/14/2023 at 3:57 PM, Mariastreby said:

I’ve been on a 2 week Viking cruise last June, and another from December into January 4th of this year. Our Riviera cruise was 11 days in March. Can’t get much more recent than that.
Have two longish cruises booked for both the Vista next year and on the Viking Mars this September, then at Christmas time. 

Does Viking still require ALL the money upfront?

3 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

For those who have an American Express Platinum Card, one of the benefits is Medical Evacuation as long as you are 100 miles from home.  There is no need to book your trip with them.  To me that is worth its price in Platinum. 

I do not buy evacuation insurance since we carry that card.

Terri

Medical evacuation is a tricky term. Usually it means evacuating you to a nearby-ish hospital. Medjet will bring you from that hospital to one near your home. What does American Express mean by "medical evacuation," I wonder.

Also, fyi, Medjet gives an AARP discount.

9 hours ago, the more ports the better said:

Thanks guys, great info!!!  I sold a minority interest in my company to a PE group and they are big big on insurance.

 

We are on Nautica next month going to Israel.  Israel is usually quite safe as a country but it seems that there are always rockets being launched all around them!    
 

I have Allianz annual now and they evac to the nearest facility that can address your medical issue as opposed to your choice.

 

Better safe than sorry.

To be clear, Medjet will only transport you when you have already been hospitalized. Then they will move you from the hospital where you are to a hospital of your choice near your home.  Read Medjet's policy carefully. 

The best time is our summer, their winter (July through September). It's less humid and rainy then. There are many threads on this topic over on the Paul Gauguin board.

3 minutes ago, johnwelch62 said:

No, I have enabled WiFi calling on my phone and there was no need to notify Verizon.

Great! Thanks so much for the info.

5 hours ago, johnwelch62 said:

I used WiFI calling on Verizon on our recent cruise on the Vista. And I did get a few spam calls. 🙂

Did you have to make any arrangements with Verizon ahead of time?

Valletta is totally walkable (to an elevator which takes you up to the city center, as I recall). At Porto Empedocle you'll want to take the excursion to the ruins -- that's what that stop is all about. Not sure about the others.

4 minutes ago, Piaa said:

 

"semi-tasteful" ... that is a dilemma for sure 🤣

 

Perhaps I should have said "least tasteless." :-)

14 hours ago, Torquer said:

Is there a priority line for Owners/Vista/Oceania Suite passengers for tenders?  Our upcoming cruise will have five tender ports, and we almost never use Oceania shore excursions so this is pretty important.

 

This will be our first cruise on Oceania post Covid.  In pre-covid times when we stayed in an Owners suite, we asked our butlers and they told us at tender ports, you go to a certain stairway and show them your key card and they will let you on without a ticket.  Is that still the way it works?  Also, we have only ever stayed in Owners Suites, and this time we will only be in an Oceania Suite, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

There's nothing worse than having to travel under reduced circumstances. (Please take this as the good-natured ribbing it was intended...)