CarolKR

On 1/2/2023 at 8:05 AM, alithecat said:

There are usually 2 expeditions a day. The first starts very early eg. 6:45 am for half of the ship -- they divide you into groups and rotate. Usually everyone is back by around 11 am, the ship moves, you have time for lunch and the next starts around 2 pm or later. Everyone is back by 5 to 6 pm. There is a briefing that starts at  6:15 or 6:30 pm. So, the best time for dinner is 7:30 pm.  7 pm often works but you may still be in the briefing on some of the days. Also keep in mind that the sea days may be quite rough, and La Terrazza is at the back of the ship where you will rock & roll more. 

On 1/2/2023 at 12:15 PM, Stumblefoot said:

Schedule spa for noon to 2:00p on excursion days.

Thanks for the insights about the timings of the day and best times to plan dinner and spa appointments. Very helpful.

I've searched through the forum and can't find mention of this.

We are on the Silver Wind for the January 29th Antarctic sailing. I'm looking at booking dining reservations and spa appointments, but with the fluid nature of the excursions, it's hard to know the best timing to select.

Regardless of our normal preferred eating times on a classic cruise, I'm assuming that there may be a rhythm to how these Antarctica cruises run - maybe it's better to dine earlier if excursions start very early in the morning, or perhaps later dining if excursions end late in the day.

Can someone with Antarctica cruising experience provide guidance on suggesting times to plan dining and spa visits? Thanks.

I've read that QG can eat in the PG, but was told specifically by a Cunard reCan Queens Grill guests ep on the phone that it cannot be done. The only way for a QG person to eat with a PG person would be to go to the specialty restaurant or the buffet That doesn't sound like it's really the correct answer - any personal experience with this issue?

I wanted to thank you so much for posting that information. I researched it after seeing the comment since we were going to be in Rome prior to our embarkation that was scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday June 8, Pentecost Sunday.

We arrived at 8:45am for the 10:30 mass, and there were crowds of people already there waiting for the doors to open at 9pm. We were able to get seats because my mom is 87 years old and I begged one of the guards for the sympathy so she could sit down, but many did not get seats, and at 9:10am the back was already full standing room only space.

The altar was decorated with roses. The bishop celebrated the Pentecost mass and as we came to the end of mass around 11:55, everyone looked up expectantly. Thousands of red rose petals starting floating down, covering the floor. It continued for about five minutes as everyone watched joyfully.

It was absolutely the highlight of our entire trip. I truly appreciate your sharing that tip.