Host Jazzbeau

The Captain has to look to the future also. He may be able to get to Strasbourg today, but maybe couldn't get back out on the next leg.

Yes, Azamara pulled out 1/2 the tubs in the suites on their ships and now they have to offer upgrades to get people into them – only the shower suites sell. On their newest ship they got the hint and pulled out most of the tubs. When you turn a tub into a shower, the dimensions are wonderful!

Read the Alaska Forum on Cruise Critic. Lots of great advice from people who have done these cruises multiple times and know every port like the back of their hand [also great advice about a pre-cruise land trip to Denali and the train from Anchorage to Seward].

This thread was started because the two older ones had gotten very confusing with conflicting claims. Please read the quoted article before commenting.

Oceania Ends COVID Testing Requirement - except where required (US, Canada, Greece and Bermuda, and maybe others): https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/environmental-health/ncl-oceania-regent-doing-away-pre-cruise-testing-where-not-mandated

Wow! We have a new nickname for you: Sherlock Notamermaid

They don't have a great knowledge of Roman Catholicism either – nor would I expect them to. They do seem to have a great knowledge of their customers. Even many non-observant Catholics go to Mass on Christmas and Easter (our churches are definitely fuller then), and the Wikipedia article you quoted confirms what I see among friends and colleagues that the same is true for non-observant Jews regarding Passover and Hanukkah.

I'm surprised (and disappointed for the posters) at the terse descriptions of shore excursions you are reporting. I felt that the descriptions on the Normandy & Gems of the Seine that we just took, and the Unforgettable Douro that we have booked for next year are detailed enough to allow me to choose among them each day and to figure out what other top sites I would want to see in the free time. Example: Rouen (B,L,D) Freechoice: Enjoy a walking tour of Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region. Take in the famous sites relating to Joan of Arc, and admire the city’s half-timbered houses and the historic Rouen Cathedral. Or learn about the Viking Warlord Rollo ‘the Walker’, who will host a guided walking tour through the medieval laneways of Rouen. This region is also the gateway to the historic Western Front, and this afternoon you’ll have the opportunity to gain fascinating insights into the Somme battlefields and learn about what life was like for a soldier during WWI with a fascinating lecture. After dinner, a local patissier will come on board with a selection of their finest desserts for your dining pleasure.

Just tried – their US website is working perfectly for me. Have you tried a different browser, or clearing the Scenic cookies?

I agree, although I might choose one of Oceania's new-gen ships over Viking because of the food. OTOH Viking has great enrichment lecturers and their ships are stunning. My priorities are: (1) itinerary [Azamara wins]; (2) food [Oceania wins]; (3) my cabin as my retreat [Oceania and Viking win because Azamara requires booking a CW at great expense]; (4) visibility and friendliness of officers [Azamara used to win, but so many of the great ones have left...]

Sorry to hear that. SAS is getting back up at least somewhat: 'my' plane arrived from CPH at EWR this afternoon and is scheduled to make the return trip this evening.

Thank you for this interesting review. I hadn't heard of this new 'Eleganza' ship, although I have noted various offerings from Noble Caledonia on the Queen Eleganza and Princess Eleganza which are similar in the itinerary style and the programmed in-port DIY dinners. Sorry to hear that the food on board wasn't up to usual APT standards, although I have heard the same about the Noble Caledonia charters on the sister ships – that makes the in-port dinners that much more important!

No luxury line has had a 1,000 passenger ship yet. That doesn't mean that no luxury line can have a 1,000 passenger ship. A few years ago people were saying that no luxury line could have a 600 passenger ship. So let's wait until the Explora reviews start to come in before writing them off...

My flight, SAS 910 EWR to CPH on July 26 was never cancelled. Right now SAS has cancelled that flight through tonight, but it still shows as 'on time' for tomorrow (July 21). Edited: I found SAS 909 CPH to EWR, starting back up on July 21 – that brings the A350-900 to Newark. If that flight and the return 910 operate tomorrow, I'll assume SAS is back in business on this route.

@notamermaid posted a picture recently of a new prototype-design river ship with special windows for the Aquarium-class passengers to row the ship through the low-water areas. The next idea will be exterior handles to allow passengers to portage the ship around the low spots. These cruises will cost extra as 'Roman-Viking cultural immersion' sailings! 🤣

Done

Official announcement with full list of ports is available in this new thread:

Thanks @DS they downloaded fine!

There is a third category that isn't about arriving in Greece: boarding a cruise in Greece.

It's on Azamara's list: no testing required

The classic 'swamp cooler' 🤣

Pre-Covid we almost never took a ship's excursion, because we were generally able to see more and pay less with Roll Call groups. But our January cruise on Oceania had itinerary changes nearly every day so we ended up taking only ship's excursions. And our Azamara cruise coming up in October was the $1,000 OBC deal so we are again taking only ship's excursions as we try to spend down all the OBC from that and other offers. But as that itinerary has also changed several times, I'm glad that it's Azamara that has to do all the cancelling and rebooking!

And just like that, I was proven right: Azamara has dropped all pre-cruise testing except in the very few ports that mandate it. Azamara Ends Testing Requirement.pdf

Azamara just announced that they will no longer require pre-cruise testing, except where the local port demands it. Their announcement includes a list of embarkation ports and whether testing is required there or not. [These are the ports that Azamara uses, but the information should be helpful to many Oceania cruisers.] Azamara Testing Requirements by Port.pdf