irvington

Wow, sounds really cool. Who is putting this together?

This looks great, we are looking forward to getting on the Apex in several weeks.

Just trying to get a sense of what the likely weather and overall clothes needed. I live in the Pacific NW of the US, so starting and ending I have a pretty good idea, but I don't know how cold I should be prepared to be during the cruise. I run warm, and don't mind rain, but am concerned I might not pack enough sweaters and so on given what I'm used to here in Oregon in September. Or am I worried for nothing? Any thoughts welcome.

Totally agree, all jokes aside, as a professional woman I have seen the dress code change. Honestly I do think being "dressed up" is still a pressure on women, but how you get there has a lot of avenues (jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc. can dress up a more casual outfit). Men are stuck more in a binary of tie/not, jacket/not, suit/not. That said, I'm about to cruise with my 2 sons in their early 20s and I've encouraged them to use this as a time to get more stylish than they usually are here on the West Coast, and I don't think there's a harm in trying for that.

Love this, men's emotional reaction to ties. 😃 We won't discuss all the things women go through in the name of beauty (let alone to bring life in the world). More seriously, I do think women's dressy fashion is more elastic these days (no pun intended). I think we should give men that grace too while still expecting both/all genders to look fabulous on occasion. 😅

Love to hear this report. I'm inspired by your solo cruising since I think that's increasingly the wave of my future. Love the kitty pix, she looks a lot like my older cat Buddy.

This seems more loaded here for men and not women. Any thoughts about why?

Thanks so much. This was really helpful for my upcoming cruise on the Muse to some of these ports.

Thanks for the pictures and report. It got me excited to be on the Muse in September.

Seattle is a very walkable city, and I think that's how you really experience its beauty.

I like walking but Uber and Lyft work great in Seattle.

@love2crews. Thanks again for these posts. What were your favorites of the guide companies you used? For a number of reasons, I can't do one in every port (and we aren't going to Visby) but I'm curious where you would prioritize hiring a private guide and/or a company or guide who was especially outstanding.

This is so helpful especially since we are doing almost the same thing in August. Thanks for all the detailed posts.

Do you have an example of the velvet slippers? I love the idea of something that doesn’t add much to the suitcase, but I’m more comfortable not wearing the same thing constantly. Thank you!

Would you have a link for that?

We stayed at Athens Gate two summers ago based on recommendations here. We loved it and walked everywhere.

Thanks, I'm looking at a similar one for 2024.

I was on a 2 week land trip in Iceland the June before the pandemic. I bought and wore lightweight hiking shoes but honestly didn't need the hiking aspect for the many walks and hikes we did. The main advantage was since I wasn't crazy about them I didn't care that they got muddy. I didn't do any ambitious hikes but there were plenty of walks to waterfalls, puffins, and scenic spots. I did bring a down vest and a fleece vest and wore them more than I ever have in rainy Oregon. My husband and sons had rainproof shells. We were there in June which was quite misty. The best packing coup was bringing sleep masks for all 4 of us! having lots of layers was the best. curious if you would share which cruise you are going on?

Thanks, I wasn't clear if Starlink worked away from land. Have 2 cruises coming up and 1 of them could be pretty far from land relays.

Thanks for the helpful explanation of the transit system!

Thanks, this has been a fun thread to read. I'm pretty flexible, even though I'm hailing from a very foodie place. I'm kind squeamish/picky about steak so may take a pass there.

Bummer, I'm really looking forward to that port in my Transpacific in September. Maybe I should temper my expectations.

I was awake in the night so I watched a tiny bit live, but have had the BBC youtube recording on today. The music was amazing. (And yes, ditto on all the pageantry.)