zdcatc12

I'm not sure that I would say that the pier damage was insignificant. It will require a good deal of repair.

I was on this cruise when it happened. We were in the aft buffet, so did not feel it. However, I did mention to my wife as we were docking, that it seemed like we were pulling in faster than normal. Here are some better pictures. The first is after we disembarked, the pier, and the bow after we returned from our excursion. They did a nice, quick paint job on that. The ironic thing is that this was the formal night to meet the captain. I heard some good bantering going on that evening. It is a good thing that the per was built the way that it was, as if that bulkhead had been solid in the water, I believe that the damage would have been much worse. Edited yesterday at 09:20 AM by zdcatc12

Yes, I was on this. We were in the aft buffet, so did not feel it. However, I did mention to my wife as we were docking, that it seemed like we were pulling in faster than normal. Here are some better pictures. The first is after we disembarked, the pier, and the bow after we returned from our excursion. They did a nice, quick paint job on that. The ironic thing is that this was the formal night to meet the captain. I heard some good bantering going on that evening. It is a good thing that the per was built the way that it was, as if that bulkhead had been solid in the water, I believe that the damage would have been much worse.

Thanks. Yes, we had good service the first two nights and poor service the next two, so we ended up eating dinner in the buffet the last three nights. My one disappointment, probably more than anything else, was the lack of selection for all things on the dining room menu. As this is the first European line that I have been on, it may be due to that, but I have never been on a cruise where steak was not offered at least once in the dining room, even just a flatiron steak that is offered every night on Carnival. I believe that beef was only offered two of the seven nights and neither of those were a steak. I also thought the appetizer and soup selections weak. Other than that, and some general disorganization that you have previously mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, especially for the price, and I would sail them again. Twice a day cabin cleaning service is a rarity nowadays and I appreciated that they did that and also the fact that they had two people assigned to each cabin, so the cleaning was always prompt.

It seems like you ate at 6:30 every night. I assume that they had assigned dining times and tables or is it open dining? Also, if you know, are steamers allowed onboard. Not an iron, just a handheld steamer? Thanks

I didn't think that Tom Brady would already have a terminal named after him!!!!

Thanks for all of this. We are leaving on the 13th and will try to have an open mind about everything. So far the only ship excursion that I booked is the Santorini one that you recommended. All of my other ones, I have booked independently other than Milos, as I am having a hard time figuring out if it is even worth doing one there. I did not order a beverage package other than the one that comes with the fare that gets you beer and wine for dinner. I figured that as port intensive this cruise is, it wouldn't be worth it.

https://tuktukathens.com/

Totally not true, as we are on Celestyal in two weeks and we stop in Turkey.

We are arriving in Athens on Thursday around noon for the cruise that leaves Saturday. For Thursday, we are just going to walk around for a bit and get some food, etc. Staying at the Moxy Athens Central. For Friday, I booked a three hour Athens tuktuk tour that ends at the Acropolis. I purchased Acropolis tickets that coincide with the ending of the tuktuk tour, as that is where it leaves you at. Then going to the Acropolis Museum after that, and then a walk back to the hotel. Nothing on Saturday, except packing for the cruise.

Thanks for these. This is wonderful. I had a question about laundry. I couldn't find anything on the website. Are there self-serve washers and dryers onboard and/or the bags in the staterooms that you send off for the crew to wash and dry? Also, if you go on the website and view the "Know Before You Go" brochure, at the end of the brochure they list the itineraries and these do state which ports a tender is required. E.g. on your cruise so far, it shows that a tender was used in Santorini, Samos, Chios, Kos and Mykonas. And you will be using one in Kotor.

I booked with the cruise line and my e-ticket came in an email seconds after my final payment was made. If you booked with FlightCentre, they probably got yours after making your final payment.

Thank you for this. We are traveling in two weeks and I booked this a few days ago because of your review. I also know now to sit at the back of the theater before the tender is loaded!!!

I'm not sure if this class is still doing Alaska, but I took the Island Princess in 2012. That was a great ship for the itinerary.

If this is in fact the reason, most, if not all, cruise lines hold back some of the excursion slots to sell on the ship. You may be able to find something once on board, if that is what is happening here.

I don't make phone calls when I am travelling internationally. Heck, I hardly make any when I am in the states. At least for me, it saves me money.

Yes, that is when we earned the money. Usually things are pretty canned, i.e. everyone on the same, route, speed, etc. It is when the thunderstorms and turbulence come along that we earn our pay!!

I wouldn't mind explaining anything about the job. I just hate it when the first thing that someone says is "That must have been a stressfull job"!!!!

That is the exact reason why I switched to T-Mobile. We are travelling internationally now and with no extra charges, it was a no brainer to change, plus it was cheaper. Nothing like landing in a foreign country and when you take your phone out of airplane mode, the first thing that happens is you get a text from T-Mobile welcoming you to that country. I have welcome messages from Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, South Africa, the UK, France and Monaco telling me that I get data and texts at no cost while in the country. Calls however are 25 cents a minute.

Yes, I retired as an air traffic controller in the FAA and I always hate when people ask me what I do/did. I try to get away with saying that I worked for the government. When they push it and I finally tell them what I did, the first thing that 9 out of 10 of them will say is, oh, that must have been stressful. I always hate that because I know that statement is coming and I don't have the heart to say that 90% of the time, that it wasn't!!!

I read an article recently about her being moved to Manhattan as part of an entertainment complex. Has anyone else heard about this? It is still sad every time that I drive over the Whitman Bridge and look over and see her rusting away.

As does Delta, with bag fees waived with a Delta cc.

And definitely don't look it up in Urban Dictionary!!!

Grapevine is north. West would be HEB, Hearst, Euless or Bedford.

A torch? That has got to mean something different in Queen's English than US English!!!! Is it safe to say that is what we call a flashlight across the Pond?