What is a reasonable facsimile to Oceania?

[Hawaiidan]

12 hours ago, CintiPam said:

Yes, both vaults plus the excellent military museum in the same buildings on first trip with my spouse when we had two days in Dresden.  (Revisited both on a day trip from Berlin, with a live human expert on that specialty art trip guiding us in the one where that was permitted.)

 

You remind me how fortunate I have been in the last few years with so much travel.  My retinal surgeon believes I should be able to fly again by mid-August.  

A health note....  if you fly 787   or A380  A340    they have a much better cabin pressure  of 6000 rather than the 8000-9000 of  other aircraft than might help  on eye pressure.      Dresden...  Slaughter House 5... Ah yes  

[Hawaiidan]

18 hours ago, CintiPam said:

We are looking forward to our September trip to the WWI battlefields of northeastern France plus Battle of the Bulge, Trier and the Rhine River Gorge.  I am very fortunate to have spouse Mr. Military History as my guide (with very reasonable rates!)

 

Dan, although we will have GPS, I would love Michelin maps for our trip.  Where did you find the local maps you needed?

I went to Amazon    I bought the  big French map book  for the whole country....   I used it  and  also you can buy individual maps too.     A red book for hotels and restaurants. 

I  dont use GPS  because the very small scope of focus does not let you see things in relation to others like land marks....   GPS is great for calling in an air strike.... but  people tend to abdicate their responsibility  for knowing really where they are to a "gizmo".    

For Normandy  I stayed at the Churchill in Bayeux and ate at Le Rapier.   I urge you to take one of the specialist normandy tours like Band Of Brothers tours.    The reality is  you will not have access to many places that are private and the roads in the brocage a labyrinth   with NO signs     Take a tour  they leave from Bayeux and are  for 8-10 people     not a mob.

Good luck and Health to you..........    

[CintiPam]

14 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I went to Amazon    I bought the  big French map book  for the whole country....   I used it  and  also you can buy individual maps too.     A red book for hotels and restaurants. 

I  dont use GPS  because the very small scope of focus does not let you see things in relation to others like land marks....   GPS is great for calling in an air strike.... but  people tend to abdicate their responsibility  for knowing really where they are to a "gizmo".    

For Normandy  I stayed at the Churchill in Bayeux and ate at Le Rapier.   I urge you to take one of the specialist normandy tours like Band Of Brothers tours.    The reality is  you will not have access to many places that are private and the roads in the brocage a labyrinth   with NO signs     Take a tour  they leave from Bayeux and are  for 8-10 people     not a mob.

Good luck and Health to you..........    

My father fought from Utah Beach to Germany so we spent three days in Normandy (by car) about ten years ago, one day following his route.  He lived to be 94 and still was alive then.  This trip, except for Battle of the Bulge time, is to visit WWI sites in northeastern France, such as the Argonne and Verdun.  

I was hoping not to purchase the entire France book due to its weight but also am leery of relying on rental car GPS.

BTW, Leonard Lomell, the Ranger who found and spiked the guns at Pont duHoc on D-Day and the subject of a chapter in Tom Brokaw’s book, is from my hometown.  

Edited July 14, 2019 by CintiPam

[Hawaiidan]

1 minute ago, CintiPam said:

My father fought from Utah Beach to Germany so we spent three days in Normandy (by car) about ten years ago, one day following his route.  He lived to be 94 and still was alive then.  This trip, except for Battle of the Bulge time, is to visit WWI sites in northeastern France, such as the Argonne and Verdun.  

 

I was hoping not to purchase the entire France book due to its weight but also am leery of relying on rental car GPS.

GET  the book  it is filled with all sorts of stuff large scale  small scale,  city maps...  Yes it weighs but it is worth it.    The easiest  GPS car to use is the Mercedes A class  new   from Hertz   you can rent them  if Gold  for 220 a week !    I rent out of Zurich because the taxes are  so much less and your only 45 min from France.   

God Bless your Father and his sacrifice 

[CintiPam]

37 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

A health note....  if you fly 787   or A380  A340    they have a much better cabin pressure  of 6000 rather than the 8000-9000 of  other aircraft than might help  on eye pressure.      Dresden...  Slaughter House 5... Ah yes  

Thanks, Dan.  Cincinnati’s one nonstop overnight flight to Europe (to CDG) is on a 767.

[Hawaiidan]

6 minutes ago, CintiPam said:

Thanks, Dan.  Cincinnati’s one nonstop overnight flight to Europe (to CDG) is on a 767.

Well for future health knowledge.....    I have flown 4 times to europe on these aircraft and  no more dehydration, no more jet lag  ..... its remarkable  higher pressure and humidity  are amazing.    Good travels   Flying  from CIN  to CDG  is about 3 hours shorter than I have to endure from LAX.  11 hour+ rides.   God bless  the inventor of the lie flat seat..... and the Martini.

A note on Dresden.... I had the pleasure of meeting Kurt Vonnegut in a Louisville bar and had an amazing conversation some years back on Dresden

Keep  healthy.....Keep traveling

Edited July 14, 2019 by Hawaiidan

[Hawaiidan]

15 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Mura;

 

comparing Viking River Cruises to Uniworld is like comparing Carnival  to Crystal. Entirely different.Done Viking, never again. I will re emphasize, they are wonderful places to do river boat cruises and other places where we’d only do car.

 

I can’t imagine doing a circumnavigational of Great Britain! What a waste when numerous tour companies will give one far better tours at far lesser prices. We drove ourselves throughput England, Scotland, and Ireland. On a 24 day tour, we packed and unpacked about 20 times, but loved the travel! People meanwhile flock to O’s cruises doing the sail around! Are they equally as stupid as River cruisers?  Each to his own.

 

 

Only took one  River cruise  Page AZ  to Lake Mead  10 days...    On the Colorado 

[clo]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Swiss mt inn  $235 (2,) French inn  $140 (2)  Bastide Moustar M* 350 w dinner( 78) Province, ( Allen  Ducasse)  These are rather for 2.....   I speak good German/ Swiss and crummy French...   Good meals can be had for 12-20E    Michelin * in Kaiserberg  $68.

  You just have to get away from any place that offers bus parking,  near city center or train stations.and has Chinese/ Japanese  restaurant signs......    all on cc  no cash even for toll in italy/france/

That's a Michelin ***???????

[Hawaiidan]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

That's a Michelin ***???????

 

12 minutes ago, clo said:

That's a Michelin ***???????

No  Petit Venise  in Clomar... Anthony Bordains  last meal  sat in the same chair   However  then next is

[babysteps]

On 7/13/2019 at 4:59 PM, CintiPam said:

, I would love Michelin maps for our trip.

You may be able to order Michelin maps online but we usually buy once in country. Michelin also has a pretty handy website (and probably an app...). 

 

We don't usually use gps directions but I have found offline gps map apps handy ( you download the map on WiFi ahead of time so don't use any cellular data). Some countries have their own (eg Ireland) but there are 3rd party options that cover just about anywhere. 

[Paulchili]

50 minutes ago, babysteps said:

We don't usually use gps directions but I have found offline gps map apps handy

We find GPS invaluable when driving in Europe - especially in the cities. It’s not hard to get from Paris to Rouen with a map, for example, but finding your hotel in Rouen is a different story.

In the old days (last century 😁) we wrote out the exact directions but when you miss a turn (because there is no street sign, you can’t read it, it’s dark, etc) you are lost - your directions are no good any more.

GPS finds you an alternate route no matter how many times you miss your turn, knows one way streets and keeps guiding you until you finally get to your hotel/destination.

Been there, done that without GPS - no more. The only thing better than GPS is when a police car tells you to follow him to your hotel (happened to us in Italy when we were lost - no GPS - and stopped to ask directions from a police cruiser)

JMO & ME.

Edited July 17, 2019 by Paulchili

[Mura]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:42 PM, pinotlover said:

Mura;

 

comparing Viking River Cruises to Uniworld is like comparing Carnival  to Crystal. Entirely different.Done Viking, never again. I will re emphasize, they are wonderful places to do river boat cruises and other places where we’d only do car.
 

 

Pinot, I wasn't trying to compare Viking River to any other line since Viking is the only one we've tried.  We enjoyed the first two very much, but not the third.  That was partly because of what we perceived as tight-wadiness on Viking's part as well as the overcrowded French rivers. (We assume that with the growth of river boat companies and lots of new ships that the French rivers aren't the only ones to have this problem.)

 

And as I did say, on that last cruise we visited a number of places that we had done by car on our own and those car visits were far superior.

 

Mura

[clo]

18 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

We find GPS invaluable when driving in Europe - especially in the cities. It’s not hard to get from Paris to Rouen with a map, for example, but finding your hotel in Rouen is a different story.

In the old days (last century 😁) we wrote out the exact directions but when you miss a turn (because there is no street sign, you can’t read it, it’s dark, etc) you are lost - your directions are no good any more.

GPS finds you an alternate route no matter how many times you miss your turn, knows one way streets and keeps guiding you until you finally get to your hotel/destination.

Been there, done that without GPS - no more. The only thing better than GPS is when a police car tells you to follow him to your hotel (happened to us in Italy when we were lost - no GPS - and stopped to ask directions from a police cruiser)

JMO & ME.

We have the same experience.  With all the one way streets in cities, GPS helps a lot.

[Redtravel]

Just did sailed on Azamara. I chose it for the itinerary and dates. The ship is an R ship. Same size as Oceania’s R ships. The cabins are small, but comfortable. The bathroom is tiny, but works. Azamara renovated the ships in 2016. Decor is ok. Great bed and linens. Cabins have good storage. Service is good on both lines. The big difference is the food. Azamara has good food. However, it is not as good as Oceania. We love Oceania’s specialty restaurants. Favorites are Polo and Jacques. We missed the daily tea event on Oceania. Azamara has better coffee and keeps the Mosaic coffee bar open late. It is our favorite place late at night. On Oceania, we get late night coffee at the casino bar. Azamara does not have a casino. Each cruise line has positives and negatives.  Azamara officers are visible and mingle with guests. They are very friendly. If you have a problem, Azamara will try to help. Oceania officers are invisible. We really like Oceania’s O ships, Marina and Riviera. They beat out any R ship. Love the space. Cabins are huge. If you have only sailed on O ships, you may be unhappy on R ships. I would happily book either Azamara or Oceania.

[RJB]

13 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Just did sailed on Azamara. I chose it for the itinerary and dates. The ship is an R ship. Same size as Oceania’s R ships. The cabins are small, but comfortable. The bathroom is tiny, but works. Azamara renovated the ships in 2016. Decor is ok. Great bed and linens. Cabins have good storage. Service is good on both lines. The big difference is the food. Azamara has good food. However, it is not as good as Oceania. We love Oceania’s specialty restaurants. Favorites are Polo and Jacques. We missed the daily tea event on Oceania. Azamara has better coffee and keeps the Mosaic coffee bar open late. It is our favorite place late at night. On Oceania, we get late night coffee at the casino bar. Azamara does not have a casino. Each cruise line has positives and negatives.  Azamara officers are visible and mingle with guests. They are very friendly. If you have a problem, Azamara will try to help. Oceania officers are invisible. We really like Oceania’s O ships, Marina and Riviera. They beat out any R ship. Love the space. Cabins are huge. If you have only sailed on O ships, you may be unhappy on R ships. I would happily book either Azamara or Oceania.

Unless there is a very special reason (like going to Cuba when we could) We will only sail on the O ships.  Just love everything about them especially the food.  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 7/8/2019 at 9:42 AM, Cruising TBD said:

Cunard is a line for intellectuals due to their outstanding provision of speakers (Crystal is equally good). There were speakers on the cold war, submarine technology, a former envoy working in Russia, and a person from the current US budget office speaking about the power of the president and a british actress speaking on the hidden gems of London.

 

This doesn't sound like a cruise for intellectuals, but for those interested in politics and mainstream modern history (mainly.)  I'd much rather have enrichment lectures on subjects like archaeology, broader historical history, art, architecture.  Anything but politics and war.  But to each his own.

 

 

On 7/13/2019 at 8:42 PM, pinotlover said:

...

I can’t imagine doing a circumnavigational of Great Britain! What a waste when numerous tour companies will give one far better tours at far lesser prices. We drove ourselves throughput England, Scotland, and Ireland. On a 24 day tour, we packed and unpacked about 20 times, but loved the travel! People meanwhile flock to O’s cruises doing the sail around! Are they equally as stupid as River cruisers?  Each to his own.

 

I  agree with your first statement.  But then I'd not take a packaged tour either.  Unless, of course, we get too old to do anything but, and then I'd prefer the cruise.  And we're getting close to that age, lol.

 

23 hours ago, RJB said:

Unless there is a very special reason (like going to Cuba when we could) We will only sail on the O ships.  Just love everything about them especially the food.  

 

We, on the other hand, didn't like the O-class at all.  Loved our single Azamara cruise, albeit in a penthouse (club continent, they call it.)   Didn't mind the R-ship at all, but what we most liked about Azamara was the exceedingly relaxed and friendly atmosphere on the ship.