On the Encore……but it wasn’t easy!

[shark b8]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

We absolutely love Malta…..a friend we met on that cruise saying that Malta "was nothing but a stack of rocks".

 

Wow.  That’s….surprising.  But I suppose that’s why they make lots of flavors of ice cream.  We did the usual “gosh, we should come back here for a week or two”, but if I had a dollar for every time we’ve said that, I’d have….a lot of dollars.

[shark b8]

Natural beauty too.  This view is reminiscent of Capri’s blue grotto, I think.  Plus, a local falconer out for a walk with his pride & joy.

 

 

[frantic36]

5 hours ago, shark b8 said:

Somehow in our travels, we never got to Malta, which we are now correcting.  What a wonderful place!  With all the influences from all sides over the centuries, seems to be a wonderful jumble of cultures, language, architecture, cuisine, etc.  The archaeological sites are stunning.

 

Totally agree Malta is wonderful. We have been to Valletta a few times on port stops and we will be back in August and we are looking forward to it as we always find things to do we enjoy.

 

Last time in Gozo we hired a car and will do the same this time. Being a ex-British colony they drive on the same side of the road though I think you still have to be a bit cautious in the main towns. Thanks for the reminder that I need to book that this week.

 

We met that falconer in 2019. He loved his birds. Lovely to see he looks the same and still has at least one.

Edited April 9, 2022 by frantic36

[Bon Temps Roulez]

In regard to 21 C issue on the form, we, too, had an issue filling out until final discovery that putting 03A rather than 3A did the trick! Who knew???

[shark b8]

I intended to snap a pic in daylight but forgot.  They’ve whimsically painted the tallest crane in the shipyard to look like a giraffe.

 

 

[shark b8]

If you want to open a store in Taormina, there’s a couple of ways you can go.

 

 

[shark b8]

But seriously, I’m scratching my head to think of a more spectacular view:  

 

 

 

[lincslady]

Yes, Taormina is pretty special.  I have just this minute watched a programme by Stanley Tucci on the BBC, about Sicily and its food..  It is a series going around Italy; he is charming and it is especially  interesting for foodies.  I guess you have had it in the States?

[shark b8]

Yes, we’ve loved that series, although not sure we’ve seen every episode.  We’ve often commented that (in our experience anyway), we’ve never gone to a local Mom-and-Pop sidewalk cafe restaurant anywhere in Italy, and had a bad meal.

[shark b8]

one of those photos you hope could be cool, from the bus….but doesn’t quite make it.  🤷‍♂️

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by shark b8

[shark b8]

Mmmmmmm, foie gras and Greek island scenery.  They go together quite nicely.

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:24 PM, shark b8 said:

one of those photos you hope could be cool, from the bus….but doesn’t quite make it.  🤷‍♂️

 

Another Oligarch down on his luck

[madera1]

Thank you for sharing. Your photos make me want to visit Malta. 

[firstcruise91]

Thank you Shark b8!  You have given us all a bunch of info.  Enjoy your cruise.

 

Aloha

 

Mary

[shark b8]

Rowboats in the underground lake at Melissani, near Sami, on the island of Kefalonia.  The boat trip is short (10-15 minutes) but *spectacular*. 

 

[shark b8]

Does anybody else do this?  After dinner, when we’re back in the suite & relaxing before bed, I’ll prop open the glass door to the veranda with the outside table, and then go open the “front door” to the hallway for 30 seconds.  There’s almost always a wonderful SWOOSH of fresh sea air, that blows in, makes the curtains fly, and somehow convinces me we have a completely new, fresh room of air.  (Not that there was any real lack before) 

[highplanesdrifters]

We have an open door policy too!

[braxx20]

We are booked on the Sojourn TA in November.  Can someone please tell me what time the MDR starts serving dinner? Thanks

(Crystal refugee)

[marazul]

2 hours ago, braxx20 said:

We are booked on the Sojourn TA in November.  Can someone please tell me what time the MDR starts serving dinner? Thanks

(Crystal refugee)

Restaurant and Colonnade start at 7 pm.

TK Grill starts at 6 pm.

[braxx20]

On 4/20/2022 at 3:25 PM, marazul said:

Restaurant and Colonnade start at 7 pm.

TK Grill starts at 6 pm.

Thanks and that is late for many people and many ships! 

[WFHFLOYD]

Perhaps I'm on the wrong site for my question, but I searched 'Lisbon' and was brought to your string...We are cruising from Rome to Barcelona in November (Oceania) and our flight from JFK stops in Lisbon enroute to Rome, with a 90 minute window to change airplanes.   I have read recently with distress about 4 hour delays in Lisbon, and wonder if travelers enroute to Italy will have to clear customs in Portugal prior to the change of airplanes.  If that is so, we could easily miss the connection to Rome, which would be really bad.....Anyone know at what point Customs and baggage check comes into play - Lisbon, or final destination, Rome.   FWIW, we will have only carryone baggage.   Thanks in advance  

[marazul]

36 minutes ago, braxx20 said:

Thanks and that is late for many people and many ships! 

There are hors d'oeuvres at the Observation bar and elsewhere before dinner. 

[lincslady]

59 minutes ago, braxx20 said:

Thanks and that is late for many people and many ships! 

It would a good idea for them not to have a holiday in Spain then, dinner usually starts about 9 or 10.

[FlyerTalker]

On 4/3/2022 at 8:44 AM, shark b8 said:

After more attempts, and inventing different ways to trick the website into accepting “formatted” answers, Mrs Sharkbait happened to change our airplane seat from 3B to 21C, she just pulled it out of thin air, and….voila!  Believe it or not, when I entered “21C” on my form, it accepted it as well!

 

 

The key to these kinds of problems is that you need to have the right number of digits in your response.  So, if you get a format error, just add a leading "0" or two to get the right submission.  Months - don't use 3 for March, use 03.  Same with seats, flight numbers and the like.  UA flight 18 should be entered as UA 018, and so forth.  Your 3B would have probably worked with 03B.

[FlyingScotSailors]

We are not expressing any opinions on what time people should eat, or what they should eat when.

 

However, on the Ovation in March 2022, the times for dinner for both the Restaurant and Colonnade were 6:45p to 900p.