Enchanted Princess Aug 5 - 26, Rome to Rome: live?

[trinitygirl]

Thanks Megfla, that's really interesting.  I didn't know there was a credit for isolation days.  I will have to do some research.  As it is, the excursions i have to cancel will cover the cost of another couple of massages once I am sprung.  Trying to look on the positive side.

 

[dickinson]

So sorry to hear this.  We are like you.  No sickness at all since pandemic started.  We flew cross country for a large family affair in June and came home sickness free.  Yay!  Our cruise on the Enchanted is in three weeks.  Even though we plan on always wearing our KN95 masks except while eating I don't think that is enough.  I have read of others who say they did the same but got Covid.  Maybe we will be lucky as not everyone gets sick.

[RNRcruisers]

Oh no, so sorry you are sick! Unfortunately Covid is still out there. Hope you get well soon and can continue enjoying your cruise.

 

[trinitygirl]

Good morning everyone!  I work up without a fever today, and the cut-glass at the back of my throat has disappeared, so I think I am on the mend.  HURRUH for vaccines doing their thing. 

 

It took me all day but yesterday I finally watched the first Avatar movie (it was so violent! but abated by the fact that I kept dozing off so I watched it in segments).  I also got to enjoy the sail into Istanbul harbour and then to watch what was going on at the port during the day.  I spent a week in Istanbul in 2002, but seeing the city from the water and up high (my cabin is on deck 10, and even though Istanbul is very hilly, looking out from up this high is a really interesting perspective) is really different than being on the ground in the middle of the old city.  The biggest change I could see from my viewpoint, was that the Islamic dress revolution is now complete.  Back in 2002, the Attaturk prohibition on islamic dress was still being enforced (although it was being challenged by conservative women from the countryside) and the only women I saw in Islamic dress that whole week, were tourists.  Yesterday that had been completely reversed - other than women getting off the ship, all the women I saw were in full dress, many in long black cloaks and only showing their eyes.   It was also amazing seeing all the mosques all over the hills - you don't see them all in that profusion from the ground. 

 

After some complicated manoeuvring (do not believe them when they say that excursions are cancelled automatically when you go into isolation) I was able to get my tickets to a steward who delivered them to the shore excursions team who cancelled them (despite being out of the time limit) so that was great.  And I finally got someone to help me upgrade my IT package to multiple devices so I can finally check my phone and my banking apps.  I think I will do that each week - it cost me $25 to do it today, and it lasts until Sat midday, when the next cruise kicks over.   Last night we got the information about turnover day in Athens on Saturday, with the transit card and account details etc. None of it applies to me since I will still be in isolation but it was easy to understand and if anyone wants to see it let me know and I can photo it for you.

 

I ordered dinner from the main dining room, going for two entrees instead of a main. The spring rolls were delicious and the asparagus salad was also yummy; the real star was the Menage a Trois (yep, that was what it was called) which had a raspberry pannacota, a chocolate mousse, and an apple crumble slice.  they were all delicious and i am embarrassed to say I ate the whole lot.  They also bought me a mocktail, which had strawberry and mango in it, and was deliciously cold and soothing for my sore throat.

 

Today I am going to order lunch and dinner from the main dining room because the whole day's menu is already showing on the app.  I will download the menu and show it below.    First up some photos from the sail in to Istanbul:

 

 

Dinner photos (no menu sorry, I was not 100% yesterday).

 

 

TODAY'S  MENUS:

this was from my last dinner in the dining room - it was hazelnut and was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by trinitygirl

[Senga]

@trinitygirl Glad you are feeling better.  Your observation on seeing Istanbul from the water is interesting.  We’re not planning on getting off the ship in Santorini and are looking forward to a totally different view; UP instead of down.

[trinitygirl]

Good morning from Athens!  Today is the last day of my isolation and I can't wait to get back out there.  Last night saw the arrival of a completely perplexing document telling me about 'exciting news' and 'amazing enhancements' for voyages starting today.  It turns out that from today, you have to pay $5 for room service delivery, $15 to activate the location-based delivery system on the app, and $15 to eat at Gigi's, O'Malleys, or the Ocean Terrace.    I was outraged for this to be literally the first intimation of these changes when I am mid-cruise, and for them to be trying to sell it to me as an enhancement when something that has been included in my cruise fare is now extra, but a few paragraphs down there is a mind-boggling complicated sentence that seems to suggest that if you are already on board before Aug 12, the changes do not apply to the rest of your cruise.  I rang guest services to make sure I understood that correctly and he wasn't sure because he hadn't seen the letter himself, but assumed that is what it meant.  So, that's something.

 

Attached are some food pics from yesterday - I finally got to try that pecan turtle cheesecake I had seen people discuss, and it was delicious, as was the watermelon salad.  The spinach ricotta ravioli was not great, but I asked for some broccoli and they sent a whole bowl so that made up for it somewhat.  I also got to see Mykonos for a brief few minutes - the ship did this amazing 120 degree pivot and the city was all lit up in the distance after a day of staring out to sea.  They did something similar this morning as we came into Athens at 5am - it was dark so I couldn't see anything, but the ship actually came into the habour backwards and then shuffled alongside the dock - seriously impressive stuff. 

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by trinitygirl

[trinitygirl]

oh man I am SO BUMMED.  I just got off the phone with the nurse at the medical centre who broke my heart by saying I had been given the wrong information and I won't be released from isolation until Monday.  Turns out that the day symptoms start is day zero, not day one.  So no Santorini for Emma.  I am so sad about that.  I spent  five days there with my sister in law about twenty years ago and I was really looking forward to visiting again. 

Sad.

[LibertyBella]

Gosh, I am so sorry that you are missing all these days of your cruise.  I was on EP for the mid-July Med. cruise, and I enjoyed every port, although it was scorching hot, and we were non-stop touring.

 

Your Istanbul photos from your room are lovely--better than I took on land standing right in front of the mosques.  Your food photos also look so yummy.

 

At least you are feeling better.  You will just have to return to cruise this area again.  I have been home only a few weeks, and I already booked a cruise in the Med for next year--just going to a few different ports, and a different ship.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise vacation!

 

 

[CanuckCurlers]

Sorry to hear you are cabin bound for another day. We are doing this cruise in September and were debating whether to get another vaccination or not. Media was recommending you wait until the fall when they are expecting an updated one. Your experience helped us decide. Since our last one was in January and we are in that 'over 65' age we have booked new ones for Monday. We will be following you for the rest of your trip and hope it is clear sailing here on out.

[Senga]

@trinitygirl  So sorry you’re indoors for Santorini but, since you have had the experience in the past, you might actually enjoy watching all the passengers who are tendering.  Especially if there are lots of ships in port!  There will be 4 ships, one with 5000+ passengers 😱 when we are there.  
 

Glad you won’t be affected by the penny pinching changes to previously included dining options.

[trinitygirl]

We are the only ship in Santorini tomorrow, until 4pm.  I suspect the chances are that just like Mykonos, I won’t see anything at all.  I am port side but when you are tendered, that does not seem to matter and if you are confined to cabin you can’t just move to the other side of the ship for a view.  Fingers crossed….    
 

re the vax issue: I got the bivalant booster at the end of June, leaving it a couple of months after my Doctor advised me too, because I wanted it to be nice and strong for the cruise.  I am crediting that with the fact that my experience was basically a medium case of the flu. There is so much going around the ship that I am not sure how you could avoid it - even in the safety of my cabin, the family to my left and the family above me cough up a storm on their balconies.  So vax up before you travel is my motto.

[trinitygirl]

29 minutes ago, Senga said:

@trinitygirl
 

Glad you won’t be affected by the penny pinching changes to previously included dining options.

Interesting experience at lunchtime.  When I rang to make my order, the person on the phone did this spiel about my old Plus package meaning a charge would apply; she stopped as soon as I mentioned Isolation, but it suggests that there are going to be issues getting recognition for exemptions to the new regime.

[Senga]

@trinitygirl  I honestly didn’t even think of tendering interfering with the view in Santorini.  Brain freeze.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.  We will fortunately be able to wander the ship (double masks firmly in place) if our balcony view isn’t optimal.  We were fully vaccinated when we got COVID on Sky but, fortunately, it was at the VERY end of the cruise and just mild symptoms.

 

Once you are out and about you may have to be very vocal about the “enhanced” charges but I suspect the LAST thing you will want to do is room service!

[dickinson]

1 hour ago, CanuckCurlers said:

Sorry to hear you are cabin bound for another day. We are doing this cruise in September and were debating whether to get another vaccination or not. Media was recommending you wait until the fall when they are expecting an updated one. Your experience helped us decide. Since our last one was in January and we are in that 'over 65' age we have booked new ones for Monday. We will be following you for the rest of your trip and hope it is clear sailing here on out.

Our last booster was last October.  We were allowed another one around March or April but decided to wait before our cruise in September.  I asked my doctor his thoughts and he said to get it 2-3 weeks before cruising.  We got them 2 days ago.  I had made an appointment at Costco but got a call the day before saying they didn't have Pfizer (which is what we wanted).  I called our Pharmacy. (in a big supermarket) who said they had it and no appointment needed.  My how times have changed.  

[trinitygirl]

1 hour ago, Senga said:

Once you are out and about you may have to be very vocal about the “enhanced” charges but I suspect the LAST thing you will want to do is room service!

Oh man you are SO right about that.  After dinner tomorrow night, I don't want to see another room service tray again for the rest of this cruise.  And I want to walk and walk and walk and walk.  Lord I can't wait to get out of here...

[CanuckCurlers]

1 hour ago, trinitygirl said:

Oh man you are SO right about that.  After dinner tomorrow night, I don't want to see another room service tray again for the rest of this cruise.  And I want to walk and walk and walk and walk.  Lord I can't wait to get out of here...

If you need something to fill the time, could you give us your reflections on the Istanbul market. We are going to have some free time there on our cruise. If you have a good book to finish that's alright too.

[travellingnana]

6 hours ago, CanuckCurlers said:

Sorry to hear you are cabin bound for another day. We are doing this cruise in September and were debating whether to get another vaccination or not. Media was recommending you wait until the fall when they are expecting an updated one. Your experience helped us decide. Since our last one was in January and we are in that 'over 65' age we have booked new ones for Monday. We will be following you for the rest of your trip and hope it is clear sailing here on out.

We are also cruising on the Enchanted in September, and based on the report by @trinitygirl, not only did we get a covid booster on Thursday, but we’re also getting an early flu shot before we go. 

[DeeTO]

6 hours ago, trinitygirl said:

We are the only ship in Santorini tomorrow, until 4pm.  I suspect the chances are that just like Mykonos, I won’t see anything at all.  I am port side but when you are tendered, that does not seem to matter and if you are confined to cabin you can’t just move to the other side of the ship for a view.  Fingers crossed….    
 

re the vax issue: I got the bivalant booster at the end of June, leaving it a couple of months after my Doctor advised me too, because I wanted it to be nice and strong for the cruise.  I am crediting that with the fact that my experience was basically a medium case of the flu. There is so much going around the ship that I am not sure how you could avoid it - even in the safety of my cabin, the family to my left and the family above me cough up a storm on their balconies.  So vax up before you travel is my motto.

Oh dear, leave Tuesday for EP cruise and  was waiting for newest Fall booster. AFAIK Never had Covid (5shots) although travelled internationally past 2years. Called around and locally no vaccines available immediately. Bringing masks, tests and crossed fingers!!

[dickinson]

14 minutes ago, DeeTO said:

Oh dear, leave Tuesday for EP cruise and  was waiting for newest Fall booster. AFAIK Never had Covid (5shots) although travelled internationally past 2years. Called around and locally no vaccines available immediately. Bringing masks, tests and crossed fingers!!

New booster is not yet approved in US.  Don't know about Canada. We just got the old booster.

[DeeTO]

1 hour ago, dickinson said:

New booster is not yet approved in US.  Don't know about Canada. We just got the old booster.

Correct. New booster not approved yet but even old booster wasn’t available near me.

[lion48]

My partner and I have now had 4 shots & booster hopefully that will protect us.

Covid not so rampart here in Australia.

 

Looking forward to our cruise on Sept 2nd.

[wrongwaywatson]

Our daughter and family joined you today in Athens!  

[trinitygirl]

15 hours ago, CanuckCurlers said:

If you need something to fill the time, could you give us your reflections on the Istanbul market. We are going to have some free time there on our cruise. If you have a good book to finish that's alright too.

Hi there, believe it or not, in the week I spent in Istanbul back in 2002, I never ventured inside the Grand Bazar, if that is what you are referring to?  I was travelling on my own and it just didn't feel safe to me back then.  I was staying in the heart of the old town, so there were plenty of fascinating shops to look at in the odd moments I was not out with my guide book, absorbing all the monuments.  In fact, in the month in Turkey I did very little shopping.  The only thing I took away with me is still one of my pride and joys, the carpet in my sitting room. I bought it from a govt-affiliated women's carpet making community near Marmaris, and paid way more than I would have in a carpet shop (people back home thought I was a mug, but they set prices according to how long it took to make the carpet, and the woman who made it signed it for me after showing me around - i love it and still feel really good about that purchase), they shipped it home for me and it was waiting for me months later when I got back.   So, sorry, no helpful information to provide on the Bazar, but thanks for helping me while away a few more minutes of this very long tedious last day of iso.

[trinitygirl]

12 hours ago, travellingnana said:

We are also cruising on the Enchanted in September, and based on the report by @trinitygirl, not only did we get a covid booster on Thursday, but we’re also getting an early flu shot before we go. 

I delayed the flu shot too, until May (remembering that our seasons are back to front with yours) so it would be as fresh as possible for the cruise.  Definitely a smart move.  In fact, if there is a vax your Dr says to get, you should get it. 

[trinitygirl]

Hey everyone, last day of Iso. I can't believe its only 11am, it feels like it has been going on all day already.  We floated into Santorini around 6am and for ten glorious minutes I felt so alive - the view was GORGEOUS - the paths up the cliff face were illuminated with lights and the sun was rising, it was gorgeous.  We came to a stop right in front of Fira and I thought, wow! a day sitting here looking at that is not going to be at all bad and then.... I noticed all that water pumping out sternwards and sure enough, we started to pivot.  I am now staring at a desolate rock.  I was distraught.  But I guess it makes sense - they obviously prefer to tend from starboard, and there is another ship coming in at 4pm so being faced out in the right direction will make things easier. 

 

Anyway... there were blueberry pancakes for breakfast (although they forgot the cream) so that was a treat.  And the nurse rang for her daily check up at 9.30am and confirmed that she will be calling around 9am tomorrow morning to set me free.  Housekeeping will then send their 'hit squad' to sanitize my stateroom from top to bottom so I have to be absent for a couple of hours which will be no problem at all.  Tomorrow is a sea day so after I get my 10,000 steps in up on deck 18, I am going to head to the spa to make appointments for later in the week, have brunch in the dining room, and then head to the Sanctuary for some sunshine in the afternoon.  Can't wait.

 

Some photos from yesterday and this morning:  i had a cheeseburger (veggie burger) and apple tart for lunch - the veggie burger is a huge improvement over the last I had back in 2018 which was made with quinoa and was dry and actually inedible.  The apple tart was too sweet and the apples were not cooked enough - I ignore the pastry at the bottom.  I also ignored the mocktail which was way too sweet as well.

 

For dinner, I had asparagus risotto (not as good as last week's version, too thick and too much cheese) and because my sister wanted to see what the new version of the Love Boat Dream looked like, I ordered that to show her.  Seriously, I don't think the Princess team mean it to be an ironic statement, but this would look great on a Halloween Menu.

 

All I got to see of Athens:

 

Santorini as we arrived, first going by Oia, and then anchoring other way around, at Fira:

 

and finally, what I am looking at for the rest of the day:

 

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by trinitygirl