Iamthesea

Ditto for Harv & Marv!!!

On the Rotterdam, what is the worse Neptune Suite? I tried looking at some videos and thought I saw one that had a bathroom like the 2 sink bathrooms in the Signature Suites, instead of a tub and a shower. We do not need a tub, but thought that was interesting. Also, are the stateroom layouts different in the aft and the forward Neptunes versus the Neptunes on the midship sides?

Can complaints be made on the app from home before taking a cruise?

OK, that's not sounding good. I should have been more clear with what our goal is for an upcoming trip. Our cruise ship docks in South Queensferry and we have planned to take X99 from the port to the city center. Our goal is to get to the Old Town area of Edinburgh, with the least amount of walking up stairs/hills. We would like to start at the top of the Royal Mile, near the castle, and walk our way down to Holyrood Castle. We like to walk, but asthma keeps me from doing steep climbs. Suggestions after getting off of the X99?

Where is the closet stop to the Edinburgh castle on the X99. The last time we were in Edinburgh (stayed in an apartment in Stockbridge) we took a bus from the Britannia (Port of Leith) back into town. We ended up getting off too early at a stop near Waverley and had to walk up that very steep set of stairs to get to the castle.

What a shame that your meal last night was not excellent. I will be ordering the same exact foods in a couple of weeks (I saw the menu on the other thread last night and made my pick. 😁) I was looking forward to the dinner this year, as we missed the first Gala night in OC last year because we were eating in Tamarind. I love lamb! I had also planned to substitute the "beans" with potatoes. As for the escargot, we had the same experience with it in Rudy's last year. I could not eat the escargot. I all of my cruises, that had never happened. Our water did ask why and I told him they were tasteless. Hope the crème brûlée is good on the Rotterdam or DH will be very sad. Have a great day!

Hope you can get your jacket and sweater back. I would be sick! If any hotel can find and save for you, it's Riverside. In the meantime, I guess you will have to buy something new to keep you warm!

Did either of you try a ready made? Wonder if they were warmer than the made to order? I like a warm bun and recall that the two burgers I ordered from there, the buns were cool. Or perhaps those ready made burgers are being snatched out of the case and served to the table.

The parades are fun, but watch out! After all of the St. Patrick's hoopla, we asked the front desk if there was anything going on in the street the next day, a Sunday, as we were flying out later Sunday morning. He looked at a sheet that was given to him by the city. There was nothing on the schedule. The guy at the front desk also said that we were planning on going to the airport too earlier and that we only needed to leave 2 hours before our flight. I knew better, but surprisingly, my DH (who is very OCD) went by this guys advice. I was able to talk DH into leaving 15 minutes earlier. Good thing! Nothing on the schedule my foot!!! We got down to the porter stand, collected our luggage, and called an Uber to get us to the airport. Making a shorter story, we went through 4 Uber acceptance, and 4 Uber's cancelled on us because they could not get through the streets to the hotel. There was a St. Patrick's runathon starting, and all the streets were blocked off. It's an understatement to say that we were sweating, DH was fuming, and I was making calls to cancel booked post flight transportation plans. One of the porters felt sorry for us, grabbed some of our luggage, and told us to follow him with the rest. Out the front entrance we went, running up the street sidewalk, crossed directly in front of a group of runners, and got to another corner about a block and a half from the hotel. There, a miracle stood before us! It was a taxi driver letting off passengers that were trying to get to the hotel after their cruise. They had called the front desk asking how to get to the hotel. We switched places with the cruise couple (the porter taking their luggage) and made it to the airport with enough time to relax. Luckily, and for some reason, the airport was not overly crowded like it usually is after cruise passengers hit it. We breezed through security and were on the airplane soon after. BTW - We got a $20 charge from one of the Uber drivers. 🤨

And we will come in a join you for that drink! Wifi connected quickly. We have Premium wifi included in HIA Early Booking, and it includes wifi calling. Good to now that WiFi Calling is included in the Premium plan. That's a nice touch since it was free through my cell carrier until many cruiselines started blocking it. I also noticed that the Premium package is only good for 1 Device. I thought it was 2 devices for each person in the stateroom. 🤔 Also see where they are cutting off the signal at midnight the night before you dock. Is that the norm? I was planning on using my plan to check on our flight status the morning we embark.

Hlitner - I keep forgetting that you are on the ship for so long and having multiple meals at specialty places. I would also get sick of the Miso Glazed Seabass if I had it more than twice in a couple of weeks. In fact, I would be sick of spending more than 2 weeks on the ship, period! The longest booked cruise on Oceania was 10 days. And that was cut down to 8 days. I was ready to get off after the Noro went around (luckily, did not get it.) The other 2 cruises have been 7 days and that was fine.

Hlitner - I cannot remember if you mentioned that you tried the Sea Bass at Red Ginger? To me, that is the best and most memorable entrée of all our cruises on Oceania! After our most recent cruise on the Vista, I agree on the bland assessment of most dishes. Love Malta!!! We have visited 3 times. Always a welcoming port of call. Also love Santorini!!! We like to book a ships excursion to get us on the island, quickly. When the excursion is over, we stay on Oia (wonderful after most tourist have left) and then make our way back to Thera by bus and foot. After Thera, we make our way back to the ship by either the steps, or on the funicular.

We also love the Riverside Hotel. Our most recent stay was last month after coming back from an Oceania cruise. We did not realize that it was St. Patrick's Day weekend. What a mess the Las Olas Boulevard was! We ended up getting out of the area by taking an Uber over to our favorite place to eat in Ft. Lauderdale, The Southport Raw Bar & Grill. Had a relaxing lunch of clam chowder and fried shrimp on the water. Afterward, we took the water taxi loop back to the Las Olas for some post St. Patrick's parade fun. We dined at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, as the Golden Lyon was packed full of partiers. Happy and SAFE sailing, Jacqui!!!

Where do you see the “Special Services and Included Items” under HAL's website reservation? I do not see that on my reservation. We have CO, but booked it through a TA, so maybe that's why I don't see it. It is on my paper reservation that the TA sent me.

Did you see taxi's after exiting the train station? We will have to take one to our hotel because the tram does not go there. It's over the bridge near the port. P.S. - Just saw the following on the news. You will have to look it up because I was unable to link. "Massive anti-tourist demonstration kicks off in Tenerife"