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StartrainDD

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  1. Greetings everyone from somewhere along the Bosphorus. We had another terrific day in Istanbul today, although it was also an “Expensive” day for us. We left a bit of our funds behind at the Grand Bazaar. The details are in the report! Good thing the market is doing well! 😊 Hope everyone is well, healthy and enjoying spring. Here is the report: Thursday, March 28, 2024; Istanbul Day 2 With an alarm set for 6:00 it was an early morning. We went to the dining room for breakfast at 7:30. We met our friends at 8:15 to disembark and meet Tolga at the cruise terminal exit. Tolga was waiting for us, and we were quickly in the same van headed for the Topkapi Palace. We were there at opening at 9:00. Tolga did a great job keeping us ahead of the crowds. We were able to see the treasury, the most visited section of the palace, with no one else there. We could linger and take photos of many of the jeweled items, many of which were gifts to the sultan from other leaders. We saw the gardens and a bonus was that the early tulips were in bloom. We went to various other parts of the palace. The last place we visited in the palace was the harem. The word “Harem” in Arabic means “A holy place where not everyone is allowed to enter.” The harem was, indeed, the residence for the sultan’s four wives and children. Tolga explained the Koran specifies a man may have up to four wives. After many sultans, one of them decided to add concubines to the four wives. I suppose a big enough donation to the mosque would mask any condemnation, like buying indulgences in the church of that day. From the palace we reboarded the van and headed to the spice market. Tolga took us to a shop that was expecting us. They gave us seats and provided large trays with samples of Turkish delight (the premium kind), nuts, and passed around samples of hot teas. I really liked the apple tea but found out it’s made with a lot of sugar. We ended up buying about a pound of black tea (vacuum sealed for transport) and some coconut Turkish delight. Somehow the amount didn’t add up correctly and we and our friends all feel like we were somewhat ‘taken’ by the shop. So that is the only negative on Tolga. From there we walked to the nearby Hamdi restaurant, where DW and I enjoyed a meal in 2013. The view is terrific, and folks seemed to enjoy the meal. It didn’t seem quite as special as it once did, and our dietary needs have changed. One of our friend’s meals needed to be redone as despite making everything as requested with “No peppers” the plate arrived with a large pepper on the plate. We left the Hamdi and headed to the Grand Bazaar in the van. Traffic headed that way was plugged in multiple spots, but we made it in about 25 minutes. We wandered the bazaar and Tolga brought us to a leather shop that he said had a very good reputation for quality goods. They claim to be the largest leather processor in Turkey, and we ended up buying his and hers Antelope leather jackets. Back on the ship, a little online research indicates the leather is most likely from Springbok, the national animal of South Africa. DW calls the jackets ‘coats’ because they are long, but they are not at all heavy. Both are also reversable. Our friends bought a few items, and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience. It was quite crowded, but Tolga said these crowds were minimal and in a few weeks it would be hard to move inside the bazaar. By 3:45 we were back in the van and returning to the ship. On the way, we got our funds together and paid Tolga for the tour. Tolga received a phone call from the White Travel Tours office, and they asked to speak to me. They wanted to make sure we were happy with the tour. I told them we certainly were, and with them on the phone asked the group and everyone responded “Yes!” I wholly recommend White Travel Tours to anyone looking for a guide in Turkey. Tolga was able to drop us off inside the cruise terminal right at our ‘Gate.’ We thanked Tolga and our terrific driver for the tour and headed back to the Journey, onboard by about 4:10. This day marked the transition between cruise segments and even though we were given new cards two days prior, the check-in computer made a nasty sound when our cards were scanned. The security officer double checked our cards to see the dates and worked some magic with the computer to get us cleared to board. A few notes on Istanbul: We had a terrific tour and truly enjoyed our time there. That said, after the crystal-clear air and water around Athens and the Greek Isles, with 20,000,000 inhabitants and questionable sanitation, the air and water around Istanbul is noticeably less healthy. I felt scruffy after two days of touring Istanbul and got cleaned up. DW spiffed up for the evening. We went up to the Blue Bar on deck 8 and found a comfy couch near the windows. Journey started moving at exactly 6:00 per the schedule. We visited with friends and left to meet our other friends for dinner. Dinner tonight was the most challenging menu of the cruise so far. We found out later that the buffet had more choices including beef wellington, chicken wings, and banana splits! Oh well… We did enjoy the service from our terrific wait team. We left to attend the show, “Cirque Fantastic.” With four acrobats (three male and one female, and I swear the female one must be from another planet the way she can fold her body…) this was a special performance. After the show we returned to our cabin at 9:45 and found our excursion tickets for this segment of the cruise. We gain the hour back tonight as we return to Greek time. We have no early morning plans tomorrow!!! General notes: The cabin climate control is one of the more advanced we have seen on a cruise ship. Celestyal must have spent some of the refurb Euros on the HVAC system. The control actually shows the real temperature (in C of course) and you can set the temperature you want the cabin to be. It works to some degree and after reducing the temperature when we originally came on board our cabin has been comfortable thus far. Smoking is more prevalent in Europe than in North America. Smoking is allowed indoors on the port side of the “Crow’s nest” (Horizons disco bar). That makes this area unusable for us as smoke of course does not stay on one side of an open area. If fact, the smoke can be smelled at the deck 11 and deck 10 forward stairs / elevator area. Our friends in the deck 10 forward suite say they occasionally smell smoke. Windows! We’ve seen lots of cruise ship windows that are salt-sprayed, and sometimes it takes a while before they are cleaned. The windows on poor Journey, however, look like it’s been months since they’ve been cleaned. It is a real shame as this cruise includes some very scenic areas. What is the problem with cleaning the windows?
  2. Wednesday, March 27, 2024; Istanbul, Turkey Day one Today the Journey arrives in Istanbul, but not until 1:30 PM. Without setting an alarm I ended up meeting my friend at the hot tub a little after 8:00. We were the only ones there. Wish the hot tub was a few degrees warmer. I checked out the pool, but it is cold. Just enough time for a quick clean up and we met at 9:15 for a dining room breakfast. After breakfast we gathered everything we would need for the day and went up to look at the shops. There are not a lot of shops on Journey, but we did find some “Greece” socks and bought two pair. We also checked the photo of our group with the captain and purchased that for €15. It came with a small photo in a clear frame with a magnet. We sat in the martini bar for a while and enjoyed a coffee and tea. All too soon it was time for all six of us to meet for lunch at 12:00 in the dining room. Lunch was a buffet today and this may have been the least satisfying meal on Journey thus far. After lunch we were approaching Istanbul, and we went out on the promenade deck to take photos and watch the docking. Just after 1:30 the cruise director made a “Welcome to Istanbul” announcement in multiple languages and said she would be back to announce once the ship was cleared. We were seated in the deck 6 atrium and soon we saw ship’s tour groups descending down the stairs. We joined them and were soon out in the new Istanbul cruise terminal, which is hidden underground. Above it are lots of modern stores and restaurants. We never did hear the cruise director tell folks waiting that the ship was cleared... It took us about 15 minutes to get through the maze and find our way past document checks to meet our guide Tolga Oner from White Travel Tours did a terrific job with his driver taking us around to the major sights. We had a very comfortable Mercedes van with plenty of extra space. We began at the Blue Mosque, moved on to the former Roman hippodrome area where there are now several ancient columns, including an Egyptian monolith from 1500 BC, making it over 3500 years old! Next we visited the underground cistern where we waited perhaps 15 minutes in a queue. The cistern was one of the filming locations for a James Bond movie. Then we visited the Hagia Sophia which was a very different experience than our 2013 visit. The Hagia Sophia was recently converted, once again, into a mosque. Visitors can access the second floor which contains many of the Christian mosaics from the 10th century. We could no longer access the main floor nor the basement, where the Ephesus marble slabs are located. Back to the van, we rode over to a harbor area with lots of boats and ferries. Our tour included a “Private Bosporus Cruise” for the six of us. Who would have thought that cruise would be on a 200-person boat? No, there were not 200 people, but the boat could have held 200 passengers. We sailed all the way to the second bridge crossing the Bosporus and Tolga gave us a narration most of the voyage. Surely a terrific once in a lifetime experience. We returned to the dock about 7:05 and returned to the van. At about 7:20 we were dropped off at the cruise port and Tolga told us exactly where we would meet the following morning. We made our way through the terminal back onto the Journey. We all met for dinner at 7:45 in the dining room. The menu included Whiting and a “Grilled Turkey.” The turkey ended up not being grilled but rather was roasted turkey and it was terrific. We enjoyed dinner and followed that with taking nighttime photos from the promenade deck before calling it a night. We have a very full day planned for Istanbul Day 2!
  3. Tuesday, March 26, 2024; Samos, Greece We have never been to Samos before, and a new port is always exciting. We met our friends for a dining room breakfast at 7:15. The dining room breakfast is fast and efficient. Again, our terrific waiter Geny provided omelets to order. Jerome does the “Toast” and one of our friends asked if he had English Muffins. He said he would be right back. He did come back with three English Muffins, toasted on the outside but not opened and toasted. He sure means well! We made a quick stop at guest services as we found out this morning that our phone didn’t work at all. We were told they would have it looked into. Then we headed to the theater for the shore excursion departure. We had booked the “Traditional Samian Feast” shore excursion. Upon arrival at the pier, we had a big surprise. As we exited the tender local folks were there handing every lady an orchid and every man a bag containing three things: A booklet on the three local Greek islands, a small bottle of local Ouzo and a small bottle of the local white wine. Wow, they really want cruisers here in Samos! The tour was very nice, and the bus was not full. We drove about 30 minutes over the mountain to the seaside village of Pythagorion. This village, named in honor of the local mathematician by the same name who in about 500 BC developed the theorem named after him A2 * B2 = C2. He is also widely credited with developing the calculation of PI (Diameter * 3.14….. = Circumference of a circle). At the village, we saw a monument to Pythagorion with many equations and drawings on it. We also walked to the “Blue Street,” a small alley containing many items made or painted blue. From there we drove on to the mountain village of Pagondas. This village is named after a military hero from about 400 BC. Here we were entertained by a group of six very talented Greek dancers and a three-piece band providing the music. We were served local white wine, and a number of food items many of which were most enjoyed. We stayed until nearly 1:00 before reboarding the bus to head back to the port. Arriving at the port there was no wait for the tender, so we hopped right in. Upon scanning our cards, we were advised to visit guest services. DW needed to stop there anyway to obtain her refrigerated medication, so we made the stop. Yippie! We were provided new key cards that will last us until we disembark on April 6. While ashore I received an e-mail from White Travel Tours confirming our pickup details for our tour in Istanbul. We stopped at the pool bar for a few beverages, then returned to our cabin to read and update this log. We got changed for dinner and at 4:00 went up to the martini bar for beverages, to read, and for the “Pass around” cookies. Within a minute after we arrived our second set of friends popped in, so we visited and talked about our day. No reading was done but we had a great chat. Within moments after they went to get ready for the evening, we saw our other friend looking at the shop. I returned our books to our cabin and met them up on the pool deck for fruit and vegetable carving. Despite having a good vantage point with everyone standing we couldn’t actually watch the chefs work however we did get to see and photograph the final product. We went down to the Blue Bar and played one four-person round of Splendor. I won the match at 6:27 and we headed down to the dining room for dinner. Everyone enjoyed dinner and the wait team was terrific as always. The shrimp dinner was nice, and the steak kabob was enjoyable. Frog Legs was a popular appetizer and the apple tart pie and blue curacao ice cream made for quite the dessert. The show this evening was “Little Italy” by the production cast, and it was enjoyable, although on the slower numbers I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. The terrible news is that we LOSE an hour tonight as the clocks move to Turkish time for our two-day visit to Istanbul. General notes: Every day we learn more about the crazy application of the beverage package. Things we think are covered, are not, and things we don’t think are covered, sometimes are. There is no concise list that we have found. We just think it’s crazy that the package appears designed to ENCOURAGE alcohol consumption versus non-alcoholic beverages. Certainly, that has to cost the cruise line more… We are trying to avoid the lido buffet. Despite multiple signs telling people not to fill water bottles, and crew members ‘chasing folks away’ from filling water bottles, many passengers seem intent on doing so anyway. Of course, when the “Premium” beverage package we have doesn’t even include bottled water, there is an incentive for passengers to refill water bottles…Additionally the young folks and children are especially non-sanitary at the buffet. Fortunately, service in the dining room is so fast and efficient that dining room breakfasts don’t take any more time that a lido one.
  4. Monday, March 25, 2024; Rhodes, Greece; Greek Independence Day With no set tour time today we agreed to meet our friend for breakfast in the Thalassa dining room at 7:30. It was nice not having to deal with the lido buffet. Geny & Jerome were both there and Geny got us very nice omelets. My friend and I went up to use the hot tub just after 8:00. No towels were available, so we went back to our cabins to retrieve our “Beach towels.” He has noted that the hot tubs are drained every night. They seem to have little chlorine. Guess that is okay so long as we use it early in the morning. After the hot tub we got ready to go out to explore Rhodes. There was no mention on board of it being a holiday. We had hoped to explore the Castle of the Knights of the Templar however the castle, like every museum and even the tourist information office, were all closed for the holiday. We did have a nice walk and took a lot of photos. We made a number of shopping stops and various items were purchased including belts, an embroidered table runner, a T-shirt, and ??? We also stopped at a café near the castle for coffees and ciders. That was most enjoyable. We found out while having our coffees that we missed the local Independence Day parade. One would think the ship would have alerted their guests to a special event like this happening less than a kilometer from the dock. We headed back to the Journey and arrived back on board at 1:45. We dropped our things in our cabins and headed for the dining room for lunch. Lunch was terrific. There was an ice cream option for dessert. Things are starting to look up. My friend and I agreed to meet at 5:00 to play Splendor in the Blue Bar on deck 8. Then back to the cabins to begin to get ready for “Formal night.” I heard from our other friends who agreed to meet at 6:00 in the Blue Bar. We enjoyed our Splendor games. I won the first and he won the second. During the second game a group of 9 folks came in and they were very loud. People sometimes say that I am loud, and at times I certainly am, but this group made me look like an amateur for certain. When our wives appeared at the end of our second game we moved to another room, as the Blue Bar is spread over three rooms. The third couple joined us, and we shared stories of our day. He tried the “Squid rings” at McDonalds in town and said they were quite good. Dinner was the best so far of the cruise. We really enjoy our wait staff. We made a quick stop in our cabins and then went as agreed to have a group photo taken with the captain. As the captain was scheduled on stage at 8:30 we met at 8:10. Folks were there, the photographer was there, but no captain. The captain arrived at 8:25. We had our photo taken and then went into the showroom to get seats for the captain’s welcome. Getting seats became a debacle as it was hard to move around the balcony area and I was in the front row. Four folks from a country who have a bit of a reputation of being brash simply pushed me out of the way as the rest of our group was trying to join me and sat in the seats. We sat a row back, but in the balcony the only place with a clear view is the front row. The captain was very late and just as we and a few others decided to leave (8:55) the cruise director came on stage to introduce the captain. Our decision having been made, as the program was now 25 minutes behind schedule, we left anyway. A quick stop at the Ocean Bar for a diet coke and we returned to the cabin and called it a night. It’s another early tour tomorrow with an 8:15 meeting time. General notes: There is no 110-volt outlet in the cabins. Of course, there use to be. In its place is a high wattage 220 with slanted prongs which the hair dryer (that DW hates as she says it is "Too hot" uses.. The original 220-volt outlet (one only) is still there. No announcements are made when the ship is leaving a port. We never hear anything from the captain. Everything takes longer as the cruise director and her assistant make all introductions, announcements, shore excursion instructions, etc. in seven languages.
  5. Sunday, March 24, 2024; Santorini, Greece We visited Santorini once before, in 2012. During that visit we really didn’t know “How good we had it.” There was only one 2000 passenger ship in port, and with a car rental we pretty much saw the island. Yet our friends had not been here before, and the ships tour “The Essence of Santorini” sounded like a very through overview of the island so we all booked that. Being an “All day” tour the meeting time was 8:15. Our alarm was set for 6:00 and we went to the Taverna (lido) for breakfast at 7:15. We ran into one of our friends who said they had a difficult time finding a table. We ended up squeezing into their two-person table with the help of a few unused nearby chairs. The omelet chef made me a very nice ham omelet. The coffee machines are a little confusing but now I think we have them figured out. One thing is they fill the cup just over half-way. Try to put a ‘second squirt’ in the cups and they overflow… We met our other friends and sat in the very back of the theater. Celestyal doesn’t use excursion tickets like most lines, they just collect your ticket while boarding the tender. Perhaps they will do the same thing with a bus tour if no tender. BUT the announcements in the theater were made in several languages taking lots of time. It was nearly 9:00 before we were told to head to the tender. Being in the back, we were the first on the tender and grabbed seating for six rights near the entrance/exit, but out of the way of folks coming in. This was very good as we were also the first on the bus once we reached the ferry dock. Our tour was fine. Tour guide was a local who has lived on Santorini for 20 years. Bus driver knows exactly how to navigate the crazy roads. During our time in Oya, it became so busy walking the narrow lanes became challenging. Having ~6000+ cruisers in town is sure different than 2000! Our visit to the black sand (really rocks) beach and the mountain top was not so busy, but the stop at the winery was crazy, with no place to sit and tour buses constantly pulling in. We were brought back to Fira and walked to the cathedral. From there we were on our own, but our guide gave us passes for the cable car to ride down to the tender port. We visited the cathedral and didn’t get far as a group until our friends saw a jewelry sign they could not resist. We split up and that point and began walking towards the cable car. We looked at a few things along the way but made no purchases. We found already a significant line for the cable car, so we joined the line. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the front and enjoy the quick ride down the caldera. We just missed a tender back to the Journey. Little did we know we’d be standing about another 30 minutes before another tender would arrive. This was not as nice a tender as in the morning and they didn’t close the sides, so I ended up getting wet from the sea spray. Part way back a man who had a comfortable seat moved next to DW crowding her out. I couldn’t move as there was a lady next to me. Then when it was time to leave, this man tries to push DW aside to pass her. She was pretty furious. We finally reach the Journey and there is no security check. I certainly won’t complain. We returned to our cabin at 3:20 and found the Taverna buffet was closing at 3:30. So we immediately went up to deck 11 and gathered some nice baked chicken, what tasted like swordfish, and some fries. It took a long time to find a bar waiter, and that was only after we asked one of the staff twice. Leaving the buffet at about 4:00, we walked past the pool. A spa lady was offering complimentary massages. DW sure took advantage of that. She was so tense and stressed out from the standing and the tender experience. They offered her a “Three-for” spa deal and I told her to get it done. While waiting for DW’s ‘free’ massage sampler, a server came around with light cakes and cookies. They call this a Pass around.” After DW was set up at the spa, I went to guest services to talk about my dissatisfaction with the beverage package and how the dining room wouldn’t serve me a €6.75 glass when the package is supposed to cover up to €7.00 Supposedly the ‘fine print’ is that the package is for the bars and lounges and not for the dining room. I don’t know what good a beverage package is that is not in the dining room. I also mentioned about getting wet on the tender ride. That, she could do something about, and they offered to wash those clothes complimentary. I returned to the cabin to get changed and handed the damp clothes with a laundry slip and bag to one of the housekeeping staff. I went down to the martini bar for a Mai-tai and to update my log. I returned to the cabin at 5:35 just as DW returned from her spa time. She greatly enjoyed her massage. Our friend knocked on our door within minutes of my return. He said they just returned, and they walked down the donkey path as the cable car line exceeded an hour. They enjoyed Santorini but like us, they are now “Done” with Santorini. We went to dinner at 6:30 and again enjoyed the terrific service from Geny & Jerome. We all agree that the food has been most enjoyable. Leaving the dining room at 7:55, we stopped by our cabins and then went to the showroom. There is a ‘pre-show’ this evening with Greek music by the trio “El Greco.” The show itself is the only “Live music” performance as El Greco provides the music for “Hellenic Voyage.” I thought the show was well done. DW and our friend just couldn’t stay awake so at 9:10 we left the theater to call it a night. A few additional general notes: The crew is generally top notch. The serving staff seems to be mostly from the Philippines. There is no “Free” ice cream anywhere on the ship, and so far no ice cream has been offered as a dessert at dinner. If you come back from shore after the Taverna is closed for lunch, it will cost at least €10/pp for something from the Greek Deli at the pool.
  6. Saturday, March 23, 2024; Embarkation in Piraeus (Athens) Greece On the first day of our fourth week in Greece, we embark on the Celestyal Journey for 14 days. This is actually three short cruises booked back-to-back. When we booked (a year ago!) There was no option to book as one 14-day cruise. They did open that option later, but then the only cabins in our categories were far forward or aft. There was no financial advantage for us to change the booking(s), so we left them as originally set. The only time I found a fare lower than what we booked at was during the one day “Leap Day” sale on February 29. That was, of course, long after final payment. We booked the “Enhance” fare which includes all sorts of things; hopefully that inclusion list includes some decent Greek wines. Why did we choose Celestyal? We had booked an earlier cruise on Celebrity Infinity for “Israel & Egypt.” We didn’t want to fly all the way to Athens for just an 11-day cruise, so we ended up building a 38 day around the Infinity, including the 14 days on Celestyal. Things happen and the Infinity cruise became the “Best of Greece.” There is only one port that is repeated (Rhodes) and Rhodes has enough to offer for two visits. All six of us traveling together agreed to stick with the Infinity and the rest of what we planned, so here we are! We are “Familiar” with the Journey as we sailed this ship in her previous life as the Holland America Ryndam. We are looking forward to seeing the changes made in her new life. One thing we know did not change is the wonderful promenade deck, where our inside cabin, #6104, is located. We found it frustrating trying to gather information before the cruise, as we have not sailed Celestyal before. Very loosely our documents say check in is from noon to 16:00 (4:00 PM). We intend to leave our hotel by taxi at about 11:00 and we will see what happens. We actually had the taxi pick us up at about 10:50 and were at the port by 11:05. We entered the terminal, and a helpful rep told us that check in was not yet open and to have a seat. So, we sat for about 20 minutes. Then another rep came over and told us that the “Process” began outside, and a line was forming outside. Thus began a frustrating hour. What took the most time was actually folks filling out their “Health declaration” (which only asks about Covid). Why people didn’t have this filled out ahead of time as we did I can only imagine. That was about the ONLY thing Celestyal clearly communicated before the cruise. Long story short, by about 12:25 we were onboard. We took care of some needed details at the front desk and made our way upstairs to see about lunch and beverages. From the first bar person we saw, without fail, everyone tries to upsell the beverage package. Writing this at the end of the first day, I can clearly say that Celestyal’s website is at the least misleading and perhaps worse than misleading as the impression given is that if you buy the “Enhance” fare you will have a wide variety of wines and beverages to choose from. If TWO red wines and TWO white wines are a “Wide variety,: then they are truthful. With the “Enhance” package soft drinks are only served by glass, no cans or bottles, and ‘spring water’ also only by the glass. Frustrations with the beverage package seem designed to prod people to upgrade to the “Premium plus” package. Lunch itself was pretty decent. I had a slice of roast beef from a carving station. The fish available was Marlin, and turkey fillets were grilled (quite a different take on turkey, but this made it taste more like chicken). We returned to the cabin at about 2:40 and our luggage was there. We unloaded everything and went to visit the wine bar, but no one was there (despite the program saying it was open). We went to the Ocean Bar, and I was able to have a Mai tai included in our package. DW had wine. We went to our cabin waiting for announcements for the muster drill. Before the announcements were even made someone knocked on our door and said we should go to the muster drill. Talk about a flashback to 10 years ago! Not only is the muster drill on deck by the lifeboats, but you also have to wear your life jacket. Larger cruise lines stopped having folks wear life jackets years ago after having guests trip and literally fall and break bones over dragging life jacket straps (Happened on our Alaska cruise in 2009). To make matters worse, all the muster instructions were given in seven languages resulting in everyone standing there for over 35 minutes. We attended the “Welcome meeting” in the show lounge at 5:30. Cruise Director Teresa did an okay job on “Cruising 101”, but we really didn’t learn anything significant. Four of us went up to “Halara Cove” (the pool area on deck 11) to listen to the end of the Greek music set by the trio “El Greco.” The hot tubs were packed with young people (as in, less than 18 young). On the other hand, we haven’t yet seen a single scooter. We went to dinner just after 6:30 to the Thalassa Restaurant. Dinner was the highlight of the day on board. Service was personal, fast, and efficient. Our servers Geny & Jerome were terrific. We asked them if we could have them every night. We talked with the maître de and he said as long as we come about 6:30 that should be possible. The wine steward brought DW and our friend a South African wine they really liked, so he made two friends. But despite the price range being within our package he said he couldn’t get me a Moscato. We returned to our cabin and our bed had been remade into one, but the covers were still separate. I got too much sun waiting in line for check in and there is no lotion in the cabin. Ugh. We attended the 8:30 show (first show) “Abba’s Dreams.” The show was different than typical cruise line shows. Negatives are the soundtrack is canned, and honestly the soundtrack includes some harmonies. It’s hard to tell if the performers are actually singing or synching as if they are really signing there is no sign of any exertion and they sure do move around a lot! There is a pair of aerialists who do a very good job considering the constraints of the theater. Floor seating has lots of legroom, a real plus! After the show we called it a night.
  7. It's been hard to find much information on sailing with Celestyal pre-cruise. I thought it might be helpful to future cruisers to report from our experience. I keep a log of our travels and hope to post the log daily or as time and internet connection allows. Here is the pre-cruise background: On the first day of our fourth week in Greece, we embark on the Celestyal Journey for 14 days. This is actually three short cruises booked back-to-back. When we booked (a year ago!) there was no option to book as one 14-day cruise. They did open that option later, but then the only cabins in our categories were far forward or aft. There was no financial advantage for us to change the booking(s), so we left them as originally set. The only time I found a fare lower than what we booked at was during the one day “Leap Day” sale on February 29. That was, of course, long after final payment. We booked the “Enhance” fare which includes all sorts of things; hopefully that inclusion list includes some decent Greek wines. Why did we choose Celestyal? We had booked an earlier cruise on Celebrity Infinity for “Israel & Egypt.” We didn’t want to fly all the way to and from Athens for just an 11-day cruise, so we ended up building a 38-day adventure around the Infinity, including the 14 days on Celestyal. Things happen and the Infinity cruise became the “Best of Greece.” There is only one port that is repeated (Rhodes) and Rhodes has enough to offer for two visits. All six of us traveling together agreed to stick with the Infinity and the rest of what we planned, so here we are! We are “Familiar” with the Journey as we sailed this ship in her previous life as the Holland America Ryndam. We are looking forward to seeing the changes made in her new life. One thing we know did not change is the wonderful promenade deck, where our inside cabin, #6104, is located. We found it frustrating trying to gather information before the cruise, as we have not sailed Celestyal before. Very loosely our documents say check in is from noon to 16:00 (4:00 PM). We intend to leave our hotel by taxi at about 11:00 and we will see what happens.
  8. Have a wonderful trip Abby & Glen! I want to see the photo of Glen when you lead him to the Royal Suite!
  9. The dealer saw it go in too. But for $1 I wasn't making an issue of it!
  10. They replaced the drink but claimed they couldn't find the $1 chip.
  11. Hi Jacqui! Hope all is well! We've been busy planning some far in advance cruises! June 29, 2025 Nieuw Statendam 28-Day Arctic Circle Crossing: Greenland And Iceland we are staying on for the next cruise: July 27, 2025: 14-Day Wild British Isles: Ireland's West Coast In between these two cruises we should become five star... Also: April 12, 2026 Westerdam 29-Day Japan & North Pacific Crossing Collector All the best!
  12. For any interested here is the link to my log/review of this cruise. Until next time! Princess Enchanted Princess Cruise Reviews (2023 UPDATED): Ratings of Princess Enchanted Princess (cruisecritic.com)
  13. Sorry to hear of everyone's troubles getting out. We left the ship at 7:35, waited 40 minutes for customs to take our photo (didn't even look at our passports). It was the Florida Turnpike that was closed about an hour North of FLL due to a tanker truck explosion. Our driver takes the Express Lanes of I-95 and we were home at 10:30. We did have some slow going, likely added 20 minutes to the trip. We very much enjoyed the cruise. I submitted my review and will post the link here once posted.
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