Zedjp3

On 8/29/2022 at 2:04 PM, FlorenceItaly said:

I hope so!

I just got off a Princess cruise. Those who tested positive for COVID were quarantined. Tested again after 5 days. If still positive, they were tested daily. Negative = end quarantine, of course. If still positive after 10 days, their quarantine ended. I know there was someone who tested positive for a few days after the 5 day minimum quarantine.

Seattleslew is correct. I was on the same cruise, but attended the regular muster. Our cabin steward told us that this cruise was the first to use the new format. It is definitely an improvement.

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I didn't mean to take all the cash you could, just all that you'd think you would need. But credit cards are a much better idea for anything that can be paid for using one. Glad the ATM problem was temporary. I hope it continues to improve.

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Please explain "widely" at exactly your choosen excursions and points of interrest!

Just reporting what US news reported yesterday. I don't have specific excursions tied to this. I don't know about acceptance (or not) of euros, but no matter which currency you plan to use, you should probably bring all the cash you think you'll need in Greece since ATM withdrawals are severely limited.

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News reports say dollars are being widely accepted in Greece due to this crisis.

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Not for the dining room.

Lisa

Does anyone care to share the name of the tour group used for Machu Pichu? Thanks

We took this tour in January. The land tour company is Lima Tours. They did an excellent job. As someone mentioned, we were split up into four buses (full-size buses don't work in some towns), with four tour guides and two coordinators. All spoke excellent English. The days are not jam-packed, which was good. One reason is to help people acclimate. Altitude sickness strike people randomly--being a star athlete is no protection, and being out of shape doesn't seem to increase the chances. A few people felt ill the first day we were in Cusco, but we're better until we got back to Cusco. (We were on the six-day tour). One woman got so I'll that she was hospitalized and missed the day we were in Machu Picchu. In fact, she had to get Dr. Clearance to fly back to Lima, and then another doctor's clearance to fly home. Hotels in every town (except the first night in Lima at the hotel) were fabulous--resorts for the most part. Food was excellent. I really recommend this tour if you have the time and money.

On our last cruise, my husband got sick (not norovirus, fortunately) and went to the medical center. He was confined to the cabin until his fever broke. Our regular cabin steward was not allowed to provide any services to us, even supplying us with ice, but instead, two specially trained crew members came in, thoroughly sanitized the cabin, changed the bedding, towels, etc., got ice for us, etc. fortunately, the fever broke the next day, but the crew was back earlier that day to repeat the cleaning. Let the steward and medical center know of your needs, and they should take care of it.

Yes, iPads and iPhones can access the Internet, but when I was on a recent cruise, I read that for some reason, they are slower than other devices for some reason. My DH had a regular laptop, and it was true. I ate up many extra minutes as web sites loaded so slowly. Logging out was slower, too.

I was on the Golden Princess just last month, and it was the best cruise we have ever taken. I felt something was better about the staff, service, food, and entertainment. The size was excellent--not nearly so many lines in different areas. Since the atrium/piazza is about the same size on different ships, for example, it just did not feel as crowded.

Find inexpensive dry erase boards that have magnets on the back. They often come with a marker that has a magnet on the cap. Attach one to each cabin door. You don't have to carry sticky notes and pencils around.

Lisa and Ernie

Dawn Princess 2000--Alaska

Island Princess 2008--Alaska

Pacific Princess 2 2011--Mediterranean

Emerald Princess 2012--Baltic

Caribbean Princess 2013--Caribbean (Veterans)

My husband's father passed away last September. He was a World War II veteran. My husband and I are both veterans. Princess had a special "Cruise for a Cause" for veterans, a four day cruise just before Veterans Day. We took the cruise, partly for grieving, partly to recover from the demands of his care. It was the perfect way to do both of these.

Lisa

We have taken a Med cruise and a Baltic one, both pretty port intensive. My advice is to choose a couple of ports that you can see without being on an organized tour. For Europe, check out Rick Steves' books (he now has one specifically for cruising Europe!) and/or podcasts. Since English is well understood in Europe, it should be easier than, say, Asia to do this. Grab your guidebook and map, and spend a more leisurely time visiting one or two sights, grab lunch, and head back to the ship. We never regret doing this.

Lisa

Just realize that using the bags at the cruise ports marks you as a cruise tourist (shopper) to all of the merchants!

Lisa

How does Texas get away with that? Did Congress give it the authority to do so? According to the US Constitution (Article 1, Section 10), "no state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws: and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States..."