RetiredLifer

I am on with you and agree 100% with what you wrote. In the middle of the night or when most are on shore it is good but the rest of the time it mostly sucks. What a disappointment.

There were a few incidents that happened prior to and after we passed certain areas which we read about after the fact. Nothing that we were aware of in “real time.”

We had armed guards aboard. The Riviera on MarineTraffic.com also showed “Armed Guards aboard”. At one point when we were in the shipping channel just as we had entered the Gulf Of Aden we saw this heading in the opposite direction

We entered the Suez Canal on in the early morning of December10th and arrived in Abu Dhabi at 1 pm on December 17th

Try MarineTraffic.com if you are interested in tracking commercial shipping as well as cruise ships. I have used it for years and have been following it quite closely as we went through. If you look at the site now you will see somewhat less traffic then when we went through but there are still a lot of ships in the shipping Chanel, both going east and west. I have been on the Riviera for the last 30 days and did not “sail around in circles in the Mediterranean” nor did we “dash” through the Red Sea. We followed the revised itinerary while in the Mediterranean and went through the Red Sea at the same pace as the other ships.

We are on this cruise also and have been since Barcelona. The Cruise Director (confirmed by two other crew members) told us that there are 500 aboard for this segment, along with a crew from StarLink who also got on to the convert the internet to StarLink. We have always had a 2pm departure from Istanbul tomorrow and that still is the case.

It will not be Paul Baya as he is on with us on the Riviera until at least March 20. Peter the shoe and his sidekick like to work the Marina. My condolences to you if it’s him. JMO 😔

We have been dealing with piracy drills for years. Nothing new.

Not a scheduled end or beginning of a cruise. Barcelona is the end of this cruise.

You are right but the free cruise payoff is: ”Stateroom category will reflect the accommodations most closely matching the typical category selected by the guests on prior voyages.” so if your points are from an Ocean view cabin then that is what your free cruise is. We averaged a concierge cabin so that is what we got for our “free cruise.” https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/promotion-terms/

Who is the Cruise Director and do you know how long he/she will be on? Thanks

Since it is presently 62 degrees in Reykjavik and you are in an A1 cabin, open the door to your veranda. That should help.

Just booked a cruise this morning which is more then 15 days. This is what my guest statement, just received, says: Guest Cancellation Schedule The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all cancellations received prior to departure up to the scheduled time of departure. 181 days or more prior to departure 0% of full fare 180 to 151 days prior to departure 12-Jul-24 to 10-Aug-24 $250.00 per person 150 to 121 days prior to departure 11-Aug-24 to 09-Sep-24 25% of full fare 120 to 91 days prior to departure 10-Sep-24 to 09-Oct-24 50% of full fare 90 to 61 days prior to departure 10-Oct-24 to 08-Nov-24 75% of full fare 60 days or less prior to departure 100% of full

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Here is the latest from the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China. Visa issued before March 28, 2020 are again valid as of March 15, 2023. http://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202303/t20230315_11041658.htm