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Lueftner is an Austrian company and in business for 40 years now. They do own the Amadeus ships (so all ships have "Amadeus" as sort of prefix in the name). AmaWaterways did start out with ship from Lueftner until they had their own ones built. The German branch is Amadeus Flusskreuzfahrten in Munich but according to their "about us" they are solely selling the Amadeus fleet operated by Lueftner. It´s even the same website design as the one of Lueftner. And there´s another Amadeus River Cruises website - same design, also only selling the Amadeus fleet operated by Lueftner with an address in Burr Ridge, Illinois. steamboats

On Iona the Sky Dome is the roof of the atrium. The AIDA ships (nova, cosma) and the Costa ships (Smeralda, Toscana) don´t have this kind of roof for the atrium but a closed one with partially an LED screen. The middle part holds the tech stuff for acrobatics. On both lines the atrium is used as a theater. AIDA calls it Theatrium and they don´t have another theater on their ships. Costa calls it Colosseo plus they have a second but small theater. I think the Mardi Gras also has an atrium which is used for shows. As for the Iona I think the Sky Dome is more a waste of space as you can´t use the upper deck for anything else. On all ships those atrium theaters are nice but it´s really hard to get a place where you can see anything. They have screens all over so the pax can see from the second, third and whatever rows. But if you´re not in the front row it´s really hard to see something. steamboats

All parts of the review are online now. steamboats

It´s been quite a while... but back in 2016 we did the hike and took the ferry back to Portofino. It was an organized ship tour so we did have a ferry on our own. The hike was really nice and worth doing but you do need good hiking shoes and there are parts which are steep and with narrow paths. It was a 2.5 hour hike. Just for some impressions you can check my review here. steamboats

No feeding of the animals!!! This is definitely regular in Antarctica. You get the advice to stay away from the penguins at least 5 m. But sometimes the penguins don´t care ;-). As for Antarctica - none of the regular cruise ships is able to do any landings. The whole experience can only be done with smaller expedition ships and it´s worth it! steamboats

Actually I lost track of their newbuilts... but the new Explora ships are built there. They mix it - some are built by Fincantieri, some by Chantiers de l´Atlantique. Carnival Group has some ships built at Fincantieri (Princess, HAL recently or Queen Anne for Cunard currently). Their new LNG ships are all built by Meyer/Meyer Turku (for AIDA, Carnival Cruises, P&O). Pre Pandemic MSC was a master to fill in all building slots at the shipyards in France and Italy just to let the other cruise lines no space. steamboats

Hmm, not sure whether the wedding with NCLH or with MSC is bigger ;-). steamboats

Depends on what you mean by "construction". The ship is finished as far as it regards the technical part. So it can sail and now all technical stuff is tested and more. But it doesn´t mean that all interior work is finished. It´s pretty likely that there´s still a lot of work going on in all public venues and cabins. steamboats

If it´s just a drill it will be announced so passengers don´t worry. Alpha is usually medical emergency, bravo usually fire, oscar can be man over board. steamboats

The German automobile club states that the mask mandate has been prolonged til September. They only speak uf busses and trains. June 22nd doesn´t make much sense as the old regulation was due to end by June 15th. steamboats

I also highly recommend to get the return ticket either when buying the ferry ticket to Capri or in Capri port (especially when you intend to take a different ferry company back to Naples). I usually take a ferry back between 3 and 4 pm. I´m worn out by the heat by that time anyway. Plenty of boat tours are available at the port of Capri. Those are boat tours going around the island. They usually stop at the Blue Grotto - but the entry to the Blue Grotto is not included in the boat tour. You pay extra to those guys who operate the row boats into the Blue Grotto. Anyway, it´s not really worth the money. If you plan to take the funicular or the local busses. There´s a ticket office to the right side when you leave the pier in Capri. You can buy all tickets there. Bus and funicular are the same ticket. The line at the funicular is usually pretty busy. I usually take the bus up to Anacapri. From there you can take a bus to Capri town. From Capri town you can take the funicular down to the port. This would be 3 tickets per person. But if you do the boat tour first, then maybe the funicular up to Capri town is the better option (and back down again). steamboats

They don´t get any staff... As the POA has to have at least 75% US / Greencard staff in the hotel department and there is a lack of staff in hospitality landside in the US they simply don´t get the staff. That´s why they had to reduce the passenger capacity. They won´t cancel booked cabins just out of nothing ;-). steamboats

The hotel doesn´t matter... And as they were tested positive onboard the cruise line did organize the hotel. Sure, you can fly back home being positive... But I definitely don´t want to sit next to you for 6 to 8 hours ;-)! steamboats

Aloha! I totally agree... We hardly spent any time onboard except for sleeping. steamboats

As they are running on limited passenger capacity until October, I doubt that there will be any changes. steamboats

Seems like Italy has prolonged the mask mandate in public transportation til September. It was to expire tomorrow, June 15th. Therefore masks are still required flying to/from Italian airports. steamboats

Fact is that only Cagney´s and Jefferson´s Bistro are open as specialty restaurant. Fact is that Skyline is only open for dinner and there are waits (our max. was 40 min at 6:30 pm). Aloha Café and Cadillac Diner are open for all meals. Outdoor bars - there´s only Ocean View Bar open (until 6 pm). The John Adams Coffee Bar is open in the morning til 9 pm including full bar service. Pink´s Champagne Bar and Napa Valley Bar are open in the evening. Mardi Gras is serving during activities there (as well as the theater). You usually have to go to the bar and place your order there. No waiters to take your order. Skyline and Cadillac had good to excellent service. Jefferson was o.k., Cagney´s we ran out of luck which a not really experienced guy who even had to ask whether there are sauces for the steak. There were no regular shows in the theater but guest entertainers. The two overnight evenings there were movies shown in the theater. There´s a singer/piano player, singer/guitar player and the house band. steamboats

BTW, I currently have a friend from the US self-isolating in a hotel in Amsterdam - organized by the cruise line as this friend has been tested positive onboard. steamboats

And my first reply was regarding the "confiscation". You then asked my whether I accuse you of lying. No, I just said the passports have been taken but not confiscated. steamboats

Yes, the self-isolation is on your own responsability. Nobody does check on you on whether you do self isolate or not. Mandatory isolation can be checked by the authorities. Usually when you´re from abroad the mandatory isolation is in a designated hotel. As the Netherlands don´t have a mandatory isolation anymore there are no designated hotels for this. steamboats

I´ve been on the May 14th cruise (see my review here). The crew manning situation has not changed and will not at least until October. NCL did cancel a couple of people to keep the number of passengers between 1100 and 1200 (which is app. 45-50%). Until the end of October there restaurant and bar situation will not change. steamboats

No, but you passports have not been "confiscated" but taken for a passport control. "Confiscated" means they take them and don´t give them back. Yours were obviously handed over to the Dutch authorities for a check and you got them back from them. "Confiscated" for a positive person would mean that Celebrity keeps the passport to avoid the person leaving the country until the end of a certain number of days of isolation (and as I said before the Netherlands don´t have a mandatory isolation anymore for a long time). steamboats

I don´t thank that passports were ever "confiscated". Celebrity might have collected the passports for the passport control which was necessary entering the Schengen area after the TA. But neither the Dutch authorities nor Celebrity has any legal right to "confiscate" a passport. And during more than 2 years of cruising with Covid-19 I never ever heard that passports of those having tested positive (plus having to isolate) have been "confiscated" by anyone - neither the cruise line nor any local health authorities. steamboats

That was the plan... one cruise out of Southampton, one out of Amsterdam prior to the August 17th cruise. But all those cruises have been cancelled. So now the pre-inaugural invitation only is the christening cruise August 26th out of Reykjavik to Amsterdam. steamboats

Surprisingly there was no passport control on our Southampton - seaday - Cherbourg - Southampton - neither for entering France (aka Schengen) nor for returning back to UK. steamboats