Gourmet Gal

Dark suit or nice dark blazer, tie and dress pants equally safe bets but the blazer is more versatile.

The end of an era. So sad.

Nice effort but sounds borderline draconian, not to mention awkward when one arrives for a reservation. What if their attire doesn’t confirm 100% to the signage…I guess they have to turn around and go change? Order room service? Not a luxury experience. It just becomes silly.

So true. Battle lines have been drawn based on SS trying to thread the needle. Excellent essay on the topic cruiseej.

I appreciate conservation efforts no matter the level of luxury. I know it can feel less high-end to dine without table cloths, refilling bottles, re-using towels and going digital but the time has come for people to alter behaviors if we are to have hope of slowing down climate change. It is irrelevant to me if it means a company is spending less.

Just read most of the Queen’s close family is converging on Balmoral today. She has a health issue since the meeting yesterday with the new PM. Sounds serious.

Thanks for the very informative review!

So wonder what they were refilling it with?!

That is still a nice perk that other river cruise lines do not offer.

I would think it has more to do with staffing than anything else. Still an issue in many places worldwide.

I wonder if other cruise lines in Alaska are taking these same Covid “precautions”. How exactly would the space be used in the event of an outbreak? As a triage facility? Puzzling. Perhaps more related would be the overall passenger count. Was the ship at low capacity?

Thanks for taking the time to post your observations.

Properly cooked lobster is not chewy, or rubbery. If it is it’s been over-cooked which is difficult to avoid in the ships’ hotel catering type kitchens.

Princess just seems like a mass line to me. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of doing an Alaska cruise on a Princess ship…never again. I have heard that both Princess and HAL have a couple of smaller ships that are slightly more upscale though not sure if they would be Premium.

Just wondering which premium line has ships carrying 3600 pax? Size alone would not seem to be in that category. But agree with your comparison of Premium vs Lux. The pax to crew ration will be much lower on the luxury lines.

It sounds more like the days booked on P2P do not count towards milestones for example 100 days = free laundry. Similar to a charter SS cruise I was on and the days did not count towards my total. It seems that it’s smoke and mirrors that the P2P fares are discounted because all the fares increased. It’s more like features that used to be included have been taken away from the P2P fares to make the D2D fares look like a better value.

Agree. This program seems asinine and just adds complexity to what should be a simple pricing scheme.

The special accommodation for those Covid positive was bound to end sooner or later anyway but taking away yet another feature from those traveling P2P to make the D2D seem more enhanced is such a blatantly transparent marketing ploy. I am more and more inclined to make my upcoming SS cruise my last with them.

If true that’s really nickel and diming.

Keep in mind, the boosters will mostly only protect you against illness serious enough to land you in the hospital. Consider your risk tolerance. You can still get Covid and have what is considered a “mild” case (not requiring hospitalization) but bad enough to ruin your vacation and possibly spread to others. Imagine getting any kind of flu while traveling. You can still have fever, nausea, skull crushing headache, incredible body aches, coughing, sore throat, etc. Unfortunately, I speak from experience as a fully vaxed and boosted individual. One still needs to mask and social distance.

I get it.

What is your preferred ship size? Which SS ships have you sailed?

The newer ships have The Arts Cafe. Does anyone know what time it opens?

I think it depends on how long ago you received your basic vaccine series. All this info is on the SS site: Up to Date Vaccinated Guests: You will need to be fully up to date with your vaccine status (“up to date” means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible), in accordance with each of the countries you plan to visit on your respective itinerary. We recommend that you refer to each country’s official government website to understand the complete vaccination status requirements for entry, as the ability to roam freely, enter restaurants, cultural institutions, etc. For example, some countries may allow entry for fully vaccinated travellers, but will require “up to date” vaccine status to dine at a restaurant. It is your responsibility to ensure you are adequately inoculated to enter and enjoy the countries on your itinerary.Similar to testing, we have seen that destinations across the globe are now updating validity dates for vaccination series. Many countries have differing rules (both based on residency and as entry requirements), with most now indicating an “up to date” COVID-19 vaccine includes an additional dose anywhere from 90 to 270 days past the original series completion date. Quite simply, the vaccine will no longer be considered up to date unless an additional dose has been received after a certain time has elapsed from the completion of the primary series. So while the booster (or an additional dose) is not necessarily a requirement to sail with us, an up to date vaccination series is. By way of example for our guests residing in the US, please click here to understand the CDC’s definition of “up to date.”

Love the Panorama in the early mornings when sailing into port.