Gourmet Gal

There are several threads discussing SS Air. Perhaps try using the search function first. But quick answer is yes to your question about air deviation. Before booking is the timing and it seems that booking window has changed recently. It used to be 210 or 180 days in advance so you or your TA should research before then and be ready to make the requests. SS does not contract with every major airline so if you really have a preferred airline and route you may not always have better pricing with SS Air.

It depends how badly you want your preferred flights. I just spent about 4K more so we wouldn’t have to wake up at 2:30AM on a return from Porto. I think you’d lose the airport transfer.

Have you compared fares if you just have your T/A book your flights? There would be a credit back from SS for the unused air portion.

You can always just book your own extension at the same hotel…it’ll probably be less expensive. Have you checked the rate? Even better, book a hotel in another area of Paris.. so easy to cab or Uber between hotels.

No tipping is necessary.

One other note, willoL, has your husband considered asking his doctor about the patches for seasickness? They work really well for most people.

If it’s because of Covid, I hope it is because of their business practice. It means they're keeping an eye on it and making adjustments to mitigate the risk to passengers. Welcome to travel during a pandemic.

I would say Azamara and Oceania are not quite in the lux category. You should definitely be sure to book a suite if you require a third bed or an adjoining cabin, otherwise you will not have the lux experience you desire. As for HapLloyd, are you the only German speaker in the family? If so then the experience may not be as “enjoyable” for the rest of the family. And lastly, have you considered Silversea? You seem like you would enjoy having a butler and if DH would rather remain in the suite on formal nights, their room service is exemplary. However, there are also other less dressy dining choices available on formal nights. SS has several new ships that are spectacular. Good luck with that Nobel.

Leaving for Paris today to join up with the Tauck Rhône cruise next week. We’re really looking forward to it but unfortunately DH and I are already realizing the pitfalls of embarking on the first river cruise of the season during Covid. We’ll be arriving in Paris tomorrow to snowy cold weather in the mid-30’s. It will warm up as the next 2 weeks progress but there will be a lot of rain, almost daily. So now we’re wondering if we have to worry about high water on the river. Weather can go either way in Paris this time of year - it was 70 just a few days ago! And finally, regarding Covid, even though France is doing better than the rest of Europe the cases are rising and they are at 36% of peak cases and rising. At this point, it is what it is and we’ll make the most of it! I’ll try to post at least a few times in the next couple of weeks. Our flight today is on Air France, nonstop SFO - CDG. Even though we’ll be going to a different hotel 6 days in advance Tauck will still transfer us from the airport to our accommodations at The Peninsula. That’s a really nice touch and something most cruise lines won’t do. Having been to Paris more than a few times already we’re drilling down to some less touristy sites and hopefully I can recap them if the rain doesn’t keep us away.