Heartgrove

One thing I will add is how empty Passport Control at Dulles was yesterday. We had to walk the maze of lanes with only two other people ahead of us, and there were only two booths open to check our passports. We have passed through there before taking an half hour to get screened. Our plane had empty seats as well. Visitors are staying home from visiting the USA. But where we were in Europe was crowded. - Jack

Good Morning Everyone! We are ready to continue on our last leg of this trip. The hotel van dropped us outside the airport at our bus stop. It was nice when our local regional airport was served by UAL but now our only option from there is flying to Charlotte, NC. The “Virginia Breeze” is economical but only has two buses each way on our route that do not work with returning International flights. Of course we were both awake at 4:00 am this morning! Now to catch up on six weeks at home. We have had a lot of rain while being gone. DSIL has mowed at least twice, and I have a new “used” tractor itch. We’ll see! Stay Safe, and Prayers for Those in need! - Jack

Good Afternoon (Morning) from Switzerland! We are definitely on our last leg of our trip. Last week Sue and I both started saying that this six week trip has been a bit too long. But she was able to get a lot of material for her artwork as she has a Featured Artist show in August. Our next cruise is not scheduled until August 2026 so I have started hinting about rescuing another Alaskan Malamute. I still miss Sam so much! He was a special guy. Before we left there was an 8 year old female up for adoption. I will see who is in need of a furr-ever home. Stay Safe, and Prayers for Those in need. - Jack

Good Morning everyone! Thank you all for the birthday wishes yesterday! Even though our cruises are over, I did spend 2-1/2 hours on the water yesterday. We took the Lake Como ferry from Varenna to Como to catch the train to Milan. Our plans needed to be shifted by a day as the Railroad Unions had a one day strike on Friday. As my Italian boss from about 50+ years ago while smoking his cigar would say: “No problem!” With no trains running luckily our hotel in Varenna had a cancellation and we were able to stay in the same room. Today we went to the Navigli area for lunch. These were the canals dug in Roman times to move commerce. Now it is a popular location with restaurants. Tomorrow we have a morning train to Geneva, two nights there, and our flight home Wednesday. When we arrive at IAD, we are staying over night at a hotel near the airport and then the Virginia-sponsored bus home on Thursday. Stay Safe, and Prayers for those in need! - Jack

We were on the October 2024 Rotterdam Transatlantic and missed Zeebrugge due to wind. However the Cunard Queen Anne, which can be considered the “4th” Pinnacle-class, did dock in Zeebrugge that same day! Very similar ships - but different Masters. In 2019 aboard the Nieuw Statendam we missed Livorno due to wind. It is a very tight harbor with the way the breakwaters are situated. We were just there Monday aboard the MSC Spendida and the captain made full use of the bow and stern thrusters. With regards to Tallin, the channel leading to the port is very shallow. Ships have a tendency to “dig” their bow at speed. If the port is shallow that compounds the problem.

Good Afternoon everyone! We are on our sea day from Valencia to for Livorno tomorrow, and will disembark on Tuesday in Civitavecchia. Not looking forward to the craziness of disembarking! We decided to stop overnite in Milan before continuing on to Varenna on Lake Como Wednesday. Sailing weather-wise has been very good with only one day on the Oosterdam not very smooth, and leaving Marseille aboard the Splendida with a 120 km wind on the starboard forward quarter. It was really creaking until we cleared the Bay of Marseille. Last night we used our free Diamond Member dinner at The Butcher’s Cut, their steakhouse. Excellent cuts of meat. Our food in Yacht Club has been very good and I went to the buffet once to have THE best cruise line pizza. Disappointed though that they are not serving the charcoal pizza that I had the first time on the Splendida. Just like on the Oosterdam where the captain had his family along, the captain on the Splendida has his parents as guests! The ship feels full and something I haven’t seen on HAL are baby strollers so a lot of families cruising but no craziness like found on Carnival. Committed to two more MSC cruises on MSC by purchasing two vouchers for the extra benefits. This morning we have been pacing the Marella Voyager (was originally a Celebrity ship) enroute to Marina de Carrara and it has now crossed our wake. Yesterday I watched the Virgin Scarlet Lady sail in to Valencia on its crossing.Getting ready to watch the Italian Grand Prix in Italian. Surprisingly to me is that they just showed the betting percentages on TV. Stay Safe, and Prayers For Those in Need! - Jack Marella Voyager Virgin Scarlet Lady MSC Splendida

Lenda, thanks for the kind words. This is cruise #3 of this trip.

Good Morning from Marseille! Just finishing lunch onboard the Splendida. I had to have my fix of MSC pizza! Our excursion to Cassis was cancelled for lack of interest by other passengers today so we elected to just stay onboard. With the three cruise companies on this trip, MSC’s pizza is still the best but disappointed they are not serving the charcoal pizza that I enjoy. Yesterday in Genoa (one our favorite Italian cities) we rode the HOHO to the fishing village of Boccadasse. We had lunch along waterfront and the decided to continue walking to the next HOHO bus stop. That was a mistake as the map was drawn without a scale! It ended up being about two miles away. Making History! This seems to be the cruise with not only repeat ships but repeat captains! On the Oosterdam we were with Captain von Haggadelen and now on the Splendida we are once again with Captain Francesco Iacono whom we sailed with on the MSC Preziosa. Enjoying being in Yacht Club for all the pampering we receive! This is our favorite class of ships. Next week we will be shore-based before flying home from Switzerland. But it is only Day Two of this cruise so plenty of cruising left to do. Stay Safe, and Prayers for Those In Need! - Jack Civitavvechia and MSC Splendida

We took the TGV from Lyon to Barcelona as we were coming from Venice using the Frecciarossa two years ago. The train was full but we had reserved seats. Yes, read “Seat 61’s” website for tips. We enjoyed watching the change of scenery, and arrival at Sants Estacion was perfect for our hotel.

We are currently on the MSC Splendida in YC. Last evening while leaving Genoa I was watching our progress on Marine Traffic while also identifying surrounding ships in the area. One was the Allura doing 9 knots with the description “Sea Trials.” The closest we came was about 3-4 miles. I snapped some photos but it was at the limit of an iPhone unfortunately. Oceania Allura on sea trials. Cropped photo

Good Morning everyone, and Prayers for those in need! Our last day aboard the Equinox and packing for our move tomorrow. We sailed by a quiet Stromboli about an hour ago. Sue is on a kitchen tour that includes lunch. I have been much happier with the Equinox than our previous cruise on the Beyond. But I am happy to move again to a different ship for a change in menus. We sailed in the Aqua class but I probably ordered off the MDR menu about 25% of the time. Yesterday we were in Katakolon and ate at the same restaurant on the waterfront that we ate at six years ago. They were very happy that we had returned as a repeat customer! Love their Grilled Sardines! That time we were aboard the Nieuw Statendam. Stay Safe! - Jack

We just finished the EB Tranatlantic aboard the Oosterdam and at the Captain’s Talk the question about time changes came up. The captain said a daytime change would upset the crew schedule. They need a certain amount of down time from their duties.

Good morning from Istanbul. We actually docked about 20 minutes early. We are in Aqua Class and received an invitation to sail in to Istanbul from the Helipad at the bow. Sue is off on an excursion today while I elected to stay onboard. Yesterday we had a wonderful X excursion to Ephesus from Kusadasi. Thankfully my knee has been tolerant with walking a total of 6.16 miles for the day. I don’t want to stretch my luck today. We still have Santorini and Irkalon besides our Splendida ports. Yesterday we had the Majestic Princess docked next to us. Ironically I am trying to convince Sue that we can do its WB Transatlantic next September 2026. That would be after our Iceland Norway cruises aboard the Rotterdam. It will call on Lerwick which is a bucket list port for us, ever since watching the seven seasons of “Shetland.” We spoke today with a Celebrity FCC about Bermuda from Cape Liberty for next year. It would be our annual cruise where Sue’s sister joins us. I am enjoying the Celebrity S-class way better than the E-class Beyond we sailed on last year. Stay Safe, and prayers for those in need! - Jack

Last October for the Transatlantic we went three days early. We flew into Brussels because it was way cheaper for a one-way flight, took the train to Rotterdam, and then stayed at a hotel by Rotterdam Central. The day of sailing we took a tram down to the port, walked across the road, and boarded around 11:00 am. On our days there we went to Delft and the next day to Dordrecht.

Thanks Tina for the reading suggestion. A few years ago my older sister (RIP) was doing a genealogy search and found that my maternal grandfather sailed on the Lusitania, after having immigrated from Sweden, back to Sweden for some reason. He did return to the USA and eventually married my maternal grandmother who was from Ireland.

Good Morning everyone! At sea for Mykonos on Tuesday. Time change tonight- again! Settling into a new class of ship but still trying to figure the deck plans out. I didn’t want to say anything until we changed ships to verify my thoughts. The new carpeting on the Oosterdam is offgassing the materials used in its manufacture. My sinuses would bother me each morning and I needed to take an allergy pill each day while onboard. The good news for other passengers is that after a month’s time it should stop. The Captain’s Welcome is at noon which is the only thing we have planned. It is overcast and foggy as we pass the Southern coast of Sardinia. Stay Safe! - Jack

We had our sailaway just now. Our comfy home for the last 15 days left just ahead of us on its way to Malaga. I managed to catch both the Oosterdam and Splendida side by side. They even had a ship’s airhorn battle as they passed! We will see you in 11 days, Splendida! - Jack

Good morning! Our first vessel transfer of this trip to the Celebrity Equinox. We had docked at Terminal D and then walked to Terminal B. Along the way there were a few other passengers going the opposite direction from X to HAL. Barcelona is rather hazy today and upper 60’s. The boarding process was rather simple and ate in an almost empty Oceanview buffet. Off to the drill and we should be able to get in our staterooms soon. take care, and Stay Safe! - Jack

Good Morning! Our last day aboard the Oosterdam so we are packing for our move tomorrow to the Equinox. It sounds like they had a more eventful crossing than we did. We were in today’s port last October on our Rotterdam crossing and visited Quimper on an excursion. The port was another commercial port so my photos are actually Quimper. Yesterday Ceuta was interesting and reminded me a bit of Cartegena. Stay Safe! - Jack

We are on the Oosterdam as well and just short of full capacity. It must depend on the MDR staff.

Good morning from Ceuta, Spanish Morocco! It is our last stop before disembarking in Barcelona on Saturday. Labor Day is celebrated here on May 1 so shops are closed. Watched a small parade this morning. We walked around a portion of the city near the harbor, and had cappaccinos ( before 11 am!) at a small cafe. Stay Safe! - Jack

After the first night you should be able the reserve the four-top for each night at the same time. We are just finishing a Transatlantic and have had the same two-top each night. We politely let them know the three nights we had specialty dining and would not be there.

We give them our tips about a day or two before our cruise ends. That way we are not chasing them down on the last day. We tip them equally.

Good Morning! At sea with our last port tomorrow before disembarking in Barcelona Saturday. Last night we enjoyed eating at the pop up “Morimoto.” It was really very good, although we had an 8:30 reservation coupled with our last time change. Hard to get up this morning! 😀 The captain happened through the Pinnacle and I asked if I could take a photo of him with Sue. He is one of the most cordial captains serving with HAL. Take Care, and Stay Safe! - Jack

Here is the Equinox while berthed in Ponta Delgada yesterday from the Oosterdam, 27/04/2025