Tranquility Base

Good advise. There are, slowly, an increasing number of passengers from countries where a cheque can only be found as a reminder of a bygone era inside a museum.

If Row 22 is an exit row, wouldn't it be Row 21 with no recline ?

I think an amount of the frustration stems from lack of effective communications as these situations arise. Something more specific than the overused generic "operational" reason would often be sufficient to ease the grumblings of most.

Thank you for you honesty in your post. What was the website you should have used please ?

Yes. Recently I booked a number of excursions . The online system uses, in order: 1. SM credits, 2. Other SBC showing in your account; 3. Cash.

We were scheduled into Amalfi / Positano late last year. A couple of days before hand, they announced docking now at Salerno due poor weather forecast. As you are heading in that direction on your cruise, that would be my poor weather back up plan. As far as Amalfi vs Positano, I was planning on the tender being to Amalfi. Positano has all sorts of logistical problems due to lack of close road access. Of course we never found out due to the poor weather. Look at the ship's tours on your cruise. On ours it had a ferry trip from Amalfi to Positano and return to Amalfi. Another reason I believed that Amalfi was the plan. The road is subject to a lot of traffic on the narrow winding road. Allow lots of time for your return to the tender pier.

That's why they provide the option of refundable or changeable fare options for the passenger to purchase if they wish.

Many of the airfares I purchase when flying to join / leave a cruise have a small fee for cancellation. Usually less than 5%, certainly it's a small amount in relation to the overall cost of the entire trip. As you say, it's an insurance policy. It's a personal choice which I take.

The NZTD is still being trialled regarding cruise ship travel. Even if your ship is part of the trial, they should still have paper forms as a back up.

We spent about 5 days on some recent cruises there. I walked a couple of times back from the Galata Bridge area to the ship. There are 2 or 3 streets which run parallel to, and next to, the Bosphorus. In this vicinity there were lots of eateries which were reasonably busy. The area around the JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus. I have no idea as to quality, but many were quite busy. NOTE: this is in the area outside the Galataport security area, not inside.

I'm sure it will be a Delight (pun intended)

Hmmm.... So Vista can visit Istanbul every month from May through to September. Riviera can visit in October. But in November there is a safety concern ..........

Here is my guess. It’s about 33 days between cruises. It’s about 23 days sailing at 20 kts. Not enough spare days to make both segments ( via Cape Town) interesting enough. Sail high speed Dubai - Cape Town, non- stop,(10 days), without pax. At CT, a splash & dash for fuel, grub & scrub for food, board pax and on your way. That way, there may be enough days spare on the Cape Town - Civitavecchia segment to make it a nice segment.

There weren't many 50% ones if I recall. Perhaps only 2 or 3. One was the revised non-stop (Red Sea) one from Dubai - Trieste which now has been cancelled

Sorry to hear that. One of the questions now would be: do they sell a Dubai - Cape Town - Civitavecchia as a cruise, or do they sail without passengers. It would appear to be about 24 days at 19 kts without any ports stops.

Looking at the website, it appears the next cruise advertised for Riviera following the 14 May Dubai visit is now 17th June out of Rome.

For info: I've also had at gate security checks at Singapore and Dubai. Of course in some classes of travel both SQ & EK provide bottles of water at your seat on boarding, or anytime on request.

As has been mentioned, Riviera visited Turkiye in Oct / Nov last year. It visited Istanbul on 3 occasions with 4 overnights. It's last stop was on 29th Nov before it departed for the Suez transit. It also visited Izmir & Kusadasi during this time. Sirena also visited Turkiye during this time. As has been mentioned it doesn't appear as if Vista's visits were cancelled. They are still visiting in May this year, unchanged from their schedule. Riviera is scheduled into Dubai on 14 May. The next cruise advertised is 29 May out of Trieste.

Great, thanks. I'll be able to plan my first day as a DIY day, and will remain flexible regarding actual shuttle departure timings.

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According to the UK Gov website, Qatar is eligible now. Six further counties from the Middle East become eligible on 22 February. The timetable for further countries, as far as I can find, has not been announced.

Are you saying the UK has now set the date as to when Australian passport holders will need the UK ETA ? I thought the start date was yet to be announced.

For Coral it is both. Primarily a transit, but also a scheduled embarkation for some.

Is there sometimes an alcoholic Ginger Beer available on O ? If so, I wonder if that would be included in SM. I guess I'll find out onboard.

Thanks. An FCC would be OK, as that should be able to be applied to an existing booking (I hope). If SBC would that be Refundable SBC ?