laughing husky

I am on the Epic right now. We dock in San Juan in the morning. It will be the last cruise for 60 days. They have said that the ship will have a deep cleaning. Some of the crew will leave, most will stay on. The ship is completely full i have a mini next to the medical clinic. There are no lines, there have been no ambulances at the ports, everyone is happy, the weather is great and self isolating with 6000 people in the middle of the Carribean can be a great thing. I havent heard anyone cough, everyone is washing hands. Its fine. It really is. :)

I hope you keep this up. Will be on the Epic in a couple of weeks, and your review is wonderfully detailed. thanks.

Another small but very convenient hotel is the Hotel lancelot. It in very near the Coliseum in the oldest part of Rome. It used a lot by Rick Stevens and is a good choice for a small non American hotel. Has a great breakfast and very nice little bar. It is not good for wheelchairs. It is great for atmosphere. They will arrange a private taxi or car to take you to the port. No walking involved. I stay there when in Rome even when I am not on a cruise.

Bulletin is as is TN honey which is TN whiskey but wonderful

set yourself an alert on the link that was above. It will tell you if there is enough solar activity to see them. You need dark and solar activity. Some of the best lights I have ever seen, and I have seen hundreds have been in early September. They come and go...changing constantly. Never alike. but you need to stay up. That said, unless there is a good display, the ships lights ruin the show.

I have been sailing Princess also for years, and yes, I am elite also. My agent is a Princess agent. I used to be a TA so I know my way around a reservation. She has been a Princess agent for 15 years and she is a good one. She told me that this appears to be a new policy. They used to do it, and sometimes did it under the table but they could not do it any more. I don't know. I have certainly done it in the past without a problem. We will see if it ever happens again. Maybe I will just say the heck with any promotion...Wait until final payment has come and gone and then take the cheap price when all of the wholesalers dump their cabins, and the price becomes cheap. Or maybe I will just switch to another line for awhile....One that doesn't belong to Carnival. 🙂

Not a weekend person at all. Apparently this is a brand new rule. And also, the price was the same. well, 10.00 less...maybe that did make the difference. I have changed cabins frequently with a gazillion cruises...well, maybe not a gazillion but lots of them on Princess.

yes, you were correct....It WAS done all of the time....New rule...not any more. My agent is a top line Princess agent..I could have made the switch, but would have lost everything on the original booking.

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down. Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy. Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked. In this case, gratuities. I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case. Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall. Anyone else have this experience?

I lived in Key West for years...The cruises basically ruined a very nice island. My office was a block from the Southern most Point in the US...We had hordes of people sitting on our property...I understand all of this and I understand while Venice, Rome and now Brugge has come to this. I love to cruise....but it is necessary to respect the people and the place where you are and realize that this is where someone lives. BTW, went on a Med cruise in Oct/November that stopped in Santorini and it was empty....as was Venice and Ephesus...I even got to take photos of Pompeii with noone there but our small group of about 10 people...and the weather was great. I managed to take photos of the tree I climbed in Ephesus when I lived in Turkey as a young child....It was still there, just a heck of a lot bigger. Think fall for a cruise...you will be glad you did.

Perhaps because I was very tired, just saw the article and pushed the post button twice by mistake...It was 3 AM when I did this. Just came home from work...and I was a bit tired. Sorry that posting twice apparently bothered you. Have a nice day.

The Belgian destination will impose new regulations to control the influx of day visitors and cruise ships. SHARE THIS ARTICLE SAVE This month, the Belgian city of Bruges joined a number of popular European destinations, including Venice and Amsterdam, in implementing new regulations to help curb the impacts of overtourism. Bruges mayor Dirk De fauw announced in early June that he will back stricter measures designed to control the influx of short-term visitors to Bruges, according to the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. De fauw, who was elected in 2018, warned that the popular Flemish destination is at risk of becoming “a complete Disneyland.” As part of the newly implemented measures, a cap has been introduced for cruise ships docked in the city’s port, reducing the number from five to two at a time. The city will also ask cruise ship companies to dock during weekdays instead of over the weekend to control overcrowding in the picturesque medieval city. Additionally, the tourism board will revoke advertising campaigns for Bruges in nearby destinations such as Brussels and Paris to help decrease the number of day-trippers. RELATED 7 Surprisingly Illegal Things to Avoid in Europe Last year, a record 8.3 million tourists visited Bruges, according to a report from the Evening Standard. Of those travelers, 6 million arrived from cruise ships and spent an average of three hours total in the city. Day visitors cause cities to lose revenue typically earned through hotel stays, which is an important part of the economy for many popular tourist destinations. The recent move from Bruges officials is an effort to encourage travelers to invest more in the city by staying for longer. It echoes decisions made in an increasing number of European destinations that are grappling with the effects of mass tourism. This year, Venice city officials approved a new tax on day-trippers and Amsterdam banned tours of its red-light district in addition to introducing new levies that affect cruise passengers. Most recently, a crackdown on bad tourist behavior at historic sites around Rome was transformed into permanent law.

The Belgian destination will impose new regulations to control the influx of day visitors and cruise ships. SHARE THIS ARTICLE SAVE This month, the Belgian city of Bruges joined a number of popular European destinations, including Venice and Amsterdam, in implementing new regulations to help curb the impacts of overtourism. Bruges mayor Dirk De fauw announced in early June that he will back stricter measures designed to control the influx of short-term visitors to Bruges, according to the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. De fauw, who was elected in 2018, warned that the popular Flemish destination is at risk of becoming “a complete Disneyland.” As part of the newly implemented measures, a cap has been introduced for cruise ships docked in the city’s port, reducing the number from five to two at a time. The city will also ask cruise ship companies to dock during weekdays instead of over the weekend to control overcrowding in the picturesque medieval city. Additionally, the tourism board will revoke advertising campaigns for Bruges in nearby destinations such as Brussels and Paris to help decrease the number of day-trippers. RELATED 7 Surprisingly Illegal Things to Avoid in Europe Last year, a record 8.3 million tourists visited Bruges, according to a report from the Evening Standard. Of those travelers, 6 million arrived from cruise ships and spent an average of three hours total in the city. Day visitors cause cities to lose revenue typically earned through hotel stays, which is an important part of the economy for many popular tourist destinations. The recent move from Bruges officials is an effort to encourage travelers to invest more in the city by staying for longer. It echoes decisions made in an increasing number of European destinations that are grappling with the effects of mass tourism. This year, Venice city officials approved a new tax on day-trippers and Amsterdam banned tours of its red-light district in addition to introducing new levies that affect cruise passengers. Most recently, a crackdown on bad tourist behavior at historic sites around Rome was transformed into permanent law.

there is a very articulate article that has menus posted. It is called a very long review something or other. It has drink menus and a lot of info that I have found very useful. She has not finished the review of her cruise as yet, but it is really long and exceptionally detailed.

can't wait to hear about the rest of the cruise.