Jayayeff

Hopefully, they don't ship them around the world!!! As a non-US resident I'm not expecting to receive any prior to my cruise later this year, and I've already asked by travel agent to just keep them and not waste money mailing them across the world to me if they get sent to their office address. I really don't need to advertise who I am and where I'm going whilst en route, tagging my bags at the pier when I get there works for me... Anne..

No, I’m good with the ones onboard thanks, although I’m not a traditionalist and only drink weak, black tea hence the reason I prefer to make it myself!!!! 🤣🤣 Anne

Thank you very much. This probably sounds silly but I’d much rather make my own tea than order it from room service!!!! I will definitely request one for my next trip… Anne

I'm about to put that to the test - although I'm not onboard again until December so it may be a while until I find out whether 'on request' works or not!!!😀 Anne

You're not imagining things. I was on the Symphony in March in one of the solo cabins and the safe was definitely in the closet, and as the standard cabins on both ships are virtually identical I'm pretty sure it would have been in the same place on the Serenity too. To be honest I can't think where else they could possibly put it?!?!?! Anne...

Well, I’m not American, have never lived in New York or eaten a bagel in my life so I’ll take this thread back to the original topic and say thanks to Sleep7 for such a well constructed review of their recent Symphony cruise. The style and content is great and I’m sure anyone following in their footsteps will find the descriptions and photographs really useful. I’ll be back onboard the Symphony later in the year, also on Deck 7 and found the accommodation details particularly helpful… Thanks again, so pleased you had such an amazing experience onboard Symphony, I look forward to following any reviews of your future travels… Anne

It was same when I was onboard the Symphony in March - I never saw anyone at either of the desks… Again it was a light load, a large percentage of whom were international guests and/or first time Crystal cruisers… Anne

Could be because the summer season cruises in the Med and/or around Europe have very few sea days. I was onboard one of the Indian Ocean cruises with four full and one half sea days a couple of months ago and there were very active arts classes onboard on each of those days. No knitting or needlepoint classes but needlepoint kits could be collected from the library for self use. Anne

Interesting that to meet their market the majority of the accommodation is standard size staterooms, unlike Crystal who clearly prioritise the US market by reducing the number of regular staterooms in favour of larger suites… Makes one wonder if those of us who were/are happy with regular size staterooms (not just a few in unfavourable locations) should learn Japanese!!!!😀 Anne

Oh Dear, they are never a welcome sight!!! Thanks so much for having taken us all along with you - I have gathered lots of info from your posts that I'm sure will prove extremely helpful as my own segment of your trip draws closer.. Have a safe journey home... Anne...

Having had my fingers burned during the demise of ‘old’ Crystal, I did exactly that for my recent Symphony cruise - added “cancel for any reason” to my standard travel insurance policy. The cost was a little under 2% of the cruise fare!!!! So I’d say they’d be making sure our money worked for them rather than us if anyone were to take them up on their ‘offer’!!!! Anne…

Me too as I’ll be joining Goldengatecruisers for the Tema to Cape Town segment in December. I have downloaded and saved all the Reflections that Rob has posted, and have been matching up his excursion reports to those listed to better decide which to book - along with the comments and photos posted, all excellent reference material. I was on at the beginning of this Red Sea re-routing voyage in March from Mumbai to Mahe and whilst we had a few more guests than are currently onboard it was still a light load however, the onboard experience was faultless.. Anne

well, I’ll add another one into the mix as the one I have looks nothing like that one!!! At a rough guess I’d say this one is from 2007 and it has been well used although rarely taken on cruises as I usually have a camera bag as my ‘personal item’ when flying….

I recently returned from a cruise that included the Maldives and the Seychelles (but not Madagascar) and booked private excursions in both. Neither required payment in advance, although we did pay the Maldives one in advance as we got a discount for doing so, and the ship had an overnight there so the chances of us missing the port call were very slim....Also it was only a few weeks in advance not a year in advance....

I think the $200 or $300 are great deals and I wish they would have offered that when we disembarked in Mahe a few weeks ago. We booked a day pass at a resort and that cost plus the transfers, ship to resort and resort to the airport later in the evening resulted in a very expensive day - $200 would have been a bargain!!!! Anne…

Rob, The two weeks since I disembarked from the Symphony seem to have flown by and it’s almost your turn again now… Have a great trip, and as this is an itinerary I have under consideration I will be eagerly following along. 😀 Anne…

I recently looked into this requirement for the same reason and whilst the process may vary for you in Florida, a letter from an MD does not suffice. A stamped and signed certificate of exemption is required, which in my case here in Dubai is only issued by the tropical medicine dept. (same dept that gives the YF vaccination), and like the YF Vaccination Certificate is the only document that is considered official if you can’t take the vaccination. The exemption certificate will also be needed for any visas you need to apply for prior to travelling as well as be carried with you at the time of travel….. Anne…

I’ve decided to be proactive on this one instead of being disappointed by the embarkation day closure and no Waterside lunch!!!! As the friend who is travelling with me hasn’t been to Mumbai before I’ve arranged a half-day private tour so we get picked up from the hotel after breakfast and dropped off at the port after lunchtime!!!! Please don’t tell me there’s no Afternoon Tea on embarkation day either!!!!! Anne

and you can add another one to the list when I get there!!!!😀😀 Anne..

Such beautiful structures, and less threatening looking than the castles I’m used to seeing around the UK!!! 😀 Anne..

They must think we are stupid if we don’t notice, and would be thankful for such an ‘offer’!!!! I couldn’t figure out why they would increase the 2026 fare for the identical itinerary I have booked next month by almost 30%, then lo and behold an ‘offer’ was announced for a book before xxx date and receive a xxx amount air credit. You guessed it, the air credit is the same amount that the fare shot up!!!! It’s pretty obvious they are struggling to fill the ships these days but employing these pricing strategy tricks are definitely not helping their cause!!!! Anne….

Definitely not just from 19th Century novels. It was definitely in the normal everyday dictionary of the English language that I grew up with, and still use today…. It’s that ‘pond’ again - it definitely separates two different languages not just two separate countries!!!!! 😀😀 Anne

I don’t think that only applies to Australians!!!! 🤣🤣 Anne…

however, don’t expect to be zipping between the two cities by high-speed train anytime soon - the best estimate I’ve heard so far is in 7 years time!!!! 😀

Good Luck Adrian - I gave up on BA many years ago (December 2007 to be precise) after a nightmare journey back from LA to Dubai when they ‘reassigned’ my carefully selected seat on a night segment from LA to LHR and gave me one beside the toilets, and then got shoved out of the way waiting to board my next flight from LHR to Dubai so they could escort the Beckhams onboard!!!!! Thank heavens for Emirates!!!! I look forward to your posts as or when you find the time - a read that always brightens up the day. Enjoy the trip, I hope the BA seating issue and the changed port are the only hiccups along the way… Anne