Mahogany

Thanks for the suggestion. In Before You Sail: Majority of shore excursions may be canceled with 48 hours with no fee. * *Please contact our Onboard Staff for details. Of course, that doesn't help my reservation that is within 48 hours when I embark and contact Onboard Staff. 🙂

I'm boarding Symphony in a month, and there is no mention of cancellation dates on any of the Greek or Turkish ports we are visiting. And one is 2 days after embarkation. As ijkh asked: if there is no mention, does that mean no cancellation fee, or is the bad news waiting in an envelope when you arrive? Doesn't seem right. Just let me know, so I can choose to keep the reservation or cancel.

Carpets: I have two from Morocco, once when I was in college with my mother, the other with my husband when we were in Spain for two months to play golf and took the ferry to Tangier. Watch: I bought a Rolex fake on the streets of Bangkok. When I returned to the ship, someone asked, "is it still working?" Yes, and yes today 13 years later, not the original battery, though. I think I'll look for ceramics this time. Any problem shipping large items?

My upcoming Crystal cruise includes an overnight in Istanbul and a port stop in Ephesus (which I may skip because of the heat and having visited before). I hadn't planned on purchasing Turkish lira since I read euros are accepted most places. My question is: do the stalls in the Grand Bazaar accept euros?

I am looking into George's Taxi for airport TO hotel, but am I misreading that they DO NOT offer service FROM hotel to airport or ship?

Any word when new Osteria debuts on Symphony?

IIRC they let you wheel up to the table, then store the scooter outside Compass Rose until after dinner when the staff retrieve it for you.

Only good for 2 years, or upon expiration of passport.

Do you know how much longer Vicki will be onboard?

I remember reading about a poster's dissatisfaction with Penthouse C on Splendor or Grandeur. I am considering 704. Was the problem with 700?

The last sentence of your post was "Usually assures you of getting seated with his best team." Just asking who his best team is. I want them on my August voyage! Just kidding, I hope the service personnel are all trained equally.

So you expect better than regular service, and your maitre'd tips assure that? Who's the "best team"?

Whoa! "Being around stripes means" nothing to me. Is that how my post was interpreted? I only meant to express my opinion about the officers' friendliness; perhaps because we were at sea for 11 of the 19 days, the officers had more free time. And it is definitely not a consideration when I am choosing a cruise. Don't dump on me for complimenting the staff!

There's been a lot of talk about crew on Crystal. I have only been on one OC, but will be on Symphony for 3 weeks this summer, so I am anxious to see if Officers are as visible and approachable as the 2 Silversea I've been on in the past 3 months. Maybe this is off-topic, so it doesn't factor into price/value. But the Silversea Officers are everywhere with a smile and offer to help.

On the Ray in December, they wouldn't ALLOW us to walk by without washing. But, yes, another reason to block the staircase sneakers. See you Saturday!

Back to the original question. If your itinerary from Greece to Italy includes Turkey, you will need a visa.

Maybe a passenger tried to sell their reservation past the no-refund deadline (2 PM?)

You misunderstood. Crystal is definitely luxury; I am on a 21-day cruise on Symphony this summer. My comment was, this is a one-time offer for new passengers, not a loyalty match each cruise.

This has happened on previous SS cruises, usually held in S.A.L.T. Kitchen.

Yes, I know about the offer for first time on Crystal, and I know about loyalty with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, but I wish to travel only on the luxury, not mass market lines. So, no match.

Not sure what you mean by "loyalty match on almost any line". I cruise on Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, and Silversea. No loyalty match between them. Loyalty match would not be on a luxury line, just Premium or lower, no?

What is the length of your voyage? Mine is 19 days, and minimum for a Silver Suite (I am in Deluxe veranda) was over $4000.

Trivia on other cruise lines often in the 4-5 PM time range.

Anybody with several trips on A&K (me) know if that loyalty means anything to NC?

I have sailed about 7 times on Silversea, including next month. But I am booked on Crystal for 3 weeks in August. I traveled a lot with A&K including Antarctica and asked my TA if my time with them would count toward anything with Crystal. I was told no, so I am curious to hear whether your experience is positive. I am in a Sapphire veranda; I believe Aquamarine is about the size of Silversea suites. But my prior voyage with OC in a double proved to me that I needed more space while onboard.