Boreus

any recommendations for boutique type hotels in the Spanish Steps area? This would be for our two daughters, in their 40s. I think they'd enjoy this particular lively, walkable area, but I'm certainly open to suggestions. Around $500 a night sounds like plenty to me.

My favorite Rome hotel is Teatro di Pompeo. It is a boutique type near Campo de Fiori, and it meets your preference for being in a lively, walkable area. The hotel web site is: http://www.hotelteatrodipompeo.it/

According to a June 27 posting on this board by JohnnyCruise the champaigne is Pommery Brut Royal.

While Senegal shares a border with Guinea, where ebola has been reported, there are no reports of ebola in Senegal. I am sure that if there were to be an ebola outbreak in Senegal, Regent would evaluate the situation and decide whether to cancel the stop in Dakar. I agree with Wendy that Regent will be very careful in assessing the risk to passengers (and crew.)

I value everyone's opinion here and would be grateful for your favorite hotel in Venice.

My favorite hotel in Venice is the Ca' Dogaressa. Here is the web site: http://www.cadogaressa.com/. You will probably get other opinions if you post your question on the Cruise Critic Ports of Call/Europe/Italy site.

I don't know why 5436A in the Caribbean was added, but I just noticed that Voyage 5431 on the Spirit in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in September and October has been split into two, 5431A and B. This may be due to cancellations on the original cruise which was scheduled to go to Sochi, Russia and ports in Ukraine. Silversea substituted Izmir, Turkey and ports in Greece for those troubled places.

Possibly based on the Wind's experience in Odessa earlier this month, or perhaps just because of recent news and an abundance of caution, the Black Sea cruise by Silver Spirit from Sept. 28 through Oct. 7 (voyage 5529) has canceled stops in Trabzon, Batumi, Sochi, Yalta, Sevastopol, and Odessa, substituting ports in Greece and in Izmir, Turkey. Constanta and Nessebur are still on the cruise. The Silversea web site has not entirely caught up with this change and the map on the page with cruise itineraries still shows all the original Black Sea ports.

The following is quoted from an article entitled "Norovirus outbreaks make both cruise lines and passengers leery" in the Travel section of the Washington Post of February 13, 2014:

It seems that the only absolutely certain way to stay uninfected is to stay home. There’s no vaccine to protect you from norovirus, and simply applying a dab of antibacterial gel before eating at the buffet won’t cut it, say experts. Washing your hands frequently with soap and warm water and minding what you touch can help prevent an infection, but it’s no guarantee.

“It goes back to the adage our parents and teachers drummed into us,” says Susan Rehm, vice chairman of the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Infectious Disease. “Wash your hands and keep them away from your face.”

Last year, the CDC reported only seven confirmed norovirus outbreaks, which came to just 1,238 total afflicted passengers worldwide, or 0.0059 percent of 21 million cruise passengers. In 2012, the agency reported 16 norovirus outbreaks on ships.

You will have to watch an advertisement first, but for the full text of the article click: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/norovirus-outbreaks-make-both-cruise-lines-and-passengers-leery/2014/02/13/cabf3000-9340-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html?wpisrc=nl_travel

The Paradise String Quartet were a dream to listen to every day, so talented :)

Dear John and Caroline, I second your appraisal of the Paradise String Quartet. I could not recall the group's name so I described them as the quartet from Ukraine in my review of the Marina cruise from Civitavecchia arriving in Dover on June 6 (this is posted at Cruise Reviews). I am glad your post included their name and gives me this chance for a shout out to them. On my Marina cruise they gave an evening performance that was wonderful.

I am currently on the Regatta. The pool is salt water, heated to what the users tell me is a comfortable level, and is an even five and one-half feet deep, with a shallow lip of a few feet at both ends. It has been cool and often overcast so far on this cruise so the pool is little used.