acwmom

10 minutes ago, Haqdeluxe said:

I hope there was a significant discount on this cruise to offset sailing upside down! 😁

I don’t know how that happens! The ship is full. Beautiful day here. Sunny and 67

And we are back! What beautiful weather in Avignon. It’s the last cruise of the season.  Follow along. I’ll try to keep up!

17 hours ago, ilenea said:

Wonderful trip review!!!  When did you go?  We are doing mid-April and now I'm worried that we'll need to bring heavy coats!

 

Do you recall what time people were able to disembark on the last day?  We'll be staying on at your favorite hotel in Paris (thank you for the recommendation), but will likely check-in then head to Montmartre for the day.

We were on the first cruise of the season, and departed on 3/18. The snow was unexpected, but made for an interesting first couple of days. You should be fine with a mid weight jacket or layers in April.

you will love the hotel! And make sure you book your private pool time in the basement. We always book the last slot for the day so we can relax after a long day of exploring.

you can disembark whenever you like since you’re not bound by a departing flight.

Enjoy!

Robin

We did Montmartre on the overnight day (last day of the cruise) . Here is a link to the trip report I did in 2018.

35 minutes ago, ilenea said:

Can Montmarte be done on the debarkation day, or is that TOO short?

I would say yes. 

35 minutes ago, ilenea said:

Ugh!  I was already wondering what else to do the day of our Versailles stop on the cruise.  We've done Versailles (inside and out) ... probably a good day for a spa day!

We did the Petit Trianon and Hamlet, which Uniwolrd offered, and loved it!

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi Robin, glad you are both ok!!!!

Hope you’re not too adversely affected!

4 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

I see you're up posting this morning, so hope all is OK. 

No power, but otherwise doing okay. It looks like we were in the eye most of the night, so it was relatively calm. Our apartment is only 2 years old, and held up well.

Robin

We have twice stayed in Saint Germain at the DaVinci Hotel and Spa and love the location. We reserve our time in advance for the Eiffel Tower, as it is a must do for us. We find the location central to everything, either by walking or a shot metro ride. I agree that Montmarte can be done in a day.

Robin

5 minutes ago, ilenea said:

YAY!  Good news all around. Thank you!  I REALLY don't want to miss that.  Just hoping they don't sell out (or don't have enough people booking) if we wait to book until we are ON the boat using our shipboard credit.

You should be fine. We had about 30 go. I also highly recommend the golfing at Etretat (which isn’t an upgrade/extra cost)

We will be sailing on the SS Catherine in November, and I’ll be posting a trip report. We definitely will be going to the truffle farm.

Robin

Just now, acwmom said:

We started with lunch at La Mére Pollard (included) then a guide met us and walked us all the way to the top. It was a gradual climb, with stops along the way. A few stayed behind, but it was easily doable. So worth it! 

And we went in March.

Just now, ilenea said:

ACWMOM - I'm HOPING Mont St Michel will be offered on ours!  The 2022 sailings that are left say that it is only offered from September-November.  We aren't going until April 2023, and they haven't posted those yet!  Did you have time to walk around, and was there a guide, or did they just have you stand at the bottom and look up?  Was it a really hard climb (for those of us who are not Olympic athletes)?

We started with lunch at La Mére Pollard (included) then a guide met us and walked us all the way to the top. It was a gradual climb, with stops along the way. A few stayed behind, but it was easily doable. So worth it! 

I don’t recall being able to book the Masterpiece Collection prior to boarding. I agree with RitaBob, unless you know for sure what you’d like to add on, wait until the cruise director presentation. (We used our OBC to help pay for Mont St Michel)

Robin

48 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi Robin, I didn't know ya'll moved to Florida. What part? 

I have lived here since 1965.

We currently live in Lake Wales, but are moving up the road to Davenport in a few months

Robin

We have lived here all of 7 months, and get to experience an immense hurricane. Thankful to live inland, but do expect to lose power. Also thankful our apartment is only 2 years old, so hopefully will hold up. Stay safe to all of my other FL neighbors!

Robin

8 minutes ago, Coral said:

Do you think it was the ba.5? I hope you will be able to ward off future strains but impossible to know now a days.

Likely ba.5. I have had one booster and was waiting for them to update the vaccine strains before getting my second. For now, I’ll see this as my booster.  Symptoms were rough for 48 hours. Severe sore throat and fatigue.  Back to work tomorrow!

15 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Nearest port is Düsseldorf. Checked it now. I binge watched Tim's videos last year. Helped to keep me sane, I love unusual places - and trains! Enjoyed riding the Schwebebahn many years ago. So unusual. Guess where Tim went a year later? That's right to another one. Another one? Correct. There is a second one nearby and - if you want to know more watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeYTtlXywUI

A bit of nerdy technical and physics stuff thrown in as well.

 

All the best for fast recovery.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you! Another great video. I definitely need to figure out how to fit this into a trip. 
 

I’m back to work tomorrow. The first 2-3 days were rough, but I’m feeling about 90% now.

Robin

10 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Very disappointing.  A reason to praise Viking's strict 18 year old minimum on oceans and rivers.

I do like that rule on Viking. 

23 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Friends of the owners?  [I base this allegation on a report from Silversea of a very badly behaving family that were identified by the crew, who couldn't do anything about them, as friends of the owner.]

One was, but not the other. However, our cruise director said that on the Generations cruises, there were also horribly behaved children and they were told to look the other way (painting the walls and carpet-no parental supervision). In fact, the hotel manager was written up for telling them to stop!!!

26 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn! Amazing place. Here is a fun video to cheer you up. Find the place at Wuppertal which is off the East of the Rhine in North Rhine Westphalia. Nearest port may be Duisburg. Or Düsseldorf.

 

notamermaid

 

Fascinating! Amazing how old it is, and how it has stood the test of time. Definitely on my list now:)

Robin

@notamermaidplease tell me more about this! I’m stuck in isolation, recovering from Covid, and this showed up on my Facebook feed. Where’s the nearest river cruise port or large town? I’d love to see this (and take a ride) 

Has anyone else done this? @jpalbny?

https://schwebebahn.de/en

We did Zurich to Lucerne via train, then Lucerne to Basel by train. At the time of our trip, we saved a substantial amount doing it ourselves, and we’re able to choose our own hotel and itinerary. There were probably about 20 from our cruise who did the same. You can search my name and trip report if you like.

As to children on Uniworld, in 2018 we had two poorly behaved under 10yr olds. It was not a generational cruise. The year prior, we had a well behaved 12yo and 16yo. There is no under 18 not allowed with Uniworld.

Robin

22 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I was going to ask how you are enjoying Florida, but I think you have already answered my question!  😀

I’m learning a lot about the area. It’s fascinating and beautiful. The Lake Wales ridge is really interesting. The chain of links that interconnect with canals are beautiful. No air traffic (which is a huge change for the better) and a small town feel have been huge positives. 

4 hours ago, need2travel1 said:

Great to see you posting again!   Enjoy your trips & please post more of your reviews as I love traveling vicariously thru your trip reports!!

I love doing trip reports! My current photos consist of sunrise, sunset and wildlife

10 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Great to hear from you, I was wondering what you two are up to these days.

 

You are not actually saying when you are going. Very soon?

 

Have a great time. What a splendid trip to look forward to.

 

notamermaid

 

We leave the end of October and will be on the last cruise of the season with Uniworld. 
 

And…..our house is under contract (as is my old office) so it’s a good week😁