Critically Cruising

57 minutes ago, Harters said:

BA's website.  With similar on Virgin Atlantic. 

Which limits you tremendously.

Try ITA Matrix.

https://matrix.itasoftware.com

57 minutes ago, Harters said:

My concern , which led me to start the thread, is that O's flight arrangements might be something daft, such as via Lisbon as you mention. If I knew that, or similar,  was likely to be their route, I could immediately dismiss it and not bother thinking of O to arrange flights.

So, a one-connection itinerary via LHR is fine, but a one-connection itinerary via Lisbon (MAN-LIS-MIA) is not acceptable?  Even though LIS is a far more convenient airport for connections than LHR.  And at a far more attractive price.  Not sure I understand that logic.

On 7/30/2023 at 6:26 AM, Harters said:

O's price difference is about £1000 (probably plus an internal flight MAN - LHR). Whereas BA's price for MAN - LHR - MIA is over £2000. 

Not sure where you are getting that 2000 pound number.  I can see flights from MAN to MIA for about 320 pounds one-way, on TAP via Lisbon.  And lots of options around 500 round-trip.

But then, without dates, who can say.

Whatever tickets someone else got in the past has zero relevance to what the current contract situation is with Oceania.  You are at the mercy of what is in their allocated inventory, not what is available to the general public.

Wherever -- just take the black taxis, which are cheap.

Tip:  Use US dollars.  And read up on the "Blue Dollar".  In Argentina, cash is king and credit cards are a losing proposition.

To/from KEF, the simplest way is the FlyBus or FlyBus+.  Private transfers are for those with money to set on fire.

And unless you are heading out into the countryside, there's no reason to go out to KEF to rent the car, just to bring it back into Reykjavik.  Unless you like driving on Icelandic roads.

23 minutes ago, chloemonkey said:

So now.....any personal recommendations for car service companies that are "tried and true?"

 

Rome Cabs

https://www.romecabs.com/transferservice/civitavecchia/

Want to say that I was in no way implying that you have disdain for rules.  Just wanted to give you a reference.  And you seem to be quite responsible in your flying.  Well done.

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

cruising isn't just about the chairs (despite my not being as fit as some posters here).    The chair status is just one small contributing factor.  

Far more important is the comfort of the bar stools.

6 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

The all important toiletries 

 

 

Say what you will about Etro, but at least it was easy to tell which was the shampoo vs the conditioner vs the shower gel -- by the color of the packaging.  Even without your glasses.

And those small caps are problematic.

Hey....gotta complain about something.....

1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

I suppose it depends if their sales are strong with the rest of the lines and also how determined they are to stick to their principles.

"How determined they are to stick to their grudges".

There....fixed it for you.

15 hours ago, les37b said:

Hoping to capture some drone footage and get back safely without melting. (Me and the drone! lol) 

Just to keep you on the right side of the law:

https://www.icetra.is/aviation/drones/

2 hours ago, lincslady said:

I don't want to be a party pooper but Greenall's gin is one of the cheapest and most ordinary gins  we have in the UK!  Amazing to see it feature in this list of new gins on Crystal.

Maybe it was put there to be a contrast with the other, better specimens.

And FWIW, Berkeley and Bloom were on Silversea for years.

Hopefully they have not taken away Botanist.

Wondering if that is a self-leveling pool table, or if one will have to use some windage judging how the ship is moving?

I'm trying to figure out how the ship changed so completely once you left in Cape Town and we boarded.

Then again, we actually like other people. And not just curling up with a book in our own little world avoiding any interactions.

Greetings from Africa!! Sorry for not writing earlier. Hope some of this info helps others.

Unlike Fletcher in the other thread, we think of the Cloud as more than just a taxi from port to port. And we wondered how true that was for him. Seems he couldn’t find much that he liked onboard.

Boarding in Cape Town was quick and efficient – plenty of porters. The cruise terminal is near to the Victoria & Alfred waterfront area and taxis know the way. We have about 195 guests onboard so no sense of being crowded.

Now to the ship itself. Last time on the Cloud was in mid-2014, so I can only say that much looks the same, though obviously redone. Public areas look good and I can’t notice much if any changes. Let’s start on Deck 4.

The Restaurant has been relatively quiet. Franz the Maitre’D has been able to accommodate tables for two, four, six as well as tables for folks to share. The quality level has been quite good, with a goodly assortment of standard fare and regional dishes. We don’t dine in Le Champagne so can’t give any comments. One comment about “the burgers”: we’ve found that if you take away the bun, it’s quite nice, especially the short rib burger. Flavorful. I call it “steak tartare, done medium rare”. The one negative on Four is still the launderette. No ventilation at all, so it’s a pure sweat box. ‘Nuff said.

Deck 5. The Bar has been well populated, both before and after dinner. Chester is behind the bar. He’s an excellent host making everyone feel welcome. Two dance hosts, plus a good quartet that knows bossa nova. Shops have the usual overpriced items – they did have a SS cap on sale for $15. Staff there is friendly and know that prices and selection leave them with few customers. Casino is empty. Repeat – empty. They are not even grossing what the electricity for the slots must cost.

Deck 6. Venetian lounge looks good. Card room has had a group of bridge players and a very entertaining director. Lobby area looks good.

Deck 7. La Terrazza has had interesting lunch items, including local fare. Attentive service. Busy at dinner time – many wanting the more casual ambiance. Wonder how Fletcher pulled strings to get a standing reservation in that room.

Deck 8. Panorama is quieter during the day. Dance class but tea is in Terrazza. Excellent solo pianist. The Grill was extremely busy at night – even with night time temps in the low 80s. Good bartenders at the Pool Bar.

All in all, the ship is in pretty good shape. Everything works in our suite, though the A/C throughout is straining with the demands of 90+ degree temps and 80+% humidity. If coming on this itinerary bring plenty of deodorant to cover the multiple showers each day, if you go outside.

Have had little use of our balcony. Too hot. Plus, the ship warns of insects in the evening.

That’s the ship rundown. More on ports and onboard stuff later.

Aboard the Cloud and all is well. About 200 guests, so plenty of room everywhere. We were a bit concerned on Sunday morning. The ship was not in the harbor and what looked like smoke was coming in from the west. Turned that what looked like smoke was fog. Heavy and thick. Cloud sailed in late, about 09:45.

Boarding was smooth and easy. Furnishings were new, new carpets and upholstery – though they looked like the same pattern as before. Crew was loading supplies right up until departure – many boxes in deck 5 suites near lobby. Did not see any that looked like food. <grin>

MDR has been empty. Not sure where everyone is dining.

Captain’s reception was last night. Majority in black tie.

Today in Port Elizabeth. Temps in mid-70’s, but humidity is 85+%. Taking this as an easy day – shuttle provided to the Boardwalk mall. Having a cold beer and using the wifi. Found a good biltang shop, so I have latenight munchie snacks for the suite.

More in future posts.

As of today, the Silver Cloud has arrived in Cape Town and is getting ready to start its 14-day Cape Town to Mombasa, Kenya sailing. This includes stops in South Africa at Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Richards Bay. Then it will be stops at Maputo/Mozambique, Mahajanga/Madagascar, Komba/Madagascar, Mamoudzou/Mayotte and Zanzibar/Tanzania.

Terry...the Cloud wasn't in when you posted. In fact, it only arrived about 9:45am on the 6th. (I think that's a late arrival, but SS has pulled that itinerary page) Saw it pull in from our hotel room. Buses still parked in front of terminal. Don't expect suites to be ready until late so not rushing to board.

Will start a new thread for this cruise. Off to finish repacking.

Boarding Cloud in under a week now. I'll try to post info for Terry and others about port details etc.

Thanks for the info on the CD.

Thanks. Never met him. Actually wondering about the Dec 6 sailing from Cape Town - guess it would be the current CD who is heading south now.

Does anyone know who might be the CD and HD for the upcoming December Cloud sailings in Africa? That is one thing I like about the Crystal website. Lists of staff and entertainers. SS could learn.

Longtime lurker. Not much of a poster.

Will be on Cloud in December. Will try to remember to post some info for Terry and Rumba. Otherwise can't say much now.