brazzleman
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Posts posted by brazzleman
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We did our first sailing with Silversea this past October-November aboard the Wind from Athens to Rome for 2 weeks. We had previously cruised on Windstar and Paul Gauguin.
We had a delightful time - even enjoying dressing up far more than I thought we would. Service was wonderful - I was amazed our butler quickly figured out where each of us typically sat for breakfast and arranged the setting to adjust for that by the second day. I only had to mention I enjoyed rosé, to find a bottle in the fridge the next day.
I'm into wines, and found what they served perfectly acceptable and they were quick to provide a different varietal if I preferred that paired with what I was having as opposed to the wines of the night. I also thought the higher end wines on their list - for which you are charged - priced at more of a "retail" level that what is typically on a restaurant menu. It was also nice to have a wine educator on board.
Food was very good and we visited La Terraza with each menu change.
The boat was in fairly good shape; I noticed some worn carpet on the steps, but overall no issues.
I liked the free wifi - the total time for the cruise was credited to our account so we never ran into an issue where we felt we were running out of time. And I found it much faster than any other ship I've been on. Midway thru the cruise we lost access in our room; the router on our section of the ship had gone out and with no replacement, little they could do.
Looking back, I think what we most enjoyed was the variety of people on the ship from around the world. What a well travelled set of people to spend 2 weeks!
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Just logged on and noticed Ashdod port no longer on itinerary. No notice from the line nor my TA yet.
Now not overnighting in Alexandria, and another sea day to Haifa. Rhodes added later in cruise. All of our shore excursions remain on the prior scheduled days, so unsure what will be available.
Jerusalem was one of the main reasons for booking this cruise; so disappointed, but I realize my inconvenience is nothing compared to their daily struggles at present.
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can each person bring into Tahiti? Does anyone know of a good place to buy wine in Papeete?
The grocery store has a great selection of French wines
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Just curious about how much does it cost for the ship to do your laundry?
When we cruised the Gauguin or Windstar, we've bought a weekly laundry package and found it well worth it.
We are considering a cruise this fall and wondered what the options are?
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And from the main dining room . . . .
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We cruised last November on the Star Pride and I took some pictures of the wine lists as I hadn't seen much on this board regarding them. Here are the pics - first from the Star Bar.
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Do you prepay for laundry service package prior to sailing?
Are there different packages available?
Is laundry service available "a la carte" and used as needed?
Must you purchase a laundry package to have laundry service provided?
They still have pay per item. Only pkg is for the entire cruise. We usually prepay before departure. You can also add once you board
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The word on the Paul Gauguin board is that the Windstar motu has mosquitos. I'm not sure if they were referring to the one at Tahaa or Bora Bora. Did you find this to be the case? If so, on Tahaa or Bora Bora (or both)?
After 6 Windstar cruises, we did the Gauguin in late April 2014. Loved Tahiti, didn't care for the cruise line. Food poor, service not nearly what Windstar provided. Perhaps it was hyped so much before by what I had read. I don't remember a mosquito bite.
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Disneygirl. Have you tried other avenues of contacting them? There are sites that have direct access like FB which may be an easier way.
I haven't had any luck emailing them, but a quick response when I called requesting cruise tour itinerary - still somewhat vague as it didn't sound like it was all scheduled out yet.
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We brought 2 bottles per person, but I don't remember anyone checking luggage with our early am arriving flight. The local French chain grocery store had a nice selection of French wines. I don't remember the prices being that high, though we mainly bought rose.
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Thanks! I'm assuming (and hoping) they have a larger by the bottle list. Has anyone seen that list?
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We've done this 3 times - each week is priced individually, no discount for back to back.
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My first cruise ever was on Windspirit Istanbul Athens in 2008 - thanks for your post as it's bring back many good memories.
Looking back, these would be my suggestions:
1. Precruise we stayed at the Hotel Seven Hills. Loved having breakfast on the roof each morning overlooking the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.
2. One day we took the public ferry up the Bosphorus as far as it would go, had lunch at a lovely restaurant and then back.
3. Sail Away from Istanbul has been my favorite (have since done 3 back to back with Windstar).
4. Our signature event was Dine Among the Ruins in Ephesus (I think I read they are bringing that evening dinner back). Full Moon, string quartet, local cuisine. Wonderful.
5. In Bodrum we went to a local Turkish Bath - wonderful experience all around with a massage for something like the equivalent of $30
6. The best shore excursion I ever booked was the one to Delos when in Mykonos. Our guide was spectacular - able to transport you back in time and knew all the minutiae I always want to know.
Didn't explore Athens much as we did the next sailing on to Rome. But we will explore this fall when we sail again from Athens to Egypt.
Since we started cruising we've done one large (RC in Caribbean) and another small line (PG Tahiti) but still prefer Windstar - her ships and especially her crew.
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Sailing the Star Pride the end of October out of Athens and wondered if anyone had pics of the wine list onboard.
We are used to buying wines for dinner while in port on our prior Windstar Mediterranean cruises but the first 3 days are at sea and I'm not sure what I will find in the Red Sea ports. I would imagine I can find decent wine shops in Athens to stock up.
Any help would be appreciated.
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We haven't sailed Windstar in Tahiti (only in the Caribbean). But we have sailed PG in Tahiti. We'd never sail PG again (no matter where she goes). We will definitely sail Windstar in Tahiti the the next time we go.
I would agree. We have exclusively cruised Windstar ships prior to our PG sailing last April (6 cruises). We had very high expectation of the PG experience and were very underwhelmed. Crew were not nearly as friendly and the food wasn't that good (e.g., one doesn't expect to find a poor version of turkey and dressing on the dinner menu on a Tahitian cruise).
This past March, we did our first large boat cruise with family (RC Freedom of the Seas) and I wasn't expecting much, but I'd almost give RC a win over PG in terms of cabin and dining room staff.
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Bottles are not covered under the above plans. With the wine by the bottle plans, it does not matter who has the plan. You are merely purchasing the wine and can share with whomever you wish. Sharing is only prohibited on the plans that provide by-the-glass service.
I was referring to the 20% wine bottle discount. If this is any wine on their list it might make it worthwhile for me if I can then share at dinner, lunch, during the day, etc
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You will need 2 sea pass card to get more than 1 glass at a time. No you won't be able to get another right away until the glass you have is pretty much empty.
The premium and Ultimate pack include wines up yo. $12 by the glass. See attached for an idea of what's available. This actual menu link below is from early 2013 but prices still hold true.
No real timer issue in getting drinks from my personal experience.
http://www.bluevine.net/RoyalCaribbeanBeverageMenu.pdf
Some additional info
Straight from the RCCL , here are the package details:
The Royal Replenish Package
$20 per guest each day, includes:
Premium coffee
Premium tea
Bottled water
Sparkling water (375ml)
Still water (500ml)
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Non-alcoholic cocktails
Fountain soda with souvenir cup
The Select Package
$40 per guest each day, includes:
Beer
Wine by the glass (up to $8 value)
Non-alcoholic cocktails
Fountain soda with souvenir cup
The Premium Package
$55 per guest each day, includes:
Call and premium cocktails (up to $10 value)
Frozen cocktails
Beers
Premium wine by the glass (up to $12 value)
Non-alcoholic cocktails
Still bottled water (500ml)
Fountain soda with souvenir cup
20% discount on purchases of bottles of wine
The Ultimate Package
$65 per guest each day, includes:
Virtually unlimited options. A combination of all the benefits from the Premium and Royal Replenish Package
Related:
All Inclusive Drink Packages come to Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean: Newest soda package includes custom mixed drinks
Royal Caribbean announces ocean voyage cruise packages-Ocean Voyages Packages combine Hotel Stays, Memorable Experiences and Complimentary Onboard Premium Beverage Package
Royal Caribbean announces Ocean Voyages-New collection of unique sailings feature themed enrichment and exclusive packages and promotions
Have fun...
Shay
We always order bottles with dinner. Do they monitor who has the pkg, or are free to share with the table?
Question about Amalfi/Positano port
in Oceania Cruises
Posted
I had planned a private excursion booked for Amalfi when I noticed the Amalfi/Positano language and checked with my TA. Per my TA, Oceania wouldn't confirm until 2 weeks prior to departure. It ended up being Amalfi.
We just returned from the cruise and never made it to Amalfi. Prior to boarding we were told we'd port in Naples, and then the next morning noticed Capri out our window and the cruise map on the television showed us heading to Naples and then making a turn back out to sea. When the captain eventually came on, he said the weather was supposed to deteriorate further and we headed on to Sicily.