I know it sacrilege to say this here but could you maybe pick up a land tour for Scotland?  I did one for Ireland last June and it was great but a lot of bus time.

Shar

So, over the course of my 63 day cruise there were some Odyssey Club m&g and a few special events.  Some of the info shared -

 - VTA is a travel agent only so you can still book other things through them. ( This from the cruise director who did not answer when I asked then who owns the ship.)

 - currently no plans to purchase a second ship but they may be looking for one.

- the whole RD charter thing is purely a business decision since the owner is 90+ years of age.

 - RS is currently planning on using the same agency to hire wait staff etc.

 - VTA in Oxford is working on plans for trips etc that may include some of the Odyssey perks. ( This may not work out so watch the website I guess.)

Lack of communication has always been an issue with this company and I could site several examples but I don't think my blood pressure would take it.

Bottom line - I saw Namibia and had a long break on a floating hotel for free.    My only concern now is for the staff.  After all that time on board when you see pics of their kids, hear about their home life and listen to them want to do better for their families, a lot of the crew touched my heart.  

Shar

Thanks for the updates.     I'm encouraging my friend to cancel her August trip but Voyages may do it for her.

Meanwhile and with no little irony, I arrived home to find 2 really large brochures from Road Scholar.

Shar

Glad things are not as bad as reported.  I spent a frustrating 33 days prior to you but we did see Namibia which was going to be a highlight for me.

Calm seas - Shar

As per someone onboard, they will skip Santorini and go directly to Piraeus.  They were going 6.6 knts.

Shar

Reports of

Passenger ship disabled in Aegean sea

Posted in Accidents by Mikhail Voytenko on Apr 22, 2019 at 04:31.

 

Passenger ship AEGEAN ODYSSEY with 339 passengers on board suffered engine failure while approaching Chania, Crete island, Greece, in the afternoon Apr 21, en route from Malta. Two tugs were deployed, the ship was safely taken to Chaina and berthed. Reported detained until completing repairs and survey.

FleetMon Vessel Risk Rating: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

acute engine failure and ship has had to be towed back to Crete.  336 pax onboard.

HI - I just heard back from RS and in a word, no to any Odyssey perks. 

The lady I'm in touch with onboard now is travelling with RS and they are having a good time with good hotel stays and interesting extra tours for  which RS is famous.  It's her first time on the AO and , even at a 140 day cruise, she pays for wifi, laundry & water.

So, is there anyone out there who's  travelled with RS on the Odyssey?  Have you collected Odyssey perks after your first cruise with them?  My guess would be no since they are separate companies.   I imagine it would be the same for the other cruise lines RS uses too.

Shar

HI - so I just got off the phone with Road Scholar and this is what I now know -

As a Canadian I asked if I can book through my usual TA and the agent advised that since RS pays no commission, most agents don't want to bother.  In other words, I would book in $US without my extra trip protection I get in Ontario.

I asked about the Odyssey club and she wasn't sure so she put through an inquiry ticket and they'll get back to me.  I'll keep you posted.

I'm in touch with a RS person onboard right now and things are going ok but there is still brown water in the bathrooms.

Calm seas - Shar.

Well things are sorted re the transfers thanks to the local port agent who was forwarded my first email to the ship.   He's been a huge help and I'm very grateful..

shar

This is interesting because I've been told by the  port agent that no vehicles can enter.  What did the cab cost and did they take $US?

This is an example of the ongoing issues I've had with this trip - either no replies or radically different info.  Of course, security may have changed a lot since then and there is political turmoil as well.

Shar

Most of my issues have been solved by jumping over them and going directly to the port authorities.  If they hadn't been, I could have gotten my daughter who lives in the UK to give them a call.  Most of this stems from the fact that I wanted a flight deviation and while they accommodated that, I no longer get transfers.   I will have to book my hotel to airport transfer with them onboard.

Shar

Well, the ship's purser connected me with he ship's agent and I now have some answers to some of my concerns.  I will have to give him a call once I've cleared the port gate and he is arranging transportation to the ship for me.  Still some lingering issues but things are getting better.

Keep your fingers crossed for me as my countdown clock keeps ticking - Shar

So, I am now slightly more than a month away from joining the ship in Colombo and am again running into communications problems.

I opted for a different flight to there since the flight that they had booked for all of North America arrives about 11 p.m on Feb. 11 and then the one and only day for Sri Lanka starts at 8 a.m. on the 12th.  I will arrive on the 10th and I've booked a transfer and a hotel for the night.  My ta has tried several times to get a few questions answered for me - when can I board?  will my cabin be ready? is there a cost to enter the port?  and so far, in what is becoming a habit with Voyages, no answers back yet.  I as yet have no paperwork either.

I've actually emailed the ship's reception and chief purser for some answers and still nothing.   I do appreciate them changing my flights for me though but if I had the paperwork, I could check to see how much to upgrade.  It's a long flight from Toronto.

Shar

I did not get a letter but someone posted about it here.  I have no idea what's going on..   By the way things are going anyway, RS folks are getting a little preferential treatment already.  We shall see.  I'm back on Feb 11 - April 15. 

Wishing you all things merry & bright for the holiday - Shar

I wonder what this means for those of us who are emerald level + without ever using Road Scholar?

I would still like to be able to go through my local agent so we shall see.

Shar

She did get back to me.  Thanks Shar

We are booked for a January 2020 tour but her website is off line and the email I've been using is returning to me as bad.

Anyone booked with her before that that is still able to contact her?  Please post the email you're using.  I can't find a link on Trip Advisor anymore.

thanks Shar

HAL always had much to admire on sea days - lots of alternatives to lectures including very cheap crafts, lots of trivia and of course a lovely library (Prisendam.) I know of several quiet ( no muzak ) places to hide on the AO. The real issue for me has always been that if the bridge players are in session upstairs no one else can go in a sit quietly & nothing else is available so the bridge players don't miss out. ( Thereby endeth my rant.)

Shar

Generally if a book is listed in the reading list for your cruise, it's also available in the library. Just an FYI if you don't want to buy it ahead.

Shar

A bride and groom - how charming! I love when we randomly find a couple like that.

Thanks for eating off ship and sharing the food porn with us. Part of the fun of trips is finding pubs and local restaurants - none of the " I paid for my food already, why would I not eat on ship" nonsense.

Shar

Good for you. The balcony cabins will be nice on sea days and cruising the fjords.

Shar

gnome12 - It just occurred to me that my suggestion about putting down a deposit might not be the best choice if you were British since they do not give it back. Someone I met on a previous cruise lost her 500 pound deposit even though she cancelled about 6 months ahead. I see you're also CDN so thank heavens for our travel industry laws. Shar

Whoops :) I was on a b2b last year that included Scotland and ports were missed and re-scheduled on mine and the one that followed due to high seas. The shorex team stepped up to replace some of the ports but some of the island ports were missed.

If you've never been to St. Petersburg, I suggest you take a second look at that one.

Shar

I would suggest you book a mid-ship on the Belvedere if possible and if stability is an issue a seasick patch and a lightweight cane for getting around the ship. I've been on her on some pretty rough seas and while I do not get sea sick, standing upright with the rocking was a problem for me.

On a brighter note, since she's so small, you may be docking right in the heart of St. Petersburg which would be great.

Perhaps put the minimal deposit down then wait for reviews.

Shar

The problems - the North Sea is not friendly to ships of any size and as you know the AO is small. I did a b2b around the UK and 5 stops in Iceland. Whenever we missed a port the tour director kept dodging questions etc and was getting it full blast and telling us nothing.. Case in point our already short trip to Guernsey ended up only being about 3 hours. We found out later courtesy of the waiters who are always indiscreet that there had been a crew injury. We were annoyed but the Guernsey shore company were furious.

However, and I find this ridiculous since all of the pax were well-traveled, they complained the most about his accent that they couldn't understand! I don't remember where he was from but really?

Are you a MM on Belvedere?

BTW - I'm not up early either but I do go up there before a shore tour to grab a muffin or apple for the tour :)

Have a great time - Shar