MindyJohn

I'm calling RC again tomorrow in hopes of locating the right agent. I've done Next Cruise refundable future bookings for specific ships and when trying to change to a different ship/sail date, agent insists a $100 fee is appropriate and that Next Cruise bookings are NEVER refundable. Checked with and confirmed by supervisor. One that I already changed shows they've added the $100 fee and I didn't realize until I saw invoice 😠

Cheers to you and living the good life!

Is it windy?

I had to go back to our 2015 rollcall to find the particulars. We were lucky to have a very active group with many members organizing private excursions. Google Murrell Farms for information about tours to the farm with Rockhoppers. We used Estancia Excursions to see Kings, Gentoos and Magellans. I mistakenly said we went to Bluff Cove but our Estancia tour was to Volunteer Point. Another operator frequently mentioned is Patrick Watts. I'm so glad we had time for two different tours. Of course we wanted to see and photograph Kings, but going to that farm was one of the best things we ever did. Not only adorable Rockhopper penguins, but driving over peat fields with no roads, going into their extremely rustic farmhouse for tea with the wife opening the frig (electricity from windmill) to show us a gallon bowl of fresh cream. Also educated us about the process of sorting, rating and selling wool. It was very special to glimpse the farming lifestyle in such a remote place.

I saw a post yesterday from the tour operator we used in Port Stanley in 2015 saying he had a whole lotta sandwiches to give away since Celebrity and Serenade had both had to sail away.

I've finally been able to spend some time catching up with your Thoughts and Impressions group, @island lady The photos and discussion are wonderful and we are grateful for your time and effort!!! We were fortunate to sail this area with Azamara in 2015. Here's a pretty 11pm sunset shot from Paradise Bay area and several from our penguin excursions at Port Stanley. I'm sorry the weather didn't cooperate for you. We were also rerouted to avoid a storm but luckily got into Port Stanley. We went to a sheep farmer's house in the morning to view the cliff on his property inhabited by cute Rockhoppers. In the afternoon it was Bluff Cover to see Kings.

Our Azamara captain had to do the same thing re Falklands. Hurried first to Antarctica then went back for Falklands. Worked out great. Later our Ushuaia arrival was delayed about six hours because the wind prevented ships in port from departing and freeing up space for us.

Thanks! That's a great use for that space!

Pat, the library looks great. Is it located back by the pool tables?

Yes, charters between Feb26 and March 7.

I can barely remember back that far - thanks for the reminder!

I enjoy the current version of Costa Maya. If they had a poll, my vote would go for a private beach area at Roatan. .

They did such a fantastic job amping Navigator, but I think money got tight after that. The HD on a ship I sailed last summer told me there was a whole warehouse of furnishings, carpeting etc. intended for a Liberty amp, and after Covid, those supplies got sent out to other ships that needed sprucing up before the restart.

Some of us were on Voyager last winter and I wouldn't say they've done much to amplify her except add a waterslide. It'll be interesting to see what they plan for these two drydocks. Are there any other Voyager class besides Navigator with the extra venues like Playmakers, Loco Fresh etc.?

Our first RC cruises were repo's back in the good 'ole days when they were cheap. We sailed AOS San Juan to Malaga in 2012, transferring 2 days later to VOS Barcelona-Dubai-Singapore. For 39 nights the TOTAL pp cost for balconies was USD 2400 including tax. We snagged upgrades to JS and GS on the first two legs for an extra $1200 pp. A year later we had a balcony on Legend's repo from Singapore to Dubai for $890 pp. Regrettably those days are long gone!

I've read Ovation has retractable stacks and for sure they schedule according to the tide. They're only in Vancouver at the beginning and the end of their Alaska season. Weekly departures are from Seattle.

The cruise I'll be on is Baltics itinerary from Southampton.

I see those green dots. I wonder about their hurricane contingencies 🤔

Any suggestions for early morning strong coffee on Island? Is Room Service coffee nice and hot? How early does the Good Spirits Bar or Amuleto open? Do cabins have kettles? Thanks very much!

I realize this thread was from last year, but soon I'll sail Princess for the first time and am making plans about how much cash to take with me. On other lines I've transferred money from my cabin account to a machine, played a bit and cashed out. In your opinion if I do this one time for everything I need, do you think I'll run into any complications? Thank you.

If you upgrade onboard rather than prior to embarkation, is the price the same?

Phenomenal photos and narrative - thank you so much!!! Have you heard of anyone using a travel router to stabilize ship wifi? I tried recently on Voyager but with my lack of expertise I was stuck when I was unable to log the router into the ship's captive portal.

Sometimes they're holding window tables for suite guests or higher tier Crown/Anchor members.

Aha - definitely a higher level of service on lines like Seabourn 👍

How did you locate and reserve the car and driver? Thank you.