Solar Yellow

I did a little amateur googling and I wonder if he's "retired" from maintaining his website because he turns 83 years old in September and his house is for sale. Thank you to Tom Sheridan for all the hard work. The guides were so helpful!

Norris, Von from Iowa here. I was on Azamara Quest in 2021 with you and Carol. Have you looked at Oceania for Istanbul? It appears Marina, Riviera, and Vista visit Istanbul in 2024. Vista is their brand new ship and probably the most expensive option. Riviera has been recently refurbished very nicely and Marina will be refurbished in April 2024 or thereabouts. They're lovely mid-size ships with 1200ish passengers and good food. Even standard veranda cabins are a good size with nice bathrooms. Entertainment is not their strength but sometimes the shows are remarkably good for a smaller ship. Their new Simply More package includes internet, drinks, and some tours. No extra cost for premium dining restaurants, always country club casual, and no photographers or art sales. Gratuities are extra but if you find the right travel agency, you'll often get more OBC and gratuities covered. Istanbul is top two or three for me of the cities I've been to. I agree with the poster above that says at least one or two nights in a hotel before embarkation even if the cruise starts with an overnight. Be forewarned that the Galataport is a hot mess. You'll see the ship 40 feet way from you but will have to walk a mile to get to it and probably get a little turned around on the way there.

Ha! I wouldn't have posted a response if I had thought you were unfair. People are entitled to their opinion. But, as I was reading your review, I kept thinking yep, true to every one of your points. Had the cruise been expensive, I would have been very disappointed. Cabin was old and tired, bathroom tiny (which I knew), etc. Since getting back, I've been looking for another cruise to take on Azamara and there's no way I'd pay what they want now. I have a cruise in late 2023 coming up on Celebrity. Haven't been on them in 10 years but I'm looking forward to it. I dream of returning to Oceania but I'm solo now and just can't justify the cost no matter how much I love the O ships.

I was prepared to be angry at Piaa for an unfair and overly harsh review but having read it and having been onboard Onward from July 20 - 30, 2022, I can't argue with a thing. Piaa is 100% correct IMO. It's funny, though. I had a good time on the cruise and most of what Piaa remarks on didn't really bother me that much. However, I got a good deal on the cruise and had tons of OBC which I'm sure positively impacted the experience. So, I think people that feel the value is there won't find Onward to be a 2.9 experience. I also did not find it to be a luxury experience but I didn't really expect it to be. The food was only good, not great. The premium restaurants were not worth the cost, the ship was still a little shabby in spots (but they were working on it), and I didn't bother with the entertainment. However, the itinerary was good, the crew was great, and there were no complete disasters.