Host Jazzbeau

How did you do this? Did SAS do it for you?

Here's what I do when there aren't yet shore excursions for a booked cruise: search the Azamara website for each of those ports and find the nearer term cruises that go there; look at the shore excursions offered for those cruises at those ports and copy the info into my folder for my cruise; use that as a basis for research and wait for Azamara to update the shore for my cruise and hopefully add the one I have decided is my favorite. [Part of my research includes going to the Cruise Critic forums for those ports and asking the experts there for advice on choosing among them.]

If you cut it as close as possible, you run a good chance of waiving goodbye to the ship as it sails away without you. And these days, because of Covid rules, you may not be allowed to rejoin the ship at the next port. Not worth the risk, IMHO.

That's why I'm not getting into 'can you top this?' – I live near NYC, which in many ways is an ideal nexus for travel in any direction.

Azamara has a shore excursion called '007L Cephalonia's Northern Villages' that includes Fiskardo Village, Assos, and a photo stop overlooking Myrtos Beach. It is offered on two upcoming cruises, calling at Argostoli on Aug 23 and Oct 4, but not on our cruise that calls there on Oct 15. Does the 'season' suddenly end between Oct 4 and 15? If that's not added to our cruise, we're limited to these two: • 006L Melissani Lake & Drogorati Cave, with photo stop at viewpoint above Myrtos Beach • 008L Acqui Memorial, Folkloric Museum, Melissani Lake, Sami Village, return via an alternative scenic route [Myrtos viewpoint?] The 200 steps into the cave is not appealing, so the choice would be between 007L (if offered) and 008L. [We're trying to use up a vast amount of OBC, so we are doing only ship excursions on this trip.] Can anyone elaborate on these excursions? TIA

Waiting to hear from the Australians and New Zealanders – who put all of us to shame for long-distance travel!

What a great story! And maybe a good cautionary tale for my son who is talking about taking early retirement and sailing solo around the world [in his next sailboat]. He has no wife at present, but I'll bet she would have something to say about it!!!

So did the Two Brothers make it?

Thanks for the education. My memories must go back to the early days of flying [like when I was a stowaway on Lindy's flight...] If you have any FeverTree left over, leave it with the Butler for 7114 and all will be forgiven!!! 🤣

As does Backroads, including on Ponant ships in Antartica: https://www.backroads.com/trips/MAAS/antarctica-cruise-multi-adventure-tour We did a Backroads tour of Iceland on Le Champlain in 2019.

Because Scylla buys ships for other cruise lines, they could use a set of four that doesn't match anything else they own (unlike all the lines quoted in the various articles who tout their unique designs). I think these ships would be right for Tauck to charter from Scylla.

They keep them in the passenger compartment (pressurized), not in the baggage hold (non-pressurized). Big difference.

Because they make you book the cruise at full list price to get the pro-rated discount on your 'free nights' – this often makes the cost of the cruise higher than it would be under the current sale prices, and it also keeps you from rebooking if a better sale comes along. Only the 6 night and 10 night rewards are consistently worth using, according to the veteran posters here. BTW since half of the points-earning cruises must have been on Azamara, 'newbies' are a long way from qualifying! Thanks to a bunch of Celebrity cruises (that earned fewer points per diem), even though we will have 50%+ of our points from Azamara when we hit 750 we won't qualify for the bonus. And that is one of the two 'useful' ones!

Just in from cutting the lawn. I'll drink to that!!!

Farina? Fusina?

"Havila Capella can resume operations from June 28, when she will embark on her next voyage along the Norwegian coast." https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27745-havila-capella-resumes-service.html

We'll be facing that on our next renewal. The trick is to buy 5 years of membership when you're 73!

The question is how much more than $500 would a regular room be? Is that net cost worth it to be able to choose your cabin? [I would never book a guarantee rate because there are far too many unacceptable cabins on every deck plan I have examined.] [And BTW, I didn't pull your first post because that would be the entire thread – but, you aren't allowed to hint at travel agents as you did. In future, just say 'my travel agent' and leave it at that.]

According to that TravelWeekly article, "Levis said that A&K was not interested in Crystal's river ships." https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Travel-agent-reaction-Abercrombie-Kent-acquisition-Crystal Most of the major players are out for one reason or another. Who's left? Tauck? Scylla? Or somebody new who wants to jump in at the high end of river cruising [Azamara?] These will be expensive ships to operate, with their extremely low passenger counts.

Travel insurance evacuation coverage has a BIG loophole: the insurance company will confer with the local doctor and only evacuate you if the doctor admits they are incapable of treating you. [Cue memes about doctors with God complex.] The solution is: Medjet Assist, which puts YOU in control of the decision: once you are admitted to a hospital anywhere in the world, YOU tell Medjet to 'get me outta here' and they will airlift you and a companion to the hospital of YOUR choice [i.e. a major hospital close to your home]. And if you are an AARP member, they have a special discounted rate. https://medjetassist.com https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/all/medjetassist-10063/

One benefit of flying to Guayaquil instead of Quito is that you won't suffer altitude sickness as we did! [You also won't get to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern – but we didn't either because the photo op spot isn't in quite the right location!!!]

That means you are turning your phone the 'wrong' way to take landscape shots. Turn it the other way and it will post correctly on CC. [And there doesn't seem to be any way to fix it on CC if you have taken it in the wrong orientation, as shown by an official 'live from' here.]

I have heard of other cruise lines that, because of Covid, moved final payment closer to the cruise – but kept the penalty dates as written in the contract.

Havila: Ship Arrest Provides Opportunity to Sail