Catlover54

In the mornings they fortunately still had the German crispy Broetchen which are deadly for waistlines when unsalted German style butter is added with jam, honey, or a good cold cut on top ( I had to ask for the kind I wanted for my room service, otherwise they would just bring a boring salami and lean smoked turkey I can get at home, by default) . The "croissants" were what was pathetic ( small, soft and collapsed, looked freshly thawed from a bag). Lunch is when there was disappointing soft white and slightly dry stuff in little slices which the waiter called "Italian", so I skipped it. For dinner breads they had a basket that was a bit better and had some pretzel-type mini-rolls fresh-baked which were just ok to keep hunger away until food came, but the basket was without the traditional crisp Broetchen or rye/grey hearty country breads. Compared with Crystal's evening bread, which was addictive, there was no contest on the bread, and Seabourn's morning croissants at least pre-Covid were very good. One thing that was always available for the less than stellar pastries, was real fresh whipping cream which I am addicted to. A couple times I just ordered a double portion of the cream without the cake 🙂

I would also in theory expect better service from a luxury line, so this is sad. You are also correct about potential Abbott Binax unavailability. I have read many of the forum stories and reviews. I had used it for a Celebrity cruise last fall when it was new, worked fine but with two people steadying the phone, and I was pleased. But after reading on the internet about service gaps and difficulty using it solo with a phone , I retested the procedure and technique before leaving for a recent luxury non-SS solo cruise, to potentially use pre-embarkation. There were some Navica app issues, which we resolved ( or thought we had) after several hours manipulation. I took kits with me for a European cruise, and despite good internet, again the app would not work when I needed it. I then had to figure out how to get tested within one day on a weekend in a small remote town not even set up for testing anyone except EU residents 9-11 weekdays. Abbott may be an ok backup if your Plan A fails, but I would not count on it for something really important, you have to have a different plan as primary. The stress of embarkation and disembarkation, already bad enough due to jammed airports and canceled flights, is amplified by this marginally beneficial self-testing mandate within one day, especially if arriving in port early, or being in a remote area with either poor internet or poor testing services, or with an early flight. Airport testing lines are unpredictable, or you may be stuck with big luggage unable to check in until you have tested. Vacation time is wasted, and anxiety heightened, on arranging these things pre and post -- 2.5 years into Covid, ans now with a very low lethality variant, where other countries do not require it. As already postulated, SS is likely not offering the service even for a fee because they don't want to get stuck with the costs of dealing with a positive person. I prefer testing by the line pre-boarding ( if you're going to test at all ), and offering it ( for a fee) the day before disembarkation.

WillOl: I am glad you found my review helpful. My parents were refugees from Eastern Europe and were multilingual for various reasons ( including survival). Those skills later translated into both schooling and employment opportunities in Europe post-WWII, so family moved around a lot, and me, a little girl, with them. I learned quite a bit of "child talk" German when I was very young, starting with playing with German kids in the bombed rubble, and some VERY early school. I was also supposed to speak the language around us in our home, rather than parents' native languages, ( to assimilate and prepare for possible school) and when you are very young, what you learn mostly sticks with you a long time even if it is buried deeply. Then after U.S. residence, I forgot much as we had to speak English, but then came frequent holidays to visit German childhood friends, ( who by then were talking more than child talk), plus self-study reading newspapers, magazines, and books to communicate even more beyond child talk. I enjoy the fun of learning and comparing words of varying European root origins ( Latin, Greek, or misc. slavistik) , mixed in with modern anglification . Now, I understand almost everything written in German , ( including newspapers, books and magazines, but I have to use a dictionary to look up odd words which are interestingly often 'foreign' origin or archaic words) and I also understand 95-100% of everything spoken on board or in the news as it is in high German instead of dialects, ( and basic high German is all that the crew, many for whom German is a foreign language, speak on the ship, they get a cram course focussing on the food, service, and common pax requests words) . The other way around is harder, e.g., I can carry on fluent general conversations and then some, though with occasional grammatical errors or gaps no one cares about ( unlike in France). But if discussing philosophy, economics, or politics live, certain words and expressions and slang only come to mind in English now, worse as I age ( but when traveling, it is best to stay away from such topics with fellow pax anyway, even if they personally choose to rant). " Recognition" for me is still easy ( unless the German spoken by pax is Swiss German or alpine Austrian 😳) , but recall is harder for sophisticated talk, so I could definitely not work at the UN as a simultaneous interpreter, but on the ship that level is unnecessary. What I know is, however, way more than I think you need to get by, ( looking at and listening to the foreign crew who are at American high school level minus the proper grammar), which is why I said high school German plus a good kindle two-way dictionary, and maybe routinely sitting in the MDR in the section of a waiter who speaks English better than German ( that is many) would work out fine . Reception speaks "educated person" European English, ( so speak slowly and avoid American slang) as does the excursion desk crew and all officers, ( for clarification of urgent or super important things), and the fitness guy, and the doctor, and the bartender, and the spa people, because they have to interact in many countries, and English is the international language of tourism, medicine, business, and diplomacy. Just don't expect everything to be handed to you in English. Pre-cruise paperwork was sent in English, and you can email or call pre-cruise to book in English ( might be better to handle it yourself, to be sure, than through a travel agent). Covid complicates things a bit ( e.g., they kept sending me German reminders to have an EU QR code for computer readable vax proof to board, non-existent here, but all I needed was my physical card). I do not think it would be essential to speak German beyond high school to enjoy this ship unless you are keen on guided excursions and the lectures ( though the enrichment people speak English, like the gardening expert and historian, no lectures are in English) .If you love languages, and your high school where you learned some German was not horrible, just a little planning and perhaps an iPhone app ( and maybe Google translate, already set up, and polite requests would do the trick (e.g., for port info on TV or with English-speaking crew when they have time). Menus for the next day are posted on the TV , and they are short, which gives you plenty of fun time to plan your meals and look up foods that sound unfamiliar ( I used my dictionary for some unfamiliar foods, but then oddly had to look up the English definition of them, they were unusual gourmet worda). It would also be good to learn common service phrases and foods , especially those you like or are allergic to or often want for your room or table, before you cruise or have a handy list or "google translate", off-line. I heard a German family with a Spanish-speaking teen relative jointly struggle with a waiter, who spoke no English or Spanish and the girl spoke no German. The older pax and teen communicated in very broken English with each other but the old people reading the German menu did not know the English words for certain basic things, like translating the German menu words for "beef" or "pork" into English for the girl so everyone was lost ( a simple kindle dictionary and simple look-up would have solved that). I tried to spontaneously help a bit from the next table but the older Germans ( apparently from the less friendly north) did not like my offering my translation and offer for more -- something that American line pax would have thanked one for instead of acting insulted. I understand you also know Spanish, and FYI there are some Spanish crew in dining rooms. The Filipinos ( most cabins) of course speak and understand better English than German, because they learn it in school when little as an official language , and not just in the HL German cram course. Some of the dining and suite crew of different nationalities even speak English to each other. Just make sure you are ON TIME for things, and ASK at reception or Touristik ( or an officer) for important things if you do not understand something critical , to be crystal clear ( like disembarkation procedures , or if your flight changes and you need help to rebook due to bad internet in your suite). A pleasant and open personality helps, but IMHO try NOT to smile too much randomly if you want to fit in ( many older Germans think Americans falsely smile way too much), even if the base crew are trained to smile a lot. Independent excursions would be best ( though in some countries they cannot find German translators, so excursions are then in English anyway), to not miss out, unless all you want is a ride to the town and no history lesson. Or, try Europa II first ( bilingual), to test your understanding of announcements and lectures and an excursion or two, in German, plus it is a brilliant ship. DH ( no German speaking or understanding) loved the food and service, but missed English company ( I did not mind) as there were almost no Americans or Brits on board, the gym guy's English was bad then so he could not talk to him, and he felt lost when off doing a few things alone on the ship ( but he is innately shy on all ships, and I am the one who has to call reception or room service even on English line ships -- he loves taking interesting photos, but I do the talking and the research) . Also, the expedition ship Inspiration is bilingual ( have not been on it but heard good things, including in Antarctica, as to how they handled the non-Germans). Post here if you decide to go on HL, be it on German Europa or bilingual Europa 2. I am retired now, Covid is (hopefully) less, so who knows, maybe I will happen to be on the same cruise! HL and especially Europa is not for everyone, but it has definite benefits.

Here is a link to my detailed perspective and review. Overall, I rate the trip 4/5 ( when compared with other luxury ships/cruises I have been on) I am happy to answer any questions. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=687317&et_cid=3500453&et_rid=17464385&et_referrer=NULL

Good tip for the name of Testifly.de (the American monitored self-tester I referenced in post 72 was from emed, which Celebrity recommends, but I am not sure if HL honors it). I am sadly not in well-supplied Hamburg, (where I sometimes am to visit friends) but in the boonies much further south. If my emed test does not work, I have been instructed in a pharmacy in this village that I can 'go across the street, behind the wooden door, tomorrow, between 9 and 11, and maybe someone will be there who can test a non-EU resident because they are probably not busy lately' (!). Otherwise, it's off to Frankfurt airport to spend the night and queue to test there at the Centogene line-up with people from all over the world (great place to catch Covid), the day of the very, very long SFO bound flight.

DH and I are booked on SB this fall, to use up our FCCs from 2020 which otherwise expire May I ask what was the worst aspect of being on board a SB ship, so I can anticipate something worse and then be pleasantly surprised when it is better than expected? 🙂

Thank you, Vistaman, for your insights. I like the idea of a nametag with country origin ( and a tag with bigger writing would also be nice, so I do not have to put distance glasses on and stare closely at a server’s chest to figure out her name, because they do not introduce themselves on HL) 🙂 I too detest the 24 hour antigen ( or 48 hour PCR) test, coming from US and liking an extra night or two before boarding. The last thing I want on my holiday is to hunt for an open test site in a city I am visiting briefly. Due to my flight schedule combination this last cruise I landed up having to do a Quick PCR 47 hours pre- cruise at FRA airport, before a flight to Spain, because otherwise it would not have worked out to be on time — 175 Euros! But I also hate that US requires a test within 24 hours of boarding for me to come home — I am now in the boonies of Germany and have a flight home late afternoon Saturday but do not dare wait until arrival to do a test in FRA when I arrive — but where I am, there is flood damage, so convenient centers are closed, and no one tests Friday evening. So I have to go to FRA the night before and pay for a hotel and test then or Saturday morning in a queue with crowds when already stressed about a 14 hour flight. Some people preorder online self - testers with online monitors instead of seeking a test center ( the human monitors sit at home in India or Philipines when you call) . But when solo , they are tricky to use as one has to either carry a computer or a tripod or something to steady the iphone so one can use the alternating camera views ( people watch online as you check your nose). But this depends on good internet on both ends on top of a steady hand, and there are horror stories of missed flights and missed cruises and kits that have dried out reagents These worries, along with other travel hassles , even if flying business intra-Europe ( which so often is a long and confusing boarding mess with horrible discomfort these days) are disincentives for me to do too much I wish you enjoyable voyages

Not only that, but: 1. Many pax deliberately do not use Facebook, for a variety of reasons, and 2. For at least two luxury lines where I saw fresh Facebook posts that were the least bit critical of the experience on the line, ( not SB) they were quickly shut down when the rah-rah moderators took down the posts or closed the thread, noting the FB forums they set up are for basically for happy talk about cruise enjoyment , not for criticisms and negative commentary ( especially when a lot of people chimed in on the negativities). What was left was so skewed to happy happy happy that I wondered if it was real. Cruise Critic also censors but allows *criticism*, within reason. I wondered if there were no live reports because very few are on board and those on board who might post are too worn out to post . Or perhaps on the ships they blocked because there are internet connection issues, with people posting pictures and even video, making it harder to use for others?

1. If they dropped the on-board mask mandate for the areas I specified, they forgot to tell passengers on the Europa about it, because it was in the instructions I received prior to boarding , and though that was on 5/15, I have seen some pax reminded to mask up since May 19. 2. I am on a LUXURY cruise line (where Americans in my experience of dozens of cruises, pax are generally are more polite, e.g., on SB, SS, and Regent, and less pushy than when they are on RCI or X, , though there can always be exceptions (especially if Americans are from certain big cities back east where pushing is a lifestyle). That is one of several reasons I like luxury lines (i.e., it's not just for the champagne and the space, it's the company). Were you on a luxury line in Hawaii where you experienced Americans pushing forward? If so, shame on them. 3. A tip line is actually not common practice on LUXURY lines in restaurants (though apparently now it is on HL), indeed I have not seen one. Have you seen a tip line recently on an American luxury line? (SB, SS, Regent, Crystal -- though the latter only goes back to January) I do think I remember HL did not have one on Europa before except in the specialty restaurants. Your idea that the line is now TUI-fied may be correct (in more ways than one). Your guidance on what to tip (i.e., typically nothing) is useful, however, thank you (and I now know I have thus certainly been overtipping, while worrying about undertipping, which might explain why the staff seem to like me so much) 🙂. And yet the TIP line is very much in my face at lunches and dinners, and it creates some dysphoria, even when I know staff are well-paid.

Am finishing an MS Europa Ocean Sun Festival, Tenerife to Bilbao, 40% occupancy. I will write a full review and call attention to it when it is approved. Overall I rate it 4/5. 1. Currently, masks (surgical or FFP equivalent) are officially required in buses and on public transportions (port rules). On the ship, they are required in hallways, elevators, and at the buffet. They are not required in dining rooms or lounges or entertainment halls (even if you do not have a symbolic drink at your side), or at the pool, gym, or when walking outside. Yay! However, too many people seem to take this to mean they should start crowding just like they probably did in the butcher shop or train station back home in 1978. 2. There are distancing warnings for 1.5 meters all over (the daily review keeps heralding that it is *the* most important safety protection), and it is posted and on ports, buses but many Germans really do like to stand close and breathe down my neck (or even bump into my body directly), even when they have a juicy cough (and many do, but they are only doing dailying temperature tests, not mid-cruise Covid tests). When in a line for a bus or security or a church on an excursion, and I stop to maintain 1.5 meters to the person in front of me when it is easy to do, whatever older German is behind me will typically just walk in front of me, and thus split the distance, and then another will go in front of him, and so on, until we are in line like closely placed bleeting sheep. Very strange, considering the Germans are otherwise obsessive about rules. They seem to think that if no one is forcing them not to crowd, they will then just go ahead and unnecessarily crowd, their natural style. The sitting arrangements at excursions were also oblivious to officially required distancing, e.g., at "Rick's" in Casablanca, a huge place, all 20 people were crammed into one tiny bar area, breathing all over each other, and on the bus to a special concert, every single row was filled (and you better not *dare* to move the seat back even 1 cm). At a port winery tour, they crammed 38 of us together for an indoor tour (with the usual pushing in front behavior), and then at the end sat everyone down shoulder to shoulder to taste the port (I passed, since I still want to test negative to get back to the U.S.) 3. Since they went to open seating in the MDR and Lido, which was just before Covid, (not just in specialty restaurants), I am now presented with a bill listing my drink and costs and a line to sign for them (though I never have to pull out my room card). There is also a prominently displayed "tip" line, as if they are expecting a tip at every meal. I have not been sure what or how much to put there, e.g., when I just order 2,80 for water, or 280 for wine, but sit the same amount of time, especially since service is supposed to be inclusive. Before Covid, with a regular waiter and helper team, I tipped nothing at meals, and they gave me nothing to sign, and then if they were good, at the end, I gave them an envelope with a generous tip even though it wasn't required. The current practice implies tips are encouraged. Vistaman, may I ask what is the expected practice now?

Many pax still do not want to book air travel back to 2019 baselines , with or without cruises, given how much more unreliable and uncomfortable it has become (on top of what was already unreliable and uncomfortable) even in business (frequent delays and missed connections, cancellations, crowds, not uncommon bullying by power-happy security agents, ongoing mask requirements for overseas travel (and on some airlines like Lufthansa they even have to be the tighter higher grade and thus more uncomfortable masks), lack of on-board service beyond water and maybe a functional non-obstructed toilet you're supposed to be thankful for, broken IFE, nonfunctional wifi, with "covid" as the excuse for all failures, etc.). Everyone also keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop on omicron baaaaaa2. etc., (maybe now even monkey pox?) and other government caprice and surprises, real or imagined. Airlines have been slow to add back flights to decrease pax anxieties, much less to increase comfort levels, and some pax who are more put out by major discomforts due to health issues (myself included) have been hesitant to book as much as we used to because the thought of it fills me with dread. So the vicious cycle continues. In Frankfurt, I had a last minute gate change requiring an *extra mile* of walking, i.e., borderline sprinting required (making all my prior plans of getting to the gate early so I could relax useless). And then I spent 45 minutes in line trying to *reboard* a *small* and half empty luxury cruise ship after a port stop in Lisbon two days ago where for some reason security was extra tight and extra slow, i.e., that's how long it took to reboard just 150 mostly seniors returning from a high end concert dressed in their finest. Unlike in most of Europe airports (much less at cruise terminals ) pax there even had to take their belts and watches off, (on top of going through the usual xray machines) . A frail nonagenerian had the teenage pimply-faced security agent bark at him to take his metal suspenders off, resulting in his very loose dress pants (perhaps he had a recent weight loss from cancer?) falling down. His wife caught the southward bound trousers just as the passenger's drawers were getting exposed, and she worked hard to get him to waddle through security without the suspenders there to help keep his pants up (he also had a cane, and they were carrying some things as well, which did not make it easier ). Though there can still be surprisingly refreshing flying experiences, indignity, delay and discomfort have become more the routine than the exception, and it's going to take a long time to get some people away from doing land trips instead, or just staying home (especially if home is relatively nice).

"Folks are getting all this conflicting information" from their real life experiences, as many have just reported, i.e., showing up in Spain and not being asked for a QR code either when boarding the flight or landing, as an example, even when the website and cruise lines say you need them. The real life experience unfortunately contrasts with what the Spanish travel website still says, which creates unnecessary anxiety for those of us prone to be thorough in our preparations, and wastes time. And of course they can, as they did when Omicron hit, change it whenever they want in practice, but still have the website lag. Inconsistent information is just one of the many irritations of traveling during Covid. Ironically, the least prepared and most happy go lucky will likely come out ahead here, i.e., waste the least time and money and worry, though that can change.

Are you sure you still need a SpTH health form for Spain? I know the website still says " If I do not have EU DCC/EU Equivalent, what should I do? If your certificate is not an EU DCC or equivalent, you must fill in and sign the Health Control Form (FCS) associated with your trip. Each passenger must complete a form, and have the SpTH QR code that you will get at the end. You can do this from this website, or from the SpTH mobile app. It's very easy : Before your trip to Spain: Create an FCS form: Once you have the details of your trip, you can create and fill in the FCS form. You can start filling it in whenever you want, and continue later, at any time, thanks to the unique code you will receive in your email. Get your QR Code: From 3 days before the trip you will be able to answer the health questions on this form and get the QR code associated with your trip. You will receive a document in pdf format with the QR code in your email, or directly on your mobile if you create the FCS form and complete it using the SPTH mobile app, downloadable from this website or on the download sites of apps for Android and Apple devices. At the time of departure: You must show the airline the QR code of your trip, on your mobile or on paper, in order to board. Upon arrival in Spain: You must show the QR code of your trip, on your mobile or on paper, to be able to pass the health control established by the Spanish health authorities. If they consider it appropriate, they may carry out a medical check upon arrival. Make sure you have the QR code associated with your trip in your SpTH mobile app, downloaded on your mobile or printed on paper, to speed up your health control process upon arrival in Spain. During your stay in Spain: Follow the COVID-19 prevention measures recommended by the health authorities in Spain (see specific section in the FAQs). " However, a few days ago, after going to the trouble of getting a QR code 3 days before, for my departure to Spain from Frankfurt for a cruise from Spain on another cruise line ( Hapag Lloyd), I got a notice from the line that Spain had just eliminated the health form requirement. I checked in to the airline 5/14 ( American citizen) , a day after my notice, and was not asked to show any form/QR. When I arrived in Spain, no official asked to see a QR either, though I was ready to show it and follow a segregated path for those lacking an EU certificate who had gotten a QR. Before agonizing more, perhaps hold off week or two and see if they update the website? Or if you have a TA, ask her to check? As I recall, in any event, the security code had been emailed to me by then when I created the surprisingly useless and unneeded QR.

I leave next week for the classical music cruise Ocean Sun Festival on Hapag Lloyd's MS Europa, Spain and Portugal, and then go to Germany to visit friends, and then the next cruise is scheduled with DH in September (Canada). I am not looking forward to the 13 hour + masked flight, (no cloth mask allowed, must be surgical or N95), at least five different rounds of antigen tests at varying times, several on-line country entry forms and scans, and daily (useless) temp checks, or the FFP masks for part of the time on the ship, on excursions, and more stuffy FFP in public in Germany (though thankfully they are not required hiking outside, like they were on our humid Panama cruise on SS in January). I have not been convinced that my getting shot #4 right now would make the most sense *for me*, as opposed to getting it in August, a month before our Canada cruise, which is my current plan, because then it will have been 11 months since #3. I measured my antibodies (for whatever that is worth) and they are fortunately still high despite my moderate immunosuppression, and presumably I also still have some T cell immunity, and I also take other misc measures on top of common sense to keep my risk as low as possible. I know I could still get Covid even with precautions , could still get quarantined, etc. It would be my first bout if I do (despite travel, going out to eat, and socializing), and oddly I would be kind of relieved if I did, as it would provide a nice big surge in natural immunity for me for at least another 90 days! DH and I are trying to avoid getting shot #4 now, for likely marginal benefit, and maybe just a shot #5 in the fall , given the side effects we had (Moderna) But that is me. If you are conflicted, talk to your doctor, the ones who knows your medical history and risks best. I know the almost reflex, algorithmic party line right now for primary care docs is just to tell seniors to get #4 as authorized per CDC unless they had truly horrible reactions to the vaxxes.

Very few people dispute this. But my point in post #2919 was not to dispute the efficacy of of boosters in lowering risk of hospitalization and death with the variants we know about. It was to express concern that the skittish health authorities and the media that takes their cues from them , (which as you noted like to continue to exaggerate Covid doom and gloom relative to the actual stats) , absent a reality-based public policy decision to accept a certain level of risk for the very vulnerable population, will continue to make the cruise lines think that they need to continue with their arguably unnecessarily disproportionate and aggressive restrictions (even though they have been technically "voluntary" for quite some time), or they may get sued and/or lose customers. Cruising has thankfully been picking up, but even on this forum of mostly cruise addicts, there are people who still haven't cruised since early 2020 because of worry, and the ongoing media push to highlight the negative (including most medical media, one of which I cited) is not going to help the industry get back to what we think of as "normal." And there is a bit of a paradox -- ongoing restrictions (especially in the face of minimal morbidity even in elderly cruisers since the vaccines came out) deter many people from cruising or cruising as much as they otherwise would (I am in the latter category) . There are certainly some who feel safer with restrictions beyond vaccines , like mask wearing . But even early in the pandemic, surveys had shown 2:1 that most cruisers reported mask and other requirements made them less rather than more interested in cruising, and my guess is that ratio would be higher (especially among younger, healthier, and middle-aged cruisers, and even "healthy" seniors) now that we have real life morbidity and mortality data which is better than most feared it would be. There are other kinds of trips most people can take (e.g., Terry in Ohio recently did a beach trip to Key west), and those who either a) continue to worry or b) really, really hate the restrictions beyond vax requirements (be it on the ships or in the ports that mostly follow the level of reported CDC worry) , will do so. As for the 2nd booster (i.e., 4th shot), because DH and I (especially DH) had very unpleasant side effects from shot #3, we are skipping it, and will hold out until the vax for omicron variants, (which are the ones that are proliferating), is available (likely, at least per what I cited and other sources ) later in the year. I say this as someone on immunosuppressive medication. I wish you happy cruising or other travel!

I agree with you, and have been of this opinion for almost a year now. But there is potential for more logistical trouble on the horizon for Paxlovid (the new Covid anti-viral, which VP Harris recently took, though unclear why, since she is younger and healthy) " From MedPage, May 2, 2022 "An NIH official said it is "urgent" to find out why some patients have experienced viral reboundafter taking nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) for COVID-19. (Bloomberg) And speaking of the antiviral, Pfizer said nirmatrelvir/ritonavir failed to show a significant improvement over placebo when used as COVID-19 prevention for individuals with high-risk exposures." Birx also predicts more surges: "Southern states should prepare for a summer COVID surge, while northern states should prepare for a winter surge, said Deborah Birx, MD, who led the Trump White House coronavirus task force. (CNN)" So if true, will business be as usual on cruise lines, or will such a surge perpetuate the testing, masking, and quarantinining theatrics? "And that's bad news, because new Omicron subvariants prove there may be no end to coronavirus mutations. (Washington Post) In somewhat related news, Moderna says it will have "large amounts" of an Omicron-specific booster available by the fall. (The Hill) No longer a pandemic of the unvaccinated: data increasingly show that the share of COVID deaths is growing among the vaccinated -- particularly among older and immunocompromised individuals -- who made up 42% of deaths during the Omicron wave, according to a Washington Post analysis. " I write this as I reluctantly prepare for yet another maskcapade cruise in hot weather (not on SS), booked 3 years ago, a special classical music cruise that I used to go to once a year and have missed the last three years. If there never will be any "going back to normal", and more surges are coming, it may be now or never.

Thank you for publishing your diary of the cruise. It was very informative. Your report of the Covid-related headaches also reinforced the correctness of my decision a few months ago that it would be premature for DH (an avid photographer) and me to go to Antarctica in the 2021-2022 season. We were leaning towards Ponant. I am glad you enjoyed your trip, but the degree of Covid-related regimentation you described (on top of the usual travel problems and hiccups) is not for us. There is a benefit/inconvenience ratio in every trip we do, and right now, that ratio looks pretty low for Antarctica.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/russias-invasion-of-ukraine-has-affected-baltic-states-tourism/

DH and I completed two 7-day back to back cruises on the Seabourn (SB) Odyssey, 12/22/18-12/29/18 and 12/29/18-1/5/19, Caribbean in depth’. The food, beverages and service offered were very good overall ( I gained 7 lb), though service was definitely not perfect. Overall we enjoyed our trip, especially the food, the entertainment, and the great AC. I give it four out of five stars, with the deduction for periodic service and communication issues, mediocre enrichment lectures, mediocre to bad (for this day and age) internet and interactive TV services, and the closed MDR at breakfast and lunch, which necessitated standing in buffet lines at lunch if on board ( though lines were short) and scurrying around to find seating unassisted. The Saturday Philipsburg/ St Martin disembarkation experience was also suboptimal, and our ten-hour SXM airport experience on a Saturday was uncomfortably loud and generally horrible (aggravated by constant, very loud 93 decibel announcements). I cannot blame SB for SXM airport problems but I would be hesitant to book another cruise on SB or any other line requiring disembarkation in SXM. Ports visited the first half included Philipsburg (embarkation on St. Martin island), Saint Kitts and Nevis with Carambola Beache caviar in the surf, Road Bay, Anguilla; St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda; Terre-de-Haut, Iles des Saintes; Port Elizabeth, Bequoia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Castries, St /Lucia, and finally Bridgetown, Barbados. The second half was to include Saline Baby, Mayreau but sea swells prevented tendering). We also stopped at Roseau, Dominica; Basse-Terre, Guadaloupe; Gustavia, Saint Barthelemy; and Great Harbour, Jost van Dyke, and ended back in Philipsburg. Captain: Othello Ghoshroy (a man of few words) Cruise Director: Robert Brendan (lively, friendly, he also sings) Executive Chef: Marco Matteucci (excellent!) Hotel Director: Peppi Schuppler ( who tried to be helpful, even personally served me a pina colada New Years Eve when bartenders were busy)