Catlover54

DH and I actually enjoyed Kaiseki, both for dinner and lunch, on the Moon, but it was months ago. We thought it was worth the upcharge then, but perhaps it has gone downhill. The steak was definitely a highlight at the time.

OVERVIEW: I have done multiple cruises with Hapag Lloyd's (HL) small luxury ships over the last eight years, the MS Europa (German is the on-board language) and the Europa 2 (German and English are on board languages). This Baltic cruise was 12 days, and featured the annual Ocean Sun classical music festival. Amazingly, even since Covid, unlike on some other "luxury' lines, food, service, ship condition, and overall organization have remained outstanding on the Europa, nearly flawless. They are not making "Blame Covid" excuses, as some luxury lines continue to do. Classical music offerings remain top tier, itineraries are interesting, and food/service are terrific. DEMOGRAPHICS, GERMAN: The ship has a capacity of about 400 guests, and was 85% full, overwhelmingly with older German, Austrian, and Swiss guests. The official on board language is only German (other than for emergency announcements and basics). But most frontline staff can speak and understand varying degrees of English (not just those higher up in the chain, but also the mostly Filipino cabin and restaurant crew and other staff who interact with pax). I am fine with a German language ship for various reasons (even though I am not German) but guest performers who do not speak German, as well as the handful of adventurous English-only guests on board, can be adequately accomodated for basics with some planning. There is no international hostess position anymore on the Europa. HL steers "international" non-German speaking audiences (what little there is of them) to the "international" sister ocean ship the Europa 2, and its international luxury expedition sister, the Inspiration, where on board languages for all functions are both German and English. Though you can get by for food, cabin and general service, unless you understand at least high school level German, however, you will miss out on understanding enrichment lectures, German-only comedy shows, non-emergency captain announcements, German-only excursions, and detailed colorful verbal musical and cruise director introductions. Certainly between English speaking waiters and an off-line translation app, and some planning, you can figure out what to eat, where, and when, you can go to the spa, the pool, the gym, and you could in most cases (depending on the port) organize independent shore excursions in English. The safety drill is, of course, offered in both German and English, as are no smoking warnings and emergencies. The doctor also speaks English. Quite a few (I won't say most) of the German passengers on the Europa understand and/or speak tourist English (or better), but they may be hesitant to tell you if they don't understand what you're saying in English, especially if you speak quickly and use slang. The older German pax way of interacting with strangers, even other Germans, (especially for those from certain parts of the country) is also a bit unfriendly (superficially polite, but generally stiff and not particularly outgoing, so don't count on making new BFF on this ship, you don't just go up to them and start trying to immediately get on a first name basis, as is often done on English luxury lines. For the handful of those on CC who are still interested despite the German barriers, read on. AMBIENCE: PEACEFUL is one word that sums up the experience. Sedate, reserved, conservative, calming, and quiet are other descriptors. There was only one young child on this Baltic cruise. This ship offers a perfect low pressure atmosphere for spending quiet time listening to the sea and mostly classical music, relaxing, eating, reading, drinking, and exercising (in the beautiful gym or on the deck walk loop), while touring scenic port locations, a place where you can just recharge in luxury. BEHAVIOR: Germans usually respect rules, and I appreciated that they were always on time (if not early) for everything, (especially concerts and excursions). They expect precision in information given to them by staff, (rather than wishy washy vagueness, which is what I often get from reception and other staff on other luxury ships). They mostly stick to the people they were traveling with, or have very limited attempts at interacting with others not in their group. This suits me just fine, as I do not cruise to find new BFF and dislike contrived small talk and artifice. Friendly Americans seeking to socialize with the Germans who speak some English might find the we-mind-our-own-business and reserved style unfriendly and lacking in curiosity. There were some organized attempts to get guests to socialize more with strangers, e.g., there was an invitation for solo passengers, an invitation for a doctor/dentist/veterinarian passenger get-together, an offer to join a "socialization" table for dinners (new) and even a block party (also new), like on English language luxury lines. Solos were not overtly discriminated against, which can sometimes occur on other lines (e.g., no one ever tried to steer me to the table near the crew work area, and if I came early enough, I was given the window or other desirable seat I wanted, rather than seeing it unofficially reserved for couples, regulars, or people who secretly tipped). DISABILITY accomodation: There were a few pax using canes, walkers and wheelchairs on this Baltic, port intensive voyage. The level of assistance they received from staff on board appeared to be comparable to other luxury lines (i.e., very little), but excursions level 2 effort or higher (on a scale of 1-5), will *not* allow significantly disabled pax to try and participate: cruise information specifically states that staff have the discretion to refuse to allow pax on an excursion who are clearly unfit to keep up with the group. Though I am no longer super fit and frisky, I appreciate not having the entire group signed up to do a "moderate" excursion over cobblestones and stairways slowed up by people with walkers who can barely move, as not uncommonly happens on non-German luxury lines. DRESS CODE was officially resort casual during the day, and this is what people stuck with. Evenings people typically voluntarily took it up a notch for the MDR (though resort casual was still appropriate). On the two formal nights for the captains' welcome and good-bye, people dressed up even more in varying ways, but no tie was required. I only saw a couple tuxes even on formal nights. No one wore T shirts with provocative message writing on them, much less backwards or team sports caps, and only a couple people wore jeans during the day (unfaded and without holes). Middle-aged and elderly ladies, mostly with coiffed white or silver-grey hair and manicured nails, dressed with muted elegance, and had the good sense to rarely wear unflattering shorts except at the pool (this was when weather was in the mid to high 70's). The boutiques sold name brand casual cruising outfits, Wempe jewelry, and varyingly priced purses (and some practical things behind the scenes, like batteries). I didn't experience a single bus ride where anyone was rowdy or facetiming without headphones. I never saw anyone visibly drunk. This not a party ship. I saw small groups quietly talking in bars (there is even a smoking lounge, called Havana), and a few people even sometimes laughed loudly, e.g., at the block party, at the "pool party" , at the Bavarian festival, and when free vodka was poured accompanied by a free portion of caviar ( usually alcohol has a charge). People had a good time without being boorish or inconsiderate. TEMPERATURE and physical comfort : The public areas run a bit warm for me (measured by me on my portable mini-thermometer, 73-75F, or more) by American standards. This is because many older Germans still worry greatly that they will get sick and die if AC is on strong (be it in a dining room or a bus). I brought my own little personal fans to help keep me cooler in venues, avoided sitting on the sunny side of dining rooms, and spent more time in my cabin with AC on max if a day was particularly hot. Most pax loved the sun, and many would sit for hours baking in it. I would sit in the dining rooms with short sleeves, fanning myself, still sweating a bit, while many pax would have on long sleeves, vests, and designer scarves, and still be comfortable. SUITE: I was in a basic very comfortable immaculate veranda suite which is very similar in size and style to the veranda suites on Seabourn, Regent, and Silversea, low 300's square feet. The bathroom had a tub and separate shower, one sink, a walk-in closet, a small TV (which had several German stations plus CNN international), a sofa, chair, and a mini-fridge (stocked with in-room complimentary sodas, juices and beer, customizable). There was plenty of overall storage space and drawers, even for two heavy packers. Beds, which are *very* comfortable (I did not need a topper to sleep like I do on Seabourn) can be set up as twin or as a German style double (hemisected into two separate matresses-- many Americans do not like that). The spacious veranda had one chaise lounge, two upright chairs, cushions, and a small table. This is an old ship, and though very well-maintained, there was only one 240 charging plug in my suite, at the desk. There were also a couple USB outlets. There was no self-laundry (other than a drying line over the tub) but laundry fees (though higher than last year) were still reasonable e.g., 1.50 Euro, for underwear, and laundry service is good (2 day official turnaround though you usually got things back the same day, with nothing lost, shrunk or shredded). The bathroom is well-stocked with pleasant smelling though not hypoallergenic Hapag Lloyd brand toiletries, which are replenished even without request, and even includes dental floss and refresher wipes. There was also a very welcome espresso machine. FOOD: There is a formal MDR (Europa) and a casual in/out Lido buffet (all open 3 meals a day every day) for dining with open seating, plus there are three specialty restaurants by limited reservation but no upcharge: Venezia (upscale Italian), open most lunches, and dinner; The Globe (an 8 course creative small courses meal by specialty chef Kevin Fehling; and Pearls, a caviar-oriented indoor/outdoor venue. I did not care for the fussy and Asian-oriented Globe or Pearls food menu, but the food in the MDR and the Lido by chef Tillman Fischer was generally very good, internationally oriented (i.e., not focussed on German cuisine though there was usually one special typical German dish each day), well-prepared, and well-presented, as it should be on a luxury ship. There were a few misses (e.g., the roast pig at the Bavarian festival was too dry, and some of the liver fegato in the Italian venue was a bit tough). I never had any food brought to me cold that was not supposed to be served cold, which was impressive. Desserts were ok but the weakest courses, with the special cream desserts and gelatos the best choices. Croissants, sweet rolls and afternoon teacakes were sadly mediocre (not enough butter, sugar or overall flavor ).Though the little rolls ( Broetchen) were still crisp and tasty, they only had them in the morning, and at lunch and dinner instead I saw mixed bread baskets with too many breads that had rubbery crusts, but also nice hearty country bread. But overall, food was excellent (especially given the competition) soups (cream or clear) were always hot and exceptionally flavorful, salads were crisp, misc. fish (some very fresh and never frozen , e.g., even purchased during the cruise at local fish markets) were very flavorful and well-prepared. Consistency of proper food preparation and service was/is better on HL than I have ever seen on any luxury cruise line, even before Covid. The lunch meats offered at the breakfast buffet, with the exception of prosciuto equivalents, were unfortunately a lot leaner than on my pre-Covid sailings, (which is the trend everywhere), so I missed the older style. Fruit, cereals, cheeses, yoghurts, and a variety of bread options, plus a "healthy choice" special plus made to order hot eggs and bacon, eggs benedict, and pancakes were also options. There was a special Bavarian lunch festival offering (once per cruise on a sea day) which was quite popular, with southern German traditional fare and free-flowing beer and spirits. Very little of the food offerings on other days were what you'd call "German food", though if you tire of the fancy food, you can still get an excellent fluffy Wienerschnitzel with cranberrry or Frankfurter sausages with potato salad, either in the MDR or as part of efficient 24 hour room service. Drinks outside the suite (and alcohol anywhere other than beer in the suite) are not included in the base fare, and only beer is free alcohol in the suite. There are no come-on packages either. However, the mark-up is reasonable (e.g., most single shot cocktails were about 8 euros). For the food and beverage gourmet or zealot, there are hundreds of excellent wine and spirits offerings, both medium and high end, and you do not have to pull out the suite card to get served, you just verbally state your suite number. At the end of the meal you are presented with a bill for the extra cost beverages, which you sign for (at lunch and dinner), with a line for an optional but not expected TIP (my understanding is that most people ignore it because tips are included in the base fare and are neither required nor expected -- HL pays their staff well). Several dozen good wines (many of them German) were offered by the glass (0.1 liter or 0.25 liter), for easy sampling and pairing. There was no "free" caviar other than as part of the two formal special meals, but you could buy several different brands at a reasonable price. I enjoyed their base offering, Prunier, 30 gram portion was 39 Euros, with all the usual sides, but other varieties were available. In the base suite, I did not have a butler to cater to my whims like I did on Silversea, e.g., there is no server running back and forth with afternoon cocktails and canapes. But the front desk (which picks up almost immediately) was quickly responsive to requests I had. Penthouse suites, however, have butlers. Ice and fruit can be regularly supplied by the stewardesses on request, or you can go pick fruit of your choice up at poolside. The Europa has several dozen fine cheeses on board (including some of my soft favorites). A sampling of one night's cheese board offer included "L'Ami du Chambertin, Bleu des Basques, Brie, Geramont, Gorgonzola, Morbier, Munster, Pont-l'Eveque, Reblochon, Scamorza, Stilton". Another night offered Camembert, Comte, Epoisses, Geramont, Langres, Picandou, Scamorza. I frequently chose cheeses for dessert with specially paired wines. SERVICE: The suite was well-maintained by generally well-trained and competent international staff (Ukrainian and Filipina in my case, both of whom spoke both traveler German and traveler English -- the Filipina better than the Ukrainian.) The diverse dining rooms' international staff workers (German, Filipino, Tunisian, and misc. east European) generally tried to be helpful and responsive and were usually successful. There were no comical order errors or missed deliveries. There was a real sommelier on board, (guests are given information about key staff on their TVs when they board, and there is also a formal introduction), but I usually did not see him around (I think he was mostly in the Globe supervising pairings). I mostly just made my own wine selections from the long wine list (I had pre-copied it to my iphone so I could study it in peace in my suite and while looking at the menus in advance, available on my ipad and TV) . My one dining service criticism was that there was sometimes a disconnect between the food server and the wine server (each had separate assignments), aggravated by some understaffing at busier meals. For example, getting my special champage served close to the same time as my special order caviar could be a challenge (I did not want to drink my extra charge champage that had gone flat due to standing around too long waiting for the caviar to come). And when I ordered a special wine, selected for appropriate pairing, it not uncommonly took longer to bring than was optimal, especially when the food courses were already coming. I managed to only partially train my busy servers to bring my wine in time so it would be there when the food came. In hindsight, I should have spoken to the dining room manager about the issue earlier in the cruise. Many of the wait staff I saw were new since Covid, some new even since 2022 when I was last on board, and were not native German (much less English) speakers. But all were still better trained and skilled in luxury service than the average waiter on Seabourn and Silversea I have encountered since Covid. They were also not intrusive, e.g., I witnessed NO plate-snatching, no asking questions right when I had put food in your mouth, and no awkward interruptions of pax conversations. In contrast, the higher level positions and bridge officers were staffed by Germans (and a couple Austrians, plus one American "entertainment manager" , though he did not introduce the music groups, the German cruise director did that). The crew manner was almost always friendly and polite without being overly chummy. ENRICHMENT There was a charming Austrian music expert on this classical music festival, and a less than charming "culture" historian on board who gave a couple lectures (in German, as previously noted ), and also led a couple excursions. The talks and accompanying slides were available on suite TVs. As noted earlier, non-German understanders would totally miss out on the lectures. ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES The classical music offerings from the intense Ocean Sun Festival (on ship and on land) were of course the main point of this classical music festival cruise, and as noted above, were beautiful and usually well-organized. No other cruise line has such a classical music lineup (though Ponant can come close on selected cruises). Artists this year included Jan Lisiecki (pianist); Chaarts (string group); Shira Patchornik (soprano); Niklas Liepe (violinist) with the Muenchner Rundfunkorchester and Nils Liepe (cembalo for the main on-land performance, directed by young Patrick Hahn; Duo Aliada (unique accordeon and sax); and Duo Circiu-Gologan (four-hand piano). . Other than classical music, for entertainment there was one pool party, a bar where a band played popular tunes and people could dance, two performances by talented dancers/acrobats, and two caberet shows (of course in German). There is also a good-sized mostly empty well-stocked gym with a nice ocean view, a large popular lap pool with a jacuzzi next to it (that unfortunately is barely warmer than the pool water), and a 180 meter loop outdoor walking track, and an upper deck sun deck. There was a young man offering various free fitness classes which I did not go to, and a spa and beauty shop with assorted offerings I also did not go to. Passenger space (close to the highest in the cruise industry on HL, even when full) was abundant everywhere, so there were no chair hog issues on a full ship, but certainly on a sunny day, one should plan ahead. I liked the many chairs which faced out to sea. In-room TV offered a handful of airline quality non-controversial German language movies, and only a few in English (so BYO movies). There is a library, which was physically pretty but too hot for me to sit in. The high deck forward view lounge called Belvedere was underutilized, e.g., it hosted a couple of the concerts, but during the day its space stood empty and was mostly wasted other than when artists rehearesed. The only bar area during the day other than at the pool was in the main reception area, not very cozy, or the smoking lounge. Internet was slow but generally ok (pax got one free hour per day and an option to buy more data). I would not want to be on this ship if I absolutely needed good internet to get major work or conference calls done, and sadly this is true for most small luxury ships I have been on lately. There was an organized gin tasting and a high end champagne tasting offered, for fees. An "open bridge" morning was also offered. The last night of the cruise, there was a crew singing show, and a lottery benefitting the crew. PORTS Ports visited (mostly new to me) included Gdansk, Visby, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki (overnight), Turku, and Stockholm (overnight). None of these ports had what I would call striking scenery, but they were rich in history and ambience and are worth visiting (we had warm weather and no rain, but there are plenty of museums and indoor restaurants if it rains). Private English guides were available online (with planning) everywhere except Visby and Turku, but the populace in those ports also mostly understands English and is friendly. The ship provided excellent port maps, as well as specific DIY and dining suggestions (Seabourn and Ponant should take some lessons), and a concierge service was available for individualized planning (for a fee). Most German language port excursions I went on were well-organized (sadly, other than those led by the brusk "culture" expert). Walking groups typically had 15-25 polite people who also valued being on time. Buses were comfortable and not packed like they typically are on SB. Just as on most other luxury line excursions, there never seemed to be enough time for having a relaxing local lunch after walking around a lot on a hot day. All of these ports can be visited independently, in most cases by walking, some (like Gdansk) with a shuttle. IN SUM: The MS Europa is a quiet small luxury ship which is very well-run, a real class act. It provides overall excellent food and service. Nothing was broken and everything flowed smoothly. Negatives are off course that the on-board language is German, even though uninhibited English speakers can get by (especially with good planning). The AC was often too weak for me (both on the ship and on the excursion buses chosen), and I wish they would get a better pastry chef and figure out a better way to time and coordinate special wine orders with foods. I think the Europa is ideal for couples who want to spend quiet time with each other in relative luxury, and solos who want to be left alone while going somewhere interesting or beautiful, (and on this cruise , listening to classical music in a small, comfortable venue). If the space, food, and good service of the Europa appeals to you, but the lone German language does not, Hapag Lloyd's Europe 2 ( which is bilingual German and English) may be a good choice as long as you don't expect to meet many English speaking new friends to have a good time (because even there, most pax are German).

I just picked up on your thread (was busy on Hapag Lloyd's MS Europa Ocean Sun classical music fest). Thank you so much for sharing and posting. It sounds like you are having an extraordinary and positive experience on Ponant's star ship. I will keep following. Enjoy the remainder of your cruise!

And I will join Europa for a Baltic cruise a couple weeks later, for the Ocean Sun classical music festival. We can both seek out the complicated and wonderful cheeses we seek and report our findings! 🙂 I've been reading up on some of the Baltic ports, and it looks like there will also be several opportunities to enjoy nice regional cuisine while on land, independent from ship excursions.

I forgot to add that it was not until we returned home three days ago (we had added on a few days in Scotland after the cruise, so there was a delay) that we found a big paper bundle from Ponant, which was mailed 2 weeks before the cruise by snail mail (we left the country 10 days before the cruise, so did not get it before leaving). It included luggage tags. My TA had no idea that we would be getting paper bundles (she had called a month before when she had gotten nothing, and neither had I, and hd been told everything would be electronic -- otherwise she would have had them express mail the stuff to us. It had a lot more information about excursions than what had been available electronically, in a beautiful 88-page pamphlet, but it made no sense to only mail the pamphlet out 2 weeks before sailing, since electronic excursions could be booked 6 or so weeks before. The billing for the horrible Kilmartin excursion we were on out of Oban indicated we would be split into two groups, with one going to the museum and the other to stones ("hundreds" of stones were talked about, and we saw 3), but we were all in one big group, and no one went to the museum. The paperwork made very clear that this is a French line, and that there would be classical music featured (but perhaps the Americans who did not know this were also traveling and did not timely receive it). But it did not commit to having excursions for Anglophones in English (which Americans may expect) so one needs to be prepared to be dumped into a big bilingual group with clumsy language toggling. . Oddly, however, the thick pamphlet it did not provide any details on where exactly in "Dublin" we were to board (as I said earlier, there were 3 options and we had to figure it out on our own ), and for disembarkation it just said port of "Glasgow" (it did not make clear that we would be disembarking in Greenock, a small town 45 minute drive from Glasgow proper, which many of the Americans were unpleasantly surprised about -- we had tracked that down by using a cruise ship mapper for L'Austral, just because we wanted to know where to rent a car and I am experienced enough to know that such details are important. More bizarrely, an erroneous " contact list" for a totally different cruise was included -- for boarding from *the port of Ponta Delgada*! A Barcelona company (Marmedsa Cruises General Agent) was listed as their "port agent". No wonder that even one of the Australian Anglophones on board, who was a travel agent of many years, could not figure out whom to call to get the boarding location.

Yes, more novices are employed (e.g., 2 of the bus guides we had said they had just started guiding last year). Pre-Covid, on our multiple SS cruises, SS never packed their buses full, as you say, i.e., there would always be extra seats, and never more than 25-26 people (usually less) on board an excursion bus that could hold close to 50. Other lines, e.g., "luxury" Seabourn, and Regent, have also started packing many of their buses more since the Covd faux "social distancing" ended. SS going "door to door" and all inclusive with many "free" excursions has aggravated this, especially since they have not lowered the excursion or cruise pricings. You will be on Ponant's new "star" expedition ship, so odds are good they will put their best foot forward, with top staff (and hopefully top cheeses as well :). Of course on an Arctic cruise, it will be mostly all about the scenery, just as my cruise was all about the wonderful music (with the rest less important).

I love soft, runny stinky cheeses! But on 6/7 nights and multiple lunches/breakfasts, there wasn't a single stinky cheese to be found (unless you redefine the word stinky). Maybe they had all been eaten up by the time we got to the restaurants, or maybe they were out. It's not that the cheeses were bad (I ate a lot fthem), they just weren't special. I had a better gourmet French cheese selection on the German line Hapag Lloyd last summer than I did on this French ship on this cruise. Odd, but it is good to know you had a suitably stinky cheese experience , so I won't give up hope!

Thank you for your additional input, Jazzbeau! I had read many of your, JP Albany's, Aussieboy's, and others' comments about Ponant (not many can contribute as it is a small and French line, so limited demand). I went in with eyes open, ready for potential problems, but eagerly looking forward to the music and maybe a new culinary experience (with baguettes :). The music more than delivered (e.g., nightly concerts, where I only expected 3-4!), despite the long-winded intros as well as in-between commentaries only in French (especially after the Anglophones' mutiny led to the CD hastily putting together written programs), and this heavily drove my 4/5 rating. What was surprisingly disappointing were the lame excursions (the one from Belfast excepted, as that was English only), especially compared with another ship that posits itself as bilingual , luxury Hapag Lloyd's Europa 2, which separates German and English excursions, and the reception's "it is not possible" service and poor communication to the point of making things up (definitely not something I see on HL -- Germans tend to demand more precision). The food was of course disappointing overall other than the crispy baguettes and hearty brown breads, but realistically I (not DH) could eat 3 meals/day with just great butter, cold cuts, smoked salmon, and jam (not all together), if other aspects are good. Note I did not mention cheese, because the cheeses served also disappointed. Frankly, also, the dining service (rather than the food) on this ship overall was better than on our last experience on "luxury" rated Seabourn a few months ago, despite numerous glitches, and we were thankful to be able to eat without battling to get a refill of our wine, and not a single soup was served to us inappropriately cold. I am still attracted to Ponant's itineraries, and the Azores have been on my bucket list for a long time, so will keep it in mind. Maybe if I book well enough ahead of time we could get the Owner's Suite, with a very desired bath tub and properly distributed space (we had originally done an OS on a Ponant Carmen focussed cruise, but had to cancel due to Covid issues), and perhaps better service to go with it. We will also consider a Smithsonian voyage, but not Backroads, as we are no longer in the good shape we were in for many years to do Backroads level hikes like we used to.

Here is my recent official LONG review of this one-week, classical music emphasis cruise (our first cruise on Ponant). Overall rating by me is 4/5 (though DH wanted to rate it 3/5). We will still likely give Ponant another try, since we realize each ship within a line, and even cruises on the same ship can provide different experiences. But if we do, it would likely be on a cruise that stays in a port all day, so we could reliably plan private excursions (and/or where Tauck mostly takes over the ship and dominates with Anglophones). https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=699343 I would be happy to answer any questions people have about my admittedly limited experience, and/or provide clarifications.

Once your country passes legislation banning tipping of individual workers in appreciation of what they do, visiting Americans will stop tipping. The questions (rhetorical) that come to my mind, however, are: 1. Why have tips not yet been banned? 2. Will the bus driver, valet, waiter, and tour guide in the UK (who BTW likely cannot afford luxury cruises and never will, tips or no tips) be happier or unhappier if tips are banned? 3. Will service workers have more incentive to do a great job (instead of a mediocre one, i.e., enough to keep their salaries and not get fired), if tips are banned? We are drifting off topic, of course, and as usual when money is discussed, and gunnywife (the OP) likely has gotten enough points of view for her to make a decision about how much, if any, cash and what kind, to bring to the UK on her upcoming cruise. Gunnywife, I hope you have a great cruise in the British Isles!

I just got back from a three-week combination land trip and cruise (parts of Ireland, Whales, and Scotland). We always carry local currency, (some we bring in from prior trips, or get at an ATM), for excursions, musicians, and small businesses and vendors, though we use credit cards at bigger establishments. We took several excursions (both from our ship, and individual and group land tours). Though no one was sticking their hands into our faces awaiting tips, and everyone from top to bottom has a decent salary, life can be expensive for lower middle class and even middle class employees, especially in urban areas. So tips we offered were greatly appreciated, never rejected, and always met with a smile (especially by underappreciated and lower salaried tour bus drivers who navigate narrow winding roads, often with no shoulder and heavy uncoming traffic, with great responsibility to not drive off a cliff). This is no small task, and unless the drivers were awful or hostile, we gave them solid tips (even when we did not, for various reasons including guide self-described relative affluence, tip the tour guides, unless they were exceptional). Street musicians also appreciate a few coins, which you cannot offer without local currency.

Thank you for your detailed report. It absolutely is unprofessional and annoying for cruise ship servers to interrupt to "say their piece", and yet it is becoming increasing common. But the anger and rudeness expressed by Monsieur Seat Cover Patrol was over the top, and unnecessary. What are the chairs there for, if not the guests to use on a ship that is already small with limited seating? DH and I have been enjoying some very nice land travel in Europe lately, and it is so nice to be reminded that true luxury can still be found, with uninterrupting servers, and helpful personnel, even after Covid! We will be on a port intensive Ponant cruise soon and are bracing ourselves for the new experience. Let's hope it will be a bit better than yours, i.e., there are more staff of the "Lea" type.

The way things have been moving lately, I can envision this kind of post in the future: [Insert Name of Favorite Cruise Line] Cruise Addict in 2045: " Admittedly, the food quality and service were not quite up to standards prior to 2020, but I've been on 954 cruises, and we have to allow for the understandable residual effects of Covid, supply chain problems, labor shortages, strikes, coups, software malfunctions, and massive inflation. I'd say service was even better than in 2040, at least in the MDR between 8:45 and 9:00 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Friday between January and March in the north Atlantic, plus we got the cruise for $106,000 off during the spring sale! Naysayers who don't think a five hour wait and strip search prior to embarkation and Spam with Cook's champagne for dinner every night except Friday should count as luxury, should all just count their blessings and be happy they are not in a war zone."

One of my favorite meals on HAL in 1983 was a calves brains with lemon butter special (oddly everyone else at my table that night ordered the steak special 😃) You definitely cannot get that in the PG anymore 🙂

My first "cruise" cruise (as opposed to just an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic for transportation back and forth ) was on HAL to Alaska in 1983, solo. It was absolutely fantastic, being able to get as close to some of the glaciers as we did, and we had perfect weather, amazing food and service, plus beautiful ice sculptures I did not like the assigned seating, but met a woman there who became a life-long friend and we see each other annually. We were both in pathetic tiny little inside cabins with single beds and showers that felt too small even though I only weighed 110lb. But we spent so little time in there it did not matter!

Cloth

Thank you for all your hard work on this thread. I don't think Indonesia will be for me despite the cool dragons (don't snorkel or swim anymore, and I cannot tolerate very high heat with high humidity for very long -- I am no longer healthy as a horse, like you two apparently are!). But I took notes on other things as DH and I have a Ponant trip coming up very soon, and I am still considering another trip what would include Singapore (despite their requirement to declare and approve certain prescriptions medications I bring for personal use). DH has been to Singapore a couple times, but only for work so this would be a new experience (he warned me that there is no point in showering in the morning because I will be soaked with sweat head to foot as soon as I walk outside; so maybe just 2-3 nights after a cruise would be long enough).

So was everyone routinely tested, to determine the true Covid numbers? I was on a Panama Canal cruise last year (with another line) and that's what they did then (typically shortly before a port stop)

Were the Lido masks required by HAL or by Singapore?

Given the high risk of rain, water resistant breathable hiking pants may be a good choice for an excursion. You can certainly wear jeans but you may get soaked. And bring a travel umbrella too 🙂 https://www.rei.com/c/mens-hiking-pants

Here is a youtube video of people flying Icelandair business class (saga), seattle to KEF, likely similar to what you would do out of Portland

Isn't Mom going to be spending a lot (or any?) of the time with Dad, i.e., when Dad could do the needed texting (if any)? For those days she may want to do stuff herself (spa?), just write down the plan. Some of us did ocean voyages before there were cell phones, texts, and apps, and if we were not going to be together, we just talked about our plans, wrote a few things out, and set up rendez-vous areas. No one got lost! 🙂 It just took a little planning, pen and paper.

No, it is not true that Icelandaire is the only airline that flys into iceland -- just google it and you will see other options. The problem is that you booked door to door so with that your choices are more limited. If your TA is n/a (though you should keep trying this week , since you still have time), call SS if you need a fully lie flat airline and either have them find a better combination, or cancel. I have flown Icelandaire business in 2021 and although the seats are not lie flat, they are much, much better than "economy plus" , and are also much better than premium economy. I have musculoskeletal problems so I understand your fear of arriving "crippled"

Like you, I also tried Celebrity solo (on Edge, in a Sky Suite) last year, to compare with my prior experience which was mostly misc. small ship luxury lines (Ponant is coming up soon, also to compare, but that will not be solo). I loved the food and service, and there was no discrimination against me as a solo. I also loved the physical layout of the ship -- but despised the incessant pounding music on the beautiful "upper deck" where the chairs face outward. I want to hear the sea, not the latest pulsating or screeching random pop, so I had to flee to my suite to relax (with more limited sea view) to escape it. But I am a lot older than you, and generally less tolerant of piped in noise. I also loved the great internet (but it was in the Caribbean, where many ships now have good internet). It look forward to my Ponant cruise and will write a report. I have realistic expectations, though I thought the issue of French service haughtiness to those who speak either no French or imperfect French had been resolved in recent years when Ponant decided to try and get more of the English speaking cruiser.

I call a large 3:30 meal a "lunner" (lunch and dinner combo)