skybluewaters

Best wishes for a speedy, full recovery!

Not-so-fun fact: A senior woman who fractures a hip from a fall has a lower five-year survival rate than if she were diagnosed with breast cancer, while a senior man who fractures a hip from a fall has a lower five-year survival rate than if he were diagnosed with prostate cancer. So Keith, your advice is right on, be careful!

Yes! After two weeks of frustration, I finally found a work-around: From the "Travel Planning" tab at the top of the page of your specific cruise, click on "Private Arrangements." Then hover on "Flights and Planning" at the top of the page and click on "Flights" from the drop-down menu.

Very helpful, thank you for taking the time to inform us

If you're hoping that you will receive a V3 cabin, don't get your hopes too high. You may, but there often is last minute juggling of cabins, such as paid upgrades or possibly moving speakers/entertainers to the V3 and with you ending up with an oceanview cabin. However, you said you're willing to try that, so it sounds as though you'll be ok either way.

I'm not sure which of these is more distressing

Excellent point. I wonder if the current (perceived) under-staffing is by design to allow attrition to proceed without replacement for the last year or so, and then shift some of the Odyssey crew to the other ships. Yes, one can hope.

Although not technically a pancake (I did DNA testing to confirm this), the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries are excellent and are available every morning in the Colonnade for breakfast. Perhaps in Sweden they are called pancakes, but in the US they would more accurately be called crepes.

Are some of these upgrade offers being made by a bot and not by a person? Quite awhile ago I secured an excellent veranda cabin for a cruise that as of now is nearly sold out. The cruise begins next month. This is the offer: Upgrade for select bookings from your Veranda Suite (Category V1 to V2) to the following best available: Veranda Suite (Category V1 to V2) for an additional $399pp USD / $599pp CAD. I very much appreciate upgrade offers, but this one is a head-scratcher. I guess I can do mental contortions and make some sense out of this offer, but no, I don't think so.

I'd also encourage you to try the sushi at the Club, either as an extended appetizer or as a full meal. If you restrict yourself from going to both the Colonnade and the Club, you're literally leaving a lot on the table.

Just have a French Connection. You won't notice what cognac was used.

Unfortunately true, but at least it's better than one ship and one iceberg!

@SLSD Thank you for such a detailed, informative and useful running diary of your trip. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time! Btw, I'm like you in that I'm always cognizant of not over-doing a good thing and getting jaded, but when it comes to cruising that hasn't happened to me yet. Maybe you should up your cruising to twice a year!

Hi, Nancy! We're on the June 14 -> July 12, 2025 Sojourn 28-day Iceland/Norway cruise with stops in Scotland and Amsterdam. I believe you're on the following cruise? Yes, it has been a long time, in fact it was on that other lux line 😄

Yes. And in a related situation, one of the most valuable bits of advice I have received on CC is to book a cruise asap if you like the price. Waiting for a better price will most often result in settling for a higher price later.

Thank you so very much for your well-written, thoughtful writings as well as your fabulous photographs. We have virtually the same 28-day cruise next year, so your information has been invaluable to us. Safe travels home!

Horrible news, Slavko was such a kind, helpful and good-natured gentleman. Any interaction with him was always a positive experience. May his memory be a blessing

How timely! Thank you for the recommendation. I just took your advice and booked them for disembarkation at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Would any of you know how we find them at the terminal? It will be a Sunday morning and the other ship at the terminal will be a 4,000 passenger ship.

So, if you booked with FE and there were cancellations or delays, etc., couldn't you still call the airline directly (or go on the airline's app) and make the same changes that you could if you had booked directly with the airline?

We were in the South Pacific/Polynesia from mid-January to mid-February several years ago. It was quite hot, of course, but there was very little rain. However, our experience - and everyone else's experience - is irrelevant to you. The best you can do is to do an internet search on weather conditions at those times... and hope for the best.

Exactly

Although I'm not @brittany12, they clearly wrote that the $5 was for individual drinks ("slipping $5 bills to bartenders when they routinely order a drink). A $5 tip per drink is a generous tip. And, yes, passengers do tip much larger sums at the end of a cruise. In my experience, it's rare to notice someone tipping routinely for services in the midst of a cruise.

So very sorry to hear both of you have Covid. Glad you're on top of it and have already begun Paxlovid. From what you wrote, it seems that there is no longer a mandatory 5 day quarantine, it sounds as though the nurse or doctor can use clinical discretion based on your symptoms. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Very good points made by @moto_italia, @BWIVince and @ctjon. Personally, I make my bookings by browsing the cruiseline's website. If there is an option to book directly, I know I will be much more inclined to do so there and then on the website. I especially appreciate that I can see precisely which cabins are available and secure them on the spot. If I go the route of first contacting my TA and requesting a specific cruise, then I might have to go back and forth nailing down a particular cabin (and I'm quite particular!). Also, it's a false dichotomy to say you have to choose between either having a TA or booking on your own (and therefore not having a TA). After I book my cruise, with the cabin I want, I transfer my booking to my TA. Therefore, I have the best of both worlds, control of the choices involved and the benefit of having a TA. I'm sure others do this, also.