Roz

@steve4031, I had an awful experience one time with a so-called singles table on HAL. I decided to tough it out, but in hindsight, I should have gone to the DR manager after the first night and asked for a change. If that wasn't possible, I should have just resigned myself to eating in the Lido every night. It would have been preferable to the verbal abuse and prying questions I was subjected to while I was eating dinner. I was always told it was impolite to ask people questions such as why aren't you married, why don't you have children, are you seeing anyone, etc.

Update - TA booked flights and sent me an updated Tauck invoice. No credit for last year's canceled flights that I paid $1,011 for. There was a $450 cancellation fee, but Tauck said they thought they could get that waived if I rebooked, which I did. In any event, I should have a credit of either $561 or $1,011. I have 3 cruises booked between October of this year and March of next year. They are all turning into a lot of work. Sigh....

From the SW website: On June 16, 2022, our schedule will open for sale through January 04, 2023. (Date is subject to change).

@NBG1998, thanks for the info. I told my TA to go ahead and book me thru Tauck, as I don't see any relief in sight with Christmas fares.

Back story - I was supposed to take a Yuletide cruise thru The Netherlands and Belgium last year, but canceled before final payment because of the onerous Covid testing requirements. I had already booked and paid for flights thru Tauck. I rebooked for this year, but couldn't get the same dates. Ended up with a cruise over Christmas (Dec. 20 - 27) and waitlisted for the Dec. 6 sailing. I've been monitoring the Tauck website, and it looks unlikely there will be any Dec. 6 cancellations in the category I need to not pay a single supplement. Contacted my TA and told her to go ahead and book premium economy flights for me for the Dec. 20 sailing. I'll be flying into Amsterdam on Dec. 16 - 17, and leaving Brussels on Dec. 27. TA came back with $ $2237.00 for flights on AA and BA. Much more than I expected, so I checked to see what the fare would be if I booked directly with the airlines - $4,655! 😲🤑 I know I'm flying before and after a major holiday but I wasn't expecting that. I have a credit with Tauck from last year which will ease the pain a bit but still, it's an expensive proposition. Moral of the story, if you're traveling overseas for a river cruise, book flights sooner rather than later. With the price of fuel going up every few days, I don't see flights going down or even staying the same.

That's unfortunate, as it's a suite perk I really enjoy.

I hope by the time I sail from Vancouver in October that this PITA requirement is lifted.

A few days ago I booked my flight to Buenos Aires for my March South America cruise. I booked directly with United after reading about other CC members' experiences with Flight Ease. The savings just weren't there and if something goes wrong, I'd rather deal with the airline than be on hold for hours with a 3rd party.

When I book as a solo in an inside or outside cabin, I've been able to get fares below 200% For example, I'm paying 179% for an upcoming South American cruise. The deposit was only $300.

I'm considering booking an educational barge cruise through The Netherlands next year. The topic is Dutch art. CroisEurope operates a number of barge cruises in France.

In the space of one week fares went up by $50 for a one-way premium economy seat to BA, so I went ahead and booked directly with United. I booked a one-way ticket to Vancouver back on April 16. I was thinking of changing my flight date. Fares are now $100 - $200 higher.

I'm doing a Christmas cruise thru The Netherlands and Belgium this coming December on Tauck. I will be in Antwerp on Christmas Day and figured everything except churches would be closed. My research indicates that Belgian Christmas markets are open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and on into January. Maybe @notamermaid can confirm this. @Second seating, my first river cruise was on Uniworld and I did 2 more after that. This will be my first time on Tauck so I'm anxious to see how it compares.

@Euby, yes, you would think that. It's called doing your homework. I work at a state agency and often sit on consultant selection committees. Some of the faux pas I've encountered: 1. Not knowing there are mountains in Tennessee. 2. Not knowing TN has 2 time zones. 3. Not knowing Memphis sits on the Mississippi River. Needless to say those firms didn't get the contracts. Waving at you from over here in Nashville. 😎

That is quite a re-shuffling. Why would Covid cause this, as the ports are all in one country? In any event, very disappointing.

After reading thru all the replies I'm more confused than ever. Thank you to all who contributed.

beau - male belle - female

@TMLAalum, Nashville is the 3rd coast for the entertainment business, the other 2 being NYC and LA.

Taxi? Uber or Lyft? What are you going to do with your luggage?

Good point.

It's really a crap shoot - book now or wait. I'm inclined to book now as the Premium Economy fare is an amt. I can live with. There's a lot of pent up travel demand.

@crimmj, I haven't sailed with Viking, but on a Uniworld cruise from Bucharest to Budapest, we had 2 nights at a Bucharest hotel. Only the hotel breakfast buffet was included, so this is not uncommon with river cruises.

@mfanderso, I can't believe how much more they're charging me to fly from Nashville rather than a large city like Dallas.

Thanks @Host Jazzbeau. That was my first thought. Just needed to bounce it off someone else. Of course I know the policy can change at any time.

@LAFFNVEGAS, thank you. As always, you're a wealth of information. I'm inclined to just book directly with United and be done with it. Some of the routings I found were really crazy. For example, fly to Dulles Airport, spend 11+ hrs. there, fly to Panama City, and then to Buenos Aires.

Last month I received an email from Tauck about their updated Covid policies. Here's an excerpt: Vaccination Requirement: All Tauck guests age 12 and older must be up to date with their vaccinations for Covid. If over 270 days have passed since your initial vaccination series, you must have a booster shot. No booster shot is required if you can show proof of having recovered from Covid within 180 days of travel. I had my 1st vaccination on March 2, 2021 and the 2nd one on March 23, 2021. I got a booster shot on Oct. 18, 2021. My cruise on Tauck starts on December 20, 2022. Does my booster shot take care of things or do I need a 2nd booster shot since it will be over 270 days since my initial vaccination serious AND my booster? My internist says I don't need a 2nd booster from a medical standpoint, but I may need one to get on the ship. What do the wise cruisers on CC think? How do you interpret Tauck's policy?