pinotlover

😂. Read responses to Fall 2027 releases. Tbd

You have to remember that because of our uncaring 1970sera banking system, most Americans don’t have credit cards with a pin, as issued by EU , Canadian, and other countries’s banks. Therefore, simple tasks for you, like buying train tickets at kiosk , paying tolls, paying parking meters, etc., via our cc is impossible and requires cash. Plus, we have some excellent tours coming up, where the guide and driver only take cash. Life isn’t all credit cards yet! 🥂

Yes Remember you can’t cancel one on line. Have your TA or O rep do it for you.

Unless one never expects to go back to Europe again, why would anyone want to take the hit and sell back Euros to your bank? Keep them for your next trip! In fact, I bought Euros last December before leaving Germany to have them for our upcoming trip. Buying at $1.06 looks great now. Wish I had bought more. Even if you’re stopping travel for good, don’t take the skinning by selling back to your bank. Friends and family will always buy them from you at par. No haircut required! 🍷

Bermuda is beautiful and a great place to visit deserving more than a day or two. It is easily reached from several airports from the States. When staying a week, I recommend staying in the Hamilton area for three to four days, then moving up to St, George for seeing that area. This also puts one nearer the airport on departure day.

Here’s the typical lineup for the new releases. 1. Debut singular release of the 2027 itineraries for the new Class ship. 2. The new 2027 or 2028 ( whichever we’re up to) ATW release. 3. Late 2027/ early 2028 itineraries for remainder of the fleet. A. I’m guessing they’ll come in this order. B. #3 not happening by end of September , unless #1 &2 happens quickly. Not expecting it. Also expecting the disappearance of another R ship during that time frame. That will play into the release schedule likewise.

Notify the ship of your plans. Understand the train schedule from Florence - Rome - Cit, then shuttle to ship. You may be able to backtrack and do Florence-Livorno-Cit easier. Check the train schedule. In either case avoid being in the front car of the train. I can tell horror stories, but that is were a lot of Americans end up. Pray there is no random train strike.

Based on past actions, I believe the 2027/ early 2028 itinerary for the new Class ship will be released in that timeframe. The regular release for the rest of the fleet will follow that. Depending upon how well sold the existing releases are Oct/Nov may be closer. I don’t believe that late 25 was released until March/April 24. Same situation with the release of the new Allura.

But rarely are early times held back on the short cruises. This is a 7 day cruise, not 17 day. Makes a lot of difference.

Amex and Discover are accepted in the major cities and tourist areas, primarily in the major chains. Get out and away from that and you’ll find very few establishments that will accept either because of their outrageous exorbitant fees. All those cash back and perks they offer come at a price. Even here locally few small private venues accept either. In Europe m, it’s even less.

Smoking is still quite common in many of the countries from which crew is recruited. Totally ban smoking and you may be making your own bed and cleaning your bathroom! Also take a look at the number of senior officers in the smoking lounge.

I would advise to book now. Riveria in August sounds like one of the 7-10 day milk run Alaskan cruises. On those short cruises, if the ship is near capacity, better times may not be available once aboard. If they’re part of the 6:30, two top only crowd, options may be very limited. The length of the cruise along with how full the ship greatly affects availability.

Does a less than 2 hour dinner, that’s all sitting and minimum walking to and from the venue, require special shoes? 🤔🙄

As far as the Dom P dinner. It is tightly controlled by Dom P. They singularly control the menu and the wines. We had our first Dom P La Reserve dinner in 2019 which was pre Covid. Oceania is still serving the same, and typically vintage, champagnes six years later. My first reaction is whether O is still sitting on some original inventory, or if they’re still getting those older vintages from Dom P. Securing those older vintages has certainly gotten more expensive. Additionally, as related to me by staff, one of Dom’s requirements for the dinner is that Oceania have aboard ship an actual certified Sommelier. This is something they don’t regularly do. Their normal wine stewards are rarely actual Sommeliers because of the cost of employment. Someone has to pay the extra for an actual Sommelier. As an aside a senior culinary staff member told me the 800 lb gorilla did La Reserve in, not lack of demand. The cost of not managing the beast.

NCL/Oceania has its European HDQ in Southampton, fwiw. Perhaps some British influence did affect the newly clarified dress codes.

Maybe, maybe not. Generally if you ask, but they may be out. We always bring our own just in case. They take up basically zero space in the suitcase.

Anyone can book when they want. No differentiation by cabin class. You’ll even find many that book tours without any real plans of going on the cruise. Just part of the “ Event “, before they cancel the cruise. If a tour ever shows being closed or sold out; come back after final payment and you’ll typically find plenty of space.

That’s why the ship, and other establishments, have dress codes. Some people don’t care, period.

A lot of American tourists seem to delight in being easily identified as an American tourist. How many Europeans do you see wearing a “baseball “ hat inside a restaurant? Either (a) they’re afraid the roof might leak, even on a sunny day; or (b) they just delight in proving they’re American. When in Rome, do as the Romans is a concept they never grasped.

😂 +1

That port has been closed to cruise ships since Covid in 2020. It has been a fake entry since then. Oceania has merely done the honorable thing and finally removed the port from the itinerary. Kudos to them. Much more professional than the email the day before boarding telling you it been cancelled and will be a sea day.

Why would anyone book, and pay for a cruise, at a price they weren’t satisfied with? 😳🤔 I have jumped on good sales and rebooked for savings. Catch is, I have an active lifestyle. I really haven’t the time to look at the May sale, then the June sale, and the July sale to see if I can save money. I’m quite sure we’ll see an August sale, shortly followed by a Labor Day Sale. Then we’ll have an October Sale which will be brief while they roll out the Sale for the itineraries on the new Class Ship. Then back to Thanksgiving and Christmas Sales on unsold segments until February when new 2027 itineraries are released. Perhaps someday when we move in an assisted living facility, quit playing golf, quit mowing the lawn and doing lawn work, and hosting house parties we’ll have time to analyze each monthly sale for savings. Until then, our highly professional Travel Agent normally alerts us when good savings are possible by rebooking. I’ll leave the monthly sale analysis paralysis for those enjoying the activity.

The listed boarding time is based upon expected ship arrival time in port,, expected disembarkation times at port, and turnaround of cabins. I’ve had these later posted boarding times when the ships have long runs to port and aren’t expected in until 09:00. At the 21 day mark, when you apply for your boarding pass, you’ll have an accurate assessment of the actual boarding times. Until then I wouldn’t plan on getting to port before the 13:00 mark unless you enjoy lines. What is the listed disembark time on the prior cruise?

For those that choose to share a table, one would occasionally find themselves seated with one of the senior executives. They were often very forthcoming in answering any questions people might have. In fact, at one of these encounters is when FDR spoke plainly about the future of the R ships which we are seeing coming to pass. While these dinners would be of no interest to those only wanting two tops, they were both informative and entertaining for those that shared.

When outside of the U.S. buy Voltaren , or one of its generics like Volfenac GEL. Be sure to ask for the 2.32% concentrations, not the cheap 1+% sold in the States. It’s wonderful, works great, and easier to carry around than an ice pack. I put some on in the morning before going on excursions and then before bed. It’s only sold in pharmacies, but doesn’t require a prescription. I then buy plenty, so to have a good stash to take home with me.