4Lakes Lady

Today we did the Rembrandt House in the morning- I consider it a hidden gem in Amsterdam. It is wonderfully presented and best of all, not crowded. This afternoon we toured the Van Gogh Museum. I confess to being a bit disappointed. Not only was it very crowded, despite timed entry, but many of his best works are not there- being in other museums around the world. The city itself is very walkable in the canal district even though we are not in top physical condition (early 70’s).

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I am currently in Amsterdam. We just finished the B-A cruise yesterday and are doing 3 days post cruise here independently. Basel was a nice little historic town to recover from jet lag so here in Amsterdam we were ready to roll. It’s a wonderful city to walk, see museums and eat at many of the outdoor cafes. Friends we are with did Lucerne pre cruise and said it was spectacular! I’m sure you will enjoy it either direction!

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Thank you everyone for your information! I have secured tickets even though I now know that peak tulip time will be past. However, I look forward to the experience as this will be my only opportunity to see the gardens.

Happy cruising!

Love the photos, Suzanne!

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Fellow river cruisers- we will be in Amsterdam for 3 days following our Viking cruise next week. Is it necessary to purchase tickets to the gardens on line, prior to our arrival? I know we will be there near peak tulip time. Or are we safe waiting until we arrive to choose a good weather day?

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All great suggestions! I agree the Borghese Gallery was a highlight for me!

Also loved the private tour of the Vatican Gardens - but again you must get tickets ahead of time.

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I’m enjoying your live blog! We did this crossing on the Riviera 2 years ago and absolutely loved it too! Your descriptions take me back and it’s fun to vicariously travel this route again. I have to say, time changes were easier on our November crossing going east to west but I think it’s a great idea that the captain made the changes during the day rather than at midnight. Enjoy every minute of your cruise!

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The travel arm of the Big Box company where you have to be a member does not sell Oceania but they sell Regent - weird.

I also found that odd. Last year I requested that they offer Oceania cruises. So far they have not taken my advice [emoji5]

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We did Alaska in 2016 on the Regatta. Our cruise was a 10 day in May. We lucked out with the weather- much warmer than expected. Our day at the Hubbard Glacier was spectacular and the highlight of the trip. We didn’t see much wildlife so if you can manage it, choose tours that increase that chance. Overall, everything on Regatta was lovely- food, fellow passengers, ship board ambiance and the hardworking crew!

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Interesting- we were on the waitlist for a segment of the round the world cruise in 2019. We were never contacted either. I followed the website and saw that our category showed available one day and I contacted my TA and secured a room. We did have a deposit down so wonder why we were never contacted.

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We have done 2 river cruises on Gate 1 and enjoyed both. Food and accommodations were just fine and IMO their strong point is their tour guides. You will see the same sites no matter which company you choose. If you are looking for a wonderful and affordable cruise, you can’t go wrong with Gate 1. BTW, we are soon to take our first Viking River Cruise so it will be interesting to see what the differences are. We are regulars on Oceania ocean cruises so don’t always choose the lowest cost for travel.

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We usually pick itinerary and this is a great one for us--but sailing with a bunch old (we're getting close to 70), grumpy, sick people that are going to run you over with their motorized wheel chairs, sound like something we want to avoid not spend $7 or $8,000 on.

I’ve only done 5 cruises on Oceania. I have to say I don’t find the fellow cruises grumpy or sick. In fact most are world traveled, interesting and great to talk with. We have met some fascinating people when sharing tables for dinner or playing trivia. We are recently back from a 26 day cruise and I loved every minute of it!

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Regarding the cooking classes- on our TA in November, the classes were very popular. During the cruise, classes were added. You will need to check at the reception desk since these added classes were not advertised.

Have a wonderful cruise!

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We were just on the Riviera in November. We were lucky enough to secure a handicap accessible cabin. I can’t tell you how much this was appreciated! DH has Parkinson’s. The bathroom did not have the standard step up and the shower was large enough for a wheelchair as well as having a drop down seat. The room itself was twice the size of the standard ocean view of which category this was located. A bathtub would also be a deal breaker for us which is too bad as we both like the R ships.

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We just returned from a Venice to Miami cruise. We used O’s air with deviation so we could arrive in Venice a few days early. Our TA could not find a good connection but O gave us a British Air flight from Chicago to Heathrow. After a 2 hour layover we had a flight to Venice and arrived at noon. We had opted for the premium economy and BA was a true premium economy. We have used O flights 4 times and always have been satisfied. Just be sure you work with them to get acceptable flights.

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I can’t answer for Christmas dinner but I am currently on Riviera and our Thanksgiving dinner last week was a bit disappointing. They did serve turkey in both the MDR and the Terrace but as an American it wasn’t exactly what we expected. There was barely a spoonful of stuffing, mashed potatoes had to be ordered as a side and no gravy[emoji33]. Perhaps it was all the French chefs on board! I will say the pecan pie and pumpkin pie were excellent! Enjoy the cruise!

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Our very first cruise ever was the Nautica Baltic Cruise. We went with our university alumni association. Being newbie cruisers we felt we'd have someone to take care of us [emoji4]. We were so impressed with Oceania, we are now about to take our 5th cruise with not even considering any other cruise line. I guess we've been spoiled. There are probably a lot of folks out there ready to take the plunge as more and more boomers are retiring. As long as Oceania continues to maintain high standards, I don't think there will be a decrease in passengers.

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Looking at photos in Oceania brochures made me think that I would feel out of place. Ha! Though a middle class Midwest cruiser, I am soon to take my 5th Oceania cruise. We've met interesting travelers from all walks of life. As far as dress, I have my evening cruise wardrobe, obtained through bargain basement sales. [emoji4]

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Our travels have evolved over the years. We did a lot of camping trips in the US when our kids were young. Later it was independent trips to Europe and beyond. Eventually it became land trips through tour companies. Nowadays we love both river cruises and ocean journeys. They work especially well for DH since he had some mobility issues. Oceania is perfect and I can't wait for our next cruise in November to celebrate our 50 years of marriage and travel!

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I'm of the opinion that most security checks are not that secure. I recall traveling from the US to Kyrgyzstan in the 90's via Turkish Air. In Istanbul, after going through the regular security, at boarding time we we're bused to the plane. On the tarmac, all luggage was displayed. Everyone had to identify their personal checked bags and then they were loaded on to the plane. I can't even imagine that scenario today!

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Our Oceania cruise ended in Stockholm and we had scheduled several extra days in the city. We used one of the taxis from the cruise ship to our hotel. The driver put on his gps and the charge was equivalent to $100 US dollars. We later learned we were not far from the cruise dock so we were definitely taken for a ride! Be sure to agree on a price before getting into the taxi![emoji57]

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You might want to look at Gate1 Cruises to Russia. They are more reasonable in price. We did their more expensive choice last September. For about $6500 total we had a night in a wonderful Moscow hotel (we added a second night independently) that was a 20 minute walk to Red Square. Then there was the cruise to SPB and finally 2 nights in a great hotel centrally located in St Petersburg. There, we did independent as well as Gate1 tours. It was a terrific experience! Don't forget in your cost to add the Russian visa- about $300-$350 pp.

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Last year on Regatta they had a very good group of young singers and dancers. We went to their evening shows and enjoyed them- 60's music, rat pack entertainment etc. we also enjoy playing trivia - it's a great way to meet people and have fun!

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Love your blog and amazing photos! Did the Christmas Markets several years ago but after seeing your review, I want to do another one! Just magical!

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We did Alaska on Oceania last year. San Francisco/Vancouver 10 days. Loved the Regatta but others are right- no land tour to Denali. Also no Glacier Bay but Hubbard Glacier was spectacular! With a smaller ship, our captain got us so close to the Glacier! Princess may be a better option because is the land tours.

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I don't believe Gate1 uses the services of a TA. We've been traveling with Gate1 since 2001 and have always booked directly with them. I've found their representatives knowledgeable and very helpful.

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