Artful

Would certainly hope everyone knows to wash their hands, both young and old. Regatta captain just announced that if there are no new cases by 2:00 AM we will be cleared from Code Red. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Fingers and toes crossed that you will be cleared then!

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Sorry about the new case. [emoji17]

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At the Captain's Reception tonight he announced that we are down to three cases of GI infections confined to their cabins. Expectation is that Code Red will end tomorrow. Will keep you posted.

Thanks so much for that very heartening update! I hope you can enjoy the rest of your cruise with no worries.

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All true, they do have to stock and discard a lot of meds. Prescription Opthalmic neosporin is $27 on Good RX. Seems as though they should have been told the cost.

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That is just plain greedy!

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EasyGoingGuy's post on luau reviews shows how the quantitative scores such as a Trip Advisor rating or the percentage who "love" a certain ship don't tell a full story. A good example is that a lowish percentage of raters "loving" Regatta pertains mostly to the size of the balcony staterooms and bathrooms or the lack of evening entertainment. One must delve beyond that percentage by reading actual reviews to determine if a particular negative factor is personally important.

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I have used a cane chair on a Baltic cruise, available online for about $30. It has a small seat which folds out to rest on three legs. Use as a cane while walking and a stool when you need to sit. Very handy!

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I also do the Clorox wipe drill on all surfaces one might touch - from faucets and TV remote to light switches, etc. Only then can I relax and enjoy m cabin.

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So pleasant too enjoy your cruise vicariously. Thanks for,sharing.

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Thank you for your response. Did you take a group tour with Alla or an individual tour? How do you get in touch with them? Do you have an email address for them.

Just "google". Alla Tours to get their website. We did a group tour - maybe ten of us from the Emerald Princess. I arranged a place for us to meet on the ship by email and we all disembarked together in St. Petersburg. Some were on the 5 city tour and others only St. Pete.

Doing the Nordic Legends cruise in July in concierge veranda A1 level cabin.

 

We've also booked the premium economy airline upgrade and the O Life offer choosing free internet and 3 free excursions. I hope we did right with these choices?!

 

We've never been on O but all the threads I've read here are positive. We've been sticking with the smaller cruise lines and really enjoying them but we liked this itinerary better this time. Our TA highly recommended O and so we're going with it.

 

Looking for advice on cruising O. Any tips would be appreciated. Where to eat and when, etc.

 

Also looking to find out what tours to book with the ship and which not to book. Any advice on booking our own tours and with whom would also be appreciated.

 

Our Itinerary- Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg; Helsinki; kalipedia, Lithuania; Gdansk, Poland; Berlin; Copenhagen; Oslo, Norway; Southampton, England.

 

As always, fellow CC friends, thanks for your invaluable help and input.

I highly recommend Alla Tours located in St. Petersburg. We took a package including Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Tallinn, and St. Petersburg. Guides in St. Petersburg, Oslo, and Stockholm were outstanding. Adequate in other cities. Very easy to work with online. You can read reviews in Trip Advisor about their St. Petersburg tours. Varied and informative. From the Hermitage to Palaces to subway ride to a boat ride. Small Mercedes buses. Very comfortable.

Loved Alla Tours. Wonderful guide and great itinerary.

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Thank you GrandmaR.

Linda

You could make a reservation with one of the guides/driver identified in this thread. The more popular drivers are reserved early so it would be best to reserve ASAP.

 

If you don't want to do a reservation, they were called blue flag taxis because the taxi would actually have a blue flag attached to the hood hence the name. Now adays they have a badge to identify themselves. Just ask the driver for his badge. There is a taxi stand close to where you wll be docked.

 

 

Picture was originally posted by a member whose name I can not recall at this time.

 

 

SBtS

Thank you so much. The info and picture are very useful to me. I will be asking for the blue badge.

Are the blue-flagged taxis easy to identify? Out ship docks in Hamilton. Does anyone know if they are available there as well as the Dockyard?

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Very enjoyable to share your cruise with you. Thanks doing this commentary.

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I get all kinds of motion sickness. I have discovered that if I start taking a Dramamine at night before bed (when drowsiness would not be a problem) a few nights before my cruise begins and continue each night of the cruise I am fine.

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Agree. Reduce huge amount of junk mail and lower prices. Terrible waste.

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Lovely to have felt as though I cruised with you.

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I am also reading Peter the Great. Much is slow going with lots of descriptions of battles. I have also read several books in between but am now 81% through on my iPad. It does give a good background for knowing the beginnings of St. Petersburg. Those were extremely brutal times!

I appreciate all of the helpful info you are providing. I am enjoying your cruise vicariously and hope to enjoy the one my husband and I will be taking on this ship in August.