sofietucker

We get Allianz Global insurance and always get reimbursed for any missed ports, $100 pp. But it depends on the specific policy: check to see what's covered before you buy any given one.

Just adding this here for the folks who will be cruising on the Connie sometime soon; we were on her in March: a hidden side door in the minbar cabinet holds an ice bucket, corkscrew, glasses, etc. Check it out if yours are missing.

We sailed on Connie in March too, just before the TA and refurb. Folks who work on board, officers, staff, bar & restaurant, crew--and even the shop personnel--were lovely, ship was great, entertainment rocked... Food was fine; we only did MDR, OV and the free venues this time (cruising with friends & fam). Our concierge stateroom was just okay--but we're spoiled Elite who usually stay in Sky Suites, so that's on us, lol. BTW, a hidden side door in the minbar cabinet holds the ice bucket, corkscrew, glasses, etc.

Thank you so much!!! We're doing this itinerary next fall, Rav to Rome. I struggled mightily to figure out a way to get to the Sea Organ in Zadar but the logistics were daunting (and the ship's tuktuk tour is sold out), so I went ahead and booked a tour that would drop us nearby. The shuttle is perfect! Appreciate the info about Brindisi and drive time to Alberello too (had booked a tour with that as well). All very enlightening, entertaining--and lovely photos! You have a gift. Btw, we were on the Connie in March, just before drydock--CD Sue had announced it was her final cruise!!! Retiring. Funny to see she is still aboard, in the same role. Will be curious to see if she's still there in Oct.

We discovered after a few days on our last cruise that there was a second full set of linens (for the bathroom) under the sink...

Oops, replied to JackE for your post...

Ooh, one of our all-time favorite itineraries! Depending on your interests, the university of Tromso's museum has a great anthropology exhibit on the Sami people (you will be in the Sami nation that far north). Also a cool Arctic native plants garden. In Honnigsvag in June, the locals were all in shorts and tee shirts, but the Cape requires at least a good windbreaker and scarf, lol. Astonishing geography! And reindeer, just wandering about...

I suspect our encounter with (I think) the Scarlet Lady in Rhodes last Sept. may have been a one off: our tiny Azamara ship docked next to them at the same pier, and bunches of pax disembarked at the same time. The V folks seemed overwhelmingly to be in their 30s (college prof here; I guess age ranges pretty well). And partiers, based on overheard conversations. Our small private tour was mostly V folks. They regaled with fun events such as regular pajama parties onboard. Typical or no?

And he put together the *best orchestra ever*. Bobby Hackett, anyone???

We quite liked the Edge in a Sky Suite, only done AQ once as a fluke & no need to repeat--but it was not Edge-class ship. You will love the spa on Edge! Spoil yourselves silly with those AQ freebies. We also have dined all over all the ships and found that Luminae and Blu are sufficient for great food. Maybe Eden. But LPC is a cute cartoon gimmick--NOT about the fairly ordinary food--and you can still get a great steak off the Luminae/Blu menus unless you are particular about dry-aged/Waygu. We also found that, with our premium bev pkg and that fact that they didn't sell bottles of Caymus but only by the glass, the upcharge for the glass actually we came out ahead! And drank up all their bottles, lol. But no Molly Dooker to be found at all! bring your own.

And that's really a key for us: the itinerary. Both O and our new favorite, Azamara, have great interesting voyages because their smaller ships can get into smaller ports. Like the Gironde estuary in Bordeaux! We still forsee being loyal to X for winters in the Caribbean.

We're on the "edge" of becoming elite plus, so have cruised X for awhile... The only Edge-class ship we've sailed was in fact, the Edge, first cruise out after the pandemic. They took only 350 pax! (The big booboo on their part: they filled the suites, leaving the rest of the ship empty, so the Retreat and Luminae were crowded: pool bar was wall-to-wall, lines for dinner, no Retreat loungers, the small pool filled with--eek!--children. So much for distancing. But the martini-glass hot tubs were always empty, as was the big pool. And really everywhere else aboard.) We loved so many spaces: the rooftop garden, the weird sculpture garden on the way to Eden, the cozy hidden cabanas alongside the pool... The amazing spa (M and S class Persian Gardens, etc., don't hold a candle). And FOUR very varied MDRs!! Brilliant. Plus much fab entertainment. We were prepared to not like it because it was so BIG. Our favorite ships have been less than 800 pax (Prinsendam and lately Azamara Quest). But someone on these boards rightly pointed out that it--and the Apex--actually carry fewer pax than the S-class ships! They hold 3,148 people; the Edge & Apex hold 2918! Plus two S-class, Reflection and Silhouette, actually carry 3,324! That being said we've not actually booked another Edge-class cruise--mainly because of where we are cruising next.

A tip to anyone considering buying ParkWest art on board: PLEASE, before you attend an auction, go to EBay and search for your preferred piece by artist and title. Excellent chance you will able to find what you want, that someone else bought previously and is now selling. For instance, we saw a Michael Cheval starting at $2500 (at auction last week on Connie) selling on eBay (framed by PW) for $1600. A print of same on EBay for $17. A giclee of same (print on canvas, the usual medium--BTW, ALL the artwork sold by PW are reproductions of various sorts--paint on lithograph, etc.) in many sizes at Amazon, for $53 for the size sold on the ship. But then you have to add the frame. (To be fair, ORIGINAL Chevals sold by his own rep are painted on aluminum, not canvas and sell for an extra zero in the price. But still. I got my SIL her preferred work of art from Amazon instead.)

Lol, stated in contrast to Oceania... We've only sailed Oceania once (Elite on X) and won't go back. The vibe was verrry staid: not laid back/relaxed, just stuffy and uptight. Not fun. As my friend nicknamed it, everything about both the pax and the ship was "tasteful taupe" (well, except for the dreadful art all over the Riviera, which we assume the owner took with him when he left last year). Bad experience in Tuscan too.

we were charged zero for our room service breakfast last week... We did give him a cash tip, as always.