IRMO12HD

I'll use this as a timeline and (sort of) live blog for my experiences using Space A travel as a means of getting back home (to Eastern Washington state) after a Transatlantic cruise. First, a few notes: I am retired so will be Cat VI. My cruise takes place in mid April - early May, before the main PCS season begins and the (DODDS-Europe) school year ends, so (theoretically) I won't be competing with as many AD and Cat 2-5 travelers. My cruise ends in Civitavecchia, Italy on a Sunday, with a port stop the day before in La Spezia, Italy, so I should be able to see and use the 72-hour schedules for the relevant terminals. I have booked a refundable flight via Delta just in case I don't catch a hop, which gives me a way back (and, if they need it, a viable return ticket to show the Schengen authorities) My main concerns: 1. Where, when and how I will get a Schengen stamp for my arrival in the Schengen area. We have four port stops before reaching Civitavecchia, all in Schengen countries. They are: Portugal (Azores), Spain (Malaga, Cartagena), and Italy My concern is that two of those four stops occur on a weekend, so I will have to find an office/agency that is open. 2. I usually book travel in advance, but since I'm not sure where I'll try to catch a hop first, I'll have to "wing it" for either train or air travel to wherever I hope to fly out of. 3. I'm still wrestling with what kind of luggage I'll bring; carryon only, or one suitcase and my trusty backpack. Next up: what I have done (or am doing) to prepare.

I've sailed once on Norwegian at the discount rate -- owing to the low cost of the cruise itself (7 night Seward AK - Vancouver BC), it wasn't substantial, but was enough to pay for a couple of drinks aboard (I declined the beverage part of the Free at Sea). I will say that I was impressed by the degree of detail they put into recognizing their military passengers. Other discounts, a patch, a challenge coin, extensive welcome packet, a reception). I was happy with my pre-cruise and my cruise experience.

So far my spreadsheet is developing a clearer picture (well, maybe -- it's Space A, after all!) of where my best chances of catching a hop back to the States after my TA cruise might be. Definitely Ramstein is the best possibility, but the travel there from Rome is continuing to provide a few wrinkles. In about two weeks I'll start sending out my emails to the different departure points, bearing in mind that the Navy Air Stations use a different signup period (up to 45 days in advance) from the Army and Air Force installations, which have a signup period of 60 days.

I appreciate your details! I'll be on Odyssey in April for the Transatlantic, and will have six sea days in which to explore :-)

A little bit more than two months until I head across the Atlantic, and put (hopefully) the Space-A perk to the test. I've been monitoring flights (scheduled and non-) and have a pretty good feel for what my options will be as far as catching a hop back to CONUS. I still haven't resolved my concerns about how/when/where I can get a Schengen stamp in my passport -- will be checking in every port! I still have my return ticket on Delta in case Space A doesn't work out -- but it's refundable, so I'm hoping!

Thank you! Our first port stop in Schengen is Punta Delgado in the Azores. According to what I can find about Schengen stamps, that's where I should get one.

Thanks for the background! What you experienced in Germany is exactly what I'm trying to be proactive about. Our first stop in the Schengen area will be Punta Delgado in the Azores, so theoretically that is my first port of entry into Schengen, and where/when I should get the stamp. I just haven't been able to figure out who to check with to see if it will be possible. Frankly, I'm not a "passport stamp collector," I just want to make sure that I grease the skids as much as possible. Great advice on maintaining hard copies of my transportation documents; will definitely do that.

Thank you!

I am paying for my son and DIL's cruise to Alaska this fall. If I purchase a travel insurance policy for them, or if they purchase it, will they be able to claim reimbursement if the trip is cancelled due to medical, etc? That's what I want them to be able to do, but am not sure how it works if I pay for the cruise.

Me, three!

Well, more than 3 years later I'm still asking the question -- has anyone used Space A to get to or from a cruise? I'm hoping to test it out this spring after a TransAtlantic from Florida to Italy. I'll post my results. @USN59-79, I think that if you're retired military, you and your spouse (assuming both of you have military IDs), can fly together as Category VI. She could not, I believe, fly Space A on her own.

My DH and I will be on the westbound portion; I'll be interested to see how the card room in the "Windjammer Annex" will look. I also wonder if there's a place to do jigsaw puzzles. On Voyager's TA from Copenhagen to Boston, the puzzles were in one of the alcoves. Very busy place, with two puzzles going at a time

Thanks for the advice -- I will definitely check as soon as we board.

I've been reading all of the comments, and definitely appreciate all of you registering your thoughts and preferences! We're booked on Serenade for the Westbound Panama Canal (Miami-Los Angeles) and this time I booked the 3-night dining package for both of us. This will be our first cruise as D+, so I'm new to the BOGO deal, but will be researching it. Under the 3-Night package, I booked dinner for the second day, but recognize that we won't find out where it is until we board. I personally love Izumi, and we've never eaten at Chops or Giovanni's Table, so I'm inclined to accept the reservation if it's for Izumi or Giovanni's Table, or change it if it's for Chops. Then, we can figure out where to use our other two "nights" from the dining package, and where to use the BOGO.

DBP on Serenade Panama Canal cruise in November is at $57.99/day with the Senior Savings Sale.

I was on Norwegian Jewel for her 28 Aug - 4 Sep Seward-Vancouver sailing. I rode the NCL Shore Excursion train from Anchorage to Seward on the day of embarkation, and heard one or two people coughing. As a result, I tried to maintain distance from those I heard or saw exhibiting cold-like symptoms. I was in an interior cabin (solo), used the stairs as much as possible, and stayed away from crowds in the buffet. Walked outside on the Promenade rather than taking interior routes. Didn't use a mask (until I boarded the Amtrak bus from Vancouver - Seattle), but did wash my hands a lot, used hand sanitizer. Despite numerous accounts of people contracting COVID, I tested myself the day of disembarkation and the day after I returned home, and tested negative. I was irritated by the number of people who were coughing without covering their mouth, and did my best to avoid them. Had I experienced those symptoms, I would have, without a doubt, contacted the Medical Center.

Chapter 1A: Cabin 9589 I haven’t been in an interior cabin on NCL, but I feel that this cabin was different in a couple of respects, some pro and some con. The bed (or beds, as I asked my steward to separate them — I like having the room) is perpendicular to the entry, rather than parallel. I like this layout, as it puts the bed in line with the ship, rather than across it. its location, while sandwiched between Decks 8 and 10, proved to be a little “noisesome” as the closet/bathroom end, and the side opposite the entry bordered a crew area, as well as the space above it. Not intolerable, but I did hear some noises around 0’dark-30 (I.e., 4:30 am), and took a minute or two to go back to sleep. The floor and hallway location were ideal to me. Just around the corner to stairs and elevators. One deck down to my fave O’Sheehans and two decks down to the Promenade, my ice supply in the Bliss Lounge, and Azura MDR and Chin Chin.

OK, I’m back. True to form, this has turned out to be a cruise review, rather than any kind of live blog because, well, I didn’t get the unlimited Internet package. But, that’s all right because now I can relate my pros and cons, my successes and not-so-successes, and things I would urge a friend to do and look for. Chapter 1: Norwegian Jewel — the ship, my cabin, and dining The ship: I really like the size of the Jewel and her amenities. Most of the kids I saw onboard seemed to enjoy themselves and managed to have fun without negatively impacting others. The Sun deck (forward, Deck 13) have great views, shielding from the wind, and air exchangers that kept me warm on the foggy days. Another favorite quiet, shielded spot was a little niche forward on both sides of Deck 7 on the Promenade, just forward of these large wrapped boxes: My favorite restaurant: definitely O’Sheehan’s. Food (and drink) 24/7 and the food was consistently good. The hostesses were kind to me as a solo, and did their best to find me comfortably located tables, sometimes by the window and sometimes near it. #2 and a close second is Chin Chin. The servers were so good-natured and kind, and I found the food and the portion sizes just right. Chapter 1A to come: my cabin: Interior Cabin 9589

Some pictures to go with our no-Hubbard day…

Had to get to Juneau for a usable cell signal. My primary gripe with internet on this cruise is that for some unknown reason, I have to log in just to get on the WiFi. Even though I can log off in a couple of seconds, it still docks my account a full minute. Not earth shattering, but annoying. At any rate, to catch up … Tuesday Hubbard Halted Well, the glacier didn’t halt, but we did! I tried breakfast in the Tsars Palace dining room. Beautiful surroundings, tasty avocado and egg wrap, and awful coffee! Tried two different batches, with one undrinkable and one marginal. Explored the ship and found some favorite places watch the world go by, went to a really nice military reception (well done, NCL!). Then I made my way up forward on Deck 8 to the viewing area for Hubbard Glacier. We sailed out of mostly cloudy but still visible skies into fog that grew denser and denser. While we waited our turn. Norwegian Sun came out — taking with her the remnants of clear skies. Shortly thereafter Captain Stefan announced that we wouldn’t be able to go closer to the glacier due to ice floe size and current variations. So. No glacier today, but we’ll head up Tracy Arm Fjord on Wednesday and hopefully see Sawyer Glacier. Teppanyaki for dinner — so good!

Catching up on my blog I can blame my lack of continuity on: Lack of connectivity Lack of cell coverage Rain Long lines Repeat. Ok, enough griping. I’m now onboard, settled in, with two meals and one sleep under my belt. Here are my lessons learned so far — and some tips (of the advice type). Best deal in Anchorage as a “Senior” is public transportation. $2.50 for a day pass got me several trips each day between the airport, my AirBnB, and downtown Anchorage. HOWEVER, service stops at 7-7:30 on weekend nights. That’s how I know that an Uber is more expensive ($16) The shore excursion for the train to/from Seward is a good price with the Free At Sea $50 credit, but bring snacks! Water and ice are free, but food is pretty spendy. Oh, and the only place to store carryon baggage is under the dinette-style seats — about the same size as under seat storage on an airplane. And, you’re just as likely to be riding facing backwards as forwards Embarkation took place in the rain and I didn’t feel like NCL was very proactive in getting people out of it. The train got in about 5:45 and we got out car by car, with the cars closest to the terminal getting out first. OK, but by the time our car the last car, farthest away from the terminal) got off, there was a line outside the terminal, with people standing in the rain … and half the building was empty for the Haven guests — all 10-12 of them. Really poor space management. Plenty of plugs! My interior cabin has 4 110v outlets, about 5 USB, and 1 European (double round prong). I brought my own extension cord (10 foot) so don’t know if they would have had one to loan me for my CPAP. A gallon of distilled water was in my cabin as I requested) Chin chin was awesome for my first meal aboard. Light but filling. Getting on the WiFi (for just using the NCL app was super difficult for my iPhone yesterday and my iPad today. IMessage does work once you’re on the WiFi More later! Got to conserve minutes and bandwidth

Whoops. Need to work on my photo insertion skills. Here is the side that was blown away

Great view of Mount St Helens. Usually our flight path takes us north of Rainier, so this was a nice sight. Exit row 17 — total of two seats taken; no one in 17 DEF!

I put an AirTag in my checked bag. I like being able to reassure myself that it’s on the plane with me. I have 2 days worth of clothes in my backpack just in case … Here are some pictures from my originating airport. Care to guess where it is?