Heather White

Missed out a letter. It was indeed CANEPA.

ANEPA! Yes, that's the one. Now back in the UK and finding it difficult to obtain...

Thank you very much, a good tip, though DH doesn't think that's the same name. However we shall look out for Coyam.

We returned recently from a most enjoyable cruise on the Encore. I don't know whether all the ships have the same included wine menu, but can anyone help us to recall the name of a Chilean red which began with the letter C?

We used to be given little illustrated guide books on the area we were visiting.... Not on our two more recent cruises.

2 hours ago, islandchick said:

Wow Raphael360, you certainly have had your share of ATM issues. I have never heard of a ATM eating a credit card

And what about the ATM eating your money? That happened to us at Nice Airport. You have to grab it quick!

With tours in Israel, Jordan and Oman, would it be acceptable to tip the tour guides in euros, pounds or dollars, rather than changing small amounts of currency?

Thanks to everybody for their input. I imagine that during the sea days (end of October and beginning of November) the weather south of Arabia will be very warm.. ..Thinking of what to pack.

12 hours ago, lizzie johnston said:

The Ports we are visiting are ATHENS,ERMOUPOLIS,RHODES,FETHIYE,BODRUM,THIRA,SPETSAI,MONEMVASIA,KATAKOLON,NYDRI,BRINDISI,

DUBROVNIK,ZADAR

We would appreciate suggestions for excursions and which ports are best explored on our own or just people watching.

 

Please tell me more about the first cruisers credit. I can't find any link to this topic ...is is through Seabourn or Cruise critic?

We have really enjoyed Momemvasia twice, an interesting and pretty place. We did this on our own. You can walk it or buy a ticket for the bus.

Sounds fun! Thanks.

Two questions to anyone who has done this cruise:

Is there likely to be a Shopping with the Chef, and if so which is the likely port?

There are quite a few sea days. What sort of activities can one expect?

I have no experience of Silversea. On the basis of time of year and ports, I'd go for the first cruise on your list. If you're lucky they might still do the free evening concert in Ephesus. Brilliant!

On 8/10/2019 at 10:40 AM, brillo said:

All cruise company's appear to have problems selling gulf cruises at the moment and a lot of people are looking at cancelling if you look at other sites..

 

 

Which other sites? Looking for a bargain!

Four days ago P&O cancelled their Gulf cruises for this Autumn. This is supposedly because their ship the Oceana travels under the Red Ensign, the British Merchant Navy's flag. It is thought it would be would be a prime target.

1 hour ago, GrJ Berkshire said:

I stand by what I said

US $ are not in use in London except in Harrods and Selfridges type stores, to most Brits they are useless, the loss on exchange is high. Equally most Brits now do not tip, service charge 12-5% is added in restaurants. It is not needed or expected. 99% of Brits do not tip, it is so last century master/ servant . This is almost exclusively an American import and 20% tip is ridiculous, a proper wage is paid here. Tipping should only be for above and beyond expected not just doing the job you are paid for.

I proudly do not tip ,just round up, pay the real cost and price accordingly.

Many restaurants especially high end ones  do add a service charge of 12 and a half percent, although the customer does have the right not to pay. I'm sorry to have to disagree with GRJ, but unless a service charge is added in a restaurant, a 10% tip is normal. In many restaurants the waiting staff are paid the minimum wage.

2 hours ago, sanne said:

You can now book Regent excursions on line using your OBC. Such a good idea. Hope Seabourn adopts this method, much easier for everyone.

I thought that on Regent the excursions were included?

Please explain.

Mant thanks!

Question for the ladies. Are they familiar with "shellac" in the Spa treatments?

On 5/23/2019 at 4:40 PM, Jawmaster said:

Last year (November 2018) we were on the Encore during the "19-Night Holy Land and Arabian Gems" cruise.

 

 

What were the highlights of the cruise you did?  What was the weather like?

Thanks a lot for this. Continue having a wonderful cruise.

How much walking is involved on this trip?

Was enjoying this thread. Please write some more about your sea day activities.

It doesn't always happen but it certainly did in the Med last year. On Odyssey.

On 3/19/2019 at 9:56 AM, lydiamight said:

Regretfully there was no availability of BA flights using Air Miles

Using British Airways Air Miles or Avios as they are called, is near impossible in my experience. I'm always envious of Canadian and U.S. relatives who regularly use their Miles.

In my experience if you use the Seabourn flight service early enough, you get a good deal.