snonomo

Stan, Thanks for checking. I realized after I posted it that housekeeping would have removed any items they found.

The light comes from the dollar store but is good for traveling. It is a very soft, low, blue light which is good when you wake up during the night in a strange room.....helps from being disoriented, but not so bright it keeps you awake. And I got another rx for the drops. So not to worry...but thanks.

Hope your weather is good.

Hey Car-Stan, we were in cabin 324!!!!!!

Did I by any chance leave a soft blue nite lite there, shaped like a lighthouse????

Also a tiny bottle of eye drops?

Searched our bags many times and not to be found.

Hope trip is going well for you all. Sorry Cpt. Trips that you had a rough time getting there.

Our cruise director was George and he was fantastic, great sense of humor. But you probably have someone else. Going thru my pics, remembering all the fun times.

Enjoy....it ends too soon.

Burgundy tour nice. "Disneylike" view of movie fun. Don't go in if you get vertigo!

some swans by side of boat at lunchtime. I took out some crackers....and my camera....had about 15 swans looking for a handout. Accordion player for evening entertainment.....played some nice dancing music.

Packing hint for gals.....seven day pill container holds earrings and small necklaces very neatly!

Also, if u don't want to take hiking sticks, some people used the ship's umbrellas for walking on the cobblestone streets.

Also, also....tour of galley very interesting. FYI....because of terror attacks last year, new French law....all crew must be from EU. So they lost about 80 percent of crew. Head chef and pastry chef only ones left on kitchen staff....others all new.

A nd it will make you appreciate waiters more....they have to run up and down steps to get food and return plates, etc. rough job!

As to food.....every meal has been delicious. How do they insure such tender meat, beef, veal, lamb, all of it very tender and tasty. Also took us two days before we realized there were options on the last page of the menu.

Today we opted for the immigration/deportation museum after the morning tour of old town, etc. Movie was interesting but so depressing.....the inhumanity!!

Tour buses about 30 to 40 on each bus.

Packing tip....someone bring a dog biscuit for sad looking dog at Pieroughes!

Also, clothe pins if u plan on washing out anything. I brought small solar lite to use in bathroom during the nite instead of turning on bright harsh lite....charged it at window by day and then desk light until bedtime.

Suggestion....even if going with friends, very good to sit with strangers at some of your meals....u meet so many interesting people that way.

Sorry....wifi spotty.

Viziers lovely town. Organ recital.....Amazing Grace never sounded so wonderful!

Taxi to top of hill 6 euro round trip if anyone doesn't want to hike up.

View of area from top impressive.

Fun and games afterwards....lots of people played pétanque, similar to bocce, and pastis with liquour added was nice treat.

Weather was 71 and sunny!!!

Tuesday walking tour of vienne.....nice, nothing spectacular. Our guide was very good....Christian....and he gave the lecture in the lounge later on France Today.

Gala cocktail party.....choice of many complimentary drinks, followed by Captain,s dinner. About half of men had sport jackets, not many ties. About forty percent women long skirts, the rest slacks.

Followed by live music and dancing

Last post got lost. Good day....slight rain in morning. Temp mid 50. Med jacket fine.

Jeans seem to be ok even for dinner. Most people dressed very casual.

Pont du Gurd trip....we chickened out of climb at last minute....but museum nice. Report was climb not good if claustrophobic.....walking thru narrow, pitch black tunnel

Winery visit good, very informative.

Gypsy combo in the evening....very lively. Get up and show your stuff!

There was a pub crawl scheduled for tonite at 9:30 but we opted out. Between the Captain,s champagne party and the wine with dinner, we were almost ready to crawl to bed....besides it started drizzling as we watched our ship raft up with another. Much smoother than our sailboat raft ups on the Chesapeake!!!

Well, we made. all is well in Avignon. Vantage rep met us at Marseille. We waited about an hour for another flight.......very large bus took us to ship.

My posts won't be as complete as zogrand......typing not my strong suit, plus only have iPad with me. hATE typing on it....I am a one finger typist.

Weather is lovely today....lite jacket was needed for walking tour this morning. Our guide was Manu....excellent. Walking was nice pace over many cobblestone streets. A stop at the town market if you want to buy goodies.

We received our luggage tags one day before we left home

yes, thank you for taking the time.

I am finally getting excited about our trip, which starts on the 20th.

Just today we got a cabin assignment.

I had read stories about some of these ships overbooking and people getting bumped at the last minute.......but thankfully, that worry has been resolved.

I'm not happy with Vantage right now. We leave in ten days and still do NOT have a cabin assignment.

When I called previously they said not to worry, cabins are not assigned until 2 weeks before the trip. Today they tell me not to worry, cabins will be assigned one week before the trip.

I'm worried they are overbooked and last ones in, first ones out....or something like that.

We have hiking sticks that collapse to fit in our luggage from back in the day when we actually went hiking in the mountains. Come to think of it they may be ski poles....whatever, they collapse!

That would be great, Zogrand. I'll look for them.

Seems like we have a "triple Play" going on here. We board the ship when you get off and then Car Stan and Cpt. Trips board when we depart.

Just saw latest Matthew report......as of now......which can change every 5 minutes, it is possibly going to head out after the Carolinas. We are keeping a close eye because we have a sailboat down in Maryland.....very minor importance compared to the overall devastation going on.

I did have Traveller Thom confused with Cpt Trips.

But Trav. Thom, can you tell us about the highlights of the Rhone trip.....and maybe better yet, the lowlights. What should we not bother with?

Meanwhile re: my other issue.....I'm waiting to hear back from upper management. The first person after the original rep wasn't authorized to deal with the issue of any kind of refund. I'm still hopeful.

We are going on Oct. 20.....the trip right before yours.

It is Delta planes all the way.

I thought we delayed changing the clocks until after Halloween.....so not as dark for the little ones Trick or Treating. But that might just be a fanciful thought on my part.

Capt. T

I had checked the minimum connection time for AMS. But the Delta rep told me we would have to have everything go perfectly for us to make the connection in the 55 minute time frame we had. I'm thinking the Minimum connection time is a legaleze CYA for the airlines so they don't have to pay.

So my rationale with Vantage would be their rep should have looked at the "spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law", so to speak.

Also, the airline taking care of me doesn't help much if the ONLY flights out of AMS to MRS are at 8:30 PM. We would not get to the ship before midnight.

Well, not sure what to do. We can change for $300 each.

I'm waiting for a call from management to see if they will cover part of it.

Is $300 worth the peace of mind.......considering we got such a bargain on the trip.

We paid $1999.00 each for trip, which included the air.

Thanks for the link.

I did look up some info on Matrix.

If I miss the flight, the next one is 8:30 PM....8 hours later!

Not sure if they will let me cancel without major charge. Guess I'll find out tomorrow when they call me back....hopefully.

Not pleased with our flights at all. Did you get yours through Vantage?

Our agent there assured me 55 minutes would be enough time to switch planes in Amsterdam. I just called Delta....and they said NO, unless you are extremely lucky.

I wonder if they will charge me (and how much) to switch flights.

And Red Line/Green Line customs are....?

We have 55 minutes between our flights.

I did it again....Duh! I meant immigration.

Sorry. I meant customs....?

We will be flying from U.S. thru Amsterdam to Marseilles.

Does anyone know if we have to go thru customs in Amsterdam?

We have a very tight connection and I am a little nervous about it.

Anyone going on this trip? We just signed up 2 weeks ago.....deal too good to pass up.