Alushar

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

It was their very first attempt at this on a massive scale.

Hopefully they will work out the kinks. Perhaps limiting the number of participants would help.

I look forward to seeing more webinars.

I'd like to see this offered in UK we weren't given the option and the PuP points are nice 

We were very lucky that we had a full cruise in February the only issue being it started and ended in Dubai as Singapore closed.

We had an Ireland and Iceland cruise booked for September which we lift and shifted and used some of that holiday time for a stay in the New Forest in a lovely cottage not far from Southampton. In fact a trip along the coastal road we were able to see several P & O and Cunard ships moored up! 

We couldn't believe how good it felt to pack a case again after a tough 6 months.

We are due to spend a week in Wales beginning of November but many Welsh areas are going into local lockdown so that's under threat.

Strangely one of the safest places for us to go at moment is Italy and it seems like there are no crowds. They are under control at moment so we will keep monitoring this and may dive off to Venice or Rome if Wales is cancelled.

Our next cruise is Spain and France from Southampton with a BTB Norwegian Fjords on the Silhouette which is obviously under threat

We've Lift and Shifted our Ireland and Iceland cruise on Silhouette from beginning Sept 2020 to same dates a year on in 2021. Worked very easily and the great price and OBC and perks moved with us

22 hours ago, bellasorella said:

Has anyone who lives in the U.K.  been able to “Lift and Shift”? I see some Canadian posters have, and I believe quite a few of our Aussie friends. But Britain tends to have more restrictive booking. Asking for a friend....

We lifted our Sept 20 Ireland and Iceland cruise to Sept 21 no problem 

I have a few small world but here are the 2 main ones

3 years ago we were on the Silhouette for a Baltics Cruise. First night dinner was a mess and we ended up on a large table. I was talking to the nice American couple next to me and my wife was talking to the 2 people to her right. All of a sudden I got an elbow in my ribs and she leaned over and mentioned I should listen as the couple were from very near us. I started listening and gradually it dawned. My firm had a client who I regularly spoke to and had never met as he lived near my Principal and they used to meet outside office. I'd literally been speaking to the guy for 12 years. He'd told me the week before he was going to Russia I thought for the Soccer World Cup. I got my wife to ask their names and then tell them their faces were a picture!

2008 a Nile Cruise journey had been a nightmare straight to bed on day one. We got up for breakfast and were shown to a table of 6 and told that would be our table for the trip. I went to get juices and when I came back my wife was talking to a couple. When they had arrived my wife heard their Welsh accents and had explained I was also Welsh and had got as far as identifying that our home towns were the same. I sat down and the guy nearly dropped his coffee and went pale. He spluttered Peter and I said no that's my brother I'm Alun to which he uttered the immortal and never forgotten worlds of "Baby Alun". He'd been my eldest brothers best friend through junior school before we moved and his last memory of me was out with my brother pushing me in a stroller! 

Checked with our annual insurers and they said we were ok to book but wouldn't be covered if we took the trip if FCO advice was against it so happy with that as we wouldn't go against FCO anyway.

We usually cruise on my wife's birthday never made a fuss but when booking a future cruise they made some sort of note so we get the cake and chocolate strawberries and wine regularly now and have had our stateroom decorated.

The best freebie we didn't ask for but there was a problem on my booking a couple of years back and it hit a lot of us on same cruise but everyone got sorted other than us. It got very frustrating as we couldn't book anything through planner or make final payment etc. I made a myriad of calls to UK and US and eventually lost patient emailed LLP. I had an immediate response and a conference call was set up which included 2 managers and someone who know what they were doing. They fixed the problem in seconds and set it so that if I bought something I got it at the lowest price it had been offered though the booking as I'd missed a couple of sales. They then gave me $150 OBC which I hadn't asked for.

Following day I called UK adviser to book something got someone Id talked to before they said they were glad I was sorted and gave me another $100 OBC

All I wanted was to book Tuscan for first night and ended up with $250 OBC!   

@chemmo An Affogato is vanilla ice cream and espresso spooned over my wife loves it esp from Cafe Bacio

13 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

I can only say you express so much of how we feel but how do you get seats at the Martini Bar?!?!?

 

We will certainly keep our traditions, in particular booking Tuscan for sail away, but we will no longer take for granted so many aspects of cruising...

 

It's all about timing and perseverance lol

We used to book Tuscan for Sail Away but where possible now book Lawn Club

Keep our old traditions and make some new and make loads of new great memories.

In particular we love going to the Martini Bar when it first opens on Sail day you always meet people from far and wide, everyone so happy to be there some you see throughout the cruise others never again but all such fun.

Finding our favourite artists, there's always 1 maybe 2 who hit spot for us and then listening to them with a drink in various bars

So much more

and the Ocean

They've changed the 90 days to 60 days. This has been applied to the 2 cruises we have booked for next spring and the cruise we lifted and shifted to next September

So many lovely places on this thread so many places we want to visit sigh! We are relatively new to cruising but have travelled Europe extensively by land but discovered Lisbon on a Silhouette Western Med Cruise and have been back.

We liked Singapore at the end of our HK to Singapore cruise so planned a pre cruise stay when doing the Singapore to Dubai cruise but that got changed at the start of all this to a Dubai to Dubai cruise so Singapore is on the wish list.

I'd happily spend more time in St Petersburg and explore more of Russia.

Fingers crossed we have a France and Spain cruise next year places we've been but happy to go back but then an Ireland/Iceland one later in year very excited about.

On 4/23/2020 at 7:28 PM, frteach said:

Could you give more information about your cruise and the ports you will be visiting, please?  I have done both ship sponsored tours, privately arranged tours, and sometimes arranged my own walking tours, not that I am as knowledgeable as many on here, but I am a planner.

Thanks for your reply the itinerary is Bilbao overnight, Vigo, La Coruna and Le Harve

We spent 5 days in Bilbao for rugby a couple of years ago and know Paris well so choice would probably be Normandy or Versailles

Hi All hope everybody is keeping well.

In these strange times we were trying to look forward to happier times and our cruise on Silhouette at end April next year.

We thought we’d look at excursions Celeb to start does anybody recommend any of the trips esp the Beaches or Versailles. Our mobility isn’t great so looking for low impact.

Thanks in advance 

HOW DO COURT RECORDERS KEEP STRAIGHT FACES????
>> These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.
>> ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
>> WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
>> ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
>> WITNESS: My name is Susan!
>> _______________________________
>> ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
>> WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
>> ____________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
>> WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
>> ____________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
>> WITNESS: July 18th.
>> ATTORNEY: What year?
>> WITNESS: Every year.
>> _____________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
>> WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
>> ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
>> WITNESS: Forty-five years.
>> _________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
>> WITNESS: Yes.
>> ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
>> WITNESS: I forget..
>> ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
>> ___________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
>> WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
>> ____________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
>> WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.
>> ___________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
>> WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
>> _________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
>> WITNESS: Yes.
>> ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
>> WITNESS: Getting laid
>> ____________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
>> WITNESS: Yes.
>> ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
>> WITNESS: None.
>> ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
>> WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
>> ____________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
>> WITNESS: By death..
>> ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
>> WITNESS: Take a guess.
>> ___________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
>> WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
>> ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
>> WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
>> _____________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
>> WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
>> ______________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
>> WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
>> _________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
>> WITNESS: Oral...
>> _________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
>> WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
>> ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
>> WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
>> ____________________________________________
>> ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
>> WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
>> ______________________________________
>> And last:
>> ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
>> WITNESS: No.
>> ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
>> WITNESS: No.
>> ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
>> WITNESS: No..
>> ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
>> WITNESS: No.
>> ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
>> WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
>> ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
>> WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
>
Keep well & safe

Feel so lucky we completed our Dubai(Singapore) to Dubai cruise with only a couple of changes, on the Constellation last one completed by Celebrity over there and a fabulous cruise,

We have next 3 booked on the Silhouette on Sept 5th Ireland and Iceland and then end of April 2021 a B2B France & Spain followed by Norwegian Fjords all out of Southampton.First one probably in doubt if the Silhouette doesn't come over for a short season

After those I want to do South America, New England and Canada, Alaska anywhere! 

Our change from Singapore to Dubai cost us £250 more than the Celeb contribution

We managed to get a flight out of UK tomorrow to Dubai was surprised we couldn't get nearer the weekend but saw @sgmn post so good reasoning plus I suspect Celebrity Air acted before they sent the email at 3am this morning and will have rerouted some from States to Dubai via London.

First world problems very annoying to miss Singapore but rather be safe and after a couple of hours hassling everything is cancelled and hotel, transfers etc booked for Dubai. All at a cost though the air rebook alone was £250 more than Celebrity's contribution

75  Best of India and South East Asia (71 night until we fly)

277 nights Ireland and Iceland

Safe trip home guys thanks for taking us along

I did this last year on the Millenium and as bluehengal said there were 6 stations set up I think France, Italy, Argentina, Australia, USA and Spain. Red and white not bad quality on each. Circle round with cards to mark and go back to the ones you like. Nibbles provided cheese, bread, fruit etc. Mine was about 3 in the afternoon and needed a lay down after lol

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

TeeRick, I agree...sometimes you can’t move at all.  My peeve is with the people who have the space to move and don’t.  A very small and petty thing to be sure!  

I have been known to embrace my former rugby persona and find that they can move when accidentally bumped with profuse apologies and commenting good job there was plenty of room behind you lol

You're lucky @calicakes our first X cruise was in an inside and we've done verandas since so it's taking ages to get to Elite. I'll be 17 points short after our Feb cruise so will hit it in September with the Iceland cruise. Will have to book at least one other just to be elite lol 

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I haven't but will look for her series.   I'm glad you let me know as she looks like a good match.  

 

Jim

Jim if you like a good series and haven't read them try Michael Connely's Harry Bosch series 

We usually MDR for breakfast and I alternate between Eggs Royale and the French Omelet always with a side of mushrooms and a grapefruit juice