Roland4

Of note, on Formal evenings a sport coat, with or without tie, is also perfectly acceptable. And unlike our multiple segment cruise on Silver Moon last year, you will never see an Informal dress requirement on the last night of the cruise!!

We did a TA on Splendor in November 2022. We went to the Gala Brunch, and while it was okay for the most part, the Eggs Benedict were stone cold. It was like they were prepared ahead (as I am sure they were) and stuck in the refrigerator, then served under heat lamps, that did nothing for them. My guess is all of them, and it was huge display, went uneaten!

To be honest, like the "Midnight Buffet" of cruising years past, the Grand Buffett was an anachronism that was due to be dropped. Yes, it was an incredible feast to look at, but we, like many we talked to, rarely participated, and more often than not watched vast volumes of uneaten food be taken back into the MDR at the end. While some of it MAY have made its way to the crew dining room, I suspect most of it went into the waste disposal system. In the last two years we have sailed on Regent, Seabourn and Silversea, and with the exception of one of those lines, which one escapes me, and which only does it when Sunday is a sea day, Grand Buffets are a thing of the past.

We adopted two rescue kittens, well really more like teenagers, back in October, and they are a handful. Except, of course, when they settle down and are looking for a cuddle! Been Cat Parents for almost 30 years now.

Royal Caribbean/Celebrity have been doing this for a year or so now. The base fare is non-refundable, but if you want a refundable fare, there is a sometimes very significant premium. When they also start adding in various promotions, you almost need a cryptologist to decipher the fare table!!! 😮 😮

And then there was the earthquake off the Big Island!!! The news reports said it was felt in Honolulu!! Are you beginning to feel "snake bit"??? 😄 😄 😄

If they "need cash", they would not have also offered a 10% refundable option. Virtually every cruise line is now offering some variation of refundable/nonrefundable deposit options, with the nonrefundable offering significant discounts. And let's not even talk about Viking Ocean, which requires payment in full a year in advance! It is subject to normal cancellation fees, but it is still a year in advance!

Just had a look, and while not sure about "a long time", is someone we know, who has been around a while, and been very opinionated, and somewhat negative, about New Crystal. So yes, the grass is not always greener!

I can only tell you what the Captain told us. Was it a constant 23 knots? Probably not, but it was a constant high speed, aided by the fact the seas stayed relatively moderate.

Actually, the 2020 World Cruise, after being diverted to Cabo for a medical emergency, Serenity maintained 23 knots/hr for eight full days. According to Captain Vorland, it was the longest full speed run since they took delivery in 2003. So yes, it is possible.

They may do it on Mein Schiff, but other than Silver Moon last winter, none of the half dozen ships we have sailed in the last 18 months have done it. They all have sanitizer stands/stations, but no staff present.

A northbound crossing of the Drake in 2011 on Le Boreal, the Captain strongly suggested putting everything, including the plastic bottles, in the top drawer with a towel or two on top. After 36 hours of 40+ foot waves, and 70 MPH winds, he was right! 😮😮

Unless things have changed, and I don't think they have, the international airport is in San Jose, which is a two hour ride from Caldera. We did it years ago on Crystal and the airport transfer was a good two hours on a "past its prime" highway bus!

One thing that may work to our advantage is that Serenity and Mein Schiff II are the only ones in town that day according to the harbour schedule, and the Mein Schiff is doing an overnight to the 19th.

I agree! Almost 12 years later, we still talk about it, as recently as last September on Serenity with Jim and Steve! The weather was terrible, but the cruise was great!!

I still remember Captain Vorland's announcement after we left Cabo, "We left so fast it was like we had stolen the ship!" He told us afterward that the seven days it took us to get from Cabo to Nuku Hiva was the longest time the ship had run at full speed since they took delivery of her in 2003!!

Most people don't realize that both ships are actually Pana-Max in terms of width, if not length, and virtually every crossing they leave with "Panama Racing Stripes" from close contact with a lock wall!

Sure hope so as we are supposed to be boarding Symphony on April 13! First time on Symphony since the infamous 2012 Trans-Atlantic From Hell!

We had dinner with the Crew Manager (sp) a few years ago and it was a real eye-opening experience what they have to do to get crew/staff in and out. As far as supplies are concerned, I never really considered the effort/scheduling involved to get Containers A/B/C to dockside in Cricket Armpit, Some-South-Pacific-Island so I could have fresh fruit at breakfast the next day!!! Those containers did not just arrive by accident! 😮 😮

As Captain Vorland explained when we were on the 2020 WC, these are called "The Christmas Winds", a very steady and very strong wind from the northeast at this time of year. We had the heavy seas on the way to Cartagena, and also lost two port stops to them on the west coast of Central America.

One of these things we as passengers/guests never think about when it is necessary to make major changes to an itinerary; "Considerations such as adjusting ship provisions and the impact on containers in transit, adapting travel plans (including visas) for our dedicated crew members,"

It's -10C/14F with a windchill of -17C/1F at the moment, but no new snow, just the frozen, iced-over stuff that fell last week! Supposed to be sunny tomorrow with an almost "balmy" -3C/27F!! Almost time to break out the shorts!! 😁😮😁

Fair enough, but keep in mind that here in Central Canada, our worst snowstorms come up from Colorado and/or Texas, so turnabout would be fair play methinks!!😁😁

What??? You don't like the Polar Vortex weather we sent down to you?? 😁 Actually, be thankful you have not had the full hit from this. It was -50C at the Edmonton airport on the weekend, and at that temperature it really doesn't matter if that is C or F!! We are expecting -14C/-20C with the windchill here tonight, and even by our standards for January, that is cold! 😮😮

We were on Serenity in 2018 when they did this the first time, and nothing has changed, including the decorations, since then. We generally head to the Avenue instead.