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And they can even be helpful when not doing a cruise. In it was either 2021 or 2022, we did a land vacation in Boston. I asked in the East Coast forum how to get from the airport to our hotel and got really specific directions that worked perfectly.

In fact, quoting the contract language that has been posted, they say they take NO responsibility for advising guests what documentation is needed!

You are welcome. That was actually our first port ever and still probably the best do it yourself days we ever had going ashore. The cruise was actually for our 25th anniversary.

Cannot answer why they would still be selling cruises including Israel. My best guess would be they have not yet formulated what alternative ports they will be sailing to. As for Russia, even if you wanted to book a cruise going there, there are none, and have been none for quite a while now.

Well said. I would add that DW and I can do our own things (such as trivia for me and swimming for her) apart and yet still spend a very lot of quality time together.

No one but you can answer that as it depends on what you like. We are not at all into gambling so never considered Monte Carlo. The first time we were at that port we had a truly wonderful day going to the Matisse and Chagall Museums in Nice. (DW is an art teacher, now retired). But if museums are not your thing, this would be anything but a wonderful experience.

My wife had her birthday on our river cruise, actually the day we went to Brugge. Every time we bought a souvenir, I said that could be your birthday present. But she usually replied that we would have bought it even if it was not her birthday. So today when grocery shopping, I bought tulips for her and told her they were an additional birthday present. Not very expensive, but I think it was a thoughtful gesture. She has put up with me for 46+ years (had our last anniversary on a sea day between Norway and Iceland), so I have to try to be sweet and considerate sometimes. 😊

The best (actually only one) I put together through a roll call was a 10 person private Alla tour in St. Petersburg, Russia. I have also joined from a roll call.

On another thread, our on site expert about what documents are needed @Ferry_Watcher has said that in Seattle an expired passport would be acceptable as long as you also have an official Birth Certificate. If they would accept an expired passport, how could you turn down a valid one with less than 6 months remaining! I do believe Royal Caribbean is one of the lines she and her colleagues handle in Seattle.

You really did not answer the question about the learner's permit. I would think it would be valid with a picture id as it would be issued by the same agency, state DMV as a license. But we count on you as the expert in these matters.

We docked in Ghent, but missed seeing it as we took an optional tour to Brugge. If we had not missed Brugge on our ocean cruise London (Southampton) to Reykjavik this past August, we would have seen Ghent. My impression was about half our passengers took the optional Brugge tour and half the included Ghent excursion. We also would have seen I am sure at least one of these ports previously if we had not had a river cruise chartered out from under us after final payment on the Christmas/New Year's break back in 2003/2004. The one we went on from late March until early April this year ended up as our first river cruise, a long time coming.

OK, but it is still a nice gesture.😉

You couldn't get the book to fit in your carryon?

We sailed on the Prima this past August and had booked the cruise and BOGO back in late 2021. This was done through out TA.

That's a really nice gesture. I am sure everyone appreciated it.

Thanks, you're probably right, and if a next time happens, I will know better. At least with the survey, I did let them know it was a problem. And I emphasized MAJOR!

That is interesting. On our roll call from our cruise that ended in Reykjavik this past August, there were people who complained that NCL would not book them for flights this early and booked them for flights the next day.

And they are still beautiful. We were just there this past March.

Are you saying that out of experience, or out of thinking that is not the way it should be? I did write in my after cruise survey that it was a MAJOR problem.

Yes, lots of cobblestone on the streets of the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. You should be ok at Keukenhof as there are paths throughout the Garden.

We were recently on a Gate 1 Tulip Time cruise in the Netherlands and Belgium, and wondered if what happened on the menu was f;eetwide or just an anomaly. There were always 3 entrees listed, one meat, one fish, and one vegetarian. However, on 2 separate dinners, the fish dish also had meat. Not eating meat, this severely hampered our choices on those 2 dinners. For those who have been on other Gate 1 river cruises, is this how it always is?

Flaring up quickly also means if it is scheduled to go to Israel, it can be cancelled quickly! And when was the last time a cruise went to St. Petersburg, formerly the jewel of Baltic cruises? I would not count on a quick return for ships to Israel.

Our river cruise had separate stops at Antwerp and Ghent, although instead of going on their excursion in Ghent, we took an optional excursion to Brugge. We were supposed to go to Brugge on an ocean cruise this past summer, but it was cancelled due to an extremely low tide. So we ended up in Brugge on Good Friday which was also DW's birthday.

Or get a waiver to the PVSA, and that is not going to happen.

Did you get to the Catholic Cathedral in Antwerp? It was closed when our ship's tour was in Antwerp because it was Maundy Thursday, but we were told we could go there on our own after it opened and just show that we were from our river cruise, and we would be let in for free. Lots of paintings by Reubens.