duquephart

Nothing to wash it down with?

Why have a numbers system if it's all or nothing?

Haven't had a single person turn down a euro or a dollar yet.

3 - 4 pp.

The solo guitarist on Jupiter seems to be the same one as two years ago. Does a whiz-bang job on S & G's The Boxer.

The car dealers say anything less than a "10" on their surveys is a fail. First they do everything they can to skin you and then they beg for a perfect score!

Engine room and bridge are at the discretion of the captain.

Guest Services - as soon as you can after boarding.

Or you could choose a stateroom category with included laundry, Very convenient.

As was suggested in the first reply.

And "pharmacy" is a good thing to call them. Ask a local where to find a "drug store" (maybe a Minnesota/Midwest thing) and you'll get the stink-eye.

The jewelry has always been quite nice. They had some stunning Zultanite on our recent cruise. I have seen Tissot and Citizen for watches - you could have gotten one to set your Rolex to the correct time.

At their prices "people" might be replaced with a different word.

Makes me wonder how the jewelry store does any business. Only open, for the most part, when folks are at dinner or shows, or in bed. That combined with ridiculous prices would seem to work against any success.

Just curious - what has Bergen to do with British Isles?

There is a small area of the nordic shop for such things but probably best to bring what you may need.

We actually like it and keep a bottle or two in our wine cooler. My point is that it's much closer to average than to premium.

I guess it makes sense in an odd sort of way and would explain why Viking allows it. And Viking isn't likely to include a "we are required to ----- " line in their excursion descriptions.

Drinking liquor is not a criteria - quantity is however.

One night in Chef's Table the upgrade white was Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling. Viking should be ashamed.

Were we herded into a government-subsidized store? Is that a requirement or just any store will do? We went to XYZ "Carpet & Jewelry" although the guide described it as a "guild."

As good as Manfredi's is it gets old after 3 (maybe 4) visits.

The "sales routine" and the haggling were an interesting feature of the experience. I consider myself a savvy negotiator (car salesmen hide under their desks when they see me coming) but one of the tricks is to have a baseline starting point. With a car you can, with some research, arrive at a good idea of dealer cost and haggle up fom there. Much harder with the higher priced items in Turkey.

The carpet deal is not a part of any tour. Having "free time to browse ----- " is not the same as being herded into a shop. The guide waits around to get their kickback from any sales rather than taking folks back to the ship.

Does he/she keep the ship off the rocks?