TravelerThom

I accept weather, mechanical failures etc as valid reasons. NCL and others often change itineraries for THEIR convenience and profit, which while they may be legal within the scope of the contract they wrote, are NOT valid reasons in my eyes as a consumer.

Many, indeed most, river cabins (like ocean cabins) have two beds that can be configured separately or together (BUT confirm bed arrangements when booking). Generally when separated one or both bedside tables are placed between the beds. River cabins are as small as, or even smaller than, ocean cabins so it is close quarters if two people are attempting to dress at the same time. Other than sleeping and dressing, I spend most time on the boat in the lounges, on the sun deck or in the dining rooms (and a significant portion of the day is off the boat). As veterans of 25 river cruises we had no problem coordinating our dressing schedules to minimize conflicts. IMO the ability and flexibility to coordinate schedules is crucial to a pleasant trip. Most boats have open seating dining at predominately 4 to 8 person communal tables. Most river cruisers are pretty laid back and generally welcoming to having others, including solos, join them at meals or in the lounge. You will be with same ~150 people most of the day for a week or so, and will quickly be acquainted with most of them. The amount of space you need and the price you are willing to pay can only be determined by you. But river cruising can be a pleasant way to travel whether you go with a partner, a friend or by yourself. Thom

If That picture was taken in Costa Maya that was an extremely powerful telephoto lens in order to show hotels that are in Cancun 350 kilometers away. That is a stock photo of Cancun from travelsavvy.com.

Have you read the title of this thread? Suggesting repeatedly to just book the cabin you want on a thread discussing bidding for upgrade seems to totally miss the point of the thread. Furthermore even if you book exactly what you want, you are still subject to mechanical cancellations, ship charters and other potential problems. Nothing is worry free.

I had travel (business type) cards that in addition to my name etc had the motto: ”Any trip can be turned into an adventure by proper lack of planning.”

From Emerald’s Terms and Conditions: ”Airport Transfers. Airport transfers are available only on the first and last day of your tour and at times designated by Emerald. Transfers outside these times will be at your expense and must be secured by your own arrangements. Passengers who have purchased hotel accommodation and airfare from Emerald prior to tour or after tour will be provided with airport transfers to or from their hotel. If your airline booking is not made by Emerald, you must ensure your flight details are provided to Emerald. No refund will be given for any unused transfers. Transfers cannot be routed to other pick-up points or destinations. In the event of a missed transfer, you will be responsible for making substitute travel arrangements, at your own expense. All transfers must be booked and Emerald must be advised of all flights no less than 60 days prior to travel. Airport and ship transfers may be group transfers scheduled to coincide with multiple flight arrival times.” Note the “no less than 60 days”. If Emerald gives you a difficult time about not flying in day of, just find a flight arriving at a time convenient to you and give them that as your info. There are 5 different docking areas in Amsterdam, some much more convenient to Centraal than others. While various lines have areas in which they may usually dock, berths are assigned at the discretion of the Port Captain.

The minimum I’d even consider would be a refund of at least the price differential between GS & JS, plus still getting GS perks. And I doubt they would offer that.

Vorgartenstrasse U-bahn 48° 13′ 25″ N, 16° 24′ 5″ E

Thanks for the trip report. Brings back lots of memories of several trips through Peru. Sorry your Nazca Lines trip was so rough. In November 2000 I had come in DIY from Bolivia crossing Titicaca in a Bolivian Navy vessel, stopped at the floating islands before spending a week in the Cuzco area, on by gravel roads to the Colca Canyon (President Fujimori asked for asylum in Japan while I was in the canyon, and I did have condors sail about 6 feet over my head), then Arequipa and on up the coast to Nazca where I had a very smooth flight over the Lines in a 4 seater, then the Ballestas Islands and on into Lima. Lots of wonderful sights and surprisingly easy to do with my pidgin Spanish. I did the Amazon on one of my other trips to Lima. 

The lead photograph in the article is identified as Chichén Itzá, when it is actually the Pyramid of the Magician in Uxmal which is 200km from Chichén Itzá.

There are 10 locks on the Rhine between Basel and Rastatt (ie all upstream from the Main). No additional locks down the Rhine. There are 4 locks on the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal..

Those platforms move up and down in the pool. During the diving show they are lowered to the bottom of the pool. When the pool is not in use they raise to the surface and prevent access to the pool. I don’t think those platforms move in and out of the pool, nor do I think they are stored anywhere except in the pool itself.

4 bottles in one bag has a high probability of being noticed by security. After a long discussion with supervisors the 4 bottles will probably be allowed to proceed. Unless you enjoy the hassle of arguing with supervisors do yourself a favor and pack the wine in 2 bags.

A likely way be be to require all passengers (b2b and new) to get a Schengen Area. Exit stamp at Barcelona, and then treat passengers as “in transit” for the remaining Schengen Area stops. A second way would be to require all passengers to disembark at the last Schengen port (Azores I believe) and get an Exit stamp upon reboarding. A third possibility is that the cruise line ignores the whole thing since the passengers will not have a problem until an alert official notes the lack of proper documentation on a future trip to Schengen. If if it were me I’d be asking questions on board at Guest Relations on the first cruise and at the b2b briefing.

It is the responsibility of each visitor to the Schengen zone to get a Schengen exit stamp in their passport corresponding to each entry stamp. Failure to get the exit stamp can result in you being treated as having overstayed your previous visit (US citizens must get further approval to stay more than 90 days out of any 180 day period). From https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/schengen.html : **Make sure you receive a stamp in your passport when you enter and exit the Schengen area.** Bolding and asterisks are by the US State Department, not me.