highplanesdrifters

I for one am grateful for the report, minor spelling issues and all. I frequently suffer from fat finger spellcheck errors along with a plethora of grammatical errors. It's tough trying to get real time thoughts down quickly with the pressure of getting to dinner or a tour on time along with knowing that the internet is currently working and you need to hit send. IMHO, no apology necessary. Of course I send shivers up Fletchers spine with most of my posts. 😂

I eliminated SS traditional ocean ships from my searches when SS went D2D fares. Paying an exorbitant rate for crowded bus rides is not my cup of tea. Blacklane does not service our city. Unless you are at a major international hub Silversea air useless. You never know what Silversea is going to consider a "luxury" hotel anymore. I was shocked when I compared similar itineraries on similar ships SS vs. Seabourn. There was one trip of late where the food was so bad I would have played La Dame prices for Applebees. And I'm not sure if I've ever been to an Applebees. 😂

$9 for a shot of Titos? If that's what they're getting it should up the stock valuation. G&T victim here. Might be a bit snobby about the options though. Should I be, been ages since I've tasted them?

I'm surprised the pool waiters haven't offered them a blanket and a cup of warm birdseed.

So no grill tonight in a strapless gown? 😃

All very interesting, thanks for the perspective. Reading through some threads sounds like the ball is being dropped on a regular basis, crowded buses, bad service, less then desireable food, etc. I can see their point. As mentioned we experienced this on Seabourn Encore last fall. It was in the Mediterranean. We called it the hop on hop off party cruise. It was all about the pool parties with zero enrichment. A bit of a zoo full of Holiday Makers. Lest you think I'm anti party, we did find ourselves dancing till 1 a.m on one occasion. But every night, crikey, good for them! I like the smaller ships and will continue to roll the dice on them.

All of your comments once again are spot on! Especially the one above. Our last expedition in Feb/March, 35 days on Cloud was our best trip to date. The service and food were excellent. I felt the old days were back. Sebourn Encore last November was a mess. I feel it's the luck of the draw when it comes to which ship is going to have enough trained staff to deliver. We board Seabourn Venture in a month and have 2 more booked on Pursuit. We are trying Ponant next February. It will be interesting to see what we get. A very smart woman! Suite 801 is our favorite of all time. I love it. That's what makes a market. The thought of getting on a bus gives me the shivers. 😃 FWIW, I still love being lethargic with cake and booze. Again, brilliant comments. Thanks.

😂😂😂 a lot of customers have stopped drinking her Koolaid. Fund outflows faster than a Maelstrom. Oh, the humanity. I'm out. I can just see all those busses lined up. Gives me the heebie jeebees. I suspect the cruising tide with lift their ships. Today's weak unemployment number is probably not their demographic. 😃

Cans in the backyard, brilliant. I've been putting my spare change into those Crypto machines at the Grocery store. Blue vs. Red = Cocktails on the Veranda.😃 Interesting note - CC would not let me post the above post until I made an edit. I figured it was Blue vs. Red. Alas no, I mentioned a Crypto coin by name.

Good to know, thanks for your opinion.

I think you hit the nail on the head and explained the current situation perfectly. Add in: Along with new cruisers there are also the upgraders. Will folks find the upgrade from Oceania, Viking, etc. worth it? Lots of folks trying expedition, will all the new ships get supported? Will the excessive marketing to a younger demographic work? Enough with all the influencers on board! Although we currently have 4 expeditions booked I'm actively looking for alternatives.

🤯🤯🤯

I'm a non-efficent antique.

Quite accurate. The cruise lines play with inventory all the time. Holdbacks are common. A ship shows waitlisted, and then poof plenty of cabins available. Or the opposite.

Have a fabulous journey!

Me likey the ride too. Money on the sideline getting 5%. Yessir! Don't tell the market police.

What a fascinating report. Thanks! Sounds like Greg got the tide charts in the wrong language. That ghostly Romanesque building, wow. @Fletcher. Off topic, did you ever take that trip on Aranui 5? Asking for a friend.

It's a Blood Sport because the prizes are so big.

Thanks for the shot out. I'm now using your excellent blog to help plan our return to the area in September. 😃 We had some small problems on SS Explorer in regards to communication and excursion planning. Nothing like you have experienced. Except for Heli rides all third party excursions were included, even a flight over the Bungle Bungles. Shame on Seabourn! They are already having trouble filling the ships. We are branching out and exploring other luxury expedition lines. Indonesia - we're looking at 2026, 2025 is already booked for us. 😁 I like the Seabourn Itinary that does north PNG and Raja Ampat. FYI, Ponant has some pretty nice itineraries. And then there is Paspaley by Ponant. Waiting for everyone to drop 2026 plans. Back to your regularly scheduled excellent programming. Good luck in Honaria.

Some people have second and third homes. Others dont want the hassle and choose the sea. 😃 Thanks for the report!

Hmmmm, still a little frothy out there. Speaking of shoes, I keep expecting one to drop. Inflation, a plethora of geopolitical risks, etc., etc, etc, and yet here we are. A parabolic market and all we get is a 5% correction. I would have though the Stimmie money should have worked it's way through the system. Perhaps not. Can the Boomer spending and kid gifting be adding more than I thought? Range trade through the summer and cocktails on the veranda!

I also said no to the rediculous options.

The RomRom was one of my favorites. And so happy you'll get to see the land diving. Ours was a huge event drawing people from all the surrounding islands. YAY is right.

Looks like a beautiful day and lovely place to visit.

Very interesting, thanks. Although I dont think I'd worry about ironing my clothes if I didn't have power. Or even if I did have power.😃