highplanesdrifters

Ditto!

One also needs to compare lie flat seats in biz class, as they are not created equal. For example: Many TA Biz seats on BA are just crammed uncomfortable lie flats with a small shelf. First class more traditional pods, quite nice. Lots of old planes still lurking about. Just looked at UA, ORD-EDI. Yes Polaris lie flat, but in a 2-2 config. No pod, no shelf, old plane. Seat guru has been very helpful in sorting it all out.

Darn, sorry to miss you. We'll be on the Cloud, then doing Cape to Cape. Heard some good news from South Georgia. They have been landing at Fortuna Bay. Nice King colony. Hope they don't close it before we get there.

What's in City in The Clouds cocktail? Looks delish.

Got it! We usually play this game with the kids during Holidays. Good fun! And yes, noisy.😄

@Port Power. Thanks again for all your posts. I can see why SALT is so popular. What is LCR?

@edinburgher & @fruitmachine along with all others, THANK YOU for the invaluable information you have provided. I have put everything in my files and will be digging deeper in he next few weeks. I am especially grateful for the little bits you have provided. Just wrapping up airfare. Never easy, and always expensive. If I might indulge on your expertise - On to hotels. Any comments on Old Town vs. New Town? It's always nice to have some space. We are taking my sister. Looking at Cheval The Edinburgh Grand, they have a nice 2 bedroom. We also love small boutique hotels if you have any suggestions.

Seriously excellent info. Thanks much. Will dig into all of this.

@edinburgher Most excellent suggestions, thanks. First visit. Arrive morning May 23, ship leaves May 26, 5PM out of Leith. IN Museum on the Mound Gin tasting OUT Jupiter Artland Gillie Dhu I grew up with Celtic music, any venue suggestions? Depending on where the ship docks, I think we'll drop our bags and head over to the Royal Yacht.

Thank you to everyone for your excellent suggestions. @edinburgher & @Globaliser thanks for digging deeper and great advice. Mussel Inn, sounds perfect. A good pub is always on the agenda. Local favorites always top our list. We usually lean toward the safe 4 or 5 star properties unless we find that Hidden gem. Recently @TLCOhio suggested Ava Hotel in Athens. It was a hotel, and our room was a 1 bedroom apartment with balcony overlooking the Acropolis. We stayed there last month and loved it. Perfect Hidden gem. I've been to many of the travel sites and asked Google the usual Hidden Gem questions. It always nice to hear from those who have experienced things first hand. Is it Meh, dont bother or a wow I didn't expect that? We will tend towards activities specific to Edinburgh. Our cruise is an expedition so will save the kayaking and hiking till then. We are there May 23-26. Some that peak our interests other than the top attractions: Anything historical Closes of the Royal Mile Gin tasting Ghille Dhu Jupiter Artland Museum on the mound The Spirit of Scotland dinner show? Is it fun touristy thing, or a seriously who would spend money on that? These things can go either way. Thanks again! We welcome any comments about our potential activities.

Thanks for your info. We were there during full moon Oct. 26- 29. I guess we lucked out. We did sail through some storms and missed our first port. So I guess that must have sent the excess water your way. So sorry. It was Disney when we were there. But with walkways, must have been Disney on Steroids. Hope you had some fun! We did all the usual, but also went to the Maritime Museum. It was empty and very interesting. Did you find any hidden gems?

Both Virtuoso properties, always a positive. Thanks much.

So, you stay at the Hotel, not the Castle? Hmmmm.😄

Calling all CC Intelligentsia! Just booked a cruise leaving out of Leith. Looking for hotel recommendations in Edinburgh. Any favorite hidden gem activities also appreciated. Thanks!

Exactly! One often grumbles about poor ship design. Not so here. No matter where you are on the ship you are only moments away from an outside viewing area. And there are so many! If you are sans parka it's easy to run in for a quick warm up. FOMO will keep you warm. 😀

You will either go outside and brave the elements as is, or run to your cabin and grab your parka. Even better, go outside brave the elements while Lovie runs to cabin for parkas. 😃

Positive news! Can you expand on where they landed? This is a vendor website so I cannot vouch for the accuracy. https://gov.gs/visitor-sites/ Landing site status Updated 30th November 2023 Over half of South Georgia's landing sites remain fully accessible to visitors, including the spectacular king penguin colony at Fortuna Bay. The following sites are closed for landings for the 2023/24 season, with zodiac cruises permitted: Royal Bay (Moltke Harbour), St Andrews Bay, Cooper Bay The following sites are all temporarily closed for landings, with zodiac cruises permitted: Gold Harbour, Elsehul, Right Whale Bay, Salisbury Plain, Ocean Harbour, Husvik The following sites remain open for landings on a restricted basis: Grytviken (including Shackleton's grave, the South Georgia Museum and Norwegian Church) Another web site I found while going down the rabbit hole which lists the 49 approved landing sites in South Georgia. https://gov.gs/visitor-sites/

Curses. Sending you positive Travel Gods Vides.

FWIW, our friends stayed at Ca' Segredo and enjoyed it. Got a Virtuoso upgrade to a canal room.

Just trying to get a grip on accurate info. I read the below quote from the Swoop website "fully accessible " to mean landings. Do you have other info or interpret it differently?

Circling back to report on The Londra. Venice was lovely but crowded. We thoroughly enjoyed The Londra. Great location. We had rooms with small balconies overlooking the canal which were charming and well appointed. Wifi and water pressure worked well. The outstanding part was staff. Service, service, service! They helped us with excellent dinner reservations, last minute guides, and transfers. Breakfast was very good and the evening restaurant was delicious. Thank all for your suggestions.

Here's what the website says: Over half of South Georgia's landing sites remain fully accessible to visitors, including the spectacular king penguin colony at Fortuna Bay. The following sites are closed for landings for the 2023/24 season, with zodiac cruises permitted: Royal Bay (Moltke Harbour), St Andrews Bay, Cooper Bay The following sites are all temporarily closed for landings, with zodiac cruises permitted: Gold Harbour, Elsehul, Right Whale Bay, Salisbury Plain, Ocean Harbour, Husvik The following sites remain open for landings on a restricted basis: Grytviken (including Shackleton's grave, the South Georgia Museum and Norwegian Church) So the questions are: Will Expeditions avail themselves to the landing sites that are available? What is at the available landing sites?

I cannot verify the accuracy of this website, but it appears there are many landing sites available. Fingers crossed. https://www.swoop-antarctica.com/cruises/south-georgia/avian-flu

I have hundreds of screenshots of things I've forgotten about.😉 Do they have smell-o-vision? 😄

I also tie a bright ribbon on each bag. Helps them to stand out in the frey.