Lonedaddy

Great read, keep them coming!

Deck 9 aft

New adventures will keep you young !

Good call.

on AA it is "I" I'm not sure the others but you can do a search by airline for what each code is. Z or P for united I think

We've were on explorer SS dawn and voyager this past year. I would echo the above, pros and cons to both but I wouldn't say overall one stands out over the other. If anything, I would give a slight nod to SS for the variety and pizza place the sushi lunch at kenseki and the arts cafe was nice. Italian was better on regent.

us carriers release ~330 out many internationals release ~360. They have fare buckets they fill and if those don't sell, they can change, or equipment changes closer could impact it but not generally the case. The airlines have dynamic pricing models that look a loads and competitors pricing..... so, they can change daily sometimes. You can use expert flyer to track any bucket on a given route or kayak to monitor price changes. I'm sure @Pcardad and @papaflamingo could add to the pricing models if interested.

It looks like discover is a lufthansa partner for lower cost older planes like the A330 that lufthansa didnt need anymore. Similar to scoot airlines (SQ asia partner airline.) since you are in business you can use the Lufthansa business lounges in FRA. try to get middle pair seat if its a night flight as they have multiple configurations. It looks like the june 29 flight is the a330-200 but that could chnage. You get there a day early it seems so that is good in case of cancellation the airline will route you on UA or Lufthansa most likely. 4Y Airbus A330-200 - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans others 4Y Airbus A330-300 type 1 - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans 4Y Airbus A330-300 type 2 - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans

I get up often. I actually bought a couple night lights with euro plugs on amazon to use on ships.

Might have been somber this past evening as Barca got trounced at home by PSG and out of the champions tourney

That was a novella of a post

I've been on RSSC (explorer, splendor voyager) and SS (dawn.) Been reading good things about crystal. A couple of questions, as I don't see alot of shore excursions on the website, are there included ones? or ship offered ones. DW smokes so for the Serenity where are the smoking areas? I see there are different Sapphire and Aquamarine styles of suites in different stages of refurbishment. Do any have a tub and shower what are the size differences, pros/cons ? Does crystal offer pre/post cruise land packages? I see from many comments on all boards that the food is a bit better on crystal are there any links to menus? How are the entertainment shows/music duos/lectures - I don't expect a huge difference given they are all smaller ships. Thanks for any insight.

yes cruise only

We are the opposite wife gets up early and I sleep in but I go to the shows she rarely does.

Same here my door to door pricing is $1000 better with same OBC than the port to port now.

depends on the length of the cruise longer cruises of course have more slots. The explorer class ships have larger facilities and generally easier to get than the others with two specialty dining venue. Many days especially sea days. You can eat lunch at the specialty dining at no charge and they have many of the menu items for lunch. Pacific rim will be easiest. A butler can assist in getting additional reservations especially if you are flexible on the times slots.

If you like to purchase any land package or regent choice excursions concierge also gets: 10% Discount on Premium Wine and Liquor 5% savings on Pre- or Post-Cruise Hotel or Land Programs 5% savings on Regent Choice Shore Excursions

Agree - I always stay a couple of nights just for the peace of mind as well as coming in a day to three early. Usually most of the embarkation/debarkation ports have very interesting things to do and I don't feel the travel lag as much.

We were on Voyager in a PHA the shower was tiny and poorly laid out ( soap dish small and shower hose would knock things like the shampoo bottles off.) I think a shower stool might fit but it will make it very tight in there. I personally wouldn't book a PH on voyager vs explorer class which has huge car wash showers. The PH C located at the rear are the same layout as concierge suites but have larger balconies.

If you are using a TA they should be aware of this if not you should get a better TA. Are you booking for dec '24 or dec '25 out of CPT?

YMMV I was not happy with the last regent air. You can select the regent air as a backup and if you can find better before you have to deviate - you can cancel. if the allowance is 6700 add 175 to your cost if you want to deviate. Thus if you want to book your own you are saving 6875. I was able to find air using awards to SA but I also found many fare at or better than the $6675 I would have paid on RA. for example I found united fares JNB-EWR-DFW for 2700 One way. TK was always less and QR was near the price. You also have more flexibility if you want to do a Stopover to break up the trip. You will also get domestic 1st if you book your own. Use Kayak or Google flights to track prices. some airlines you can book 360 out vs US carriers 330, I start looking at 360 and they seem to vary quite a bit from 360 to 270 days out so you can find a deal if you diligently look or have your TA watch for good fares. You can always fall back on the regent air if you can't find something.

and you expect COST CUTTING: "Notably, he was chief operating officer for the Group's former luxury cruise line, Azamara, delivering the line's most profitable year while it was part of the Royal Caribbean family of brands."

Can anyone comment about the sea conditions encountered on past SA cruises... waves winds.

I got the amex and the OBC at the same time on multiple cruises.

I wonder if they will go with an asymmetrical design like the Silver nova/ray?