Twitchly

You know, I think I’m going to do this. Who knows, we might even make some new friends!

Love wasabi, however I can get it!

This is happening everywhere, it seems. We’ve been in numerous restaurants where somebody pulls out a phone or tablet and has a long FaceTime session. At one expensive restaurant, we spent our entire dinner listening to a couple FaceTiming with their kids and grandkids on an iPad. The restaurant was attached to a hotel, so we figured they were hotel guests who treated the restaurant like an extension of the lobby. Maybe they couldn’t get a signal in their room, who knows. In any case, we haven’t been back.

Wonderful! You’re going to love it!

I did notice that our cruise in September had more groups of people who appeared to be traveling together, and the decibel level was noticeably louder in the lounges and restaurants as a result. Aside from that, I can’t say I noticed a big difference from our pre-pandemic cruise. I certainly didn’t see bare feet on tables or pax telling others to stop blocking their view. Gads.

I’m guessing the vibe changes when you aren’t stopping at lots of ports and taking morning excursions, as I believe was the case for much of your very unusual cruise. Without the ports, I would think Torshavn would get a lot more action. I know I’d be more likely to go there if I didn’t have to be ready to roll early the next day.

Yes. A Delta flight on partner KLM.

This. Last month we flew (on Delta) from Bergen through Amsterdam to the US. In Amsterdam, we had to go through passport control but not customs. I would allow at least 3 hours to connect in Amsterdam. That’s what we did, and we barely made our plane due to delays leaving Bergen and long lines in Amsterdam.

Google “Carnival cruise” and “brawl.” Carnival markets itself as a party ship. Perhaps not surprisingly, they’ve been in the news repeatedly for large, multi-deck, bloody free-for-alls. I would expect *any* other cruise line to have better-behaved clientele. (Apologies to all the peaceable and polite Carnival fans who don’t beat up fellow passengers and wouldn’t dream of hogging a poolside lounger. Sadly, you don’t make the news.)

I think I would love it. My husband, not so much.

Ha! I knew I’d find a use one day for this crash-test dummy …

We’ve always interpreted this to mean the restaurants (excluding World Buffet) and theater. Not the lounges. That said, for our cruise last month, I only brought black slacks, no jeans. It was just easier and allowed me to not even think about the question. So arriving late after an excursion was no big deal because we weren’t wearing jeans anyway.

In Twitchly World, reserving a pool seat is ethical if you need to leave to go to the bathroom or briefly run to your cabin to grab something. Fifteen minutes tops. Otherwise let someone else have the seat.

We’ve taken to Viking Cruises, one in the spring and one in the fall, neither to warm-weather places. We did see a few reserved seats, but we didn’t check to see how long they remained empty. Maybe their owners just went to the bathroom or something. In any case, we had no trouble finding a seat by the pool most days.

We enjoyed the Ffestiniog railway in Wales, especially the scenery to and from the train and lunch in a lovely town. It is a long day, but you get to see a beautiful part of Wales. This excursion was sold out, so when we got on board, we went immediately to the service desk and asked to be put on a waitlist. They ended up creating a whole second group for this excursion because of the widespread interest. In Belfast, my husband greatly enjoyed the Saint Patrick tour, which takes you out into the countryside. (I was unable to go due to a sprained knee.) For included tours, we loved the Highlights of Historic Orkney. It included a good overview of the main island, including being able to get out and see the standing stones. There was also plenty of time to wander on our own in a couple of nice villages. We also loved visiting the farm in Bergen. Delightful host and interesting insights.

My understanding was that Scotch whisky came about in order to make haggis bearable.

Quickest option: leftover muffin from the day before, eaten on the tender boat. Second-quickest option: room service. This was our default due to our stupidly scheduling early excursions most days. Can you tell I’m not a morning person? Favorite breakfast splurge: that glorious Mamsen’s waffle. No contest.

Public restroom fees? (We had a bunch of those in London. 🥴)

Here you go: They’re on HAL so they’re posting in that forum.

Good to hear about the egg crates. Sure wish we’d thought to say something to our steward!

The Dole recipe linked above sounds right to me.

I have not used a topper on a Viking bed; I didn’t think to ask for one, unfortunately. I am one of the people who find their beds too hard; my husband and I both woke up stiff and achy most mornings from the bed in our cabin on Viking Mars. Checking into our hotel in Norway afterward was a relief on that score. I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone who got a true topper from Viking, just an extra duvet or two. Bringing your own topper might give you peace of mind.

I would walk on hot coals for that Dole pineapple whip. 🍍 Fabulous!

Over on the Other Site that rhymes with LaceHook, a guy currently on Viking Orion, headed to Australia, Singapore, and Thailand, just posted a letter that came with the Viking Daily telling pax they’re reinstating the daily Covid spit tests. From the letter: “As we have learned in the past months, countries that are only beginning to allow foreign visitors again adjust their COVID protocols often and they tend to err on the side of caution. We have found local authorities view our frequent onboard testing very favorably - it has helped us with an effective and successful restart well ahead of the industry as a whole. To ensure smooth sailing in the weeks ahead, we are again providing free frequent non-invasive COVID-testing starting October 18. The protocol for such testing is below. Please note that testing is mandatory for all guests and crew.” The letter doesn’t say which country or countries they’re referring to. But the next stop is Australia. There are only 84 pax on this cruise. (Honolulu to Bangkok.) Can’t imagine why so few. Social distancing definitely won’t be a problem.

PV1 was the last available room when we booked our British Isles cruise on Mars. We wanted a PV room anyway so it wasn’t a big deal, but we would have preferred a level 2 or 3 simply to save money. Level 1 rooms are the most expensive.