BillPizzaiolo

I think I should sum up some of the best points, using a multiple secure approach.

1. Carry cash in a secure neck wallet or money belt in transit. Use hotel or ship safe.

2. Use ATM's where and when if needed.

3. Carry multiple Credit cards in a secure place have at least one chip & pin.

4. Keep an ATM travel account apart from regular household $$$ account.

5. Carry small amount of local currency for day to day transactions.

Additionally my travel partner and I split up the "load" between us so all the eggs are not in one basket.

Ahh, yes, I too miss the days of shooting 35mm and 120 size film. A few rolls for an entire trip instead of thousands of boring photos that no one wants to see. It is the few snaps that mean something that tell the story. That gets printed and mounted in the family album to record the trip. Thousands of digital photos dilute the meaning and rarity of the moment. I don't miss slepping a 4x5 and all the stuff in the huge box though, but that was WORK!

All too often we've seen people in crowds taking photos with huge iPads. Holding them over head or in a position where someone could grab it and run. See :

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/people-who-are-doing-the-worst-thing-possible-with-an-ipa?bftw=main

There are devices that do it so much better and safer for the operator.

We signed up with Emergency Assistance Plus, through the American Legion (also other organizations) it covers all costs of medical evacuation world wide. https://www.emergencyassistanceplus.com i think it is a good deal. Thankfully, we haven't had to use it. It seems like a good deal

We"ve cruised extensively iin the past over 5 or more years. Over that time we used small group tours arranged using CC most of the time. There was only one negative experience when we were in Argentina a person in our group was obnoxious. Generally speaking on Oceania we"ve found like minded folks that were very easy to get along with. We still correspond with many people from time to time or even invited or visited after the cruise.

Typically we book privately with small groups, 6 or 8 people. Most tours meet up to get their plastic ticket in the lounge when all tickets are distributed for a particular tour then people are allowed to go out or board the tender. Then when 50 or more people need to find their bus then board it leaving the ship at 8 am means that by the time all are on board the bus it is almost 9 am.Then there is a varying commute from the port to wherever the tour begins. That's why they start early.

Example of a private tour for three couples on February 12, 2015 Marina posting.Jeannie and I are planning a half-day wine tasting tour 1PM-4 PM, with "For the Love of Grape" in Geelong, 15 February. They quoted $65pp. We would like to form a small group of three couples. (we need two more) For the love of grape will provide a tour guide and vehicle if we are six passengers. As a small group we can plan our itinerary. There are a number of wineries with cellar doors open to the public we can choose from– including:

Leura Park

Scotchman's Hill,

Oakdene

McGlashan's Wallington Estate

Jack Rabbit,

Bellarine Estate,

Banks Rd

Terindah Estate

Kiltynane (Snack grazing platters available $5-pp – must be pre-ordered)

and there are smaller appointment only wineries including:

Grassy Point WInes

Ponda Estate,

Barrgowan

Contact us at billpizzaiolo at gmail dot com

Bill & Jeannie

Typically we book privately with small groups, 6 or 8 people. Most tours meet up to get their plastic ticket in the lounge when all tickets are distributed for a particular tour then people are allowed to go out or board the tender. Then when 50 or more people need to find their bus then board it leaving the ship at 8 am means that by the time all are on board the bus it is almost 9 am.Then there is a varying commute from the port to wherever the tour begins. That's why they start early.

Thank you all for your wonderful conversation. We have decided to use some points and cash at the Marriott. We came very close to booking at 1888 though.

Bill & Jeannie

Looking for a place near enough to tour and be convenient all around. Thanks in advance.

We are slated for a Uniworld River Cruise in September Moscow to SPB. I wonder if it will take place. We inquired about canceling. If we did then we would loose our deposit and the fee paid for trip insurance. TA advised that we wait until there is a travel advisory then the trip insurance would cover us. Has anyone else gotten that kind of information?

I had planned on the Oceania Black Sea cruise in 2015, I was going to do it as a B2B with the Viking River cruise some else mentioned from Budapest to Bucherest. But will not do the O cruise now. I have no desire to financially facilitate Putin and his band of thugs. The same goes for going to ST. Pete to me, I've already been there, but If not I would not give even one (1) of my tourist dollars to the outlaw nation.

That's how we feel as well. Will be canceling out of a Moscow to St. Petersberg river cruise before we loose too much of the deposit.

If you want to save space in luggage then men"s Jackets and Suits are best left home. Nice silk shirts, Tommy Bahama, Cabella's guide or Nat Nast shirts take up a lot less weight and space. That allows my bride to pack many more outfits.

We got the Summer 2015 booklet in snail mail yesterday. It said that bookings will open March 5, 2014. We are looking at Baltics now and can't make up our minds.

I will check our notes later today and get back to you. I think it was the third or fourth evening. Not sure.

We have heard on board that Oceania doesn't support CC meet and mingles or meet and greets. We just came off Nautica's, Singapore to Hong Kong and we had a very successful meet and greet in Horizon's. We planned it on the roll call, in advance, to take place after the Muster Drill and Sail away during Happy Hour. When first on board the person organizing it, went up to Horizon's and met with the Head Bartender. He let him know that we would like to meet with a few people in the corner where continental breakfast is served. He indicated the number of people so that they can have the right number of wait staff available to take orders. They moved the tables and chairs out of the area to accommodate our group. We were all moving from person to person with drink in hand chatting, introducing each other. Conversations are much more encouraged when there are not enough places to sit. We had "Hello my Name is" stickers for folks to fill out. The bar staff was very happy to accommodate the extra traffic during a usually slow time on board. Our cocktail party lasted over an hour and a half without getting in the way of other activities. This way it didn't cause any extra effort for the CD or other staff. All in all it was a very memorable cruise for us. It was up to the usual high standards of Oceania in our opinion.

We recently did both cities. Posted things on trip advisor about what we enjoyed. Took cooking classes in each city to learn new techniques and recipes. We both grew up in NYC back in the day and try to be street wise wherever we go. No bad stuff came our way, I guess we were "lucky." Keep a low profile look natural and enjoy.

We were slated to join a group in Egypt. However our cruise changed its ports of call...we canceled all our reservations. We hoped to use Egypt Private Excursions as we heard so much good stuff about them. They put together a once in a lifetime package for us which we hope to use when things settle down to a new normal in Egypt. Maybe next year?

Bill & Jerzeetomata