ssawjo

They start very early because of the heat in the city. We will also be staying in Bangkok, not during your time, but appreciate the recommendation. Do you know which hotel you will be staying at? We will be debarking the ship, staying a few days in Bangkok, before flying to Angkok Wat. That's the plan, anyway. Bill

Fully in agreement about beaches and sitting in the sun. After having a lot of "things" dug out of my face, that is the last thing I want to do at my age. Also, agree about tours. We do some private, some ship, and sometimes nothing, depending on where we are at the moment.

Thanks for your responses. I will check before reserving if I can drop at airport. Windstar Pride ends a 14 day cruise from Barbados in Aruba. And then leaves for Panama Canal. Bill

Questions about renting a car in Aruba: I see I can rent a car at the port. But we are staying for a few days post cruise. Can we return the car to the airport? Do they have automatic transmissions? Do they rent vehicles that can accommodate four people with luggage? What side of the road do they drive on? Which rental agency would be best, in your opinion? Thanks, Bill

We are visiting Florence on the Vista in October 2024. I was wondering, since it is a distance from the port, if Oceania would allow us to stay overnight in Florence and take a train to Rome (Civitavecchia), to board the ship the next day. We have been to Rome a few times, so no need to go again. This would allow us more time to visit the area. Thoughts? Thanks, Bill

Thank you for your suggestions.

Correction noted.

Ah, 20%, a little steep IMO.

I was just browsing their website and found 109 cruises that have the 20th anniversary sale. Well, actually not all of them. I guess it depends on a lot of things. For example: I am booked on the Jan. 8, 2024 Riviera sailing from Mumbai to Bangkok. It is technically a back-to-back. The first half is Mumbai to Singapore and the second half is Singapore to Bangkok. The second half has the 20th anniversary sale ($800 OBC) but the first half does not. Interestingly, the segment/cruise before Mumbai does have the anniversary sale. I do have a question, however. Since I booked the whole cruise as one whole trip, can I possibly get the anniversary sale OBC for the second half (segment) of the cruise? I do not want to rebook the whole thing. There is availability in the cabin category I selected on both segments. Thanks for any insight. BTW, I am in contact with my TA who is or will be looking into this for me. Bill

Yes, each individually purchased cocktail, beer, wine has a tip (18%?) included. But if you have a drink package, then the tip is included in the cost of the package.

We were onboard the Oceania Insignia in August 2022 and we had port stops in Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Kirkwall, Orkney Island. Take a look at Oceania. The trip started in New York City, BTW.

Hello, We will be getting off of the Star Pride on December 2, 2023, a Saturday. Looking for a reasonably priced/located hotel near a beach with nearby restaurants for a few days. Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks, Bill

Thank you.

Was this a private sunset cruise or off of a cruise ship? If private, please let me know who you used. Thanks, Bill

It is also "Hug a Cow Day" in India. It is their version of Valentine's Day.

We were in Banjul, The Gambia, this past November on the Regent Voyager. The pictures posted above are accurate and nothing has changed. We were taken to a different resort on our ship city tour and it was very nice. It was in a village outside the city limits where diplomats have their residences. Sorry I don't have any pictures to share. We were to go to Dakar but could not due to "ship congestion in the port". So, a sea day. Ghana is slightly better but not much better. Lomé in Togo is similar to Banjul. We are happy we went but it was very hot and humid.

Thank you for the clarification.

I am confused (not an unusual occurrence). I was looking at WS cruises in the Caribbean in late 2023 and saw that there is a daily gratuity of $89/per guest. That seems excessive IMO. $29 pre-day per guest seems more reasonable, as mentioned above. So, what is it, $29 or $89? I don't think I misread the something on the WS website. Thanks, Bill

This was exactly what was done last summer on the Insignia. Watch the video to the very end (about 15 minutes) (or have it playing is the background) and only then can you access another channel. Show up at muster station, card key checked, and off you go. Worked for us. I can see people turning the TV on to the muster video, then leaving the room and checking in. I guess that is cheating. It is ashame that some always ruin a good thing for everyone else.

The pizza (?) looked a little burnt. Where was that served? Is it from the new pizzeria?

Distilled water for the DW and I.

After I wrote the above post, I saw that the cruise we were thinking about was cancelled. It was K322A (Barbados r/t). So, I guess the above question is moot. But I still would like to get an answer anyway. Thanks, Bill

Hello, We are thinking of cruising on Arvia in October 2023 from Barbados. We (four of us) are US citizens. I contacted my travel agent who will not book anything on P&O because of the insurance requirement. She stated that P&O "requires" a £2 million (@$2.5 million USD) policy coverage. Otherwise, boarding will be denied. The P&O recommended insurance provider will not issue policies to US citizens, reason unknown. I checked with my usual travel insurance provider, Allianz, and they do not issue policies for that amount. If, however, I do find a policy if would cost @$3000 USD per person, or probably more for my spouse and I due to our age and pre-existing conditions. See the statement below from a travel agent that was sent to my agent: "Dear Mr. Selby, Thank you for your email. I am pleased to hear you are joining us on board Britannia. We do recommend Holiday Extras for travel insurance, but unfortunately you do have to be a UK resident to take out a policy with them. I am unable to recommend another insurance provider, however we do require for you to have comprehensive, cruise-specific holiday insurance including medical and repatriation cover of £2 million minimum that includes cover for emergency evacuations and medical expenses related to COVID-19. We would also recommend that your policy includes cover for travel, cancellation and curtailment, and full cover for any and all existing medical conditions worldwide, or as a minimum, in the countries you are due to visit.  For more information on our travel insurance requirements, please visit P&O Cruises - travel insurance." Can anyone provide any help for this insurance issue? Not sure how to proceed. Thank you for any answers. I will try to answer any questions to make things clearer if possible. Cheers, Bill O. Carefree, AZ USA

Cat Shepard, I really enjoy wine from this particular South Africa vineyard. However, I have not been able to source any in the US. Do you have or know of any distributors that have this wine or any of their whites? You can email me at ssawjo at cox dot net if you prefer. Thanks much, Bill O

Agree. It is nothing but a hallway between Martini's and the GDR.