Mrs. Claypool

Yes, I freaked out when I first experienced the name mash-up, and spent pointless time trying to separate them— to no avail! But now I just ignore it and they always let me on the,plane anyway. 😄

Not to sound like a delicate little flower, but in 50 years of taking long-haul flights across the Pacific, I have never found any way to sit comfortably or sleep peacefully in Economy class. All I could do was put up with the discomfort until we finally landed. I just couldn’t make it happen until we started booking Premium Economy or Business. See if you can find a decently-priced Premium Economy flight to your destination. I think EVA’s Premium Economy class is just great. They fly to all points East, generally with a stopover in Taipei. Emily

We had the same experience on a Seabourn voyage last spring, and I had the same thoughts as you. it’s sad to hear that there have evidently been no improvements during the intervening year.

Parisi Udvar is beautiful, the food is excellent and the staff was very kind when we stayed there several years ago. If you watch the “Vienna Blood” PBS series, which take place in Belle Epoque Vienna, the two detectives often have tea in the public rooms that greydog has pictured above, as they discuss the gruesome psychological murders that they are investigating!

We have used Welcome Pickups several times to go to and from the Athens airport to Piraeus port. They provide an excellent service. Many people also recommend George’s taxi for Athens and Greece in general.

As an example, we were on the Serenity last month and we used our on-board credits to buy: 1. A lovely hat for me in the shop, 2. A bottle of connoisseur wine for my husband from the sommelier, 3. A ship’s excursion into the capital city for us both. No problems whatsoever. Emily

Definitely do your research before you leave. As pontac rightly pointed out, international business is funny. When I am eyeing an item in a foreign land, my dear husband generally says “Don’t bother. We can get the same thing cheaper at home.” And he’s usually right! Don’t even get me started about the Birkenstock sandals that I bought in Germany for $120, and then found at Costco for less than $50 when we got back home.

You can’t do better than Xuan! An excellent guide and an exemplary person. His one-day tour of HCM City was the highlight of our SE Asia cruise last year.

Mrs. Roosevelt is a personal hero of mine, but I reminded myself that I didn’t come on a European cruise just to defend her honor. So I raised my eyebrows and said “Ah!” in a noncommittal way. And then I hid behind my menu. But the good thing about the encounter was that it set the bar pretty low for all future conversation openers for first night meals. 🤣🤣🤣

I once sat down at table with an elderly woman who looked at me and snarled, “I hate Eleanor Roosevelt!” I still get twitchy, thinking about that encounter.

I just finished booking the specialty restaurants online for our Serenity June 24 sailing, and there was no Beefbar option.

We were on deck 8. Our butler brought us a bowl of potato chips at around 4 pm and left a plate of truffles for us when we came back from dinner. Since we had already had plenty of sweets, we asked him to withhold the chocolates and just bring us the afternoon chips. Which he did.

We recently came off Serenity’s 17-day voyage through the Panama Canal. We had 9 sea days during that time. A few days before the end of the cruise, and still no sign of the Grand Buffet, either on the Cove or in the Marketplace. So I asked the Hotel Director when it was scheduled to be held? ”The Grand Buffet is history,” he replied. “The present owners have no intention of reviving it.”

Uniworld. Best guides on the river!

The Classic Aquamarine also has a bathtub, I believe?

A rough and noisy night, indeed! Our cabin is on the port side and we had to struggle uphill every time we wanted to get to the bathroom! Emily

My husband ordered “The Architect” last night and we puzzled about the name when it came. If you squinted your eyes, it did look a bit like a tiny toy village. That’s all we could come up with. But he said that it was very tasty. Emily

I bring along a tote bag for mosque or temple excursions. Then I can carry my shoes along with me when I go inside and not have to worry about how on earth I’m going to find them again when we come back out.

We will be embarking on the Serenity in 2 weeks time and we are looking forward to the Supper Club experience in the Stardust Lounge. How and when does one sign up for a table now? On Old Crystal I remember joining a line outside the Prego to make our reservation as soon as we got on board. Is that still the drill? Emily

We did the full-day Ho Chi Minh City tour with Xuan last February. He is an outstanding guide and a delightful person.

Depending on the age and interests of the children, within the central city area, I would suggest— Tanjung Aru beach, a nice place for families. Suria Sabah Mall, lots of shopping, eating and entertainment. Gaya Street market, if you’re there on a Sunday. The best time is before 9 am. The Sabah Museum. Jesselton Point Ferry terminal, where you can take a ferry or a boat out to the little pleasure islands for hiking, swimming, barbecues, picnics, etc. Further out of town there are various wild animal sanctuaries, diving, the North Borneo tourist train(which may or may not be running, check before you go), beach resorts, Poring Hot Springs, and the Mt. Kinabalu Botanical Garden.

We are presently in KK for two weeks. I have put out feelers to our friends who are in the tourist lodging business, and they said that they’ll consider the question and get back to me with some recommendations, which I will pass along. I have learned that for local transportation, “Grab” is the way to go. It operates just like Uber here in the States. You can download the app before you leave and it is a safe, quick, cheap and convenient way to travel around in KK. And other parts of SE Asia as well. One tip, you’ll need a local number, so make sure you have a SIM card or connection otherwise you can’t make a reservation. (I learned that the hard way!) Also my friends tell me that due to the increased number of cruise ships that are stopping in KK, there are big plans afoot to expand the present barebones terminal into a world class facility with shops, restaurants, tour agencies, etc. etc. But right now they are just in the process of taking design bids.

I took a look at the online form. They want your name, birthdate, phone and email, passport information, dates of arrival and departure, and where you’ll be staying while in Malaysia. The usual arrival card stuff. I didn’t go any further with the process, since I am already in Malaysia. But as far as I could tell, there is nothing to upload and it doesn’t look like there are any fees to be paid. it is called the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) and it appears to apply to all foreign travelers entering the country.

Not a “visa” in the formal sense of the word. I am attaching the email that I received from the US Embassy in KL. I had arrived in KL on December 3, not being aware of the change, and nobody said anything about it when I went through Immigration. However, a friend of mine who arrived on the same day and was also not aware of the change, was asked for it on entry. But fortunately they helped him to fill it out online and let him pass through. So it’s a real thing all right. Event:Message for U.S. Citizens: Changes to Arrival Procedures for Travelers Entering Malaysia Effective December 1, 2023, all foreign travelers entering Malaysia are required to complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card at https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main. This is an online pre-arrival form thatmust be submittedwithin three days prior to arrival in Malaysia. U.S. citizens with permanent residence statusin Malaysia are exempt from this requirement.

I went on a private tour from Port Stanley to the penguin colony a few years ago and it was the longest, roughest, most painful ride that I’ve ever been on. And I wasn’t coping with back problems!