lisiamc

We have a small adapter for dual voltage and USB chargers that will pretty much plug anything into anything else. It has worked everywhere except South Africa for us. It has two USB-A ports and three USB-C ports as well as a socket that will accept US, UK and EU plugs. I’m sure there is an equivalent on Amazon US.

They still had what looked like a long way to go when we were last in Naples, (2022) so I’m impressed that it’s now finished. It wasn’t too long of a walk before, but how easy now! Great news.

Okay, I’m hugely impressed, and I’d be thrilled to talk about things like that at dinner! Beats politics any day.

On my last cruise, I travelled with a metal chimney thingy for roasting a chicken in an upright position. It’s like the stand for a beer can chicken, but without the need for a beer can. It’s super cheap in Florida, but not at home. No one summoned me to the naughty room, I’m pleased to say!

I often do a bit of shopping in the embarkation port, and take things back home with me at the end of the cruise. I’ve brought lots of non-cruise-related things like spices, hair care products and cooking equipment on board with me, and onto the flight back home. I may have raised a few eyebrows, but I’ve never had a problem! As @mom says points out, as long as it’s not something that’s going to be a safety hazard, you should be fine.

In cases of passengers who are missing and might have gone overboard, I’ve heard of everyone being called to their muster stations to be accounted for. That seems quicker and easier to manage than checking off passengers in their cabins.

How lovely! I’m glad you’re having a fabulous time, and I’m pale green with envy. Tell Moose hello from us too. We will be on Onward in late July, and I’m counting the days.

@travelberlin, thank you! I just voted.

We have recently cruised with Viking and Holland America (both December 2023) and have just booked with Saga for March. We are also booked for five cruises in the next 18 months with Azamara. For each of these cruise lines, and pretty much every other cruise line out there, there are posts on various social media with people speculating “Ooh, prices have gone up, must be proof that things are not good financially”, “Ooh, they’re having a sale and prices have gone down, must be proof that things are not good financially”, Ooh, they’re offering a discount for paying early, must be proof that things are not good financially”, “Ooh, standards have declined, must be proof that things are not good financially”, “. All I can say is make sure you use a credit card that will reimburse you, and/or get adequate travel insurance, and enjoy the bargains that are out there!

I got the email, and I booked through an agent. I think I’m going to pay on Monday, since 5% OBC is a better deal than I’d get leaving the money in the bank for a few more weeks.

That sounds a lovely and fun way to pass an afternoon!

That’s unfortunate, but we will survive, I’m sure. Some of our ports are in Italy, so we have hopes of a few nice coffees along the way.

I can try - and I’ll try to take better notes and more photos than I generally manage to do!

In addition to the discount for being recommended by a Britannia Club friend, former services personnel can receive a further discount with the Defence Privilege card, issued by the Defence Discount Service, if they have one. We were able to use both, for a nice savings.

I’m a bit late to this party, and have resurrected this thread to say: Now I’m worried! IMO, Waitrose free coffee is incredibly vile, probably on purpose, so they won’t get many takers. I’m keeping fingers crossed that Saga coffee is at least drinkable. ☺️ I’m a horrible coffee snob 😁 who buys freshly roasted beans and grinds them at home to make espresso, because it’s hard to get good coffee in high street coffee shops. Like @Bloodaxe, we’ve always enjoyed the barista-made coffee on Azamara, and feel it is one of their strong points. Oh well, the coffee won’t make or break our cruise, and I’m sure we will find many other things to enjoy if the coffee falls a bit short.

The selection of gins sounds very nice. I’m happy with most gins, and thrilled with Sipsmith and Tanqueray. I do draw the line at Lord Andrew, though!

That’s ok too.

Fabulous, thank you!

As if this afternoon, we’re booked on the Spirit of Discovery Adriatic at Easter cruise, and I have more questions! I did an unsuccessful search for this one too: I’m not picky about brands of gin, and I’m sure there will be some gin in the included beverages, but can someone please tell me if there will be sugar-free tonic like Schweppes slimline available? We have found that it’s not always stocked on ships. Some cruise lines stock FeverTree Light, but that’s too much sugar for me, unfortunately. If I know in advance that there isn’t any, we can bring possibly some of our own, and maybe keep it under the bed. 😁 Thanks in advance

Thank you everyone! I’ve got a black taffeta skirt and a lacy black top that should do nicely, and I may go shopping for something sparkly as well.

Thank you, that’s really helpful to know!

I did do a search on formal attire, and the most recent answer I could find was from 2019 ~four years ago, and pre-Covid, so things could have changed. Are the majority of passengers in DJs and evening gowns these days? Husband still has a DJ, but it’s been some years since I’ve owned an evening gown. We are contemplating booking for the Adriatic at Easter cruise.

On our recent Neptune cruise, I can report that I saw two people gently turned away from The Dining Room one evening because they were dressed in jeans. So it may depend on the ship and the Maitre d’.

We try to book the very first night in Manfredi’s which seems to be the least popular night. We can nearly always get the time we would like, or very close. Other less popular times are port days with a late sailaway time. As @Jim Averysaid, we have also had good luck just walking up and asking. We do eat late, though, and I’m sure that helps a bit.

My favourite Guardia di Finanza story is from a very fastidious Italian acquaintance who came out of the gelateria with his cone, and put his receipt into the bin just outside the door. A grumpy member of the Guardia promptly asked to see his receipt, and told him to get it back out of the bin. The equally grumpy acquaintance said, “No. The bin is filthy. If you want the receipt, get it yourself.” The receipt stayed in the bin, and my acquaintance finished his gelato in peace!