2012_Alaska_bound

That is when @Gilly and I were there on Navigator last year, so hopeful for you.

We are on for the 14 day! Whoo hoo! Doing both pre and post cruise tours. Only worry is it is so port intensive, but with all those days in Athens, might take a sea day for one of them, maybe "change over" day.

I'm on that cruise! Can hardly wait.

Funny, I always think of the Coffee Connection on Navigator as the "other" side that has the espresso machines and barista.

Will you go out on FB and correct the rumor? If not, I will.

Amazon cruise? That was my favorite!

@Mike Moore is a rock star! Always so kindly responsive.

Great review of your cruise. Solidified my desire to do a tulip cruise!

So looking forward to your posts.

Dress during the day is casual. Most people change for dinner into something nicer than shorts and t-shirts. The food was very good.

Took the cruise last April. Loved it. What tips are you looking for? Assume you are already booked, but if not best weather according to our Cruise Director is before mid-May and after mid-October. Otherwise it can be very hot.

There are 155 people on the World Cruise on Mariner right now. They have been onboard since January and have 5 more weeks to go. Maybe some will comment. @gb58?

Usually when I board, I remove anything I don't want from the refrigerator and write a note about what wine / spirits I want as well as what I would like in the refrigerator. Either hand the note to the steward when they come in or leave it above the refrigerator.

I envision him sitting outside security finishing it up! 😄

@papaflamingo we are on that cruise too. Regent air gave me a non-stop Delta flight for ATL to Athens. Also, there is a Roll Call for this cruise now. Hope you will join.

Since you are Concierge, they will automatically schedule you to fly the day before and then provide a transfer to the hotel and then the next day to the ship. For flying from Michigan to LAX, even in winter, I would think flying in one day early would be enough.

Lisbon to Madrid to LAX to Tucson on Iberia, which was great.

I usually write down what I would like in the fridge and give the note to the steward when I meet him or her. Helps them if you are requesting a specific wine that they might not be familiar with where spelling might be tricky. I also remove everything I don't want and leave on the counter.

Have found that a written note to the steward, even if you speak in person, is very helpful. Especially if you are asking for a specific wine, liquor or soft drink. Sometimes the steward might not be familiar with that particular item, but if it is written down, they can get help tracking it down.

Mike Owen, owner of Crystal Basin Winery in the Sierra Foothills in California was our wine host on the 7 day Ama cruise. He held two onboard talks and worked with the chef to provide a pairing dinner. We tasted some of the Crystal Basin wines, but as I mentioned in my review, he had prepared and sent wines for a Rhone cruise 3 years ago. Mike and his wife went on all the excursions, but did not lead them. The guides at the wineries we visited were excellent, and each area had something new to taste and learn about. Passengers bought wine along the way and would often bring out a bottle to share before dinner. Each day there was at least one excursion on offer that did not involve wine tasting. Looking into doing a Rhone wine tasting cruise. Here is my full review:

Just to be clear, this was only at the Pulman Hotel, not on the ship, although our friends had a similar set up in their Chateaux room.

Post 3 discussing post-cruise Ama tour of Loire Valley 3 Nights Loire Valley/Paris CDG package (Post-Cruise) Group: As mentioned before, our Cruise Manager Marianna accompanied us for this portion of our trip too. Our post-cruise group was 37 people. By this time we were getting to know everyone pretty well. Some were on post-cruise that were not on the pre-cruise, but we all seemed to know each other from our time on the ship. This meant we only required one bus, and could all stay together. Hotels: Chateaux de Pray, Amboise, France: Wow! What a fun place to spend our two nights in the Loire Valley on the post-cruise tour. It is an actual chateaux that is used as a hotel now. Just beautiful, inside, and out. Our room happened to be in the former tack room by the stables and actually would have slept 4 with a loft bedroom above the main bedroom. Everything was very comfortable, and the staff was great! Unfortunately, it could only handle 32 guests, so the remaining 5 stayed in hotel actually in the town of Amboise. Breakfast buffet (small but good) was in the Chateaux sitting room with a beautiful view of the gardens. Only negative was only one server each day to take care of all our beverages. Hotel Pullman Paris Roissy CDG Airport: wonderful hotel right at the airport in Paris just across the street from the tram to the terminals. Just one night here in preparation to fly home the next day. Hotel had a very nice restaurant, which we chose for dinner. Breakfast buffet was served in the restaurant and was very, very good. Display of flights right in the lobby. Only downside was layout of the room, with a separate toilet room right as you enter, but with the bath/shower/sink room around the corner. This meant walking all the way around to wash hands after using the toilet. Room was very nice and comfortable, though. Tours: Tours, France: On the way from the ship to the Loire Valley, we made a stop for a tour of Tours. Tours is a very interesting town with buildings from Medieval times to present. Tours has a large university, so the town has a lively vib. We were dropped in the old town portion and given time for lunch on our own. We found a small restaurant off the main square and enjoyed French Onion soup and wine before going back for our walking tour. Our guides were local to Tours, and were able to show us what the town was all about in Medieval times. Amboise, France: Two guides joined us today and remained with us until we left for Paris. This is the first day of touring castles in the lovely Loire valley. First up was CHÂTEAU DE CHENONCEAU (This truly spectacular château and former watermill that spans the Cher River was turned into a palace by the French King Francis I for his Mistress Diane de Poitier.). We had a bit of rain that morning, but not enough to interrupt anything, just a little bad for outdoor photos. Our Gentle Walkers guide, Simon, was used to doing bike tours, so our slower pace was a bit of a challenge for him. On the other hand, he was a great encouragement when we got tired! Even in dreary weather it was great to have time to walk in the gardens. For lunch we drove into the town of Amboise, and our guides and Cruise Manager gave us some great suggestions for lunch. We chose a boulangerie highly recommended by Simon, and had quiche, wine, and delicious desserts. Then on to our meeting place to tour CHÂTEAU D'AMBOISE located right in town. This former medieval castle was remodeled in the Renaissance to a royal residence. The Gothic chapel contains the final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci. Then on to the final chateaux of the day, CHÂTEAU CLOS DU LUCE (Leonardo da Vinci’s last home. Here, during the final years of his life, he completed some of his most treasured works, The Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, and the Saint John the Baptist.). This one was especially fascinating because on the bottom floor they have a museum of da Vinci’s drawings of his inventions with replicas of them produced with original materials by IBM. After touring 3 chateaux I was exhausted, but Cruise Manager Marianna held out a “carrot” to get us to the finish line, a wine tasting in Amboise! Amboise, France: Second day of touring castles before we depart to Paris. A joy to have our same guides again today. First up CHÂTEAU DE CHAMBORD (Located at the heart of Europe’s largest enclosed wooded park, its 156-yard façade, 426 rooms, 77 staircases and 282 fireplaces make this the largest castle in Loire Valley.) Also described as “astoundingly massive, it was the high point of all the chateaux visits for me, but oh my, lots of stairs! After the tour, we were off to Blois, France for lunch on our own and a tour of CHÂTEAU DU BLOIS (residence of seven kings and ten queens of France). By the time we were done, I had my fill of chateaux, but even though I was tired, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss any of them. Now for the 3 hour drive to Paris, with a rest stop along the way. Dining: All breakfasts were included on the post-cruise tour. Lunch was on our own, with suggestions of good restaurants wherever we were. Dinner the first night was at the Chateaux de Pray in their Michelin star restaurant L’Orangerie. We had a fixed menu, since our group took up the whole restaurant. Dinner was included, but drinks were on our own and could be charged to our rooms. We chose local wines, of course. It was such a lovely experience. The second night we were on our own, again with many recommendations on restaurants in Amboise or you could choose to eat at L’Orangerie again with their regular menu. Reservations are recommended to all. We ate at La Reserve in Amboise, and I would highly recommend it. A shuttle is provided into Amboise that evening, but you are responsible for getting a taxi back to the hotel. Final night in Paris is on your own, but only real option was the hotel restaurant. Luckily it was delicious. At first, I was bothered by not having lunches and dinners included, but came to actually appreciate the chance to try small local restaurants. Transportation: As mentioned above, there was one bus for the post-cruise group and our driver was with us from the ship to drop off in Paris. He was an excellent driver through small country roads and Paris traffic. (Don’t forget to tip the driver and guides! Cruise Manager tip can be charged to your shipboard account before the end of the cruise.) There was always bottled water available and replacement batteries for the Quiet Vox. Since we were only 37 on bus built for 60, we could spread out comfortably. Guides spent time pointing things out for us along the way using the bus microphone and it worked flawlessly the whole trip. Conclusion: Other than being really tiring with two full days of tours, the post-cruise was as excellent as the rest of our Ama experience. Well organized, interesting, and fun. Everything like hotels, meals, guides, was top notch.

I am now doing that even at home for long posts like the ones I've been doing for my review of the Ama River Cruise of Bordeaux I just finished. Much easier!

Exactly right! @pontac Scenic Diamond does indeed do the Garonne, Gironde, Dordogne route. Here is the description https://www.scenicusa.com/our-ships/our-space-ships/scenic-diamond---sapphire

Here are the pictures my friend took of the bridge opening in Bordeaux. 1. Regular street view 2. Scenic Diamond river boat waiting to go through the lock and bridge 3. Road blocked with straggler still on it 4. Bridge is lifting 5. Completely lifted and ready to rotate 6. Bridge in rotated position and the Diamond has sailed through