sofietucker

What an excellent opportunity for me to ask this etiquette question! Of course a full size fridge is great for holding more bottles of vodka or what have you... Not to mention "real" cooling vs the piddly small fridges that are basically closets. But the microwave? How would you use it? We have always been told that one doesn't take leftovers from the restaurants on board--nor from the buffet. Certainly one cannot bring food from shoreside. Even our butler always insists on removing the remains after serving us dinner in our suite. So no leftovers/extra food in your suite... Reheating a cappuccino, maybe?

We have flown out of Tampa many times, flights around noon. They put you on the bus good and early. You can also get a range of private transfers but DO research and arrange in advance, versus just grabbing one there*. The airport is a ways out, maybe a 30-minute ride, depending on traffic. *Last time was in a 10-person van with a luggage trailer; we were solicited at disembarkation for GREAT price ($10 each?). Door on that came open as we drove and luggage tumbled into the street TWICE... Other drivers alerted us. So consider your choices carefully.

Only send what you are prepared to have ruined. I always write cold wash--and for some items, hang dry. Everything still often comes back faded and sometimes shrunk. I did once get a dress back still damp, yay! But I planned to wear it to dinner, so a quick pass with the blow dryer fixed that. They once IRONED DH's swim trunks! Nice crease down the legs... On Oceania, they tore DH's favorite dress shirt when he sent to have it pressed.. Guess something got snagged or stuck on a buttonhole. Fully reimbursed, but he wasn't happy. All my delicates get soaked in the sink with some of their shipboard shampoo--I no longer bring any laundry soap. Shampoo is *made* to remove oils, etc. so makes an excellent detergent. Rinse and hang on the shower line, swimsuits on hangers* on the backs of the veranda chairs. Or as noted above, use the blowdryer. *These are da bomb, in case your stateroom attendant doesn't provide enough: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07PJMQ7DB/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_plhdr=t&aaxitk=69ef60376a4ade72ba2aa7821c596b8e&hsa_cr_id=3373978720401&qid=1726423523&sr=1-3-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_lsi4d_asin_2_img&pd_rd_w=EJwRR&content-id=amzn1.sym.8591358d-1345-4efd-9d50-5bd4e69cd942%3Aamzn1.sym.8591358d-1345-4efd-9d50-5bd4e69cd942&pf_rd_p=8591358d-1345-4efd-9d50-5bd4e69cd942&pf_rd_r=RJH44T6BYFCPVADSC2Z9&pd_rd_wg=W0VoK&pd_rd_r=4fcff504-4d7c-4674-a5d6-0eefd2d0d76b&th=1

Beyond outrageous. I've always loved Costco for both their quality and business practices: their folks are paid a living wage, etc. I did use their delivery service a few times during lockdown in the spring of 2020 and of course I tipped that person. But to say it will be "delayed"??!? Sounds like blackmail to me. This is all on their new CEO.

Love your nod to Lou Reed, also...

Two or three, depending, on our cruises in January and March. They tended to be back to back over the course of an hour or so, one general and one theme specific. Or there would be one in the morning and one in the afternoon. There were some other trivia-like games from time to time too, such as a music mystery (fill-in-the-blank with the song).

I strongly suggest getting door-to-door insurance (not the ship's). That will cover flight and transport snafus, extra hotels and meals etc.--as well as all cruise-related matters. We use Allianz Global and over the years have found them to be superb: responsive, smart, friendly, clear and logical on process, swift comprehensive payments. Mostly medical, but once was a 3-day snowmageddon at ATL; they covered hotel, meals, new flights, the extra parking days. Oh, and they've generously covered lost luggage! This last spring included not just sick bay but an international hospital visit ashore too; the first claim since Medicare, so there were extra hoops. But they guided us throughout (file with them first, to get a case #): file with Medicare, wait for the denial, file with secondary, wait for partial denial, re-submit with Allianz. Every penny was reimbursed--plus the 6 missed-but-not-cancelled shorex (too late, each time). Celebrity would have just shrugged.

I regret that our Black Sea cruise was cancelled by covid. It was 5 ports, plus Istanbul, etc. Now it will never happen...

We were in it on the Connie this past March. It was--as you note--one of the last available. Listed as a premium or deluxe... Big balcony! We could see into our neighbor's room if we stood right up on the rail. Very conveniently located. The long corner alcove outside the door means the stewards are often hanging out there (and so very easy to locate for services/questions). Go to cruisedeckplans.com to see photos of its sister stateroom across the hall. PS--there's a secret cabinet on the right side of the fridge, where there's an ice bucket, glasses and barware. We had to keep asking for that stuff throughout the cruise--usually it's on display from the get-go-- and finally discovered this hideaway on the last sea day. But you're right to question. Last time we got a "last one," it was 6130; turned out that the stateroom next door was angled so that if our curtains were open, they could see completely inside ours from their super-large balcony, bed and all. The wall-wide mirror bounced their view even to the bathroom. And they didn't even have to go to their railing; could have the view from their loungers. Forget a private balcony!

Lol, you are mistaking--repeatedly--what I have said. Were it not so old and therefore unobtainable, I would hunt down and provide you the actual text from the HAL and shoreside trip company documents regarding visas in Russia at the times we visited But our entertainment time here is over. Have good day.

EES: "Recorded." Visas: Our past VISAS--that is actual documents issued by a country's govt. allowing us to enter their borders--included Russia (St Petersburg), for which we paid $200 each and took many months, because we were not going on a ship-led excursion but rather wanted 2 full days to re-visit sites. The ship shorex took care of VISAS for their guests. On another trip, we took an external 2-day excursion, that company arranged the VISAS. Russia at that time did not allow cruisers to simply enter their country on a day excursion. And as you may know, they are not a Schengen-area country so if we wanted to go there (we don't!), we'd still need an actual visa, not ETIAS. We got VISAS for Spain when we spent 2 weeks there. We got them for Turkiye when we spent 5 days there (beyond their 72-hour no-visa-required window). BUT! Azamara was arranging actual VISAS for their 4-day pre-cruise shorex for a trip to Cappadoccia (which we signed up for and then canceled) because it was longer than the 72-hour no-visa-required window. So that's one cruise line that's known to manage visas... BTW, many "civilian"--not EU--articles on this topic external to this website have headings including that word, I suppose to alert people that the acronym pertains to permission to enter a country. Not saying that is CORRECT terminology. But folks will then get the gist of the subject. So that may be why you will see the word in relation to this topic.

Yes! ETIAS= NOT a visa! It's a travel authorization that is good for 3 years. EES ExitEntry Stamp= NOT a visa! For short stays, crossing and re-crossing borders. It's a stamp on your passport. Visa=permission to stay in country, for days, hours, months or more, depending. Sometimes you will have to get more than one of these, depending on what you are doing.. Whee. Some cruise ships, which USED to, for instance, arrange our visas for Russia (which we never even saw; they held our passports), may or may not handle one or more of these permissions. No one seems to be able to tell us yet. But in any case, none of this (except regular travel visas, already in play) will kick in until 2025. ETIAS will apply before EES. Quit conflating ETIAS with visas. (Howzat?)

Do you have kids? We just threw my mother a 90th-Bday party and created a slide show that included many childhood pics: hers, her sibs, her kids, their kids... It was fu to scroll through--and also to note family resemblances.

Hardy har har. My DH's big bag was lost in Istanbul. After 2 days (day before boarding), it hadn't shown up. Instead of touring sites, we spent all day shopping to buy him clothes. After nearly 40 cruises, of course he knows how to pack. But we'd never lost our bags, knock on wood....Nearly every port had a boat, beach or snorkel trip; he put both swim trunks in his checked bag. Ditto his "nicer" dinner togs. And underwear! And sox! Me, wandering along behind him: Honey always pack in your carryon what will impact you negatively if it doesn't show up. DH: awrightawreddy!!! PS--do take pics of your bags.

Point taken. And actually I have no problem with the "regular" visas--which we have acquired for both Spain and Turkiye in recent years. I don't even mind the fees so much as I mind the added paperwork headache of a visa for a cruise--or more likely, multi-port/multi-country visas. Our next cruise is 5 Italian ports, 3 Croatian, and one Montenegro. So potentially, 3 visas. Not terribly difficult but nice that Celebrity will handle that for us. But next summer in the Baltic? 9 countries, mostly for single-day visits! And it looks like it will be on us to get all the visas lined up. And my sob for lovely Barcelona was not for the visa but because they don't want us anymore...

From travel-europe.europa.eu (an official EU website): "Do I need an ETIAS travel authorisation if I am only transiting through a European airport? No, you do not need an ETIAS travel authorisation if you only remain in the international transit area. However, you must have a valid travel authorisation if you leave this area and enter the territory of any of the European countries requiring ETIAS." But it looks like the later-to-be-implemented EES (entry/exit stamp) would be the more applicable permit for cruisers. However, there is NOTHING on their extensive site regarding cruise passengers, ships or ports... Geez, no one loves us any more! In the easy-going past, a cruiser only needed a visa in Russia--and that was only if you went ashore solo or on a non-ship shorex. The cruise lines managed this aspect via the manifests (and on some lines, presenting everyone's passports) for their passengers in most ports, so it was invisible to us. Some countries--in the past few years--only required a visa if you went to your embarkation port several days early or stayed after disembarkation. Turkiye, for instance, let you stay in country without a visa on the front/back end no more than 72 hours (not in Schengen, btw). Our next European cruise is in a couple of months--too soon for ETIAS--so no worries yet. But next summer's will take us to Amsterdam, a city we love but which apparently no longer loves us. We're planning to overnight at a hotel next next to the port and board within 24 hrs of landing, which may scotch the ETIAS requirement. Guess we will know by next spring. Ditto--sob--Barcelona next fall...

Oops. That would have been me, lol. We've done a number of those tasting dinners--called different things on different ships! Privee, etc. And eaten a number of times back in the day with officers--the captain only once--on HAL ships. We didn't stay in suites back then, nor were we Mariners with the line yet. We decided it had something to do with our careers, given what we had in common with the others with whom we shared tables. I don't guess they even use those algorithms for shared tables any more (kind of like dorm assignments in college, lol).

I've done this itinerary on HAL too. And they had several cruises when they had to disinfect the ship, either upon disembarkation or before we boarded, due to having noro on the ship. They delayed embarkation and departure by hours once. But that was a case-by-case situation in the moment, not months in advance! (And pre covid) We also used to depart the port at 10pm, as a standard departure time...

You could be original and wear all black... (Celebrity's Full Moon party--which happens every cruise regardless of the moon's phase-- suggests "white or bright" so lots of very colorful outfits.) Another thought is to go with pale blue or lilac. But to return to the topic: no lobster at White NIght on Journey last Sept (Eastern Med); excellent Mediterranean buffet though!

Yes. Everyone wants to move to better climates (geographical, political, social). And then there's the effects of thousands of bodies impacting delicate architecture such as the Acropolis... Not to mention horrific, incomprehensible vandalism such as the destruction of your Sycamore Gap tree or our sandstone arches and columns in Utah. The obvious solution is to just stay home. But I selfishly want to see the rest of the world before it's all gone, lol.

When I heard that term, I thought of the special private-room tasting menu they offer on some ships, sometimes named called the Captain's Table. Pretty pricy and MANY courses... But does Celebrity even offer such a thing?

My point--and that of the article: those folk from the US and elsewhere, even more so than tourists, are responsible for hundreds of thousands of short-term rentals currently being snatched from Spanish natives. It's not just tourists that are causing this housing crisis

Yeah. We plan to stay in hotels (or, as usual, B&Bs) in cities where they are eliminating or reducing access to rentals, like Amsterdam. But it's not just overtourism that's creating the housing crunch: I just read that last year, the Spanish govt. issued 750,000 visas to digital nomads to live and work in Spain.

Exactly so. And that is why we will no longer rent in Amsterdam either. Further, we'll stay at a hotel out of town when we DO arrive in those ports early. But even further than that, we're looking at changing itineraries so we avoid those cities as much as possible.

While we've been to Barcelona many times, as well as the Balearics, we are on a cruise next year--just paid in full, for extra OBC--that also goes to other Mediterranean posts that are protesting. We always go in to the port several days early, get an apt., live like locals (e.g., spend our money in their city). Now I feel like just cancelling the whole thing: if they don't want us, we don't want them. Ditto with next year's Baltic cruise! Used to spend a week, precruise in Amsterdam. Yet last year in Sevilla, our guide told us everyone is desperate for tourist dollars... Especially after the devastation and decimation, both of people and economics, of the pandemic. So we're torn.