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Host Jazzbeau

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  1. I don't know where you went in NZ, but in all my research I didn't find many places that called out to me that were far from a port. Each of the three cruises we booked had some variation in ports (would have liked to see Napier and Gisborne, but a day would certainly have been sufficient), but I felt that this itinerary [with the addition of Queenstown and the International Antarctic Centre, and aerial views of Mt. Cook] was a compleat enough introduction that we feel we 'did' New Zealand.
  2. Not likely at this point, with cruise bookings recovering to record levels. But since Star Legend had to be repositioned from the mid-east with many itineraries cancelled, they may have decided to hold off on announcing its future itineraries until the world situation stabilizes.
  3. @jpalbny you are so right – halibut is always a nice upgrade to cod, and works in any cod recipe. [Arctic char would be even better, if you can find it.] A light Pinot Noir would also work with this recipe. But so would a full-bodied NZ Sauvignon Blanc*. Or, pace @QueSeraSera in the other thread, a large Gin... *PS – I just ordered a case of Auntsfield Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, that was such a hit for me in Auckland in January, from wine.com. Too bad they don't stock it at Empire.
  4. We seem more and more simpatico. If you, Mysty/Myster and we could get together at the Black Tartan – we would all be glad for my DW, who would be the only one fit to drive us home!
  5. I think all Silversea prices went up overnight. I had checked my two booked cruises yesterday to see what the old P2P fares would be [both althready higher than when I booked those cruises, so that downgrading from my D2D-no air rates was no bargain] – and today all three levels of booking are higher. I think Silversea is using this as a reset to take account of the much higher airfares and excursion costs.
  6. @mike@sea I'm glad you enjoyed your Explora cruise, but – having read every post on this forum and remembering the history of this new cruise line, I think you should have another perspective on those who are 'dissing'. Many were Crystal orphans [remember the timeline with Crystal's bankruptcy and Explora's creation] hoping for a new luxury line that would be similar to Crystal – and the early announcements didn't give any reason to doubt that. But between the first announcements and the first cruise reports a lot of things changed! A lot of early promises were broken. And then Crystal came back, the same and better! So Explora's job now is to find that new-to-cruising audience they seem to be bent on catering to. Maybe you are that audience [or at least open to their differences.] But have a little empathy for those of us who have been cruising for decades and know what we like – and thought that Explora was promising to deliver it.
  7. I understand that there is a revised version of this flyer, with page 3 corrected to reflect the same (better) terms as page 2. Can you post it?
  8. Yes it's a good deal for them. But since we will be taking the shore excursions anyway, it's also a good deal for us. I have no problem helping the cruise line when it also helps me.
  9. Ah yes, Gelato on the Rocks – great place! And they always had coffee, so DW never considered anything else! Good pistachio too.
  10. I agree that cruise line land packages are usually poor value propositions, but sometimes the transportation and other ease factors make it worthwhile anyway. On our first river cruise we took a post-cruise extension from Basel to Lucerne and Zurich because we had no experience traveling in Europe (except a long long time ago when we were young and fancy-free) and no German – I'm still glad we did that one. Next year we are taking another AMA post-cruise extension from Bordeaux to the Loire Valley and then to CDG – also worth it because it includes transportation that would be hard to do without a rental car. I think the Italian Lakes is another area like that, so you made a good decision.
  11. No – was that at Miann? We tend to stick to our usual favorites: coffee for DW [when we can find it – why is that so hard?], salted caramel or pistachio for me.
  12. It's supposed to start tomorrow (Mar 18). We'll know then.
  13. I think this may be what you're looking for 🤣
  14. Look at the Stickies at the top of this forum, especially this one:
  15. We'll be in Milan for 5 nights in May, staying near the Duomo but willing to go anywhere for a good meal. We are doing a walking tour of the Naviglio area that includes dinner. The other nights I haven't researched yet, so I would love to know which places you loved.
  16. If my analysis is correct above, I like this new format. It's clear what you get at each level and the names fit the packages. But it does mean that the current P2P fares will only be available (as Essentials) on "selected voyages closer to sail date" – but that makes the strict cancellation policy less of a risk.
  17. Thanks for the flyer. If I understand it correctly, the 'new' P2P is basically the old "D2D w/o flights" but it also drops the executive transfer (which you could drop for a credit) – the new name better describes this package. The new Essential is like the old P2P, but also drops shore excursions so hopefully at an even lower price – but they do need to clarify the page 2 vs 3 issue of whether you also lose "Multiple dining options and beverages" (so you can only eat in La Terrazza and drink tap water?) and "Butler service, onboard gratuities and Wi–Fi" because that totally changes the experience and makes it NOT a luxury cruise. I'm hoping page 2 is correct... [that's what I have attached below] Current Fare Categories: New Fare Categories:
  18. Get ready for a stress-free cruise! • no need to dress up beyond country club casual • no need for bag tags (beyond your name) – they will know who you are when you arrive • you can arrive at the ship any time you want – if your cabin isn't ready they will store your bags and invite you to enjoy the lounge (and lunch or snacks) – you can also then leave the ship and sightsee • check when the cruise director's welcome meeting will take place – you don't want to miss that as it covers lots of important details about your cruise and the available excursions • enjoy!
  19. I just posted a review of our trip to New Zealand and Australia, including 16 nights on Silversea Silver Whisper. We saw lots of rivers, but didn't cruise on any this time...
  20. I just posted a review of our cruise on Silver Whisper, Jan. 19–Feb. 14 (Auckland to Sydney) with comparisons to our most recent Azamara cruise (on Journey in 2022):
  21. Saturday February 17, 2024 – Flyin’ Home Up at 7 am to go down to check out at 8 and get Uber. There was a good bit of traffic near and at the Sydney Airport but we checked in quickly once we found Qantas. We went through passport control and security before heading upstairs to the Qantas International Business Lounge where we had some breakfast—scrambled eggs, croissant/pastry, bacon/sausage, fruit, hot drink. They never announced our flight but we went downstairs in search of our gate and there was no movement there. It seemed very disorganized. They eventually let us board and we were on the upper level of this A380-800 plane. Sitting directly behind us were two older fellows that we recognized from the ship. DW started chatting and learned they lived in Thornwood, NY and that this man used to teach in the public school in our town in the ’70s! Small world... There was some mechanical issue that needed attention so our takeoff was delayed about an hour. There were plenty of cabin attendants scurrying about, but we didn’t find most particularly friendly. As usual upon boarding, they offered us either a glass of champagne or water. Menus were in each cubby and we were soon asked our meal preferences. Once at cruising altitude (~37,000 ft), they started serving beginning with a mozzarella and pine nut pesto arancini amuse bouche. I skipped the appetizer but DW had Bannockburn chicken skewers with pineapple pickle. We both had Barrington Hinterland beef fillet with roasted potatoes, braised cabbage (sauerkraut?) and porcini mushroom butter. Not a hit with DW who gave me her meat and finished her chicken and pineapple appetizer. We both had the cheese platter for dessert—Tarwin Blue (blue vein, cow’s milk), Woombye Ash Brie (triple cream, cow’s milk—no challenge to our favorite, St-André) and Pyengana (matured cheddar, cow’s milk—good) with crackers and a slice of a fig/nut roll. The cabin was exceptionally cold. People were donning fleeces or the freebie Qantas PJs and/or wrapping themselves in the Q quilts. As the flight progressed or as our bodies warmed with the intake of food, the temperature became more comfortable. After all our dishes were cleared away, window shades came down and overhead lighting was turned off. Time to sleep, people, and leave the FAs alone to get some time off. We still had nine more hours of flying time to LAX. At least now DW didn’t hear passengers snoring as she did before meal service. We had the occasional patch of turbulence but nothing too disturbing. (Just a bit challenging for the woman typing this journal. Haha!) I read a book (the latest installment of Lawrence Ellsworth’s wonderful new translation of the Three Musketeers series – book 6 of a planned 9 swashbucklers, and just the right length for this plane ride). DW watched 2 movies (with closed captioning as she hates to wear the big headset), did a number of Sudokus and did some reading. I caught some winks; DW less than an hour. About 90 minutes prior to landing, breakfast was served—fresh fruit salad, crumpet with butter and jam, scrambled eggs, sausage, kale and baked beans, and a hot beverage. We landed at LAX around 7:30 am (only a half-hour late and no problem with the long layover I had built in). We had to claim our luggage and drag it to Domestic Flights, check it in there, go through Security with our hand luggage and find the American Airlines Flagship Lounge. We didn’t eat much: I had some mini pastries and DW some fresh cut fruit. I worked on my iPhone and DW dozed. We reported to the nearby gate and boarded our flight in Business Class. Lots of leg room and only one FA who was very attentive and constantly working. She brought the drink cart and small bowls of mixed nuts for each of us. Next came lunch—a really lovely green salad with big, red strawberries and dressing on the side. The main course was short ribs/gravy, mashed potatoes and zucchini. Dessert was ice cream sundae which she put together according to our preferences. I watched the latest Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise [I had had a preview over the shoulder of the passenger a row ahead on the Qantas flight, and the car chase looked really cool – a bright yellow Fiat 500 vs a Hummer and all the cops in the world...] and DW took a long nap. As we had departed LAX on schedule at 10:48 am, we landed at JFK five hours later around 6:48 pm [giving back the rest of that time we gained flying to New Zealand...] We got a scare when my phone that that DW’s large suitcase was in Winslow, AZ (ask the Eagles about that city featured in their song Take It Easy). However, when we went to Baggage Claim, it was there. And our limo driver was outside waiting for us. We had some traffic but were inside our house by 9 pm. We arrived home to find that our hard-working son had taken care of snow removal very efficiently. We started the sorting of mail, unpacking and separating of clean clothes to put away and dirties for the laundry. DW’s final observations on New Zealand and Australia: they talk funny, don’t drive on the right side of the road, have really strange animals, messed up politics (don’t we all?), minimal graffiti, lots of hills, NIPs (Norfolk Island Pines), and are really far away! Glad we went, but one and done! That’s all folks! [until next time...]
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