Coral

Is there a Chef's Table or Winemaker's Table?

They changed this on December 4th.

It sounds like most things came down to employee shortage and not being fully staffed.

There is a window or a port hole or something. It actually is a dark bar. Though pretty private and a cool place to hang out. Here is someone's pics:

We did the Escape Room there. Sort of cool.

I would recommend the tour also.

I have gotten fresh squeezed OJ with the package.

Yes - it can increase or decrease. It happens all the time. They don't have control over local government fees.

I was last on her to Norway in 2018 and she had a great dry dock before and the ship looked great. When she came out - it was like night and day between a ship made in Italy vs Japan. The Sapphire just seemed so much better compared to Golden and Star. She would be my first choice as far as ships right now with the Princess fleet.

I love the Sapphire. It is the ship I have been on the most. It is almost like the Golden or Star but a better builder and a few changes. Wider promenade decks, Alfredos, covered pool. You will like the Sapphire.

I wouldn't rule out a good agent if they didn't belong to one of these. It just adds additional perks and sometimes better pricing (at times). Many of us think a good agent is worth their weight in gold. If everything goes well, you may not notice how valuable they are. If things go wrong - this is when you realize having an agent on your side can make life so much better!

I agree they are both good and different. I do think people should try to book an itinerary for both as Hubbard is often inaccessible. Glacier Bay doesn't have the same issue. For most, Alaska is a one time destination. If that is the case, I suggest Glacier Bay. Hubbard was on my first cruise to Alaska and it was skipped. It probably took me 15 more years to get my Mom back to Alaska and her vision had deteriorated quite a bit. I think I have read one report here in 20 years about people missing Glacier Bay. It was by someone on a RCCL ship which doesn't go to Glacier Bay so I wonder how valid that report was.

AMEX also.

It was allowed in December on the Grand Princess in Cabo. They asked that you let Passenger Services desk know.

Glad he got back to you. Remember people can be sick, have a doctor's visit or maybe even a funeral. Life can often interfere.

Honestly - I am one that agrees with auto-tipping on ocean cruises and I do tip above to those who made an impact on me which is usually my room steward and wait staff. Yes - the pay structure is different on river cruises and the cruise directors play a different role. I was shocked at how much more tipping was on my first river cruise. This was awhile ago. On my second cruise, I scored a great deal on a cruise that included tipping, all drinks and almost all excursions. All the excursions I wanted were included. I did tip extra on that though (I could use OBC and had OBC I couldn't spend elsewhere). I just googled and found a CC article with tips (it is not dated) and it seems more reasonable now that the Euro and dollar are equal but at the time, my river cruise tips were almost double what I paid on ocean cruises. This is from Amawaterways: EUROPE 7-Night Cruise Ship’s Crew: The entire amount will be divided equally amongst all crew members. Recommendation: 100 Euros per 7-night cruise, per guest. (AmaMagna 120 Euros per 7-night cruise, per guest) Cruise Manager: Your Cruise Manager is not part of the ship’s crew and is the AmaWaterways representative who also accompanies you on any pre- and/or post-cruise hotel/land extensions you may have booked. Recommendation: 25 Euros per 7-night, per guest; 4 Euros for each additional day, per guest for pre- and post-cruise hotel/land extensions. 10-Night Cruise Ship’s Crew: The entire amount will be divided equally amongst all crew members. Recommendation: 143 Euros per 10-night cruise, per guest. Cruise Manager: Your Cruise Manager is not part of the ship’s crew and is the AmaWaterways representative who also accompanies you on any pre- and/or post-cruise hotel/land extensions you may have booked. Recommendation: 36 Euros per 10-night, per guest; 4 Euros for each additional day, per guest for pre- and post-cruise hotel/land extensions. 11-Night Cruise Ship’s Crew: The entire amount will be divided equally amongst all crew members. Recommendation: 158 Euros per 11-night cruise, per guest. Cruise Manager: Your Cruise Manager is not part of the ship’s crew and is the AmaWaterways representative who also accompanies you on any pre- and/or post-cruise hotel/land extensions you may have booked. Recommendation: 40 Euros per 11-night, per guest; 4 Euros for each additional day, per guest for pre- and post-cruise hotel/land extensions. 14-Night Cruise Ship’s Crew: The entire amount will be divided equally amongst all crew members. Recommendation: 200 Euros per 14-night cruise, per guest. Cruise Manager: Your Cruise Manager is not part of the ship’s crew and is the AmaWaterways representative who also accompanies you on any pre- and/or post-cruise hotel/land extensions you may have booked. Recommendation: 50 Euros per 14-night, per guest; 4 Euros for each additional day, per guest for pre- and post-cruise hotel/land extensions. PORTUGAL Ship’s Crew: The entire amount will be divided equally amongst all crew members. Recommendation: 100 Euros per week, per guest. Cruise Manager: Your Cruise Manager is not part of the ship’s crew and is the AmaWaterways representative who also accompanies you on any pre- and/or post-cruise hotel/land extensions you may have booked. Recommendation: 30 Euros per week, per guest; 4 Euros for each additional day, per guest for pre- and post-cruise hotel/land extensions.

On my Ama cruise -there were 2 employees who were actual Amawaterways employees. Everyone else was not.

I actually don't drink alcohol either. Though - it seems some of the higher end lines include more things. So one that includes alcohol may also include tips and more excursions. Definitely look at the whole picture. One thing that surprised the heck out of me on my first river cruise was how much more the tips are compared to ocean cruises. And often you tip the cruise director (or similar title) - they plan a far more greater role on river cruises than ocean cruises.

I use a Cruise agent who handles both river cruises and ocean cruises (she has done both extensively). I have cruised a ton and still do a lot of planning but still find it beneficial to use a travel agent. It is always helpful to have an expert on your side when something goes wrong. Plus, there are more benefits when using an agent (OBC, cheaper prices, etc....). I would not book anything this expensive with out an expert on my side. There are some great river cruise books out there. A good place to start. One by Avid Cruiser and Berlitz.

In Vienna and other Austrian markets in 2018, I went to several markets and I used cash mostly. I was also in Salzburg and the Lake Districts. I don't remember having a choice. Though a lot of what I got was food related.

I agree about using a Travel Agent. I can get a response quickly from her.

I have seen a table of 12 but why do it? Just do (2) tables of 6 and switch people around. The people on the one end can't hear the people on the other end. It just doesn't make sense and it takes the servers longer to serve these long tables.

I went earlier this week. They said that the time had just increased drastically. They indicated several who ordered money didn't get it in time for their trip. I ended up declining as I didn't want it to come in late and just gave my sister US cash. I think she was leaving in 12 days when I went in. Here I thought I had plenty of time. Irritated that I used to be able to get common currency just by walking up until COVID.

I went to WF to buy some Euros and Pounds for my sister who is leaving for Europe soon (as a gift). They quoted me 2 weeks to get it. Previously - before COVID, I could go to WF and get most currencies on demand. I got some in March and it took 48 hours. Now it is taking 2 weeks. My sister was leaving in 12 days so I ended up not taking the chance

So happy for you! Some of my favorite towns in England have been small towns! Hope you love Canada and California!