calliopecruiser

I'm booked on Crystal for an Athens to Mumbai cruise at the end of 2024. It's a month long, and that might be too long, but the price was too good to pass up for Crystal. I have friends who are on Crystal next month, and I hope to hear good reviews.

Thank you all. I have already checked, and the Emeryville station does store bags for the day....My intention was to go the Amtrak station directly, leave my bags, and then spend time somewhere on that side of the bay - the botanical gardens in Berkeley look enticing.

Good to know, thanks.

Or Emeryville train - either is possible. I've never ended a cruise in San Francisco, so I don't know what options are realistic........Given the early arrival on a weekday, does anyone have experience in the best way to get across the bay to Oakland or Berkeley? A cab is straightforward, but I don't know if it's the best (or only?) option, since I expect traffic to be wicked. I am planning to get the Amtrak Coast Starlight for a trip up to Olympia.

I often find the MDR is too big of a production, but it is a nice way to find others to dine with. However.... Just take a small personal item to leave in your place while you're away - a hat, a book, a pair of glasses. They can even be props you use just for that purpose.

No, because it won't matter. Or do it the way hotels are rated in Europe: you need X amenity to be 2-star, you need X + Y amenities to be 3-star, you need X+Y+Z amenities to be 4-star etc.....Entirely a quantitative, not qualitative measurement.

Good to know - it sounds like you can use your account, but only if it's from your credit card, and not from OBC.

I think it's tactless to hand them cash as a gift. If you want to give them a gift, there's no reason to laud it over the other passengers or the other crew by handing them cash in public -- that's a selfish gesture intended to make the giver feel good by doing it in public, in my opinion. Even those who think they are doing it discretely, they know that others will know about it, but they pretend it isn't their goal. I have always tipped the crew by using a transfer from my on-board account to the Crew Fund. I also feel that the entire crew, not just the ones I see in public, deserve a thank you for the excellent work they all did to make my voyage great.

Yes, it's a faux pas, and no, it's not common. If there is someone who has fulfilled an extra special request, you can transfer some money from your on-board account to them electronically. Good service is what they're paid to provide, not something you have to bribe them into providing.

On my first Crystal cruise I booked a veranda cabin, but when I saw how much quite public space was available, I realized I didn't need a veranda; since then, I've booked window cabins instead. (On some other lines, a veranda is a nice, quiet space to be, and it's much appreciated.) I imagine it's still true now that there's lots of public spaces for quiet resting and contemplation, if not more than there was previously. So, just like the cabin size, the value of having a veranda will vary. I don't sail with Crystal until December 2024.

I don't know, because I've never sailed either, but I can say I wouldn't call Azamara a Premium Plus line, just a step below Luxury. The service, as much as the small cabins with tiny bathrooms, aren't almost luxury.

I agree - going to the spa to shower isn't ruining my Azamara experience; a friend of mine on board is appalled at the shower size, and says I'm being far to generous.

I'm on Azamara now, and I strongly disagree with that........they're not at step below luxury, even if they're a step above Holland America. Maybe Premium, though I don't think what I'm seeing here should be considered premium (perhaps some good food and included alcohol puts in it a premium category), but not "premium plus".

My comment was really to point out the ridiculous position of supporting a cruise line by saying "well, it only applies to 25% of their offerings". To support the cruise line you say, as others have, that the staff will help you anyway. 🙂

You left out several lines that belong in one or the other of those categories, like Regent Seven Seas, Crystal, Europa, WindStar, Paul Gauguin, and Ritz-Carleton

Yes I know........and it still says negative things about the status of Azamara if it's still the case. Saying "only 3/4 of our product is luxurious, so be warned before you book" is poor marketing.

That really sucks, frankly - those that work out shouldn't have to go back to their cabin and wake their spouse/cabin made in order to have a shower before breakfast. Another mischaracterization of the cruiseline - small size and included alcohol does not make for a "premium", let alone "luxury" cruise line. That said, it's cheaper than a luxury cruise line, so it's probably good value if what you want is a smaller passenger load and included alcohol.

Not rallying against it as much as rallying against their promotion of luxury, and the industry's acceptance of the "premium" label. I don't care if they do nothing about it; I do care that they continue to claim a "luxury" label and cruisers are told Azamara is considered a "premium" line - while they have a deficiency so widely spread across their line - a deficiency not defined just by me, but by their competitors in the upper tiers of cruise lines. I expect to be comfortable on board a premium or luxury line, whether I'm in the shower, in the library, in the dining room, or in a lounger on deck.

I find it hard to believe that there are thousands of people so seemingly accepting of the pathetically tiny showers in non-suite cabins. Does everyone think they're acceptable for what purports to be a "premium" cruise line? Especially on longer cruises, where you can't just say "I can put up with it for a few days". The showers are about 20" deep x 30" long, but if you discount room for the shower hardware, it's realistically about 20" x 20" of space to stand in. Forget about bending over to wash your knees - you can't even raise your hands to your head to scrub in shampoo without displacing the shower curtain into the small bathroom. For all I've read about Azamara and talked to past passengers, I can't figure out why this is apparently so acceptable that it's rarely mentioned. In my opinion, a cruise line that thinks showers that tiny for most of their passengers is acceptable is not at a premium level, let alone the luxury level they claim to be. Rant over. Now I'm off to the spa/fitness area for a shower where I can wash my hair without getting water all over the rest of the bathroom.

Needs this specific are probably best answered by a travel agent. Some luxury lines do have no-supplement specials,but probably not in December.

Be careful with river cruises, as the increased heat and decreased rain in some places make some river travel a no-go. Ships are occasionally getting land-locked or run aground because of low river levels over the last couple of seasons.

The Acropolis was touristic hell. I know I had to go, but I didn't enjoy it or feel wowed by it. There are ancient places and artifacts that I found much more profoundly affecting. Appreciating history requires time and thought, and neither were possible there with people whistling for tour groups and shouting for their family members. And that was in October. It's much better viewed from a distance, in my opinion. On the other hand, the monasteries in Meteora were worth the travel and the climb.....I didn't know they existed until I started planning for a few days in Greece (before a cruise), but I now recommend them to everyone.

I'll also be on the Panama Canal cruise next year......I'm always a little wary about booking a new ship, but it will have 8 months or so under her belt by then. It will be my first SilverSea cruise.

I live alone, so travelling alone isn't much more of a stretch - I find it less stressful when such things happen, because I'm the only one whose needs and desires have to be considered when I'm trying to find a solution. When I'm with other people, I find it more stressful because different people's needs and wants limit the available options that will satisfy anyone. As for commiserating about the uncertainties and frustrations, I'm happy to chat/vent/complain to other passengers caught in the same situation, and we share ideas and information about resolutions. Fortunately, I haven't been on board when the ship's been waylaid by mechanical problems, but I have been onboard when we have skipped ports (health restrictions, or weather), and once when we were unable to dock at our final port and had to disembark at a port a few hours away.

Not at all what I want, and I would partake in none of that. I find cruising solo very easy, and I don't lack for enjoyable things to do, even without an activity staff member or daily meetups. I'm just pointing out that those things aren't necessary for someone to have a great cruise when they're solo - they may be of help to some solos who aren't comfortable or familiar with travelling solo. I think cruising is the easiest way to travel solo even without special measures by the cruise director, and I also think that solo people shouldn't focus their efforts on just meeting other solo travellers.