calliopecruiser

Neither of those things matter to me much.......I enjoy relaxing in the middle of the ocean without a shoreline in sight, in comfort and with good food. I often enjoyed lectures, but usually from my cabin before bed or while dressing - I didn't go to the lectures in person, and I virtually never went to evening shows. I know, I'm - ahem - unique. Yes, even if a third of the days were sea days, I'd be happy - a half, and I'd be very happy. Staying on the ship while in port isn't the same for me.

You never know til you get there.......I cruised with Seabourn and, in spite of their reputation, found them just barely above mediocre.

What's an attractive or interesting itinerary will vary from person to person. I personally am not terribly impressed with the itineraries so far, because I favour lots of days at sea; I'm disappointed not to see any straight transoceanics. I cruise for the sea days and the ship, not the ports. My favourite Crystal itinerary involved 15 straight sea days from Hawaii to Aukland - it was heavenly.

That's true, but picking a cabin location is less important than picking a ship and itinerary. I'd rather cruise on a great ship in a forward cabin, than on a mediocre ship with a great midship cabin location. Particularly if the itinerary you want is typically calm - you might think the Magellan Strait is part of a great cruise itinerary, while I think a long voyage across the placid Pacific Ocean is a great itinerary.

I have so far not been impressed with the other companies, but YMMV. I haven't yet tried Regent, which is probably about the same cost as a Crystal Veranda cabin for a single. However, I was assuming an almost 100% supplement -- if History & Wine is right, and there's a 50% supplement on the few mid-ship window cabins on deck 7, that would be better.

I don't mind not having a balcony, since Crystal has so many nice public areas outside, and I would be perfectly happy with a small window cabin (which is what I previously booked). I am miffed about the very forward location, though, but that's pretty much all that's available unless one steps up to a balcony, and I feel that paying the price increase for a small balcony on the same sized room on Crystal is a waste of money. (Worth it on other cruise lines that only have crowded and noisy public spaces, but that wasn't Crystal past and probably won't be Crystal 2.0).

So do I, and in research for a trip to Amsterdam this August, I have found two contemporary art museums in the same Museum Quarter near the Van Gogh Museum - the Stedelijk and MOCO. I haven't been to either, but I intend to when I visit, so it's a suggestion, not a recommendation.

I did get to Meteora, and it was worth the hundreds of stairs I climbed that day. I also had a burning desire to see the Museum of the Future in Dubai - the coolest building I've ever seen - and it didn't disappoint either.

That's still the way it is -- the stem isn't about formality, but to avoid handling the bowl of the glass and thus warming the wine.

This is sad to me - I was just lamenting the lack of a dedicated library onboard Seabourn (though there are books on shelves in one of the lounges that can be "borrowed"), and Saga was one of the cruise lines I was considering for future cruises. It's not that the library is a deciding factor, but the reason they don't have a library might be. I believe on Seabourn it's done for space, not cost, reasons.

That is true, at least based on my recent voyage on the Encore.

That seems not to make much sense to me - if there's one site I want to see, it doesn't make much sense to plan an entire land based vacation around visiting that one site for one day. Particularly if the port is part of a cruise trip that looks interesting........if I want to see one historic or archaeological site in a country, I probably wouldn't plan an entire 2 week vacation in the country if I could also get there by cruise.

I can find very little information on spa facilities on the Encore that aren't linked to specific therapies. Is there a steam room, sauna, etc that are available for guests who aren't getting a treatment and aren't in the Retreat?

I got news last week that my Seabourn cruise from Greece has been changed to a "standard" Covid protocol, which means testing is no longer required if the cruiser is vaccinated Standard Protocols This specific booking and/or voyage follows our COVID-19 Standard Protocols for vaccination and testing requirements. Vaccination Requirements We highly recommend all guests be up to date on their vaccination status. Vaccinations, however, are not required. Testing Requirements Fully vaccinated guests are not required to take a COVID-19 test prior to embarkation. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests 5 years of age and older are required to take a COVID test prior to embarkation PCR COVID-19 test within 3 days before embarkation Medically observed or self-administered at home COVID-19 antigen test within 3 days before embarkation.

I didn't change my cruising plans, but I made the decision to fly out of a smaller city airport (YTZ) for the first leg of my flight, to avoid the chaos at the international airport (YYZ). Likewise, I chose to catch a connection to Europe from EWR rather than a busier nearby airport like LGA. On the way home, however, I prioritized a non-stop flight back to YYZ rather than changing planes to arrive at the smaller airport. I hope I don't regret that decision.

I suspect they may be cruising because they don't want "adventure" on that vacation 😉

I did a US southwest road trip in the fall of 2001, and it was really lovely - I did kind of a big circle from Las Vegas, because that was a place easy to fly in and out of. I highly recommend it, although I recognize it's been a long time since then. Zion National Park was wonderful -- better than the Grand Canyon, in my opinion -- as was Arches National Park. and seeing Monument Valley was pretty awesome too.

Yes, I've done that with several European cities, but I've also done lots of road trips where most of the luggage stays in the trunk.

I'm a rather DIY traveller, and generally avoid excursions. There are exceptions - usually excursions with a particular activity, or a long distance from the port - but in general I either see the port myself, or don't even bother getting off the ship. I'm like that when I do land travel too, generally only taking tours when they can offer a unique perspective (such as a city tour with an architect), or when they are required by particular sites (usually for security reasons). I also love taking public transit, and find it's a great way to really get a feel for the location while also getting to see whatever it is I've identified as something I want to see.......research and planning is half the fun for me. I've rented a car at a port before with some friends, or hopped a bus on a route that went around the island (Oahu) in a 3 hour loop. I can't comment on those specific locations, as I haven't done (and have no interest in doing) a Caribbean cruise, but I was answering about the general philosophy of shore excursions. (edited for formatting)

That's what I thought - anything less than a week in the same place, I live from my suitcase.

There is a constant civil war there - sometimes cooler, sometimes hotter. Currently cooler.

I won't be there until mid-November

While I too am a DIY tourist, I have occasionally made arrangements for specific tours of specific locations, and I have always been glad I have. Here's why: planning ahead allows me to find a tour type/group/guide that I believe will really add to my experience, rather than just finding whatever guides might happen to be around at the time. They're just about the only thing I plan for in advance and tie myself to time-wise, and I don't do them often. Usually for some unique interest (eg architecture) or a place that requires timed tickets that I have to book in advance anyway (eg Vatican Museum). My preferred agency is Context, but they have very many fewer small group tours now than they did in the before times. I've used them in several places in Italy and Japan, and I will try to arrange to use them for a small group tour (2-6 people) of the Acropolis as well.

No, and no. One of the things I love about cruising is that I become very calm as well as relaxed, so I'm not always looking for something to do or someone to talk with. I don't suffer from FOMO generally, and that's especially true while cruising. My days of wishing a loved one was there to share something with passed over 25 years ago, when I finally accepted that I wasn't going to have a loved one to share my adventures through life, so I better just go and enjoy my adventures.

Probably not, but 3 weeks would be a good start. I love solo cruising, but I probably wouldn't do a 4 month cruise either. But I also wouldn't do a week long cruise. My sweet spot is about 20-25 days.