godfreyb

Avoid Frankfurt.  Long walks, unhelpful staff, bad signage, awkward bus transfers from one part of the terminal to another.  

I prefer my gimlet with freshly squeezed lime juice. The barman on the Riviera made it several times for me on our cruise In July.

Turkish doesn't have PE, and besides that I read that they are a good airline.  We have just come back from a Mediterranean cruise and found the flights that they had put us on - Lufthansa PE, somewhat second class PE (no spirits served - 'since Covid' - even the FA said it was stupid) and ITA, third class PE serving mystery meat for lunch and a cramped short haul flight to Rome, I didn't dare ask for a gin and tonic.  I didn't quibble with the booking as it avoided having to fly through the NE USA to get back to Florida, but next time I think I will make my own arrangements.

I can confirm that I have never found anything online in the US about arranging air flights.  However, when I called Cunard in response to an upgrade offer on my TA booking, they asked if there was anything else they could do and I asked if they do one-way tickets to our departure location in the Far East.  Yes, they did and booked me at a very good price.

15 hours ago, basor said:

Is your cruise one of the listed itineraries?  It was not valid on every cruise and, I believe, needed to be booked during the sale not retro-active.

I booked this cruise a year ago when they were offering 4 category upgrades on this cruise on the basis that an A1 would go to a PH.  Was sadly brought down to earth when my TA informed me that she had booked an A1 as requested but the four category upgrade would not take me to a PH as that was the rules.  Following this I monitored Oceania offerings (printed cruise brochures arrive from them almost daily) and found that when they included an offer, the basis cruise price had increased by $200 odd dollars from the previous brochure price.  So what they give in one hand they have already taken away with the other......

I booked a forthcoming cruise a while back and looked forward to a four cabin upgrade from A1 to PH.  When I asked my TA why I didn't get it was told that that level of upgrade was not allowed.  Read the fine print!

Had this situation last week.  You cannot cancel online, you have to call Oceania. Once I got through it was quick.  However, while I asked for the amount refunded to my credit card, it was actually given as a credit on my final invoice, which wasn't a problem as I had to pay that a few days later.

As a recently departed New Yorker, I wouldn't regard the subways as 'safe' at the moment.  But everyone has their own assessment of risk.

Having been stuck on a Celebrity ship all day overnight at Cape Liberty when it rushed back to avoid a hurricane, it is quite depressing!

I did receive my refunds yesterday after cancelling on Saturday.  Whole thing still left a nasty taste in my mouth.

I was away last week when I received the notice.  I called Viking (I am actually disgusted that they did this so far ahead and demanded that we pay the full price for a 30 day cruise in April 2022 by December 31, 2020) and demanded my money back (not risking a voucher for the amount of money we paid) and they told me that I had to go through my travel agent.  I rousted my agent up on a Saturday and was told that the part paid on American Express would be paid back through them and the remainder paid by wire transfer 'in 21 days'.  Having spent an inordinate amount of time planning this once in a lifetime cruise I am disgusted that:

1. Viking did not offer any alternative suggestions for that month

2. My travel agent didn't either.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I wouldn't book another Viking cruise, but I would NOT book and pay so far out.  If it was just the deposit that was being returned I would not have been so unhappy, but they had the complete payment so far ahead, which is their policy.  So, one unhappy customer who has not even been on a Viking ship!

We have a Viking South East Asia cruise booked for April 2022. Under normal circumstances I would have contacted Viking Air Plus to arrange our flights but reading here it seems that they are not booking anything more than 75 days out.  Any advice?

I have spent hours trying to tie a bowtie and I almost get to the end but never manage to complete it.  I think it is something to do with the mirror image being reversed (I learned how to tie a Windsor knot by standing alongside some and directly copying their moves)

We are booked on the April 2022 Bangkok to Tokyo and it shows on the website as 'sold out'.

This was 2 years ago, but being used to Air France service from the US to Paris, I was somewhat shocked by the poor service and food on this route.

Booked the Sirena Southampton - Miami 10/15. Booked one way fair on BA Premium Economy in a BA sale.  The fair was so cheap that I will get most of it back in unpaid taxes if the cruise is cancelled, or BA's 'book with confidence' doesn't come through.

And very thrilling it is too!

You either 'get' oysters or you don't - guess you either don't or have never tried them!

Dominica

Booked a repositioning cruise on Sirena October 2021, Southampton to Miami, and then a short ride home.  Seemed a good deal (A1) for 15 days and easily cancellable until April 2021.  First time on Oceana.

23 hours ago, carlmm said:

 

Oh my ...!

 

You do not know when where and to what extent filming is going to happen.

You do not know if there is any significant disruption of service or any damage to any one passenger.

You do not know if the filming crew is not easily to be avoided on a ship of the size of the QM2.

 

But you know that this is an opportunity to extort money. 

 

Wow.

I have had enough experience with film crews to know that they are:

1. Economical with the truth

2. Evasive when it comes to damage

3. Order people around when they have no right to do so

I have also had to engage our attorneys to write a threatening letter to CBS when a crew filmed on the premises without proper permission.  The matter was settled out of court.

What's your experience with location scouts and film crews?

I manage a historic location in NYC and we no longer entertain location scouts who arrange for companies to film on our premises.  They expect everyone to 'drop their drawers' because they want to film at your location.  If you can get beyond the negotiations, not only do they act entitled, they disrupt any other activities in the building, act as if THEY own the building, do damage which they try to deny.  If I had booked a cruise and were confronted with this, I would demand significant compensation or even demand my money back and compensation for incurred expenses.

Was upgraded to 9002 some years ago and loved it.  My martini never moved while there was a Force 10 gale going on outside!

But if they have to charge you it goes through immediately!

Similar sort of thing happened to us a few years ago. TA booked a Sky Suite and deposit paid and then within 24 hours booking had been pulled, Sky Suite no longer available.  I have a very good TA who found out that an internal person had swiped it for a 'group booking'.  She had to go a long way up the chain to get to a senior person whom she had met and the problem was resolved and the booking restored.  But she said 'I have NEVER had this happen before'.

At the risk of starting this up again, 'high tea' is a working class meal consisting of a savory item, followed by cakes or other afternoon tea items, served around 5:30 p.m.  I should know I enjoyed many of them as a child. It is the last meal of the day. 'Afternoon tea' is entirely different - what is served on Cunard is definitely ''afternoon tea'