Vineyard View

Thank you for clarifying your experiences. The only other time I was in Venice was 10 years ago. Our ship (large for the time) sailed in and out of the lagoon. It was beautiful. I distinctly remember being in St Marks Square and wondering what the lagoon looked like without cruise ships. Maybe they weren’t docked, but they sure did occupy the space. I could very well be wrong on the docking statement. The 2021 changes sure made for a better view this year. And I also agree that there were very good reasons for those changes.

Thank you marazul. I will purchase prior to leaving. Part of my goal in April travel is fewer crowds. With all the ships repositioning from the Middle East, I believe it will put pressure on this region and may negate some of that lower crowds expectation. I hope I am wrong about that.

Thanks Bob. I did notice that on one side of ‘the white space’ there were connecting cabins, and on the other it was not. I appreciate this information. I think I may ask TA to move us. I made a mistake on the heading, as we will be on Encore, but while asking initially I was looking at Ovation trying to discern where the tenders were in relationship to cabins. The only available V3 are on deck 6, and I would like to avoid being directly above them. I still haven’t really determined the answer to that, but I did discover ‘the white space’!

Thank you ninjacat123. We are looking forward to having time in Athens again. I appreciate this tip. We likely will stay at the same hotel as last time as it was a gem. Did you purchase tickets online before leaving, or at your hotel?

Perfect. We are staying two nights as we’ve spent time previously in Athens. I did want to go back to a couple places, so thank you marazul!

We will be staying in Athens in April. Last time we were there, 9 years ago, there was no need for tickets. After reading how crazy the crowds are now, it’s probably a good concept to have that in play. Question to those with early entry - did you find the crowds, and if you had leeway by going in early pre-cruise, how would you time your entrance?

Did you ever receive any feedback LindaConn?

Thank you both for that input.

In 2018 the Mayor of Dubrovnik implemented a maximum of 2 cruise ships, carrying a total of 5,000 pax per day. I am not sure of that is still in play, but I sincerely hope so. It is such a beautiful place. When we visited Venice this year, it was lovely to be able to see the Lagoon without all the mega ships blocking the view. We stayed several days pre-cruise. The shop owners, restaurants, as well as our hotel were very happy with the decision. In spite of that, the only time to really explore Venice was mornings and late afternoons/evenings due to the crowds, and that was during May.

Sounds just like how we always travelled. I am finding it more difficult to find private guides post Covid though.

Thank you. Good to know. I would think that same holds true for these areas on other ships, including Encore

Thank you. I thought it might be that. I would think that the balcony would have a bonus of an empty side, but wasn’t sure if there was a lot of noise from doors, etc.

I wouldn’t hold my breath either. Other lines have cancelled already. I think this re-shifting of ships is going to put a lot of pressure on capacity at many islands of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Finally had the time to read your review Catlover54. Thank you for taking the time to be so thorough. I followed you on your previous SB journey, and I am really happy that this experience for the most part met and exceeded your expectations. It seems like this time, in almost all areas, the needle moved in a positive direction for you. I wasn’t really surprised at your excursions experiences. We just haven’t found them to be much different from line to line. We had hoped for a better experience when we sailed on Quest earlier this year. I think the problem is that there are just so many companies from which to choose, and as a result cruise lines pretty much use the same big busses and often mediocre experience. Maybe you and others have noted this not to necessarily be true, but ship excursions are just not our go-to because of what you described. Aside from excursions (we took two) our time with SB was really quite lovely. We look forward to our next SB cruise in the Spring.

Could someone please explain to me what the white, unmarked areas on the deck plans midship are? For example, between cabins 643 & 645, or cabins 745 & 747? I would think that this space is used for something, maybe supplies, or a crew stairway? I am wondering if these cabins would be preferred from a noise standpoint or just the opposite. Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to provide your experiences. I agree, it’s hard when we realize what first world problems we are comparing. We’ve sailed Viking a few times pre-Covid. We were in PV and with our first SB trip this year, we found the V3 we were in superior in many aspects (not the shower though!). We also very much enjoyed the ability to dine in the MDR on SB without the banquet like feel of much of the VO MDR. While there are attributes of VO we like quite a bit, and certainly some we like better (spa area open to all, Promenade walking path, shower, more windows in common areas) we felt the product of SB was a step up. I am curious if you have travelled post Covid on Viking? I have found that since then, the PV (most comparable to Verandah suites on SB sq/ft) are higher in cost. Once I factor in included on SB for what matters to us, we find that SB is a better value. That said, if the included excursions on VO are of value (which they are not to us) then that will skew the outcome. It is always interesting how our lenses view the same experiences in different ways, but I always want to learn from others.

I actually applaud SB for this early move. It provides you the option to easily cancel now if the revised itinerary does not work for you. What a great alternative, having secured ports in a region where there will be a lot of pressure in the near future with ships needing to make similar changes. And has been suggested, if unexpectedly and hopefully the war improves, it will likely open up previous port cancellations. It does appear that Athens is becoming the default for a lot of lines. All ports have a max capacity so that speaks to forward thinking. I wonder how Athens and the entire region will be able to respond with all these sudden changes.

Saminina, it was a sincere question, so thank you for recognizing that. I am just curious as another line, not SB, is likely being removed from our radar. I honestly am not inclined to think that Explora is going to be on our radar either, so that was part of the reason for my query.

No personal judgement meant. Also no inference to any religion. No mudslinging. My position is, and always has been, that Oceania is handling the specific cruise on Nautica with less than admirable actions. In fact, they are quite disgusting. My point was that specific cruise, on that specific ship was offered FCC, it was rescinded, and now some people are being compensated while others are being ignored. My point was that if you had been offered FCC, then it was rescinded, or others received it and you can’t even get someone to respond with anything but a hard “no”, how would you feel. To my knowledge, Oceania did or has not offered a graceful alternative as those on the Nautica were. If you are okay with your cruise, and not being given any alternatives, that is terrific. I hope you have a wonderful trip. But please do not confuse the statements I have made in this specific situation with any other trip.

So then, who do you recommend? We thoroughly enjoyed our sailing earlier this year on SB. I have read several posts from long time SB customers who are no longer, and SS has been quoted as a preferred option. Since I have started following SB, you are clearly not in the SB camp any longer, but I am not sure I have read which cruise line does check the boxes for you. This truly isn’t meant to be aggressive against your position. I am just curious.

We walked out to the transportation circle where busses and taxis are. We took a taxi to the main gate of Mdina, which is not to be missed IMO. If you do a little research I think you will want to spend part of your day there. We left the ship early, and as it was a late port stay, and spent time until after lunch. We then took a taxi back to Valletta until evening. There is so much to see and do. Cathedrals in both cities are over the top. War cannons firing are a site to see. Mdina glass is beautiful, food delicious. The small archeological museum in Valletta was also well worth the time and has artifacts dating back before the pyramids. Definitely a great stop - - but I think their HoHo system may not serve you the best from what I read. We would go back again without hesitation. Also agree with all the comments about Kotor and Dubrovnik - thankfully Dubrovnik has capacity control in place, unlike Santorini.

There is a lot of truth in here regarding the area this trip was booked - we have always felt it a bit dicey and particularly so after a dangerous situation we were caught in while in Egypt. That said, I do wonder how you, and others who are not personally affected by this, would feel. Easy to be armchair quarterbacks. We can all fall into that role from time to time, but just step back and think about how you would feel if FCC were offered, then rescinded. Of some people received FCC, and others did not. If some people, likely because they were able to get this story into the NYT (and good for them), were refunded their monies. Yet you, who are no different than these others on this same cruise, are met with silence. I am 100% in with Cruisemom42 comments post #100. I have followed her for years, and she doesn’t make these types of posts lightly.

100%

The highest accolades I am reading from several well traveled on a few boards about Explora is the food. Apparently that is the biggest wow factor, along with the decor of the ships. I have read that the interactions with the teams onboard are unique and either entertaining or off putting. I am not sure the total details there, but apparently several have commented on the new titles for long standing positions, as well as how the employees interact with passengers. They have an aggressive ship build schedule….and from what I have seen, a steep price point. It will be interesting to see how they roll out.

Should not take going to these levels to do the right things, even if they do. Taking it to the NYT etc should never have had to happen. It says a lot about the management/President IMO.