LakeSideKen

On Marina, is it possible to see the main dining room and buffet menus on the cabin TV? Or are the menus available in the concierge lounge? I know the menus are posted near the entrances to the dining room and the buffet but I'm wondering if there is any way to learn food options in advance with less walking to and between those venues. Thank you.

Re the reference in #10 to the "air deviation window opened on....", what exactly is the air deviation window and how would I know when it opens for an August 2023 cruise to primarily Norway. (In case it isn't obvious, we would be new to Regent.) Thanks in advance.

Correction to #29--the weight of the TWO mattresses is 250 lb., so 125 each, not 250 each.

Couldn't resist 30% off, bought 2 queen mattresses. Some info that might help others considering purchasing.

On the website the promo includes free shipping, which is a pretty penny from Miami to Oregon. When I was ordering on the phone and asked about the free shipping, the person I was talking to (a man, not the woman most mention talking to) said the free delivery would only get the mattresses to my front door, and if I wanted white glove set up that would be $350. It sort of sounded like the man I was talking to was making it up as he went along, but I agreed to the $350.

Glad I did. The shipping invoice says each queen mattress weighs 250 pounds! Don't know if that is literally true, but I know it is very hard to lift the corners to put on the bottom sheet, and I doubt that, even with the help of several strong backs, I would have been able to move the mattresses around.

When I ordered the prediction for delivery was 12 to 16 days. It was 21 days from date of order to date of delivery.

Sweet dreams.   

Twitchly, when you talk to your travel agent keep in mind;

(1) Delta has waived change fees during the pandemic. So you could get new flights for only the fare difference, which might be $0.

(2) Air France currently has flights from CDG to Florence at 9:45am and 12:30pm. If you are now booked on the 9:45 just change to the 12:30. Eastbound problem solved. Simples.

(3) There are also other options operated by KLM that Air France code shares departing CDG at 12:20, 2:30, 4:40 and 5:50. All make a stop in Amsterdam (KLM's hub). Not great, but better than missing your Tuscany adventure.

(4) I don't know enough about your return date/destination to say much,  but consider:

(A) Keep your present Florence to CDG flight and move your CDG to USA flight to the next day, enjoying a night in Paris. 110% safety on this 25 hour connection.

(B) Take a train from Florence to Rome or to Milan and get a return plane ticket from either of those airports. The problem is that Florence is a tiny airport with so few flights that it seems almost impossible to make a safe connection at any European hub to a once-daily flight to the USA. Rome or Milan would have lots of nonstop flights to many USA cities.

Again, Bon Voyage 

People use "customs" in different ways. Technically, customs is only about movement of goods. If that is what OP is asking, OP will not go through customs in Paris (going or returning) but instead will go through customs upon arrival in Florence and upon return to the USA (assuming all flights are on a single plane ticket and luggage is checked through).

Immigration, often called passport control, is about movement of people. OP WILL have to go through passport control in Paris on her outbound trip because Paris is her port of entry to the Schengen Zone (basically meaning Europe) and will need to go through passport control in Paris again on her return trip because Paris is her port of exit from the Schengen Zone.

IMO, this need to go through passport control makes OP's two hour long connections in Paris hopeless.   

Jane, we recommend Total Wine and More. Huge selection, lower prices. There are 6-7 TW stores in Miami, none really near the port. So coming in the day before we selected a hotel near a TW store. Stayed at the Urbanica Meridian in Miami Beach. (OK hotel.) The next morning walked 6-7 blocks with empty backpacks to TW store in a shopping mall at Fifth and Alton. Stocked up. Wraped hand towels from the hotel around some of the bottles and loaded our now much heavier backpacks. Called the hotel and, prearranged, they sent a driver to take us back to the hotel. Gave the driver a good tip, which I mention because sometimes our UK friends forget that part of americana. Repacked our TW purchases into our luggage (leaving the hotel's towels), checked out and took a taxi to the port. All rather painless. Bon voyage.

Curious. In what ways does the age of other passengers on a river or ocean cruise impact your enjoyment of the cruise?  

We flew from Seattle to Reykjavik in Iceland Air's Saga Class about 6 years ago. We thought the seats were uncomfortable, and especially uncomfortable when the seats in front of us were fully reclined. Almost impossible to get out of and back into your seat when the seat in front of you is fully reclined. We don't usually think much of bulkhead seats, but booking bulkhead is the only way we would ever fly Saga again.  

azdrydock, would you please elaborate on what you mean that V "enforces mobility rules"?

Amazing what some people are willing to reveal to total strangers. 

1 hour ago, the mice said:

If this comes to pass, it does not look like our June 20 cruise on Journey out of Barcelona would happen:

 

Spain will not allow tourism, culture or leisure until Christmas

https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/2020/04/18/5e9b14a8e2704ed5368b45f0.html

 

 

Cruise Industy News had an article on saildates for RCCL ships, with Vision and Allure  sailing out of Barcelona on June 13 and 14, respectively, subject to change due to COVID-19.   Did not see a listing for Azamara.

Mice, I'm confused. If Spain isn't allowing tourists before December, how can cruise ships sail out of Barcelona, Spain in June?  

I couldn't care less whether this doctor's letter requirement came from the government, from a trade association, from the insurance industry (all as speculated above) or from a burning bush. What I want to know is for people like me--meaning 70+ with underlying health conditions well controlled by medications, with an AZ cruise booked for later this year--what happens when our doctors won't sign the required letter? Can AZ possibly be intending to offer only FCC to passengers over 70 yo denied boarding because they lack a doctor's letter? How stupid would that be: AZ says you're not healthy enough to cruise with them this year, but get a year older with possible worsening of underlying conditions and then you'll be healthy enough for an AZ cruise. Or AZ might be thinking that the coronavirus will be gone from the Earth by the end of 2021, which would be record-breaking stupidity. 

Not much danger of OP's Lisbon to Brazil cruise being overly port intensive.

tocruiseguy, your OP and your reply to LHT28 make it clear to me that O is not for you.

HAL is a premium line..... that's funny.

Amazing amount of energy being devoted to how to stay 89/90 days in Europe when, if you want to stay longer the simple answer is get a visa, which for a USA citizen with deep roots in the USA, i.e., no danger of an overstay in Europe, should be easy. (The 90-day rule is about how long you can stay without a visa.) 

Good passive-aggressive move, Clo. 

Another vote that Oceania checks all (or almost all) of your boxes. Dress: there are no formal nights; O's dress code is "resort casual"; in practice that means at dinner chino pants and a collared shirt gets you into any restaurant, and less than that would probably be OK in the buffet.

Speaking of eating, the food on O is excellent.

No all-inclusive alcohol. Just pay for what you drink. Cocktail prices are on the high side, but a daily happy hour (2 for 1) is a reasonable deal.

Average age would be about yours. Almost no children on O cruises, except summer cruises in the Caribbean and to Alaska.

There is no on-board selling at all except some days brief mention in the daily newsletter of spa and laundry discounts.

Lots of trivia on most O cruises. The shows might disappoint depending on how "picky" you are. Given how small O's ships are (~600 to 1200 px), I think they do a pretty good job on the entertainment, but others seem to expect more.

O's single supplements might make your eyes water, especially in the higher cabin categories. O sometimes advertises reduced SSs, and I have heard of people getting even deeper single discounts by calling O reservations (or a travel agent might be able to work some magic).

Bon Voyage.

Of course, hotels that offer a "free" shuttle from the airport to the hotel and/or a "free" shuttle from the hotel to the port build the cost of the shuttles into their rates.

Beachnut.

There will be no "required to pay for" items in your frig.

Yes, you can ask your Steward to remove anything you want, e.g., we always say, take the Cokes away to make more room for Pepsi.

From one Pepsi lover to another Pepsi lover, have a wonderful cruise.

Our experience.... When an O cruise departs from (and thus the ship has been resupplied in) a USA port, an advance request to O has always resulted in the mini-refrig in our cabin being full of Diet Pepsi; when a cruise departs from other parts of the world where Pepsi is not widely sold, O has not been able to furnish any. But even with a USA departure, there could be a problem if you don't request early enough; we've always had our TA request at the time of final payment and haven't had problems.

Not necessarily, Jereseygirl. At bank-affiliated ATM at the airport will probably have the best exchange rates. But many airports have ATMs that are not bank affiliated and which will definitely not have the best rates.

You're right, LHT. For anybody like me, who sometimes has senior moments about O's ship names, the foolproof way to remember it is: O's two ~1,200 passenger ships have cooking classes, all of O's other ships (~600 passengers) don't have cooking classes.

Aquidneck, what ship are you on? Culinary classes only on Riviera and Nautica. If on either of those ships, open "my account," find your cruise and click on "manage this booking," click on "other options," and the rest of the links to the cooking classes will be obvious.