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Footprints for the Oceania TransAtlantic Crossing ... from Miami to Athens … with three weeks added in Turkey to visit family. Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Reminiscing: Valletta, Malta

    28 lutego 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    We've been to Malta twice now on our sea voyages. Both cruises included a stop in Valletta on the Island of Malta ... one of them also included a stop in Mgarr/Victoria on the Island of Gozo.

    Our first visit to Malta was on Insignia's sister ship, Nautica ... on what was our "testing Oceania" cruise in advance of our RTW2017 voyage. We explored the city on foot ... no specific destination or sights in mind. Just a meandering stroll that took us to places near and far ... up and down. Our aching feet at the end of the day was proof that we'd pretty much left no stone unturned.

    Our second visit to Valletta was in 2018. On that occasion, we joined a private tour organized by a fellow passenger ... thus, our feet fared better because a van was part of the experience.

    One of the highlights of this tour was Caravaggio's "Beheading of St John the Baptist," which hangs in the oratory at the Co-Cathedral ... the church of the Order of the Knights of St John.

    Our explorations took us then to Vittorioso for a meandering stroll through ancient streets where unique door knockers grabbed my attention ... to the Neolithic subterranean structure of Hypogeum in Paola, which dates back to 3300 – 3000 BC ... to Mdina, the original capital of Malta, where we enjoyed lunch-with-a-view @ the Palazzo Piro.

    An overnight stay in Valletta in 2018 allowed the cruise line to bring aboard a folklore troupe to entertain us, and it also gave us a chance to enjoy the city walls all lit up after night fell. A colorful ending to a day exploring fascinating sights.

    What will we do this time? You'll have to wait and see 😉     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Insignia Check-In ✔️✔️

    2 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    This title gets two check marks. One for me … one for Mui!

    The email from Oceania advising me that our EuroCrossing cruise was open for online check-in was in my inbox this morning. 21-days prior to embarkation. Just as promised.

    Armed with everything listed in the email to streamline the check-in process, I sat down to take care of the formalities. The entire process, including uploading photos of ourselves and watching the “muster” video, took maybe five minutes in all … OK, maybe six or seven minutes.

    Within seconds, I received a second email with our boarding passes. Easy peasy.

    Now to pack our bags; jump through the COVID-19 embarkation hoops; and fly to Miami. All things that will be done over the next three weeks.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Bermuda Loosens Entry Requirements

    7 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 25 °F

    I've been expecting the COVID-19 entry requirements for Bermuda to loosen. One, because so many other countries around the world are doing so. Two, because I had seen on the Bermuda Travel Authorization site that new rules would be going into effect today.

    Sure enough ... I had an updated email from Oceania in my inbox this morning.

    Essentially, Bermuda has changed the "must-have" PCR test within 96 hours of embarkation to a "recommendation." We still have to test, but a 48-hour prior to embarkation Antigen test is now sufficient. That test used to be only accepted if taken within 2 days of arrival in Bermuda.

    As well, the fee for the travel authorization we are required to apply for within 1-3 days of embarkation has been reduced to $40pp ... much more palatable.

    Since we've already researched the original requirements and have a PCR test order from our primary care physician, we'll likely still do the PCR test. But the stress over the Bermuda entry is now greatly reduced.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    IC Instead of YVE

    9 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ❄️ 23 °F

    One simple answer to one simple question. That's all it would have taken for us to keep the reservation we made at YVE Miami for our overnight stay prior to embarking Insignia later this month.

    Unfortunately, despite multiple calls, I wasn’t able to get the question answered. Nor did Mui have any luck reaching someone at the hotel.

    What was the question you ask? I simply wanted to know why our credit card was charged 18 days prior to our arrival. After all, the confirmation clearly stated that the credit card I gave the hotel at the time of booking was “only” to guarantee the room. Nowhere in that confirmation was there anything about being charged so early for a room that I had booked with a 24-hour cancelation.

    So, this afternoon, I canceled the YVE and went in search of another hotel. After checking Booking.com, I logged in to a couple of travel agent portals to compare rates. Surprisingly, the Intercontinental [IC] Miami had one of the more reasonable travel agent rates for the area. So, that’s the hotel I booked.

    Prior to RTW2017, the IC Miami was where we stayed — one night at our own expense … one night compliments of Oceania. So, we’re familiar with how the hotel operates. We’ll be in a city view room … unless they upgrade us again as they did in 2017.

    I’m sorry the YVE Miami did not work out. I was, in fact, hoping to book the same hotel for another stay in December. Won’t be doing that now.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Reminiscing: Haifa, Israel

    13 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    The title of this footprint is actually not quite accurate as this reminiscence has nothing to do with that Israeli city.

    True, we docked in Haifa for an overnight stay on RTW2017, but we spent no time in the city ... except when we were on the ship. We'll remedy that his year by exploring the city a bit during our overnight call.

    Haifa is billed as one of the gateways to Jerusalem. When our original sightseeing plans unexpectedly fell through in 2017, we quickly arranged another tour, and joined by fellow-cruisers Bill & Star, off we went to visit not only Jerusalem, but Bethlehem as well ... the latter in Palestine, and requiring a change in vehicles and guides per the rules of visitation.

    Our time in Jerusalem took us to all four quarters ... Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian. We started out at Mount of Olives for expansive views of the area; visited the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is said to have been arrested; entered the city through the surrounding fortified walls built by Süleyman the Magnificent, one of the Ottoman sultans; wandered the narrow, cobblestone streets; followed the Via Doloroso with its stations of the cross; stopped for a moment of meditation at the Wailing Wall; joined the queue to enter Haram el-Sharif ... the site of the Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque; visited churches built on sites of Biblical interest; had a typical Israeli lunch that included falafel at a café on a backstreet that I'd never be able to find again.

    In Bethlehem, our Palestinian guide took us first to the Church of the Nativity, where we had a chance to see the manger where Jesus is said to have been born ... and then to the mandatory shopping stop — required by the Palestinian Authority for all visitors to Bethlehem.

    Our second day in Haifa found us on our own ... taking a train from the station near the port to Acre on the coast. After the crowds in Jerusalem, we enjoyed the solitude of this old town and delighted in a wonderful meal overlooking the sea at Doniana ... recommended by our friends' daughter. As interesting as our time in Jerusalem and Bethlehem was, we felt that our day in Acre was the highlight of our stop in Haifa.

    It's funny how some countries make it onto our must-visit list, while others don't. Israel is one of those countries. That's not to say we didn't enjoy our time there. We did and we're glad we went ... and will do so again this year. But it's not one of those places we would make specific plans to visit on a land journey. The occasional cruise stop in Israel is quite satisfactory for us.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    COVID-19 Entry Requirements Change Again

    15 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    The best way to describe the COVID-19 pandemic is "ever-changing." So is it any surprise that the entry requirements for the different countries on our itinerary keep changing? IMHO ... no.

    Got an email from O today outlining the latest entry requirements for our EuroCrossing. This is the third such message in as many weeks. And each has had different requirements.

    I'm not going to go through all the changes, but I will mention two.

    Morrocco is now listed as being closed to cruise ships. Will that change by the time we are scheduled to arrive on 3 April? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    The other potentially concerning change? Israel. The requirements are now listed as pending. That could be good ... meaning less cumbersome requirements. Or it could be bad ... meaning more cumbersome requirements. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    In any event, there’s not much we can do at present other than making sure we meet the Bermuda and O embarkation requirements for Miami next week and go with the flow for everything else.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Starting on the 21st?

    16 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Maybe.

    Not only are we going to get snow tonight into tomorrow, but there is also a forecast for rain/snow Monday night into Tuesday. Yes … that’s Tuesday, the 22nd. The day we are scheduled to fly to Miami bright and early in the morning.

    Our first instinct was to fly to Miami over the weekend and enjoy a few extra days in the warm sunshine. Then, I looked at the United flights! Nope, not going to happen. Changing our tickets would mean re-ticketing at the current prices … ~ $650pp or using awards of 63K+ miles for each of us. That’s in comparison to the award tickets we purchased for 23,600 miles per person in January. Methinks these ridiculous fares are due to two factors … Spring Break and the continued increase in fuel prices.

    What to do? After discussing options, we decided to just head up to the Denver Airport the day before and stay at a hotel nearby. At $400 + taxes, I felt that the Westin at the airport was "conveniently" overpriced. Just ±5 miles from DEN, however, I found a multitude of other properties to choose from.

    In the end, I settled on the Staybridge Suites. The room rate includes breakfast and the hotel has an airport shuttle … all good things to have.

    We are still in the dark as to the forecast details for Monday, but knowing that we have a place to stay near the airport has eliminated the stress. If the storm fizzles out, we can cancel up to 48 hours ahead. Otherwise, we’ll plan the trip north based on the timing of the storm.

    In the meantime, plenty to do here at home before we get going … be it on the 21st or the 22nd.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Ch-Ch-Changes

    17 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 32 °F

    First, we booked a hotel at DEN for the 21st for an overnight stay before our flight on the 22nd.

    After listening to this morning's forecast for another snowstorm due to hit Sunday into Monday, we decided to just get ourselves to Miami early. Less stress all around.

    Leaving several days early means I have little time to spare to write much more than this now. The details will unfold in future footprints.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    COS to DEN Starts with a Glitch

    19 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    So much for planning a 7:00a departure! The delay wasn’t our fault, though. We were up and at ‘em way early … dressed and ready by 6:30a … waiting for a driver to be assigned for our pre-scheduled Uber ride. Hah!

    Turns out that there were no Uber drivers available … even though we’d already received confirmation of our request. We figured this was due to one of two reasons — or both … not enough drivers due to the increase in fuel prices … and tied into that, drivers not wanting to accept rides up to Denver. Yeah, I know, Uber has added a surcharge to help with the fuel prices. But let’s get real. A 55-cent surcharge per ride isn’t going to help much when you have to fill up a couple times a day if you’re accepting long ride requests. This was all later confirmed by our driver, Michelle.

    So, yes, we did eventually get an Uber. But not before trying to call a cab … none of the three numbers Google gave us worked. And not before we tried Lyft … which seems to always have trouble finding us … and which, this time, wanted to take us to an airport in Anchorage, Alaska!! Luckily, a third try with the Uber app had a driver accepting our request. Forty-minutes after our planned departure of 7:00a, Michelle pulled up to our driveway. By 7:45a we were on our way … without having to resort to driving ourselves and leaving the car in the long term lot at DEN for two months!

    We’re now pulling up to DEN. More later … probably after we’re in the air.     Czytaj więcej

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  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022

    Winging it to MIA on UA1418

    19 marca 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    I’ve switched my watch to reflect the time in Miami, which is two hours ahead of Colorado. So, while it might seem like five hours have passed between footprints, it’s more like three hours.

    After the glitch in getting away from home, things went smoothly … thank goodness. This being a Saturday, there was no rush hour traffic to contend with. When we pulled up to DEN at 9:02a, Michelle dropped us off at a curbside UA counter where we checked our bags within minutes. The line at TSA PreCheck was short and the agent directed us to a distant security checkpoint that had no one queued up, so we breezed through that hurdle. The train connecting the different concourses arrived just as we got to the station.

    Thus we got to our gate with 30 minutes to spare before boarding was called at 10:00a MDT.

    UA1418 is the same flight we would have been on had we not changed our departure from 22 March to today. The only difference is our seats … instead of being in the exit row, we’re in bulkhead seats in Row 7. Both of these rows are Economy+, so we have good leg room.

    Though the aircraft pushed back from gate B20 at 10:33a MDT— 2 minutes ahead of schedule — the pilot warned us that our take-off slot had been changed to 11:05a MDT. Nonetheless, he said, that our 3-hour and 24-minute flight would get us to MIA on time Assuming, that is, we don’t run into delays due to weather in Miami … the reason why we had a later departure from DEN. Nothing we can do about the weather. At least we’re in the air now.

    Our flight has been uneventful so far … the way all flights should be.

    I’ll add more once we get to our home away from home in Miami …     Czytaj więcej

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