Christmas markets in Europe and Caribbean cruise (RTW)

[RooFlyer]

Far out roo flyer.. Cynical is as cynical does.. sheesh…...

Experience is as experience related.

Since I posted that I’ve been watching the restaurant fill up with various shall we say types of couples (glam, ‘ordinarily dressed’ folk, various degrees of self-importance) and it’s really obvious that there is a certain division of preference in allocated seating . There’s been a number of refusals of allocated tables and self selection of new tables which then had to go back to the maître ‘D.

Supplementary for @drron or @mrs.dr.ron i’m not sure how alike they are but at this Atlantide there is a smaller, upper ‘mezzanine’ section furnished differently and a lower main section. If it’s a common structure across the fleet, is the upper section more exclusive? Appears to be.

To be honest, if there is some sort of status selection, I don’t have a problem with that. Just like Airlines, if you pay a lot, cruise a lot, you deserve to be looked after a bit better.

 

[Quickstatus]

Far out roo flyer.. Cynical is as cynical does.. sheesh…..

i prefer that it is just the expression of the AFF DNA. Status is everywhere especially when it is hidden.....

tachycardia

How much (%) did preexisting conditions increase your TI?

 

[Disco]

Next day, it was over to Salzburg by train. A bit apprehensive about this one, with three segments, 2 on DB Strasbourg-Stuttgart-Munich and 1 on the Austrian OBB Munich-Salzburg (thinking about delays/cancellations). As it happened, all went well; a bit of a delay on the first and last legs, but nothing dramatic.

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Cold and desolate on the Strasbourg platform. I haven't yet got the hang of trains - that you can turn up abt 10 mins prior and just get on. I'm in airline mode an arrive an hour before (but have some breakfast at the station).

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Here's the ride

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DB Navigator app continued to work a charm - constantly updating info, times etc.

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First class seating -the first leg practically deserted

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Wifi continues to be a dead loss

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Been busy and lost track (not intended). Glad the App has been working well, good to know for the future.

 

[RooFlyer]

How much (%) did preexisting conditions increase your TI?

Pre-existing conditions refused coverage for last two annual policies. Didn’t ask for them this last policy. Nervous traveller!

 

[drron]

As far as I am aware there is no status taken into account for seating in Atlantide. I think we have been seated all around the restaurant. I guess we are high status as this year we are in the top 5 of nights sailed on Silversea and on formal nights I am wearing a dinner suit and bow tie.
You do notice though many people have a preference to where they want to sit. Usually a seat near the windows. On one cruise we did have a preference for a table as it was in the area served by the best waiter we have had onboard. A table in his area was kept for us every night. But we were friends with the Maitre'D and the F&B manager on that cruise.

 

[RooFlyer]

Next day, Saturday the day had finally arrive for me to board the cruise. but not before a bit of drama.

My B&B host was away for the day so I was just to lock the place up and pop the keys through the barred kitchen window of her adjacent house. I locked the deadlock of the front door inside during the night but when I went to open it in the morning the key just spun round without disengaging the lock. It was broken and that would be a real problem because all the windows were barred. I could be trapped!

Fortunately, there was an escape route via a door from the bedroom to the outside which had a bench across it, but that was easily moved, the door undone and I was out. Whew.

Taxi to the cruise port and unfortunately I was given a bum steer by the taxi driver who pointed where I should go to clear immigration. A puzzled official there directed me to go outside and into another entrance to the building. Equally puzzled official was there wondered what I was looking for immigration for and told me to go back out, retrace my steps in a bit more and I would see the SilverSea people. The place was incredibly crowded with passengers from three cruise ships including the monster Ovation of the Seas manoeuvring their luggage behind them in the heat.

Went through several stages of Shaw side checking in when my luggage was taken care of, in a fashion.



Then directed to a bus where we sat with no Aircon in the heat for about 10 minutes and then choofed off to the actual boat.



Then on board, directed around a few corners to the theatre where official boarding registration was done photo taken etc. And something strange. I was asked for my ESTA. No ESTA I said, which produced a surprised look. However I said I do have a B1 B2 Visa for the USA but why do they ask? I’m getting off the cruise in Columbia. I think it was basically a mistake, but they didn’t say so. They talked about the cruise ending in Miami ‘and US visas are required because of that’

I made a strong point that I was never informed that I should have an ESTA for the USA even though I’m leaving the cruise Columbia. And wasn’t it lucky that I did in fact have a Visa?

Onto the standard Veranda suite which was almost the same as my Antarctica cruise last year but in fact probably a little bit laid out


I think there’s a refurb a year or so ago and the bathroom certainly has a modern fit out.







Bottle of champagne in the suite which last year was left unopened but it was such a hot day with such a lot of hassle, I treated myself.

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks @drron . I’ll reveal the source of my query maybe tomorrow when I have another data point to substantiate my own theory.

 

[Drakecula]

First stop the State Hall of the Austrian National Library. I love a good library (and I know @Drakecula does too) and this was a great one.

Holy moly! Imagine working there?
Speaking of working in libraries, I was at work recently and a visitor came up asking to see the books. I did my usual spiel about closed stacks, requesting material, etc., but they showed me a photo of the inside of a library that I think they thought was the NLA. It was a picture of Trinity College Library in Dublin. A very impressive library to be sure, but most definitely not the NLA!

I wonder if staff at the National Library of Austria get questions about Australia? Haha.

Your trip so far looks amazing! I'd love to go back to do more Christmas markets one day. And happy belated birthday too.

 

[Disco]

Been an interesting few days. The day before I arrived in Vienna my heart irregularity started increasing; it sort of comes and goes but was noticeable all day that day. My cardiologist assures me on several occasions that there isn't really anything that could happen that would require me to rush home. For tachycardia (sustained rapid heartrate >100bps) I have some effective pills and if I were to go into flutter (sustained arrhythmia) , that's OK for a few weeks its just a matter of putting up with some discomfort.

That night, I may well have been in a bit of flutter and when I went to bed my heart was pounding, irregularly. No way I could get to sleep as is, so I took a Stilnox. That worked for sleep and also calmed things down but from then on I was very sensitive to any increase. And increase it did, for hours at a time but it calmed again. And so it went for the next day or so until yesterday when I think I could call it back to normal (ie irreg low levels of irregularity). Anyway, it really put a dampener of doing things, so Vienna was a quiet day. Oh, I also developed what I think is cellulitis in one lower leg, which I'm treating with an antibiotic Cefalexin.

Shame, but I did see more of Vienna than before. Last on the list was the Neue Hofburg. Its worth reading about here

The Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg

A look at this home to various museums, the Austrian national library, and other historical collections.

www.visitingvienna.com

TL;dr is that the huge arc building that looks like the main building is in fact one of the youngest and was begun in the late 19th century as a new palace for the imperial family and completed in the early 20th Century. Unfortunately by that time the imperial family were no more. Amazingly, a mirror building was planned to face it, but never got off the ground.

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There are no State Apartments to view, just the Armory and a music museum via a self guided audio tour which was far too long winded for my interest. The entrance hall is pretty nifty.

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... and so on. At last one of more interest

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Amazing staircase - you can't see it all from any vantage point

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Enjoying the TR and the parts of Vienna and history I haven't yet encountered even after a few visits.

 

[kookaburra75]

.... And you have to admire a pharmac_ that has a good range of booze

For medicinal purposes only I'm sure

Really, really good, Great location, great staff, great food. A bit expensive, but its Barbados .... My 65th birthday was a few days prior so I hung the expense.
My table was along the front - perfect

And a belated happy birthday too. I'm glad you found such a great spot to enjoy it - and damnit, you're younger than me!