corrected.

Joe and Rose, could you either PM or email me? Just click on the PM or email button by my name.

Thanks. :)

We're in 910.
Haven't looked at excursions until tonight.

WOndering if doing private tours would be better than theRegent excursions. In SE Asia we used private guides provided by Regent & it worked out well.

I just spent a day in Cairo. I didn't notice any problems that would make a cruise line want to cancel a port call.

They told us tourism was off by 70%. So I think they want to do everything possible to get the tourists back.

We did notice that Egypt is becoming more fundamentalist. You see many more women with head coverings and more men with beards. So who knows what might happen after the elections. But for now I think it's safe for tourism.

Thanks for the update Tom. Hoping everything stays safe.

Thanks Tom, appreciate the input. Hope it stays that way and we actually get there.

Here is the CLEO pin, VERY cute!!!

ONE of the cutest ever!!!!

Almost all the B&K staff are blonde; how did we end up with a brunette CLEO? :D

This was ordered before EGYPT was cancelled. Julie suggested we change the meaning of CLEO

Cruising in Luxury to Empires Ottoman
to
Cruising in Luxury Egypt Omitted

That gave me a giggle for the day. It is almost like CLEO is throwing her hands up in horror

"OH WELL"

Or the upper arm saying "COMING" and the lower arm saying "NOT COMING"

very cute pin, and isn't Julie cleaver? Great idea for name change - its got my vote.

Gosh whenever we actually see the pin, it makes it official!

That pin is great! Plus, I too think the name change is very apropo unfortunatly.

Love the name change!

Hey CLEOites, only 5 weeks now. Thought maybe it was time to bump this up and get some excitement going.

Don't know about the rest of you, but we are getting excited and looking forward to seeing everyone. Since we are on the cruise prior, we won't be staying in Athens, but what is everyone else doing?

Looking forward to seeing everyone onboard on the 17th.

Docs came yesterday I think - they were sitting by our front door this morning.

When I saw Eugene's post about the Voyager's new propulsion problems I thought oh no, here we go again - but then remembered we're on the Mariner this time.

We arrive in Athens on the 16th around 5:30 PM so we are just staying at the Sofitel at the airport and getting picked up by Spiros at noon on the 17th.

Tell Sprios we said "hello" Leslie.

Where is everyone?

"Where is everyone?" Rusting! There has been so much rain, with more to come, we're starting to develop web feet. Quack, quack.

But yes, we do have CLEO to look forward to and for that we are thankful. We've got our tours lined up, specialty dinner reservations made and have left most evenings open in order to just "wing" it and go with the flow, or just drop from exhaustion.

Israel is what we're hankering to see and we're bulging with anticipation and expectations. Shoot, just looked at the date. We leave a month from today..........Hooooooooooray!!!!!

Cheers! Ray & Penny

HaHa - Ray is right! If we haven't all been swept into Lake Erie by the floods, we will be in Athens a month from today!!!! :banana:

Well glad to hear you are still hanging in there and we are anxious to see everyone.

We are in Hawaii right now for Mark's conference then we go to Montreal for Memorial day weekend - so actually haven't thought about this trip much. We will arrive on 6/15 staying at GB (could switch to Arion though).

YOU and Mark have the best trips!!!!! Where in Hawaii???

We're anxious to see everyone too - can't wait. Peter, we arrive the 15th too and staying at the GB. Hopefully we'll see you there!

I am just hoping this trip goes well for all of you, especially those who got sent home from TUT! I loved the GB, but any pre-cruise hotel would be fine with me!

I'm so envious! Wish we could be there with you all -

Kristin, we wish you could be there too! We'll miss everyone from TUT!

In Waikiki until tomorrow then to Kauai for 3 days.

Peter, What a great trip for you and Mark.

We too will miss all our un-Tut friends, I know you'll have a great time on CLEO and this time I bet you actually leave the port. :app:

I hope we leave port too Marcie. We already know there is no Egypt, but lets hope the rest of the cruise goes as planned. Wish you were going to be with us, it just won't be the same without all of you who jumped to Kangaroo. that were originally onboard, but we will do our best.

Kristin - I just kept hoping and hoping that things might work and you and Greg would be able to join us, but realize with your move and his new job and all it probably wouldn't work. Sure wish though that you were joining us.

Peter - nice pre CLEO trip love Hawaii.

FedEx delivered docs today so we have done the "jig"

Biz Class, Butler, BG Hotel and transfers, lots of shipboard credit. Life is really good.

Can't wait to visit Israel and take lots of photos and video. Private guide assures me of a great 4 day all-encompassing tour.

Cheers! Ray

Woohoo, same here, although we don't have a 4 day private tour in Isreal, just doing ships excursions.

We are out of here two weeks from tomorrow for pre CLEO, and three days in Rome. Can't wait.

Happy dancing, everyone! We're looking forward to a great cruise. Hardly seems possible it is finally here .... and even earlier for you, JoAnn and Frank and Susan and Russ. You'll have the Mariner in good shape for us on June 17.

Leslie, I saw that same post about the Voyager and had that "not again" reaction too. Glad we are on the Mariner!

Ray, who is the guide for those 4 days in Israel?

We are doing similar cruise in Oct/Nov and am compiling a list of private guides to use which are highly recommended to us

TIA

Dick

Dick:

Here's the company that I am going to be using:

http://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/

I have had a lot of fun bantering with one of the company's employes, Alon, and I am most excited to be "guided" by them. I think we'll be bone tired by the end of the four days but it doesn't matter to me as I expect this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Israel.

I will have a Blog going and expect I'll take a ton of photos and lots of video. Wow, I can't wait to get started!

Cheers! Ray
p.s.: Thanks to Priscilla on this board for letting me know about Guided Tours.

The packing has begun. We leave on the 3rd for pre CLEO, so we have two guest bedrooms full of clothes, suitcases, more clothes, shoes, etc, etc. Stacking stuff, taking stuff of the stacks, moving stuff around, trying to get everything into 3 checked bags for 22+ days, plus one carry on with basics in case luggage doesn't arrive with us,........whew......lots of re-doing. It will get done at some point, duh!!!

Starting to feel real and really starting to get excited.

Looking forward to dinner on Sunday June 6 with Russ and Susan and Andrea in Rome. Should be lots of fun and a great time.

So excited for you

Thanks Diane, we are excited too, for sure. Just ready for this trip to begin and see some of those things/places we missed on TUT or unTUT as it is now known. Disappointed we are again mssing Egypt, but better to be safe than sorry.

JoAnn, I hope you will have a wonderful time, sure has been many months since TUT to make it up!

I don't mind packing, it is the UNpacking part coming home I hate. So sorry you will be missing Egypt and the Pyramids, my main reason for booking TUT before, and I feel so badly for this country with their loss of tourism presently. For sure, they always bounce back and there will be another day no doubt.

\


Oh how I wish I could be there to join that dinner!! :mecry:

I will be following seamail closely

Olivia - agree, hate the unpacking when the trip is over. This time, we will come home on July 1, unpack and repack for the beach on July 10, then will have to unpack again!!

Arlene - we too wish you were going to be there, we will miss you and Marc, but will see you in Oct on CANADA!

OK so Susan Hall emailed today and reminded me that two weeks from today we will be onboard for pre-CLEO, woooohoooo, need this one really badly.

Please let the volcanic eruption in Iceland not get that far to impact our flight to Rome, please, please, please.