@moonboy I know I insist a lot on this, but it has been very important for me as I have family propensity to aneurysms and a bicuspid aortic valve, and I know it has made a difference to others in the forum, I will add a third category:

Aortic Disease Specialist (cardiologist with focus on aortic diseases not a surgeon) = A cardiologist whose focus and research has been on aortic diseases, they are very important as they understand the proper follow up and any restrictions you may have (exercise, activities, BP, etc) will interact with Cardiothoracic Surgeon (best case). The surgeon will not see you as frequently (especially if your aneurysm is small) and will see you once or twice after surgery and then never again (unless you get another aneurysm), the cardiologist will follow you up for life. These specialists will see way more patients than a surgeon since not all patients with dilations/aneurysms will need surgery. As you say not all cardiologists are aortic disease specialists, some of them are generalists or focus on other areas