iancal

We are already contactless for most purchases under $200. or so. Tap and go has been in full force for at least 3 or 4 years. Covid made it the payment of choice for many vendors. Over $200, depending on what limits the vendor sets, is chip and pin. And has been for years.

Even worse.....I was at an event a few years later after the fad passed. Sure enough there was one of those male models....... complete with the de rigueur white belt and white shoes! In the fashion of Herb Terluck as it were.

Catania was one of our favorite stops. As was Malta on the same cruise. So much so that we returned a few years later on 10 day Malta trip and then spent 2 1/2 weeks driving around Sicily. We enjoyed the market. Watch the butchers slicing off paper thin strips of veal, etc. We did not want to get back on the ship!

Prices for air travel have decreased significantly in real terms. Yet people still expect fillet mignon and wine on longer haul routes. Not to mention the same level of service. This is the reality of air travel today.

One of my many jobs while in university in the mid 70's was in the men's wear dept. of the Hudson's Bay department store. I must have sold hundreds of those horrible polyester leisure suits to middle aged men (and sometimes to their insistent spouses if hubby was reluctant). Lime green, horrible blue were just a few of the colors. We were taught to also upsell them a gaudy patterned collared shirt to go with it. It was an easy sell. More often as not the shirt was as or more expensive as the leisure suit. It is the stuff of nightmares!

I do lots of research. Mostly by ship vs cruise line. Lots of research on independent or private shore tours as well. We tend to avoid the ship excursions. Also lots of research on pre and post cruise areas since our pre or post land travels are usually much longer than our cruise.

We spent a week in Madeira this past May. A block for the Cathedral. Walked all over town, including to the market. Never once felt unsafe. This was one more place we decided to return to on land travels based upon one day cruise port stop. We had done the same in Malta, Croatia, and Sicily, etc. One of the nice things about cruising is you get to see so many places that you want to return to for a longer stay. A number of years ago while were in Rio we went into a jewelry store to change some money. Coming out we sensed that we were being followed...and we were. Went right back to our hotel, waited 30 minutes, and then went out again. We were warned about this when visiting BA. We changed money in Uruguay for Argentine pesos prior to catching the ferry over to BA. The exchange rate was better than we saw in BA! Apparently lots of counterfeit paper notes in BA.

Agree. We also find the likes of Air Malta, Olympic/Aegean, and sometimes BA offer extremely competive fares to the LCC's. They are in direct competition on many routes. Cherry pick the best offers. If selecting a LCC you should always double check the airport they fly to or from.

The first time we did a snowbird trip to Thailand there were all sorts of warnings about the red scarves or whatever they called themselves. State dept was warning against travel to Bangkok. We went on tripadvisor and connect with a US expat who had lived in Bangkok for years. Bottom line...there really was no issue. Just a few demos from time to time. So we went. Saw one small demo in Bangkok and nothing else during our other weeks of traveling in the country. Liked it so much we spent four more winters there. And hopefully next winter as well. Same for Vietnam and Malaysia.

From our perspective there are a number of cities in the US that we do not believe are particularly safe. Crime can happen anywhere. It was only a few years ago that the British Government was warning tourists about crime in Miami after several Brits had been murdered.

We learned many years ago not to wear expensive jewelry or watches when traveling. Most especially rings, necklaces, and hoop earings. It was the first warning we read when preparing to visit Rio years ago. We have 'travel' jewelry that we take on trips. One of the big challenges is that some people do not keep an awareness of their surroundings. When we go to Rome for example we are amazed to see what people put down beside fountains etc when they are taking or having their pictures taken. Or people who hang purses, cameras, or backpacks on the back of their chairs in outdoor cafes. Or open their euro stuffed wallets for all to see when paying the bill.

We are in our late 60's, early 70's. Our last eight week snowbird trip was cut short by a week because of covid issues. Never got to Mazatlan. It was independent travel that started in Merida, P. Morales, Playa for several weeks. From there we flew to Huatulco for three days and then made our way up the coast...mostly by bus because of poor air connections. A week or more in each of Acapulco, P. Escondido, and Zihuatanejo. Acapulco today has changed greatly in the last few years. We used public transport to get for the hotel zone to downtown without issue. It reached ground zero and had no where to go but up. Ended up in PV but never made it any further. We extended our time in these stops because we were enjoying them so much. Not once did we feel threatened. Including when we went out during the evening for dinner in Acapulco. We enjoyed it so much that we are planning to return to ZI at some point for at least a two week stay. No idea about Ixtapa...we never bother with it. A five or six week independent trip to Morocco has now made it to the top of our bucket list.

When we required ours in Toronto we googled the locations and zeroed in our pharmacies close to our downtown hotel. There were lots of them. SDMs, Rexals, another chain, and a few independents. Rexalls were $30 as I recall however the SDM that we selected was a few blocks from our hotel and had openings first thing in the AM on the day we wanted. Nothing particularly special about SDM in our opinion, other than the location and convenience.

One rule of litigation, I am led to believe, is always go after or include the ones with the deepest pockets or the most insurance. Seems to me that HAL might have deeper pockets than the tour operator. It does not mean that they will be successful.

One issue I see that impacts both cruising and air is that prices, in real terms, have come down drastically. At the same time some customers seem to expect even more for less. I sometimes wonder if those who constantly bleat about carriers not being as good as they were in the 90's would be willing to pay what they paid in the 1990's, adjusted for inflation, in today's dolllars. I suspect not otherwise they might have abandoned some of the mass market carriers and upgraded to premium or luxury lines for an equivalent adjusted dollar fare. Many want the lowest fare possible. And some seem to enjoy moaning and complaining instead of voting with their feet and their wallets. If we are not happy with a travel vendor, an offering, or an experience we simply give the vendor a pass on our next buy. It could be a competitor, it could be an alternate travel option.

NA carry on rules are too generous and NA carriers do enforce them to the extent that other airlines do. Completely different boarding experience when we board regionals in Asia, Australia or Europe. Tighter regs, and they are typically enforced. Boarding is much faster. This is a problem that is within the carrier's ability to fix/change IF they choose to.

Cruise lines could do a lot more to engender loyalty by instituting loyalty rewards that had real value. On one of our first cruise we spoke to an older gentleman who had been wearing some sort of medal around his neck. Clearly not an Olympic medal. He told us it was a reward for so many cruises. At the time I traveled extensively for business. My spouse and I had many business class airline trips to Euope, NA, SA on mileage reward tickets. And frequent upgrades on revenue tickets. . Not to mention gratis hotel stays on a few hotel reward sites. As DW wryly commented to me later.....what would you rather have, what would gain your vendor loyalty. A medal to hand around your neck, a free cruise, a cabin upgrade, or a reduced fare??? We sure missed those airline freebees one I retired and used them up.

We do not want bundling. We just want to pay the basic fare and then pick and choose what we want. Drink package has no value to us. DD does not drink alcohol. I am not a big drinker. Don't drink cocktails or champagne. Strictly the occasional beer and red wine. Happy to pay as I go. Same for everything else, including optional dining. But it seems to me some cruise lines are downgrading the MDR food experience (or up charging) in order to drive revenue to the optional venues. We simply assume this and add some projected costs to our base fare calculation. I really do no have that much of a problem with nickel and diming. Why? Because it is so easy to say no and walk away. No one forces us to succumb to it.

One thing to look out for. IF you are in a touristy area, especially Rome, and you order the house wine beware of the waiter offering you some other wine that he recommends. Do not say yes before you ask the price. If you do not ask the price you may well be paying far more than you anticipated for a very mediocre wine that is no better than the house plonk.

We have done this several times. Hopefully again this Sept/Oct. Milos, Naxos (again), Folegrandros, Amorgas, and Serifos are on the list at the moment, plus a week, perhaps two in Crete to finish it all off. It will depend on how well our bucket list matches the ferry schedules.

Our last Vueling flight pre covid was Palermo to Rome to catch a last minute Oct. med cruise. I remember the fare. $37. No bags, we only had carry on. Flight was perfect.

We have done a number of Vueling flights in Europe over the years. They have all been good. Same for Easyjet despite the bad PR from time to time. We were on an Easyjet flight in Portugal last month. It was perfect for a short hop. And very inexpensive compared to the TAP alternative. You do need to check the bottom line w/ luggage. There are often very inexpensive flights. Sometimes the national carriers match the price. On more than one occasion we have found the national to be less costly than the regional based on baggage/carry on charges.

We hated our first and our last TA few years ago. Celebrity from Rome as I recall. Ship was perfect in all respects. Great service, great entertainment, food options were superb. Balcony cabin perfect...a push out. Loved the stop in Madeira so much that we returned a month ago for a week on the island. Weather was perfect. Some days it was too hot to sit out on the balcony mid afternoon for more than an hour or so. Ocean was like glass. Get the picture? It was a perfect last minute score. But....after three days we were both ready to jump ship. We now realize that two sea days is our max. Three at the most if land is in sight for day four. In our case it was not. FLL never looked so good. Others love it. Good for them.

It is very easy for those who have been on a few cruises and have basic math to figure the cost of a cruise on a mass market cruise line. Tips, drinks, optional dining venues. The reality is everyone's bottom line number will be different based on their preferences and habits. Not a stretch to compare that number to what one might spend on a premium line. Particularly if one is willing to give up a little real estate for an potentially enhanced experience. Don't be misled by bundling or free this or that. There is no free lunch. Or free air fare. Break it down, compare the cost/benefit, and make a decision. Of course those numbers and the result will change between itinerary and between ships. Your number might indicate a HAL or a Celebrity decision, or it could indicate a premium line decision.

Twelve-sixteen months ago there were posters on this site were were predicting, with some supposed authority and knowledge, an end to covid and covid restrictions within 30 or 60 days.