Hlitner

We are somewhat contrarian in that we like to pack somewhat "heavy" so we have a nice selection of clean clothes. On most trips, DW and I will have two large suitcases (each weighing close to 50 pounds) as well as two backpacks (we prefer them since it keeps our two hands free). When possible, we try to have enough clothes to avoid or minimize needing to use a laundry. One problem for us is that we tend to take longer cruises trips (two months is common) and our trips can involve differing climates. A recent trip started in Lisbon (pretty hot) and eventually moved to Greenland (pretty cold). Another recent trip started in Japan (warm to hot) and eventually took us to Alaska! This means having lots of layers so we can handle the cold along with the hot. Hank

I notice that the OP has cruised on Princess, which is, at best, a decent mass market line. Not only has the industry changed since 1995, but it has also changed even more for those of us who have been cruising a lot longer (for us it goes back to the 70s). We have been cruising for about 50 years, have spent more than 1400 days on cruise ships (16 lines) and have never tired of cruising. Why? Because we continuously change cruise lines, ships, and itineraries (been to 6 continents). For us, variety keeps it fresh and exciting. "Mom says" read my mind when she talked about trying the Premium lines (i.e. Azamara, Oceania, Viking, etc) or Luxury (Seaborn, Silverseas, Regent, Silverseas, etc). Yes, they do cost more, but you sometimes do get what you pay for...or even more. In fact, in the current market we think that the luxury lines are where one can find the best value. It is possible to cruise on luxury lines for as little as $500 per person/day...and consider this is generally all-inclusive (no paying for drinks, tips, etc) and includes a suite. The small ship luxury lines generally have 60-80 tons per passenger (space ratio) which is about double what you get on mass market lines. Going to dinner on a ship with only 400 passengers (eating in 3 different dining venue) is much different than being on a ship with over 3000. On those luxury ships you can walk into a show at the last minute and find plenty of seats. If you are at a tender port there are no long lines, no tender tickets, etc. Hank

We are insanely jealous of those photos. Despite 3 trips/cruises to Greenland, we have never seen the Northern Lights! Argh! Hank

Since you seem to enjoy scenic cruising, you might want to consider a northern European cruise that includes some of the fjords of Norway. Another option, assuming your are OK with sea days, is to look at the cruises that go through Prince Christiansund (Greenland) and also call at some of the Iceland ports. Several cruise lines (i.e. HAL, Seabourn, Oceania, etc) have various itineraries that include those islands. If you are considering the more southern parts of Europe, there are a few scenic areas such as when cruising in or out of Kotor (Montenegro), And than there are always the Greek Islands :). Hank

LOL JB. You are well aware that we are never "thrown" unless we have too much Guinness :). Was just pointing out the options. We have long wondered why that port facility, located at the old port of Nice, is seldom used by the smaller cruise ships. Last year, when we spent a few days in Nice, I actually posed this question to our hotel concierge (who has lived in Nice his entire life). He also was not sure, but speculated that the facility was often needed for some ferries (which get precedent). Hope all is well with you and "J" on your side of the pond. Hank

Some will disagree, but we never care about, which side, in terms of ports. Keep in mind that ships do not cruise near the shore line (they are normally well out to sea) and you do not often see land, much less specific places on land. One exception on this route would be cruising into Malta, where one could debate which side offers the more interesting view (both sides view parts of the city). And whatever side you see going into a port, you will get the opposite side when you depart :). Even in an anchor port like Santorini, you can never be sure since a ship will "swing" on its anchor chain (assuming it is in the location where they can drop an anchor) depending on the winds. But on most of our cruises, I do think the Starboard side offers better odds of a view of both Oia and Fira. When we do care about choosing sides, it is primarily based on the sun and whether we want sun or shade at breakfast (and perhaps sunsets). But this is more about sea days than ports. Hank

I mentioned this on another thread, and speculated that, eventually, Azamara will change their port to Monte Carlo (which does not appear to have other ship's scheduled that day in May). Time will tell, But using a tender port for embarkation/debarkation is not an easy task, especially if it happens to be a nasty day or a day with rough seas. Hank

Look folks, as very independent travelers we could easily do this transfer via public transportation. But the reality is that it would be just plain stupid, inconvenient, and possibly a problem if the bus driver would not allow us to board a bus with luggage! Getting back to the transfer issue, the solution is very simple. Just walk outside the terminal (after you get your luggage) and grab a taxi! An alternative would be to arrange for a private transfer, but this does take some "work" and offers little advantage over a taxi. And by the way, depending on which pier faciilty (there are 3) used in Pireaus, using the X96 Bus may not be convenient for folks. It can be a few hundred yards (from the bus stop) and you would need to drag all your own luggage (there is no help). That is not fun if it is over 100f, or if there is rain (very unlikely). A taxi (or private transfer) will drop you right at the proper terminal for your cruise. The cost will vary but should be no more than $100 (and generally a lot less). Hank

Interesting! I have a hunch (based on nothing but speculation) that Azamara will eventually change the itinerary. Why? Villefranche will be a very difficult port for a turn-around day in that everything must be tendered and there is no adequate facility (on land) to handle luggage. Looking ahead at port schedules (which may not be accurate) it appears that the port at Monte Carlo has no ships on May 18, 2024. That facility can dock 2 cruise ships and does have the facilities/infrastructure to easily handle turn-around days. I would also mention that the port of Nice, actually has a relatively small pier that can handle smaller cruise ships (we used it many years ago when cruising on the Regency Spirit). For whatever reason, this small port facility seems to no longer be used for cruise ships (it does handle some large ferries). I wonder if that is actually a possibility (perhaps one of the professional mariners can comment on the maximum size vessel that can be handled by that port.). Hank

I think having a smartphone, onboard, is similar to having elevators aboard. While you do not need elevators or the smartphones, they both save time, aggravation, and make life much easier. Hank

We are going off topic, but the Marco Polo was a favorite ship of ours :). We cruised her in Asia and also out of Istanbul and loved every moment.

We see very little difference in the YC other than the top suites getting access to the silly little "cabanas" (in name only) at the pool area. We would not even use those things since they are too remote from other folks (we enjoy meeting and socializing with other passengers). Consider that in the YC, everyone dines in the same restaurant, gets the same cuisine, has the same chefs, etc. Since nobody has to wait for anything in the YC, and everyone has butlers, we see no real difference among the few suite options. We cannot say enough good things about the staff we have met in the various YCs. The only downside of the YC is the cuisine, which is generally not up to the standard we expect on luxury lines. We also miss having caviar. That being said, we recall one Maitre'd on the Divina who made some amazing world-class pastas in a chafing dish. I still dream of his cacio e pepe. On the other hand, when we have been on luxury lines the entire experience has been substantially different than in the YC. It is not necessarily better or worse, but just different. Perhaps one might compare it to hotels by saying the YC is like a Concierge floor at a mediocre hotel, while a decent luxury line is like the Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons. We eagerly await our first cruise on EJ1 to see how it fits into our ideas of what luxury cruising should be.

Thanks for the info. We should be clear, that our ship did, indeed, always sound the 'foghorn" when in restricted visibility. But I get it, that some mariners who follow the rules of the sea may have their doubts. Much of the time we were in open sea (nowhere close to the coast) and we finally broke out of the fog near the eastern entrance of Prince Christiansund (thank goodness, because that is such a beautiful area). We were once on the Queen Mary 2, crossing from Southampton to NYC, when the foghorn sounded (every 2 minutes) for 5 straight days! We were happy to be in a lower inside cabin on that voyage :). Hank

Since you show NY as your home, here is our tale of cruise woe. Once upon a time we were boarding the Prinsendam, at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, for a long cruise. The voyage had actually started a few days earlier in Port Everglades, but about 70 passengers were embarking from NYC. We drove into the city and I went to the terminal entrance (with our rental car) intending to drop our luggage and then leave with the car. It was about noon, and there were a few couples sitting outside the doors with their luggage. They told us that the Longshoreman had gone on lunch break and we were not allowed to enter the terminal with our luggage or they would go on strike! So, I dropped our luggage and DW and went off to return our rental car. When I got back to the terminal it was about 12:45 where the small group of passengers were sitting outside the doors with their luggage. About 12:50, one of the Longshoreman came outside, smiled, and said he would be back at 1pm to get our luggage. And that is how it all played out in the Big Apple. The issue was that HAL had only hired a single "gang" of Longshoreman, and they would not work their lunch hour (unless paid a lot more money). Coincidentally, we are boarding the EJ1 at the same NYC terminal :). Suffice it to say that we will not arrive at noon :). Hank

With all due respect, you are talking about the difference between a luxury line, and a "ship within a ship." On luxury lines, the norm is not to treat anyone "special" when compared to others. The idea is that everyone is "special" and nobody is entitled. We also love the YC experience, but overall do prefer the smaller ship luxury lines. In a sense, when you are on luxury products, nobody is impressed because somebody is in a larger suite or pays more for the cruise. We actually had this discussion, with some others, when on our last Yacht Club cruise. The other folks had no interest in luxury lines because they did not like just being one of many....rather than one of a few (their words) in the Yacht Club. We also have never met a cruise director (on any line) who had much to say about booking entertainment. That is generally done by the home office and arranged a very long time in advance. Consider that on Seabourn, their main shows (EJ does not even have real shows) are handled by contract through "Belinda King Productions" which is a British/Portuguese company that auditions, hires, trains, and provides the signers/dancers and productions. Guest entertainers are hired by the home office (with only minimal input from the CDs). On some larger ships, there is now even a separation between cruise directors and "entertainment directors." I will add, that on our Seabourn cruises there were a few folks who did seem to get more of a VIP treatment. They were not the folks in the biggest (or most expensive suites) but rather those who had the most days/cruises on that line. Bottom line is when folks have over 1000 days on a small ship line, and well liked, they get to know everyone which can pay some dividends in terms of personalized service. Hank

We agree with just about everything Cruisemom has posted about Venice. The Venice of today, is so different than the Venice we first visited back in the 80s. DW and I still seek out the least touristy part of the city, which we have found in the area of the University (Foscari). There is a small neighborhood that is more like a college town than being in an overrun tourist destination. We also enjoy spending some time on the island of Burano, which although also a major tourist destination, is still a residential island. All that being said, Venice can still be a fun place for a visit. There are plenty of eating venues, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, and even St Mark's Square can be somewhat magical, later in the evening, when all day tourists are long gone. But perhaps it is telling that although DW and I will be in nearby Trieste (next spring) with a rental car and close to Venice, we have no plans on visiting Venice! This will be the first time, ever, that we have been within a few hours drive of Venice and not spend a few nights in the city. Instead, we will likely spend more time in Croatia and perhaps Slovenia or wherever else we stumble on during a few weeks driving trip. I cannot resist mentioning Yogi Berra's quote "the place is so popular that nobody goes there anymore." Hank

At Puerto Vallarta, you would certainly want to use a taxi (or other transportation) to get into town (Centro and/or Romantic Zone/Old Town) which is about 4 miles from the port.. Once in that part of Puerto Vallarta, walking along the Malecon (think local boardwalk) is Ok for those with some mobility limitations. That part of town is flat, has a decent walkway, and has plenty of benches, cafes, etc. for folks who want to take it slow and take frequent rest breaks. As in any tourist destination, take the usual precautions against pick-pockets (they exist everywhere). Hank

Just a thought, if Bruce gets to chat with the Captain. When we were recently on the Seabourn Quest, we had to use the foghorn for several days (around Greenland and towards Canada). The Captain on that ship (who previously was an officer on the Prinsendam) told us that the foghorn is completely unnecessary and simply a mariner tradition that has been kept as part of the international rules. I further asked him about the danger of hitting a small craft that might not be seen on radar. He explained that these days, that is no longer a problem and the ship's radar is more than adequate to spot any craft. Am curious as to if this is a widespread thought, or if other Captains still feel it is absolutely necessary for safety. On our cruise, those in the most expensive suites lost a few night's sleep because of that darn foghorn. It was a perfect cruise for those in steerage, where all was quiet. Hank

A lobster roll, in one of our favorite Boston places, is currently $38! That does not include sides, tip, tax.

With this we agree :). We cannot discuss the "Green" topic without ruffling political feathers so I have learned to tip toe lightly. But suffice it to say that many greenies are complete hypocrites. They make the NIMBY folks seem tame, by comparison. One has only to think through a State with electrical power shortages (and brownouts) moving to all electric cars. Boggles this little mind. Hank

I am going to push this back to the issue of specific ports. While folks can certainly debate the environmental impact of cruise ships vis-a-vis the entire shipping industry, the anti-cruise issue often moves beyond that problem. Consider cruise ports like Key West, Bar Harbor, La Spezia, and even Venice's Maritima. What do they all have in common? They are not commercial ports (one might argue that there is a commercial port near Venice). Take the cruise ships away from Bar Harbor and Key West, and the complaints of the locals in terms of over tourism, kicking up silt in the nearby waters, and even some air pollution does mostly disappear. As to Venice, the so-called "over pressure" issue in the Giudecca Canal (and the accelerating damage to nearby/delicate infrastructure) is mostly eliminated by simply banning large ships from that canal (and the cruise port). Does that solve all the environmental issues facing Venice? Of course not...but arguably it does improve the local environment. Commercial shipping is necessary (and vital) for the world economy, but the cruise industry is just a small niche. I cannot help but go back to the referendums in Key West, and how a large majority of locals realized they did not miss (or need) cruise ships..only after they stopped coming during COVID. And believe me when I say that few who live and do business in Cinque Terre would miss the cruise ships now calling at La Spezia. There was a time when DW and I would happily spend a few nights in one of those 5 villages, helping the local economy by staying in their small inns, eating in their restaurants etc. Now, we would not even consider spending nights in any of those villages just like we would never consider a vacation on St Thomas. And we are cruise lovers! So, beat me with a wet noodle because that does make me a hypocrite. But sometimes reality works that way! Resort/Port cities can control growth through the use of building permits (mentioned by Mary). Is that really much different than restricting the tonnage or size of ships? I have not heard a lot of talk about banning (or even restricting) the cruise ships from large commercial ports such as Civitavecchia, Barcelona, NYC, etc., but it is different in the smaller less commercial ports. Anyone old enough to remember when Charlotte Amalie was a cute shopping town can attest to the negative impact of so many cruisers (which can easily exceed 30,000 on a single day!) While the cruise industry has certainly helped some companies, such as Diamonds International, it has helped to drive-out most of the decent linen shops which used to be a staple in Charlotte Amalie. Do you think locals appreciate the wall-to-wall jewelry stores, liquor stores, etc? My goodness, What happens when RCI starts building 300,000+ ton ships with 10,000 passengers! Hank

Too much disinformation. We often talk about various insurance policies on the Cruise Discussion Topics/Cruise-Travel Insurance thread where there are a few very informative posters. But insurance is not a "one size fits all" so folks need to read policies before purchasing. Most (not all) travel insurance, sold in the USA, includes a component called "trip evacuation" or "emergency evacuation." The devil is in the details which vary from policy to policy. Some trip medical policies (such as GeoBlue) also include evacuation insurance. And than there are the stand-alone policies such as the mentioned Medjetassist policy. In addition, some high end credit cards also have some evacuation coverage (again, you need to read the policy). Most Evacuation policies will cover inpatient hospital to inpatient hospital. Some policies will let you choose the hospital while others will only cover to the nearest decent hospital. Again, the devil is in the details. It should be emphasized that the general rule is that the attending physician must agree that the patient is fit to be transferred, the receiving physician must agree, and so does the insurance company (who usually assigns a case manager to each case). As has been posted, being airlifted off a ship is not billed to the patient, but once that helicopter lands, everything else is the responsibility of the patient and their insurance (if any). The cost of medical evacuation can easily exceed $50,000 (if far from home) so insurance is important, When DW needed to be evacuated from Japan to the USA, she was able to do it on a commercial airline (Delta) in a lay flat seat. That one ticket cost our insurance company $10,000! If Delta had refused to take her, the insurance company would have needed to arrange for an air ambulance...the cost of which would have been ridiculous! Hank

Just looked at Uber and they charge about $70, but this will vary depending on surge pricing. Taxis will generally be even more expensive. Hank

I am delighted that some of the best experts, here on CC, jumped in on the topic. I am starting to think that we are moving into an era when there will something akin to two different cruise worlds, The biggest arm will be the large/mega ship companies (lets call anything over 1000 passengers large) that will move the most passengers and focus on fewer ports. These ships are their own destination and will continue to attract millions of passengers per year. The other arm of the industry will be the small ship premium/luxury lines that will focus on the ports. Many of the ports that object to the large/mega ships, seem to OK with smaller vessels...especially when those vessels have passengers more willing to spend money ashore...than found on the mega ships. This small ship market seems to be undergoing quite an expansion as several lines continue to add even smaller "exploration ships" and other lines expand. To this we can add the new Explora Journey cruise line which is in the process of expanding to 6 new 900 passenger ships. We already see some ports, such as St Barts, welcoming small luxury ships and discouraging visits from larger mega ships. Bar Harbor's voters have, so-far, agreed to accept up to 1000 cruise ship passengers a day. Even Key West voters seem OK with accepting a low number of cruise passengers (one proposal was no more than 1500 a day). There also is a huge difference between the mass market mega ships and the small luxury ships, in terms of what is offered (onboard) and their targeted customers. DW and I are somewhat weird in that we enjoy both the smallest luxury ships (just came off a ship with 400 passengers) and some of the larger mega ships (have an upcoming Sky Princess cruise). Most folks we meet on the luxury lines do not want any part of the mega ships. Hank

It takes DW and I about 40 minutes, but it would depend on how fast your walk. It is all flat and, once out of the port, just along city sidewalks. Nothing really scenic, and to be honest, we prefer to use a taxi (if available). On one occasion, we returned to Le Havre late on a Saturday afternoon (around 5pm) and intended to grab a taxi back to our ship. The taxi stand is to the left side of the station as you exit (you go out the front door, turn left and then left at the corner) and when we got to that area there were no taxis and several locals on their phones trying to get taxis. I think the problem was it was about dinner time, and French taxi drivers do not like to work during meal times, coffee breaks, or many other times! Since the locals were not having much luck getting a taxi, we decided to make the trek back to the ship (no fun since we were already tired from walking miles in Rouen). I mention this because it goes to what I call our "Plan B" which we think is always an important part of independent travel (whether on a cruise or just a land trip). In this case, we got back to Le Havre in plenty of time to even crawl to the ship...if necessary :). Having done a lot of traveling in France, outside of Paris we know to never depend on taxis! Even the normally reliable "G7" radio taxis are not very dependable in Le Havre. Hank