Hlitner

With a 2 year old you might want to exercise some caution. Some of these boat tours use open boats (no shelter from the sun). And if your tour includes the Blue Grotto, you will need to transfer, while at sea, from your tour boat to a smaller manually rowed boat, in order to go into the Blue Grotto. After being rowed through the grotto you head back to your tour boat and again need to change boats (all done while at sea). Hank

We stayed at that Sofitel in August 2021 because we arrived in Athens in the evening and had a cruise the following day. It is located right across the street from the airport terminal and we simply walked (rolling our luggage) over to the hotel. It is a pretty modern buidling with typical Sofitel rooms (modern and average size). They have a bar/restaurant and it is a comfortable property. When it was time to go to the port we simply had the doorman get us a taxi. The hotel is perfect for a short-stay if you have no interest in going into Athens. Hank

We noticed that the Quest is due to dock in Barcelona on July 18 (which ends its current cruise). It appears that it's next cruise does not begin until July 24, when it begins a cruise in Lisbon. Does anyone have a clue as to what this ship is doing for the July 18- July 23 (when it is due to dock in Lisbon)? Hank

It does appear that the EJ folks could care less about customer inconvenience. They have, so far, made no attempt to communicate their situation and plans with Explora 1, and seem to be comfortable leaving folks in the dark until a few short days prior to a booked voyage. This is also very unfortunate for the decent cruise/travel agents who have also been left in the dark and have no idea what advice to give their customers. In the world of sports this would be called an "unforced error" on the part of EJ. Hank

My message to the OP is qutie simple. First, read Cruisemom's post and take it to the bank. and Second, you are talking about visiting major cruise ports (tourist destinations) in the heart of the season (July-August) which means everything tourist will be crowded. If you are going to be the typical tourist and go to the typical tourist things you are going to be in crowds and must deal with queues On the other hand, you could be a more contrarian traveler and plan some of your days to go to places and do things that are much less popular. This is the time of year when DW and I used to love relaxing at outdoor cafes in places like Rome and Paris, and people watching the big tour groups (who often looked worn out and miserable) as they stuck with their groups. But these days, for folks in Italy, Greece (and some other countries) it would be wise to spend more time indoors due to the heat. Perhaps this is a good thread to talk abouit being a bit contrarian. For example, while Italy and Greece are dealing with the heat of July-August, it is dry, sunny, and comfortable in Lisbop (and much of Portugal. Northern Europe has comfy temperatures (Copenhagen has only been in the 70s) and is also a popular tourist destination. But if you go to the Med in July-August you must be prepared for heat. Hank

We have done several HAL repostioning cruises (across the Atlantic and the Pacific) and I really do not think the term applies to most HAL voyages. HAL does not generally leave a ship in a "home port" for any length. What other lines would consider a repositioning cruise, HAL will often think of as just a segment of a longer cruise (the Grand Med cruises out of Port Everglades are a good example). When we have done these cruises, everything aboard is quite normal when compared to other voyages The ships have been fully staffed, most have been close to capacity, and life aboard is normal except that you generally will get lots of sea days. When HAL still did Production Shows, they only had a small repertoire (generally no more than 4 different shows) so they were often spread out. That is no longer an issue since HAL does not do Production Shows, The Step One DAncers do their repertoire (same old same old). It is often common to have 1 or 2 lecturers aboard. DW and I love the repo (i.e. trans ocean) cruises because we enjoy the long/lazy sea days. We have seen a few passengers who were miserable and bored, but most HAL cruisers seem to be happy with sea days. Hank

There are also a few lines that have departures from St Maarten (i.e. MSC, Windstar, etc). Hank

They did not say where they were when they turned back to home. If we had been in that situation, and had done our own air. we would have simply flown to either Kotor or Athens to catch-up with the ship. Strange that "O" did not advocate for one of those options. Hank

I would advise that just like Viator, you are referring to tour booking agencies (tour consolidators) which are not the actual tour provider. With these booking agencies you are also dealing with a third party company...not the actual tour provider. Hank

Sorry to confirm to the OP that we are not permitted to recommend specific cruise/travel agencies on CC. When I meet folks on our many cruises, if they ask, we will give them a few different agencies and agent. But anyone should conduct their own due diligence and make an attempt to check-out any agency via the Internet (look for negative and/or positive reviews, check with the BBB, etc). We have long suggested that folks shop around among reputable high volume agencies that have been around for a few years. Read their history, FAQs, and all the policy info regarding how they operate, whether they charge fees, etc. As far as dealing with agents, we do have our current favorite and mostly deal with her via e-mail. When I need to talk on the phone that is also possible. This favorite agent has some real agent credientials/certificates from ASTA and CLIA...and she knows the industry. Many agents have no clue and are simply order takers...and those we avoid. I also tease our favorites (we primarily use two agencies) that my loyalty to them is only as good as the last booking. While we do not necessarily expect the best deal on earth, we do expect one of the better deals in terms of On Board Credits, pre-paid grats, etc. Since we book longer more exotic cruises these extra perks can amount to thousands of dollars on a single booking... money that we would not get if we booked directly with the cruise line. As a general rule, getting 7-10% of the cruise price in extras (On Board Credits, tips, etc) is what we expect (and get) on most mass market lines. Luxury lines are somewhat different. And finally I would suggest looking for agencies that are part of travel consortiums (large industry buying groups). The big consortiums have more clout with the cruise lines and can often pass along perks that come from their consortium. I will not go into a lot of detail but you can Google something like :"What is a Travel Consortia" and learn more about these organizations. Hank

The issue with Princess (and most cruise lines) is that when you set-up your online account (which is become a necessity) they generally ask for your full mailing address. And even if that was not required, you will need to use your address when you enter a credit card. The Princess "Ocean Ready" app requires your zip code when adding any credit card. I am not sure how my Aussie friend deals with the credit card issue and I cannot reach him at this time. Hank

The day the OP's ship will be in Ajaccio will also have the Aida Cosma in the same port. So we are talking about over 7000 souls. This will certainly put a few folks in the streets of town, although many will likely take excursions to various places on the island. I would agree with some of the other posters that Ajaccio is a very walkable city for folks without major mobility limitations. We would never consider a HoHo bus in that town,.,,but we enjoy walking The distance from the pier to the museum is only about 1/4 of a mile (although there is an upslope). Will the museum be crowded? Who knows. But it will be easy to walk there and check it out. Hank P.S. The last time we were in Ajaccio we had fabulous moles et frites for lunch. There are some decent (and not too expensive) eating venues near the harbor.

My issue with Viator is why deal with a third party booking agency when there is no need? It is easy enough to conduct one's own research and hire local tour providers. When dealing direct you may (or may not) save money, and know where to go if something goes wrong. These days, we have learned to deal direct with most entities unless a third party is going to save us money or be a good advocate when things go south. With Viator, you generally do not know who the local tour provider will be until after you have booked and paid. As a simple example, consider Kusadasi (a major cruise port in Turkey). Many folks book private tours in that city, and there happen to be many excellent local tour companies and guides. We know of two highly regarded tour companies (we have used one) with whom we would be happy to do business. There are also quite a few local tour providers that are less professional, do not have the best guides, etc. If we were to book with Viator, we would not have any control over the provider. A few years ago when we decided to book a private tour (in Kusadasi), we directly e-mailed our chosen tour company and gave them specifications on the kind of guide we would accept. We also restructured the published tour to meet our own wants (it was our 5th visit to Kusadasi). When we arrived, we got exactly what we had requested, and it was a near perfect day. If we had Viator or any other third party booking agency we would have likely paid more money and had zero control over the qualifications of our specific guide. To be honest, DW and I dislike tours (we are mostly DIY travelers) but when we do want a tour, we prefer to have some control over the qualifications of the guide or to deal with a local tour provider who has a stellar Hank

So lets play a speculation game. If we assume that the Kiel story is true, and going to happen, why? The ship is scheduled to begin a voyage on Aug 21, from Hamburg. Repositioning the ship from Italy to Kiel would put it much closer to Hamburg. If we again speculate that all or some of the insulated panels will be replaced, this work is "dry work" that can be done by workmen at any location (even at sea). So, carrying this pure speculation to its conclusion, do you think that Explora will cancel the cruises from Aug1 21 and than pick up their published schedule from Hamburg? I will again emphasize that this post is pure speculation (based on nothing but the Kiel news) that is the only sense I can make out of the Kiel theory. I would also mention that two of the larger manufacturers of this type of panel are relatively close to Kiel...which can certainly help the logistics of getting replacement panels to the vessel (more pure speculation). Hank

Just a few comments about this, and our Aussie friend who books many HAL cruises through a North American agency. Many Passports do not show an address or even residence. For example, USA Passports do not have an address unless you decide to fill it out (and the Dept of State suggests you should fill out the residence stuff with a pencil so it can later be erased). Our Aussie friend has used the Canadian address for about 2 decades and apparently that is also the record on file with HALs Mariner Club. He figured out, many years ago, that the cruise lines really do not go beyond the most basic steps in verifying residence I think the cruise lines (that care) are aware that there are some cruisers using false addresses. But, other than going through the motions (to protect their overseas deals) they likely do not really care. Somebody who books lots of days (our friend will sometimes cruise about 200 days a year with HAL) is welcomed without a lot of questions. Having an Australian Passport and claiming a North American address is really not all that unusual. Another interesting tidbit came from a HAL cruiser we recently met on the Westerdam who lives in Europe, but carries two Passports (European and USA). He told us he also uses a US Address to book his HAL cruises...even though his legal residence remains in a Schengen country. I guess it is safe to say that many folks have a "little larceny in their bones" and do not always follow the rules! My late father used to say that "everyone drives over the speed limit....even the Dudley Do Rights." He was also not a big fan of CPAs because he thought most "follow the rules" rather than find ways to get around those rules. Even our own government breaks their own rules...and then essentially says, "if you don't like it take us to court." It takes years for the courts to intervene, and meanwhile the broken rules are the law of the land. Hank

A few different issues. Renting a car in Marseille means getting into town (taxi or shuttle) and to the rental car office (most are near the train station). As to whether getting a car is a good idea, that depends on what you want to do with your day. If you simply want to go to a city such as Aix, than a bus or train is generally a better option. If you want to explore Luberon and go to a few smaller rural towns than a car makes sense. DW and I are not big planners and often have no clue what we will do until we get off the ship in a port. But, if are going to rent a car we will have a plan (including getting back to the port in plenty of time). While we do rent cars all over Europe, Marseille is a port where we usually prefer other options. That being said, if we were in Marseille on a Sunday and could find an open rental car office (not always possible on Sundays in France) we would consider renting a car just so we could drive to Le Sayne sur Mer for the Sunday market (but we would need to get there by 10:30). We love the region north of Marseille, but in many cases you do not need a car. A simple port day trip is to head up to Aix en Provence for the day. We also love the are around Avignon (an hours drive from Marseile) and there are plenty of towns/villages, etc in that part of Provence. Tours routinely go to St Remy (there are some undervisited Roman ruins just outside of town) Les Baux, Pont du Gard, Arles, Nimes, etc. etc. There is a reason why we like to rent apartments in the region (usually for 1-2 weeks). But we all have or own likes/dislikes. Many folks will drive a long way just to see lavender fields while that would not be a personal priority (most lavender fields look alike....lavender growing in a field). On the other hand, DW and I really enjoy visiting some of the towns of the Luberon (Gordes, Rousillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin, etc. Others might be bored by village hopping. DW and I also love the markets (which move from town to town) and will often drive to a village on their market day. We also enjoy finding nice cafes (in smaller villages) and enjoying a long lunch. Others might say they do not want to "waste" a port day eating a long lunch, but to us the food and wine are a very important part of French culture. Getting back to the car question, if you want to go to a city, (from Marseille think of Aix and perhaps Avignon) the train or bus might make the most sense. If you want to explore outside the cities or go to places like Les Baux that do not have easy access via public transit, than a car is often the way to gol Hank

You think? I think I will book 5 or 6 cruises today, and later decide if I want to keep 1. That means that other folks who want to go on those cruises might have a problem. Good plan. Sound far fetched? We have met cruisers that boast about doing this..and they do it with higher deposits. Some HAL cruisers will jump at those $1 deposits to book their favorite cabin on many different cruises. They will later decide which ones (if any) they will actually take. Not all of us get carried away with planning. We have a month long cruise in a few days, that goes to over 20 ports. We have no excursions, no tours, and no solid plans. In many cases we will decide what to do when we walk off the ship. In many cases, our actual plans will be somewhat dependent on the weather and how we feel on a particular day. Life is good 🙂 Hank

I can address your question as one who lives in Mexico (10 weeks a year). The State Department does suggest that folks register their location, but that is primarily for those of us who live or stay in a single place for some length of time. This is to help in case our government wants to evacuate Americans (such as they did in Afghanistan) or if there is a major emergency (like an earthquake) it gives them an idea of who is in the country. That registration would not help with replacing a Passport as that is a set procedure. Losing a Passport is a major problem/hassle. Ideally, the traveler needs to get to the nearest consulate or embassy to request an emergency replacement. Having a picture of your lost Passport (we keep photos on our phone) does make life easier at the consulate, since they than have your Passport # and issuing date. Hank

The bar menus are marketing and somewhat meaningless. Any of the bars can make any drink for which they have the proper items. In theory, this should mean that any bar can make any reasonble request. In practice, there can be shortages from one bar to another. We have found HAL bartenders to be friendly and helpful. If you have a favorite bar, and they do not have what you want, just ask the bartender. In most cases, they will get it..although it might not be immediate. When we were recently on the Westerdam, we would walk by one bar on our way to the main theater and, one time, I asked if they had some Glenmorangie. That bar did not have any (there were many shortages and outages on our cruise). The following evening as I was walking past that same bar the bar tender got my attention and said, I have plenty of your Glenmorangie :). On the other hand, I sometimes lie a Vodka Gimlet which is made with vodka and Rose's Lime Juice. On our 42 day cruise, the ship ran out of Rose's after a few weeks. When we reached Kodiac, Alaska, a drinking friend noticed that a local booze store had plenty of Rose's and bought two small bottles as a gift to me. He gave the bottles at our favorite bar, and I immediately gave them to our favorite bar tender who hid them away for our "private stash." I did suggest that he mention to the ship's beverage manager that if passengers can easily get products, HAL needs to improve their buying practices. But this was also a cruise where they ran out of basic black tea only a few days into a cruise around Japan (where you can buy tea anywhere). Finally, after about a week of complaints, one of the Maitre d's went ashore in Yokohama and bought a supply of black tea at a local shop (a friend saw it happen). Hank

We are very familiar with NYC (our birth place and home of our grandchildren) and also know the region. We agree with the suggestions to go to NYC the day before your cruise, spend a relaxing night in a NYC hotel, and than just grab a taxi or Uber/Lyft to the port. Yes, you can go down to the ferry terminal, drag your luggage, wait for the next ferry, drag your luggage off the ferry at Red Hook, etc. It is a plan, When we have done to Red Hook from Manhattan, we found life easier to just grab an Uber/Lyft (one could also use a taxi) directly to the port. We prefer Uber/Lyft since the price is fixed... The traffic the last few blocks before the Red Hook cruise area can be...difficult and involve some waiting time. With a taxi, the meter is running! I will confess to sometimes coming into NYC on the embarkation day of a cruise, but we only do this when driving (which gives us some control). And we generally plan on being in the city by noon...giving us a good margin if we run into traffic problems. But trains do break down, AMTRAC does not always recover in a fast way, and we are always uncomfortable when not in control. Most of the time we will even drive in a day early (we can stay with DD) just to be safe.

That is why I asked for help. Am very comfortable driving in Manhattan, but Brooklyn and Queens leave me scratching my head. I appreciate the suggestions. Since we drive into NYC via the Holland Tunnel (DW lives in Gramercy Park) we have previously filled up before the tunnel and later made to JFK with the gauge on Full. But this time, Hertz is honoring me with an upgrade to a larger car so we may need to top it off. A true pain. And to add to my misery, I noticed that the Airtrain does not currently stop at Terminal 1 (and of course, that is where we need to get our flight). So now, I have to deal with that extra hassle (getting off at 8 and then taking a shuttle bus). And getting some gas will just add to the hassles. It makes too much sense that there should be a gas station at Federal Circle, but we are talking NYC! Hank

I want to thank both Heidi13 and chengkp (who is lurking somewhere) for all the professional mariner knowledge they contribute to these CC boards. They have both taught me a lot about the industry. Hank

I will assume that it is similar to what we have experienced on the other Royal Class ships. The biggest problem, for those who want to pay for the Sanctuary, is it is first/come first/serve. If you get priority boarding, you should immediately head to the retreat and hope for the best. But passengers who are back to backs, will have been on the ship before any newly embarking passengers, and those folks will snag the best spots (maybe all the spots). When we were on the Enchanted, we were among the first on the ship (we get priority boarding) and did run to the Sanctuary where there was already a long line. The staff took folks, 1 couple at a time, to look at what was available. Because of this procedure, it took us more than an hour to get to the front of the line. There were a few loungers available, but all would have been in less desirable sunny areas. If you do not have priority boarding (big suites, Elite, etc) than you will likely be completely out of luck. You may still be able to get a spot for a half or perhaps full day, but all the full cruise slots will likely be already booked. Hank

OMG, another huge screw up by O. We went through similar BS with our Marina booking back in Dec 2021. The cruise line changed our itinerary and debarkation port from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile (only 1500 miles distant) with 3 weeks notice. 2 days later they sent us an e-mail and said they were not sure if they were going to make the change (they had previously announced) and we should wait a few days to make an arrangements (we had already cancelled our air from Lima). Then 3 days later they told us, yes, we are changing the entire 2nd half of the itinerary and moving the debarkation port. At that point we told O to take a hike, cancelled (2 weeks prior to the cruise) and demanded (and received) a full refund. So, I wonder how many on your ship had already cancelled private tours in Kotor and Split before O again changed their mind. But you are lucky to be going to Split and Kotor! In regard to Kotor, be up early and on deck to enjoy the picturesque sail-in to that port. You should get about 1 1/2 hours of some wonderful views and you weave your way to Kotor. It is one of my favorite ports in that region. Hank

We are trying to live,.,as you encourage! While we have some age related issues, our health still allows for lots of travel (knock on wood or a bulkhead). The big problem with spending an entire summer in Europe is the 90 day visit (every 6 months) imposed by the Schengen countries. That was a common bar-talk topic on our recent Westerdam cruise since some of our cruising friends spend a lot of time in Europe. One couple (on the HAL cruise) was planning to spend a significant amount of time in Albania, just to escape the Schengen requirement. Another was going to escape Schengen to the UK. Hank