Hlitner

Well, I think like lots of rumors, that tale is simply a fairy tale! Whether the Saudis or another entity ultimately buys Seabourn is still a question. What is not a rumor is that Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has (or had) a sizable investment in CCL (and I believe also NCLH). At one time PIF owned about 8% of CCL, but I am not sure of the current percentage of their investment. It also gets more complicated because there has recently been some major CCL stock purchases by a few large hedge funds. PIF (the huge Saudi investment fund) also invests in various hedge funds (like Blackrock). Some say that PIF has more than $700 Billion in investments (which might be an understatement); No question the Saudis have some interest in the cruise industry. But whether they eventually buy a cruise line, start their own cruise line, or simply invest in existing cruise lines is all a big question. There is also a major complication for cruises that stop (or would operate out of) Saudi ports...which is the sale/use of alcohol. Last year CNBC had an interesting article about the Saudis and Seabourn: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/24/saudi-fund-in-early-talks-to-potentially-buy-carnivals-ultra-luxury-seabourn-brand.html Hank

My goodness folks, why on earth are you trying to book a local transfer online! Simply ask your hotel to get you a taxi. In fact, the one time we actually stayed in Civitavecchia our hotel simply drove us over to the port in their hotel van. If you are staying in town, you can also consider taking the port shuttle bus. Some has said they now have shuttles that drop near the train station (not sure if this is true). Previously, once could simply grab a local bus from the train station (about 2 Euros) to the Largo della Pace bus stop where you would get free port shuttles directly to your ship. The buses have plenty of storage for luggage. Hank

DO NOT buy in advance, any boat ticket to Oia. The problem is that these are private water taxis (not really speed boats) and they do not operate on a reliable schedule. When you get off the tender, will likely see one (or more) boat operators selling trips to Oia. But, you want to make sure they are are near full (or are filling fast) since you might buy a ticket and than sit for an hour (or more) while they wait to fill up their boat. Plan B for getting to Oia is not very difficult. Take the cable car up to Fira and you would than walk through a major part of town to get to the bus station (located near the main parking area). You can than take the public bus to Oia or perhaps share a taxi. The taxis used to charge 25 Euros (for the entire taxi) but I assume the fare has now increased. Hank

On our recent visit to Alaska we noticed that a single Jumbo Red King Crab Leg was priced at $119.95 at a local restaurant. And that price was just for the crab leg and did not include sides, drink, tax or tip. An entire King Crab was priced at $179.95. So no, you will not see that onboard at the crab-shack or anywhere else. Hank

In our Westerdam Signature Suite there was one pair of binoculars and a single umbrella (full size) in the closet. Like Highscar (above) we prefer to bring our own compact Totes which are much easier to carry or can just be slipped in our backpack or DW's tote bag. Hank

Your story reminded me of an incident we had on the Oosterdam, a few years ago. DW and I, and another couple we had just met, sat down for a late breakfast in the Lido. We chose an empty table. As we were all eating our breakfast a couple of ladies came up to our table and told us we had to move because this was where they had their "knitting club." The other lady (not my wife) quickly responded that they were welcome to the table when we had all finished our breakfast. The other ladies, again, insisted we had to leave NOW because it was their usual table. At that point we did tell them to go find another table. But we viewed this as a different issue on HAL, which is that there are many folks who use the Lido as their game table, card table, knitting table, etc. The Lido is supposed to be a restaurant with the tables used for dining. But too many just hang out there all day which can make it difficult for others who simply want a place to eat. Hank

I would likely be in a small minority of cruisers who thinks that the current emergency/muster drills are sadly lacking on many levels. It seems like passenger comfort and convenience now take precedence over really effective safety drills. At some point in the future, there will be a major problem on a larger cruise ship, and folks are going to either die or be seriously injured because everyone the safety procedures are going to fail. As one who used to work in the Emergency Medical and Fire world (I was a volunteer firefighter and a Certified Paramedic) I know how important practice is as preparation for a real emergency. These days folks are supposed to watch the video in their cabins, but we suspect that many (if not most) simply let it play on their cabin TV while they go about doing other things (and may not even be in their cabin). On most ships they must than report to some designated area where they are simply "checked-in" and than go off on their merry way. Those procedures are not going to prove adequate in the case of a real emergency. We remember the days when passengers had to muster at their lifeboat stations, watch real life demos of how to use a lifevest, etc. While those procedures were far from perfect, they did a good job emphasizing the seriousness of the drill and give passengers (and crew) a good idea of where to go and what to do. When serious emergencies do happen (like the Costa Concordia or the old MTS Oceanos), we know that the situation becomes very serious when the crew does not do as directed and many passengers panic. By the way, the reason I cited those two specific ships was that in each case, the Master/Captain of the vessel performed very poorly which led to lots of panic (and loss of life). Hank

Most restaurants and stores will take US Dollars. However, each place determines their own exchange rate and it is usually not very favorable to the customer. Some restaurants, bars, and stores do accept major credit cards. However, travelers/cruisers need to be aware of "Dynamic Currency Conversion" with both credit cards and ATM cards. This is where a merchant or machine will offer you an exchange rate and you can either accept or decline. If you accept, you will be getting a lousy exchange rate (usually 5-10% below the normal bank exchange rate) so you should always decline. The transaction will still go through in Pesos, and will later be converted (by the international banking system) at a much more favorable rate. Hank

We have been to Zebrugges a few times, and there were always a group of taxis lined up at the port. That being said, there are not enough taxis to completely meet the demand and it is first come, first serve. So, if you want a taxi, be among the earlier folks to debark your ship. On one trip we hiked out of the port, got a local bus to Blankenberge from where we caught the train to Burgge. But that was quite a few years ago and do not know the current situation re public transit from the port to Blankenberge. Hank

Let me give you some geography and you can later decide. If you look at a map of Puerto Vallarta, you will notice that the Malecon (the local version of a boardwalk) starts from the Northern end of town (across the street from the old Rosita Hotel) and extends about 3/4 of a mile to the Rio Cujale (the local river) where there is a pedestrian bridge. The route than continues in the Romantic Zone/Old Town where one can walk along a couple of shopping streets or along the beach (Los Muertos Beach) which is lined with cafes/restaurants/bars, etc. For those who simply want to take a long walk (it is all flat) of about 2 miles, we suggest having a taxi drop you at the Rosita Hotel. From there, you can start strolling (south) along the Malecon, browse shops, stop anytime for a drink/snack, etc. You can deviate off the basic route and walk up to the famous local Church of Our Lady Guadelupe (worth a visit to glance inside), shop at the flea market area along the Rio Cujale, explore the small island in the middle of the Rio (it has some restaurants and shops/kiosks, and than cross over to the Romantic Zone (where we live in the winter). in the Romantic Zone there are many decent eating venues, plenty of shops, art galleries, etc. There are numerous places where you can have drinks, lunch, etc. We have no health/safety concerns eating or drinking at any of the local places. But like any town, some places are better then others and you can find lots of online reviews of the various venues. There is food for just about any taste (or price range). You can also eat on the beach as there are quite a few places that have tables/service right on the sand. And finally I can say that PV is a very tourist friendly town where English is widely spoken. If you need help just ask and most folks (gringo or Mexican) will generally be happy to help. When you are ready to return to the port you can simply grab a taxi (there are taxi stations scattered around town and taxis will also pick-up on the street) or take a local bus (about 60 cents). Like any tourist town, we do have our share of pickpockets, so take normal precautions with your valuables. Hank P.S. If you think I love this town you would be correct :).

Your post made me smile. When we were on a Seabourn cruise (in Greece) we met a lovely lady who was bouncing back and forth between our Seabourn ship and a Silverseas vessel that was also doing the Greek Islands on a similar schedule. Every month, she switched ships (and did this for about 4 months). When we asked her for a comparison of the lines, she said that SS was just too quiet and not as much fun as Seabourn (where they have deck parties, caviar in the surf, etc). If the piped-in music is too loud, we wonder if a quiet comment to management might have the desired effect. It never hurts to politely make your concerns known, and at least give management a chance. Hank

Not boasting, but we have been blessed to have cruised on 16 different lines (17 and 18 are booked) ranging from true budget lines (such as the long gone Regency) to luxury lines such as Seabourn and Crystal. We have seen badly behaved passengers on every ship/line with the exception of our one Crystal cruise, Azamara, and our numerous Seabourn cruises. As to Seabourn, I think one factor is that their ships are very spacious (no lines and very little crowding) and relatively small 450 or 600 passenger. We find the "snob" effect fascinating. For many years we resisted going on Seabourn because we expected an issue with a ship full of snobs. The reality was completely different and we found our shipmates to be gracious, fun, interesting, laid back, and generally very polite. Where we have encountered the most "snob effect" has been on a couple of our longer HAL cruises (we have over 500 days on that line) where we have sometimes encountered the attitude of, "I have been on X number of cruises which makes me better than others," or "how many worlds have you done?" i should also mention that on our most recent HAL cruise (last month) we met a gentleman who is worth over $200 million (why on earth was he on HAL?) who was completely charming and an excellent dinner companion (we dined with him twice). So, here is my theory! There is no accounting for "jerks" and they do exist everywhere. There are also folks who cannot "hold their booze" and all the drinking on ships contribute to their bad behavior. But we cannot help but think that folks on the luxury lines simply have the attitude that everyone on the ship is there....which makes them OK (just because they are there). Not sure if that makes sense, but it explains what we have encountered. Where does that leave "O?" I have no clue since we have yet to cruise on O (but a 35 day cruise is booked). If we accept the premise of "premium lines" we have cruised (several times) on Azamara and never witnessed bad behavior on those cruises. We would think that "O" attracts a similar crowd to what we have had on Azamara. But any cruise can have some "jerks" and that is just the roll of the dice. I also think that for those that are always complaining about "jerks" on every cruise....that perhaps they should look inward. Perhaps there is something in their own behavior that brings out the worst in folks 🙂 Hank

We spend 11 wonderful days, pre-cruise in Japan. Despite a lot of rainy and partially rainy days we truly enjoyed our 4 nights in Tokyo, 6 nights in Kyoto and the one night in Yokohama. Doing our own thing, with lots of luggage, was a challenge but fun. The highlight of our 8 week trip (6 weeks on a HAL cruise) was certainly the days/nights we spent pre-cruise. Hank

We stayed at the Park Royal (I think we were on the 71st floor). Getting a taxi was no different than getting a taxi from any hotel....just ask the doorman...wait a couple of minutes...and than the taxi appears. I do not remember the exact cost, but it was no more than $15. To be honest, most folks flying half way around the world to Japan, and taking a cruise, should not be overly concerned about whether a taxi fare is $10 or $15. By the way, we loved our hotel location because we were part of a huge office/shopping complex with a large shopping center next door. The day we got to Yokohoma (we took the bullet train up from Kyoto) it was chilly with heavy rain made horizontal by a nasty wind. But, from our hotel we could simply walk underground to the shopping center where there were plenty of restaurants and some decent browsing (of shops). Under normal circumstances, it would probably make sense to be in a hotel closer to Chinatown (which is relatively close to the port) since that is a fascinating neighborhood in Yokohama (the largest chinatown in the country). But getting around Yokohama (and/or Tokyo) is relatively easy since Japan has an amazing public transit system. Subways in our country are not that clean the day they are new! Hank

Each person/couple should do what best fits their own needs/wants/budget and risk tolerance. You are not only buying insurance, but peace of mind. As far as an inexpensive way to insure, DW and I simply buy an annual GeoBlue Policy (lots of medical and evacuation coverage) and use a Chase Sapphire Reserve card (trip cancellation/interruption of up to $10,000 per person). We have, unfortunately, had to file several claims (including a recent major claim) and collected every penny (for medical, cancellation and interruptions). That being said, the Chase cancellation/interruption insurance is administered and reviewed by Eclaimsline which is apparently part of the Allianz family of companies. Dealing with eclaimsline is quite difficult and somewhat frustrating, but they do pay claims as long as you dot you are diligent, persistent, mildly assertive, and do not give up! For us, the savings for NOT buying normal trip insurance has been huge. We once calculated that we have saved far more than $100,000 because of all the travel insurance premiums we have NOT PAID. I suspect the savings now is closer to $200,000 because we do travel up to 6 months a year. We are comfortable self-insuring some risk (we have never even considered CFAR coverage) but also think that medical insurance coverage should be at least $100,000 (not the $10-$20,000 included in many trip insurance policies). We would echo one of the other comments that trip insurance does not generally provide immediate payment. In fact, our most recent claims (totally over $20,000) took over 5 months to get settled and paid. Folks need to cover their own related bills during that period of time! That being said, Geoblue does have a network of hospitals/physicians around the world who do accept "assignment" which means you do not need to pay up front. However, the odds are that you will likely find yourself dealing with hospitals and physicians who are not part of this network. In the case of our foreign medical claims (on cruise ships, in Japan, and in Mexico) we had to pay all the medical bills and later get reimbursed by insurance. Hank

LOL! I am looking forward to any review! The maiden voyage is still about 1 month in the future, and you can be sure that all of we early bookers are very curious to hear what we will get for our money. I suspect that a large majority of passengers will be Europeans who are familiar with MSC's Yacht Club and trust the management team. The ship (Explora 1) is still docked at Monfalcone (near the shipyard where it was built) and has completed its sea trials. Booking a new luxury cruise line and ship, at luxury prices, is an interesting gamble. They have yet to do any major marketing in North America which is not surprising since, currently, we are talking about a line with 1 ship (900 passengers). But they will quickly have 3 more sister ships (with two others optioned) and quickly become a major player in the higher end sector of the industry. While most of the cruise industry has been tightening their belts and trying to cut costs, MSC has continued to spend money like a drunken sailor...with their continued expansion. Not surprising when the family also owns the largest container ship company in the world. Hank

As an ex New Yorker (was born in Manhattan) and one who is there quite often (to see DD and the grandkids) we have a few suggestions. It is very likely that your cruise will depart from the terminal over in Brooklyn (Red Hook) which is not an area we suggest for an overnight hotel. For those that want to stay relatively close, the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott is OK and within walking distance to some decent parts of Brooklyn. But for the OP, since they are flying-in 2 days early, we would strongly suggest finding a nice Manhattan hotel in a decent location. I hesitate to suggest a specific hotel, because there are many good options (in various price ranges) and choosing a neighborhood to stay in NYC is very much a personal preference kind of thing. One can look at the usual online hotel booking sites and try to find some kind of decent deal, although NYC hotels tend to be a bit expensive and the taxes make things much worse. Do not even think about staying near LGA as it is just not a particularly good area for somebody visiting NYC and wanting to do tourist things. As to getting to the cruise ship, that can easily be accomplished by using Uber, a taxi, or having your hotel arrange for some kind of "Black Car" service For going over to the Red Hook terminal, we tend to favor Uber since the price is pre-determined (and shows on the app) and traffic can be very slow those last few blocks (it backs up from the cruise port) adding to a metered taxi fare. Hank

I guess you could call me an IC Rat, because of all the time I spend sitting in the Atrium near the IC (I drink lots of cappuccino and coffee. One benefit is that we are constantly entertained by the the various activities in the Atrium...including the egg drop. And the egg drop is always entertaining, harms nobody (except the eggs) and is just good fun. If there is a prize, it might be a bottle of champagne or something similar. And nobody gets splattered as the cruise staff keeps the target area clear. Hank

One recent thread reported that Princess charged the 18% gratuity on the corkage fee...so it was $23.16. We have yet to see this confirmed by other posters. Hank

We debated (still talking about it) whether to book a Concierge level instead of a basic verandah. But, in the final analysis, it did not seem to make a lot of sense to pay another $1000 for a few small benefits (such as being able to book restaurant reservations a couple of weeks earlier). And, of course, now we have to wait and see what the new "all in" means in terms of benefits/cost. We booked with the O Life Beverage Package (we have no use for cruise line excursions in Europe) as a "holding action" which we can change depending on FDR's new options. Hank

Explora's web site booking engine has been an early disaster! That being said, we had no problem booking our first Explora cruise (for this Sept) by simply asking our favorite cruise agent to take care of the matter. She has told me that, from her point of view, the Explora customer service folks are wonderful. And to make matters even much nicer, after we had booked the travel consortium (of which the cruise agency is a member) decided to "sweeten the pot" with a generous OBC. We are quite excited to try this new product which has some interesting innovations. For us, the most interesting part is that they do not have a real MDR, but rather a series of smaller dining venues. They have also hired some fantastic management folks (from Oceania, Ritz Carlton, etc) which we HOPE translates to a good experience aboard. Hank

Personally, I think they should sell off HAL and keep Seabourn :). As to MSC Customer Service, it absolutely sucks. But that has never been a problem for us, since we book them through an excellent cruise agency/agent who is able to deal with them on a day to day basis. For me, just like when dealing with HAL, it is just a matter of sending a quick e-mail to my cruise agent and let them deal with issues. I can say, without any hesitation, that our onboard experience in the MSC Yacht Club (on two different ships) completely blows away the best service we have ever had on HAL. And when cruising in the Yacht Club, there is a 24/7 Concierge Desk (for just the 200 or so in the Yacht Club) just waiting to handle any questions/issues/requests. Where MSC may have among the worst shoreside customer service, the line really shines...once aboard. But (and I put this in every post about MSC) we would only recommend this line for those booked in the Yacht Club. Outside the YC it is a not a line we would ever cruise. Speaking of MSC, are one "take away" from that cruise line is Cacio e Pepe! One night in the Divina's Yacht Club Restaurant, the Italian Maitre'd made (tableside) his version of cacio e pepe! While food in the YC is generally OK (not the best), this was among the best pasta preparations we have ever eaten...anywhere! DW has since managed to duplicate that dish with some trial/error. After more than 500 days on HAL I can also say there are no HAL recipes that are used in our home. Hank

Perhaps....or at least for the moment. Sycamore Partners is what some would call a hedge fund (they would probably disagree with this categorization), so we will have to wait and see if they have a real commitment to developing a cruise line or whether they bottom fished (they got a good deal on their purchase) and will eventually sell Azamara for a quick profit. HAL fans might smile that Sycamore had hired Orlando Ashford to handle the day to day operations of Azamara (I believe he has since departed for other opportunities). When it comes to Azamara (a line we like) we have a difficult time thinking that Sycamore has long range plans to operate a 4 ship cruise line. Also consider that 3 of their 4 ships are 20+ years old, and are not up to the standards of the newer ships utilized by Premium and Luxury lines. We have long argues that the R ships are always going to be handicapped because of their relatively small cabin bathrooms. Hank

Interesting comments about MSC. We are among the HAL veterans (5*) who has cruised on MSC (6 cruises) and absolutely love the line if in their Yacht Club (no interest in outside the YC). It is an amazing product, has innovative management, and is growing by 1-2 new ships a year (for the foreseeable future). They have also spun off a new Luxury Line, called Explora Journeys, that is building 6- 900 passenger ships (the Explora 1 has its maiden voyage in July). For us, our last recent HAL cruise (42 days on the Westerdam) was our last HAL cruise unless the line changes its attitude and works to return to its previous high quality. Meanwhile, we continue to cruise several other lines (Princess, Oceania, Seabourn, Explora Journeys, MSC, etc). MSC is unique, among all major cruise lines, because it is privately held (not on the stock market) with the major owners (the Aponte family) not afraid of innovation. They are also the only cruise line with very deep pockets without having to deal with the outrageous debt service payments that now encumber CCL, RCI and NCLH. a Consider that on our last MSC cruise (Seaside) they had Production Shows every night of the week and generally 4 or 5 venues with live music until at least 11pm. I will give HAL the benefit of the doubt and hope that the reorganization of CCL is a step in improving the HAL product. On the other hand, HAL is also one of the brands for which there are currently no plans for newbuilds. We find it interesting that Seabourn is under HAL management, and hope that does not lead to the slow destruction of a terrific luxury line. Hank

With a GPS (or working phone with GPS) it is relatively easy. Once you get out of LeHavre, it is mostly rural and some small towns. Hank