Hlitner

I guess having gruel, 7 days a week would be fine if using your standard :). But some of us do think that if we are paying for caviar we should get caviar. And if paying for steak, but only getting dried out chicken might not be acceptable to some folks. Hank

You have done your homework and properly framed the situation. There is no right or wrong, and no best solution fits all. I do think the size of your ship (the smaller the better) and what other ships are in port about the same time all have a major impact on decision making. Tendering 600 passengers is much different than tendering 5000! Hank

I sometimes like to answer a question with a question :). The cost of a taxi from AMS into town (and the port) is usually less than 60 Euros. Uber will usually cost less than 40 Euros (this varies). For a taxi, one simply walks out of the terminal, goes to the taxi queue, and will be in a taxi and on your way within a minute. Those who use Uber know how that works and they will meet you outside the terminal. For those that prefer to rely on cruise line transfers, how much do you pay for that transfer? How long will you need to wait inside the terminal? How long will you wait once in a vehicle? We only use cruise lines transfers when the transfer is complicated or a very long distance (such as from VCE to Ravenna). Hank

Regarding the excess, since we are talking about $10, yeah, I would get it just to avoid hassles if we later had to file a claim (we are covered through our credit card). As to the IDP, I usually have one of those documents which I have found completely useless for the past 40+ years. I always figured the first time I do not have an IDP, I will get stopped by a cop for something and he/she will ask :). The rental companies have never asked for an IDP, but you just never know with the police. The last time I looked, Greece was one of those countries (like Italy and Germany ) that technically do require an IDP. Hank

If the weather cooperates, you should find several boat tours sold right on the pier as you exit from the ferry. My only advice would be that before you part with Euros, make sure to ascertain how long you will need to wait around at the pier. Some of these operators will wait until they get a full load, and this can wear on one's patience. Hank

Some will say that the best way to get around Paros is on their public buses, but we have found that one can waste a lot of valuable port time just waiting for the bus. Personally, when on many of the Greek Islands (including Paros) we find it advantageous to simply rent a car. Local rental car agencies will generally rent you a car for no more than $50. This is less expensive than any tour and gives you maximum flexibility to explore much of the island. In the spring-summer-fall tourist season, if you do want a car, make sure to reserve well in advance. Hank

You can go very wrong with the HIlton since it no longer exists (mentioned this another post). Hank

We are big fans of the MSC Yacht Club. Have no interest in ever staying outside the YC. Hank

Good point but we have never seen this happen on any cruise line. They did have a Bailey's wannabe substitute, but DW is a hardcore Bailey's fan. The other shortage, we have often seen on cruise lines, are various wines. On many lines the wine list is more "advisory" than real. This has been made a bigger problem since many mass market lines have gotten rid of real wine stewards who actually knew the inventory and could make recommendations. Hank

I do think it is a disturbing (and likely short lived) trend for larger ships to go to places not suited for large ships. The Ionian Islands are a wonderful region for private boats and small yacht cruises. But other than Corfu, this island chain is not well-suited for cruise ships. The trend is that some cruise lines try to use these kinds of ports and quickly discover it is not a good idea (not to mention there is usually significant opposition from locals). We have seen this happen in parts of Europe, the South Pacific, and Greenland (Princess has no business sending the huge Caribbean Princess to that island). We have been to some small island ports that can only handle a single tender. When a ship is trying to move thousands, and can only dock one tender at a time, there is going to be major problems and lots of unhappy cruisers. In one Greenland port, it took the Caribbean Princess over 4 hours to tender everyone ashore in Quaqortoq (many finally gave up and just stayed on the ship). That port has a population of fewer than 500 souls. So you can imagine being invaded by over 3500 passengers! Unfortunately, some cruise line executives have lost their collective minds when planning itineraries. Not only are they causing grief for the passengers but are also managing to turn a lot of public opinion against the cruise industry. Hank Hank

Have never embarked from that port, so I would be guessing. But there would certainly be some kind of security/ID check before they would let anyone tender out to the ship. In over 50 years of extensive cruising, we have never tendered at embarkation. One wonders what happens if there is bad weather on an embarkation day and tendering is difficult to impossible. But that is just my "Plan B" nature as an independent traveler. A quick data base check shows that only MSC and Star Clippers use Cannes as an embarkation port.

It does not work well :). It is a tender port (for all cruise ships) but a very few lines (such as MSC) have been known to use it as an embarkation port. When this happens, there will be staff at the tender pier area to take luggage (which also must be tendered out to the ship). Hank

I do worry because any HAL update (or new program) means even more future trouble :(. Hank

I still recall, a few years ago, waiting for the #82 bus (at Eze Bord/sur Mer) which never came. We finally walked to a nearby cafe and called for a taxi (which eventually did arrive). When we asked the taxi driver "what happened to the bus?" he just laughed and said the driver probably took a long lunch break! As a lifelong independent traveler, we have learned to smile, keep our sense of humor, and always have a "Plan B." Hank

I think in Marseille, grabbing a few taxis is going to be your best option. Also beware that the TGV trains can sometimes run late, and this is not a good thing if you are planning to arrive on the day of a cruise. Take an early train, of even consider taking a train the day before your cruise and spending the pre-cruise night in a local hotel. Also make sure to check on any scheduled strikes or slow downs as you near your actual travel date. Just to give you some idea of what this all means, there is a scheduled strike on Feb 16, March 7 and March 8. Being France this may or may not happen of there might be additions to the list. I must admit to finding the Feb 16 strike announcement amusing. They say that 4 out of 5 trains (on average) will be impacted. Whether one's train is among those effected is somewhat of a mystery. As a frequent traveler in France and Italy, I still prefer to have a rental car as I do not go on strike! :). Hank

On longer cruises (with many lines) it is not unusual for certain items to become rare (or completely disappear) late in a cruise. This happens because ships do sometimes run out of certain items, and unlike at home, they cannot simply snap their fingers and resupply. I think that most common items that disappear can be fresh produce/fruit. On our last Princess cruise there was also a problem with some booze items (i.e. there was not a bottle of Bailey's to be found except in the shop). On a recent Seabourn TA cruise, we ran out of every brand of bourbon except for Wild Turkey (they did get some new supplies once we reached Europe). Hank

Noticed the same thing. Just checked our Seabourn account (they are part of the HAL Group and use a similar online system) and Seabourn is also not working. Hank

Tendering is generally reliable (weather permitting) but it can be a slow process on HAL and most other mass market lines. If you are taking a cruise line excursion, the tendering will be pretty simple as you would likely be told to meet in the lounge and go ashore as a group. But, otherwise, the tender process favors those who have priority while others need to get tender tickets (the daily schedule will tell you when and where to get tender tickets) and wait until it is your turn. Depending on the port, this can take several hours. You will tender at Cannes (it can be slow since they must use the ship's tenders) and Giardini Naxos. Kotor can sometimes involve tendering when there are too many ships for all to dock. Hank

Even the best Chefs can only do so much with lower quality products and smaller amounts. A think "Select" cut of sirloin is not going to be mistaken for a prime cut of ribeye. And a tasteless small farmed tiliapia filet is not going to be confused with decent wild trout. Here in Mexico (we live in Puerto Vallarta for part of the year) we get the most amazing shrimp (extra large will cost us about $6(US) a pound. You taste these shrimp and you will quickly realize that the quality of shrimp you get in many places (including most cruise ships) is not very good. It is the same with scallops which vary greatly in quality. Cruise lines primarily buy tasteless farmed seafood and serve portions not big enough for most baby cats. Hank

This is an old RCI tactic that had been eliminated many decades ago. Back in the 70s and early 80s, those cruising on RCCL were routinely faced with a lecture from their waiter (in those days everyone had fixed dining) asking them to please give the highest marks for all things having to do with the waiter and food. They would say that anything less than outstanding (for the food) would reflect on the individual waiters. This practice was finally stopped when many passengers complained, and the company proactively put an end to the lectures. What you are saying is that the practice has now returned. If I ever had another waiter give me that kind of lecture, I would blast the waiter (in the evaluation) for the arm twisting and actively promoting dishonesty. I would also give the lowest marks to management for trying to rig their own evaluation system. Hank

I just noticed that Michael Ungerer (CEO) has announced the ship's naming ceremony will be in Civitavecchia on July 8. The ship will than relocate to Southampton for its July 17th inaugural voyage. Hank

One can escape MUTS in their cabin or on their balcony (unless they voluntarily book a cabin within sound range of MUTS. Although we are long time Princess cruisers (have been Elite for a very long time) we are not fans of MUTs. Fortunately, there are still outdoor spaces on the ships outside the normal sound range of MUTs. Some may not know the history of MUTS, but is called "Movies Under the Stars" because that was the original function. During the day they used to play some silent movies (many might remember the skydiving dog) except on some days if there was a major live sporting event. For a very short time, Princess than experimented with providing everyone with ear phones connected to a small wireless receiver. They could than have movies during the daytime, but only those who wore their headphones could hear the sound. That idea did not last very long and eventually somebody at Princess thought it was fine to blast sound out of MUTS...day and night. We are convinced that the decision was made by somebody who either never cruises or who is completely deaf! The irony is that Princess has actually found they can make money by charging money for those that want true quiet (the Sanctuary). Hank

Just one person's opinion, but I think the Infinity Balcony concept is among the stupidest marine design we have seen in over 50 years of extensive cruising. Unless we were cruising in an E-Class suite that had a real balcony, we would opt for one of S-Class ships in a cabin that had a real balcony, Hank

This is an issue that we have spoken about for many years (not just in terms of HAL). DW and I have spent far more than 1200 days on various cruise ships and have always struggled with the real worth of a suite. Although we can afford a suite, we traditionally opted for a normal balcony cabin. Why? I once calculated that we spent no more than 3 waking hours, a day, in our cabin. And about half that time was simply showering and getting dressed. The first time we booked a large suite (it was a terrific deal) was on the old Prinsendam and the suite was large, the bathroom was actually 2 rooms, and it all looked good. But during that cruise (over 50 days) we hardly ever used the large sofa, never dined in our suite (we prefer to share dinner tables with others for socialization). On HAL, there was nothing special that came with that Signature Suite...no special dining, no special lounge,,,,no special anything. The extra money for that suite simply bought us more cabin space that we only partially used 2-3 hour a day. But times have changed on some ships/lines. On MSC we alwasy book a Deluxe Yacht Club Suite. That gets us access to a special dedicated secton of the ship which includes its own dining room. pool deck, lido buffet, and beautiful expansive lounge. There are also other benefits such as butlers, reserved seating at the main shows, unlimited premium drinks, unlimited Internet, electronic elevator priority, Butler escorts off the ship bypassing lines, etc. Having the suite is not very meaningful to us, but all the associated perks are fantastic and essentially gives us a "luxury ship within a ship." Our attitude about suites has changed on some ships. For example, when on the Grand or Royal Class ships of Princess we often book the lowest category mini-suite! Why? Because the regular balcony cabins do not even have 2 chairs! The mini suite at least gives us a place to sit :). That brings us to Celebrity and their Retreat Suites. We have absolutely no desire to be in an Infinity Balcony cabin (which is not even a real balcony) but still prefer a real balcony. We also like the perks that come with a Retreat Suite. But when we do a simple value analysis, it makes absolutely zero sense to book even a basic Sky Suite. Celebrity has simply priced the Retreat Suites at such a high price point, that they are not only a terrible value, but they are not even competitive with several luxury cruise lines. For example, we can cruise on some Seabourn Voyages for less than $500 per person day! With Seabourn that includes everything except shore excursions. Seabourn is a true luxury line (in every way). We could also book a suite in MSC's Yacht Club for less than $400 per person day! That price is also all-inclusive except for tips (covered by the OBC given by our cruise agency). We are not "piling on" but simply saying that there are many other cruise lines (both mass market and luxury) that offer a far better overall value than is to be found by booking even the lowest priced Retreat Suites. Hank