Hlitner

We have cruised on 16 cruise lines and never been on any that charged for a show. I do know that MSC has started charging for some shows on a few ships (that apparently have two theaters). But you raise a valid issue about things having changed since the COVID shutdown. The changes, price increases, and cut-backs vary from cruise line to cruise line (and even from ship to ship) so one cannot paint with a broad brush. Those of us who have been cruising for a long time (we go back over 50 years) have seen many changes over the years, so what is happening now is just "more change as usual."\ I do think (and we post about this on a regular basis) that many cruisers are making a big mistake by being "loyal" to one or two cruise lines. There is a lot of variance between lines (and even ships) and rather than simply accept what has happened on one or two lines, it can be enlightening to open's one mind and explore other options. Hank

Don't mind at all and thank you for your service :). Am simply a Vietnam Vet who served about 4 years.. The Princess Military benefits apparently include active, retired, and honorably discharged vets. I believe (not 100% sure) that they also include folks who served in the armed forces of some of our allies. Hank

You certainly could try to negotiate a deal with a taxi (the driver may not speak any English) and I would think you might get somebody to do it for 300-400 Euros. Basically, you would be hiring the taxi for day. It is also possible that the taxis in Civitavecchia will have very little knowledge about the Lake area since most would not be routinely going to that area (which is about 30 miles from the port). We agree with the other posts that you would be wise to arrange a private transfer/tour from a company like Romecabs or Romeinlimo. Your other option is to simply rent a car for the day (most of the major rental car companies: Hertz, Budget, and Europcar....have offices in town. Hank

Not too puzzling when you consider that part of that walk (whenever you cross or walk on the donkey train) may have you dealing with donkey poo (which can make the road smelly and slippery). Hank

The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) generally prohibits cruises between American ports without a stop at a "distant foreign port." The Law (which goes back to the 1886) essentially forces nearly all the cruise lines to include at least one Canadian port. A very few American owned cruise lines that have an American crew and use American built ships, are exempt. Hank

Comparing Retreat Suites to the Yacht Club is not all that simple. The problem is that the Yacht Club costs a lot less than the Retreat. One can usually book a regular YC Deluxe Suite (which is more like a large cabin than a real suite) for under $400 per person/day. If you do the booking through a decent cruise agency you will also get enough OBC to easily cover the auto tips. With the exception of tips and what you do ashore, the YC is all-inclusive (all drinks, Internet, priority everything, butlers, etc). The YC is also somewhat different from the Retreat Suites in that the YC is a self-contained bow section (on the newer ships it is usually 4 decks) with its own restaurant, outdoor buffet area, expansive pool deck, and a large lounge which has a snack buffet and terrific bow view. That section of the ship is protected with electronic doors so it is similar to being on a small ship luxury cruise. You can exit that enclave and visit the rest of the ship for more entertainment, other dining options, etc. The problem we see with the Retreat is the cost/value! One could also argue that the YC has a big advantage being in an isolated section of the ship.

ROFL. I will admit that when booking a $20,000+ cruise that free laundry is an important consideration :).

My goodness, a real butter coverup? Please tell all

I seldom gamble these days and, out of habit, have long avoided HAL casinos which I think smell like dirty ashtrays (on the ships that allow smoking). But, I have no issue with folks who do gamble and can get a good cruise deal. Most of us do look for the best deal (we get lots of extra OBCs by using a decent cruise agency) and if folks enjoy gambling than why not? And PCCs work for the cruise line so why should they help you get anything? My favorite cruise agent works for me, currently has 4 of our bookings (with 3 different lines) and does her best to take care of us, since we both benefit :). Once upon a time our assigned HAL PCC called me on the phone and asked what she could do to get us to book with her. I told her if she would match the deals we can get from decent cruise agencies we would consider booking direct. Her response was that HAL would not match those deals but we could still book with her (PCC) and later transfer the booking to a cruise agency. My response was that we saw no reason to complicate simple bookings (which I often do with a cruise agency's own online booking engine). Folks might wonder why cruise lines (not just HAL) will not match deals from some agencies. The answer came from a Princess future cruise expert who explained that nearly 80% of their bookings come through outside agencies and they want to encourage that to continue. The one cruise line (Renaissance) that did not deal with cruise agencies, went bankrupt. Hank

No. we just use a very good discount cruise agency. But the Princess Military OBC has been a staple for many years. Once you register with Princess (done with a DD214 or some other official document) it just works automatically on any booking as long as you use your Princess Captains Club number. The new benefit (upgrade from Plus to Premiere) is still a question in terms of will it be permanent, temporary, etc. We first heard about that new benefit here on CC through a post that mentioned they had heard about the benefit from their Princess rep. Our own cruise agent, who is very experienced, told me she first heard about the benefit about 30 minutes before I had e-mailed her to check it out. For whatever reason, Princess does not seem to have done anything to publicize the benefit. But the new benefit appeared on our booking without we or our cruise agent making any request. Hank

We gave up on Celebrity (been Elite Plus for years) soon after LLP took over and started her "death by a thousand cut-back." Since that time we have been cruising on MSC (Yacht Club) (think Retreat suites at a fraction of the cost), Seabourn (much less expensive than Retreat suites), and recently booked the new Explora Journeys (less expensive than Retreat Suites), Princess (better itinerary in Asia than X) and Princess (our go to line for value). Just last week we debated booking X or Princess, but decided on Princess because it still offers a far better value than X. We would love to book another cruise on X, but would prefer one of the lower cost Retreat suites. But we can book some small ship luxury lines for less money and they are a much better value (we are not going to get included caviar on X). Many cruisers get into the "loyalty" thing and tend to stick with one or two lines. We simply look for the best itineraries and/or the best value. X is simply not competitive with their current price structure and considering all the comments about the latest cut-backs. I should add that we have never, ever, been on a line where we had to pay a fee for room service. Hank

Not so sure. CCL is late to the Starlink party which has been a priority on RCI brands who announced a deal with Elon Musk back in June 22. This is simply CCL playing catch-up. Hank

Yep. In the industry it is often referred to as "maximizing onboard revenue." That is apparently why HAL has been targeting gamblers (even giving some near-free cruises) who tend to be the major contributors to the bottom line. The typical older HAL cruiser who goes to bed at 9pm, and drinks few adult beverages, is not as desired from a marketing point of view. Those of we seniors, who are often 4-5, are simply tolerated :). So, here is another thought. Do you think HAL eliminated Production Shows, and does silly things like showing a BBC Documentary for their main entertainment, to encourage folks to spend less time in the theater and more time in the casino? One other thought. Viking Ocean Cruises and Disney Cruises are both very popular lines that sell out most of their cruises. What those two lines have in common is that they are expensive and have no casinos. They also provide uncompromising quality. Is HAL barking up the wrong tree by focusing on slot players? Hank

If one is HAL-centric than that might be true. But consider some other lines such as the new luxury line, Explora Journeys, on January 16, raised prices, across the board, by about 20% for all future bookings. Their CEO has made it clear that Explora Journeys will not be "price driven" and will charge appropriate prices (necessary to maintain quality) regardless of bookings. We have also seen this with MSC, who does have the usual periodic promotions, but does not lower prices. In fact, the cost of their popular Yacht Club has continued to gradually increase. Yes, deals are certainly out there on HAL and some other lines (we just snagged a good deal on Princess) but not on other lines, especially in the better cabin categories. Celebrity is charging outrageous prices for their "Retreat" suites and NCL continues very high pricing for their Haven Suites. In my cruise world (we cruise many different lines) HAL has actually become the budget cruise line. No question that DW and I could save a lot of money by simply booking HAL or Princess vs some of the other cruise lines we like. But we look for "value" which is not the same as lower prices. For the past year we think the best value has been found with some of the luxury lines as well as ship within a ship luxury options. If one prefers to spend a few hours a day at slot machines, HAL is probably the best value since it can be almost free with their casino deals. A few months ago I wondered (in a post) how long before HAL converts public space into slot parlors. Now we hear that the line is expanding casinos on 5 ships which makes me wonder if HAL is going to change from the line for ole folks to the line for slot players. Hank

Given your mobility limitations we would suggest staying in Cadiz and saving Jerez for a future trip. Hank

That would be a real tough walk :). A good way to shed those extra pounds. We have often noticed folks walking up the road and thought, "they are better persons than us." Hank

With that we would be happy campers :). Hank

I am guessing that your cruise included some ports in French Polynesia (i.e. Tahiti). The problem is that some islands have banned (or restricted) large cruise ships. I think this movement (to ban large ships) has started to move around the world with even ports in our own back yard (i.e. Bar Harbor, Key West, etc) imposing bans and restrictions. We agree with the other poster that if you are really unhappy with the changes you should simply cancel your cruise. The cruise lines are also the victims of these changes in port rules. As an avid cruiser, I am not happy with the port restrictions, but as a world traveler (on land) I understand the reasoning. Ships have simply become too large to come into some ports and not negatively impact the environment and the lives of those who live and visit (on land trips) those islands. Just consider an island like Bora Bora, which only has a population of about 10,000. When a ship carrying over 3000 passengers comes to that island it causes "issues" with overstressing the infrastructure. For those who vacation on that island (and often pay around $1000 a night for a hotel room), being invaded by 3000+ cruisers is not desirable. There is no way I would consider vacationing on an island such as St Thomas, which I think has been effectively ruined (as a vacation place) by having 10,000+ cruisers on a typical day. We have seen the negative impact on some European ports (i.e. Santorini, Venice, Dubrovnik, etc) because they are too often overrun with thousands of cruisers. In Italy, there has been a plan to close the road to Riomaggiore ("Cinque Terre) because there are simply too many visitors (many who come from nearby cruise ports). When most cruise ships only carried 1000 or so passengers, this was not seen as a major issue. But now, we have ships with 3000, 4000, 5000, and even 6000 souls! That is just not acceptable to many smaller (and often charming) places. Hank

If you have time you could also take the bus (or a taxi) from Capri Town up to Anacapri where there is a chair lift (single chairs) all the way up to the top of Mt Solaro. The views from the top is spectacular and the stair lift ride (which takes nearly 15 min each way) is quite nice as long as one is not afraid of heights. Hank

Interesting that you chose that particular airline. You originally asked for the "best airline" and I seriously doubt you find Air Transat on anyone's best list. Hope everything works out to your satisfaction.

Anytime one depends on cruise line transfers, they run the risk of a long wait at the airport. Most of the time your wait will be reasonable, but it often depends on how long it takes for the local transportation provider to fill their vehicle. That is why many folks (including me) usually avoid cruise line transfers and just grab a taxi or some other mode of transport that we can control. Hank

Perhaps they can only sell cabins at those low prices. All the cruise lines use pretty sophisticated "yield management" algorithms " in conjunction with management guessing, The idea is to sell the maximum number of berths at the maximum price. Low prices and all kinds of casino specials would suggest that a line is unable to achieve their sale goals at higher prices. Hank

I should have also responded that we do not encourage folks to "move to competitors" but simply suggest they might want to try some competitors. The difference is one can cruise on multiple lines including HAL. I do not understand this loyalty thing that says folks must only cruise on a single line to the exclusion of all others. Even sticking within the HAL Group (which includes Princess and Seabourn) provides an interesting comparison.

Sigh! I have stated (too often) multiple issues. We could start with the awful suite program (when compared to most of the competition), the cut-backs in both the MDR and Lido, the ridiculous add-ons in the MDR (like a cheap budget cruise line), add-ons in the Pinnacle (including an extra charge if one simply orders a starter, salad, and main), the elimination of Production Shows, the use of BBC documentaries as entertainment, the hours of the Lido (long a HAL issue), etc, etc. And just last week we heard that HAL getting rid of the Lincoln Center groups on most ships. I am old school and still miss the nightly Rosario Strings (long gone)l And yes, I am sure every line has some issues, and they also get discussed here on CC. This is not about picking on HAL, but simply giving a critical appraisal of all the various products.

Shortly after LLP took over the helm of X, we noticed multiple cut-backs, coupled with price increases, and posted here our dissatisfaction. We also made our issues clear in post cruise surveys. But LLP continued her campaign of a "death by a thousand cut-backs" and apparently thinks her approach is correct. We finally concluded that nothing was going to improve until there was a management change (at the top) and accordingly stopped cruising X. Instead, we have been cruising on Seabourn (actually less expensive than X retreat suites), Princess and MSC (Yacht Club) with very positive results. We recently booked Explora Journeys (a new luxury line) and are also looking at some future bookings on Oceania and Azamara. Recently we took another look at X and were again turned-off by the ridiculous prices in the Retreat suites. X is a decent mass market line charging luxury line prices for their retreat suites and overcharging (when compared to some of their competition) in many other lower categories. IMHO, writing letters to X simply falls on death ears. Someday we would like to resume our cruises on X but we fear that will not happen until LLP has moved on to greener pastures. Hank