Hlitner

We have been to Santorini more than a dozen times, stayed on the island, rented cars, used the buses, taken the private water taxis/shuttle to Oia, etc. While trying to help folks who post questions, it has occurred to me that there is simply no easy solutions for this port. The bottom line is that for those who go off the ship on their own (which is us) you ideally need to assess the current situation and vary your plans accordingly. For example, when you tender ashore to the Cable Car area you will have three options. 1. Take the Cable Car up to Fira 2. Take a boat over to Oia. and 3. Walk or take the donkeys up to Fira. Most will not have any interest in #3 so now you are down to two options. Whether or not you should take a boat over to Oia should be somewhat based on the situation with the boats. Before paying a boat operator for that trip, make sure you feel comfortable that they will not leave you sitting in a docked boat for an hour! If they tell you they are going to wait until the boat is full of passengers, you might want to stand around for a few minutes and gauge how long that might take. As to the cable car, if there is a relatively short line than that can often be your best option (you can always get to Oia via the island bus system or with a taxi. If the cable car line is very long (keep in mind that at best, they can only move 600 folks (each way) in an hour), there is a strong incentive to take the boat to Oia (and than use the bus system to get back to Fira or go elsewhere. For those that want to see more of the island outside of Fira and Oia, you can use the island buses (not the most efficient system), hire a taxi, or rent a vehicle. It is possible to rent cars or ATVs at Fira but it is important to make advance reservations. Without reservations you will be gambling that you cannot find a rental, and you would likely spend a lot of time just walking to various rental agencies (somewhat of a hike from the top cable car station). The good folks of Santorini have been trying to impose restrictions on the number (and timing) of cruise ships, but on many days there are still too many cruisers for the infrastructure. Hank

With this we strongly agree! DW and I spent 200 days crusiing on the Prinsendam (our favorite HAL ship). On that ship we would hang-out at the Crow's Nest and forged a nice bond with the staff. At one point I wrote-up a glowing report and dropped it off at Guest Relations. A few days later, several bar staff thanked us for the positive comments. A few days after that, the Beverage Manager (a good friend) also gave us a thanks for the comments. But the real shocker was that late one night, while sharing the bar with Captain Gundersen, he brought up our comments and thanked us for recognizing the crew. Bottom line is that just about everyone does some kind of tipping (auto tips or otherwise) but very few take the time to write a note. Hank

A small van/group excursion would be perfect for your itinerary. Just a matter of finding a tour provider and getting a few others to join the group (love the Roll Calls for that purpose). Many on CC have sung the praises of Tours by Locals and perhaps that is worth pursuing. If you were to have enough time, another possibility would be to add a stop at Les Baux. This does get into the usual debate of how much is too much to do on a single tour. Hank

Have to smile at your post when you say you get twice a day service "without asking." I have been on far more than 100 cruises and until the COVID shutdown never had to "ask" for twice a day service...it was expected! Come to think of it, I also never expected to see add-on prices in the MDR and Pinnacle. Hank

Like many businesses, cruise lines use a combination of sophisticated yield managment algorithms along with normal management decisions. So, for example, HAL knows it can get more money per passenger day for its annual Voyage of the Vikings cruise because it has traditionally been a popular itinerary and best seller. On the other hand, a routine Caribbean cruise in early January might be sold at a big discount because there is usually a soft market right after New Years. I should add that those of us who are able and willing to take advantage of last-minute bargains (generally not shown on cruise line web sites) can do quite well when the cruise lines get it wrong :). An empy berth is opportunity lost revenue, so all the cruise lines try to find ways to sell the unsold berths without impacting the existing bookings. Hank

Perhaps a legacy of the FTX mess is what can happen without the benefit of outside audits. The cruise lines are very secretive about their "tip" funds. Can anyone here tell us what formula is used to distribute the funds? Is there an "administrative fee" skimmed off the top? We could easily come up with lots of questions about all that money, and how it is distributed. Traditionally, tips were a private matter between a customer and the employee with folks choosing to reward good service. When a HAL cruiser has a great cruise on the Rotterdam and wants to reward that crew, are they OK with the fact that their tips will be going to folks on other ships? I suspect that most cruisers just assume their auto tips are distributed to their waiters and stewards. Most cruisers probably have no idea it is going to folks they never see on ships they have never cruised. I am all for rewarding excellence. But this system apparently does not differentiate between those who deliver excellent service and the slakers. A hard-working waiter gets the same distribution as the lazy waiter who does the minimum. Just work their time until the end of the contract and they will likely get another contract since the cruise lines are now desperate to find crew. Sounds like a recipe for the gradual decline of quality. Hank

You are well informed in terms of the taxis. We have never heard of any reliable car service for such a short ride. Knowing this are quite well, I wish we could awful a perfect solution but we fear it does not exist. Over the years we have always been careful to get back to Livorno with at least an extra hour, and have always been able to eventually get a taxi. In your case, the good news is that you do not have to be concerned with missing the ship. In your situation we would simply take our chances (we are pretty adventurous travelers) with the taxis. You may have to wait, and might want to get a local to help by calling for a taxi. If you have a working phone you could try to do this on your own (look up the local numbers of some taxi companies). There are usually a few taxis waiting at the station. Our "secret" is to be among the first off the train and then walk as fast as reasonable to the station, through the station, and out the front to the taxi stand. If there are only 3 or 4 waiting taxis or goal is to get there in time to get one. I know this has been mentioned before, but our preference would be to spend the night in Florence. If it is a nice evening, a night stroll along the Arno is a great way to walk off those extra calories. Hank

Once you eliminate all the other options (which you have done) than the excursion is your best option :). Keep in mind that Villefrance is a tender port which does take some time away from the day. But if you have a full day it is a very reasonable itinerary. We have done some similar days on our own (from cruises and when just staying in the area) and if done right it can be a terrific excursion. If we were guiding this tour we would take our charges from Villefrance to Nice in time to enjoy the morning Flower Market and perhaps a break for cafe au lait. Than the options get a bit more complex. Most excursions will want to get you to Monte Carlo in time for the Changing of the Guard which happens outside the Palace at 11:55. That would leave Eze Village for later in the afternoon on the way back to to the port. Hank

I cannot recommend excursions (we avoid excursions) but can give you some DIY options. There are over trains a day (ranging from 31 min to over 1:15) between Marseille and Avignon. The regular SNCF station in Avignon is within walking distance of the old cities walls. If one were to take the TGV train, the Avignon TGV station is further from the walled town and they would need a shuttle or taxi. Once inside the walls, everything is walkable (assuming you are able and willing). If you want to go to Pont du Gard you either need a tour, a car/driver, or a rental car. With a rental car one could do both Pont du Gard and a short visit to Avignon although this does assume you have a full port day in Marseille. I will just add that DW and I have oft stayed in this part of France (have rented flats in both Avignon and St Remy) and it is among our favorite parts of the country. While visiting on a port day can be a wonderful experience, actually staying in the area for a few days (or weeks) is very rewarding. Hank

It is interesting to apply some basic math to tipping. HAL has about 23,000 berths so let us be generous and assume that they average 20,000 filled berths per week. Now let's assume that the average cruiser tips $15 per day which means their fund would get about $300,000 a week or more than $15 million a year! That is real money. Has anyone here ever seen an independent audit of that money? Do we know if it all is actually paid out to the crew and to who in the crew? Also consider that with that system the worst crew member (and there are always some rotten apples) would get as much as the best crew member. Now if you really want to expand your mind, consider that CCL ships have about 160,000 berths. This would likely generate over $3 million a week in tips or more than $150 million a year! Has anyone ever seen an independent audit? Just thinking out loud. Hank

That is an absolute crock and just one more ridiculous "rumor." The reality is that if you hand cash to a bar tender, waiter, steward, etc. they would not often have a clue whether or not you paid, cancelled, increased or decreased your tips (I refuse to accept that ridiculous crew term. That cash goes quietly in a pocket where it stays, unless that crew member makes a decision to share it with others (unlikely). Just think about what you said. If you go to Guest Relations and remove or reduce auto tips, do you think they put out a shipwide announcement that passenger X just removed their tips? Do you really think on the Koningsdam, 1000 crew members get daily updates on who, out of 2500 passengers, removed or changed tips? Hank

Sorry bout that. I think the short version is that the only thing consistent about HAL is that they are consistently inconsistent.

When we go on most cruises, we have a very good idea of what to expect in terms of the cruise line and ship. Why? Because we have been on most lines and they

Classical menus? I wonder if that means that the add-on items will actually be offered for free :). And one wonders if portion sizes will return to normal, midnight buffets return, etc. I fear this is just more HAL BS with putting another name (for marketing) on regular cruises. We already have Grand Cruises, Collector Voyages and now "Heritage Cruises." Rather than playing marketing games with names we would prefer to see the MDR returning to what used to be excellent cuisine which even had more courses (remember when there were Starters AND Salads?) How about a throwback to the era when there were waiters and assistant waiters and the sides/vegies were served at the table from serving bowls/platters rather than having everything pre-plated in the galley. I also wonder if they will bring back Production Shows and the Rosario Strings on these Heritage Cruises! NOT. Hank

Not sure what a "cheap cruise" is, but on a line like HAL (just one more mass market line) folks that hav their "Have it All" package (often offered as a booking promotion) get 2 included/free meals in their specialty restaurants. Hank

In Florence if you like truffles and want something special you could go to Osteria Delle Tre Panche! For this place it is wise to make a reservation. Hank

Cough Medicine: Should You or Shouldn’t You? (webmd.com) The answer is not a simple as you might expect.

I am trying to "digest" the escargot discussion as folks always seem to have much to say about those slugs :). The truth is that escargot is not very expensive, and it has always mystified me how it generates interest on cruises. At home you can just go to the supermarket and buy a can and they are easy enough to prepare if you simply drown them in garlic butter. In fact, cardboard would taste good if drowned in garlic butter. Celebrity Cruises (we have not cruised that line in a few years) used to have escargot on their "everyday menu" which meant folks could get their fill of those slugs/snails. I think you can still buy cans for about 50 cents a snail and a cruise line would pay less since they can buy them in big quantities at wholesale prices. DW actually went out and bought empty escargot shells (available on Amazon) so that she can stuff them with snails from a can (this is what is done in many restaurants). The problem was that she complained they do not taste as good when you become too familiar with them :).

What I love about that old restaurant is their fresh seafood. The only negative is that it does not offer a view of the Acropolis like some places that are on the rooftops. Staying in that neighborhood puts you in walking distance of both the Plaka and Acropolis (somewhat of a hike). Hank

Not sure why a tourist would choose to be in Italy on Christmas Day but most things will be closed. And it will not be much better on Monday the 26th which is also a National Holiday. I agree with the suggestion of just taking a walk (if it is not too cold). Some decent restaurants might be open and serving a special Xmas menu and you might want to contact your hotel (in advance) and ask about options (and reservations). Looking online it seems that the Aquarium is open. If so, it is a decent place to visit and one of the best aquariums in Europe. Hank

I am wondering what you want to do and where you want to go on this excursion? Keep in mind that many cruisers (especially first time visitors) spit their time between Fira and Oia (the islands two major towns). If that is you goal it can be done on your own other than transportation between the two towns (bus, taxi, etc). If you want to go elsewhere on the island there are other places such as Akrotiri (ruins) and some OK wineries. Using a tour guide in Oia and Fira never made a lot of sense (to me) since these towns are explored on foot and one does not need a guide to say "this is a jewelry store" or "this is a restaurant." Hank

The cruise port is about 8 miles from Athens, but with traffic it seems like more than 10. We do not recommend staying in Pireaus and most cruisers opt to stay in Athens and simply grab a taxi to the port on the day of the cruise. There is a rather upscale marina area (with some decent restaurants) called Marina Zea, which is somewhat closer to the port. But we have never seen any advantage to staying in that area and still prefer somewhere in Athens within a few blocks of Syntagma Square. There are plenty of restaurants in Athens (all price ranges) with one our long-time favorites being a place called Daphne's. Lots of first-time visitors prefer to dine in one of the restaurants/cafes that offer a view of the Acropolis. Hank

These things can happen on the newest ships. Once, when on a Princess cruise (on a new vessel) we would hear this annoying sound in our ceiling which sounded like something rolling around. We got our cabin steward in the cabin and he also heard the noise. The following day a few engineering staff came to our cabin. They opened a ceiling panel in the corridor (just outside our cabin) and a relatively short crew member went up into the small crawl space (between decks) and disappeared. A few minutes later he was back with a large steel bolt! They figured it was left there by workman at the shipyard. Problem solved :). As to shims, as a long-time cruiser I have shimmed many panels with a few pieces of folded cardboard :). Hank

If the Panama Canal is your objective than that does the trick.

I am confused about the post. In fact, I am confused about the first two posts of the OP. When it comes to Panama Canal cruises we would suggest booking a cruise that does a full transit (which generally means it begins or ends in California). I am not a big fan of the partial transits although it is better than nothing for those that want to see part of the canal. Hank