Hlitner

There is often some misunderstanding regarding speed and the various plans. Your speed is a factor of many things including the alloted bandwidth, how many others are using the Internet at the same time, weather, location of the satellite, etc. The different plans are controlled by onboard software which simply limits what you can do (and some sites). While upgrading a plan gets those onboard limitations reduced it does not generally change the speed or quality of the connection. Cruise ship Internet generally sucks on HAL (and many other lines). A few lines such as RCI and MSC seem to have pretty decent Internet (one assumes they pay for more bandwidth) and RCI is in the process of implementing the new Starlink system which should (in theory) provide fast Internet. If Starlink works well on RCI we imagine most cruise lines will eventually switch to that system although past experience tells us that HAL would be among the last to make the change. Hank

That is the Vidanta Elegant which is owned/operated by the Vidanta Group who owns hotels/resorts in Mexico. The last we heard that ship is moored in Mazatlan. If and when it actually operates it will use PV as one of its ports and would likely get priority at Muelle #1 where they can utilize the new terminal building. Hank

Agree, Ephesus have long been among our favorite ruins (along with Abu Simbel).

I 2nd going to a Fado place (preferably a decent restaurant that offers the music) although we have no clue if there are any good Fado restaurants in Porto (we always go when in Lisbon). But I am surprised nobody mentioned just visiting several of the local Port Wine facilities. We also enjoyed just walked along the river on either side (we prefer the south side). Hank

A lifetime of travel has taught us nothing about defeating jet lag. Yes, lots of anecdotal stuff but we are told that our internal clocks can only adjust 2-3 hours per day. Like any frequent traveler, we have our way of dealing with the problem. The best solution is to fly Business/First Class in lay seats andet get some sleep on the plane. If you are still exhausted at your destination, think about taking a short nap (no more than 2 hours) sometime during the day (before dinner) and then going to bed at your normal time (using local time). This does work for us, although that first day can still be tough. But the sooner you get yourself back to a normal schedule (going to bed at your normal bed time) the sooner your body will adjust. Hank

Just a comment about the "good ole days" of cruising with RCCL (now called RCI). A long time ago it was our cruise line of choice (we have no interest in the current product) and I still recall being on the old Sun Viking when we had a terrific waiter (from England) named Gary Branch. On lobster night, Gary would bring lobsters for everyone and than bring a platter (with at least 10 more tails) which he put down on the center of the table! Gary eventually became a Dining Room Manager and later opened a training program in England for some RCCL dining staff. I should add that in those days the lobster tails were cold water tails and large (at least 6 ounces). How times change. Hank

I would add that for folks with these name issues, the long term solution is to go through the procedure to get a Passport! That solves the issue when it comes to travel and eliminates any anxiety faced by those who always wonder, "will they let me board?" Hank

Our experience with HAL is that a majority of passengers prefer to dine early (some would probably have dinner at 4pm if it was available). Since we seldom dine before 7:30 (and often not until near 😎) we it easy to get just about anything we want at that time be it a table for 2 or share a larger table. Another nice thing about dining later is that there is no pressure on the staff to move folks along, so everything seems more relaxed/laid back. Hank

While I feel good about Asia, in terms of reopening after the Covid shutdown, I would not even consider making any plans to travel to China (including Hong Kong) in the next few years. While DW and I have enjoyed our trips to China and Hong Kong, the current Chinese government has made it clear that they could care less about tourism and the tourist industry. Their "Zero Covid" policy, besides being absolutely absurd, means that tourists/cruisers could find themselves trapped inside China just on a whim. If you happen to be in a part of China when the government decides to lock down that part of the country, you are truly trapped for an unknown period of time. We are talking about a government that has no problem locking down Disneyland, for a single case of Covid, while it still has visitors inside the grounds This is a government that will shut down an entire part of their country for a handful of COVID cases. I suspect that at some future time, the Chinese government will announce some kind of new policy to guarantee that tourists will not be trapped in China. As of now, I would no sooner visit China than North Korea! Until China gets over its "Covid Phobia" it is a place to be avoided. Hank

I will take this thread back to the OP's question. Quite the contrary, longer cruises will often cost MORE per passenger day than a short cruise. Short cruises (lets call that 10 days or less) are a very competitive market. Some longer cruises are very popular and get top dollar. Consider that when Oceania first opens-up their 180 day World Cruise (the longest cruise in the world) it will often book-up within a few days. HAL's annual Voyage of the Vikings (usually about 38 days long) has also been popular (at least prior to COVID) and would sell for relatively high prices comparable to what HAL charges for their popular World Cruise (about 100 days). HAL also charges somewhat higher prices (when compared to many of the shorter cruises) for most of their so-called Grand Cruises which are longer voyages. As to finding "deals" closer to sailing time, this does happen but is not as common as it was many years ago. DW and I do sometimes book last minute longer cruises, but most of the good deals have been for cruises less than 3 weeks long. Also keep in mind that many of these deals are for cruises that involve substantial air flights and last minute can sometimes mean paying a premium for air. We have an upcoming cruise that embarks in Japan. We were able to snag a decent Business Class fare to Tokyo. Those same flight today cost almost twice the price (we are talking about $2000 more per person). My suggestion to the OP is to register your e-mail with multiple high volume discout cruise agencies. Many such agencies maintain a private mailing list and those are the only folks that will hear about certain last minute deals that are sold in a very quiet way and not publicly marketed. This happens when a cruise line needs to sell off excess capacity (usually within the final payment period) and does not want it to be common knowledge that they are offering some big discounts (which would annoy those who have already booked at much higher prices). Hank

We always live in fear of losing luggage (on the way to a trip). Hence the willingness to drive some distance for non-stop flights. Like many, we have also moved into the "Air Tag" era which does help in terms of having an idea where the luggage is located. The downside to Air Tags is that if you luggage misses your flight you will likely be aware (as you sit on the plane) with no solution other than to cry. Hank

The OP asks a good question. We have vacationed (twice) on the Amalfi Coast and been there on numerous cruises. For us, Positano and Ravello would be our favorite two cities with Amalfi a distant third place. But we always warn folks, taking a tour or excursion to Positano, that bus tours (such as cruise line excursions) cannot go down into Positano. Those bus tours will usually stop along the Amalfi Drive (where you are overlooking Positano) and let folks look down on the town (and take some photos). If you are on a small group tour (car or van) you can go into Positano (there is only one road that leads down into the town). Ine talks about traffic on the "Amalfi Drive" which is an interesting 2 lane road (from Sorrento all the way past Amalfi). We have driven this road a few times and traffic can truly be a nightmare, especially during the busy summer tourist season. But the views are spectacular, and it can be good fun :). The problem is that there are a few tight turns where the two large tour buses cannot get past each other. This causes a standoff and there are usually a few locals who jump into action directing traffic, getting some folks to back up, pull over, etc. The bus drivers are amazing, and we have often watched them slide past each other within inches. It is all part of the "charm" of this area :). I should mention that there is another route from Ravello, that can get buses, cars back towards Naples (the last time we took that road we had to deal with a mudslide). By the way, driving the Amalfi Drive is not nearly as dangerous as many would believe. When you are sitting high up on a tour bus there are places that are scary and you think, "we are going to go over the cliff." But when in a car you sit much lower and there are excellent guard rails. Folks also seem to drive sanely on this road which is helpful. Hank

ARGH! What on earth was I thinking (did not even have my margarita yet). So for anyone reading my post please substitute "Katakolon" for "Kusadasi" with everything else being accurate :).

Just got off the Seashore last month. My advice for the Seashore (or MSC in general) is mortgage the farm and book the Yacht Club. The YC is truly an entirely different product than being outside the YC with amazing service, dedicated restaurant, pool deck, buffet, and terrific lounge. Hank

Unfortunately, flying is part of the game for those of us who enjoy world travel. DW and I look at it as the price we must pay to continue our love of travel/cruising. Fortunately, we are at the point of our lives where we can often make flying somewhat comfortable, We try to maximize our use of non-stop flights (even if it means driving 3-4 hours to the appropriate airport) and also routinely fly Business Class on really long flights and premium economy on some shorter flights. We also have the ability to access some decent lounges in many airports, and this really helps make the experience more tolerable. Another tip is that all airlines are not the same...especially in Business or Premium Economy. There is a world of difference between flying on Singapore Airlines vs AA. Most of the best airlines are foreign (for we Americans) carriers. One exception has been flying Delta One (especially on their A350s) although Delta food is best described as "airline food." But we have actually enjoyed some decent airline meals on internatonal Business Class including with Turkish Air, and China Air. Another of our "rules" is to generally not use cruise line transfers. The idea of waiting around for others or being dropped at an inconvenient location is something we avoid by using taxis or Uber/Lyft. Hank

Yes, we have been to Olympia (twice). I am not sure that anyplace is as hot as Athens during a summer heat wave. But yes, Olympia can be hot and many parts of the ruins will have you out in the open. Olimpia also has an excellent small museum which has lovely A/C and a cafe. Our Olympia tale is memorable (to us). A few years ago we were on a HAL cruise when they still had a few dance partner volunteers (they got a free cruise for agreeing to dance with lady passengers). We became friendly with one of the dance guys who was in his late 50s and in terrific shape. He had a bicycle on the ship (one of those expensive bikes that folds up) and he decided to ride it to Olympia. He later told us the long ride back to the port almost "killed me" as it was pretty hot. I do recommend that folks visit Olympia (whether on an excursion, tour or on your own) as it is an interesting historic place. And the other options in the region of Kusadasi, are not as nice. We have rented cars at the port and driven much of the region, which does have a decent beach area (north of Kusadasi). The day we drove to the beach areas (just exploring) was a nasty day so we settled for having lunch at some cafe overlooking an empty beach. That cruise was in March (somewhat pre-season) so the region was pretty empty. Keep in mind that Kusadasi is a very small town (mostly 2 streets) that you can walk through in about 10-15 minutes. There is a small train station at the far end (where they used to have trains to Olympia) a few shops, rental car places, and a seaside cafe/restaurant where cruisers will go for a cup of coffee or to buy lunch. Hank

Just heard, a few days ago, that there is actually a professional Corn Hole league and there have been issues with cheating! One newspaper has called it the "Baggate" cheating scandal. Hank

I think this thread is about the "Greek Islands in August." So I will not get into the usual political stuff on weather (they have never been right). I will talk about Greece in August. We have been to the Greek Islands in summer, many times over about 30 years. Our most recent visit was the summer of 2020 (July and August) when temperatures in Athens were over 100f, fires were burning, smoke was an issue, and it was quite hot on the various islands we visited including Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Naxos, Paxos and more. We not only visited as a crusier, but we spend a couple of weeks island hopping on ferries. Greece can be very hot in August! This was true thirty years ago (we recall being in Athens when it was about 120f) and it is true today. The islands are always a little cooler than the mainland, and are often well served with an ocean breeze. In August 2020 when we were staying on Naxos, we left our A/C hotel, spent the day on the beach (cooling off in the sea) and after sunset would be out and about at restaurants and cafes when the temps dropped into the 80s F. For us it was all good because hot weather is fine if you go to the beach, and later at night it becomes OK. Is it always this hot in Greece during August? No, but it happens enough that folks should be prepared. Since we usually spend our days on beaches (on any island) it is all good. Those that insist on walking around villages during the day might find it is not pleasant. The smart traveler varies their plans based on the weather (one reason among many that we avoid cruise line excursions). Hank

We can take this thread in a slightly different direction. For folks that love to cruise and travel (I would fall into that category) cruises are a wonderful travel option for some places, but not particularly good for other places. I will exclude the entire Caribbean since one could make a case that a cruise is adequate for just about anything in the Caribbean. But there is a lot more to the world than the Caribbean and this is where cruise line excursions have big limitations. Consider New Zealand (one of our favorite countries). We have been around NZ on three different cruises and also done extensive independent driving trips on both North and South Islands. Our favorite city in the country is Queenstown. You cannot get to Queenstown on a cruise line excursion because it is simply too far from the nearest port. Likewise, you might consider some popular places in Europe that can be reached by excursion. Rome would be a good example. But it takes over an hour to get to Rome from its port (Civitavecchia). Seeing Rome on an excursion is almost laughable as it is a huge city with many interesting sites, places, shopping areas, restaurants, etc. One could spend weeks in Rome and still not see all there is to see. It is the same with a city like Paris (nearly 3 hours from the nearest major port) where we have spent more than one day just inside a single museum! In much of the world, a cruise line excursion, at best, will give you a very brief snapshot of most places. Funny you mention "2 weeks" because that is how much time we have spent in a few places such as San Remy de Provence, Avignon and Paris (we are talking about France as a simple example). Even with 2 weeks (we rented furnished apartments) in those places it was not enough time to see and do all we wanted to do...which is why we have returned on subsequent trips. Even historical sites can require many more hours (or even days) to be seen than you get in a few hour excursion. If you go to a place like Pompeii on a cruise line excursion you will likely get no more than 2-3 hours in the ruins. This is enough time to see only part of this place. On an independent land trip you can spend as much time as you please and may even want to combine Pompeii with a visit to Herculanium (they actually sell a combination admission ticket). Hank

I agree. We consider small cruise ships as vessels with no more than about 600 passengers. There are a group of ships in the 900-1200 range which to us more of a medium number of passengers. Our smallest cruise was on a "boat" with 20 passengers (the Sea Crown) where we spent 7 days cruising with 10 Germans, 8 Dutch, and us. It was truly heaven. I find it very interesting that the newest so-called luxury line, "Explora Journeys" is building 6 ships in the 900 passenger range. That company is starting with a clean slate and all new ships. They obviously decided that 900 is a good number in terms of both luxury and economies of scale. A majority of cruisers these days have never been on a small ship and many have been on nothing but mega ships. Hank

And here is a more detailed report: Japan to accept int'l cruises after 2-yr ban due to pandemic (kyodonews.net) Hank

This report speaks for itself.

You are stressing this ole memory :). I do recall that walking with the water to your right takes you right into town. There was a beach visible from near the ship, but I do not recall if it was towards the left or more straight ahead (looking up the coast. Although Praia Da Rocha is not far, keep in mind that there are quite a few other beaches (which we did not see) within easy transportation of town. If we were going to do a beach day (it was too cold when we visited) we would spend some time doing online research on the best beaches. DW just reminded me that we really enjoyed the port. Not only did we have a terrific lunch (we love fresh sardines) but we walked into the heart of town (moving away from the water) where there was some kind of outdoor festival/market. Speaking of sardines, most of us in the USA think of sardines as something we get out of a can. Fresh sardines are quite delicious although eating them is a challenge because of all the tiny bones. Hank

The key word is "assist" which does not mean a lot these days. That assumes they can get you on a flight that can catch the ship in a place where you are permitted to embark. These days it can be difficult to impossible to get last minute flights (everything is often fully booked) and various rules can prevent folks from embarking in various places. Also consider that many folks who take closed loop cruises do not have a valid Passport which would be needed to fly to any other country. Another interesting issue is most cruise lines do not say they will pay any additional cost (such as hotels and meals) that would result from changing flights. From posts we have seen over the years some lines do cover the extra cost and other lines do not. Hank

A real challenge. Since you are talking about the summer you also need to consider that it can be quite hot. In your situation we would probably look for a decent hotel located on a beach but I noticed you are from FL so a beach may not be in the cards. If you do want to consider a few days at a beach resort just keep in mind that you are competing with many Italians who head to the coast during the summer. Hank