Hlitner

These cruises both happened in May. If ice is the issue (unlikely) why would this not be disclosed? We have been on other HAL cruises where ice was an issue (Prince Christian Sound) and the ice situation was fully explained. Besides, the Inside Passage remains ice free, year-round, due to the moderating influence of the Pacific Ocean and relatively warm Japan Current. Hank

I also have some degree of skepticism, re the current issues, but thought the tale worth repeating (along with my own doubts). What is indisputable is that two nearly identical HAL cruises (one year apart) with similar published itinerary, failed to follow the itinerary as published. Perhaps the best answer is those who want to cruise the inside passage, with a high degree of certainty, look to cruise lines other than HAL. Hank

The OP raises a great question, for which we do not have the answer...but we do have our related issue. In the past two years we have taken two TA cruises from the USA to Europe. These were longer voyages (over a month long) after which we stayed in Europe (primarily Schengen countries) for a few weeks. Both our voyages had their initial entry to the EU (and Schengen countries) at Portugese ports (Funchal (last year) and Madeira (last month). In both cases, our US Passports were not stamped with any kind of Schengen entry stamp. In fact, our Pursers Office told me that the Portuguese authorities refuse to stamp Passports on transatlantic voyages. On those two voyages (Seabourn and Oceania) the cruise lines did not even ask to hold anyone's passport. Last year this caused us some real hassles when we eventually flew home out of Munich. The German authorities were very unhappy that we had no entry stamp because that made it impossible for them to know how long we had been in the Schengen zone. They gave no indication that there was any computer file (which could have been done by the Portuguese) . The German Immigration folks (at Munich's Airport) demanded that we prove how, and when, we entered the EU (and Schengen zone). Fortunately, we had all our cruise documents (and subsequent air flight info within the EU) which we presented to the authorities. They finally relented and let us go (we made our flight) although they refused to stamp our Passports :). I do think there are issues related to the 90 day Schengen rule and some differing opinions among several of the Schengen countries. We think the OP does have some reason to be concerned, but also think there is no place to get the answers that will take away the anxiety about this kind of issue. Obviously, the workings of this relatively recent 90 day rule is still a work in progress. Hank

Our reaction would be BS! Almost exactly 1 year ago, we were on a similar Westerdam itinerary from Japan to Seattle (same time of the year). Just like on your cruise, we deviated from the Inside Passage itinerary with an explanation (from HAL) that it was for "Operational Reasons." Off the record, we were told by senior staff that no pilot was available, Interesting that this would happen on nearly identical voyages, with the same ship, almost exactly one year apart. On that same voyage, we met a mariner/passenger who happens to live near the inside passage and owns his own vessel. He explained to us that coming through the inside passage, during this time of the year, was a difficult sailing due to unusual fast-moving currents. He was not surprised that the Westy did not make the passage, but was surprised that HAL would even schedule an itinerary that they should know was not going to happen! Not sure if this mariner truly understood the situation, but he sure did seem quite knowledgeable about those waters. Anoither interesting tidbit is we are not aware of other cruise lines having this similar issue (with scheduling an inside passage voyage that they cannot complete). It is also hard to believe that a HAL ship would mistakenly take the wrong route. The routing (and associated course changes) is worked-out well in advance (the responsibility of the Master and his team). One is supposed to believe that the Captain, and all of his senior officers, did not notice that a plotted course was completely wrong? If you believe this, I have the Rotterdam I for sale at a great price :). Hank

Those who say things like, "we trust the Captain" have misplaced loyalty. While a Captain is trulyt he Master of his/her Vessel, that does not mean that the Captain is the one changing itineraries and deciding to miss ports. While a missed port might happen because a Captain (or Port Master/Captain) does not think conditions allow for enough safety, the decison to skip ports can also be main by the home office (Operations Center). On our recent Vista cruise (35 days) we had numerous chats (usually at Martini's :), with long time O loyalists. They told me that many of the port changes/cancellations made by O are happening because of decisions made by the Operations Center. Why this happens on O and NCLH brands, more than some other lines, is anyone's guess. Perhaps it is simply bad luck with the weather and sea conditions, or perhaps it is for other reasons (not communicated to the customers). When a port is cancelled for "Operational Reasons" it can be a real mystery. Perhaps a port is going to be overcrowded (this should have been known when the cruise was originally scheduled), perhaps the ship has mechanical problems (often kept secret from passengers) that results in reduced speeds, or perhaps it is for other reasons (seldom communicated to passengers. What I know is that with "O" we have had more changes, on our two booked cruises, then on any other cruise line (based on more than 50 years of extensive cruising). On our recent Vista cruise, there was a major itinerary change (months before the voyage) which eliminated several ports in Turkey and replaced them with less desirable (to me) ports in Greece. Why? To this day we have no clue. We spoke to two different senior O managers on the Vista and they told me they also had no clue to the changes. They simply follow the itinerary dictated by the home office. And for those who think there were political or safety reasons connected with the cancelling of the Turkey ports, the following cruise (after we disembarked) was heading to Turkey. Go figure. My big problem with those port changes is that O felt no need to communicate to their paying customers why they made the changes other than to say "for operational reasons." As a long time cruiser, I expect a cruise line to deliver the itinerary that we booked, unless there are unforeseen (and unavoidable) circumstances. We recently had a major change in a Seaborn itinerary (which we had booked before the change). In that case, Seabourn did disclose the reason (due to a charter situation) and actually offered us a discount on a changed itinerary. While we were not happy with Seabourn's decision, we did respect the fact that they disclosed the reason for the change. With O changes, it seems to be the norm to keep the reasoning "top secret." Hank

Select a cruise based on its embarkation terminal? Really? Would I prefer to take a cruise from Port Everglades, or Monte Carlo (where the last time we were in that port they did not even open up their terminal)? One might also choose to cruise out of Civitavecchia (Rome) where it is very possible the "terminal" used might be a large tent! Our next cruise embarks from Dubrovnik, which does not have what many would consider a luxury port facility. I can think of many past cruises from awful facilities in parts of Asia If I am taking a cruise that will last for a few weeks/months, I could care less where I might spend 1-2 hours during the embarkation process. We have embarked on cruises from exotic ports that did not even have a real terminal, but that is the price for being in some fantastic parts of the planet. Speaking of port facilities, some of the worst we have experienced (over 50 years) have been in the USA, such as an awful facility in Philadelphia, a dump in Seattle, etc. And DW reminds me that the first time we embarked out of Istanbul (a fantastic city to visit) there was no terminal....we simply boarded from an open pier. That city has now built a nice new terminal, which many do not like because it involves some long walks. In the old days, when there was not a facility, a taxi could drop folks very close to the gangway...which we would take over most cruise terminals. Hank

Good point about back to backs being a little disruptive. But that is only an issue with turn-arounds in a USA port (perhaps also in the UK). In most of the world, a back to back is handled as just another port day for those continuing the cruise. The problem in the USA, is a CBP requirement to "zero out" the ship. Not a biggie for back to backers who plan on going ashore for a few hours, but a real hassle for those of us who might want to spend the turn-around day on the ship. My problem with shorter cruisers is that the onboard atmosphere is somewhat different than we find on longer cruises. For those of us who enjoy socialization with other passengers, short cruises can be a minor annoyance since some new-found friends may quickly disappear at the end of segment. I should also mention that one cruise line's "back to back" is another cruise line's segment. Most longer cruises are simply made up of multiple segments. If one takes a 110 day World Cruise, it will likely consist of more than half a dozen "segments" where some cruisers disembark and some others embark. World cruisers would not generally think of their cruise as a back to back to back to back, etc :). Another issue with back to backs (or segments) can be the repeating of entertainment (especially production shows). We recently completed a 35 day Oceania cruise that consisted of 3 segments (no repeated itineraries). Most of the Production Shows were repeated on each segment. On a cruise line like O, where the Production Show is generally the only live entertainment (from 9:30 to 10:15) it does create the dilemma of either seeing the same show, 3 times, or perhaps spending more time in a near-empty bar (with no entertainment). Of course, there are also those cruisers who simply go to their cabins at 9:30. Hank

Now you are being "judgmental" (using your words), bless your heart 🙂 Hank

I think most places have some decent local/regional products. But cruisers are notorious for throwing their money around on tourist-oriented goods that are overpriced (for the tourist market) and often made in Asia (i.e. China, Vietnam, India, etc). We live in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta) for part of the year and DW seldom buys anything to bring home (i.e. we do not need more junk). However, when we do buy it will generally be local/regional art/crafts. For those coming to PV (or some other Mexican ports) you might want to look at Mexican works of art such as the interesting, beaded works made by the Huichol Indians. There also are quite a few art galleries that feature works of art created by Mexican (some are well known). However, if you are going to buy "junk" at a flea market such as pottery then so be it! And for those who insist on going to Walmart (in Mexico) for their shopping...we have little sympathy. As one who loves living in Mexico (and the Mexicans) we urge folks to support the local/regional artisans. Hank

Frequent world travelers have generally learned about the different "tipping cultures" found around the world. North Americans have generally embraced a tipping culture (which much of the world finds ridiculous) which has been enhanced by "tipping guilt." The result is that tour industry workers, around the world, will often have their "hands out" for tips when they are dealing with North Americans and do not waste their time with folks from other cultures where tipping is kept to a minimum. So getting back to the OP's question, nobody is obligated to tip guides on excursions or tours. In fact, given the recent pricing of cruise ship excursions, and the quality of many excursions, one might make a case that guides should tip the participants :). We just returned from a 5 week cruise (mostly in various Med countries) and did notice that some folks, on excursions, did tip while many others tipped nothing. If folks are "hung up" with their own "tipping guilt" than they get what they deserve, which is less money left in their pockets. We are now in an era where even automated vending machines are starting to have tip options :). Just 3 days ago, we were in a decent burger place (Innsbruck, Austria) where one ordered by computer terminal (like many fast food places in the USA) and,sure enough, on the final screen there was an option to tip (the machine) with the default being 5%. Few Europeans would tip a kiosk, but that tipping option certainly generates revenue from North American tourists. We wondered, at the time, whether any of that tipping money actually went to the workers! By the way, we could not help but notice the recent post about tipping in Puerto Vallarta (where we live 10 weeks a year). Many Mexicans, in the tourist industry, are underpaid and do depend on tips to make a living. When we are in that country, we are generous with the staff who give us good service and only tip them directly (with Pesos) so we are sure they get the money. If the Mexican is rude (unusual) or tries to rip us off (it happens too often) they will not get any tip! For instance, a taxi that quotes us the correct price (after 18 years in that country we know the correct prices) we will usually give him/her a generous tip. The driver that quotes the wrong price may get his price but will not get any tip (and end up with less than if he/she had been honest). We sometimes will play the "bargaining game" and get a price down to a proper price, and then give the vendor an extra "bonus." They do get the game and it usually results in smiles (and a new friend). Hank

We have been fortunate to have embarked on cruises from 5 continents it many different ports. Some have decent cruise terminal facilities, and other ports have little (sometimes just a tent). Cruise Terminals are expensive to build (and maintain) and somebody must pay the big bucks for that type of facility. In the very busy ports around the world, facilities have been improving. Other ports, lack the money or do not have the volume that would justify the cost. In some cases, the major cruise lines (primarily owned by CCL, RCI and MSC) will help finance cruise terminals. But again, this usually happens in ports where the volume does justify the cost. My question to the OP is "are you prepared to pay more for your cruise if it gets you a nicer terminal? The reality is that while we all appreciate nicer facilities, many are not willing to pay the extra money to subsidize the construction of new ports and facilities. I should mention that over the past thirty years, we have seen lots of improvements of port facilities around the world. Places like Tokyo, Barcelona, and Istanbul, have spent millions to improve their cruise terminals. Others like Civitavecchia have been slow to spend the money, but even that port now has one very nice terminal (unfortunately it is not nearly enough to handle their volume). Other ports, such as Venice, spent money to improve things only to later ban most cruise ships due to environmental concerns. Hank

There are already some lines (Oceania, Explora Journeys, Seabourn, MSC Yacht Club, etc) that include Internet (sometimes unlimited and other times with some restrictions) as part of their regular cruise fare. The reality about the so-called mass market lines is that most have adopted a business model which has basic fares with various add-ons/packages. Many find this kind of pricing beneficial since it lets them buy the options that best meet their own needs. Look at this through the eyes of the cruise line business model. Internet (mostly provided through Starlink) has certainly improved, but involves an extra expense for the cruise line. Like any Internet service, the more folks who use the Internet (at the same time) the more bandwidth must be provided by the cruise line. More bandwidth means more cost. Not everyone on a cruise, chooses to spend their time on the Internet while some folks are completely addicted to their devices and Internet connection. Asking the big-time users to pay more helps keep the cost down for other cruisers. I think the issue for the OP is that they are looking for luxury amenities at a mass market price and this is not going to happen until it is forced by competition. Hank

Plan "B" can simply be to grab a taxi (there are usually some available at the port) to the airport at your chosen time. When it comes to Sunday mornings/afternoons in Athens, our goto place is the huge Sunday flea market located in Monstiraki. If you wanted to do this, DIY, you could arrange, online, to hire a car/driver and pay to have that driver wait for you while you explore the expansive outdoor market area (this covers an entire neighborhood). As to Sounion, it is a pleasant drive (we have done it with rental cars) although, IMHO, there is not a lot to offer other than the decent views from Sounion. While the Temple of Poseidon is OK, it pales by comparison to the ruins that are within the city of Athens. Hank

Thanks for the review. Ever since the Covid restart, we noticed that SB had hired quite a few new staff (on our various cruises), some of whom had yet to adjust to the SB way of doing things. When asked about SB, we used to say that the staff/crew does not have the word "no" in their vocabulary. Unfortunately, for the OP, this did not seem to be the case with the server they first encountered in Solis. Tis a real shame and we sure hope that the management team quickly imposes some attitude changes where necessary. While we have seldom had any complaints on our SB cruises, if a server told DW that she could not order two starters (in place of a starter and main) I think the issue would quickly get elevated to the restaurant manager. That is just not acceptable on SB (or other lines). On SB we expect to hear, "no problem" or "we will do our best." I will add that we have also been cruising on other lines (in the past two years) including Explora Journeys, Oceania, HAL and Princess. Every line seems to be having some "issues" with new hires. One senior manager on O told us that, one result of the Covid shutdown, has been that too many experienced staff/crew moved on to other careers. We also found it interesting that the new Explora Journeys line (a higher end luxury product) hired about 80% of staff (for their first ship) that had never worked on any cruise line. It was explained that the new line sought very experienced staff from top hotels,restuarants, and resorts generally located in the middle east (often from Dubai). The reason was they wanted staff that understood how to deliver quality and thought that more important than previous cruise ship experience. To some degree they have suceeded, but there are also some rough edges that we think was due to the inexperience of staff working on ships. Hank

Thanks for the excellent review :). We will add Ritz to our personal "watch list" for some future bookings. That being said, a quick glance has given me the impression that SB can be a lot less expensive (sometimes only about half the price of Ritz) which we factor-in to our cruise decisions. It is less about being cheap but more our philosophy of looking for good value, be it a higher-end luxury line or mass market product. I am curious to see if Ritz starts offering some longer itineraries and promotions on voyages, once they add the new ship....oops, meant "yacht." Hank

We like to give complements when it is deserved. In our case, the GDR on the Vista ticked most of the boxes including excellent service from our wait team and the sommelier. Our norm was to go to dinner around 7:15 (to miss the initial rush) and always request our favorite waiter (Kadeck) who always treated us like VIPs. Not only was the service top notch, but Kadeck also guided us through the various menus with suggestions on what to order and what to ignore. While we also enjoyed most of our time in the alternative restaurants (3 times in each venue) our favorite place was the GDR. As to "slow," we normally prefer to dine and not rush. For the few evenings when we did want to speed it up (to get to a show) we would simply mention it to our waiter. On most evenings we would say "take your time" since we were generally not in a hurry. As an observation, when we shared a table with others, dinner always took somewhat longer, since the staff must adjust to the slowest diner at the table. Hank

Just off 5 weeks on the Vista, where we had an excellent Filipino band. Hank

A lot of O malarkey. Onboard we met some real long time O fans who lost several deposits because of cancelled bookings due to COVId. They still love O and view that as “it happens.” I prefer systems where refunds do not depend on the customers needing to be assertive. Like Os ridiculous air fee policy, this needs to be fixed. Small stuff, but still an issue for those of us who cruise many lines. Hank

Am I missing something here? You mean if a cruiser does not act within an arbitrary time (1 year) they will lose the deposit? With most if not all, other lines, any deposit is automatically returned (with no hassle) after a specific time.

Sometimes :). The key to alcohol on land is when we are actually spending a few days in a city where I do not need to drive. But we have wondered if that is a contributing factor. We do have cruising friends, who do not drink any alcohol, who also have the ankle thing. Speaking of my wife, her ankle swelling was not nearly as bad as mine on the Vista. And to be clear, we still love to cruise and would not allow swollen ankles/feet to dissuade us from that form of travel :). Perhaps we need to spend more time on cruises to further investigate the issue. Hank

We have long thought that salt was the culprit. DW does minimize adding salt when cooking at home. But since we left the Vista, all of our meals have been in restaurants and most professional chefs routinely use plenty of salt (like on most cruise ships). And yet, the ankle swelling quickly dissipated once off the Vista. And this is not just about the Vista, because we cruise on many different lines (within the last year Princess, HAL, Seabourn, Explora Journeys) and the ankle swelling is common on all of those lines. Can it be that cruise line galleys simply add a lot more salt than land-based restaurants? At home I never pay much attention to salt and will routinely add it to many of the usual things and yet, do not have any ankle swelling. Some of us used to think that the culprit is the water used on ships. Most ships now make their own water, from sea water, by using flash evaporation and/or reverse osmosis. But a few CC contributors, several of whom were chief engineers, have assured us that the systems used on modern cruise ships do not result in excessive salt/sodium. We also have some cruising friends that avoid ship water (they only drink bottled water with limited sodium) and they still have the ankle swelling issue.

Thought I would keep the thread active, since we are still in Europe (post Vista cruise) following what we preach (cruise + land is great). We have spent the last week in Austria (Graz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck) and had a fantastic time driving through the country, After a few days of cloudy (and some rain) weather, today is a beautiful day with temps reaching into the 70s F and the nearby mountains fully in their glory, This morning we took a local cable car up to the top of the local mountain where we had fantastic views (through a few fluffy low clouds). We later took a local tram over to a bell foundry/museum that has been in business for hundreds of years. Since we have debarked from the Vista, all of our driving trip has been to places that cannot possibly be accessed via cruise ship. But I want to talk about swollen ankles. After 50 years of cruising, we have never solved the mystery of why many get swollen ankles on cruises. There has been many CC blogs on the topic with many of us tossing out theory's. By the time we disembarked Vista on May 1, my ankles and feet were pretty bad (tough to even put on my shoes). Within 36 hours of leaving the Vista, both ankles and feet were back to near normal. Within 4 days they were 100% normal. This despite still being in travel mode, eating in restaurants, etc. For me, the mystery continues. Tomorrow, we drive back to Italy (Milan) where we will finally end this trip with our flight back to the USA. DW and I have really enjoyed the past week in Austria (a country where we have previously never spent more than a day in Vienna). Innsbruck is a decent tourist city that is surrounded by beautiful mountains, has a river running through downtown, an old town, etc. While we were in Salzburg, we did see river cruise tours (from both Viking and AMA), but here in Innsbruck that is not the norm. Like most trips in Europe, we have had our fill of churches and castles (at least until our next trip) and have climbed more stairs/ramps then expected. The reality of this kind of European travel is that it is very helpful to be both mobile and in shape. Walking 4-8 miles a day is our norm, and in this country too much of those miles are up and down. DW and I are already talking about a future cruise on O, but we will likely stick to either the Vista or new Allura. We did not book a future cruise (or future cruise credit) on the Vista, because we have our doubts about meeting the time requirements, Another issue is that trying to speak with one of the future cruise folks (onboard) generally meant a long wait or some careful planning. More hassle then we want, when on a cruise. Another Martini Bar friend (who has numerous O cruises) told us that is something he has long disliked about O (i.e. trying to get to speak to the future cruise folks). A minor complaint, but still worth mentioning. Hank

With the two O cruises we had booked (one of which we finally cancelled less than 3 weeks prior to the completely changed itinerary) we have had more cancelled and altered ports then in all of our 100+ cruises over the years. Why? Some of the changes were not completely the fault of O while others were certainly questionable changes Since O is not always transparent on changes, one can only speculate as to why? Speaking as a long time student of the industry (more than 50 years of extensive cruising) I do think there are differing corporate philosphies. Some cruise lines (HAL comes to mind) will do everything possible to keep to their itinerary, This can mean going to ports in bad conditions and giving it the old "college try." Sometimes it works and other times cruisers will have a missed port with a sea day. O, on the other hand, seems to more easily make itinerary changes based on forecasted weather, with the goal of changing to an alternative port or perhaps avoiding some nasty weather. Tjhis recently happened on our Vista cruise when, 2 days prior to our scheduled arrival, O changed Funchal to Madeira. They were hoping for more favorable conditions at Madeira, and it did work out. However, looking at the actual weather and sea conditions it did appear that we could have also gone to the original port (Funchal). Hank

The interesting part of this post is that Positano is generally considered a terrific place. Many folks who port at Naples, Sorrento or Salerno, will somehow make their way to Positano for part of all of their day. I do agree with Cruisemom, that on Capri, the Blue Grotto would be way down on list of how we spend time on that island. That being said, it is one of those overpriced tourist traps that most folks need to experience once. We do like everything about Ravello and find it a charming place for a 2 hour walk and perhaps a nice lunch. Hank

We have really embraced the "no no" term and think it is right on! Where to avoid the no-no? Having been on 18 cruise lines (#19 coming up late this year) we can think of no line that ignores the no-no's except, perhaps, the Explora Journeys folks. That being said, they are a new line (with very deep pockets) who will likely learn as they go and may well bow to the "no no pressure." I doubt if a ghost pepper will ever find its way onto a cruise ship (unless smuggled by a passenger). And basic things like garlic, onions, and oregano seem to be more and more underused. I could not help but notice that pizza in Waves, is made without oregano (unless it is specifically requested). In Italy, it would considered an essential ingredient. Hank