Hlitner

Just a friendly warning. We recently took a 14 day Sky Princess cruise (back to back 7 day voyages) where we had the Premiere Package and about $1500 in OBC. Once aboard the ship (both our segments were at near capacity) it was impossible to get alternative restaurant bookings at the most popular times (6 - 8pm). Even the latest time (8:40) was not available on most nights. Hank

If the OP wants to book a 120 day World Cruise, and are concerned about the number of included meals, they could book it as a series of shorter segments (and get 2 meals per segment). Of course that is a pain in the neck, you may not be able to get the same cabin throughout, and you would possibly find yourself paying a lot more (when booked as separate voyages) vs a single booking number. \ As to "how is the voyage defined" I believe Princess simply looks at "Booking Numbers." So if I book two back to back 7 day cruises as separate voyages, I will get 4 alternative restaurant meals instead of 2. We recently took a 14 day Sky Princess cruise where we did it as a single booking (and only got 2 free meals). We had considered doing it as 2 seven day bookings, but the additional cost of the cruise did not make it a worthwhile move. For us there are other considerations such as our Shareholder Credit, Veterans Credit, and extra OBC provided by our trusted cruise agencies. In fact, our favorite cruise agent will actually do the math and tell us if it makes sense to book multiple segments as opposed to one longer booking. Also keep in mind that Princess accounting normally handles each booking number as its own entity. So, if you get an OBC or a benefit on a 7 day cruise and do not use it all during that 7 days, Princess will generally not roll it over to the next voyage. They close out the accounting for each booking number. But if you book as a single (longer booking) they will carry-over unused OBC (and other unused benefits). Hank

I will correct one statement in the OP's post, about the price being exactly the same. The reality is that if you book with a reputable high volume cruise/travel agency (especially those affiliated with the better cosortiums) you will generally save money. The price for the cruise will generally be excactly the same as booking online, or with a CVP, but the agency will sweeten the deal with various perks such as pre-paid gratuities, OBCs, etc. One agency (that we know) will simply kick-back 7% of the cruise price and it will generally come as a refundable On Board Credit (OBC). Other agencies might give you a hefty gift card, shore excursion credit, or a post cruise rebate! So why doesn't everyone use these agencies? Some think they maintain "control" by booking direct with a cruise line (that is a myth since the cruise line maintains all the control once they have your money). Other folks simply do not know which cruise/travel agencies to trust, and they feel more comfortable dealing direct. Several years ago we received a telephone call from a Princess rep (now called a CVP) who wanted our booking business. I do not think that Princess does this anymore, but at one time they did sometimes do that kind of direct marketing. I told the Princess rep that I would be happy to give them my Princess bookings, but ONLY if they would match the deals I can get from our favored cruise agencies. The Princess rep bluntly told me that Princess "does not compete with their authorized cruise/travel agencies" and suggested I book with her (the CVP) and can later transfer the booking to a cruise agency (who will then give me a nice chunk of OBC). I explained to the rep that I could see know advantage of going through all that trouble (almost like a double booking) when I can simply book through the agency with a few clicks of the mouse or a quick phone call and get a nice financial benefit. CC does not allow us to name favorite agencies or even hint at where you can find the honest best deals. My advice, to cruise newbies and those who have never used agencis, is to simply talk with other cruisers (easily done on cruises) and ask how they book their cruises and are they satisfied. Most folks are happy to share info about agencies with which they have had a good experience and also warn you about bad agencies. Hank

Let's be clear about excursions, the cruise lines (and this is all cruise lines) simply contract with local providers who then provide the excursions. Most cruise lines use the same providers (for example, in Puerto Vallarta all cruise lines use Vallarta Adventures). The cruise lines then mark-up the price, big time, over what they pay the local provider. If you happen to be in Puerto Vallarta on a cruise that departs late at night, the ship will offer "Rhythms of the Night." You could be on O or Carnival, and you will get the same excursion. There are exceptions (such as when Seabourn has a private dinner/show in the ruins of Ephesus) but for the most part you are getting the same as every other cruiser who books a similar excursion on any line. DW and I truly dislike cruise line excursions and much prefer to do our own thing or sometimes will join with a few others on a small group private tour. In the case of O, because of their package we have held our noses and booked the minimum number of excursions to use our O excursion credit. We look forward to the ports we will do on our own, and will tolerate the places where we are on "O" excursions. As to the excursion description, they are provided to the cruise lines by the local providers. They may or may not be accurate. If the line happens to be in a port multiple times, the shore excursion folks hear feed-back and can sometimes pass this along to cruisers. Otherwise, they are at the mercy of the local providers just like the passengers. Over the years we have found a pretty decent exception to the rule. It is excursions that are "culinary based" such as cooking classes. For whatever reason, when we have booked that type of excursion (be it through a cruise line or directly with a local provider) we usually have fun and enjoy the experience. This just happened to us, again, last week in Cozumel when we booked a Mexican cooking class and beach visit excursion on a Princess cruise. On our upcoming O cruise (35 days on the Vista) we have mostly booked culinary excursions with the hope that our rule holds :). In our experience, many so-called "walking tours" are overpriced hype and just plain ridiculous. For example, if you are in Kotor (Montenegro) your ship (whether it is O, Seabourn, or Princess) will offer a walking tour of Kotor. Kotor is a relatively compact walled town, within a very short stroll from the pier. Anyone can simply walk around the town, and if you truly want a guide you can download various guides on your phone for little or no cost. Paying $70-$100 for a local to walk you around like a school group, and tell you some local history (which you can also read on your phone or in a free local tour brochure) is, IMHO, a joke. One time we actually were near a walking tour in Fira, Santorini when we heard the guide say, "this is a jewelry store." In Puerto Vallarta (where we live 10 weeks a year) we watch the cruise line tours and find the laughable. And yes, they all go to the same jewelry store...not because it is a good store but because that store pays a hefty promotional fee (kick-back) to the excursion company. Hank

When you call room service to swap, you can ask what they have available. The stock can vary week by week, ship by ship, etc. On our recent 14 day Sky things varied from the first week to the 2nd. For example, the first week our stash included Inver House Scotch and the 2nd week is was Dewars. The vodka brands also varried. Just like the other poster said, we got the 2nd week automatically on embarkation day.

Very interesting and we can all speculate. Looking at some data bases, it appears that several other cruise lines (i.e. Princess, Seabourn, NCL, etc) do still have GB on their itineraries for that time of the year. We have posted (elsewhere) about our frustration with multiple cruise lines (we cruise many lines) changing itineraries without explanation. In fact, we have 3 cruises booked for 2024 with 3 different lines (none are HAL) and 2 of the 3 have had major itinerary changes without explanation. The lack of transparency (by the cruise lines) troubles me more than the actual changes. Hank

Even though we live in the northeast and are used to the annual change of the leaves, we never grow tired of the natural beauty and colors of the fall season. That being said, it is a crap shoot in terms of timing since the changing of the leaves does vary from year to year. But we still favor giving it a good try and also agree that cruising when the kids are in school has advantages. Hank

We have always thought this is a very bad idea because you lose some leverage (which you need now). My daddy taught me to generally not pay for things until it is necessary. If you are using a decent high volume cruise/travel agency, they can sometimes use their contacts/clout to your advantage and might be able to get the booking modified and/or repriced. If you book direct (such as through a PCC) you actually have less leverage (when folks insist booking direct gets them "control" we smile..because all the control is with the cruise line). With a decent agency (especially the ones with the added clout of being in a major consortium) good things can sometimes happen. I am not being critical, but since many folks read these blogs this post might be helpful for some...in the future. Hank

For the folks we met, it was less about the cost than the fun, life style, and adventure. I got the impression that none of them were dealing with severe money issues. Keep in mind that with one exception (a lady we met on our EJ1 cruise) these folks generally spent more than half the year living on land (in various parts of the world). The exception was a widow we met on the EJ1 who owned one of the "Condos" on The World cruise ship. When we asked her why she was on the EJ1 (instead of just cruising year round on The World) she explained that The World can sometimes get a little boring :). Given the cost of The World and her attitude, we gathered that this lady had no money problems and could afford just about any life style. In all of our travels and cruises, this was the first "owner" from The World we have met. Hank

None of the folks we met were full time cruisers. They all used a combination of cruising, hotels, short-term rentals, etc. The big issue among many of these folks was the EU rule which limited them to spending no more than 90 out of 180 days within the EU. These kind of time restrictions (unless one can get certain Visas) makes these folks nomads. They are forced to move around just to comply with all the various rules. One couple told us they often "house sit" for friends they have made around the world, which gives them relatively low cost options in many parts of the world. This brings up another related issue we stumbled on a few years ago. Many of the school teachers in the Society Islands (i.e. Tahiti, Bora Bora, etc) are French and like to return to France (and other places in Europe) during their summer vacation. It is pretty common for the teachers to look for house sitters to take care of their homes, plants, and even pets. We met an American couple who has been house sitting (for various folks) on Bora Bora for several months a year. They get the homes, rent free, for which they take care of things. A win-win for the teachers and the couple. There are lots of options for folks with a "spirit of adventure" and the will to be a nomad 🙂 Hank

Nope, have not been on any of the Pinnacle or Signature Class. Our love of HAL was based on their smaller ships (the Prinsendam had been one of our favorite ships). If, and when they get their act together (primarily on the entertainment issue) we would consider trying one of their larger vessels.

While on a recent HAL cruise, we met quite a few folks who told us they had sold many of their worldly possessions (including their home), put the rest in storage, and spend 12 months a year in cruise/travel mode. We found these folks fascinating and they all had great stories (and tips). Perhaps there are a few here on CC who live this nomad lifestyle and they would share some of their story...here. Hank

True. Once cruises restarted, after the Covid shutdown, we were out the door. In 2023 we managed to cruise 101 days, which actually pales by comparison to some folks we met on our recent Princess cruise. Summing up those 2023 cruises (HAL, Seabourn, Explora Journeys, and Princess) we had a lot of bad weather (i.e. rain and rough seas) with the exception of the EJ1 cruise which was about as expected (weather wise). 2024 will find us doing a lot less cruising (about 70 days) but only on Premium and Luxury Lines. I will admit to being envious of those that spend 200-300 days (a year) on cruises but that is not only very expensive but also plays havoc with one's schedule. During on recent Westerdam cruise we met a surprisingly number of fellow cruisers who told us that they had sold-off their homes and spent the entire year cruising/traveling. Perhaps that would be another fun topic to start here on CC. "Folks who travel all year and have no home." One lesson that became clear is that folks should never book a cruise with a major factor being an itinerary with calm seas. Many of us warn those who ask, that one can never predict (when booking) what kind of sea conditions will happen on your cruise. Two weeks in the Caribbean (Sky Princess) gave us one week of near-perfect weather and one week of really lousy weather (lots of rain, wind, 3-4 meter seas that truly rocked the ship). Many folks book the Caribbean thinking the large ships will get you a calm ride. Quite a few on the Sky Princess were queasy or worse, for at least 2 days of that 2nd week. Getting back to the Lido topic. although our Sky Princess cruise was packed to near-capacity, we never had a big problem finding seats in the Lido. I think this is mostly due to the fact that the "Royal Class" ships have a very expansive Lido with lots of seating. The cruise line that, over the years, has caused us the most problems with Lido seating has been HAL. Our theory is that HAL does attract an older, well-traveled, clientele many of whom spend all their days inside the ship and the Lido. On HAL it is common to see folks sitting in the Lido playing cards, knitting, reading, etc. While there are other places around the ship with comfy seating, many seem to prefer being near coffee/tea. On HAL this means staying in the Lido or heading to the Crows Nest. On the Sky Princess, there are quite a few places with coffee drinks (Princess Live Bar, International Cafe, Catch by Rudi, or the Lido).

I do not get it! The "Lido" is a buffet dining area, not a card room, game room, lounge, etc. It is a place intended for folks to eat or perhaps grab a cup of coffee, iced tea, etc. That is it! Period! Over the years we have seen all kinds of strange things in lidos. My favorite happened on one Princess cruise when DW and I sat down at a table to enjoy breakfast. When we sat, there was another couple at the table (that had seating for 6). The other couple finished and departed and we were alone at the table of 6 in a pretty empty lido as it was about 10am. A lady came to our table and asked us to move because, she said, this was the table for her small knitting group. Really? I will not type what we told that lady, but suffice it to say that we stayed at that table another half hour to finish our breakfast and enjoy our coffee/tea. We have cruised on more than 70 different cruise ships (over about 50 years). Each of those ships had areas where folks could sit, relax, read, etc. Most ships have some areas where game players can find chairs and a table. We seem to be in this era of "me me me" where folks believe it is their right to do as they please, when they please, where they please...with no consideration of others or rules. Some cruise lines will actually close their lido for various periods of time for cleaning (and also to rid the place of lingerers). Other lines (such as Princess) will generally keep the Lido open for extended hours so folks can relax with a cup of coffee, snack (if available), etc. It is a dining area! I do think the reality is few care if folks push the envelope and use the Lido for games or knitting clubs..during quiet hours when there are few folks in the area. But otherwise, those folks using a dining area for their activities are simply being selfish and rude. Some ships have limited lido space, and folks have trouble finding seats/tables during busy meal times. Also keep in mind that folks do not own the tables. If you are playing cards and there are empty seats I would be well within my rights to invite myself to one of the empty seats. And if a glass of iced tea accidently got spilled on the table (and the cards or board game)....well....oops! Hank

I focused on the "how not to get scammed" issue. Because of about a half century of independent travel. we have become pretty good at sniffing out scams (it has become instinct). This has been further reinforced by living our winters in Puerto Vallarta (a cruise port) and realizing that taxis (and many vendors) have different prices; locals, gringos, and cruisers. And guess who gets the shaft? I think the first rule for cruisers is to understand that much of the world considers cruisers "easy marks." Why do you think there is a Diamonds International only in cruise ports? For whatever reason. many cruisers seem to leave their good judgement at home when they get on a ship. We could talk about the art auctions, overpriced excursions, jewelry shops. etc. It is just a part of cruising and cruisers. So this brings me to Barcelona, a place where some taxis will often do their best to rip-off cruisers. It can be as simply as setting their meters to the #2 setting for day fares (which generates higher fares), not even using meters, taking the long routes, etc. And there are the local restaurants that specialize in tourists and charge tourist prices for sub-standard food/drink. But Barcelona is an amazing city with much to offer the folks. My simple advice to cruisers in Barcelona is to make sure your valuables are not accessible to pick pockets, make sure taxis run their meters and take a direct route (follow along on google maps or Apple maps) and have a great time Also be very careful if you sit down at one of the outdoor restaurants on the Ramblas! Know the price of what you are ordering and make sure that is what you are charged. We have been to Barcelona more then a dozen times and still enjoy the city. Hank

We will not talk about how many years ago...you saw that demo :). We can also talk about everyone mustering outdoors, being told to please keep quiet, etc. To be honest, I hated those kind of muster drills, but did understand it was for our own good. I also remember folks working the system to get excused ("I have physical issues," "it is too hot, "it is too cold," etc.). I always wondered what would happen with those folks in a real emergency. By the way, DW and were just talking about the Costa Concordia disaster. As I recall, most who died did so because they did what they had been told during drills, "return to your cabin to put on warm clothing and get your medications." Each emergency has its own issues and common sense goes a long way to saving lives. Unfortunately, this is not very workable for drills and many folks have little common sense when they are in panic mode during real emergencies. Hank

I do think Cruisemom was very kind on her comments about Civitavecchia hotels. Unfortunately, DW and I have twice stayed in Civitavecchia (pre-cruise) despite knowing better. We did it out of convenience because we were returning a rental car (after extensive driving trips). Otherwise, we would have certainly stayed in Rome and used a transfer service, taxi, or the train to get ourselves to Civitavecchia on embarkation day. One can find an adequate place to stay in Civitavecchia and also find adequate restaurants. For my money, I want more than adequate. Hank

Wow, where to start. Yes, you can likely arrange for a mini-bus (or something similar) through any of various tour companies. Here on CC, the two companies often mentioned with very positive reviews are "Rome In Limo" and "Stefano's Rome Cabs (often referred to as Romecabs). You can contact them with your request and see if they able to handle a group of 14. What you cannot do is go out and rent your own mini-bus and just drive yourself around Rome :). Much of Rome is within a Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL) which are limited driving zones where only certain authorized vehicles can operate. I have driven all over Italy (more than 10,000 miles of driving) and Rome is one of the few places I will not drive :). If I happen to drive into Rome, I park outside the ZTLs (there are some garages near the main train station) and use public transit and my legs. Also consider that most tours of Rome will involve a significant amount of walking. If some of your group has mobility limitations, that is going to have a major impact on what you can see and do in Rome. If you do contact a tour company, make sure to tell them if anyone in your group has such limitations. Hank

I will possibly be labeled an alarmist, but the muster/safety procedure on EJ1 caused me a lot of concern. Why? With about 50 years of extensive cruise experience I have some heartburn about the way the muster drill has become a joke on quite a few cruise lines....with Explora being among the worst. As long as things go well, none of this matters. But safety drills are a tried and proven strategy to save lives when things go wrong. On EJ1 you have nearly 80% of the crew on their first contract without ever having worked on a ship or a marine environment. The muster drill is to simply play a video (many will let it play and not even watch). On EJ1, there are not even life jackets in the cabins. In the event of a real emergency, folks are to go to their meeting place (which is inside a ship) and trust that the crew will properly distribute life jackets. But in real emergencies, things seldom go as planned and panic is often the reality. It is real practice, and experience, that usually makes the difference between life and death. As some point in the future, there is going to be a major emergency on a cruise ship (this is inevitable). Are the crew and passengers ready to deal with it? My many years on ships (over 3 years of actual passenger days) and previous training/experience as a Paramedic, tells me that there is much amiss in how passengers are drilled for an unlikely event. As to the crew, we must trust in the system (or not cruise) but I have my doubts. The history of such things is that at some point there will be a disaster (not necessarily on EJ) and than the post investigation will point lots of fingers and things will change. That is the way of the world. We are much better at investigations and finger pointing than at prevention. Hank

We also see little reason to waste any of your valuable time in Le Havre. But you might want to do a little research about the Eurostar Train between London and Paris. This is a very popular train and you generally need to book reservations well in advance to get your desired train. While the train is fast (about 2 1/2 hours) there are some hassles. UK is not part of the EU or a Schengen country so you are going to spend extra time with immigration/passport checks. I sometimes think many do not "get it" about large cities (i.e. London and Paris). We have truly spent months in Paris and still have not seen it all. London is similar. Also keep in mind that if you are thinking about going to places such as the Eiffel Tower, Tower of London (we love this place), etc. you will need plenty of time and may need to deal with long queues. My advice (the OP did ask for advice) is to somehow find a way to extend your trip and get a few days in both Paris and London. Assuming that is not possible, we would view your Option 1 as the best of your two options. That being said, we would prefer spending a night in Paris (over London) since Paris is one of DW's favorite cities and is where we would both prefer to be for dinner :). Hank

We are also anxious to try the new Crystal since we also have lots of faith in the A&K folks. Had only taken one previous Crystal cruise and were very satisfied. Hank

We are both on the same page :). Folks have often asked, how do I find a good cruise/travel agency and I often suggest they just socialize with folks on cruises and sometimes ask folks how they book their cruises. Over the years we have received a lot of tips and agency suggestions. We also suggest that folks need to use some degree of caution and conduct their own due diligence before using any agency. And always read the agencies policies, FAQs, etc and call them if you have questions. Any agency that does not politely respond to inquiries about their business, cancellation policies, etc, are best avoided. Hank

Even you should know that is not how it works. If there are lower fares available, they can be accessed on SB's air site and simply booked. Even if SB did nothing, anyone who booked their Flex Air could simply go into the web site and change their booking. At this point they would have paid nothing (payments with Flex air options are no due until May for that particular cruise) so they would be free to take advantage of whatever deals are now available. And by the way, if the cruiser was not happy with the new deals on SBs air site, they could simply cancel (they would not have paid any money at this point) and book somewhere else. Now consider if that same person had purchased their own air (for which they would have immediately had to pay) through an airline or booking engine. They would now need to change their flight and likely incur change fees (not to mention a different fare). At that point they would need to go back to SB and file a claim to recover any change fees (SB says they will look at such claims). The problem with that is those folks would be locked into the same airline (with which they booked to Istanbul) since their fare would generally not be refundable. It may well be that other airlines are much more convenient for getting to Dubrovnik.

Having cruised on 17 different cruise lines (I kid you not) we are well aware of significant differences on how each line handles OBC. But OBC is not to be scoffed at (which was why I was curious about Ashland's post). I still smile at a conversation we once had while on a long HAL cruise. We booked through one of our favored cruise agencies who gave us nearly $3000 in OBC! During a discussion on the cruise a lady (who we had met previously) asked how we booked, and I said, "through a decent agency that we have used for many years." She said, "I only book direct with HAL since I can keep control" (whatever that means). She then asked did I get a free bottle of wine from my cruise agency, and I said no, but we got enough OBC to buy a few cases! She asked how much and we told her. The reaction was, "we really like our PCC and would never book through an agency." Kind of makes me think of the old "you can lead a horsem to water........." saying. We have long advocated that folks should "shop around" among reputable high volume cruise/travel agencies and compare the offerings to what they can get by booking direct with a cruise line. We have been doing that for nearly 50 years of cruising and have never found any cruise line that would match the deals we can get though our various favored agencies. The only exception was Renaissance Cruise Lines (which went bankrupt in 2001). That cruise line refused to deal with any travel/cruise agency and only accepted direct bookings. They only survived 10 years! Hank

While FlyerTalker (and some others) have long made a case for why folks should think carefully before using cruise line air options, we now find a very compelling case. These days, it is becoming all too common for cruise lines to change itineraries, including embarkation/debarkation ports. In fact, in the last 2 years we have booked two cruises (Oceania Marina and the Seabourn Encore) where the embarkation port was changed after we had booked. In the case of "O" we had booked Business Class (from Lima back to home) with miles and O changed the debarkation port from Lima to Santiago, Chile (more then 1000 miles from Lima. In that case, we were able to convince Delta to refund our miles and even refund the associated taxes (that are paid in cash). But the reality is that, in many cases, the airlines will, at best, give a voucher (which often comes with lots of restrictions). When using cruise airs Flex fares, one has some protection from the cruise line in the event of a change of ports. We feel more comfortable using Flightease for expensive international biz class/first class knowing that we will not lose money on the air...in the event of a cruise cancellation or change in embarkation/debarkation ports. Just this past week, Seabourn shifted our embarkation port from Istanbul to Dubrovnik. Since this cruise is next August, there are undboutably some folks who had already purchased their own air and now have to deal with the change (and hoping that SB will eventually refund any lost money or fees). Those who had booked Flexair through SB, will simply have their flights changed (or they can go online and make their own change) at no cost. Hank