Hlitner

There are a few options. We usually have few problems finding a chair located away from the immediate pool areas. Another solution is that if you see a chair with no folks and just a towel, and it remains empty for more than 15 minutes, you just take your chances, pitch the towel, and sit down. Once upon a time we were on a Princess cruise and did take a chair (that had a towel) that had been empty for over an hour. Several hours later, the folks who apparently had put down the towels did show-up and said we were in their loungers. We simply told them we had been sitting there for several hours (true) and did not see their names on the loungers. As one with extensive cruise experience (for about 50 years) on many lines I will offer a few tidbits. The chair/lounger issue exists on all the mass market lines (especially in warmer waters) and there is seldom much nelp from the staff. It is the same in many all-inclusive resorts. It sucks, but it is what it is. One solution is to book an expensive luxury line (i.e. Seabourn, Silverseas, Regent, etc) where there is a much better space ratio and getting a lounger is not normally a problem. It would be nice if the pool staff actually cleared-off loungers after a specific time. But the reality is that cruise lines do not want to confront or anger passengers, so the staff tends to be less than helpful. Hank

Same issue plus we cannot even book our free (included) meals (Premium Package) prior to boarding. One option is to simply book and pay for the meal (it will immediately charge your credit card) and than seek reimbursement once aboard. Good luck with that! We even called Princess about booking our included alternative meals (from the Premium Package) and the Princess rep was unable to book the reservation without it charging our credit card. She did put in a request to fix the situation, but that likely went into the ether or the sea. Hank

Lets put the NIce hotel issue in perspective. That city has many hotels, in all classes and in many different locations. And than there is the issue of one's budget. When it comes to location, we think the ideal area is along the Promanade d'Anglais on the central to eastern edge (towards old town). This puts you in a decent part of town and within walking distance of the areas generally enjoyed by most visitors. The down side is that this location does tend to increase the price. Most tourists, especially first time visitors, will focus lots of their time along the Promanade and in the old town area (on the eastern side of town along the sea). This part of town is not only wonderful for walking, browsing, and eating, but it is as safe as it gets in any tourist city. As we previously posted, our 3 favorite hotels/locations would be the Negresco, Meridian and Hyatt Regency. The Meridian is a good choice in the summer months because it has a rooftop sun deck and pool. The Negresco also happens to have an excellent/elegant restaurant called Chantecler which currently has 1 Michelin Star. In fact, DW and I had one of the best meals of our lives in Chantecler, but that was many years ago when Dominique LeStanc was the chef (he now has his own small place in old town). Unfortunately, when Chef LeStanc left Chanteclar he also abandoned his talent for haute cuisine (he now specializes in a less upscale regional cuisine). For those on a budget, look for hotels a few blocks inland in the center to eastern part of town. Hank

Agree, that if it is within your budget, the Negresco is a great choice. Otherwise, you might want to look at the pricing of the nearby Hyatt Regency or Meridian. All these hotels have a great location. Hank

Racks? Maybe yes, maybe no. But we have always found space for our luggage at the end of the cars. The large bags (we also carry two large bags) will generally not fit into the overheads. If the train happened to be less than full, you might be able to stash the luggage at a nearby seat...but you cannot count on that being possible. My own take is that it will all work out, and it does. Traveling interpedently is more about common and travel sense and having the physical ability to handle being on one's own. You will be fine :). Hank

Just one mild warning, if you were to take the train from Termini. It is a very long walk (seems like about 1/3 mile) from the Termini entrance to the platform where you get most of the trains to Civitavecchia. Folks should keep in mind that as a general rule in Europe, you will need to haul your own luggage to and from trains, and depending on the station may need to lift your luggage up a few steps into the train. Not a problem for many (we have done it many times) but a challenge for some. Hank

Perhaps you got the same lady we saw, clipping her DHs toenails, while sitting in loungers at the indoor pool on the QM2 :(. She gets around.

Like most cruise lines, EJ lists the port times in the local time applicable to each port. Hank

You have a few options. Princess now wants folks to use their Princess App (we use it on our phone). If you pull-up your reservation (on that app) at the bottom you will see a "dining" tab. Click on that and it brings up a menu and you simply choose "View or book individual reservations." You should than see yourselves (if you upload your pictures they will show). Next to that there is an "Edit" and if you click on that you will get an option that says "Add Guests." That option allows you to add other folks as long as you have their booking number. The other option is to wait until you are aboard and go to any of the dine host desks or call the Dine Line. Hank

No calories in that Dirty Banana 🙂

But they have done it for the future. For example, our late March Vista cruise was scheduled to go to both Istanbul and Kusadasi but those ports have been replaced with ports in Greece.

Have lived in Puerto Vallarta for 18 winters, but it took me a few years to realize that "crema" was a good substitute for sour cream.

Our solution would be to simply rent a car and drive :). There are several rental car agency location in Genoa and a car gives you maxmium flexibility. That being said, November is outside of the normal tourist season, and I have never seen the big attraction of Portofino. Yes, if we had a yacht we might stop there for lunch (in season) but would not go there in November. Hank

Having been to that area (and port) multiple times we agree. The last couple of times we ported in Sete, DW and I simply tendered into town, walked around, and enjoyed a nice long lunch. For those who have never been, we strongly suggest Carcassonne. Since we are tour-adverse, we have previously done it with a rental car...but an excursion or private tour does make sense for most folks. Hank

We have done a few of the "Deluxe Balconies" and find them a decent option. But, we than realized that doing the lowest category Mini-Suites made a lot more sense in terms of bang for the buck. Hank

There is a "sucker" born every minute 🙂

Just wanted to post an interesting tidbit we picked up on the Princess blog. As most here are aware, O has cancelled all their port visits to Turkey for the foreseeable future. This week, the Enchanted Princess had its normal port visit to Kusadasi where there were no issues. In fact, one poster reported that their guide mentioned that Americans should spend less time watching CNN and understand that a war between Israel and Gaza does not involve Turkey. Interesting point of view in light of the comments made by President Erdogen. We could debate whether O is being overly cautious, in cancelling Turkey, but we do need to respect their concern about safety. Hank

One does need to beware of Uber "surge pricing." What is nice about Uber or Lyft is that you do see the price on the app and do not need to make a decision (Uber vs Taxi) until that time. We have sometimes walked over to the taxi queue and looked at Uber while we waited in line. If there is a decent Uber (or Lyft) price and a car will get to us in a few minutes, than we move out of the queue and over to our Uber/Lyft pick-up spot. It used to be easy to figure pricing, but now that Miami has done away with the fixed price to MIA, it is more difficult. If heading to a more distant airport (such as FLL from the Port of Miami or MIA from the Port Everglades) we have always found Uber/Lyft a much better deal than a taxi. Hank

We have done dozens of TAs (both directions) and it is one of our favorite types of cruise. If you do want a few ports, forget about the "Queen" and look to repositioning cruises operated by nearly all cruise lines. Most repositioning cruises are in the fall and spring as ships relocated between Europe and North America. If you have the time, and money, you might want to consider a fall cruise that takes a northerly route (not to Miami or Florida) and includes places like Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and/or Canada. These itineraries have plenty of small/interesting ports and are among our personal favorite. If you want to go between Europe and Florida, most itineraries will include very few ports (i.e. Azores, Canary's, Bermuda,). It is sometimes possible to find some terrific deals (in terms of cost per passenger day) on these cruises. Also keep in mind that airfares to get you to or from home have really increased, so you might want to look for cruise lines that include or offer some decent air incentives. Hank

There are numerical markers along the road. When we summon an Uber/Lyft we simply tell the driver (via text or a phone call) our exact location. It is then easy to follow the drivers progress (on the app) to know when to look for the car. As to the taxi queues, they generally move fast. While some run out of patience, they might consider using a cruise line transfer means boarding a bus, waiting until the bus is filled, waiting until the luggage is loaded, and generally being dropped at a single airport drop site that can be a long way from your particular terminal/gate. And to make the situation worse, the cost of most cruise line transfers are more expensive than taxis or Uber. Hank

Although we do sometimes stay aboard ships in port days, it is not our norm in Europe. We do understand the tendency of many cruisers to wear themselves out with long port days, especially those who tend to book lots of excursions/tours which become very tiring. Rather than staying aboard, we prefer to plan a few "lazy port days" where we simply do our own thing (our norm) and make it a relaxing day ashore. Instead of running from place to place, spending hours looking at sites, etc. we will usually stay in (or close) to the port city and plan on a nice, long lunch. A good part of European culture is defined by regional cuisines, and we are happy to test the theory with a good meal. Post on the appropriate European port boards and there are plenty of folks who can help you plan a relatively simple, relaxing port day (and even recommend cafes/restaurants). Another option, we have often used, is for when we simply do not want to have lunch ashore. In many of those kind of ports we will walk off the ship around 9:30 or 10, spend about 3 hours exploring the area within walking distance of the port and than head back to the ship for a late lunch and a relaxing afternoon on the ship. Hank

My kind of plan :). Just make sure you are capable of handling your own luggage. I also suggest you purchase a luggage cable lock (you can find these on Amazon and elsewhere) to use for securing your luggage if it is out of your immediate grasp. On trains, we often leave larger luggage in the rack at the end of a car, and will secure the pieces (by running the cable through the handles) to part of the rack. Hank

If you are young, strong, and can easily handle all your luggage then the train is possible. Just keep in mind that street crime is always a possibility so you must make sure to always keep your luggage under your control. On the trains, I use a luggage cable lock to secure luggage which we must sometimes leave at the end of a car. On a midday Saturday train, we would take the lower cost train from S. Pietro. Just pray that the elevator is working at the Civitavecchia station since, otherwise, you would need to walk down a long stairway, pass under Track 1, and than back up another long stairway (somehow hauling all yoru luggage). From the Civitavecchia station you can either use the bus or try to get a taxi to your ship. So now that we told you what you want to hear, we would advise just taking a taxi or arranging for a transfer....or arrange a private transfer (about 160 Euros). But the train is, indeed, an option if you can handle and protect your luggage. Hank

Absolutely agree with you. But do not blame the industry as this is all about NCLH and O. I have been watching this thread to see if the usual, O fans, would come to the defense of O. Hank

While I understand that different folks have differing opinions, everyone should take notice of the situation with these Middle Eastern cruises. From the cruise line's point of view (and this is not just about O) when you have booked and paid for a cruise you are only entitled to X number of days on a ship. The itinerary the cruise ship provides does not need to be anything close to what you booked. You could book an Alaskan cruise and the cruise line could send you to the Caribbean. According to the cruise line's "terms and conditions" they have the right to send you anywhere on earth and you have no rights. While some of us think the cruise lines should act in a reasonable manner, they can do as O is doing and basically give the finger to their customers and completely change their cruise without offering any other recourse. And even if you later decided to sue (or get involved in a class action) the cruise line will simply argue that they are in compliance with their terms and conditions (and other language in the passenger contract). Because of the lack of government regulation of the cruise industry (in terms of protecting consumers) we (cruisers) are often at the mercy of the cruise line to do the right thing. Hank