Mercruiser

I have used RomeCabs twice. They are great. Don't bother with the train between Rome and Civiatveccia unless you are travelling light. You will have to schlep your luggage on/off the train, and then again with a cab.

You can also go to/from Iceland on a 2-night ferry from Denmark See https://www.visiticeland.com/article/ferry-to-iceland. If you really want to see glaciers, it's a lot better if you have time on land.

Yes, the express trains go under the mountains in tunnels. But you can still ride trains over the passes on a local train that stops at every town.

There has been a lot happening in Peru these last few days. Of relevance to Machu Picchu: 1) The MP rail line is closed again: https://www.perurail.com/news/notice/ Protestors tore out a section of railroad tracks used to access MP. 2) The MP site (Machupicchu llaqta) and the trails network is now closed according to the Ministry of Culture. https://www.culturacusco.gob.pe/noticia/imagen/comunicado-sobre-cierre-de-machupicchu-y-red-de-caminos-inka/ Translation from the orginal in Spanish (red emphasis mine) DECENTCENTRATED DIRECTORATE OF CULTURE OF CUSCO PERU COMMUNICATE The Decentralized Directorate of Culture Cusco of the Ministry of Culture and the Headquarters of the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu of the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State -(Sernanp) communicate that in view of the current social situation in which our region and the country find themselves , the closure of the Inka Road Network and the Machupicchu llaqta has been ordered, from January 21, 2023 until further notice, to safeguard the safety of tourists and the population in general. Likewise, it is communicated that all the facilities will be provided to national and foreign tourists who are affected for the use of tickets, from January 21, 2023 until one month after the conclusion of the social mobilizations or request the return of the amount of the ticket. 3) The Cusco airport (CUZ) was closed yesterday, but is now open again. This is a very fluid situation. So we can anticipate the possibility of more closures. Basically, they close the airport when protestors attempt to breach the security perimeter.

I recently repriced a Princess booking, saving 14%. The TA told me they would have to rebook under a new confirmation number. When I got the new booking, I realized that the Princess excursion I booked myself was gone. I simply had to rebook the excursion. This was the only gotcha.

Rick Steves has this note about ATM fees in Europe: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-machine-atm-tips

When I opened the Schwab account, they automatically created both brokerage account and the checking account. I never funded the brokerage account (zero balance). I have never had any fees ever on this account with the exception of some ATM fees that were not automatically rebated. As they describe in footnote 2 of the linked web page (red emphasis mine): "2 Unlimited ATM surcharge rebates apply to cash withdrawals using the Schwab Bank Visa® Platinum Debit Card ... Schwab Bank makes its best effort to identify those ATM surcharges eligible for rebate, based on information it receives from Visa and ATM operators. In the event that you have not received a rebate for an eligible surcharge, please call a Schwab Bank Client Service Specialist for assistance at ..." A couple years ago, I had some ATM fees, in Europe, that were not automatically rebated. I called the phone number and Schwab took care of it with no hassle. Schwab has been very good to work with. Note to Europe traveller: Avoid "Euronet" ATMs. They charge exorbitant fees. Their ATMs are conveniently located next to tourist sites all over Europe.

I'm re-reading this thread. It brings back very happy memories. It's making me want to book my next trip to French Polynesia.

We paid with local cash, with dinner costing the equivalent of $20 USD. I don't know if they take cards, I didn't ask because it was the end of our trip and I wanted to use my local currency. There is an ATM at the PPT airport. The ATM is in the public area, outside of baggage claim, not far from the rental car desks, as I recall. I always get cash there after landing. There are also ATMs in Papeete and Moorea. Travel hint: Get a Schwab Investor checking account for international travel. You'll never have to pay ATM fees again. It basically allows you to use any ATM in the world, just as if you were a local. I keep money in this Schwab checking account specifically for international travel. https://www.schwab.com/checking If you use an ATM card from a normal bank, you'll probably get hit with a $5 (+/-) fee every time you use a foreign ATM.

This thread was very timely for me. Based on the recommendations here, I just changed my hotel to Marriott in Brooklyn on points. Thanks everyone!

Be Sure to Check the Refundability of Your New Confirmation I just finished a 75 minute call with X. They answered within 4 minutes, but it took a long, long time to get this booking converted over to the new cruise. After 45 minutes, the agent has the new booking made and emails a confirmation for me to review. My original booking has a REFUNDABLE deposit for 3 passengers in 1 cabin. I'm looking at the new booking and see this text about a non-fundable deposit (red emphasis mine): "The minimum deposit for this reservation is Non-Refundable. A change fee of 100 USD per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes. ... The booking is currently subject to USD 1350.00 cancellation penalties at time of this booking invoice 14 JAN 2023." I question this and the agent tells me that it really is refundable, it just doesn't say that on my confirmation. But any X agent will see that it really is refundable on their screen. I'm thinking, I have nothing in writing to show that this is refundable. The fact that I have verbal assurance today is going to do me no good a year from now. So I ask is there any way they can get this in writing now. The agent offers to recreate the booking with a new confirmation number. Apparently this is the only way he can solve the problem. I say yes. 30 minutes later I have my new confirmation and booking number with the original cabin, price, and refundable deposit. Let me be clear, the phone agent was very, very helpful. But for some reason, the X booking system made this a very long, drawn out process. Lessons learned: 1) Be sure to carefully compare your original and the revised confirmation to make sure they have not changed the terms. 2) Use a TA next time so that I don't have to spend all this time on the phone.

Thanks for posting this. I assume that X will eventually send me an email notice, but it sure is nice to take care of this before everyone else when all the cabins are still available.

I booked online, direct with Celebrity on this one (unusual for me). Anyone have an email or other instructions on how to rebook, "at protected rates", to the new sailings? If you find out, please post here. Otherwise, I'll just call and hope I get an agent that can figure this out. Part of why I'm asking is that I've received no information from X on any of this - just the "Cancelled" notice when I login

Thanks to everyone that called X to find out what's going on. Switching my Feb 7 cruise to Feb 6 is no problem for me. I'll continue to monitor this thread to find out when/how we rebook. This outcome is way better than I was expecting. I've had X cancel several cruises on me in the past.

The Cusco city airport (CUZ) is closed. The last plane landed there at 2:28 pm. There have been no more arrivals or departures since. Here is the notice on the Lima airport FB page: https://www.facebook.com/aeropuertojorgechavez/ The ramification is no travel to/from the city of Cusco, the Sacred Valley, or Machu Picchu. I am reading some posts on the TripAdvisor Peru forum with travelers who are stuck there until the airport reopens. There are also lots of posts by people with upcoming package tours that want to cancel, understandably.

I've been wondering that too. Typically, when a cruise is in limbo, it just disappears from the "Find a Cruise" listings, so that no new bookings can be made.

Unfortunately, the US State Department has not updated their Travel Advisory since Dec 22. The situation has changed drastically since Dec 22. Instead, they are relying on the US Embassy in Peru to issue alerts. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Peru.html

Yes, it is Cusco city. The demonstrations are occurring right at the Cusco airport, used by tourists to/from Lima. (Previous demonstrations have been in places far from Lima or Cusco city.) One of the major Peru news outlets is reporting 43 injuries and 1 dead in Cusco. https://larepublica.pe/ It is fair to say that the violent demonstrations have escalated significantly this week. Regardless of your citizenship, I suggest following the Canadian government Travel Advice for Peru. They are updating it regularly with the latest information. https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/peru

I also note that "This has been raised already and relevant team are closely monitoring this matter." is majorly different than "relevant team are correcting the problem." They worded this in the most passive way possible, without taking any responsibility to fix the problem.

Maybe this is just an X web-site error? I went to a TA web site and started a booking for the Feb 7 cruise. It shows everything you would normally expect to see: cabin availability, prices, etc. Didn't go any further because I did not want to create yet another booking.

No I have not called Celebrity. I'm not in a hurry to resolve this, other than the cruise deposit. Celebrity has billed my credit card $2250 in cruise deposits (2 cabins, 5 people). If they do not refund this within a couple of weeks (or reinstate the booking), I will contest the charge to the credit card company. As mentioned in my prior post, "I'm looking for a Feb 2025 cruise that includes Bangkok. I guess I'll have to wait for Princess and HAL to release 2025 Asia itineraries. Or I could pay 2X-6X and go on one of the very nice Regent, Silversea, Azamara, or Oceania itineraries."

I have not received an email notification yet. I found out when I logged in at https://www.celebritycruises.com/account/ This is what's displayed.

My Feb 7 cruise booking is amongst those cancelled. I found out when logged into X website. I'm looking for a Feb 2025 cruise that includes Bangkok. I guess I'll have to wait for Princess and HAL to release 2025 Asia itineraries. Or I could pay 2X-6X and go on one of the very nice Regent, Silversea, Azamara, or Oceania itineraries.

As of Sunday, Jan 8, the trains to Machu Picchu trains are running again. Puno trains are still stopped. Source: https://www.facebook.com/FerrocarrilTransandino/ In case you are not aware, January - Feb is off-season. During the off-season, trains only run between Ollantaytambo and Machupicchu. Later in the year, the MP trains run all the way between Cusco and Machupicchu. Here is a translation from the Spanish original: FTSA Cusco, January 8, 2023. COMMUNICATE Ferrocarril Transandino S.A., concessionaire of the railway in the south and southeast of the country, informs the railway operators and the community in general that: Today, Sunday, January 8, starting at 4:00 p.m., we proceed to authorize railway operations in the section: Ollantaytambo - Machupicchu - Hidroeléctrica, of the south-eastern railway. This announcement is possible, after having verified the good condition of the railway and confirming the security conditions with the corresponding authorities. We also inform that the railway operations in the section: Cusco - Juliaca - Puno, of the southern railway; They will continue to be suspended due to the protests that take place in these sectors. We appreciate the understanding of the railway operators and the community in general in the face of the suspension in previous days of railway operations on the route to Machupichu, a measure we adopted to guarantee the safety of people. Any change in this measure will be communicated in a timely manner. Sincerely, Ferrocarril Transandino S.A.

Unfortunately, the Yahoo version of the article omits the location of the photos showing protestors throwing rocks and setting fires on an airport runway, leaving some to assume it's at the Cusco city airport. If we read the article at it's original source, Reuters, we see the caption identifying the photo location as Ayacucho. This runway photo is taken no where near the city of Cusco, or anywhere else a tourist would go. Reuters Caption: "Demonstrators stand on an airport tarmac amid violent protests following the ouster of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, in Ayacucho," https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-protests-over-castillos-ouster-resume-with-partial-blockades-2023-01-04/ If Ayacucho seems vaguely familiar, you may have seen it on the map of the VRAEM. It's name is right inside the red circle. I would say the travel advisory is very correct, VRAEM and the Ayacucho airport are definitely a "Do not travel" area.