Cienfuegos

Make sure the taxi uses its meter, if the driver doesn't quote a fixed rate. The hotel should be able to give you the usual price.

I believe there's a water taxi station directly behind the hotel. It's in a great location.

I agree with the observation that dressy shorts are OK in the Explorer Lounge, and would add a suggestion. On our Trade Routes cruise (Bergen to Barcelona) there was a considerable temperature range. One gentleman often wore Bermuda shorts (almost to the knee) with almost to the knee knee socks. And good shoes. It was a very dapper appearance. Definitely not a ratty gym shorts appearance...

Quarterdeck Restaurant, out on the island, is very nice. Water views, etc. I've had dinner recently at both Fish Grille and Tuscany Caffe, both on US 1. Nice places, not elegant, good food. Islamorada Fish Company in the huge Bass Pro store is good. Griffin Road at the I-95 and Tri-Rail station. Toro in the Le Meridien hotel at the airport is very good, but it is only open a few days each week.

In my former company, chinos / khaki slacks and polo / golf shirts were identified as appropriate for business casual attire. For men and women. Now that I'm retired, I've seen a lot of "I wore a suit and tie for 40 years, and nobody will tell me what I may or may not wear now". Which makes any kind of code difficult to enforce. Even in religious houses of worship.

The physicians on M.A.S.H. often lounged in their bathrobes when the cocktails flag was hoisted. Which was most of the time. But, Viking should have put a stop to this...

"Standing in his bathrobe at the bar" strikes me as a new low. That's pretty bad.

We took the Trade Routes voyage a few years ago, and agree completely with OneSixtyToOne's descriptions. The Portsmouth / Stonehenge excursion was combined with a short visit to Salisbury Cathedral, which I found very enjoyable. A page of the Magna Carta, many panels of descriptions concerning the restoration, a lovely dean's walk, etc. The bus returned to the ship about 40 minutes before ship's departure. Cartagena was lovely. The included tour covered the ampitheater, and a walk through the ruins. There was a touching monument to the Spanish sailors who lost their lives in what Americans call the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. Definitely a city to re-visit

A "small" initial share offering is often used to test the waters for a subsequent larger offering, and to allow managers etc who have received private or restricted shares to cash out in the open market. Depending on the terms of the distribution of restricted or private shares to managers, the company might otherwise have to spend its own cash to redeem those shares if there was no existing public market

Are both persons occupying the cabin still required to purchase their own SSP? That could get expensive in a hurry if one person doesn't drink much, or at all.

Miami has become an active "four days" cruise port in recent years. Monday morning there were six ships at dock by 7.30 am. Fridays are also active with arrivals and departures. Miami has always had overnight stays for 1-2 ships, but business seems to be picking up

I'm interested in how the Chinese investment interacts with Viking corporate. One ship was handed over to settle all or part of obligations, and it seems the Chinese river operations may have participation from local interests. My sense is that there's a Viking corporate (Mr Hagen and family, perhaps senior managers) which oversees several subsidiary corporations (Ocean, River, China, US rivers, UK, Australia, maybe expeditions, etc) which have their own outstanding mortgages and other debt, etc

Do British consumer protection laws protect travelers who book cruises in the US? I like the idea of an "all in" price

It's possible that TPG wants to cash out some of its investment, or that Viking wants to pay off more of its debt load. Or perhaps the Chinese have some notes that Viking has to settle. Hiring investment banking firms is often a sign that a firm is exploring interest. Not necessarily that they plan an immediate offering. If they are doing a public offering, they will file paperwork.

That's very interesting, thank you. I've tried to use my own SunPass and E-Z Pass on rental cars, and that's been blocked. The plate numbers are already registered with the service. The hang tag transponder is a great idea.

I'd agree with the Captain on ABC Wines. Total Wines & Liquors, another chain, also has a humidor facility for quality cigars in many stores.

I do that on every cruise. Give your people a little up front, and they will look out for you

The financial website Seeking Alpha notes a Bloomberg report that Viking Cruises is considering a public offering of shares in the US. The privately held company currently has two outside investors and a very expensive debt. Current debt has been issued at 9.25% interest. That replaced some older debt issued at 13%.

This is a good thread, I'm glad I clicked on it. It seems to me that this kind of activity is one which Viking should encourage. Creating a community of interest around the line and its wonderful staff.

You might check to be sure the garage you choose will be open the day you return. It's possible that the terminal / garage may not be open on a light day for returning cruises.

Get cash in the door, and hold onto it. Viking offered generous terms for vouchers issued during the Covid shutdowns, these vouchers are mostly used by now. But the 25% "bonus" allowed price hikes which haven't receded.

Yes. Six separate destinations in eight hours will be a bus ride. That's one reason why researching the actual destination / tour in advance makes so much sense. There's no way that walking a thousand steps up to the Acropolis (High City?) will be anything other than moderately difficult for most people Our Cuban city tours would be nice walks under normal conditions. Add in upper 80s F temperature, high humidity, bright sunshine and the occasional guide anxious to get to a tourist trap, and it can be a rough excursion.

Traffic on I-95 in south Florida has become noticeably worse in the past two years. Many more lunatic drivers, more trucks, junk in the road, etc. One thing that has improved is that the express toll lanes now come up to Delray / Boca, about exit 52 (miles from Miami). For a few bucks and SunPass / EZ Pass, you can sail along in somewhat less challenging lanes.

I don't believe the Palm-Tran shuttle from the West Palm Beach airport to the Tri-Rail station is still in service. Cabs are readily available, however.

The original post said the luggage was in the trunk. That would give the driver an upper hand in discussions about the fare, etc Pulling over into a dark area near the hotel certainly sounds like an effort at intimidation.