Traveling Fools

Chapter Two We got a 1 ½ hour late start yesterday the 3rd from home, which I guess was a good thing. We arrived at Orlando International about 5 PM and as I was getting out of the car to unload baggage I brushed the lock locking the entire car, which I guess was a bad thing. Any about an hour and a half later the lock smith showed up and freed us. That burned up $237. It was a good thing we were flying out today and that it didn’t happen on a hours before a travel day that would have got us to Tahiti the day of the cruise! After checking into the hotel, I took one of our bags downstairs to have it weighed by one of the airlines. Good thing I did because it was significantly over weight. For those of you who don’t know, MCO has scales you can use to weigh your bags before checking in. This can save a lot of hassle and embarrassment being told at the check-in counter you have a problem with an overweight bag. Anyway, returned to the room and shifted some stuff to want was going to be a carry-on and shifted the stuff from my carry-on to the back pack I packed. It all worked out well. We had a peaceful, uneventful night at the airport hotel. Woke up at 5 A.M. and was out of the room by 6. Looking out of the windows adjacent to the hotel’s bank of elevators there were several ginormous lines that had already formed to either check-in or clear security. Being use to flying out of Jacksonville, I had never seen such a large group of people at such an early hour processing through check-in and security. After checking in with United the lines to clear security at their gates were just as bad. Thank heavens we were TSA Pre. The learning point here is if you haven’t enrolled in TSA’s pre-clear program do so if you are planning on taking any flights. Other than some turbulence over Texas, the flight from MCO to SFO was uneventful. We stopped in to check out United’s Polaris Club in the International Terminal. United states it was elected the best airline lounge in the “World”. It is nice with both buffet and full service restaurant, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Istanbul’s Business Class Lounge. The 7-hour plus flight from SFO to PPT was comfortable. Stayed awake intentionally the entire flight so as to have a full night of uninterrupted sleep and minimize jet lag. Encounter some turbulence approaching Tahiti, but not as bad as that over Texas, where the pilot had to instruct flight attendants to take their jump seats. It was raining pretty hard when we arrived. There are no jet ways, just covered boarding stairs. Airline reps were at the base of the stairs handing out umbrellas. Needed them for the short walk from the aircraft to the covered walkway leading into the arrivals terminal. Clearing Customs was a breeze and consisted of handing our Customs Declaration to a Customs Official. Immigration took longer. We were in line for at least 20 minutes. They had a separate line for locals and EU countries. It moved much faster than ours. Catching a cab was a bit of an ordeal. Signage is nil and then there were no cabs. Had to wait awhile before cabs began filtering through. In retrospect, I would have ordered transportation through the hotel. After a 12 plus hour flight, including layover in SFO, and a rainy night in Papeete the last thing we needed to experience was a long wait for transportation to the airport. I booked 3-nights at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort. The cab driver quoted $20 to get us there, which was in line with the research I had done. It only took about 5-minutes to get there. The main entry seemed small and subtle for a world class resort and I had to aske 2-times if we were at the correct hotel. We were. Check-In was a breeze and very quickly we were on our way to our bungalow. Because it was dark and rainy, we couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the property or our bungalow. It took about an hour before we hit the rack and fell fast asleep. Layout of the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort More to Follow.

TH....That show is scheduled for tomorrow night. We will be sure to take it in. Thanks for the Tip! You are right it is the Lotus. It is close to our bungalow. We were going to have a late lunch there, but they close at 2 PM. Yes, Amelia Island and the beach drive from the Island is beautiful! I hope you guys enjoy your taste of paradise as much as we intend on doing. It is a bit pricy, but better to have memories of doing it rather than regrets for not doing so. Your right, suck up all the info you can and remain current with it. One reason we elected to stay at the the InterContinental Tahiti instead of a hotel on Moorea was the arrival time of our flight and the operating time of the ferries. TH...I looked at that excursion and was going to book it, but can't remember the reason I didn't We were late in booking this cruise and lot of non-ship sponsored excursions we sold out. One even declined to book us for our age (active 72 & 75 year olds).

Thanks Tim, I'll do my best to post current updates.

Oh, just an FYI tip. We always contact our credit card providers and let them know we will be traveling and where. This minimizes credit card purchases being declined for security reasons. I also asked the representative if they could increase my daily ATM limit to facilitate getting the cash I needed in one day rather than stretched out over several days. She raised it to the limit I requested with one caveat...ATM providers set their own limits on how much they will disburse to a card on a single day and that I would have to go to several ATMs to get the cash I wanted.

Thanks for your feedback! We are also gracious tippers and plan on doing so on ALL of our excursions. I created the thread referenced while driving to several different ATMs collecting cash to pay for our excursions and associated tips. While driving, I had one of my many brain farts about tipping a vendor with whom I directly booked an excursion with cutting out any middleman (Viator and TravelAdvisor). The vendor is the Owner, operator, and guide. They are not an employee. As mentioned the thread was moved to the "Ask A Question" forum where it has generated some lively debate. And Yes, we are intending on tipping them. As said, the question was the product of a brain fart and I just wanted to see what others had to say.

Once again, BirdTravels I respectfully disagree. There are countries where tips are not customary, expected, have already been included in the tariff, or are even considered offensive. An excellent example. In many European countries tips (AKA: service charge) is included in the price you pay. However, in those countries and if you are paying in cash, it is customary to leave any SMALL coinage change. (The Euro has 1 and 2 Euro coins) And, in the United States tipping service are increasingly becoming common, as are tipping amount guidance printed at the bottom of your bill, or displayed on the tablet used to place and pay for your order. The reason for this is to minimize incidents of service employees to whom tips constitute the bulk of their salary from being stiffed by cheap Charlies, travelers from countries where tipping is not customary or expected, or senior+ citizens who aren't in tune with current tipping protocols (For example my deceased stepfather. He always insisted on leaving the tip, but was stuck on the old 10% norm long after 15% became the norm. DW or I always secretly made the adjustment.) Exactly!

Chapter 1-Polynesian Cruise Review-November 2022 It all started in mid-September. DW was watching reruns of the German version of the American TV series “Love Boat”. Some of the episodes featured extended stops at Bora Bora and other Polynesian Islands. Out of the blue she told me visiting Bora Bora and staying in an over-the-water bungalow had long been on her bucket list. After a few minutes, I eased into my cave and began researching cruises to Polynesia. NCL had one that met our wants and with DW’s permission I booked passage on NCL’s SPIRIT, departing Papeete, Tahiti on Nov 7th with stops at Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Moorea before returning to Papeete. Having lived and worked in Tokyo, we knew jet lag on flights from USA’s west coast west to Asia and Polynesia can be problematic. Therefore, we decided to depart Florida on Friday the 4th and fly to Papeete via San Francisco arriving in Papeete the night of the 4th. We hope by time we board the ship on Nov 7th the effects of jet lag will have dissipated. With cruise side of the equation solved, I began researching availability and location of over-the-water bungalows. Because there isn’t any commercial means of transportation after dark from Tahiti to Moorea and we arrive in Papeete after dark, the scope of my research was reduced to Tahiti, specifically Papeete. The best option for us turned out to be the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort. That is where we will spend the nights of the 4th, 5th, and 6th. And Yes…I sucked it up and reserved one of their over-the-water bungalows. We will be traveling with a bottle of Veuve that we will pop open setting on our bungalow balcony as the sun sets on the 5th. The next task was organizing shore excursions. With some exceptions I avoid booking ship sponsored shore excursions. I like smaller, more personal excursions that move and don’t get stalled by fellow shopping addicted passengers. I start the process by googling “shore excursions (Papeete, Bora Broa, etc.). The search results will produce hits with the primary agents used by vendors to market their products (one with initial “V” and the other initials “TA”), as well as with local vendors websites. I complement my research by reading all reviews available about each specific excursion. This includes going to Cruise Critic’s Ports of Call forum (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/) and selecting the relative region of where we are cruising. I try to book directly with the Vendor and not a third party. Here are the excursions we chose for this cruise: Pre-Cruise: 1) Two 2-tank SCUBA dives (5th & 6th) booked directly with the vendor whose dive center is on the Hotel’s property. 2) Will visit Papeete and have a meal at the Food Trucks Huahine: “Sail Huahine by Catamaran”, A ship sponsored excursion. It best met what we want to do and was reasonably priced. Raiatea: “Le Excursion Blu”, Booked directly with the vendor. Has great reviews. Bora Bora Day 1: “H20 Bora Bora Morning Snorkel Excursion” Booked directly with the Vendor. Had the best reviews. First time I communicated with them they were fully booked for the two days we are anchored off Bora Bora. I asked them to put me on the waiting list and about 10-days later they emailed they had room for us on the 10th. Yah Buddy!!! Bora Bora-Day 2: “Vitamin See ½ day 4-passenger Catamaran Excursion” Another direct booking. Has fantastic reviews. Moorea-Day 1: 1.) “Lady in Blue 2-passenter 3-hour tour of Moorea” Direct booking. Vendor has super reviews. When NCL canceled our 2nd day on Moorea, Vendor contacted me to see if we were available for either a morning or afternoon excursion on the 12th vs the 13th. 2) “Mermaid 4-passenger ½ day Lagoon & Snorkel Excursion” Has excellent reviews. Moorea-Day 2: Canceled by NCL citing Moorea Government forced cancellation due to unspecified environmental reasons. NCL has made this a day at sea. Post Cruise: 1) “Tahiti Welcome Tours” Private 4-person tour of Tahiti organized by a fellow passenger. 2) Overnight at Intercontinental Tahiti Resort. Booked when return flight home was departing the morning of the 14th forcing a departure on the 15th. Departure time later changed to 10:40 P.M., wasn’t able to change airline booking to the 14th at 10:40. Oh well, have to go with the flow! Regarding tipping vendors who serve as owner, operator, and guide. I created a thread regarding the issue of tipping them on the NCL forum for discussion and must have offended one or more of the Forum Police or informant(s). Rather than permit relative discussion between NCL clientele, the thread was swept away to the “Ask A Question” forum. We will make the 3–4 hour drive to Orlando tomorrow (Nov 3rd) and overnight at the Hilton in the airport. We have done this before with early morning departures. The check-in counters are just outside the hotel’s main entry. By staying at the airport instead of another nearby hotel we eliminate the need to wake up one or two hours early, driving to the airport, parking, and making our way to the check-in counter. Chapter Two to follow.

Excuse me, but this is an issue that transcends any specific port. AND, I don't intend on posting this question on every CC forum. DW is European, we have lived in several countries (non-military), have friends and relatives living in many countries, are very welled traveled and do not limit our travels to cruises. We are familiar with tipping protocols in many countries and research tipping customs before we travel to a given area, but the expansion of cruising and therefore flood of cruisers has warped the norm. Some people tip regardless of local custom, just like others don't (won't) tip regardless of local custom. To put to rest any notion we are cheap Charlies when it comes to tipping, having a daughter and many friends who have worked in the service industry, we are very gracious tippers...if service warrants it...which is almost always. FYI, we are leaving Friday for an NCL cruise leaving from and returning to Tahiti with port calls at several Polynesian Islands. I know in LBC (life before cruisers) tipping was not customary in the Social Islands. BUT, the influx of hundred of thousands cruise ship passengers as distorted that customs. I doubt locals tip, but it has become increasingly more expected from foreigners. This vendor wears three hats, e.g. owner, guide, and sole employee. The vendor is an experienced business person who has been providing this service for many years. I'm pretty sure their business plan incorporates relative overhead; advertising, vehicle maintenance, rent (if any), etc. Just as they have factored in likely commissions from vendors to whom they direct their customers. And, Oh By The Way, their fee is the same as reflected on the sites they use for middlemen advertisers. (Meaning no discount for booking directly with them.) So, Yesterday as I was driving to several different ATMs getting cash to pay for excursions and associated tips, I had one of my many brain farts. It just happened to be the topic of this thread. BirdTravels, I have to kindly disagree with your statement. In some countries tipping is either not expected or considered offensive.

What is the tipping protocol for shore excursions booked directly with the provider. Example, You book a tour directly with tour operator who also is the sole owner and guide. The agreement is you pay cash directly to the provider/owner/guide for the tour. Is an additional tip expected or warranted? just wondering

Bingo!

For those of you who have booked this cruise aboard SPIRIT, NCL has been changing the itinerary to meet environmental requirements imposed by the Island of Moorea. At least one cruise has cancel the entire 2-day stop at Moorea and others have reduced it to a 1-day stop without really specifying how the remaining day will be spent. Following is the revised itinerary (Received Tue, Oct 25, 8:52 PM) : Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart Mon the 7th PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA 11:59 pm (Changed to 0300, Tuesday the 8th) Tue the 8th PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA Overnight 3:00 am (WAS 2359 the 7th; NOW is 0300 the 8th) Tue the 8th HUAHINE, FRENCH POLYNESIA 10:00 am (WAS 0800) 6:00 pm (NO CHANGE) Wed the 9th RAIATEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 6:00 pm (NO CHANGE) Thu the 10th BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 11:59 pm (NO CHANGE-Unless they leave overnight) Fri the 11th BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 8:00 pm (NO CHANGE) Sat the 12th MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 8:00 pm (NO Overnight or 2nd Day in Moorea) Sun the 13th PAPEETE. FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 pm (Was Moorea) Overnight Mon the 14th PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA 12:00 am The message goes on to read: SHORE EXCURSION NOTICEShore excursions booked through NCL for Huahine, French Polynesia will be automatically adjusted to coincide with new times in port; no further action is required. Shore excursions booked through NCL for Moorea, French Polynesia on Sunday, November 13, 2022, will be automatically canceled and refunded to your onboard account; no further action is required. If you are interested in booking new excursions for your upcoming vacation, please login to your MyNCL account or contact us directly at (866) 625-1167. Guests residing outside of the U.S. or Canada should visit www.ncl.com for local contact information. This note from snorkeljill: 2 hours ago (about 1100 10/26/2022), snorkeljill said: I just spoke to NCL (with respect to my same itinerary change the week of October 31), and they say the 8pm arrival in Papeete on Sunday is not a typo. Looks like it is a day at sea between Moorea and Papeete, even though it is only a short ferry ride between Moorea and Papeete!!

FYI: 2 hours ago, snorkeljill said: I just spoke to NCL (with respect to my same itinerary change the week of October 31), and they say the 8pm arrival in Papeete on Sunday is not a typo. Looks like it is a day at sea between Moorea and Papeete, even though it is only a short ferry ride between Moorea and Papeete!!

For those of you who have booked this cruise aboard SPIRIT, NCL has been changing the itinerary to meet environmental requirements imposed by the Island of Moorea. At least one cruise has cancel the entire 2-day stop at Moorea and others have reduced it to a 1-day stop without really specifying how the remaining day will be spent. Just a heads up for those who don't follow the Spirit's roll call pages.

Got an Email from NCL last night advising of a change in itinerary for our 11/7 sailing on the Spirit. Here is the revised itinerary: Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart Mon the 7th PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA 11:59 pm (Changed to 0300, Tuesday the 8th) Tue the 8th PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA Overnight 3:00 am (WAS 2359 the 7th; NOW is 0300 the 8th) Tue the 8th HUAHINE, FRENCH POLYNESIA 10:00 am (WAS 0800) 6:00 pm (NO CHANGE) Wed the 9th RAIATEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 6:00 pm (NO CHANGE) Thu the 10th BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 11:59 pm (NO CHANGE-Unless they leave overnight) Fri the 11th BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 8:00 pm (NO CHANGE) Sat the 12th MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 am (NO CHANGE) 8:00 pm (NO Overnight or 2nd Day in Moorea) Sun the 13th PAPEETE. FRENCH POLYNESIA 8:00 pm (Was Moorea) Overnight Mon the 14th PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA 12:00 am They really don't specify what we are doing on the 13th. Will it be a day at sea dumping tanks or a day in Papeete flushing tanks with an overnight on board. Fortunately for us the only excursion we booked through the ship was at Huahine, so NCL will make the adjustments on departure time on that excursion. The excursion we booked on the 13th was with the Blue Lady. We will have to cancel that ourselves.

We have taken one aboard on a cruise From Barcelona to Venice with no problem. Took it with us because we spent time in Europe Pre-Cruise.

Have not seen that on a ship, but have been on two passenger flights flying through heavy storms where ball lighting rolled down the isle of the aircraft. That will freak you out and make you wish the airline offered a UDP!

We have been travel with our two youngest grandchildren since they were infants (crises and extended cross country motorhome trips). Both of them at a very young age developed very complex tastes including a liking for smoked salmon, mussels and lamb chops. It so impressed the Haven's Maître' D that he told DW and I to let him know before 5 PM if they wanted those items for diner. Yup, thats what they ate every night. We have been on more than one haven cruise where, through friends our grands made of other Haven gusts with children, we have ended up wanting to break bread at diner at least one night of the cruise. A word to the Maitre' D made getting a table large enough to accommodate all of us happen. That is the only time we have asked for reservations. Just FYI, Have Guest traveling with younger children will generally be waiting in the Haven's lobby at 5:30, just to get their children fed early enough so they don't fall asleep at the table. Our young grandson, now 9, was one of those who crashed almost every night at the diner table. Learned something from the Maitre' D of one of the specialty restaurants when fell asleep and it was a hike back to the Haven. He called for a wheel chair that we were able to put him in. Pushing him back to our cabin rather than carrying him made so much of a difference for all of us!

When people say the caught COVID on their cruise do they mean: They caught en route to the cruise or on the trip home? If they took some form mass public transportation did they catch from anyone they came in contact with during their trip? Did they catch it from the cab driver who transported them either to their hotel from the airport, from the their hotel to the pier, from the airport to the pier? If they stayed in a hotel pre cruise, did they catch from anyone they came in contact with at the hotel or places they may have gone to during their layover?, They caught it from NCL shore side staffer while checking in for the cruise? After boarding the ship did they catch it from anyone they came in contact with aboard the ship? Or, while ashore is it possible they were exposed to it thru contact with anyone they came in contact with who was not part of the ship's company? Etc, Etc. Etc.

Did you pass by uranus???😝

Travel Insurance and How it Saved My A$$ Mid 1980's...I was a Federal Criminal Investigator. One of my cases kept being continued. The Judge finally put his foot down and told the defense no more continuances. He then set a date for the trail. Don't you know it interfered with a family trip to Germany. Fortunately, I had trip insurance and was fully reimbursed. Nov 2009, We had booked a January 2010 Galapagos cruise. Our daughter was shot in her left eye by her estranged BF. She survived the shooting and was hospitalized. We needed to be there to offer encouragement and monitor her recovery. Trip insurance fully reimbursed both Air and Cruise costs. Those were my experiences and they both fell within the conditions stated on the policies. I note the OP has not responded with any follow-up or explanatory posts. So I guess we are all preaching to the choir.😄

Yup! Enough said.

They maybe legit in the state where you live, but the Federal Government has not legitimized possession or use of marijuana.

Read the fine print regarding NCL's obligations. Document your correspondence with NCL and West Jet. Document who you were talking to/corresponding with. Consider a cut and paste to NCL containing West Jet's response to you that you won't make the connection. Document the time you land in LHR and the amount of time it takes to clear formalities, transit to the other terminal, go through formalities there, etc. If you don't make the connection for any reason other than your human error, your documentation will out them in the box. If they refuse to pay for any extra cost to you even after you submit your documentation, that puts you back into the box. Will you just suck it up, or to make your point will you seek legal help?!?

Had the same problem. Called NCL. They helped me out with all the remaining reservations I wanted to make. Found out that La Bristo was fully booked on the other nights I wanted to book.

You might be able to substitute someone else to take their palce.