Repeat or New

[dogs4fun]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

For those who have pretty much cruised everywhere, how do you choose an itinerary?

I certainly haven't cruised everywhere nor have I traveled as often and extensively as you. However, I do know the reasons that I usually choose specific itineraries (whether traveling by land or cruise).

I am a perpetual learner and am inquisitive by nature. Books, love of classical music, movies and continuing education have all fueled my desire to visit specific places. I never tire of visiting Italy (particularly Rome, Florence, Pompeii, etc.), Russia (particularly Saint Petersburg & Moscow), Scotland (ancestral roots), and cities that are classical music & literary meccas where my favorite authors/composers lived and worked (e.g. Vienna, Salzburg - music; Saint Petersburg and environs - literature). I have visited cities multiple times and, fortune willing, will again enjoy doing so in the future.

A question for you Hank ... I know you frequently drive around europe DIY. Although, unlike yourself, I would be terrified to drive about Italy, I might be tempted to rent a car in Austria. There is an area that, by sheer happenstance, I have briefly seen & would like to further explore. Leaving Salzburg, our driver took us on a scenic route around a section of Austria's Salzkammergut. Such a gorgeous area with many small, charming villages & pristine lakes with the Alps as a backdrop. Have you ever driven around this area? 

 

[clo]

49 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Who doesn't like the experience of a new island?

I.  I've been to several Hawaiian islands but I don't think that's what most people are talking about. Oh, right, and the British Isles. Oh, and Iceland.  Is Antarctica an island???

[dogs4fun]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

Is Antarctica an island???

It is a continent. 😎 I've never been.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

It is a continent. 😎 I've never been.

"At about 3 million square miles (7.7 million square km), Australia is the smallest continent on Earth. ... According to Britannica, an island is a mass of land that is both “entirely surrounded by water” and also “smaller than a continent.” By that definition, Australia can't be an island because it's already a continent."

 

And we have been and it was amazing.

[dogs4fun]

1 minute ago, clo said:

"At about 3 million square miles (7.7 million square km), Australia is the smallest continent on Earth. ... According to Britannica, an island is a mass of land that is both “entirely surrounded by water” and also “smaller than a continent.” By that definition, Australia can't be an island because it's already a continent."

 

And we have been and it was amazing.

I am confused - I was answering your question regarding whether or not Antarctica is a continent.

I have been to Australia (I know it is a continent) but you asked about Antarctica (it is also a continent). 🙂

Am I missing something?

[clo]

8 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

I am confused - I was answering your question regarding whether or not Antarctica is a continent.

I have been to Australia (I know it is a continent) but you asked about Antarctica (it is also a continent). 🙂

Am I missing something?

Well, if Australia can't be an island then neither can Antarctica, right? No, I wasn't finished my coffee 🙂 And I haven't been to Australia...even though in a previous lifetime I worked for QANTAS.

[dogs4fun]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

Well, if Australia can't be an island then neither can Antarctica, right? No, I wasn't finished my coffee 🙂 And I haven't been to Australia...even though in a previous lifetime I worked for QANTAS.

 

17 minutes ago, clo said:

And we have been and it was amazing.

So ... you have been to Antarctica? Was this a cruise? I imagine myself freezing to death. 😏

[clo]

2 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

So ... you have been to Antarctica? Was this a cruise? I imagine myself freezing to death. 😏

Cruising is realistically the only way to get there and to be allowed to go ashore you have to be on a ship with under 500 pax. We were on Hurtigruten. We were there in January which is their summer. It was 50s during the day and if we were on the ship we wore shorts. We didn't think it was cold at all. There were even some (insane) guys who did a "polar plunge."

 

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I certainly haven't cruised everywhere nor have I traveled as often and extensively as you. However, I do know the reasons that I usually choose specific itineraries (whether traveling by land or cruise).

I am a perpetual learner and am inquisitive by nature. Books, love of classical music, movies and continuing education have all fueled my desire to visit specific places. I never tire of visiting Italy (particularly Rome, Florence, Pompeii, etc.), Russia (particularly Saint Petersburg & Moscow), Scotland (ancestral roots), and cities that are classical music & literary meccas where my favorite authors/composers lived and worked (e.g. Vienna, Salzburg - music; Saint Petersburg and environs - literature). I have visited cities multiple times and, fortune willing, will again enjoy doing so in the future.

A question for you Hank ... I know you frequently drive around europe DIY. Although, unlike yourself, I would be terrified to drive about Italy, I might be tempted to rent a car in Austria. There is an area that, by sheer happenstance, I have briefly seen & would like to further explore. Leaving Salzburg, our driver took us on a scenic route around a section of Austria's Salzkammergut. Such a gorgeous area with many small, charming villages & pristine lakes with the Alps as a backdrop. Have you ever driven around this area? 

 

No, in fact we have never driven in Austria.  I have driven in Germany and Switzerland which I assume is very similar to Austria.  Driving in most of Western Europe is not much different then driving in the USA or Canada although one does need to read-up on the parking rules in various countries.  But the driving rules are similar, they drive on the right, gas stations are generally self-service, etc.  I have long found it strange that many fellow Americans are reticent to rent a car in Europe but will drive anywhere in the USA.   One issue is that Austria has "vignettes" or toll stickers.  This is not an issue when you rent a car within the country since they should already have an annual vignette (sticker) on their windshield.  But if you rent in another country and drive into Austria you would need to purchase a vignette (usually done near the border) which varies in price depending on how long you need validity.   In Austria a 10 day Vignette is only 9.40 Euros.  Switzerland is another vignette country although they do have higher prices.

 

I have driven in some of the Swiss Alps and the roads are excellent with decent signs and services.  It should be the same in Austria.  Driving around Europe has really become easy with the availability of GPS.  I used to carry many pounds of maps/mapbooks but now all one needs is a working cell phone or a GPS device (such as Garmin Nuvi).  I do strongly recommend that if folks are going to rent a car they have a working cell phone.  If you have T-Mobile it will work just about everywhere in Europe with no extra fees for data on most of their USA plans.  Other companies charge varying fees based on your plan and how many days you need.  If you have an unlocked phone it is also possible to just buy phone service in Europe (or you can get it mail order on the web before you leave home).

 

Another tip about renting cars is we recommend checking out both Autoeurope.com and Kemwel.com before you finalize your plans.  These are sister companies who function as auto "consolidators" or discounters.  They use good companies like Hertz and Europcar and often have excellent deals for rentals of 3 days+.  They also handle leasing which can be a good option if you want a car more then 3 weeks.   

 

Hank

 

Hank

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, clo said:

So do you spend time in those cities pre and post? We do and that's very important to us.

 

In some of the ports that I listed, I have and in some I have not.  It will depend upon the cruise itinerary.

 

I agree that spending some time exploring some of these cities is important to me as well and can make me want to return again.  Auckland, Vancouver, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Rome as well as the Hawaiian Islands are stand-outs for me.  

[marco]

On 9/25/2020 at 6:51 PM, Hlitner said:

I want to steer the discussion in a slightly different direction.  For those who have pretty much cruised everywhere, how do you choose an itinerary?

 

Hank

 

Itinerary not so important as we've cruised to just about everywhere we wanted to cruise to. Some places in this world, a land trip is much more desirable than a cruise, so we don't really even consider it.   But.........we've cruised the Caribbean every winter for the past 35 plus years, so we don't care which islands we're stopping at as we usually don't even get off the ship, so.... line/ship, price, dates, perks determine what will be up next.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, marco said:

we've cruised the Caribbean every winter for the past 35 plus years, so we don't care which islands we're stopping at as we usually don't even get off the ship, so.... line/ship, price, dates, perks determine what will be up next.

 

I have not cruised the Caribbean that consistently for so long, but I agree with your premise.  

 

St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. John and St. Croix, a port in the BVI, even Fort-de-France:  I would venture ashore.  Probably even in St. Thomas if the ship is not docked at Crown Bay.

[ilikeanswers]

When I think about my international travels the only place I have ever returned to is Dubai😂. Domestically I have enjoyed returning to destinations and finding new things to discover. Internationally I certainly would love to return to some places to explore further or experience things I enjoyed again but with COVID19 it has made me realise you can't take travel for granted so now I think I want to concentrate on new destinations until at least I have covered the top places I want to visit😜. 

[bbangel74]

I have so many places on my list to see that I usually look for new itineraries. The only cruise I have done more than once is the short 3 day out of Florida to the cruise ship island. Done that one 3 times always with different people who wanted to try a short cruise to see if they like it. The rest of my cruises have all been different so far although there are some places I would love to go back. I've done land touring in some places that I have later visited cruising and cruised places I later go back and explore further. I look at it like there isn't a wrong way to go as long as you are able to go. Looking forward to getting to more of South America and Antarctica next year as long as things stabilize but wouldn't say no to a return to the Caribbean either!

[Sue Do-Over]

We are entirely tired of the Caribbean... but will go on a freebie from the casino.  (yeah, twist my arm!)

 

Would go back to Copenhagen, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin and many others several more times before I feel like I've seen everything important.

 

Sigh.  I'd like to see anything but my own backyard... 

[clo]

16 minutes ago, Sue Do-Over said:

Would go back to Copenhagen, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin

I know it's easier to do SPB as part of a cruise but with the others would you just do air/land?

[Hlitner]

20 minutes ago, clo said:

I know it's easier to do SPB as part of a cruise but with the others would you just do air/land?

Thought I would comment on the question since it has actually come up in a discussion with DW.  We have enjoyed SPB on several cruises where we have twice used small group private tours and once got our own Visa and did our own thing (and had a fantastic couple of days). 

 

Going back to SPB or anywhere in Russia as an air/land trip is truly a royal pain.  DW and I are very independent travelers and this would mean going through the process to get Russian Tourist Visas which are very difficult to obtain and quite expensive.   The Visa situation is somewhat easier if you are part of a tour group but that is not our style.   Another option would be to due a River Cruise in Russia and that is an option we might pursue in the future.

 

Hank

[dogs4fun]

11 hours ago, clo said:

I know it's easier to do SPB as part of a cruise but with the others would you just do air/land?

I have an affinity for Russia and actually prefer to visit Saint Petersburg (and Moscow, Novgorod, etc.) by air/land. I have been visiting Russia yearly since my first visit 10 years ago - appreciate the 3 year Russian visas that US citizens are allowed. The Russian visa is expensive if one is planning on visiting Russia a single time (especially during a short cruise visit). For my purposes, the visa is a good deal and not particularly expensive considering its three year validity.

The visa application is rather onerous the first time through the process - I simply made a copy of my paperwork and use the answers on subsequent applications (especially the education questions and listing countries visited over the past 10 years).

We cruise the Baltics only when traveling with friends/family who have not previously visited & don't want to go through the tedious process of the Russian visa application. We have cruised Russia both by river cruise (wherein one needs a Russian tourist visa) and by ocean cruise (one does not require a visa provided, when off the ship, you are accompanied by a tour agency licensed by the Russian Federation).

[Sue Do-Over]

17 hours ago, clo said:

I know it's easier to do SPB as part of a cruise but with the others would you just do air/land?

 

I never fly in early for a cruise out of the US, but like to grab a few days on either end of a cruise to get more time in a city.  I figure the airfare is already paid, so why not?  Haven't (yet) travelled abroad without a cruise as an excuse.