Cruise ship excursions to avoid--from the points guy

[Hlitner]

We find the thread interesting.  DW and I are in our 70s, but still very independent travelers.  Recently we spent a few independent weeks in Europe (after a month long TA cruise) and did our own thing in quite a few places.  While we had a rental car for part of our trip, our favorite way of exploring cities is on foot!  Our iPhones do not lie and over a 3 week time period we averaged about 8 miles a day (walking).  The truth is that we could have cut that distance by using more public transit, but when in cities like Nice, Prague and Krakow....walking is the best way to truly see and experience the locale (this is true for most European cities).    The best part is that we can handle those miles because we both work at staying in decent walking condition.   

 

My advice to fellow travelers is that you consider getting into decent walking condition (assuming you have no physical challenges) well before your trip.  I think one of the reasons we have been lifelong travel nuts, and prefer to do our own thing (as opposed to tours) is because we really enjoy walking around places, meeting locals, enjoying the cafes, etc.  I do not need a guide making me stand before a statute for 10 minutes while he/she tells me about the history (I can read about this).  I do not want to walk by a cute outdoor cafe and not be able to stop and have a glass of wine/beer...because I am on a tour and must keep up with the group.

 

But lets be honest.  If you are a senior do not kid yourself!  Traveling takes a physical toll and being able to cope with the physical demands will pay big dividends.   Those with physical challenges also need to keep this in mind and plan their itinerary accordingly.  If you cannot walk more then a mile without getting exhausted, plan on stopping at a cafe or at a bench.

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

Hey Hank - while you are here (I wish CC had DMs):  what rental companies did you use for your cars and were you using Apple Maps or Google Maps on your iPhone?  

[broadwaybaby123]

I would also add to the points in the article: take AGE into consideration as well.  What may be interesting to an adult may not be interesting to the kiddos in your party (if you're travelling with them).My niece (9 years old), for example, would not be interested in anything that involves a trip to the casino or a shopping tour.  She would, however, enjoy something like a trip to the local zoo or going to NASA (we did that with her in 2020 and she still talks about how much she loved it).

[jsn55]

6 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I think you will.  From your posts, I detect that you are a very realistic person.  

 

There have been times when I have needed (and I was not alone) of crew assistance getting into and out of a tender because of the activity of the ocean or the position of the tender in relation to the pier.  (Nuku Hiva and Kiribati come to mind.)  I have been somewhat embarrassed when I have needed their help, but, then, I remember the crew are there to help ensure my safety.  As I have become more senior, I feel less hesitant to ask "for a hand" if I think I need to.  I do try to keep myself out of those kinds of situations, though.  

Oh my, YES!  I'll bet it took me 6 years to reply "Yes, thank you" when someone offered me help.  Over twelve years I had a hip and both knees replaced ... and my shoulders took the brunt of all the rehab.  It's tough to realize that you're 'getting old', but the sooner you admit it to yourself, the better your travel life will be.

[Mary229]

14 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Hey Hank - while you are here (I wish CC had DMs):  what rental companies did you use for your cars and were you using Apple Maps or Google Maps on your iPhone?  

Even though I use Apple maps at home I use Google maps and AllTrails for traveling as you can download a city map to be used without internet.  Sometimes in a narrow alley among tall buildings I have lost internet.  I always drop a pin where my ship is docked .   There are other apps that allow offline maps; I think GPS my city also does

[Hlitner]

14 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Hey Hank - while you are here (I wish CC had DMs):  what rental companies did you use for your cars and were you using Apple Maps or Google Maps on your iPhone?  

When it comes to rental cars I use a few different strategies.  For rentals more than a few days I generally use either AutoEurope or Kemwel.  They are actually sister companies located in New England and function as consolidators (discounters) for several major rental car companies such as Hertz, Budget and Europcar.  For short term (under 3 days) I simply shop around for the best deal at a convenient location.  On this last trip we wanted to pick up our rental car (3 week rental) on a Sunday in Prague and Autoeurope had a very good deal with zero deductables.  Although our Chase card does cover deductables we often prefer to pay a few extra dollars to get zero deductable (Autoeurope often has great deals) which simplifies claim issues if that happens.  Our recent Prague rental was really great as they gave us a new (and spotless) Toyota Corolla which had smart cruise control (I love this option).  The only bummer was that Budget (in Prague) charged us an extra 40 Euros because we were driving outside of the Czech Republic (also drove into Germany and Poland).  Speaking of driving in Europe (been doing this for over 40 years) the roads in both the Czech Republic and Poland were better maintained then the roads here in the USA.  When we use a car in Europe we always pay attention to parking options when we select our hotels.  

 

As to mapping programs I use both Apple Maps and Google Maps on my iPhone.  We have T-Mobile as our carrier so our phones work just about everywhere in the world with no extra fees for 2G or text.  T-Mobile also lets us upgrade to LTE (worldwide) for $5 a day or $50 a month.  On our recent European trip I did pay the $50 (which works out to an extra $1.60 a day) for the faster data.  We used our phones for all of our GPS needs and they served us well.  

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

Thanks Mary and Hank!

I'l be sure go download Google Maps.  I've got T-Mo and I was going to do the $50/month since I'm going to be traveling around for a month.  I've used my iPad for my GPS before I got a smart phone and it got me all around those little country roads in Chianti! I bought a little SIM for it from TIM.  

I've used Autoeurope for the majority of my rentals in Europe.  I'm trying to figure out how many days I really need over there - probably 3 days in Provence and 2 days in Bologna.  

[ldubs]

On 5/29/2022 at 4:50 AM, Markanddonna said:

As I get older, I hope that I recognize when an activity is beyond my capabilities. I was on a tender boat that was wildly rocking and three crew members were attempting to assist a man taken out of his wheelchair. He had to make one step to get onboard but it took at least five minutes while the rest of us had to endure the rocking boat. Rules said that a person like this needed an able bodied companion. His was an old wife who couldn't help. We all had to endure the same procedure as he was the first to be disembarked. Mostly, I was concerned for the safety of the crew as they assisted.

 

 

It seems that people do become frustrated when they are delayed by having to wait on someone who needs assistance (in or out of a wheelchair).  The way I look at it is a few minutes of forbearance on my part can be very meaningful for that person.   Kind of the same attitude with giving up a seat so  someone with any number of issues can get off their feet.  An attitude that seems to be missing among a lot of the younger folk (meaning under 60 😁).   But of course, we should not sign-up for something that we are not physically capable of doing.   

 

Anyway, I think encountering this kind of issue is going to be more likely with cruise ship related travel due to the general upward range of passenger ages.  Old folk have more issues.  Lots of old folk on cruises.  

Edited June 1, 2022 by ldubs

[rkacruiser]

16 hours ago, ldubs said:

It seems that people do become frustrated when they are delayed by having to wait on someone who needs assistance (in or out of a wheelchair).

 

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." 

[jsn55]

20 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

 

It seems that people do become frustrated when they are delayed by having to wait on someone who needs assistance (in or out of a wheelchair).  The way I look at it is a few minutes of forbearance on my part can be very meaningful for that person.   Kind of the same attitude with giving up a seat so  someone with any number of issues can get off their feet.  An attitude that seems to be missing among a lot of the younger folk (meaning under 60 😁).   But of course, we should not sign-up for something that we are not physically capable of doing.   

 

Anyway, I think encountering this kind of issue is going to be more likely with cruise ship related travel due to the general upward range of passenger ages.  Old folk have more issues.  Lots of old folk on cruises.  

I so agree about having tolerance with people who are not quick and nimble like we all were in our 40s.  People who think it's awful to endure five minutes in a rocking tender to board someone using a wheelchair are just ignorant of the needs of someone with a disability.  The rest of us need to go out of our way to assist anyone doing anything; being kind is always good and very much appreciated.    

[ldubs]

15 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I so agree about having tolerance with people who are not quick and nimble like we all were in our 40s.  People who think it's awful to endure five minutes in a rocking tender to board someone using a wheelchair are just ignorant of the needs of someone with a disability.  The rest of us need to go out of our way to assist anyone doing anything; being kind is always good and very much appreciated.    

 

Yes and I wanted to circle back to say I was not being critical of the poster I was quoting.  I was just talking about attitudes in general.   I know they were coming from the point that we be careful to not overextend ourselves so as not to end up somewhere we can't handle physically.  

 

". . . being kind is always good. . ."

 

Yup!