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Hlitner

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  • Location
    New Cumberland,PA, USA
  • Interests
    International travel (77 countries at last count(
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Any
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Europe

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  1. A few years ago they pushed an overpriced insurance deal that was mandatory. That practice may have ended, but in Le Havre we would rent from other agencies outside the port, where prices were more reasonable. They also had the audacity to be closed on Sundays. That being said, if they are open the convenience is nice. Hank
  2. Good Afternoon Folks, Over our long cruise life we have found that it usually takes us about 24 hours to form an opinion of a ship/cruise. In the case of the Vista, both DW and I are equally impressed and have mostly good to say about the ship and O. So, Flatbush Flyer can breathe easy and say, "I told you so." Our cabin (a B2 balcony on deck 8 was absolutely quiet last night. We did not hear any noice from our neighbors or anything else. Our thermostat functions perfectly and it was nice to be in a nice cool, quiet, cabin for our first night's sleep. Today we had a short port day at Great Stirrup Cay, which is a long held property of NCLH in the Berry Islands (Bahamas). We decided to stay aboard since it was only in the high 70s, and we saw no reason to leave the Vista for a beach morning. I say morning because the last tender was at 1:30. Last evening we enjoyed our first Vista dinner at Red Ginger, where we had a shared table with a very nice couple from Texas. We were seated at 7pm (our reservation time) and did not finish dinner until 9:40! Part of the reason for the very long dinner was that nobody took our food order for nearly 30 minutes and our first food did not arrive until around 8pm. But long dinners do fit our style, the company was good, and I think all 4 of us enjoyed the evening and the food. I was looking forward to trying the spicy duck/watermelon salad and it was quite good. Not the best I have ever enjoyed, but darn good for a cruise ship. I had the rack of lamb, for my main, and they were also good and properly cooked to my "medium" request. I am also somewhat impressed by the wine offerings (by the glass) which are as good, if not better, than what we have received on several luxury lines. After dinner, DW decided to turn-in early (it was a long day) and I went to Martini's for some victuals. At the bar I met two nice couples including a younger German couple who were impressed by the Vista. I have purchased the upgraded drink package and the offerings at the bar were quite good. "Anthony" entertained us with both piano and voice and was delightful. Lets talk about breakfast on the Vista. There are ONLY 6 options which is quite amazing for a ship of only 1200 passengers. One could get room service (with a pretty full menu). The Grand Dining Room was also opened for breakfast. But than we had Waves, Aquamar, Terrace Cafe, and Baristas. DW and I decided to just go to Baristas where we enjoyed some pastries and cappuccino. The croissants were the best we have had on any cruise ship. Baristas is basically a self-service venue with several waiters standing-by to clear tables and offer any help (they took DW's tea from her hand and carried it to our table). We were both very impressed with the venue and it holds its own against a similar venue on Explora Journey 1. If doing more comparisons I would rate it a much better venue then what is offered on Seabourn (Seabourn Square). We spent much of our day on deck 12 (pool deck) and also walked around deck 14 (the miniature golf course is a nice touch as is the pickle ball court). The deck chairs are among the most comfortable found on any ship. I noticed that my Bloody Mary was made using Mr and Mrs T mix, but the bar tender skillfully enhanced it with spices to meet my request for a "spicy Bloody Mary." Lunch was at waves, and my Wagyu Burger (topped with lobster chunks) was excellent as were the thick cut French fries. I love the Wave lunch menu and am happy that we will have more than a month to try everything! There was a Filipino band (trio) with terrific singer that entertained us with a 45 min sail-away set. That band is quite good, so we are batting 1000 with the entertainment (up to this point). So, my friends, where is the negative stuff? When O decided to cancel our visit to Bermuda (due to a bad weather forecast) I could not understand why they did not extend the length of our visit to Great Stirrup Cay. There were no other ships and a 2pm departure was a bit early. We now have a week of sea days (DW and I love sea days) and the Vista will not need to break any speed records to get us Horta on time. But that is being nitpicky since we cannot criticize a ship for sticking to their schedule. Hank
  3. The adventure begins" This morning we got in our pre-ordered Uber at our Ft Lauderdale hotel, for Terminal J. After driving around the port for 10 minutes we finally arrived at the small ship terminal around 11:40 (our boarding time was 11:30-12:00). After handing our luggage to the Longshoreman we entered the terminal and had our first Passport/boarding pass check. That only took a few seconds and then we went through the usual metal detector and were told to take a seat in the large seating area (plenty of chairs for everyone) Boarding has just started, but in the seating area there was some chaos since nobody seemed to know when to move. We quickly found ourselves in a queue to check-in. Since we do not get any priority (it is our first O cruise in a normal B2 cabin) we patiently worked our way to the check-in counter. When we finally reached the counter, they took our pictures (why do they even bother asking for pictures during the pre-cruise stuff). It took about an hour to get through the terminal and finally board the Vista. Unlike some of the better cruise lines, there was nobody greeting us with a glass of champagne. Just a message that our cabins would not be ready until about 3pm (the latest time we have encountered in 50 years of cruising) and we should go up to deck 12 for lunch. Waves, Aquamar, and the Terrace Grill were open and we decided to sit at an empty table. Wine service was slow (we consider it typical first day stuff) but we were happy with the various selections (I had a Sauvignon Blanc from NZ). DW and I were not very hungry (we had a big breakfast) so I enjoyed a small cubano sandwich and DW tried the so-so pizza. After lunch we sat in some pool deck loungers and then did some exploring. At first glance the ship is attractive and has an old ship feel with more contemporary furniture. We thought the deck loungers were very high quality and better then found on some luxury lines. The pool area was beautiful, but we did sense that there are not enough loungers (especially in the shade) for a busy day. Around 2pm I went down to deck 5 and waited a few minutes to speak with one of the concierges. I asked for a reservation (tonight) in Red Ginger and that was no problem as long as we wanted to share at 7pm (all good for us). We then learned that our 2nd port, Bermuda, has already been cancelled due to a lousy weather forecast. We had an excursion booked on Bermuda (had to use up our $1300 pp Simply More credits) which was now to be refunded. When we asked about booking an excursion at a future port we were told they they cannot access any tours (for our next two segments) until at least April 10. Not only can we not make a reservation, but we cannot even know what (if anything) is available. This policy truly sucks! Consider that a person who might be on 5 or 6 segments would not even have access the last segment once they were within a week of embarkation. But folks that might be boarding at a later segment would have access (as long as their embarkation was more than 7 days in the future). The policy really penalizes the folks who book longer cruises. I did try a glass of champagne and they are using Montaudon (the same Champagne used by Seabourn). Not my favorite sparkling wine, but certainly a reasonable selection. Our cabin is a normal balcony cabin (B2) and is immaculate. The interior is contemporary and attractive. The big negative is the lack of storage (a potential issue for folks on longer cruises). With all of our experience on dozens of different type ships, DW and I did manage to get everything in their proper place. O does have room for additional shelving, but I think they opted for design over substance. Our bathroom is quite impressive for a non-luxury cabin. There is lots of space, the shower very attractive and large, and (strangly) there is a lot of storage! In fact, we actually stored some of our clothes in the bathroom drawers. Our balcony is typical for a regular cabin and is furnished with two shares (both with removable cushions) and a small round table. I noticed that the balcony does have night lighting and its done in an attractive indirect way. I believe this segment is completely full with the demographics favoring we seniors. Hank
  4. Funny thing about ships with decent Promenades. Most of the time we sit or walk on those decks we might run into a few dozen other passengers. But a few dozen, out of more than 1000, 2000, etc. really makes me wonder what happens to all the folks who claim to love Promenades. It seems like, these days, the typical cruiser will wait 15 minutes for an elevator to take them one deck, complain when they need to walk from one end of a ship to the other, etc. Hank
  5. We did it with a very tiny increase during a sale
  6. Sifracar used to deliver to the pier. But that was when they were the local Hertz franchise and the port was open to cars. Not sure if that is still allowed, You can contact them via their web site and ask. Hank
  7. I also use front pocket, but than secure the pocket with a large safety pin. That simple precaution was suggested by a retired US Secret Service agent with whom we once cruised. Hank
  8. Yes, If you ask a taxi, on the pier, to take you to Florence, they will generally be delighted. But, the drivers will normally suggest that you book them for the entire day (they will wait) for several hundred Euros. If you want a taxi, one way to Florence, it means they would need to return empty. While most drivers would do it, they are going to still charge you a few hundred Euros. And you would still need to find another taxi (for a few hundred more) to bring you back. It comes down to arranging to hire a pre-booked private car or gamble on a local taxi. Using the better tour company's for a full day hire is generally going to get you a nicer car and a driver who may speak some English. When you gamble on a local taxi you get what you get...which can be anything from a fantastic driver to something not as pleasant. What we have done, a few times, is simply rent a car (from Sifracar) and drive ourselves to Florence or other places (we enjoy going to San Gimignano). A rental car costs us less than half the price of a taxi and we are comfy driving in Italy (many folks are not up to this task). I no longer suggest rental cars since I figure that folks comfortable driving in Italy are already familiar with that option. Also keep in mind that driving in Italy means learning about Zona Traffico Limitatos (ZTLs) and the parking rules. Hank
  9. I guess that depends on your perspective and ability to walk. For folks that enjoy walking, they could take the train to the San Pietro train station and walk (about 15-20 min) to the Vatican. As to pickpockets, that is an issue throughout much of Europe (especially tourist areas) and wise folks know how to take reasonable precautions to protect their valuables. And yes, for those who do not want to take the bus, I think the #34 does the trick. If one purchases a BIRG ticket (at Civitavecchia) that would cover the round trip regional trains plus all days use of Rome's buses and metro. We do agree with your warning about pickpockets. Over a 50 year DIY travel life we have had attempts made (on us) in Bologna, Istanbul, and Arles. We have also watched folks get nailed in Barcelona and Rome. Pickpockets tend to go after the "easy marks" and folks that take precautions and are always alert to their surroundings will normally do fine. Cruisers who we see wearing their cruise cards around their necks and carrying their wallets in front pockets or putting their purses under their chairs just make us shake our heads. Hank
  10. "Hassle free" means you would need to arrange a private transfer (companies such as Romecabs or Romeinlimo are reliable). Private can be quite expensive, but it works. Any other method is going to involve some degree of hassle. For those of us not as concerned about "hassles," using the trains are a pretty good option. Hank
  11. If good Internet is criteria for a cruise, you should consider not cruising! Even with the new Starlink systems, you are at the mercy of the ship to put out reasonable bandwidth and a reliable WiFi system. While we have been on some cruises where Internet was pretty good, it is still common to have outages (sometimes for days) or such a slow system that it becomes frustrating. As to using VPNs. many cruise lines/ships completely block that capability. Hank
  12. Hlitner

    Japanese Cabs

    The taxis we used in the Greater Tokyo/Yokohama region did accept Visa/MC. I cannot say if that is always the norm everywhere and with all the taxi companies (if BruceMuzz sees this thread he can advise). That being said, as a long time DIY traveler I have learned to never depend, 100%, on credit cards. When we did want to use a credit card with a taxi (we only did this on some longer more expensive rides) we always asked the driver before we got in the taxi. And we always had enough yen to cover a tab. By the way, Japanese taxis do not expect tips. If the fare is 479 Yen, and you give the driver 500, he is going to give you 21 yen change! Another tip about Japanese taxis is that the driver will electronically open the rear door for entrance and exit. It is not normal for folks to open their own door. Hank
  13. Appreciate the thread. We ran into a similar shore excursion issue with HAL when cancelled ports meant unused shore excursion credits that were not refunded. This all plays into my long-time issue of the industry adopting a decent "cruiser bill of rights" that would not allow for cruise lines to charge folks for things they cannot or will not deliver. O cruisers pay for SM shore excursios as part of their cruise fare. It is simply wrong, for the cruise line to pocket that money when the cruise line cancels a port or shore excursions. Also consider that O, just like all cruise lines, contracts with local tour providers for their excursions. The cruise line does not generally pay for the excursions, when a port is cancelled, so there is now an incentive for O to cancel ports to enhance their bottom line (by keeping the money that should have gone for the excursions). Hank
  14. We can agree to disagree. Changes due to COVID or to avoid a war zone do make sense and are part of travel. However, cancelling an entire season in Alaska and itinerary changes for the sake of changes have never been part of travel with reputable companies. And we do agree about your "move to another line" but since we already cruise on many different lines it is not a matter of "moving" but simply a matter of choices. In our case we have reluctantly decided not to even consider booking any more EJ cruises until they get their act together and show more respect for their customers. We have also advised some of our friends (who often ask us for cruise advice) to avoid EJ (for the moment) in favor of other better established luxury lines. For 2024 we are cruising with Oceania, Silversea, and Seabourn. In 2025 we have already booked an Asian cruise on Seabourn. Although we still see ourselves cruising about 100 days a year, we have no future EJ bookings. EJ will eventually be a solid and reliable cruise line (the Aponte family has a good track record) but one cannot help but wonder how many years it will take them to find their way in the luxury cruise market. Consider that within the next few years, EJ will need to fill 5 additional ships.
  15. Do not be so fast to dismiss the option of getting a shared taxi from the pier to the station. It is money, well spent, in terms of all the time you will save waiting for the shuttle bus plus the walk (or using the city bus) to the station. Will taxis be willing to take folks to the station? Maybe yes, maybe no....but you will not know until you politely ask the drivers if anyone will take you to the "stazione." We always talk about knowing your optons and having a Plan B. So, Plan A might be to ask for a taxi, and if that fails the shuttle bus is Plan B. Keep in mind that when you are in DIY mode on a port day, time is your enemy. When you need to travel some distance (such as Livorno to Florence or Civitavecchia to Rome) it is often worth an extra 10-20 Euros to save 1-2 hours! You can never have too much time in cities like Florence. Hank
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