iancal

We used cruise air (Choice Air) for the second time and were able to score a very good price and a very good route on a one way home after a recent Med cruise.

We booked in late August for an early Nov. flight.

What surprised me was the differences in pricing among carriers for this flight. The lowest, and the best routing, was $475. The next best price was $750 and the others were in that same price range.

We need to get home from Australia in March. We will probably try the same since we are going to Asia with a one way ticket and a very flexible schedule.

We don't have a choice. It depends on our origin, our destination, and the time zones. We often have one, sometimes 2 connections.

Taking an early connection can sometimes mean the difference between arriving home the same day, or the next day (with overnight stopover). For trips outside NA, air fares and carriers also come into play for us.

We remain on board. Does not have much appeal to us.

We cruise on many of the mainline cruise lines-we do not limit ourselves to with one cruise line.

IF we were selecting a ship/cruise line on the basis of after dinner entertainment and activities, HAL would be well down the list.

This is based on our experiences and our tastes. Might not be the same for anyone else. Fortunately, on board entertainment is not in our top five decision criteria. This is not to say that all other cruise lines have marvelous after dinner entertainment options-just how we would rank HAL relative to some others that we have been on.

We would never buy good jewelry (not watches) in the Caribbean-or in a shopping center at home for that matter.

First off, we know absolutely nothing about diamonds or gemstones. Or, at least not enough to match wits with a jewelry store where the salespeople are pros and work primarily on commission. We would not know if what we were told was true and once the boat has sailed, well it is game over.

As others have said, the 'appraisal' is a meaningless piece of paper designed to make you buy. Stop for a moment and think...is it really possible that jewelry stores can sell you product at 50, 60, 70 percent discounts. If the answer is yes, then there must really be a tooth fairy. You may score the odd good buy. These people play on your emotions and on the fact that you are only in port for several hours.

You will get a far better buy at home from places like Costco, Blue Saphire, or a small local jeweler.

I think it depends on what your tastes are, the ship that you select, and luck of the draw.

We have been on some cruises where the entertainment has been first rate-both in the shows and in the lounges. We have also been on cruises where the entertainment-shows and lounges- was extremely poor to the extent that people just left early and went to their staterooms. Simply having entertainment is not enough. The entertainment has to be reasonably good and it has to resonate with the demographic. Too often we see shows where the costumes are so much better than the dancers/singers or where the music in the lounges came straight out of the pre war era....and I mean WW2. Some cruise lines like HAL and RCI permit smoking in the casino so if this bothers you, as it does us, the casino is not longer a destination for us.

One sometimes wonder how the act made it to the talent agent let alone the cruise line. We have seen some wonderful exceptions on various lines unfortunately they are fewer and fewer.

Select you ship and your cruise line carefully to match your tastes. And even then, it can be very much of a crap shoot since there can be significant differences between sailings.

We also thought that the entertainment was sub par and the movies, well we get better movies at home on our local TV channel. Fortunately we do not cruise for the entertainment or the movies.

We did not take any excursions in Livorno since we have vacationed in the area several times. But we did sit with some folks who did take the ships excursion and we very disappointed in the tour and the quality. They were frequent RCI cruisers who often do RCI excursions. They planned to make a complaint. It think the issue for them is that while the cruise lines may advertise Florence, it is actually a long way off and a very large amount of time is spent getting to and from.

We did this cruise. Great weather. Good service. Our first RCI cruise in years. In the past two years we have been on several other lines.

Everything was fine but we found the food in the MDR to be mediocre at best. Very clear to see that the food budgets are not what they used to be. Same for the Windjammer. Some days the food was good, others it was poor-in terms or food quality and preparation. One food item that did surprise us was the cheese. Very good cheese/quality in the Windjammer. Not enough fresh fruit though.

Would we do another RCI cruise. Yes....because the MDR food on most of the mass market cruise lines is very much hit and miss. They are all cutting corners.

We just got back from our last land trip-went on a one way ticket and planned for 7 or 8 weeks with the expectation of snagging a good cruise offer. Just prior to leaving we did a great deal on a Med cruise that also had a very attractive cruise air flight home.

Doing the same this winter. Leaving on a one way ticket to Thailand. We have a late Feb. cruise from Sydney. Land travel in between and we may be fortunate enough to pick up a well priced last minute cruise in Asia or Aus/NZ.

Will worry about how to get home later.

Our approach is if we do not do it when we have the time, the resources, the inclination, and the health, then when will we do it? So we just pack and go.

My bottom line..there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

You may as well worry about the murder rate in Philadelphia or some other city you plan to visit in the near future.

I would have no problem visiting Istanbul today. I would feel as safe as I would in most other North American cities.

Many countries, people disagree with and resent US foreign policy. This does not mean they will be violent towards Americans or dislike them nor does it mean that their view is inherently wrong. I live in Canada. We disagree with US policy in certain parts of the world. It does not mean that we are an enemy or that we dislike Americans. The opposite is true..best friends and great neighbours. But that does not mean we have to agree on everything and share the same world view.

The real problem with events like this is something that I would call a slow news day.

If there is not much news, and someone like CNN or FOX need some sizzle in their entertainment/news, then they will focus in on an event like this and keep re-broadcasting it to the point that some viewers imagine civil insurrection. Not saying it did not happen but rather that it was a minor event and something similar could just as easily happen down the street from you. When two Brits were murdered a few years ago in Miami, some British TA's and media outlets were giving out similar warnings and vibes about Miami.

There were very minor issues two or three years ago. Lots about nothing. CNN etc. made a hayday out of it, really out of nothing. It was great for us because we were able to snag two cruises at bargain basement rates. Uninformed US TA's were telling people not to book, or if still outside the cancellation window, to cancel.

We booked our TA six weeks out for our TA last year. Saved a bundle...it was a great deal. Got a very nice balcony gty on the port site (going to Florida). Far better than if we had booked earlier (we were watching the pricing of 4 or 5 different ships).

Our friends just got off a TA. They booked months in advance and got a fabulous price on their balcony gty. Far better than if they had booked later.

It is a crap shoot based on supply and demand. If you are flexible and not stuck on one specific ship then you may do well. I think personality comes into it as well. We now have our heads around doing last minute specials and it has worked well for us because we are retired and very flexible. Not so for others. Good luck.

DW was only able to get to 20/21 inch carry on buy simply buying a Rick Steves carry on roller and deciding that this was the limit. I hazard to guess that if we had selected a 27 inch each we could have filled that.

And we are not alone. We met several other retired couples who are doing the same. BUT, we are not going from home to airport to cruise and back. On our last trip it was planes, trains, buses, cars, ferrys, and at the very end a cruise. Our next trip this winter will be the same. And we skip formal night because it has lost it's lustre for us.

This is not for everyone nor would I say that it is perfect. It is not. It simply complements how we travel (independent) and our physical ability to easily handle our own luggage. Just got back from eight weeks. Unpacked and noticed that I only wore one of my shirts two times in 8 weeks. That will be one less shirt that I pack next time. So DW can put something in my bag!

HAL's wine list is certainly a long way off from being one of their top attributes. In fact, I would rank it next to their entertainment offerings.

Although poor, it does not enter into the top 5 attributes/price/itinerary, etc that we use to select a ship/cruise line.

It simply means that on HAL we spend less on wine. So there is a benefit to that deficiency.

We have been to Turkey numerous times. Several land trips and a few cruises. Turkey(and Greece) is one of our favourite travel destinations. We have always found the country to be hospitable and safe...especially when we were lost and asking for driving directions.

I would not put the actions of a small group deter you. This is probably an isolated incident. If this was the case, you would probably strike most countries off your list, including mine (Canada) and our neighbour to the south.

Yes, I agree.

Red wine helps with everything. The more you drink, the more it helps.

This has been 'clinically proven' by me on numerous occasions.

Yup...we live in Canada and we often get the same.

The strangest one was three years ago on a boat tour of Lake Tahoe (I think). In conversation with my DW, lady found out she was a nurse.

Next question/statement was ".....I hear from my sister that Canadian hospitals are dirty and the nurses all wear bhurkas (sp)". DW decided to simply pass that one by instead of replying to the poor woman.

We find that we sometimes leave home just fine but after getting off the confines of one or two flights we feel a cold coming on. Not about to consider not boarding the ship because of that.

And it pales in comparison to how we see cruisers handling food in buffets. Just came off a cruise, DW saw a man dive into the bread rolls and go away with a handful..no plate, no serving utensils.

As far as 'clinically proven'. Well that statement is very much a joke in the OTC environment. If you choose the study, the parameters, the study management team, and the subjects you can just about prove that anything is 'clinically proven'. Not much different than political poll results. The people who pay for the study get the results that they want. Just think back to all those studies that the tobacco industry did to 'prove' that smoking was not harmful to your health.

Oceania for one.

But perhaps the other question is which cruise lines provide great alternatives to those who no longer want to attend formal nights. We are in that group.

On Celebrity for example, their optional dining venues do not have a formal wear requirement. Same for RCI and believe RCI. They also keep their buffet dining areas open late.

HAL on the other hand does nothing except provide room service and close their buffet at 8PM, which means that a good deal of the food is being removed after 7:30. Not a very accommodating option. On NCL it was optional.

If you do not want to attend formal nights, don't limit yourself to those lines who do not have them. From our perspective, there is a definite trend away from formal nights. Many of cruise lines acknowledge this and are proving great alternatives. You will not be alone.

We find the prices presented on the web sites are all the same. I believe that the cruise lines dictate this.

In our experience there are two ways to save. The first is with cruise line special. For example, every week we look at the RCI and Celebrity 'Tuesday Specials'. We have booked a number of cruises based upon this pricing-they are often in the final payment window. We also signed up for last minute Princess specials which get emailed to us. Anther site that has vacations to in their web page name also provide us with an indication of pricing.

We get TA OBC's on every cruise we book with our TA. Usually 8-12 percent rebate of the commissionable fare. Once in a while we will pick a cruise that the agency has a group buy. This usually results in an additional OBC, a very slight cabin upgrade or a free excusion.

We only deal with an on line TA who....has the cruise line charge our credit card, has no agency fees for cancellations outside the final payment window, does not charge for re-pricing (when the cruise price decreases prior to final payment) or cabin changes (if the cabin categories change and we can score a much better cabin for the same price or less). We also like our on line TA agency because we can always reach them-someone is always at the end of the phone.

Good choice. Cash is king.

What on earth is the big deal about a loyalty lunch? Rubber chicken and some ra ra zis boom bah from one of the staff.

You can get lunch anywhere. I cannot even imagine thinking about this twice.

You were probably better off with a quiet lunch by yourself.

Give HAL a break on this one. It is unfortunate that this is the memory of your cruise that seems to be paramount to you.

Not really. The only way we were able to do it was reverse engineering. Instead of trying to cut down, we simply limited ourselves to a smaller bag. In DW's case, a Rick Steves carry on roller board.

After that, it was all about making choices. Hard the first time for DW. IF we were only flying or driving, doing a cruise, and returning it might be different for us, or at least for DW. But we very rarely take a cruise without combining it with some sort of land based trip.

BTW...we had a wonderful weekend at the Hilton on Melbourne Beach two years ago. We went to a fabulous family owned Italian restaurant south of the hotel that had great food, great service, great atmosphere. Very nice part of Florida and extremely friendly people.

We skip formal nights-we do not find them very special any more. Just came back from 7 weeks of land travel in Europe followed by an 8 day Med cruise. We each took a 20/21" roller. DW has a large purse(an understatement since one could loose a giraffe in it) and I have a very small backpack with an ipod and sweater in it.

We will do the same for 10-12 weeks in Asia/Austalia this winter inclusive of at least one 14 day cruise. We pack in layers. We pack for 7 days max and we get laundry done as we go..though sometimes it is a challenge to find a laudromat or a service to do this in a timely manner. On the upside we have met some interesting people in laudromats-often Ozzies-and traded travel tips and the odd book or two. We met two other retired couples on our recent cruise who are doing the same.

The only downside is that DW sometimes gets tired of the same old wardrobe but the convenience of travelling this way greatly overshadows this for us. It would be very different if we were just doing cruises however we usually combine cruises with land vacations.

Our favourite is a 14 day cruise on a Celebrity Solstice class ship. Second favourite is a 7 day on a Solstice class ship.

Save some time for shopping. You will pay in dollars what you pay in GBP at home for many things, including clothing so it works out to about half price.