iancal

I do not understand the big issue about testing.  We self tested prior to leaving home and flying .

We self tested the next day prior to attending a pharmacy five minute from our hotel for the required antigen test.  The test took all of 20 minutes from the swab to the written report.  $40.  Had we been close to a Walmart or a Costco it would have been $20.

We could have booked at least five other pharmacy appts within a 15 minute radius of our hotel.   We were considered a Greece trip.  In less than five minutes google produced a list of many labs in the Athens area, with prices, and noting which ones spoke and reported out in english.

I believe it was a minor inconvenience and a minor cost to avoid potentially unknowingly spreading the virus.

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

 

Knowing why it has declined does not change that it has declined.   For some the experience is no longer attractive.  I previously expressed my concern that the current service levels would become the new normal.   It does not matter to me if there are valid reasons. If I no longer enjoy the experience I will spend my travel dollars elsewhere.      

....and we are starting to spend our money elsewhere.

Cruising is just one of several good travel options that we consider.  Certainly not 'the be all and the end all'.

 If we perceive that the value is no longer present based on our preferences we will simply opt for some other travel product.

I believe that covid restrictions, whether to loosen or tighten, will depend on inerary country requirements and on the incidence of covid on board and on land.  And this can and no doubt will change over time.   The notion that covid has passed us by may be a somewhat optimistic view.  It is one reason why we currently have no plans to cruise.

The reality is that covid restrictions can be re-imposed as easily and as quickly as they can be removed.  Either by the cruise line or because of port stop requirements.

No idea.  This is the longest period we have gone without a cruise, or even booking a cruise.  We have started international land travel though.

Prior to covid we were becoming disenchanted with some of the mass market cruise lines.  Our impression over the past number of years was is threefold.  

First would be the quality has been reduced across the board.

Second would be that all  the mass market lines seem to be headed towards the lowest common denominator.

Third would be the value proposition. Seems to us value has slipped to the point where we believe the truly premium lines may offer a  better value and on board experience based on our preferences.   

 We have zero loyalty to any cruise line.  We view changing up vendors as an opportunity rather than an emotional experience.  I believe that post covid there will be a fair amount of change on all cruise lines.

Not certain if you are taking a car on the ferry.  We never do. 

When we travel in Europe for weeks at a time we typically keep an eye out for late booking cruises.  Especially Med cruises. 

Keep in mind that  there is a great deal of regional air service in Europe.  Skyscanner is a reasonably good website for reviewing those options. 

We have changed our plans on short notice a number of times and grabbed regional flights to the embarkation port.   Understand those backup options, rail and/or air,  prior to leaving home.

If you are book ending land travel with two firm cruise reservations my advice would be to build into your schedule at least one or two days of flux.  The worst that will happen is might have an extra two days in and around your return  pre cruise city   We did seven months of travel just like this and it worked out just fine.  

Numbers trump emotion and wishful thinking all day long when it comes to covid stats and  financial results.

I have no doubt that HAL and other cruise lines have a laser focus on both since they are interrelated and impact the all important quarterly results.

We were on an extended trip.  We dropped our rental in Ancona, we were foot passengers.  It was in Sept.  The weather was good.  The ferry was essentially on time.  This was pre covid. I do not recall any particular issue/delay with customs and immigration.  We have travelled a fair amount by ferry in Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy, etc. by ferry.  Our recollection is that the boarding process was fine.   Our schedule was not tight.  We planned to stay in Split for a day or two, then go ferry down the coast.  I cannot tell you if the ferry was late.  If it was, then not by much.

The ferry was in reasonable shape.  I forget the company.  But keep in mind, the most important part of the ship, ferry or cruise ship, is NOT what the passengers see.  It is the superstructure, the electronics, computers, engine etc.    We used Jadrolinja ferries to tour the coast, stopping in several places, to Dubrovnik.  Then ferry to Bari.

I would no even consider trying to hone my schedule down to the last 30 minutes.  And certainly not a year in advance.   Ferry scheds will probably not be determined until  after the new year for April.  No doubt they will be the same or very similar from year to year.   In our experience they are always subject to change.  Bottom line is that things can change.  Go with the flow and have a plan B to spend more time in Split or less whatever the case may be.

Our advice...chill out.  Wait until the early 2023 when you have reliable info about what firms are operating routes and their respective timetables.   

We have traveled between Ancona and Split.  As I recall there were a few different ferries to choose from.  It is not a very long trip.

I would caution you that may be a little too early to lock down on ferry timetables on this route.  Our experience is that they can change a month or two or so prior to the travel date.  If you do make a reservation you should reconfirm.  

As I recall we booked on the directferries web site. There are a few web based firms that book ferries.   

We checked our reservation a month prior and were surprised to see that our ferry was not running on that day.  Changed our reservation.

20 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Absolutely have your friends check with the authorities in Israel and who they can find for Egypt.  I know it is a very delicate situation.  back in the day (last time 2009), I had my passport stamps for Israel put on a separate piece of paper and kept in my passport because Egypt and some Middle East countries would not allow you to enter if you had an Israeli stamp.  And, for awhile, vise versa.  That was with a US passport, so I could imagine some difficulties may arise with an Israeli citizen with an Israeli passport.

We had the same thing happen to us years ago when traveling in Greece and Turkey.  Very common on the Marmaris/Rhodes ferry run.

One of them would place their passport stamp on a paper and insert it loosely in our passports.

We like Celebrity Solstice (favorite) and Millennium class ships on Celebrity  as well as Carnival Corp Spirit class ships on HAL, Carnival, and Princess.

.....forgot to add  toothbrush, 100ml toothpaste, vitamin D, and sunglasses!

1 hour ago, jubejubes said:

I am planning on carryon only for South Carrib cruise, so what do you pack?

I wear long cotton slacks on the plane, casual shoes ,ss collared shirt, and a light cotton sweater.

 I pack 2 pr. shorts, 3 or 4 underwear, 3 or 4 s/s collared  shirts, 2 pr socks, waterproof nylon shell, hat, elec. razor, bathing suit, deod, 100ml sunscreen, ipad/charger, very light fold up nylon beach/pool bag, lightest Teva sandals they make,  and a book.  Slacks and shorts are all navy in color.  Good watch is replaced with an inexpensive plastic waterproof job.

When we go to Thailand for eight weeks I pack about the same.  We leave in the winter so we take a cab to the airport in order not to drag winter jackets,etc along.  And I will pack the same for 6 or 7 weeks in Greece, Italy, cruise etc if we go in Sept/Oct.  Been doing this for 11 years pre covid  since early retirement.

That is usually just over 7KG or so.   Typically DW will put a few things in my bag and that will bring it up to 8 or 8.5Kg.

But...a cruise is always part of a longer trip for us.  We might do 10-14 days on a cruise combined with a total of 5 weeks pre/post land travel.   IF we were only taking a cruise we would pack more and probably check one bag.

We keep important travel data, QR codes, vax certificates etc. on both of our ipads.  We recently took our phones to Portugal and had those items on our smartphones and on our ipads just in case.

When we checking in for flights, etc. we just opened one ipad since it had both of our details.

This past May  were bused to the terminal from our NA flight to Lisbon.   We were bused to our connecting flight to Madeira.     

Lisbon airport arrivals at 1130 AM is a zoo.  Lots of overseas arrivals at this time.

 I would advise to take one of the flights that arrives in the early AM...6:30 or so. 

One thing for certain. 

When it comes to a commodity item like a cabin on any cruise line  we are certainly  not going to pay more (or the same for that matter) for less service or poorer service 

That is not in the cards.

We view buying a cabin on a cruise ship as a commodity buy.  Not any different than buying a bag of sugar. 

 No matter where we place the order the product is identical.  

The only difference is level of service and/or price.  No right answer since different cruisers have different priorities.

We typically do, pre covid, 10-21 day cruises.

The OBC from our former on line agent was nice.

What was better was the level of service, the extended hours, the unbiased information, and insight into other competitive cruise offerings on different cruise lines servicing the same general itinerary.

When you pay more for the identical product you expect an enhanced level of service.

 This might be a false expectation when deciding whether to book direct or to use the services of an agent when booking a cruise.    This is not just a HAL issue, it is an industry issue

I do not believe that any change will occur until the incidence of covid is decreasing.

At the moment it is increasing.

We had seven hours to google eu flight regs while patiently waiting at Faro Airport.  This was one data point that we found.

https://onemileatatime.com/guides/europe-flight-compensation-eu261/

The carrier handed out a sheet with similar info but written in a more technical manner.  

It took me five minutes to fill out the airlines on line claim form.  I did mention that I wanted compensation per EU261 so that they would be aware that I knew what I was entitled to.

If you read through this, and other data, you will note that there are parameters concerning when you can claim for buying an alternate ticket, etc.  Also, the compensation is not limited to the fine.  My understanding is that it can include lodging, etc.   The fines for delayed departures are tiered, with 600eu being the highest compensation limit.

One other surprising detail.....the compensation applies to reward ticket as well as revenue ticket passengers.

Compare these regs to the pitiful airline consumer protections rule that are in place in North America.

Good luck.

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

In my experience, the smaller airlines using the smaller planes almost always check and enforce the size and weight of the carry-ons.  They just can’t accommodate them in the passenger cabin.

Many of the regional airlines that we use from time to time in Europe, Asia or Oz, (Air Asia, Jetstar, Easyjet, Vueling, Scoot,etc) operate large planes.   They are very similar to North American budget carriers.  Some subs of national carriers.

The difference is that they consistently manage carry on via add on charge schedules and by strictly monitoring and enforcing carry on size and weight restrictions.  Their customers know what to expect at checkin or at the gate vis a vis carry on.

 The reason is simple.  If the plane is spending it's day doing 1-2 hour flights a faster boarding regime can mean one more revenue flight for that plane each day.  Not to mention the added passenger revenues from bag fees.

Call up a few TA's and ask for a quote.  At the very least call the travel section of a large box store if you are a member.  Then compare it to your TA's price.   

You should not have to go cap in hand to your TA and ask for an OBC.   Rather, shop for some more competive bids.

2 hours ago, gubby said:

I also use credit not debit card. If we pay in full by June 1,  2023, HAL gives a 3% discount  which is close to the gratuities for one passenger.  We have no other discounts, and hope to be able to continue to receive the OBC for Carnival stock.  I understand no charge back if company is bankrupt, which is why I am trying to find out how to protect our payment if this does happen. Of course, taking the great cruise would be preferable by far! If we pay by June 1, we do need to buy the CFAR by July 29. It is pricey, but better to receive 90% than lose 100%, less the insurance cost.

IMHO a 3percent discount is nothing these days.  You can receive 1.65 percent interest from EQBank just by leaving your money in a daily interest savings account.  

Keep monitoring the fare for price decreases.  If the fare goes down request an immediate re-fare to take advantage of it.

  If you are not doing so consider booking through on on line TA (or even a big box store) who will provide you with a fare discount in the form of an OBC.  You will in all probability get 5 percent or more by doing this without paying in advance.

NA airlines are VERY lenient when it comes to carry on size and weight.

Not so with many regional carriers in Europe and S/E Asia.   Last time we took a domestic flight on Jetstar from Brisbane they were sizing AND weighing our carry on at the boarding area.  The 7KG weight limit included any hand held items such as purses.   

We pre paid for one of us to increase from 7-10KG by adjusting our bags.  The cost of that was greater than the cost of checking a bag.

One thing though.  Boarding a flight in Canada or the US takes about twice as long as it does boarding carriers who actually impose their size/weight regs.

We never, ever pay any fare (or anything else)  until just before it is due.  No point in having money in the vendor's bank account when it could be in ours.  Possession is 9/10 of the law. 

The only exception is if there is a significant discount, ie 20 points or more and we feel good about the vendor.    At one hotel chain in SE Asia we are happy to pay in advance for several days accommodation when we get a 33 percent discount.

We always pay for travel with our credit card.  Never with a debit card. 

 Our credit card provides us with a certain amount of protection should we product not be provided.  We apply to our credit care issuer to 'charge back' the credit card transaction if done with a certain number of days.

If the vendor cancels and offers a future cruise incentive we would never consider 

accepting it.  At that point we cannot get a charge back on our credit card.  Plus, the vendor is then holding all the cards with regard to pricing, offerings, etc.

We do not want to end up on a vendors unsecured creditors listing.

Difficult for me to understand why anyone would go through some of those machinations or put up with those wait times  simply to reach a cruise line, any cruise line, CSR/agent when a good TA could take care of most things with one phone call or one email.