Hlitner

Sure, in fact they have two excellent watch shops where you can spend $30,000+ on a watch. There is one shop with a few clothing items, but it did seem like the company is obsessed with pushing very high-end (expensive) products. You can spend money on more expensive wines (they do have a wine list).

We are comfortable on flights as early as 11am and have actually taken flights around 10am. Keep in mind that you should figure about 1 hour for the actual transfer. The idea of being off the ship, getting a 7am private transfer and being at FCO around 8 gives you plenty of time to make an 11am flight. If one is nervous about having the cruise line take off your luggage, than you can do an express disembarkation (where you must carry all your own luggage). With you a 12:40 flight you have plenty of time and could even plan on a 8:30 transfer time. At that hour you would also be OK using the cruise line airport transfers, although we are not fans of big bus transfers where we cool our heels at the port until they get all the passengers (and luggage). In the past, we have often arranged for a private transfer through Romecabs (romecabs.com). We will sometimes use the CC Roll Call to get 1 or 2 other couples to share the transfer (this reduces the cost). Another good transfer company is Romeinlimo. Lately, we have heard rumors of private transfers being fully booked so it is wise to make arrangements well in advance if you do want to deal with a decent private transfer option. Hank

The question for the OP is whether they would travel in the USA without carrying any cash? I would not go anywhere, in a country, without having some local cash (i.e. Euros). Ideally, you have an ATM/Debit card that does not charge you ridiculous fees (if they do it is time to find a different bank or credit union). In Europe, ATMs are everywhere (even more common then here at home) and you would want to only use bank ATMs (avoid private ATMs such as Trevelex). There are some folks who feel more comfortable getting some Euros at home (some banks will sell them and they can also be purchased online). But in over 50 years of extensive travel, we have never bothered to obtain foreign cash in the USA. Why not? You will usually not get a good deal in the USA, and we have never had a problem using European ATMs. You will need to know your PIN in numbers (there are no letters on most European ATMs). By the way, if you do plan on using your ATM/Debit card and/or credit cards, make sure to notify the issuing banks (in advance) of your trip. Hank

When luggage is an issue, I would think about spending the big bucks (probably close to $150) on a taxi. Plenty of taxis at the port and they do generally take major credit cards (but always ask before getting in the taxi). When I looked online, I noticed the mention of a direct bus from Yokohama Station to Tokyo Disney. I have no first-hand info on that bus (which apparently runs every 15 min) but it might be worth checking out as to whether it has space for luggage. With luggage, you would probably want to take a taxi from the port directly to Yokohama Station, unless you are comfortable lugging your bags a few blocks and onto the metro (that would take you to Yokohama Station). There are also options using the rail system. But unless somebody knows something I don't (which is very possible) I think this would mean changing at Tokyo Station, which is not fun if one needs to drag lots of luggage. Hank

That is only part of the issue. I have previously posted about an excursion, from Izmir to Ephesus, that we took on Princess, many decades ago. On that excursion, our guide rushed us through the ruins of Ephesus (much too fast to enjoy the experience), put us back on the bus. and took us to a nearby "jewelry factory" that was actually opened as we arrived. The only folks in that large building were our bus. As we entered they turned on the lights and the staff came out from a nearby room and took their positions behind the many counters. After more than 30 minutes of folks wandering around the large room (nobody was buying anything) a few of us decided to go outside, only to discover that the exit door was locked. Yes, we were truly locked inside! A few of us complained to the guide who finally managed to get an employee to unlock the door. Most of the group (about 60) went outside to wait (a few folks did stay inside). After more than an hour at that "factory" we were allowed to reboard our bus for the drive back to Izmir. Later that day, we stopped at Guest Relations (to complain about the excursion) only to find a line of others from our excursion. The following day we received an apology letter from Princess and had the cost of the excursion refunded. I have subsequently pointed out that that excursion (more than 30 years ago) was a life changer because it not only turned DW and I against cruise line excursions but played a big part in turning us into avid independent travelers (who only take excursions/tours when we cannot possibly do things on our own). I go into all this detail to point out that we had paid the big bucks for an excursion that was supposed to be about seeing the historic sites found at Ephesus and Kusadasi. By taking over 1 1/2 hours to drag us to that jewelry factory, we lost all that valuable time in Ephesus (and some other sites). Many excursions, today, have become more sophisticated on how they steer their charges to stores that have "arrangements or are owned by" the tour company. Put bluntly, it is a racket (perhaps it should be called "payola redux"). I live in a cruise port (for part of the year) and see cruise line excursions moving around town, nearly every day. It is no accident that these excursions stop at certain stores, and give their charges time to shop (in those specific stores). In many cases, they are stores that most of us who live in the area would not even think about frequenting (because there are other better less expensive stores selling the same stuff). Speaking of cruise excursion cons, an even bigger con is the "shopping guarantees" pushed on some cruise lines. This is where passengers are told to frequent certain stores for which there is some kind of guarantee. The truth is that those "recommended" stores are only recommended because they pay a promotional fee to the shore excursions company! We know of one major jeweler, in Rio de Janeiro, who finally got tired of the "black mail" and refused to participate in these schemes. At one point they were truly blacklisted by the cruise line (in this case it was Celebrity) which did their best to convince cruisers NOT to go to this particular store, which happens to be a world-class jeweler. Hank

I am going to go slightly off topic with some comments about the Alhambra. Yes, folks can do a rushed/timed visit on a port day which will mean at least 3 1/2 hours (round trip) in a bus or other vehicle. If this is your only way to see Granada (which you will not have time to see) and the Alhambra, then certainly do it! But we think the best way to see and experience the Alhambra is to actually spend several nights inside! And yes, you can do it if you stay at the Parador de Granada. This is a very nice quasi government hotel that lies within the Alhambra complex. When we stayed there, we (and others) would have breakfast on the patio that overlooked the gorge and Generalife. To see the various parts of the Alhambra, one only had to walk out of the hotel grounds! Because many do not know of this place thought it would be worth mentioning. What was fascinating (to me) was driving to the Parador, which meant going right through the main gates and streets (packed with tourists) to get to the Parador's parking lot. We did get stopped (a couple of times) by police, and once we said we were going to the Parador they moved out of our way. To say the Parador is a unique hotel would be an understatement. Parador de Granada | Paradores Hank

Wow, talk about cynical :). First off, the Viking ads that show Torstein Hagen is showing the real thing. He is actually a very interesting person in that he personally founded Viking River cruises and later Viking Ocean cruises. He is also a hands-on CEO/owner. When the Viking Sky had its disaster off of Norway, he quickly flew into the area to deal, face to face, with the passengers who had been evacuated off his ship (we had a relative on the ship who told us the tale). I am also not sure what you mean by "high brow" although my own limited experience with Viking (and its fellow passengers) has all been positive. The cruise industry is quite interesting with some folks, like Torstein Hagen, who have shaped the industry. With Carnival Corp you have the Arison family (Ted and Micky), NCL has a long history with Knut Kloster, and MSC has the amazing Aponte family. For those of us who love cruising, we have those folks to thank for much of what exists today. Funny how folks that are fans of specific cruise lines (such as HAL) will say nasty things about the "mother company" and refuse to accept without the CCLs, NCLH, and RCI, there would be several less cruise lines. In a sense, these companies rode to the rescue of companies that were failing (financially). Do not think, for one minute, that cruise lines do not go out of business as we have companies like Regency, Renaissance, and CMV to show us what happens when nobody "rides to the rescue." As to the future of HAL, I am concerned. For more than a decade I have posted my belief that HAL has been operating like a ship without a rudder. They seem to waffle all over the place on their target customer and the type ships they want to operate. Lately, it seems like they are trying to position themself as a budget cruise line for the elderly and the type of gamblers who line-up for cheap bus trips to Atlantic City (sorry for being so harsh). The truth is that "casino specials" are a growing trend on HAL (and we also see it on Princess). By the way, since Viking has been mentioned it is interesting that is one of the few cruise lines (along with Disney) does not even have casinos or offer near free cruises to gamblers. Hank

The drive takes anywhere from about 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on traffic. The Alhambra does involve a fair amount of walking, depending on your actual tour. Just getting from the parking area to the entrance can be a hike, although your tour company may be able to drop you closer to the entrance. You are not actually going to a palace as much as you are going to an entire area that has the palace. If your tour also includes a visit to the Generlife, this would add substantially to the walking. Hank

So here is the problem. As you said, the place is huge and there are various types of art scattered throughout the entire complex. A guide can certainly guide you to the places that the guide thinks are the best, but that may or may not suit your own taste. What you call a "main attraction" might be the main attraction for one person and of no interest to others. DW and I spend significant time in museums (especially when we are taking lengthy independent trips). Trying to deal with the Louvre is a true challenge (especially for folks that do not want to walk miles) because one may well find that what they want to see is spread far apart. One can find many different web sites that will tell you things like " the 17 most important works of art in the Louvre," etc. But what an art critic thinks is most important may not even interest the OP. While some folks might want to focus on renaissance paintings, others might want to spend their time looking at the amazing sculptures that are all over the Louvre. If one does not hire a private guide, and instruct that guide on their areas of interest, then you will be at the mercy of the guide's personal taste. I think, the Louvre is worthy of a few hours of pre-trip homework to identify the areas and works that interest you...not the guide. Once you identify your own wants, you can either instruct a private guide or simply do a little research and plan your own route through the huge museum. Just keep in mind that you could spend weeks inside the Louvre and still not see the entire collection which numbers somewhere near 1/2 million pieces. When DW and I went to the Hermitage, for our first visit, we hired a private guide (who we met outside the museum) who had previously worked as a full time guide inside the museum (until he decided he could make a lot more money working on his own). We spent nearly 4 hours inside that huge museum and had a good tour. As we were finishing, DW asked the guide if they had any Impressionist paintings in the museum (we had seen none). He quickly took us to a different part of the museum where there was an entire room of amazing impressionist works! If we had not asked, we would not have seen that room. And therein lies the problem when you rely on a guide. Hank

Agree. We would walk along that street, looking at the huge bags of all the different kinds of spices, and not have a clue about the products. The thing about that part of Istanbul, is that for folks who are able to do a lot of walking, everything from Topkapi to the markets can be covered on foot. Folks that take the large bus excursions will spend a lot of their time just getting on and off their bus, and then being stuck in traffic (there are times when I can walk to places faster then a bus) Istanbul does have a traffic problem, and tourists can avoid a lot of the traffic problems by simply using the tram line and their feet. For folks with major mobility limitations, the city does present a big challenge. Hank

Not answering the OP's question, but when we think of Portamao (been there twice) the first-thing that comes to mind are the wonderful fresh grilled sardines we had for lunch. There are a few restaurants (indoor/outdoor) on the far side of town, from the port, that grill these fresh little fish that truly come right off the boat. We once took a boat tour (just booked in town) along the coast which got us a good look up at the cliffs that are home to many birds. If one really wants to go to Lagos, there are some trains (should not cost more than a few Euros) and regional buses. Hank

Yep, in fact, we walked there from the port (before the recent port renovations). The building is impressive, but the inside collection of furniture and other artifacts does not come close to Topkapi. If we were trying to prioritize what to see in Istanbul (for folks who are making their first visit) this would not be among the highest on my list. We always suggest to friends that the Golden Horn/downtown area (think Topkapi, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia), Covered Bazaar, and the Cistern would be are highest priority, This will easily fill a long day. If one has more time (another half day) then the Dolmabahçe Palace is worthwhile and well-located for folks that like to take long walks (from the port). Hank

Getting to and from Eze Village has always been somewhat of a challenge, for folks who want to use public transportation. The buses are not frequent enough and Sundays/Holidays may not be possible. A rental car is ideal, but renting a car in Monte Carlo can involve some major hassles (and may not even be possible on Sundays) since one may want to use a taxi (or its a long hike) to most of the rental offices. Using the train to Eze sur Mer, still leaves one quite a distance (all uphill) to Eze Village with the same old problem of bus schedules. And getting a taxi from that tiny train station can also be a major hassle (and not inexpensive). Hank

Inflation rears its ugly head. They used to negotiate down to 25 Euros (per person) each way and would usually use a larger van/taxi. At 70 Euros per person, it really does make sense to just rent a car for the day. Not only can you drive to Honfleur, but you also have access to many other places (such as Deauville and Beuvron). In fact, we once went all the way to Fecamp and Etretat, spent a couple of hours, then drove to Honfleur for lunch and the afternoon. All for the price of a rental car (under 100 Euros at the time). And Fecamp is in the opposite direction from Honfleur, so not reasonably done with a taxi. Of course, with a rental car one can drive all the way to any of the D-Day beaches and various attractions in that area. Consider that 2 couples can rent a car, and explore whatever they want for less than 50 Euros per person (for the entire day). When one considers that cost of most excursions, it is amazing that more folks do not simply rent cars in many ports. Driving in Normandy is quite easy since most of the region is rural. Even getting from the port area, out of Le Havre, is a relatively simple route. Hank

ROFL, "Deckchairqueen!" Love that name. I was hoping that things would improve, on X, once they pushed LLP out of the way. Funny Guinness story. We were on a long HAL Grand Cruise on our beloved Prinsendam, and had a decent small drinking group that would hang out in the Crows Nest. One of our little group was a single Irishman (Kevin) who truly loved his Guinness. The only Guinness they had onboard were in the bottles, and Kevin would only drink Guinness in cans (with the widget), He whined and complained to both the Beverage Manager (a good friend who now works for MSC) and the Captain (Halle Gundersen) who was also part of our little group (although he seldom would drink any alcohol). When we reached our first European port, the beverage manager went off the ship and used "petty cash" to buy a few cases of Guinness cans (with the widget). Keven, immediately purchased the entire stock, kept it in his cabin, and only gave some out to his drinking buddies. Do not mess with Guinness lovers. Hank

Welcome to CC :). We have done a couple of crossings on the QM2, and did enjoy the experience. We have also done more than 2 dozen (lost count many years ago) repositioning cruises, across the Atlantic, and a few longer Transpacific crossings, We prefer the various repo cruises because they are longer voyages, and the ports can be nice. These days, quite a few lines are doing cruises between Europe and the USA that have multiple ports in places like Iceland, Greenland, Canada, etc. Tis all good. When it comes to the repo cruises, you have many options in all different classes of cruise ships from the mass market maga ships, medium size ships of mass market lines (such as HAL), or most of the luxury lines (i.e. Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, etc). Speaking of mass market lines (we put the normal cabins of the QM2 in that category), Holland America does an annual cruise, usually in August, that is called the Voyage of the Vikings. One can do that round trip from Boston (about 30-35 days) or go one-way (Rotterdam is often the turn-around port). For you, that means you only need to get to and from the Black Falcon pier (Boston). Hank

Bimmer09, We truly hope you enjoy your HAL cruises and can only post positive comments :). Since we now avoid that line, it is the opinion's of others that may drive us to book a future cruise with that line. Where I do disagree, philosophically, is the idea of booking a Neptune or Pinnacle Suite. Yes, they are generally very nice suites. My issue is that once you start getting to that price point, you are in the realm of the premium and some luxury lines. Consider that we have cruised on Seabourn, several times, for about $400 per person/day (that price would be rare these days). But even at $500+ per person day, we would strongly favor a small ship luxury line over a big suite on a mass market line. or consider that we have an upcoming cruise on Silversea that cost us less than $400 a day. And that line is all-inclusive and even includes shore excursions in every port. The only plus to a Neptune is that the suite will be larger than the normal suites on most of the small ship luxury lines. But also consider that the luxury lines have far better cuisine and service when compared to HAL (or any mass market line). So this goes to my basic cruise philosophy (which we have posted in the past). Would you prefer to have the most expensive largest home in a middle-class neighborhood, or a nice home in a high end expensive neighborhood.? This philosophy has generally kept us from booking the more expensive suites on any line....because at that point we look to upgrade the entire experience rather than just our cabin. When we last did HAL's very popular Voyage of the Vikings, we booked the lowest category outside cabin. We ate many dinners and spent a lot of time at the bars, with a couple that were in a Neptune. Our friends paid more than twice what we paid, but were eating the same food, going to the same shows, and enjoyed the same atmosphere throughout the ship. They did have a fabulous suite, but like us, spent no more than 2 or 3 waking hours (a day) in that suite. Hank

No problem with the itinerary for a 9 year old, but we would have a lot of "problem" with spending $350 for that tour. One could take the free tender into Santorini (independent travelers are taken to the tiny port of Skala) where they could purchase 3 tickets for the water taxi tour to Oia. Not sure of the current price for that deal (they are run privately) but it would be less than half the cost of the ship's excursion. The water taxi takes you from the pier at Skala (the same pier where you are tendered) to a pier below the town of Oia. It includes van (or mini-bus) transfer up the steep road to Oia. You are then on your own to enjoy Oia (a place where everyone must walk) as long as you please. Once done with Oia, you take a bus (tickets are provided as part of this private tour) to Fira, where you are on your own until you are ready to return to the ship. At that point you would need to get down to Skala via the cablecar, donkeys, or walking the donkey trail. I should add that the RCI tour will most likely also end at Fira where you will be on your own to get down to Skala (where you get the return tender to your ship). The one risk with my plan is that one never knows how long you will need to wait (once at Skala) for the next boat. Hank

Funny question, for us, because a few days ago we received an e-mail from an online friend who asked us exactly the same question? My answer was essentially that if we were comparing the Vista to the Yacht Club (and other issues like number of days and itinerary were equal) we would choose the Vista. But, this is not the same as Oceania, because we specified only that one O ship. Otherwise, all things being equal, we would choose the MSC Yacht Club! I agree with Sumry555's post (above) that food is better on O (at least on the Vista) but overall, we think the service (and even the facility) is better on MSC. I will also emphasize that they are two completely different products. MSC involves very large ships with lots of options. Not only is the service in the YC amazing, but having access to the huge ship, outside the YC< gives one lots of entertainment options. Hank

Worth the price? My short answer would be NONE! While we certainly like many of the things done and places visited via excursions, we suggest that for the price you take a small group private tour or simply do it on your own? But, we do have one exception for Alaska which is the very pricy dog sled/glacier excursions (done via helicopter). A truly amazing experience if one gets lucky with the weather. Hank

I am confused about the question. Cruise ship's do not "stop in Florence" and the nearest ports to Cinque Terre are La Spezia and Livorno. From either of those ports, given a typically full port day, one could choose to go to at least some of the villages of Cinque Terre. If the question is whether one could do a day trip to both Florence and Cinque Terre, we would say that although it is physically possible to get to both Florence and one or more of the Cinque Terre Villages, there would be very little time to enjoy either. If one is considering such a port day, our short answer would be "forget about it!" Hank

Keeping with the spirit of this thread, I have given some extra thought about the "best" cruise line for the Greek Islands. My own answer to this question would surprise some friends as I would say "Variety Cruise Lines." Of course there are few on CC who have ever heard about Variety although the company has been around for over 70 years! They currently do the Greek Islands with a boat that only has 49 passengers :). It has been a few years, but jumping off the boat, after breakfast, and swimming to shore to a deserted beach, is quite different than being on a large cruise ship. I noticed that this line now goes to Hydra (among other places) which is one of those beautiful Greek Islands that will never be visited on a large cruise ship. Our 2nd choice would be Seabourn which has ships that carry 450 or 600 passengers. In fact, our first choice when cruising restarted, after COVID, was 3 weeks in the Greek Islands on this line I do understand that most here on CC are not going to cruise on either of those lines (they can break the budget of most cruisers). Once you get to the mass market lines, I do think that for the Greek Islands the itinerary is king/queen. Carefully look at the scheduled times in ports, and choose the line(s) that give you the longest days. I will also double down on my previous comments and suggest tacking on an extra week (or two) to use the ferry system for some pre/post cruise island hopping. There are lots of options (some posts have already mentioned Paros and Naxos) but we do suggest choosing islands not normally on the big ship itineraries. It is even possible to do some day trips from Pireaus, for those who do not want to spend any time on the various islands. I think the closest island would be Aegina. Hank

I used to worry about giving away secrets, like Paros! But not to worry here on CC, because most cruisers we have met are just not very adventurous, when it means going off on their own. Not many cruisers take advantage to embarking/disembarking at Piraeus, as a convenient place to also access the Greek ferry system. There are also some small boat cruises in Croatia, that go to some terrific places not visited by large cruise ships. Lots of options for those with a spirit of adventure who are willing to do their homework, Hank

It occurred to me that there are some interesting driving issues between the various generations. Many of we "ole folks" know how to drive sticks because they were relatively common in the very "old days." A few days ago I was out to lunch with a few fellow retirees, and one was telling us about helping their grandson plan a driving trip in Europe. The problem was that this young person (in his late 20s) does not know how to parallel park! It is not a requirement for a license in our State, and it is just something he does not do! A far cry from when DW took her drivers license test in NYC, and had to do the test by driving on the streets and showing the examiner that she could park. My lunch friend is now giving her grandson "lessons" on how to park since he will likely need that skill in Europe :). Hank

Assuming you are docked at the large cruise ship facility (which can handle 5 ships) there are a few factors. Ship clearance (by the authorities) is usually a fast process (within 20 minutes). Once the gangway is opened to the passengers, it is somewhat of a hike through the gangway pasageway, upstairs terminal, and than down the escalator or elevator to the main level. Although there are immigration and customs officials, they rarely cause any delay. You get your luggage and than you simply walk out of the terminal. Outside there is an orderly taxi queue, but whether there are enough taxis will depend on some luck (how many other ships are in the port) and demand. Sometimes you will be in a taxi in a couple of minutes and other times you may find yourself waiting 30 minutes (or more). As to Passport control, it has always been a non-issue (for us) unless Barcelona was our first port in the EU. Hank