Hlitner

Edinburgher gives good advice/info. My message to the OP is that how you handle these ports depends on your personal “spirit of adventure,” common sense, and risk tolerance. Some folks will not even set foot off a ship without being part of a cruise excursion. Folks like me would not set foot off a ship if we had to be part of an excursion since we strongly prefer DIY. Some of these ports (ie Livorno, Civitavecchia) are more than an hour from most folks destination, but can be done DIY using trains, other public transit, private tours, etc. For a first time visitor this requires pre trip homework and lot of “travel common sense.” We have been doing our own thing for nearly 50 years and have never missed our ship or had any regrets. Many others would never follow our example so how you handle ports is a very personal kind of thing. Just keep in mind that only using ship excursions can become very expensive and one needs to budget accordingly. While a day excursion to Rome can easily cost over $600 (per couple) on an excursion, we could do similar DIY for less than $100. It is the same for Livorno. Hank

The answer to the OPs question is that nobody knows. From the governments side it is a multi step process with the time depending on many different factors. Once you do get a conditional approval (this can take days or months) you have various options to complete the required interview process. Once interviewed, your approval can come within a few days or weeks. Wven the renewal process is iffy when it comes to time. DW got her conditional approval on a few weeks and had to complete another interview. Mine took 10 weeks but the interview was not required. Hank

It is difficult not to notice the ridiculous pricie points of some excursions. We are currently in a Seabourn cruise where even simple “walking tours” are usually priced around $80 (with some above $100) which generally are 2 hour walks (from the ship) around parts of a port city. These tours are easy to DIY. Many other excursions are priced in the hundreds of dollars (per person). While many experienced cruisers routinely book private tours (easily done online) and others hire taxis or use Hop on Hop Off buses, there are still many passengers who pay the big bucks for the cruise line excursions which are often priced 2, 3 or more times the price of alternatives. What do you think? Are the cruise lines pricing their excursions too high? Hank

We look forward to seeing some posts about the new Crystal. That line may be in our near future.

We have never had an issue for lead time. In fact, in July we requested shareholder credit for a Dec cruise and it was quickly processed and added to our account. As to current statements, like others. We simply login to our account and printout a current statement. If you only work directly with a broker (and have no online access), simple demand that your broker earn their commission by providing the needed statement at the time you require. Hank

Your “24 hrs” will actually be a late afternoon/evening. A 1pm flight means you will be heading back to CDG right after breakfast. That certainly leaves time for a decent dinner and some strolling around parts of Paris. Choosing a well located hotel (depending on your chosen neighborhood) will help you maximize what you can see in such a short period of time. Since each part of Paris (arrondisements) have their own charm, you will be forced to pick choose a very limited number of options. Hank

Must be something wrong with me as we do not attach any importance to recognizing crew. We simply adjust to the situation onboard. Am on the Quest (now) where the crew has varied from outstanding to subpar. Some of the new crew members (on their first or second contracts) have turned out to be amazing. Speaking of the Quest, for the most part we think it is up to the standards we expect from SB. Hank

We had posted a blog on the HAL board during that cruise. Lots of “supply chain” issues like running out of black tea, all kinds of sparkling water, etc. on board accounting problems became quite annoying after 11 separate overcharges. Lincoln Center Stage was discontinued after 2 weeks, no production shows, all live entertainment ceased by 10:45 or 11, etc etc. The ship seemed under staffed and just getting a drink could take 20 min during busy times. And then, we had a Hotel Manager who seemed to hide in her office and would not meet/talk to passengers. Bottom line for us (5* Mariners) was that although we still enjoyed the cruise, we realized that other cruise lines are a much better value with higher quality. Am on Seabourn now where all is quite fine 😋

Do you think the “decor” is an important factor? If your priority is entertainment, then you should look to a cruise that will likely meet that want. Decor is fine, but I would be happy in an old or new chair as long as it is a comfy chair. Having cruised on more than 70 different ships of all sizes (20 passenger to over 4000) of all ages, we found that our favorite ships were among the oldest (Marco Polo and Prinsendam). Hank

The last time we did it we had to walk about 20 yards (some of it uphill) to where we boarded a minibus for the short ride up the hill to Oia. Hank

At one time we would have agreed that HAL was a Premium product. Based on our most recent 6 week cruise on the Westerdam (Mar-May) we now consider HAL among the bottom tier of mass market lines. Hank

I think you have missed some of the point. Consider that there are cruise lines with “no tipping” for those willing to pay the higher initial prices of those lines. One might argue that if you insist on decent service you may have to book a decent cruise line 😋

There are many things not experienced because of the lack of wealth, time, good health, etc. Many of us simply do the best we can at satisfying our wants. But, this does not change reality. I would love to walk on the moon, but must be content to gaze at it from afar. But, seeing the moon is obviously not the same as actually walking on the moon. And, trust me, that seeing the Great Barrier Reed from the air is not even close to what one can experience by diving or snorkeling. Speaking of our recent Japan blog, cruising on the Seabourn Quest has restored my faith that cruising post COVID can be as good as the ole days. We look forward to the day when HAL stops making “promises” and actually returns to the line we used to adore. Hank

What is becoming the norm is that cruise passengers will seldom to never get a lot for little. At one time it was possible for some folks to book the lower price cabins, carefully control their onboard expenditures, and enjoy the best of cruising for relatively small expenditures. Now, we are clearly moving into an era where those seeking lower prices are going to get a lot less than those willing to spend more money. We think todays best value is often found on the luxury lines and “ship within a ship” programs of a few lines. Paying $4-600 a passenger day can be a better deal than booking a decent cabin on a mass market line and later paying all the add-ons. Hank

The thread has certainly moved away from the OPs question for which the simple answer is NO! If one really wants to experience Antarctica they must look to the expedition ships of Seabourn, Scenic, Hurtigruten, Viking, etc. Cruising “by” limited parts of Antarctica is akin to cruising past NYC (and saying you have experienced NYC). Hank

We have done dozens of crossings (on one right now) and there is simply no way of predicting weather/sea conditions more than a few days in advance. In October you can have anything from warm days with smooth seas to huge swells with hurricane winds. The cruise lines all pay a private service to advise on the best routings, and this usually helps avoid the worst weather. Hank

Surprised nobody talks about the risk of same day air (for embarkations). And the OP might want to consider that late/delayed flights have become very common. So, if that flight is an hour late, and cruise line arranged transport is typically slow (while waiting for others) then being at the port too early will likely not be an issue. Hank

When coupled with wife beater tops it showcases the “class” of some Princess cruisers.

We have done it multiple times and it has been previously discussed here on CC. It will often mean using two cruise lines and different ports. So, for example, we might cruise from the USA to Barcelona, spend a few weeks (or months in Europe) and take a return cruise from Rotterdam, Hamburg, etc. These kind of trips are fun for those of us who are very travel-independent and can sometimes “think out of the box.” I like to use a decent cruise data base (operated by a decent cruise agency) that makes it easy to search for cruises by using various criteria. For example, I can simply look for all TA cruises in August. Once we find the possible cruises we develop a land travel plan that works. It’s always lots of fun working out the ideal land itinerary and related logistics (ie rental cars, trains, planes). One might even be able to slip a river cruise into the itinerary. Hank

We are on the Seabourn Quest where they recently had a “King, Queen, and Prince” show. The King was Michael Jackson, the Queen was Whitney Houston, and the Prince was Prince. Funny that you find such a show on a luxury line that attracts older folks, while some lines that want to attract younger folks still seem lost in the 50s to 70s. Hank

We will politely disagree. Avoiding budget or mass market lines is one solution. Another is to look for seats far away from the pools (we find this a solution on Princess and Celebrity. Folks also need to understand that expecting to find a nice lounger at noon is often going to end in disappointment. Those of us who get into seats by 10, are just being practical and accepting the reality found in crowded mass market vessels. I will add that a similar situation exists at many land resorts. Hank

Am on the Quest now and there are some infrared ceiling heat lamps at Earth and Ocean. Some folks seem to be happy in their coats and blankets while enjoying dinner. At the moment we are non Iceland and the venue has been functioning on a normal basis. Hank

On the Quest now and there are no seats at the TK bar. We have never seen anyone standing at that bar which is primarily used to handle the needs of the TK Grill. There would be room for a few bar stools, but they would impede traffic flow near the grill entrance.

We do think that some first timers are surprised that the Restaurant and Colonnade do not open until 7pm. Kind of a shock to the crowd that prefers dinner at tea time.

An update on oysters. Today, we are cruising from Scotland to Iceland and they had an “Atlantic Lunch” in the Colonnade. When I walked in the venue our chef was shucking fresh oysters (he did several hundred). I quickly put 4 of those large oysters on my plate and enjoyed every morsel. The Oysters were recently procured in Ireland and Scotland and were delicious. Perhaps this is the SB way of dealing with the previous oyster shortage, and a wonderful solution it be. Hank