Hlitner

Years ago, HAL Senior Officers and staff were everywhere, dined with passengers, came to the Meet and Greet, etc. Starting prior to COVID this changed and suddenly officers were somewhat scarce. On our recent 6 week Westy cruise we never ever saw a Senior Officer in the MDR or the Pinnacle (on the nights we dined in the PG). So, what happened? Apparently a change in HAL philosophy (we have seen some of this on other lines). When we started cruising on Seabourn, we were surprised at how much all the Senior Officers and staff interacted with passengers, including routinely dining with them in most of the dining venues. On one 32 day cruise we dined with the Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Lead Dancer, Assistant Cruise Director, and a few other staff. We were told that Seabourn "encourages" their officers/staff to dine with passengers at least twice a week. Our Captain was a delight and once joined just 4 of us for dinner in the Thomas Keller Grill. We never requested to dine with officers but simply let the hostess know we were open to joining the "hosted tables" which are a norm on SB. Without exception, all the officers and staff were a delight at dinner and social events. Interestingly, some of the Senior Officers (including the Captain and Staff Captain) had previously worked for HAL. We did ask one about the difference from HAL and all he would say is that on HAL he just did not have the time. It sounded more like a standard excuse. On Seabourn, they always seem to have the time to interact with passengers. Hank

Each line has their own policy. Consider that Viking Ocean wants full payment within 30 days of booking. Oceania starts their penalty period 180 days prior to a cruise. In fact, most of the luxury lines require large deposits and early full payment. Why? Because they can and it keeps out the "riff raff" bookers who seem to make a hobby out of booking many cruises they never intend to take. We have even met folks who will book 2 or even 3 cruises for the same time, and intend to cancel a few around final payment. They do this because they cannot make up their minds and want to hold certain cabins just in case they later decide to actually take a specific cruise. I will also admit to being in favor of high deposits and early final payment. We do take the cruises we book, and do not appreciate the faux bookers (ones who never cruise) taking many of the best cabins/suites out of inventory. Hank

For anyone reading this thread and thinking about the train and DIY' Rome, you might want to look into purchasing a BIRG ticket (this includes the regional trains to Rome and all days use of Rome's public transportation system). In addition, there are some purchase options such as My Cicero http://www.mycicero.eu/trasporto/index.html which is an option for "techies" who simply want to do a purchase via their phone and later use the phone in lieu of a ticket. Hank

If you search on this blog, you will find many threads that talk about simply taking the train between Civitavecchia and Rome. Hank

We agree. When we have a rental car (which is often) we avoid Rome for the obvious reasons (traffic, ZTL restrictions, etc). But, when we are simply flying-in or out of Italy and have a few days pre-post cruise, we may well go to Rome. Despite having spent a significant amount of time in Rome, we are always happy to return. That is why I did post that the only time we have stayed in Civitavecchia is when we were dropping off a rental car (in Civitavecchia. We have no problem driving to Florence (we stay at the Hotel David which has free parking) or Venice. Hank

We find the post slightly amusing. We are seniors (have been for some time) but still have no problem walking 10 miles in a day, going up and down slopes, etc. Meanwhile, we see plenty of folks half our age that cannot walk up or down a few steps without being completely exhausted. So we would suggest not equating "seniors" with being frail. That being said, we agree with the OP about ship excursions. Lisbon is actually relatively flat in the parts of the center (and out at Belam) but also has too many hills. The city also has a decent "tram" system and one of the most popular tram lines, #28, seems to be made for DIY tourists. That tram will get you up the steep hills in some of the most interesting parts of the city. One can also take a different tram line out to Belam (another part of the city popular with tourists). Hank

We have a slightly different take on the topic. Imagine spending a night 20 miles outside of Paris, and seeing some of the city in the far distance. or taking a cruise out of Bayonne (near NYC) and staying in Newark, and later glancing across the river at the NYC skyline. When it comes to Civitavecchia (a city we find tolerable) we have the relatively easy option of staying in Rome. And Rome is a city full of charms, excellent eating venues, etc. etc. So while we have sometimes stayed in Civitavecchia (usually when dropping a rental car) we generally opt to be in Rome. Getting from Rome to the port on a cruise day is relatively simple (either train, taxi or private transfer). Hank

I would have agreed with you until our recent trip to Japan. When you travel around Japan, you see many Japanese moving around with luggage (often large pieces). Everywhere we went, we primarily saw the hard side, carbon fiber, luggage with 4 wheels. While we would be pulling our 2 wheel luggage, the Japanese would be pulling, pushing, having their luggage in front, on their side, etc. They had an easier time maneuvering in crowded areas (and on trains) than we did with our trusty 2 wheelers. Consider that you can push a 4 wheel bag, sideways, down a narrow island. We were sold and will soon add some of those newer carbon fiber bags to our collection. Hank

We think it is very difficult to find CC opinions that are not, to some degree, based on bias and hearsay. Why? A majority of cruisers have only cruised on 1 or 2 lines within the past few years. Many become cheerleaders for their usual line of choice, and often base what they say about other lines on "what they have heard" or what they knew to be the case 5 or 10 years ago. That is just human nature. A good cruise agent (difficult to find) that also manages to get themselves onto many cruises, can be a great source. Reading reviews and comments here on CC, and than comparing them with other comments, can often become quite helpful. Looking for specifics rather than generalities can also be helpful. I recently read a post on the HAL board where the person was very upbeat on their ship and line. But in the same post they mentioned that they avoided the MDR because service and quality were not good (they did like the Lido) and they also spent time at Guest Services dealing with overcharges That poster still enjoyed the cruise and line. But for many of us, saying that the MDR is not worth using, but the ship is fine, would not be acceptable. Another example is if somebody posts that the entertainment was good, but they never go to shows and normally head to bed by 9, would also be a red flag. Lately, we have seen another trend here on CC. Many posters will acknowledge that their line of choice "is not what it was prior to Covid," "there have been many cutbacks," etc. and than they rationalize their own comments by saying something like "we just have to accept the way things are today." Because of the "cheerleader" mindset that person does not see the wisdom in looking for other lines/ships that might be closer to what they expected prior to COVID. And lastly we suggest reading the actual ship reviews recently posted here on CC. If you look at a few reviews for a ship, you can often detect trends and simularities. Hank

Should you be concerned about pickpockets? Absolutely! It is an issue for just about any travel (except in Japan) and folks are well advised to ALWAYS take some basic precautions. I simply carry my wallet in a front pocket which I secure with a large safety pin. I also keep a thick rubber band wrapped around my wallet, which is a simple way to make it more difficult to slide out of a pocket. DW carries her purse cross shoulders and uses a safety pin to secure the zippers (preventing someone from easily sliding open a zipper and removing contents). One warning for ladies. Do not put your purse down when you are in a potentially vulnerable place such as an outdoor restaurant. We once saw a lady put her purse under her seat at an outdoor cafe and it was only seconds until a man helped himself to that purse (the lady did not even notice). Hank

We also have a cruise that ends in Trieste and have wrestled with the options. Our thinking is that we will likely rent a car for 2 weeks, do some driving in Croatia, Slovania, Austria and back into Italy and than fly back the USA from Milan (MXP) where we have quite a few options. If we did want to fly home the same day as debarkation (not our normal style) we would probably prefer options from Trieste. VCE is not our favorite airport, and it is a pretty long ride from the port. Hank

I found your response interesting. The poster asked about medical coverage and what you posted has NO medical coverage. Am also curious what AMEX Platinum has for medical. We gave up our AMEX Platinum years ago for another card (with better benefits for us) and wondered if AMEX now covers medical. If one is hospitalized (outside their own country) the bills can quickly add up to 10s of thousands of dollars. Hank

You can also buy the various Metro tickets from vending machines (they take Euros and credit cards). We have seldom had any lines for those machines. Hank

We walked the walk with that Wdam review. Since we returned we have booked several more cruises and none of them on HAL. In fact, at least for now, we do not even look at future HAL options. We recently booked a longer Oceania cruise (it will be our first time on that line) where, I am told, we will find a lot of ex HAL cruisers. I think we will see a return of many last minute deals in the next year, as most of the future cruise credits, accumulated because of the COVID cancellations, are used or expire. Hank

Interesting that this site was named "Cruise Critic" and not "Cruise Cheerleaders." Hank

We have enjoyed our overnights in Lisbon, because it gives us an opportunity to go to a favorite Fado restaurant. Hank

Yep, that was the same ship.

Not sure we would go to the Blue Lagoon on a a cruise day unless our ship was staying in Valetta until very late. It can take 1 1/2 hours just to get to Cirkewwa via local bus (depending on your timing/schedule). And than you may have to it for some time (varies depending on your timing) to get the ferry over to Comino Island. Coming back you must reverse the process and you need to allow extra time to get back to your ship from the bus station. If you really have your heart set on the idea, than you can certainly save a lot of time by grabbing a taxi from Valetta to Cirkewwa (not sure how easy it is to find a taxi on the return trip). A taxi should be able to make the trip (to Cirkewwa) in about a half hour (once it gets away from Valletta traffic). Our concern would be the return trip, making connections (i.e. ferry, taxi or bus, etc). Although we routinely do our own thing in most ports, about fifty years of extensive cruise experience has taught us to err on the side of caution in terms getting back to the ship. We like to talk about "Plan B" which is always our thinking on how we can catch-up to the ship in the unlikely case that we do not get back on time. From Malta, a Plan B, can be very expensive depending on your itinerary. On the other hand, I like your way of thinking (to do things on your own) so perhaps you take your chances and hope for the best :). Just make sure to have your Passports and some decent credit cards! Hank

Once you are in town the best way to the windmills is to walk. As to beaches, there are multiple beaches accessible by buses from the Farbrika station (more like a tiny bus parking area) not far from the windmills. If you are looking for popular beaches, with facilities, you might consider Paradise or Platas Gialos. There are times when we just walk over the bus station and make our beach selection based on where the next bus is headed. Hank

Despite having cruised in waters all over the world, and done more than 2 dozen Atlantic crossings (and a few in the Pacific) our roughest cruise day, EVER, was on a basic 7 day cruise (Celebrity Meridian) from NYC to Bermuda! It was on that relatively short cruise that we ran into Hurricane Bob (1991 or 92) with its 40+ foot waves! And that was after being assured by our Captain that we would not get within 200 miles of the outer edge of the storm (we found ourselves well inside that storm after the storm path changed). IMHO, folks who concern themselves with trying to book cruises in calm seas, might be better off staying on land 🙂 When you venture out on the sea you just never know what you will encounter. Sea forecasts are certainly much better, but forecasting more than a few days in advance is often more luck than science. Just ask the mariners here on CC. Hank

We have not rented a car since COVID, so have no clue as to the current pricing. There are some major agencies in town, but we have usually rented from a local place that was not far from the cruise ship pier. As you got to the main street of town (runs parallel to the water) there was a place that had a large sign about renting cars. You can also look online at some of the locals such as Dias Travel Agency (https://www.rentacarkatakolo.gr/en/). We have used them in the past, but since it was pre-covid we will only mention the name without a specific recommendation. So much, around the world, has changed post covid that we all need to be a bit cautious (many businesses have changed hands), As to the beach, certainly ask for suggestions wherever you rent a car. We mentioned Parilia Agios Llias, which looked like an OK beach (we did not rent on the beach because the weather was not good). But our information is about 5-6 years old, and again we like to caution that COVID has impacted many tourist places. With some luck you might get some posts with more recent (i.e. this year) information. Hank

Yep, have done it on Seabourn (last year) and several times on the old Prinsendam. Those were all good crossings, with relatively calm seas. I think most experienced sailors would say that sea conditions are as much about luck as anything. Even the largest ships will move in rough seas (especially with long swells) so size does not always matter :). DW would say that she has never been seasick (on far more than 1000 sea days) because she simply takes Bonine (Meclizine Hcl) when we are warned of high seas. Hank

When we first did the Chef's Table, it was $60 per person (which included wine and a very nice Princess Cook Book. I suspect that now, more than double the price, it is not as good,

Off the top of our head we can think of two ways. 1. Book a private tour (car/driver), or 2, Just rent a car and drive. Hank

Hmm. Would that have to be one of those "rare wines" that are priced from $500-$2000 a bottle?