Hlitner

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

I am a big fan on staying in Venice (not Mestre or other places outside of town). With a Marghera sailing, I think one would likely want to simply grab a land taxi, at the Piazale Roma, and go directly to the port. So, the logistic issue is getting yourselves (and luggage) between the Piazale Roma and your hotel (assuming you stay in Venice). There are a few places within easy walking distance of the Piazale Roma (Olimpia, Ca Doge, etc) but many folks prefer a more "romantic" location for their hotel choice There are only a few options to move between the Piazale Roma (as far as you can get with land transportation) and any hotel which are walking, varporettos, or a water taxi (a very expensive option). If one plans on using the vaporettos, it is smart to choose a hotel located close to a vaporetto stop. Also keep in mind that you would need to drag your own luggage on and off the vaporettos (no extra charge for 1 piece per person). When you fly-in to Venice (Marco Polo airport) there are various options. There is a fast and comfy ATVO Bus (usually leaves 3 times an hour) between the airport terminal and the Piazale Roma. These buses have plenty of luggage storage (underneath). One can also leave the airport using a land taxi, Alilaguna (a competitor of the ACTV vaporettos), or a private water taxi (very romantic but expensive). Alternately, some folks prefer to stay outside of Venice and Mestre is the obvious choice if flying-in. There is transportation between the airport and Mestre (bus or taxi). One can later go into Venice on the train, bus, or regular land taxi...although that does take time. From Mestre to the port at Marghera is best done by a land taxi. Hank

Lets talk about driving into Paris vs dropping a car outside and using the train to get to a Paris location. We have been faced, with exactly that issue, on a few trips. As much as we dislike driving in Paris, we still found it preferable to drive to our destination (i.e. hotel, apartment, etc) drop our luggage, and immediately return the car to the nearest drop location. Without luggage, we probably would have opted to drop the car outside the city and take a train/RER but, when we have luggage, we find dealing with trains, stations, taxis, etc. to be more of a pain than just driving into the city. When I do drive in Paris, even though we have GPS (our phones) and know the city, we still do some pre-trip homework *usually on Google Mapas" finding the best routes to our destination and later onto a rental drop location. Hank

Interesting comment about the two levels of UK license, I have rented cars in both the UK and Ireland and am somewhat comfortable driving on the left However, even as a person very familiar with driving a stick, I admit that shifting with my left hand is always a challenge (have missed a few gears). But none of the rental agencies, in the UK (which include Hertz, Europcar and Avis) have ever mentioned anything about your two levels of licensing. They simply accept my Pennsylvania license. Here in the USA (we assume Canada is similar) there is no special test or licensing to drive a stick. The reality is that stick (manual) shifts are quite rare on our side of the pond, and I am not sure if any of the major rental car companies (over here) even have any stick shift cars. In fact, even many of our small truck rental places (like U-Haul) primarily rent trucks with automatics. Hank

Thought I would post a little about car vs train, for folks that have little personal experience. We make no secret of favoring rental cars, when in many parts of Europe. Not only does a car give one maximum flexibility (schedules, routes, site seeing, etc) but a major advantage, for us, is the logistics of luggage. DW and I normally travel with 2 large suitcases and 2 heavy back-packs (which is our preference for carry-ons). We prefer backpacks (over small rolling luggage) because it leaves both hands free for handling other items and even personal security. In Europe, the rule of thumb is that you will need to handle all of your own luggage. Finding porters in train stations and airports is a rarity and one must always assume the worst, which means nobody is going to help. Hauling luggage through large train stations, up/down stairs, on and off trains, and dealing with them on trains can be a challenge. And one must always be cognizant of keeping your luggage secure (especially on trains). Moving luggage in and out of a car is generally a big plus. Yes, there are logistics involved with rental cars (where to pick-up, drop, etc) but, for us, it just involves a little pre-trip planning. How about trains? European trains are usually very good and an excellent way to get from Point A to Point B. But one should always check on the location of the train stations. In many places, a train station can be a substantial distance from your goal and you should understand this limitation and have a plan (i.e. taxis, Uber, public transit, etc). We are routinely asked about driving in Europe, and our answer is that it simply depends on where! For North Americans, the driving rules in western Europe (with the exception of the UK) are similar to home. You drive on the right, pass on the the left, etc. Parking rules do vary (by country and within a country) so folks should do a little online research about parking. Italy is somewhat unique because they have many limited driving zones (ZTLs) so this takes extra pre-trip research. And finally, folks should understand that much of Europe still has a lot of manual shift cars. If you do not know how to drive a "stick" you need to make sure to reserve an automatic and expect to pay more money for that type of vehicle. As to licensing, your North American license is good throughout Europe. However, some countries (such as Italy) do require that you have a valid International Drivers Permit (IDP) which you can get (pre-trip) at any AAA location. An IDP is not a license, but simply a translation of some of the info on your normal license. If in doubt, get the IDP. Our own experience is that rental places do not normally ask for an IDP (they simply want to see your regular drivers license) but, if you get stopped by the police, they may ask for your IDP. Hank

If I were going from Kiel to Hamburg we would likely just get a one-way rental car and drive. But the train is also a good option. Hank

We started our travel life with Caribbean cruises (and some land trips). Now, more than 50 years later and having traveled to far more than 100 countries, we still enjoy the Caribbean (and return at least once a year). When we started going to the Caribbean, places like St Thomas and St Maarten where the best ports. Now, DW does not even want to get off the ship in St Thomas which is an island that has lost much of its charm due to overtourism. If we do want to take a cruise and actually enjoy Caribbean ports, we try to book small (under 1000 passenger) luxury ships that go to places like Guadeloupe, St Barts, etc. Fortunately, there are still some Caribbean ports that do not welcome the monster/mega ships and think that 30,000+ cruisers (on a single day) is a good thing. Hank

Have no clue, although we have sometimes run into issues with European hotels that do not accept reservations more than a few months in advance. I did try using the hotels own website and was able to get a rate for some nights in June. Their rates are pretty steep. For our most recent visits to Paris (usually 1-2 weeks) we have been renting various furnished apartments (found on-line) in St Germain des Pres (our favorite neighborhood). You might want to simply use their own website, which does seem to work for most June dates. I want to be clear that we have not stayed at this property for many years, and would suggest looking at some recent reviews (tripadvisor is a sister company of CC) to help in your due diligence. That particular neighborhood and street does equal high prices, but the location is ideal for many tourists who want to be in the heart of the right bank;. Hank

You raise a point about drinking/driving and the European standards are even tougher than most places here in the USA. I have driven to wineries, and do "taste" wines, but as painful as it may be, do avoid drinking any of the wine. DW and I usually factor in the location of where we will stay, with where we want to dine. Many times we try to stay within walking distance of our dining places so I can enjoy wine at dinner. In some parts of France, such as the Loire, there are some fantastic chateau/hotels that also have excellent restaurants (some with Michelin stars). If we need to go further than walking distance we use public transit, uber or a taxi to get us back to our hotel. Reading your comment about Verizon ($80 per month extra) brings me back to T-Mobile. We had ATT when we met a few crew members on a HAL cruise who told us of the wonders of T-Mobile for those who do a lot of international travel. We switched carriers and my entire monthly cell bill (for unlimited everything) is less than $80 month (for two lines). Unlike most other providers, T-Mobile does not have an extra fee for data/text in most countries of the world (phone is 25 cents a min). Hank