Hlitner

When we take long HAL cruises (we have done a few over 60 days) we know to load up our Kindles. Hank

It can be fun to just stop, stand near the person using the speaker phone, listen carefully, and be very obvious. Hank

That is absolutely true, and AA just admitted, and seemed proud, that they are "publishing their final schedules about 100 days in advance! " The problem with this is that they are selling flights 330 days in advance. As I pointed out in my previous post, there is an ulterior motive which is to tie-up slots (at the busiest airports) which deprives other airlines from increasing their schedules. You may call it a "place holder" but I call it an outrageous and obvious attempt at "restraint of trade." The loser is the consumer and other airlines that might want to increase or start service on that route. I think the government should only allocate slots for flights that remain on the schedule. Airlines that "adjust their schedule" should also have their "slots adjusted." Hank Hank

They are in separate areas along the long pick-up waiting strip the runs along the terminal (outside of the luggage area). Depending on what you door you exit, it can be a small hike to get to hotel pick-up areas. You should also call the hotel to tell them you are waiting and confirm the pick-up spot (they are labeled). Se have had some hotels that want us to move to a different area and even had one that wanted us to go to the arrival area (which I suspect is actually against the airport's rules). We usually stay at the Embassy Suites (17 th street) which is one hotel that does not run a free shuttle. In the past when we have stayed at places with free shuttles, we would sometimes find ourselves standing outside for over a half hour (this can happen at any airport). I actually prefer paying a taxi to standing around and waiting for some of those shuttles. Hank

FLL small? Well, if having 4 Terminals and over 90,000 passengers a day is small than I guess so. It is the 15th busiest airport in the USA and has about the same passenger volume as another "small" airport called Newark!. But I do agree that it is relatively easy to find taxis (just go outside the luggage area to the taxi queue areas, and also relatively easy to get Uber and Lyft. Hank

I have posted (elsewhere) about the new (Jan 2023) Federal Smoking law here in Mexico (we are now living in Puerto Vallarta). The law is tough, but enforcement is still lax in many places. The law does NOT PROHIBIT smoking anywhere, but it does restrict the places. It bans smoking in any establishment that serves food/drink. Restaurants and bars can have smoking areas, but they must be designated, not anywhere near food, must be outdoors, and there is to be no service on those smoking areas. The new law also bans smoking on all public beaches which means all beaches since Mexican beaches are all technically public. That is going to be difficult/impossible to enforce. Here in Puerto Vallarta, there has yet to be enforcement on beaches, but we have had relatively strict no-smoking rules, for years, in restaurants. Some think the new law will put a lot of pressure on restaurant/bar owners for them to fully enforce the rules. It is more likely that they would get fined, than a tourist, The new law also applies to the sale of smoking products and bans their display (I guess everything will be done under the counter). It will be interesing to see what happens on beaches where restaurants/hotels/cafes rent or give loungers/chairs. Technically, there should be no smoking in those areas and one wonders how it will be enforced. But I assume that if/when the restaurants get hit with stiff fines, they will pay more attention to the new law. It is going to be very interesting to see how this all works in the next couple of years. No question that the anti-smoking sentiment in Mexico is very strong. Some Condos have even banned balcony smoking and others have routinely had the issue under consideration. Hank

Certainly a major issue without much of a solution. From other similar threads on CC, it is obvious that some folks just assume that playing their favorite music will make everyone happy. Some will insist they are not too loud, but the reality of cruise ship balconies is that if you can hear it on your balcony so can most of your neighbors! It is not much different than smokers who either assume or do not care that their smoke bothers many folks. So here is my message to those who play music on their balconies. Many of us enjoy sitting on a quiet balcony and listening to the quiet sounds of the sea, wind, etc. Those who want to listen to their own music (I am a music lover) can easily do that by using ear buds, headphones, etc. These days that is considered proper etiquette for enjoying music in public places.

I could not help but notice it is the OP's first and only post on CC. It would be helpful to know a little more about the OP and their party in terms of age, do they have any other travel experience, etc. If we assume they are Americans/Canadians, we would remind them that Alaska is simply another State. There are no language issues (for English speaking) and while cruise line excursions are a decent option in AK, depending on what they want to do there are other options. In some ports, one can even walk to many of the things that might be of interest and save a lot of money :). A good example is the Totem Poll Park in Ketchican which can be accessed by the inexpensive local bus (Silver Line). In Sitka, one can get (on their own) to the Raptor Center. On the other hand, if you want to fly to the Dog Sled Camp near Juneau, you will need to book that excursion far in advance and mortgage your home to pay for trip :). DW and consider the helicopter tour to the glacier, visiting the dog sled camp, and driving a dog sled, as one of the best tours we have ever taken anywhere in the world. There are also private tour options in many AK ports. One can look online for various options, prices, etc. and make advance reservations. With a group of 4, a private tour might be a great option in some ports. Hank

I think you have already identified the only 3 east bound crossings in September. Just choose one, and away you go :). We would be fine with any of those ships although Cunard's vessels would go to the top of our list. Hank

We also use both Uber and Lyft, depending on the circumstances. Also have used them in parts of Europe for transfers.

Not sure of the current taxi price, but just checked Uber (at this time) and it is about $50. Lyft currently shows about $90. Keep in mind that both Uber and Lyft are constantly changing their prices based on supply/demand.

When I see this kind of question (from the OP) my first thought is, "ask the "kids" what they want to do?" I know this seems obvious, but we have chatted with many younger cruisers who express some dismay with what "Mom and Dad decide" when it comes to travel. In a place like Mykonos you might have parents who simply want to browse shops in Mykonos Town while the younger folks would rather be at a decent beach (where there are lots of others their own age). The one port where there should be little debate is Katakolon (Olympia). For a first-time visitor, you should go to Olympia whether it is on a cruise line excursion, private tour, or on your own. There are not a lot of worthwhile alternate options in that region of Greece (we have driven around that entire area) although there are a few beach areas that can be OK for folks who have already been to Olympia and just want to have lunch and "veg out." For the beach areas, one would do best with a rental car. There is also a winery in the area, which would disappoint most of have been to a few decent wineries. Hank

So let's talk about this issue, When we go from PEV to FLL we usually walk out of the terminal, head over to the taxi queue, and within a few minutes are in a taxi on our way to FLL. The taxi takes us directly to our terminal (and proper door for our airline) and costs less than $25 (including tip). Meanwhile, back at the port, those with HAL transfers are slowly boarding their buses and waiting until the bus is filled and the luggage loaded! (our taxi already has us at our terminal). Once that HAL transfer bus finally leaves, it drops folks at a common drop-off at FLL, which can be a long distance from your own terminal/airline desk. You have to stand around the bus while they off load all that luggage, and than drag your luggage to your terminal! Meanwhile, those of us who grabbed a taxi (at lower cost per person than a HAL transfer) have been dropped at the right location, checked-in our luggage (with some airlines one can even do this at the curb), and are inside the terminal. I would welcome fans of transfers to explain where I have this wrong! Hank

That describes much of the issue.

I took a look and the best bet would be the October 24, 2024, thirty-two day sailing of the Seabourn Encore. But that assumes you have both the time and the budget (Seabourn is a relatively expensive luxury line). We are Seabourn fans and would take this cruise in a heartbeat. One issue I noticed is that it is in Istanbul on a Sunday which means that the Covered (Grand) Bazaar is closed. Funny thing about this cruise is I only spotted it trying to help with this thread. Now it has our interest :). It is actually a good price (for Seabourn) and the itinerary would be fun. Hank

I am going to guess that you are going to Seville as part of the Nieuw Statendam cruise. If that is the case you get a nice long port day (I believe the ship does not leave until 11pm). Because you do have that long day, I think taking the train to Seville is a reasonable option. DW and I have really enjoyed Seville (once stayed there a few days in a small hotel that had a cooking school). If you are good walkers it is possible to walk from the ship to the train station, but the distance will depend on whether you have to leave the port from the nearest gate versus being able to cut through another section of the port. If you must head directly out to the street, trying to grab a taxi or public bus will save you some valuable time. That being said, we also enjoy Cadiz, which is a very walkable city with an OK commercial center. Hank

We think, given the late night arrival, the advice to stay at an airport hotel makes the most sense. In the morning you can easily get a taxi to take you from the hotel directly to the appropriate cruise terminal. If you really want to see Copenhagen you should fly-in a day or two early. If seeing a little bit of Copenhagen, in the morning, is a priority than you should book a centrally located hotel (not anywhere near the cruise terminal). In the morning you can walk around town for a few hours before grabbing a taxi to the port. For a short visit to Copenhagen I would suggest that you consider a short canal tour (I think some are only an hour) as it's a good way to see the city in a short period of time. Hank

That would be my plan. The issue with those later departures is that a fair number of folks will want to stay in Oia for the sunset....and this adds to the last minute congestion (not to mention trying to get back to Fira from Oia). We would likely head back to the ship in time for dinner and enjoy the sunset from the deck of the ship. I have previously posted that one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever witnessed was watching the cliffs (from the deck of our ship) as the sun set behind us. The light on the island is constantly changing and, in some ways, better than watching the sun. Hank

Agree with all that Euro Cruiser posted. Like Euro, we have sometimes struggled with shifting with the other hand. Having driven all over Italy (more than 10,000 miles within the country) I think this would be a most difficult place to "learn" about driving on the wrong side of the road (or course we think that the right side is right). Italians are crazy (but safe) drivers and not for the faint of heart. I have driven all over NZ (both North and South Islands) and there is nothing in NZ to compare to driving in Italy (although we did hare our moments around Auckland). On the positive side, we have never seen a one-lane bridge in Italy :). Hank

You will also be happy to know that I have found Guinness (on draught) on Santorini 🙂

If you go back and search this blog you will find lots of older posts (many from me) that explain how to do all of those places on your own (DIY). Just understand that DIY does require some pre-trip homework, a little spirit of adventure, good travel common sense, etc. For folks that prefer "handholding" you are likely not going to be happy DIY. As to 4 hours, that is a real stretch. Just consider that it takes about 1 hour to drive from Cannes to Monte Carlo (one way). Eze is about the same and Nice is about 45 min (one way). And that is using the inland Autostrade (4 lane highways) rather than the more picturesque local roads along the coast. It is possible to visit both Monte Carlo and Eze in 4 hours (with a car), but you will not have much time to fully enjoy either place. Just consider that the last time DW and I drove over to Eze Village, it took over 1 1/2 hours just to enjoy a nice lunch. Getting to Antibes, Nice, and Monte Carlo are quite easy on the train (although you still must get to and from train stations). Eze Village is somewhat more complex since it is not along the train line which means DIY folks need to use a combination of trains and buses. Another option, for the DIY person, is to simply rent a car for the day (we often do this) which gives you a lot of flexibility. GPS makes getting around not too difficult, but one still needs to deal with the usual driving/parking issues. Hank

We have always found pros/cons to each cruise line (HAL and Princess). Princess does some things better (such as expanded hours in the Lido, MDRs, 24/7 International Cafe, Production Shows, activities, etc). Some used to argue that HAL had better cuisine (this may no longer be the case) and was more "laid back." Also keep in mind that many Princess ships are substantially larger than quite a few HAL vessels and some folks prefer the smaller ships. Princess also does not have any forward facing lounges and their ships do not have wrap around promenades. I am also unhappy with the size of the regular cabin balconies on Princess Royal Class vessels. One other issue is that Princess has MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) which are large movie screens on their main pool deck. These days, Princess will blast out sound, day and night, including moves, shorts, music videos, sports, etc. For those who prefer to quietly sit near the pool, this is a major annoyance...although one can usually find quiet seating elsewhere on the ship. On the other hand, you will not find Princess showing a BBC Documentary in their main theater and passing it off as the major night's entertainment. Hank

Here in the USA, we would simply send a short e-mail to our cruise agent asking her to look into the price drop. Usually, within a few hours, she will send us a revised invoice with the lower price. Sometimes this has no impact on the other amenities (such as pre-paid gratuities) and other times you might lose some booking amenities that were part of the original deal. Hank

Some folks can make do with chemical heating pads such as ThermaWrap (available at most pharmacies). A few years ago I had a pinched nerve in my neck that caused me lots of pain. ThermaWraps were a life saver when we went on a cruise. Hank

There is a difference between "discounts," OBCs, rebates, etc. Several cruise lines upon which we cruise have never allowed anyone to discount their prices. But that does not stop agencies from giving out generous On Board Credits and even post cruise rebates. There are also some agencies that will toss in related perks such as a pre-cruise hotel (we have never dealt with an agency that plays this game). One well-known online agency also puts together cruise packages that may include pre-post cruise land stays, air, etc. In Europe, it is common for major travel providers to bundle charter flights into packages that include cruises. Think of it this way. Lets say you pay $10,000 for a cruise booked directly with a cruise line. If you book with a cruise/travel agency you will usually also pay $10,000. But the agency may toss-in $700 of On Board Credit plus pre-paid gratuities. Or that same agency may offer an alternative where they will send you a check for $1000 a few weeks after you return from the cruise. Many of the best deals are not advertised, so you must register (usually free) with various agencies to learn about their private deals. The reality is that unless you shop around (among reputable high-volume agencies) you will never know what you are missing. Another way to save big bucks (on the cruise fare) is to be a gambler. Some folks get cruises for huge discounts and sometimes even Free (they usually must pay the taxes/fees) because they spend a lot of time in the casino. That is not our thing, but we know folks who cruise on lines like HAL and MSC for ridiculously low prices. Of course, they may lose fortune in the casinos, but others will tell you they often win or break-even. "Casino specials" seem to have become more common since the COVID shutdown.