Hlitner

I have no clue :). When we visited that island we were on a Yacht Cruise (20 passenger) and docked at a Marina. Our cruise director (who was the son of the owner of the company) arranged for a private boat to take all 20 of us around the island. I mention this because there is a back story. The boat driver was an elderly man (looked about 100) who acted weird and did not speak a word of English (or so we thought). When we later returned to the Marina it turned out that the old guy owned a greek restaurant in Brooklyn and was just visiting his grandchildren for the summer. One never knows what you will find on these islands :). Hank

What's in a name? I ask this because HAL can easily change the name of a lounge, but the real issue is what will the entertainment be in that lounge. The BB King groups played little to no BB King music but it was still called the "BB King" Lounge. Will the change to Rolling Stone mean a meaningful change in entertainment, of will they simply repackage the "pick up" BB King" groups and change a few songs in their repertoire? Time will tell. Hank

Perhaps a real example will demonstrate how good things can get using Flexair. I had previously posted that we purchased one-way Business Class (all lay flat seats) from IAD to Heathrow changing to Heathrow to Tokyo (Haneda). HAL has this fare for about $2200 and we jumped at the fare (which no longer exists). Just yesterday I looked online, and those same flights now sell for $13,927 if bought directly through British Air (the flight from LHR to Tokyo is on a JAL aircraft). The deals are still out there, but one must be proactive, check the HAL Flightease site (several times a week), and quickly jump at a flexair fare if you see a good deal. Keep in mind that using Flexair means you do not need to pay anything until around Final Payment, the flights are actually not ticketed until about 45 days prior to the flight, and up until Final Payment you can simply cancel or change the flights with no penalties (although the price can certainly increase if you make a change). Hank

Before getting excited, telephone those airlines and make sure the stop-overs are still allowed and the various terms. Please come back and post here since others (including me) might be interested. In the past we had thought about asking some other airlines if they have similar rules. For example if flying to Asia on Cathay Pacific (a terrific airline) most flights involve a change in Hong Kong. Would they allow a stopover? I have no clue but might someday check it out. Hank

And there are other factors such as how much competition on the route, supply/demand, etc. Airlines are simply businesses and look to maximize fares to the extent possible. They use sophisticated "yield management" software which is designed to fill the most seats at the highest per seat price. What all this means is that fares can vary depending on how you buy your ticket. The cruise lines will often have contracts with various airlines that give them X number of seats on X number of routes and big discounts. Once the contracted seats are filled that flight may well disappear from their booking system or simply revert to higher fares (for new bookings). There are also other ways to save money on international fares such as using legit "consolidators" who are permitted to sell some fares at a big discount. I have never dealt with an airline consolidator, but have talked to others that were happy with the deals they had found. Hank

Both! Iceland with Icelandic and Ireland with Aer Lingus. Since the last time we did this with Aer Lingus they have had bankruptcy and ownership issues so one would certainly need to check with the airline to see if they still allow this. When we did it with Aer Lingus, we could schedule a stop-over (up to 10 days) at either Dublin or Shannon. We did it (twice) at Dublin and on one stopover we spent an entire week on a driving trip around Ireland. Hank

Having lived in a foreign country that has a no-tipping culture and another foreign country that expects tips at a level somewhat less than folks give in America, I think the true arrogance (perhaps Ugly American) are the folks that ignore the local mores/customs and force their own standards on folks. Even when folks accept your tip, their thinking is akin to "what an idiot" or "Americans have no class." In some countries (Japan is a great example) tipping is considered a patronizing insult by most folks. The best honor and gratitude you can offer folks when visiting their country is to abide by their own mores/customs be it tipping, shaking hands, and even a bow.

In the past we also were able to do multi-day stopovers in Ireland, when flying Aer Lingus. We actually spent two delightful vacations in Ireland by just using this freebee when flying between the USA and Europe. Not sure if that perk still exists. Hank

As much as we like Princess (over 35 cruises with the line) we think charging to ship a Medallion is "small time" move which we find deplorable. This Medallion thing was all the idea of Princess and it was also their idea (which they have heavily promoted) that they would send it to your address before the cruise. Getting it at the port is a minor hassle, but we think what Princess is doing SUCKS! By the way, some of the packages include a benefit of having the Medallions shipped free. Hank

Martinique can be an issue as they prefer Euros. Just bring along a credit card and you should be fine. If you happen to go into a shop or restaurant and need to use cash, ask them if they will accept dollars before you sit. The French side of St Martin will generally accept Euros or Dollars. Over the years (we have rented Condos on the French side) found that a few places really screw folks (with the exchange rate) that uses dollars. If you are planning to use cash or they are cash only, and they only have prices posted in Euros, it is wise to ask about their exchange rate. Do not be shy as this is not unusual. Hank

One nice benefit of using Icelandic Air is that they will usually allow you a stop-over (it used to be up to 10 days) in Iceland at no extra charge. Its a great option for those that want to spend some time in Iceland, before or after their cruise. Hank

Enjoyed your review but did smile at your comment about it being hot. I suspect when I is from the UK just about any sunny weather seems hot :). We live in Puerto Vallarta, watched your ship come into the port yesterday, and "froze" on the beach during the afternoon. It has been relatively cool here in Puerto Vallarta and many of us who go to the beach with our umbrellas, do not bother to use the umbrellas because we are cold in the shade. I think it was about 27 C 80 F which is a little cool for those who us used to this kind of weather. When it gets up to about 33C (which has not happened in a couple of winters) that is when we get hot. Our Condo has A/C which has not been turned on this year. No need :). Bon Voyage. Hank

I have long been puzzled at what sometimes happen across the "pond." On this side of the pond, when we buy most insurance, the companies are licensed in the various States, have a real home address, phone number, financial rating (often by Best), can be checked out with the Better Business Bureau (an independent organization) etc and almost always have 1 or more web sites with lots of information about the company and its policies. Most smaller companies are underwritten by huge insurance companies that are well-known in the insurance world. But when I simply do a search on the Internet for "insureme4 travel insurance" I get very few results other than some references in a few blogs. Just wondering? Hank

Watching the news is too darn depressing. On the other hand, visiting the supermarket is even more depressing.

Hank

Even? The Viking Expedition ships (Octantis and Polaris) were built to Polar 6 standards!

My goodness, it is not just the price of fuel. Have you looked at food prices? Just consider the thousands of eggs used (even on a short cruise) and look at the current price of eggs. There has even been a smuggler caught trying to smuggle eggs into the USA (from Mexico). The rapidly climbing cost of airfare has also hit cruise lines hard (the crew flies commercial air to and from their contracts on ships). As to cruises through the Panama Canal, there is going to be a major toll increase (imposed by the canal) in January 2024. Those increased toll charges will be passed on to cruisers through higher fees..

The terms of Flexair are very transparent and displayed on the web site. If you decide (and that is your choice) to ticket early, you get a couple of warning screens about the provisions. Once a flight is ticketed, the ability of Flexair to make changes (or cancel) is limited just like when you buy any restricted air fare. Bottom line is that if you book on your own, you can reserve up to 330 days in advance but must generally pay for the ticket at that time! With Flexair, until you get inside that final payment period you usually have the option of canceling with zero penalties. If you chose to ignore the warning screens (that pop up when you ticket early) that is on you...not flexair. For what it's worth, we also had Flexair Business Class to Tokyo (for our March cruise) and we locked-in an amazing fare nearly 7 months ago. Unlike you, we did not have the flight ticketed until it was required, and the price did not change. In fact, with most Flexair the price does not increase unless it is due to taxes. In your case you ticketed early which severely limited your options. I should mention that because we locked in that flexair fare, far in advance, we saved over $1000 per person vs the most recent airfares. We had debated ticketing early, but thought it made more sense to delay ticketing as long as possible since everything involving Japan travel/cruises had been somewhat "iffy." The truth about our booking was we did not want to use those Flexair flights because it means changing flights/terminals at Heathrow! But I used the Flexair booking as a "placeholder" because it was such a good deal. In the end, we never found anything else even close (price wise) so kept the flights. Hank

There are pros/cons to using Flightease. As others have advised, you can simply go into your own HAL account (online) and access the Flightease booking engine to explore what offers exist for your desired air routes. In our own experience, there can be tremendous savings for international Business/First Class and lesser savings for economy and premium economy. But the only way to know the answer to your question is to price-out your air options on the HAL flightease sight and compare to what exists elsewhere. I would add a personal caveat. Do not allow any cruise line to choose your air flights! With nearly any line that offers air, you have an option to pick and choose your own flights. If you let a cruise or river cruise do that on your behalf you are liable to end up with less desirable flights, bad connections, etc. HAL's Flightease program does not charge you extra fees if you decide to use that service, And, in many cases you can book flights using their Flexair option which means you do not need to pay for your flights to around final payment time. Hank

We recently (last week) had a similar issue with HAL on air from Seattle to the east coast. The AA flights, we had booked, were cancelled (3 months prior to the flights) by AA. I only noticed the change on my AA app and HAL's web site simply said there was a "schedule change" under review. There were few options to replace our flights and the best options were not available through HAL. So, I called HAL, who demanded to know how I even knew this information :). Since they could not find a reasonable alternative, they agreed to refund my money (for the air) and we booked with United using miles. So why is this happening? The airlines have simply overwhelmed the third-party companies that handle the air for cruise lines, and they are unable to keep up with the changes. They must prioritize. which means it takes forever for them to get around to the more distant bookings. As a frequent flyer, we have joked (for several years) that domestic airline schedules are "advisory only" as they are likely to change (multiple changes are not unusual) as you near your flight day. International flights, operated by foreign airlines, seem to be the most reliable as many countries (including the EU) have stronger consumer protection laws than here in the USA. Many of the foreign carriers also seem to have this strange knack of only scheduling flights they actually intend to operate :(. With domestic USA flights, alrlines will sometimes schedule flights they never intend to operate in order to hold onto their allotted "slots" at busy airports. That is apparently a dirty secret in the airline industry and our government watchdog, DOT, has traditionally done very little to stop this practice or force airlines to pay out refunds (and even penalties) for these anti-consumer practices. Hank Hank

I again raise the question, are these loud noises infrequent issues or are they inherent in the unhe hsual engineering design of the Edge Class vessels. Rather than having a lot of structural weight support by the exterior hull, these ships rely on a strong core to support much of the weight and stress. By moving more of the superstructure inward, the design allows for more living space closer to the outer hull. This endoskeleton design has benefits in terms of cabin space but moves away from the traditional solid hull design. With less solid superstructure on the exterior, is this leading to more flexing and noise? Hank

I think this misses an important point. Consider "30 day turnaround" or even "7 day turnaround." This means that they will not even get to reviewing and looking for other options for some time. In today's airline world, time is NOT on your side. When things change, you are well advised to move quickly to secure another workable reservation/option. Delaying only decreases the available options and can even leave you no reasonable alternative. Hank

I think many HAL fans are smoking the funny weed when they talk about Antartica. With the recent international treaties and agreements, no cruise ship can actually go to Antarctica unless they conform to "Polar 6" or better standards. No HAL vessel meets that standard so their ability to even do "drive by" cruises are very limited to areas further north. If you truly want to visit Antarctica and go ashore (which is generally done in Zodiacs) you will now need to take a so-called exploration ship such as the new Seabourn vessels (one sailing and a 2nd on the way), some of the Hurtigruten vessels, Ponent's exploration ships, etc. This is now the exclusive purview of the small (and expensive) exploration ship market. Hank

We have travel and cruise wish lists, but no HAL wish lists. When HAL can fulfill one of our "wishes" than we consider booking. Otherwise, we book other cruise lines or simply fly to our desired destination and go off on our own. #1 on our wish list has been to go to Antarctica (had to recently cancel that trip due to a medical issue) which cannot be done on HAL or other mass market lines. We also wish that HAL had kept the Prinsendam, but that is a failed wish. Hank

That would be called being smart 🙂 Norway is one of the wealthiest nations in Europe and actually manages to run their government with a surplus. They also have one of highest standards of living in the world. So yes, they take advantage of the North Sea oil and gas deposits, most of which are sold to other countries for a nice profit. I believe they even have a large gas pipeline that runs to the UK. The gas comes ashore in a pipeline, is processed through filters, and immediately goes back into another pipeline to the UK. The gas pours out of their country and the cash just pours in! Hank