Hlitner

Makes two of us

If what you say is true, then nobody would have received the $50 credit as of now since it is not 9 months from May 1. The benefit, as it is listed in Voyages club benefits has no start date requirement other than having to book 9 months in advance. Hank

This is anything but simple! You are talking about two different cities separated by about an hour drive. And that does not include getting from the highways into the central part of the cities. The Academia (David) generally involves timed tickets and queues as does the Uffizi. Is it possible? Yes, it can probably be done by using a decent private tour provider and private transportation. I could do it using a rental car (we often drive in Italy) but still have my doubts about dealing with both the Academia and Uffizzi (a place where you could easily spend an entire day. You might want to compare to going to a place in Chicago and than another place in Milwaukee (and than back home) on the same day. That is the kind of day that would quickly mate me hate travel, and we have been extensive world travelers for over 45 years. You might try to put together an itinerary (working with a private tour company) and then use the CC Roll Call board to see if you can find anyone else to share your day (and cost). A real interesting challenge would be to try and do this yourself using the train from Livorno to Florence, a train from Florence to Pisa, and then a taxi to get you back to the port from Pisa. Even knowing their transportation systems, I would not want to even think about such a day. My advice is cut your losses and cross Pisa off your list. This will give you much more time (at least 2 hours) in Florence which makes doing the Academia and Ufizzi theoretically possible. A combined entrance ticket (Ufizzi and Academia) costs about 50€ per person (this is not a skip the line ticket) which is a lot to see two works of art. I cannot even imagine trying to pick out a small number of works in the Ufizzi (the entire building and art collection is worthy of viewing). One nice thing about doing the Ufizzi and Academia is that you should also have time to walk over the Ponte del Vecchia. I guess you could also buy some "relief tubes" which is what small plane pilots use when they cannot get to a bathroom :). You may find that a bathroom break (not to mention food/drink) will not fit into your schedule. Hank P.S. A friend of ours once tried to "see Paris" in a single day. When he returned from that day about the only thing that he remembered was that "Paris is old."

One certainly should stay within their own budget and comfort level. But moving up to the YC (for about $90 per person/day) is actually a pretty good deal. Consider that the YC includes a Premium drink package and unlimited Internet. Also consider that you are likely talking about a Deluxe YC Suite which is a nice balcony cabin (unless they were quoting you an upgrade to a YC Inside cabin). The YC also gets you a better restaurant and lots of other YC perks. No question that the YC is expensive when compared to many other cabins/experiences. But many of us who routinely book the YC consider it a decent value. Hank

We have an upcoming Seashore cruise booked and recently downloaded our docs/tickets. There was nothing in the docs about our $50 pp OBC (we are both Diamond) even though the cruise was booked more than a year in advance. This morning we called our cruise agent and brought up the subject, They contacted MSC and were told that any requested Voyager Club benefits could only be requested once aboard! Go figure :). I assume if they called back and spoke to a different person they would get a different answer, etc. etc. Hank

Bruce, It almost seems like Asian countries are starting to fall like dominos in terms of their COVID restrictions. Just saw that Taiwan is planning to reopen in mid-October so we might assume they are jumping on the Japan bandwagon. As you said, there are rumors that Korea will also drop their restrictions. It is the first time that I am feeling some degree of optimism that our March 2023 cruise (which involves multiple ports in Japan, Taiwan, Okinawa and Korea will actually happen. It cannot hurt that many Asian political leaders are in NYC (for the UN meeting) and seeing that the USA has opened-up with very few restrictions and little masking. I actually spent part of this morning making hotel reservations in Japan (all fully refundable). The Yen:Dollar rate is having a very nice impact on hotel pricing and we locked in rates using points. Hank

The ban will not be lifted next year or any year in the future. The cruise ship ban happened after nearly 2 decades of controversy (in both Venice and in Rome). It is likely that a new cruise port will eventually be built on the nearby mainland (possibly in Marghera) although, like most things in Italy, it will likely be in our next lifetime. Hank

At the port of Miami it is relatively easy to spot your own ship since they are all in a line along a very long pier. We always spot our ship at the entrance and direct our driver. Hank

One of our favored cruise agencies is part of the Signature Travel Network (a consortium) and they have apparently worked out some kind of agreement with Explora since they now handle bookings with various OBC perks. Explora has also hired a very experienced CEO but we will all have to wait and see how they compare to the other luxury lines. DW and I are giving a lot of consideration to booking a 18 day Explora cruise (2023). While not our normal style to try an untested product, we have some faith in the Aponte family's ability to get it right. Hank

I think it depends on the child! Some kids are fabulous travelers (our DD was a seasoned traveler at 5) and others are miserable. When we took our DD to Europe (using a Eurorail Pass) we made sure to include plenty of "events" that would be of interest to her. So we had plenty of ice cream and Orangina breaks, and she still remembers buying a pair of shoes in Paris :). I will add that DW and I have always been very independent travelers, even when on cruises (we dislike large group tours). Independent travel is ideal for children since the parents can vary the itinerary to best suit the child. Sticking a child on buses with 50 adult souls who are doing adult things is not always a good idea. But again, much depends on the child. Hank

We have been somewhat pessimistic about Japan reopening (to cruises and independent travel) in time for our March cruise. But this latest announcement (made at the NY Stock Exchange) is the first time I feel some real optimism. Japan has major economic problems including a rapidly falling Yen, inflation, and a tourist industry that has collapsed! And now, the new PM finds himself at a low point in their domestic polls. It is almost like a perfect storm pushing the new PM to normalize most things (including tourism). This week there is a huge Travel Exposition happening in Tokyo (which promotes tourism) so the PMs announcement in NY was likely timed for that big conference. But as Brucemuzz has reminded us (a few times) the devil is truly in the details. Doing away with the annoying Visa program is a great start and hinting at the reopening of independent tourism is huge! But still no mention about cruise ships although one might suspect that if they again allow independent tourism they would have no reason to prohibit ships. Hank

ROFL on your "familiarity" comment. We are all dealing with a complete unknown (cruisers as well as travel/cruise agents) and only have our MSC experience as a rough guide. One would hope that Explora has better customer service than MSC :). Hank

While we would never plan on arriving that close to a cruise embarkation, what is done is done! As to what to do, we think the solution is quite simple (and mentioned by CruiserBruce). Assuming that the OP is mobile, we would suggest booking a room at the FCO Airport Hilton. It is connected to the terminals via an overhead walkway. Get a luggage cart and load your luggage. Head to the 2nd floor and follow the signs to the hotel. Eventually you will find yourself in an overhead covered walkway that will take you to within a few feet of the hotel (there is an elevator to get you down the one level to the ground). At the end of the walkway you take the elevator down and walk the last few feet to the hotel mail doors! While some online sites will tell you it is a 5 min walk (from the airport to the hotel) it is somewhat longer, but not difficult if you are just pushing a luggage cart. In the morning you can take a taxi or pre-book a private transfer to the port. If you do want to pre-book a private transfer, we recommend Romecabs.com. The drive from hotel to your pier will be approximately 1 hour (give or take depending on traffic). Hank

I would suggest you ask this pose this question to a professional travel insurance broker (who represents many companies). One well known broker (often featured here on CC) is the tripinsurancestore.com (ask for Steve). We do completely agree with you that $10,000 or even $20,000 of medical is wholly inadequate for those who have no other coverage when outside the country. Folks also need to consider that medical and related evacuation expenses are essentially unlimited and can bankrupt folks. Cancellation insurance simply keeps you from losing what you were going to spend anyway, so it is not nearly as important in terms of long-term financial security. Hank

We have oft pointed out that MSC has very deep pockets when compared to any of the other major cruise corporations (i.e. CCL, RCI and NCLH). But even more important is that MSC if essentially a closely held company (family company) which avoids many of the pitfalls faced by Public Companies in terms of having too many regulatory agencies looking over one's shoulder. The Aponte family is able to make strategic moves without having to deal with an active Board of Directors and stockholders. This made it relatively easy for them to develop concepts like the Yacht Club and new Explora Journeys. As one who has cruised on 16 different lines (over many years) we have found MSC a true "breath of fresh air" and an innovator. They, along with NCLH, have developed the "ship within a ship" concept to a degree not seen on most other lines. We now see other lines (such as Celebrity) following MSC's lead. Hank

You got it! But it is not just happening with MSC as this is simply called "marketing" and is actually quite effective. When one studies Marketing, you learn about the use of psychology to con folks into thinking they are gettting a bargain. Take a product that sells for $100 which does not move off the shelves. Increase the price to $200 and than put out a big sign that says "SALE - 50% Off" and you will sell plenty of that product. It is the same with cruises. Give folks a "Special Sale" price and some will jump at the offer which might actually be more expensive than the pre-sale price. The recent trend is towards "bidding." The cruise lines finally realized that if you let folks bid for upsells, they will pay more money for those upsells than if you simply pushed them out at a specific price point. Many folks actually pay more through bidding then the same cabin would have cost if they had simply booked that cabin in the first place! Creating the atmosphere if an auction which causes many folks to get into a "competitive mode" is a very effective marketing tool. Many folks are competitive by nature and once you get them into that mode of thinking, they often leave part of their brains back home. Hank

WOW! This is tough. Just about everything at this port involves walking (sometimes a lot of walking). Just thinking out loud, but you might want to think about some kind of wheelchair or scooter that can enable you both to visit places like Ephesus. Certainly, consider posting this issue on the CC "Disabled Cruise Travel" board (under Special Interest Cruising) to get some feedback from folks familiar with how to deal with mobility challenges. Also beware that visiting the Terrace Houses (an extra site within the ruins of Ephesus) involves many steps (up and down). Hank

Like many things in the cruise world, HAL is a follower and not a leader :(. Most cruise lines have clearly posted their health protocols and regularly updated them as they implemented changes. With HAL is has been somewhat of a guessing game. But cruisers/travelers need to be cognizant that protocols and various country rules are constantly changing and what you see today may be different tomorrow. As one who never stopped traveling during the Pandemic, we have had to deal with the constant changes be it on a Caribbean cruise or a trip to Europe. Folks are well advised to do their daily due diligence checking out the cruise line, airline (if flying outside the USA), and the various countries involved in the trip. And even than, there may be uncertainty. When we left on a month long cruise in late April (heading towards Europe) we could not be certain what the rules would be by the time we reached Europe (where we spent 3 weeks doing independent travel though several countries). We knew all the rules the day we boarded our ship, but several of those rules actually changed during the cruise! We urge our CC friends to read, with interest, all of the opinions of folks but always conduct their own due diligence. Do we trust HAL? Heck NO! Our next HAL cruise is a cruise around Japan (March-April 2023) that HAL continues to sell. However, the Government of Japan currently has rules that would absolutely prohibit that cruise (or the entry of the cruisers)! HAL does not acknowledge these "minor" issues on their web site and continues to accept bookings as though everything is fine. There has been no attempt by HAL to keep customers appraised of any new developments, trends, etc. An ignorant cruiser might book that cruise today, book non-refundable air, and think all is fine. HAL does not issue any kind of warning that booking non-refundable air to a country that you cannot enter (unless on some non-HAL tours) for a cruise from a country that currently does not allow cruises. So, if HAL is dishonest (by omission) on this issue, why would we trust them on any issue? In defense of HAL, they are obviously hoping (yes, hope springs eternal) that circumstances will soon change for the better. But the reality is that they continue to book cruises that, under current rules, cannot happen! Hank

As always, we appreciate the truly educational posts from ChengKP who has taught me a lot, over the many years we have been around CC. His info on water/fluid retention is interesting as it is the first time we heard lack of magnesium contributes to the problem. After looking at a list of food products rich in magnesium, I suspect I will just have to live with that issue :). But we think there is another major contributor to many of us having water retention problems on ships. We are all eating commercially prepared food (many of us too much) and professional cooks/chefs love to add salt to just about everything! After about 50 years of cruising (extensively) and having my share of swollen ankles, we have found two solutions that work with varying degrees of success. Probably the most important is to simply drink more fluids. This helps to reduce excess sodium in our bodies. The other idea (told to us by an orthopedic surgeon we met on a cruise) is that one can spend a few hours just standing in one of the swimming pools. The water pressure in the pool increases with depth and helps decrease swelling in one's extreminites. I do not know if this truly works, but it does feel good on a hot day :). We once met a fellow cruise passenger who had another idea about swollen ankles. Her solution is to drink more booze so she just does not care! Hank

I agree with the OP's outrage. For decades, I have been critical (here on CC and elsewhere) about cruise lines booking large groups onto cruises and not allowing other passengers (non-group) to be informed of this fact, the nature of the group, and giving folks the option to cancel or reschedule their cruise. Like large groups, filming a TV show is going to be somewhat disruptive. While many may find it interesting, there are others who simply want a normal cruise experience. What happens when you have a large group (and possibly the filming of a TV show) is that public parts of the ship can sometimes become "private" to meet the needs of the group (or TV crew). When this happens, it can be a real bummer. Hank

We have cruised on 16 different cruise lines and DW tells me she has taken her curling iron on all with no problem. Hank

In terms of "regrets," DW said it best when she remarked that our only regret is the cruise not taken! In more than 45 years of extensive cruising (and dozens of transatlantics and a few transpacifics we have never been on a cruise that we regretted. And that even includes the one cruise (on Celebrity's Meridian) when we cruised through hurricane seas (excess of 40 foot). Hank

We have never had a problem such as yours. And you are correct that the cruise line should fix their error. And I hope you get them to understand the error of their ways. If not, you need to consider some other options. In your situation, I would have wanted that MSC clerk to send me something in writing that my cruise was cancelled. Failing that, I would document the phone call in a memo. Failing any rapid solution from MSC, I would contact my credit card company and put the charge item into dispute. Keep in mind that credit card disputes do have a time element, so if in doubt you would want to get the item in dispute which stops the clock and opens a file. Of course, that would leave you without a reservation and I guess you could then rebook (once you have your money credited back to your credit card account). Curious minds do want to know how your booking got cancelled. That should trouble everyone! Hank

Noooo. Not quite. I am saying if you book any cruise line through a decent cruise/travel agent you will be better off....both financially and mentally (less stress). I do not want to pick on MSC (we have cruised on 16 cruise lines) as, these days, just about every line has customer service issues. We, as amateurs, can choose to deal directly with cruise lines and their relatively low paid reservations clerks or we can choose to use a professional travel/cruise agent (who works for us) as an agent to represent us with the various cruise lines. What makes this a "no brainer" for me is not only do I get a professional to deal with the cruise lines, but these agencies actually pay me! So, on an upcoming MSC cruise our cruise agency has given us $450 of OBC (this is actually not a particularly good deal) that we would not have received had we booked directly with MSC. On some of our other cruises with other lines we have received thousands of dollars of OBCs and other amenities simply because we used decent discount high volume cruise agencies I will add that if you are booking a low priced MSC Experience than using an agency is not going to get you a lot (everything is based on percentages). On the other hand, if you book a World Cruise with a decent cruise line, having the right agent can save you $10,000+ My advice, for over a quarter century has always been the same. Shop around among decent, reputable cruise agencies for their best deals and then compare it to what it would cost you to book direct. It never hurts to shop around (other than the need to spend some time doing your homework/due diligence). Hank

If the reservation was cancelled, MSC should be able to tell you who cancelled and when. It does sound like a mess. Another reason why we use a decent cruise agency/agent to handle all of our bookings (with many different cruise lines). If something goes wrong, the agency/agent deals with the issue. Funny thing is that my favorite cruise agent says she does not have problems dealing with MSC (she might be the only person on earth to say this). Hank