Hlitner

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

Your post got our attention as we will soon be back on Ocean Cay (our third visit). We only recall one beach set-up for the YC folks (it is to the right of the restaurant) and we had to be on that beach if we wanted the usual YC service. But the YC is actually on a separate island (from the main island) and there are two other beaches, The one on the internal lagoon side is called Great Lagoon Beach and I recall that it was pretty sandy with the benefit of a sheltered lagoon for swimming. The other beach is Ocean Beach which is open to the sea (we never walked out to that beach). Our visits were all soon after Ocean Cay opened and if we had gone anywhere but to the YC Beach (which is certainly not the best beach) there would have been no YC service/waiters. Hank

Istanbul (one of our favorite cities to visit) is fine for DIY, but you really should have a game plan. It is also helpful if you are good walkers since one can cover a lot of ground by walking. You also need to consider that many of the most popular sites will take more time than one might expect. Topkaki is an expansive site that can take hours to explore. In fact, one could make a case to go to Topkapi, than walk over the Blue Mosque, and if you still have time you might want to head towards the Covered (Grand) Bazaar area for some fun. And this is just scratching the surface of what this city has to offer :). For those who have previously been to Istanbul and the usual sites we also like the Underground Bascilica Cistern. DW and I had been in Istanbul 3 or 4 times (including some multi-day stays) before we finally ventured down into the Underground Cistern and we could not believe that we had somehow ignored this interesting place on all of our previous visits. Hank

I doubt if the cruise line (any cruise line) can do much to clean up the issues at that terminal. You are talking about the New York Port Authority, Longshoreman Union (ILA) and cruise lines must keep hands off anything on shore. We have also been involved in a ILA fiasco at the Manhattan cruise terminal when union members warned folks not to even think about entering the terminal with their luggage during the ILA member's lunch hour. The bottom line is that if cruise lines want to use the NY ports they have to put up with this stuff and the cruisers pay the price. I will add that we do like driving to the Red Hook port since parking is very convenient to the ship. Hank

Whip me with a noodle :). My bad and should have mentioned the Cathedral (a very easy deviation as one walks along the Malecon). Hank

Yep, completely sums up as more me, me, me. Tis the modern way. No way would anyone want to show some respect for others. And books do often get judged by their cover because first impressions are lasting and important. It is why publishers pay a lot of money for cover design. Hank

If you have never been to PV, than we have a very basic suggestion which assumes you are physically able to stroll (no hurry) a little more than a mile. Take a taxi (you can use a taxi from within the port or walk outside and get a local taxi) into town (about 3 miles) and ask the driver to drop you by the Rosita Hotel (everyone knows this place). You than start walking along the water on the Malecon. You can admire the various sculptures you encounter, browse shops, stop for a drink/food, etc. The area is very safe (just take normal precautions against pick pockets) and there will be plenty of other folks around (both gringos and Mexicans). As you get near the small river (Rio Cujale) you can explore the small island, the nearby flea market, etc. Cross the pedestrian bridge (over the Rio Cujale) and you will enter the Romantic Zone (Old Town) where you can continue walking, exploring, eating, drinking, shopping. There are lots of eating venue (on and off the beach) where you can enjoy some lunch before heading back to the port for your excursion. You would want to grab a taxi (back to the port) by 2pm (at the latest) which will get you back to the port in time to meet your excursion. This particular self walking tour does also give you an opportunity if you want to stop along the beach (in the Romantic Zone). There are bars/restaurants that have chairs, loungers, etc. on the beach where you can relax with a drink or lunch. If you want to dip your feet in the sea, bring along a towel and you can just grab a spot on the beach and take a dip (the best swimming area is on the south side of the Romantic Zone past the pier. Hank

You will need to walk through a good part of town to get to the taxi parking area (located near the bus station). Taxis to Oia are a fixed rate and used to be 25€ (one way). But I would not be surprised if that price has increased in recent months. The slightly bigger problem is getting a return taxi as there are many times when taxis are not sitting around Oia.

I think the events of recent months have made any handholding something from a bygone era. Travel professionals have been overwhelmed by 10s of thousands of cancelled flights, airport bottlenecks, last minute itinerary changes (including within the cruise industry), etc. There are simply not enough skilled customer service folks to handle the needs of the masses that need help. Those of us who are well versed in independent travel generally have ideas on how to "think on the fly," cope with problems, find solutions, etc. One can just read some of the CC threads and understand that many folks are not up to the task of handling major travel problems. We have witnessed it on our own recent trips. Just looking at folks in airports who are crying hysterically (have seen this a few times), angry beyond reason, lashing out at innocent workers, etc. is very sad, Here on CC we have said, for the past 3 years, that having a working Smart Phone has become a necessity for travel, and yet we constantly see folks arguing to the contrary! Well trust me when I again say that a working Smart Phone is the key to resolving many problems that arise during travel. Without a phone (that works) you will often be out of luck and one more person sitting in an airport (or elsewhere) with tears in your eyes as you simply have no clue what comes next. As a senior who was late to the Smart Phone world, I am still discovering new apps, capabilities, etc. But our iPhones have bailed us out of multiple difficulties in the past few trips. My advice to the OP is "do your homework!" Do not depend on the cruise line to tell you options to get to the next port but do your own research and identify all the possible options. Whenever things have gone wrong for us (with travel) we usually find ourselves having to solve most of the issues. Those who wait around for others to solve issues may well find themselves waiting around for hours (or days) with nothing but frustration. I will give you an example. We have an upcoming cruise (in a few weeks) out of Miami Our original plans were to fly (from BWI) the afternoon before the cruise and spend a pre-cruise night in a Miami hotel. But with all the airline cancellations we felt very uncomfortable with those arrangements. So we changed our flight to 2 days before the cruise and changed our hotel to a Miami Beach resort hotel (2 nights). We also moved that flight to the earliest flight of the day which decreases the odds of a flight problem. This leaves us with a "Plan B" of a later flight and a "Plan C" of simply walking out of the airport, jumping in our car, and driving 18 hours to the port! The idea of sitting around and waiting for the airline or a cruise line to solve issues is just not our style. Hank Hank

I do not think the world or cruise industry works in a way that you would find satisfying. When things go wrong the options/solutions are on a case by case basis and often handled by third parties (such as a third party travel company that handles air arrangements for many cruise lines). In practice, solutions are often negotiated. When DW was injured in Asia and we had to get her medically evacuated to the USA, everything came down to a negotiation between me, the ship's physician, our insurance company, and a third party travel agent (provided by the insurance company). It all came down to a multi-party phone conversation between all those parties with decisions made on the spot. Nobody held us by the hand (which seems like what you want) and provided solid answers. What happened was we identified several options and I had to make a quick decision and I had to make a quick decision on what to do. If things go wrong with transportation to a cruise you get into a similar situation. There have been posts about folks who missed their cruise, called the cruise line emergency number, and were advised to work directly with the airline as it is faster than using a third party. In other cases, folks have not been able to catch-up to their ship and were simply flown back home. These days, there are often no good air options because of fewer flights and available seats. If folks cannot handle the uncertainly that comes with all travel, the solution would be for them to simply stay home. Just last March, while on our way home from Mexico, we missed an AA connection in Dallas because of a flight delay. That happened on a Saturday night and the earliest AA could get us home turned out to be Tuesday night! Why? It was Spring Break for many schools, and every flight to airports within a couple of hours from our home were fully booked for 3 days! In the end we managed to get home on Monday by flying to an airport 5 1/2 hours from our home and renting a car (at our own expense) for the long drive home! My point is that these are the issues faced by the cruise line (and their third-party air offices) when trying to deal with folks who miss a cruise embarkation. When things go wrong you are just one of thousands (or more) each with their own unique set of issues. Hank

Perhaps the proper question is whether any responsible parent would put their toddler in a vehicle without a proper car seat? Hank

No tips necessary. The parking is adjacent to the terminal so you drive up to the terminal, drop off your luggage, and then continue to follow the signs to the parking lot. The last time we parked at that facility we were required to pay upon entering which was nice because on return it was just a matter of walking to our car and driving out. Hank

Oh my! Hank

It's a bit too soon to book. They are only accepting reservations through the end of May. I have no idea when they will open up June, but suggest you check about once per week. My best guess would be that things will open on Oct 1, but that is just an educated guess. Hank

Cozumel. Hank

The short answer is no! While there may be some taxis waiting near the pier, the drivers will not generally want to take passengers for a 1 1/2 mile fare! They will more likely offer to take you to one of the villages (such as Riomaggiore) or try to convince you to hire them for a tour. If you are a good walker it takes about 30-40 min to walk from ship (depending on docking location) to the station. Hank

Our choice (which we learned about here) is a power strip (no surge protector so OK on ships) from NTON. Amazon.com: Travel Power Strip, NTONPOWER 3 Outlets 3 USB Portable Desktop Charging Station Short Extension Cord 15 inches for Office, Home, Hotels, Cruise Ship, Nightstand, White : Electronics It is very heavy duty and not only handles normal plugs but also has 3 USB charging ports. They make larger versions with more of everything, but the small one works for us. Hank

Lets clear the air (pun intended) about the cable car (down). There is a single queue to get into the upper cable car station. Having a ticket does not allow you to avoid the line which happens to be the same line used for those that need to buy tickets. Even those on cruise ship excursions will need to use the cable car (of they could walk or use a donkey) to get down as the tours all end in Fira where folks are on their own. As to the queues, it is simply dependent on how many cruise ship passengers want to get down at any particular time. Obviously this will be dependent on how many ships, when they depart, etc. Most ships will quietly have one employee located at the upper cable car station who has communications to the ship. He/she can monitor the queue and determine if there are folks, heading back to the ship, who are stuck/delayed at the cable car. If so, the ship's delay their departure. Most ships will not admit they will wait, the reality is that ships do wait at this port. It is pretty common for ships to be 1-3 hours late because their passengers cannot get down to the tender pier. Something needs to be done about this upper cable car bottleneck. The local authorities claim to have already limited the number or ships and also encourage them to vary their departure times. But some of the posts here on CC would lead one to believe there is still a big problem on numerous days. As to exploring the island on your own, there are a few good options. We will often rent a car (you must generally reserve well in advance) with a pick-up at Fira and simply drive ourselves where we please. Other folks will rent small 4 wheel ATV like vehicles. There are also the island buses (which run on various routes with a schedule) which can be a problem because of crowding and the frequency of the schedule. There is usually a privately operated company that offers shuttle boats from Fira (at the tender pier) to a pier below Oia with van/mini bus transport up to Oia. They also provide a return bus (to Fira). The island also has quite a few taxis (mostly based in Fira) which can be hired for point to point or one can negotiate a rate for a tour. The taxis are not inexpensive. Driving on the island is not overly difficult, but moving near Oia and Fira can be difficult/congested, and parking can often be a real hassle at both Oia and Fira. There are some parking lots, but that will involve plenty of walking. Hank Hank Hank

As much as we like Delta, a non-stop Business Class ticket on Turkish Air (from Dulles) was a lot more convenient and less expensive. And Turkish Air Business had a lot better food than we get in Delta One. Bottom line is that we did not like Delta enough to suffer through changing flights (and perhaps losing luggage) at CDG. Hank