Hlitner

Your last sentence struck a cord. New cruisers, and many others, rely on the cruise lines for port info and/or excursions. Years ago, some cruise lines would provide a knowledgeable expert to lecture on ports and also provide one to one info/advice. Now, that is gone and the cruise lines only want to sell overpriced/overcrowded excursions. Some even have port lecturers ( who are selling excursions) do their best to frighten cruises into booking the excursions (which generate profits to the cruise lines). Now, more then ever; folks should do pre cruise homework on their ports so they have the tools to make “informed” decisions rather then relying solely on cruise line info/propoganda. Hank

Edinburgher and I are of the same mind, that when doing independent port days it is wise to go to your most distant point, early in the day, and plan on being back in the area of the port, a few hours early. That simply philosophy has served us well, during more than 50 years of extensive world cruising with mostly independent port days. Hank

We do think you are correct. When we are in Cannes (where we have stayed a few times) we simply head to the free and sandy beach of Plage du Midi, which is within walking distance of the ship tenders. Many of the beach clubs are focused on the hotel crowd, overcharge everyone, and are not on the sandiest part of the beach. In fact, many of those clubs have their expensive loungers on wooden platforms. Yuck. As to People Watching (i.e. looking for the rich and famous), most of the time folks will be terribly disappointed, The rich/famous are often off on their daily yacht trips or at more private locations. Hank

Agree that it is very tight. And, depending on French taxis to be waiting and willing to take a relatively short haul is risky. I am also trying to get my head around the idea of a tour in Marseille. If one decides to stay in Marseille (not my personal recommendation) than one could probably handle that city on their own (we have gone all around Marseille just using local buses and our feet). In that region of France (where we have been many times) we count Marseille as among our least favorite places to spend a port day (the exception being if we simply want bouillabaisse for lunch). Hank

If you have never visited Santorini, it is certainly a "don't miss" place. We do see many advantages to actually staying on the island vs just visiting on a Port day. When one flies-in or arrives by ferry, one can completely avoid the cable car bottleneck that is generally unavoidable by cruise ship visitors. We used to enjoy visiting on cruise ships, in the shoulder seasons of the spring and fall, but now, even these are often overrun with too many cruisers. DW and I still enjoy island hopping (via ferry) some of the Greek Islands. When we have used the ferry system, we have always avoided islands like Santorini and Mykonos. Although we are still avid cruisers, when doing our own thing, away from cruises, we do our best to avoid popular cruise ports. There are many Greek Islands (hundreds) and most are never visited by cruise ships. Hank

In Japan, it is very common for folks (both Japanese and tourists) to simply ship their luggage ahead to their next destination (i.e. hotel, resort, etc). In many cases your luggage will arrive the following day. I am not sure of the closest shipping point to the various cruise terminals, but it can generally be done at most convenience stores (i.e. 7-11 and Lawsons). I am thinking that if going to Disney after a cruise, one could have their luggage shipped to the hotel and just take the train with carry-on stuff. We have previously posted that the cost of shipping is very reasonable. Last year, we shipped two large suitcases (about 50 pounds per bag) from our Tokyo Hotel to our Kyoto Hotel, and the total cost was about $50. Hank

I cannot agree with it all being "easy." The villages of Cinque Terre have become one more victim of overtourism and this extends to the trains. For example, in April we were, again, in La Spezia and DW and I walked from the port terminal (a free port shuttle bus will take you to the terminal from your ship) to the train station. The walk takes about 30 minutes, and although our visit was early in the season, we still found ourself waiting about 30 minutes in a long queue to buy train tickets (we bought a day pass which gave us unlimited use of the trains). On our day, the many of the scheduled trains were running late which meant we spent more times waiting then we had planned. Also keep in mind that if you decide to stop at Corniglia (one of the most charming villages) you would need to wait for the small shuttle mini-bus. That bus runs about every 20 minutes, quickly fills up, and can cause long delays (just moving between the remote train station and the village). If you are on a tight schedule, Corniglia is the village to avoid (save it for a trip when you have a few extra hours). Hank

As others have posted, it can be done. That being said, we have spent many days/nights in Florence and still have not had enough of this wonderful city. As to Pisa, humbug! LOL. I think we might hold the record for the shortest visit to Pisa. On one cruise visit, we had a rental car and I agreed to take another couple along with us on our planned day trip up to Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre). They asked if we could possibly stop at Pisa, since they wanted to see the Leaning Tower (and adjacent Field of Miracles). We left Cinque Terre a little early, and I managed to navigate the ZTL (limited driving zone) in Pisa, and find a parking spot a few blocks from the Tower. We all walked over to see the view, our friends took a couple of photos, and we were back in our car...all within about 15 minutes. That would no longer be possible since, I believe, they have expanded the ZTL in Pisa which makes getting a close parking spot somewhat more problematic. Hank

Tough call. Catching the early morning ferries (some make the trip in about 5 hours) is difficult/impossible when coming off cruise ships. There used to a ferry around noon, but not sure of the current/future schedule. We agree (usually do) with Marazul about taking a flight. Even if you could get a noon ferry, you would not get to Santorini until around 5pm which means you have spent an entire day just doing the transit. With a late morning flight you would still get the better part of the afternoon (on Santorini). We have also had our share of ferries that have run late (sometimes several hours) due to weather (wind, high seas, etc) while the air is pretty reliable. We also like the convenience of flying-in , picking up a rental car at the airport, and being on our way. We have also suggested, to friends, that they consider other islands (in lieu of or in addition to) Santorin)i. Santorini is a gorgeous place but suffers from overtourism which does take away some of the charm. We were most recently in Santorini in April, and even though this was still the shoulder season, we could barely move through the narrow streets of Oia...due to the hoards (many off cruise ships). If staying on the island, we would normally avoid Oia (and Fira) during the busy daytime and plan on visiting later in the afternoon when many of the cruise ship visitors are gone (or waiting in the long queue for the cable car at Fira). If money is no object, consider one of the charming small hotels in Oia (often over $1000 per night). Some of those small hotels are truly amazing (especially the one's that have private pools). Our DD stayed in one of those hotels, and they did not leave their private balcony/pool until around 5pm, when the crowds (in the streets above) had finally thinned. Hank

Yes, I walked from the ship to the train station, but walking is what I do and even 10 miles is not a big deal (other than the time). I recall that day, quite well, because DW was not feeling well and I did that day trip by myself. Once in Santiago, I walked through the town, park, and visited the Cathedral, stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe, and returned to La Caruna in mid afternoon. With your truncated port day, you would want to get going as soon as the ship was cleared. With some luck, you should be able to get to Santiago by 9 or 9:30 (assuming you do not have a long wait for the next train) which gives you enough time to explore the Cathedral and surrounding area. If you could get a taxi to run you over to the station in La Caruna, it would save you some time, but like in most ports, the taxis will be reluctant to take the short haul fares. Hank

The accounting/finance part of my education does cause me to carefully view financial ratios. Many accounting "games" impact ratios and one does need to carefully view the big picture. For example, MSC (and Explora Journeys which is wholly owned by MSC) is the only major cruise line that is privately held (by a single Italian family). Unlike all the other cruise lines, the MSC folks are not beholden to stockholders and are able to play the "long game." Consider that MSC continues to add about 1 new ship (and we are talking Billion dollar big ship) per year. They are also funding the new Explora Journeys (with contractual obligations that will soon give them 6 ships) without regard to immedate profits or the long term debt issues that plague all the other major cruise lines. The MSC folks have their huge and very profitable container ship company (the largest on earth) to comfortably subsidize their cruise lines (if they so choose). As to CCL, while some might want to argue about how many new builds, what is clear that there are currently zero new builds slated for HAL. We suspect that CCL is putting their marbles where they generate the best returns, and they obviously do not see HAL in that light. In the near future, we suspect that HAL will jettison some of their older vessels because of related maintenance issues and associated operating costs. We continue to think of HAL as a cruise line "without a rudder" in that they do not seem to know which direction to follow. Do they want to be a small/medium ship mass market line focusing on an older clientele looking for reasonably priced longer cruises? Do they want to attract a younger clientele which generally means alienating many of their loyal older cruisers? Do they want to continue down the road of being a budget cruise line, or do they want to return to their past history of offering one the highest quality mass market products? We have no clue. and get the feeling that neither do the suits in Seattle. For us, at the moment, it is a line to avoid until the dust settles. A friend recently asked us why we currently prefer Princess over HAL (in the mass market category). Both DW and I had a similar response that Princess seems to be comfortable with their business model while HAL lacks direction. If we book a Princess cruise for 2025 or 26, we know what we will get in terms of cuisine, entertainment, service, etc. If we book HAL, we no longer have a clue what to expect. And we say this having spent about 550 days on HAL ships. Hank

I will repeat some thoughts, from previous posts, about why we are limiting ourselves to only the Vista and Allura (and might also consider the Marina). DW and I cruised on the "R" ships when they were actually part of Renaissance (where we met the British marine architect who designed those R ships). While we did like the ships (in another ear), we were very unhappy with the normal (including balcony cabins) cabin bathrooms (especially the showers). Since that time, we have cruised on dozens of other ships, grown to be old as dirt, and have raised our standards for what we except on ships. The R bathrooms do not come close to our own standards, unless we were to book some of the larger (and much more expensive) suites. More than 10 years ago, we decided we would not consider cruising on the R ships (whether with Azamara, O or Princess (at the time)). "O" is not an inexpensive cruise line, and for the price we would pay, we simply expect more (kind of like our own version of SM). We have two upcoming cruises on Seabourn, and those two bookings actually cost us about the same price as cruising on O. But on Seabourn, we get a suite (many of their so-called suites are more like deluxe cabins) with a large bathroom (separate shower, full size tub, double sink, lots of storage, etc). In December we have a Silversea booking (which is actually less costly then a normal balcony cabin on O) on an all suite ship that is essentially all-inclusive (tips, excursions, all drinks, etc). We are "equal opportunity cruisers" who are constantly seeking out the best value (and itineraries) and continue to think that the "R: ships (on both O and Azamara) provide an awful value in terms cost/benefit. Hank Hank

While we also would prefer no mandated SM, apparently there are plenty of other O fans who are OK with the program. Just yesterday, we looked at a few future (25-26) O cruises (on the Vista and Allura) and they were all waitlisted! Not a big deal for us, since we will simply book on other lines (we like many cruise lines). But for us, O, remains a challenge because our desired voyages always seem to book up! Hank

I think some folks do not want to except that the few ship yards, who build cruise ships, are all quite busy and booked for several years. Building a new vessel is a many year project, and this means that HAL (if it survives) will not have any new-builds for at least 5 years (likely 10+). CCL could certainly repurpose a contracted new-build from one of their other lines to HAL, but there is no reason to think that is going to happen. Meanwhile, the cruise industry is booming (with an anticipated 10% passenger growth for next year) and many lines are sold-out without having to offer ridiculous special deals (like $99 deposits), offer deep discounts for casino specials, interline deals, etc. We recently looked at a couple of longer Oceania cruises (for 2025-26) and they were already wait listed. And those cruises were selling at top dollar (about twice what it would cost us to book with HAL). Lines like Explora Journeys, MSC, etc. continue to add new-builds at a fast rate. Viking Ocean now has 9 ships (the oldest is less than 10 years old). Virgin is adding their 4th ship (the oldest is not even 5 years old). Princess will soon add its 17th ship. Carnival (a line many like to mock) has more than 25 ships with 4 more coming! While most HAL cruisers would not be caught dead on a Carnival vessel, that line does quite well filling their ships (and HAL fans should keep in mind that CCL has kept HAL afloat). By the way, cruising on Oceania's new Vista was like night/day when compared to our most recent HAL voyage (Westerdam). The worst meal we had on O was better (usually far better) then the best meal we had on the Westy. All the logistical problems we encountered on the Westy (such as running out of Pellegrino/Perrier, many beers, Diet Coke, etc) did not happen on the Vista. There was no such thing as a pre-made sandwich (all sandwiches were made to order). The only plus for HAL is their salad station (in the Lido) which can make far better salads then we got on O. I also missed the BB King/Rolling Stone vibe. Hank

As one who cruises on many different lines (most recently on the Vista) we think the thread is too "narrow" and needs to be expanded beyond SM to discuss cruise line excursions. Folks need to understand that cruise lines do not operate their own excursions. They contract with various local providers. On many lines, the shore excursion folks (or Destination Desk on O) are not even staffed by the cruise line, but are also another third party contractor. Excursions are priced by the shore-based operator to make a profit, marked up by the middle-man contractor (who staffs the onboard excursion desk), and marked up a third time to generate a healthy profit for the cruise line (who gets a cut of everything). The result is that nearly all excursions (on every line) are overpriced (and often overhyped). Folks can whine, about excursions, all they want, but the reality is that it is what it is! It might shock some folks, but there are many cruisers (including moi) who rarely take any excursion. Yes, on O we did book just enough excursions to use our SM credit, but otherwise, simply did our own thing in most ports of our 35 day cruise through parts of Europe. For those that want the ease of doing excursions, go forth and enjoy (or be miserable). For those of us who prefer to do our own thing, life is still pretty good. The OP mentions they have some limitations that have them favoring panorama type tours, there are options. Many ports have "Hop on Hop off" buses. In other ports, folks can book a taxi, use public transit (i.e. the inexpensive #28 Tram is a great way to see Lisbon), or often book a small group private tour, at lower cost then most large bus excursions. For those who can physically handle it, there are rental cars, trains, local/regional buses, and lots of healthy walking. The choice is yours, but constantly complaining about SM, but ultimately doing nothing about it (such as booking a different cruise line) is not productive. Perhaps complaining to "O" will eventually get them to alter their SM program. One reason (among many) why we favor Seabourn (and even Princess) is that those lines do not include excursions in their pricing. On Seabourn, we only book excursions when they provide something that we cannot reasonably do on our own or with a small group tour. For us this might mean booking 1 excursion for about every 30-40 ports (at one point we did more than a dozen longer cruises without booking a single excursion). When we did our Live review of the Vista (our first O cruise and 17th cruise line) we made it very clear that we really enjoyed our time on the Vista and would likely book more O cruises (which we would limit to the Vista and Allura). We did not like the SM program, but managed to find just enough excursions (the long one on Santorini was truly awful) to use our SM credit. While the excursions (with the exception of the awful one) were good, we would not have taken a single excursion except for the SM program. Hank Hank

We used to suffer though those long flights in economy (in our younger days) and the truth is that it was an awful experience. No question that spending 12-16 hours in an economy seat is not exactly comfortable. A neck pillow can help (some airlines do give you small pillows which are also helpful), but it can still be a miserable experience. The obvious solution is to spend the big bucks for Business Class (lay flat seats). The compromise is to choose Premium Economy on the select airlines (such as Air New Zealand) that have decent Premium Economy. Just keep in mind that on these long flights, the hardware (aircraft type and seat specifications) really matter. Using an online site like Seatguru and reading airline reviews can be very helpful in choosing the best options. Hank

Perhaps it is telling that the price has dropped, but the ship still seems to be sailing at far less than capacity (according to some posts here on CC). I do have some theories. 1. The short itineraries are a turn-off to many of us who like luxury cruise lines. 2. The lack of any air program is a turn-off for many luxury cruisers who prefer to have all their travel arrangements made by the cruise lines (such as with Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, etc). Hank

Thought we would comment on the OPs question and a related issue. Yes, a pocket WiFi (rented in Japan) will work as long as you are within range of a compatible shore-based cell. This generally means it will function within about 5-10 miles of land. That being said, we happen to have T-Mobile and found it functioned throughout Japan. Unlike most other cell providers, T-Mobile does not have an extra fee (for data and texting) in other countries. Phone calls generally cost 25 cents a minute. Last year (when we spent over a month in Japan) we had thought about renting a pocket wifi until we realized that our phones worked quite fine on either Japanese cells or free WiFi (such as found in our hotels and many restaurants). Hank

I look forward to reading your comparison of EJ, in Jan, to EJ, last year. In looking at a possible future booking, we have been surprised to see that the price is actually lower than our previous booking (last year). Hank

Interesting post as we could have wrote similar words (and did). We cruised on EJ1 back in September (on the cruise that led to the naming ceremony) and also had issues with "stability" and the attitude of Guest Relations (i,e, "we are not a cruise line...but rather a floating resort"). The company seemed a bit full of themselves (we got the same impression from some suites we met who were from Geneva) and perhaps they are trying too hard. I love your comment about SB having "more soul" and agree (which is why we have several upcoming SB bookings and no EJ bookings). EJ has been operating for about 1 year, so it is troubling to read your post which makes it sound like they still have yet to get their onboard act together. Also figure they still have not done anything for past cruisers. We read the posts about Anthology, perhaps being eliminated, and are not surprised. We had to practically beg to get a reservation in Anthology (it was like they were doing us a favor) only to enjoy a meal (cooked by "Emma") with only 8 persons in the dining room! It made no sense! And while we were OK paying the big bucks to have a meal cooked by a fabulous Michelin 2* Chef, once she left (after our voyage) folks would have been paying for dinner prepared by EJ chefs (arguably trained by Emma). The entire concept seemed somewhat "off" and we would not be surprised if they repurpose that venue. The situation with the two "reservation" restaurants also left us thinking that the staff "was doing us a favor" by letting us make a reservation or show-up as a walk-in. Our voyages were only about 50-60% full, so we cannot even imagine how that works when there are 900 onboard. On our two voyages, the entertainment seemed to be disorganized, and was just another example of something still under development. We are now looking at booking two future EJ voyages, the price is right, the dates are right, but we are still hesitating. We do not have those kind of 2nd thoughts with most other lines. Hank

Lets put price/value in perspective. You essentially have two choices: 1. Stay near the airport or 2. Stay in Miami/Miami Beach. Each has their pros/cons. The hotel/motel options near MIA (including the Blue Lagoon area) can usually be booked at a lower price than comparable places in the city. On the other hand, staying in Miami gives you access to the restaurants and other advantages to being within a major city, such as lots of close eating venues, beach, etc. As to shuttle service. there is no such thing as a free lunch (or shuttle). Hotels that do offer free shuttles will build that cost into the price of the hotel room. Also keep in mind that a shared shuttle means waiting until the vehicle loads, and perhaps having delays because they may load at more than one hotel, and once they get to the port they will go from terminal to terminal (stopping at each for a few minutes). Personally, we no longer care about shuttles. Few hotels provide free shuttle service from airport to hotel and later from hotel to port. We generally use Uber/Lyft who have reasonable pricing and give us the advantage of a private vehicle, door to door. If you stay in Miami or Miami Beach, the cost of getting from MIA to your hotel will be more, but the cost of getting from your hotel to the port will be less (assuming you choose a hotel relatively close to the port). Beware of shuttle services where there is a cost. In many cases, you will actually pay as much or more for a paid shuttle as it would have cost you to simply get an Uber/Lyft. And those shared shuttles do often involve delays, schedules, crowded vehicles, etc. Hank

No tie. Until our last SB cruise, I would always take along my Tux with all the usual accessories. But, we noticed that SB was getting less and less formal and being dressed in "black tie" put me in the minority. On our last SB cruise, I simply took along a Blazer and wore it on formal nights with no tie. Not a problem. If pushed to put out statistics I would guess about 40% wore jackets without tie 40% wore jackets and tie, and about 20% were wearing a Tux. Hank

I can only address part of your post, re using public buses. One of our tenants of independent travel is to maintain one's flexibility. To us, this means doing pre-trip homework, knowing the options, and being able to change plans "on the fly." Taking the public buses to the so-called south beaches means you must first get to the bus station (more like a small parking area) that is located not too far from the windmills. We normally walk to that bus area, and although we have been there a few times (and have a good sense of direction) we still find ourself asking locals for directions. Walking through Mykonos Town is somewhat akin to moving through a maze :). Once we get to the bus parking area, we simply look at the posted schedule (they do generally follow the schedule) and make a decision on which beach. If we have to wait 45 min for the next bus to our preferred beach, we would likely change our beach destination to one that we can access through an earlier bus. I do not think knowing the schedule in advance is very helpful since one can never be sure exactly how long it will take to get to that bus parking area. I will add that if you are real concerned about time, and can get a taxi, then you might want to consider just taking the taxi to your desired beach. You can then check the bus schedule at the bus stop closest to that beach to find the times for buses back to town. While this sounds a bit crazy, it is how many of us travel independently around the world. I cannot emphasize, too much, the idea of flexibility. Just last month, DW and I had a turn-around day in the port of Civitavecchia (Rome) and had planned on taking the train into Rome in order to enjoy a nice lunch at a Trastevere restaurant. About a half hour before we were going to walk off our ship, I happened to talk to one of our crew members (who was from Naples) who told me there was a half day train strike (that very morning) on the trains running to Rome. We quickly decided not to go into Rome and just spend a couple of hours strolling around Civitavecchia (not my favorite place) before spending a delightful "sea day" on our ship. For us, the risk of using trains (on that day) outweighed our desire to enjoy lunch in Rome. If we had a longer port day, I might have simply rented a car (assuming one was available) and drove someplace for the day (not likely Rome, since driving to that city during a train strike is not my idea of fun). But, since we needed to be back aboard by 4:30, a rental car was, to me, not worth the risk. Hank

I do not think anything good comes out of me speculating on a specific neighborhood. But here is the current warning on the U.S. Department of State's web site: Guerrero state – Do Not Travel Do not travel due to crime. Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years. Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following area with the noted restrictions: Taxco: U.S. government employees must use Federal Highway 95D, which passes through Cuernavaca, Morelos, and stay within downtown tourist areas of Taxco. Employees may visit Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park during the day with a licensed tour operator. U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of the state of Guerrero, including to tourist areas in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Ixtapa.

We have been “hooked on TAs and transpacifics for decades. To us, even 16 days is much to short (we prefer at least a month). But we have grown to realize that long cruises (especially with many sea days) is not for everyone. A different strikes kind of thing. Hank