Hlitner

I must laugh at this thread, because until a few days ago it was not something about which we care. But last week, Seabourn cancelled a 14 day day cruise (due to a charter) that was a segment in the middle of our 52 day voyage. I did some homework and noticed that another cruise line had a cruise that fit into that gap (think of a sandwich) from the same port. For those who understand the term, we think it was "kismet" and we have already asked our trusted cruise agent to look into the various pricing options. In our case it would be one cruise line for 14 days, another cruise line for the next 14 days, and that first cruise line for another 24 days! It all works (the same port on the correct days) and assuming we can get a reasonable price it will happen :). One consideration when planning this kind of thing is how to get between the various ships. If it is within the same port it is usually a workable challenge. If the ports are different, than the challenge becomes more difficult (and fun for those of us who love DIY planning). Hank

I guess if you are taking shorter cruises out of Florida, the day makes a difference. But for longer and more exotic cruises, we do not even consider the day of embarkation. It is simply a matter of itinerary, price, and timing. Hank

Yes, no problem. But you might consider that buying a membership here (which works everywhere in the world including the USA) only costs 500 Mexican Pesos. That used to be about $25 but now it is about $29 :). Most Canadians and Americans who spend any amount of time here buy their Costco and Sams memberships in Mexico. Hank

LOL fair enough. So I will give you an actual example (we did this about 2 years ago). We disembarked our cruise in Pireaus around 9am and grabbed a taxi to the other side of the port (less than 10 minute ride) to the ferry area located across the street from the PIreaus Train station. We walked over to a nearby coffee cafe (inside the ferry area) where we relaxed with coffee. Around 11 am we walked (rolling our own luggage) over to our large ferry where we checked-in (we had pre-purchased tickets online). We boarded the ferry (somewhat of a hassle rolling our luggage up the ramp) and put our luggage in the large racks near the entrance (we bring along a cable-lock device for such an event). It was than upstairs to the passenger deck where there are plenty of comfy seats. That particular ferry was about a 5 hour ride since we had chosen to go to Naxos (for a few days). Once on Naxos we picked-up our reserved rental car and drove to our nearby hotel :). A few days later we took another much shorter ferry over to Paxos for a few days. Bottom line to this kind of travel is folks do need to be able to handle their own luggage (you will seldom find any help) and have some "travel sense" to handle DIY travel. For larger islands such as Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, etc. one can go out to the Athens airport and fly to those islands if they do not want to deal with the ferry hassles. Hank

There are over 1000 (some say 6000) Greek Islands of which large cruise ships only visit fewer than a dozen. Most of the islands are reachable by an excellent ferry system (many of these ferries are like small cruise ships) and some can be reached via air. Cruisers will say how much they like the Greek Islands, but they continue to limit themselves to a small group (Corfu, Crete, Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes). We also enjoy Naxos, Paros, Paxos, and many others. Many cruisers use Piraeus as their embarkation/debarkation port, and that particular port is also the embarkation place of many of the ferries. Why folks do not take advantage of being in Piraeus, and expand their travels to some of the other islands, continues to be a mystery (to me). Hank

Some of the confusing (even with our trusty cruise agent) was because of how SB worded their e-mail. They specifically cancelled an entire series of voyages that began on July 12, thus making it seem like every voyage from July 12 through late August was cancelled. But it appears that they were only dealing with all kinds of combinations of back to backs with that July 26 (fourteen day cruise) as part of the mix. The idea of chartering for 14 days makes a lot of sense, but that screwed up all kinds of combinations that included that single 14 day voyage. Our cruise agent will have a chat with SB and try to formally unravel the mystery. Nowhere in SB's e-mail did it simply say they were only cancelling only the July 26 voyage. Assuming that SB confirms all this, it makes a lot more sense :). Hank

Interesting as SB has not been very clear. We had booked 52 days beginning July 12, so it all fits.

I still recall one fun day when DW decided to buy a small (high qualiity) carpet (to use as a wall hanging) at the Grand Bazaar. Despite having some idea of what we were doing, it took nearly 1 1/2 hours at one small shop where we were invited for tea (it would be rude/improper to decline). Keep in mind that if you hire a guide, not only will you need to pay that guide but it is also likely the guide will take you to places where he/she gets a "kick back" from the owner! A Turkish friend once told me that "all Turks are entrepreneurs" :). When it comes to carpets, we thought the haggling was the easy part. Knowing how to find good quality and a truly handmade Turkish carpet (as compared to garbage imported from other countries) is a challenge.

As I recall, the Hypogeum was a very structured group tour. Everyone met near the entrance lobby and a guide took the entire group downstairs to see the site. If you are not there on time, you would likely miss your tour and be out of luck. No way would we go Mdina at 8:30 on a Sunday. Just about everything would still be closed (other than some of the coffee shops) and you would not really have enough time to walk through and enjoy the streets. Keep in mind that it does take some time to get from the Port (or Mdina) over to the Hypogeum (we actually took a local bus from the station near the port). Perhaps a visit to Mdina after the Hypogeum would be a better option. The reality is that with such a short port visit you are going to find yourself looking forward to a longer future visit :). Hank

Interesting thread. DW and I have been on many cruises (long and short) all over the world. While we do stay on the ship in some ports, that is primarily something we do in the Caribbean. The idea of spending the money and time to fly to Europe just to sit on a cruise ship does seem like a strange way to spend big bucks. As others have said, cruise ships do not provide much of a scenic venture if one wants to see coast lines. We agree that some places (especially Kotor, Valletta, and some of the Norwegian Fjords) do offer some picturesque moments. As others have mentioned, cruise ships do not routinely cruise within site of land. I will admit to loving the view of the open sea, and we especially enjoy crossings of any Ocean/Sea when we have days of nothing but the sea and sky. I somewhat disagree about European river cruises. Yes, you do get a constant view of the riverbanks, can watch cars zipping by on the autobahns, etc. But there is certainly a limit to what can be seen from the deck of a boat. If mobility is an issue, there are ways to enhance one's cruise experience without having to do a lot of walking. One can book book taxis, take excursions/tours that are primarily scenic, or there are the usual Hop On Hop Off buses (in many cities) where folks can ride around and s

Agree with JB about the line (we have never seen a line). Understand that the toboggan ride is a true tourist trap...but still fun. The guys that push the toboggans do try to add to the fun...and they expect a nice tip (especially from Americans). To us. the major problem with the toboggan is what happens at the end. You are on the middle of a pretty steep hill and it is a strain on one's knees to walk down into the center of town. Definitely one of those things folks need to do...ONCE. Hank

Oh My! More Covid stuff :(. So lets get real and deal with facts. COVID is a virus that is here to stay. It is very likely that Australia and the world will never be "over" covid. However, what has happened (more fact) is that the world has learned to live with this virus (just like we live with flu, RSV, etc). So to answer your question, Australia is open for tourism and has dropped their COVID restrictions (as has nearly the entire world). Most of Australia's COVID restrictions were ended back in 2022. As one who never stopped traveling during the pandemic, the world has mostly moved beyond formal COVID restrictions. Japan was one of the last countries (outside of China) to drop restrictions and that happened back in 2023. As of now, you can travel just about anywhere (we are not clear about China) without needing vaccinations. I am also not aware of any cruise line that still requires proof of COVID vaccination or pre-cruise testing. That being said, things could change tomorrow. Hank

I get it. Somehow, we manage, even when on ships for months at a time. Even after spending years on cruise ships, DW has never brought along magnets. Our next longer cruise is on the Oceania Vista where we have heard cabin storage is at a premium. Perhaps we need to change our attitude. Hank

LOL, only one, and that was a few years ago :). But we still did not stick things on cabin walls, decorate doors, etc. When DW retired as an elementary teacher she said, "I have decorated my last door and bulletin board!" Hnak

All walls (bulkheads) on modern cruise ships are made with metal. Whether everything is magenetic is for others to decide as DW and I have never been into sticking things on the walls (in about 50 years of cruising). Hank

I have an update on the Soujourn cancellations, based on an e-mail from SB to our agent. All the Soujourn cruises from July 12,2025 - Sept 14-2025 are cancelled in this message. The only explanation offered is "due to operational considerations." I guess we can all speculate as to the cause. Hank

Like Fouremco, we are in our 70s, no longer do SCUBA, and generally do our own thing when it comes to snorkeling. In some places we can simply snorkel from beaches (with our fins we can easily handle longer distances to reefs) and in some places we will book private tours. A good example is the wonderful snorkel tour in Bonaire on the Woodwind (Dee is a wonderful owner.host). I should add that there are interesting options that can save money and avoid the large groups. For example, on the island of Dominica, many folks want to snorkel at Champagne Reef (not actually much of a reef) and they will do it via expensive large group cruise line boat excursions. But one can simply grab a taxi out to to the shore facility and easily swim out to the same spot (for a lot less money than an excursion). On the island of Curacao there are many snorkel sites, off beaches, that can be reached with a rental car (some are close enough to use a taxi). Hank

We have absolutely no details as our cruise agent just heard, today, and does not have the full story. I am not sure how many Soujourn cruises are cancelled (we had back to back to back) but these are all cruises that were slated to embark from Dover on various northern Europe itineraries with an eventual crossing, through Greenland and Iceland, to Montreal. Apparently, SB is offering a full refund or some kind of option with a slight discount off another new booking. The good news is that they have certainly given plenty of notice (well over a year). Hank

Just received a call, from our cruise agent, that our July 12, 2025, fifty-two day Soujourn cruise (Dover to Montreal) has been cancelled for "operational reasons." We have not yet received info from Seabourn (that should be coming within a day) but it has me wondering if SB has sold one of the smaller ships and revamping itineraries. Hank

As another long-time (over 50 years) independent traveler we also echo the issue raised by Euro Cruiser. Going to Capri, on your own, is quite easy and doing it this way gives you the easy option of changing your mind if you happen to get a day with awful weather. But, when you are doing this type of DIY, where you are heading some distance from the port, it is wise to get an early start. Plenty of time to nod-off while you are on the fast boat to Capri :). The early start simply gives you more options, as the day develops. We also agree with the other posts that it is wise to buy a return ticket, as soon as you arrive on Capri (the ticket office is at the end of the pier). Also keep in mind that the ferry tickets are NOT interchangable between the various companies running ferries. We suggest choosing your return ferry at the best time (not based on picking one particular company) and always allow extra time (we suggest at least an hour) in case the ferry is running a little late. Also make certain that you buy a return ticket to Molo Beverello as there is another ferry port in Naples that is some distance from the port. Hank

I am sorry, but disagree. Perhaps some folks have a reason to be late, but they are late and can impact thousands of others and increase the cost to the cruise line. IMHO, the gangway should be pulled at the scheduled time....period! Yes, there are rare times when delays are unavoidable but holding a ship because somebody decided to spend more time shopping, forgets to leave a bar, forgets to reset their watch, etc. is not cool. Hank

Now you are talking my language (Prinsendam) which has always been our favorite HAL vessel. We closed down the Crows Nest (back in the days when the Crows Nest was a true bar) many a night, often with Captain Gundersen buying the drinks (he did not drink but enjoyed the company of others at that bar). The Beverage Manager on most of our Prinsendam cruises was Pedr Lindquister, who we have since cruised with on MSC (where he is now a 3 striper). But alas. the small ship HAL we adored has now become something entirely different and not to our taste. Change is simply part of cruising (and traveling) and we have moved on to other cruise lines (Oceania, Seabourn and Silversea are our next 3 cruises) where we primarily focus on smaller ships (like the Prinsendam). When we do venture on larger vessels it will now generally be Princess or MSC (but only in their Yacht Club). The wonderful atmosphere we experienced in the P'Dam's Crows Nest is still to be found on other cruise lines. In fact, Seabourn's Observation Bar reminds me a lot of that old Crows Nest. It is unfortunate that HAL moved away from intimate bars, piano bars, etc. and small/medium size vessels. Hank

Our last was 42 days on the Westy around Japan and over to Seattle. Trust me that there was not a lot of action after 9 and we never had to wait in line to get in the MDR after 7:30. Like you, we are generally at the dining room (until well after 9) where it is a pretty lonely place. On our voyage, the dining demand was 5:30 (or before). Hank

If that were the worst problem on HAL, we would still be happily booking the cruise line (we are not). In your situation we would pick up the phone and call HAL. Given the state of their customer service (or lack thereof) you may be on hold for some time but be tough and stand your ground. Tell the phone person your problem and perhaps they can solve the issue, Hank

Getting back to the OP's theme, we find it somewhat laughable. In our experience the typical HAL cruiser has one or two drinks and goes to sleep by 9pm :). On longer HAL cruises (which has been our experience) there are very few souls who would even think about 15 drinks. That being said, we have found it interesting that HAL includes non-alcohol drinks in the 15 drink total when other cruise lines with a similar 15 drink rule (i.e. Princess) only counts alcohol. I imagine that HAL is worrying about the extra cost of Coke or Coffee :). Hank