mr_reiter

I found this cartoon from the NewYorker to be prophetic.

I don't pretend to know the sweet spot, and my experience is only a single data point. Early in September, I bought business class on Air Canada from RDU to Barcelona through Toronto with a return, also through Toronto, from Rome. The cruise is a 2-week cruise in mid-May 2024. Less than one month later, that same itinerary is nearly $1900 more (per both AC's site and Matrix). The main culprit was the YYZ-BCN leg. Similarly, a business class seat through Montreal to BCN is now $800+ more than it was a month ago. I checked hoping for a cheaper fare; how naive was I? 😄

Vineyard View (Terri?), I recognize your moniker from the roll call. We're on the same cruise. I also was astonished by the pricing. I found a reasonable business class fare from RDU on Air Canada via Toronto (to BCN; return from FCO). It may not be pertinent to you, but you might want to look at them and maybe even consider breaking it into two separate flights. Best of luck! Mark

Steve, I worked in Athens for a summer, so I managed to make my way around the city. I would avoid hotels near the city centre. The Hilton and Intercontinental are near shopping and restaurants, safe, less touristy, and near the subway. The Crown Plaza isn't near much shopping, but the area is safe, near some tavernas, and the subway. Any hotel in the Plaka should be safe, but restaurants and shopping are tourist-oriented. I cannot comment on how reasonable the prices are. If price wasn't an issue, I would shoot for the Grand Bretagne; it's across from Syntagma square from where it's easy to catch a train anywhere else. I liked the Hilton location; it's close to restaurants and shopping that the locals would frequent. It's also a nice (but uphill) walk past the British embassy up to Lycabettus Hill, which offers a great overlook of the city (especially at dusk). Good luck, Mark

My wife and I are on this cruise later this month, so I really appreciate your posts (I watched all the videos!). I'm thinking of upgrading to a club balcony suite, but they're only on the deck under the pool and buffet deck. Did you notice any noise from above?