MoneyGuy

On 3/5/2022 at 1:31 PM, highscar said:

Which ship?  I’m on the same cruise but April 24 Nordham. 

Niew Amsterdam 

We’re cruising HAL April 7 and don’t currently own shares so I’d better get on this. 

We’re on this 23-day cruise (anyone else?) and are looking at three excursions in Cartagena: 

*Cartagena by Land and Sea

Scenes of Cartagena with Less Shopping

Scenes of Cartagena with Less Walking

Right now we favour the first one but I’m interested in comments of members who have been on any of these three. We’re in our 60s and can easily handle the first one, which is more strenuous. 

We haven’t looked at later excursions so I’m interested in comments on any of those options. 

On 3/23/2020 at 3:00 PM, rtazz17 said:

You have a much greater chance getting sick on land vs a ship. Thats factual. Do all the googling you want. 

On 3/23/2020 at 3:23 PM, Marobarb said:

Would like to but don't expect to cruise again.

Rtazz, I don’t intend to stop or reduce cruising but I seriously doubt this claim. 

1 minute ago, Sue from Canada said:

Can we hold Carnival stock in our TFSA?  

Yes. Publicly traded companies are RRSP and TFSA eligible. In fact, a TFSA is a great option if you expect high growth (which would be tax-free, but losses are not deductible).  

14 hours ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

In normal times, probably so.  Now, all bets are off.

If you’re a long-term investor buy good companies you’ll be fine. If you’re not long term, don’t buy. If they’re not good companies, don’t buy. This will pass; I’m buying these shares at sale prices. 

11 hours ago, HAL4NOW said:

Never invest more than you can afford to lose. Stocks can go to zero, and sometimes they do lose all of their value.

That being said, with prices under $10/share, the downside is limited to a lot less than it was a month ago.

Good companies don’t. 

We’re considering sailing Viking Nov. 29 Miami to the Amazon. We’ve done Viking trips before but not yet an ocean cruise. I find the Amazon River fascinating, and we’ve done the Amazon on the west side. Anyone here done this one or have comments. 

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/from-caribbean-to-amazon/index.html

What options do folks recommend to cruise this fabulous river?

What kind of Amazon cruise are you thinking of? You could stay in one country: Ecuador. You could go to the Galapagos, then back to Quito and fly down to the jungle and do a cruise on the Napo river, a tributary of the Amazon.

 

We combined 2 packages, one with Celebrity and the other one with the Napo River Wildlife Center a lodge. Seamless and easy.

We went to the lodge by a motorized canoe and a paddled canoe. On the way there, we saw the two ships for cruises, both luxurious. The MV Manatee and the Anakonda.

http://www.exclusivegalapagoscruises.com/travel/anakonda_amazon_river_cruise.html

I really don't know what I want to do. I just said cruise because that was my first thought, but I've been enthralled by this fabulous river and want to see it and the surrounding areas. I'm looking for ideas - cruise or otherwise. Thanks to everyone for the responses so far.

I'm looking to do an Amazon cruise and visit the Galapagas in the same trip. Any advice? What about timing? How about October or November 2016 or the following March or April? I'm interested in an organized tour. Any ideas on operators or general ideas? G Adventures has been recon ended. We're in Canada.

Viking's Normandy tour was pathetic. If all you need is a drive-by of some key sites, that's basically what you'll get. If you want any depth, you'll be severely disappointed.

We are on the Rinda Oct. 19. The main reason I wanted to do this cruise was for the Normandy tour. Is it possible to book a private tour so we can see more of the area and skip the ship's tour?

Thank you for any suggestions.

Yes, you absolutely can. There are a couple of ways.

We took extra time and returned to Normandy by car for a few days. (You can also do it by train.) We booked the world's best tour guide. You don't have to believe me. Google Trip Advisor Edward Robinson for pages of terrific reviews. We booked Ed for two days with another couple and it was the most entertaining, educational tour I could imagine.

If you don't have that much time, a couple on our cruise booked a local guide who picked them up from the boat for a day. It is hard to get the whole Normandy experience in eight hours, so book Edward Robinson if you have the time.

I wanted some WWII souvenirs and Ed guaranteed we'd find some. I have about half a pound of bullets (two whole and several pieces), melted glass and such. Ed knows where they are (farmer's field - legal and with permission).

We were just on this Rinda cruise and it was fine, but unexceptional in my view. Two things were not good.

I didn't like that we were docked a bus ride away from Paris. The bigger issue for me was the lousy Normandy tour. We stayed longer and rented a car to drive to Normandy, Mont-St-Michel and elsewhere so we did a lot more touring around Normandy. While our touring was in depth at the beaches and the other sites with a private guide, the Viking excursion was basically a drive-by of the Normandy sights. It was very poor.

This was our third Viking cruise and the poorest of the three. The staff were great, as usual.

We board Viking in two days for this cruise. I expect it to be outstanding. We've traveled twice with Viking before and they've always been great.

I didn't dislike my job either -- in fact, if I could go back in time 34 years, I would have made the same decision to teach.

 

I think you just get to the point when you know it's time. I was finding that the job was taking its toll physically (tired all the time, not wanting to do much on the weekends, etc.). And I couldn't cruise when I wanted to and/or take advantage of those last minute deals!

 

My husband is also a financial planner and he has a much more flexible schedule than I could have ever dreamed of having. He too plans on working for many more years. In education, teachers do not have the option of slowing down or working part time as I know my husband will eventually do. So, I think that to say that teacher retirees didn't like their jobs and/or working is most likely not true. (It's a tough job to stay with if you didn't love it.). It's more a case of being 60+ and no longer willing to work 50 or more hours per week.

 

Best of luck in your career. From first-hand knowledge I know it is a good one:)

Him financial planner married to a teacher. My wife is a former teacher, too.

Gee, a lot of people here dislike working. I'm a financial planner, age 60.5 who plans on working for quite a few more years. Too many benefits to give it up. Props to those who have achieved retirement, however, if that's your dream. I'm sort of living my dream right now. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't work.

We take along walkie talkies. it's the best way to stay in touch on the ship!

A watch so they don't miss the sailing from Aruba. :D