ilikeanswers

1 hour ago, clo said:

As I've mentioned before, UNESCO is threatening to revoke the heritage status of Dubrovnik.  From what I've read the city agrees and wants to comply.  I wonder what it would take.  It was sure  a mess when we were there, not on a cruise.  We'd never return for that reason.

I am curious but what made Dubrovnik such a mess during your trip? I was there about five years also not on a cruise and it wasn't as bad as we were anticipating, though we were travelling in a shoulder season, perhaps that made our experience different🙄.

5 hours ago, Treatsea said:

Does anyone have opinions about which cruise lines do better than the others?

Well I liked the way Aranui works with the local communities, listens to what the residents want from the cruises and provides a vital service to the archipelagos. However it is expensive and an extremely niche cruise that would only appeal to a few people. 

I also once attended an information day about Aurora cruises and they really talked up their environmental credentials, they no longer use any single use plastic, the new ships were designed be more efficient so as to pollute less, and they restrict passenger numbers to lessen environmental impact but like Aranui expensive and very niche 🙄. 

Overall cruise ships are trying to more efficient, if for no other reason than to cut costs and single use plastic is slowly being fazed out. I don't know if there is any way to make ships quiet (the problem of noise pollution in the sea is only a recently discovered issue) but that is as much a problem with freighters as cruises.

As for tourist numbers that is probably something only government’s can control. Cruise companies will never voluntarily reduce their ship numbers or passengers numbers no matter how much locals protest. 

23 hours ago, Brisbane41 said:

it is probably showing them what they will expect if they try to take Taiwan back or do similar in Macau. The whole area could possibly be worth avoiding in the future.

Macau is already part of China so there shouldn't be much of an issue of unrest there. The Chinese government chooses to run it as an autonomous state so they can have casinos since gambling is illegal in Mainland China (they have similar territories in Laos, Fiji and a planned one in Micronesia). You would think that would be the solution for Hong Kong but I think because a lot rich Mainlanders use Hong Kong to get their money out of China they want to shut it down. As for Taiwan that is just going to be all out war. Obviously they will lose but they will definitely get a few missiles out before they go down😂. But don't cancel any plans to visit Taiwan, (Taiwan is amazing and certainly worth a visit😻) that is still way in the future, China has a few countries left in the UN they need to convince to change their position on Taipei. They won't make their move till that happens😉. 

2 hours ago, Donald said:

The OP is from America, questioning the ethics of cruise companies.

I am from a cruise company, comparing the ethics of the poster’s country.

It is not my business to question what business is good for another country.

It is THEIR business. 

Australians seem to have very strong opinions about certain nationalities coming to live in Australia. Should that be my business? Definitely not.

The OP might be from America but I think the question is of a universal nature so I don't see what someones nationality has to do with the discussion🤔. As for the views of Australians I would be hesistant to judge 20 million people's opinions based of the 0.01% that end up in the media. Lets face it if you are not extreme you are too boring for TV😂.

On 7/28/2019 at 10:52 AM, Treatsea said:

Glad you asked, here’s a few articles that explain the issue:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm

http://web.archive.org/web/20160218001420/http://almost.thedoctorschannel.com/14323-2

https://www.savethechildren.org.au/Our-Stories/The-truth-about-voluntourism

https://www.worldtravelguide.net/features/feature/does-voluntourism-do-more-harm-than-good/

If you do want to do voluntourism these articles have some tips on how to make sure you are doing good and not just adding to the problem:

Volunteering and Voluntourism: The Good, The Bad, and The Questions You Should Ask

Questions to Ask Your Volunteer Organization

How to choose a responsible volunteering company

1 hour ago, BruceMuzz said:

Destination Ports

When my ship visits ports in many parts of the world, I (Hotel Manager) am visited by local Mayors, Governors - occasionally even Heads of State. Why? They want advice on how to convince more cruise lines to visit their country. Maybe they know something you do not?

Your response is a little harsh on Americans🙁. Why single out Americans anyway? So on another point I was thinking what heads of governments want don't always represent what the constituents want. I personally would not use their enthusiasm as a gauge of whether cruises are good or bad for a region. Venice is a prime expample of this. It is pretty clear the locals want restrictions on tourist numbers but the mayor and heads of the Veneto region seem intent on increasing numbers.

On 7/23/2019 at 7:36 AM, bonsai3s said:

When we sailed into Yokohama, we were welcomed by hundreds of flag waving locals...dancers and singers....singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow"......the architecturally stunning cruise terminal......the wonderful people inside that were all happy to provide information, tips, maps,.....and a free shuttle to town and the train station.   They even had a booth were you can wear a kimono and they take your picture....they give you the picture for free.....most passengers declined to have their pictures taken UNTIL they all realized it was free...compliments of the City of Yokohama.  So much to do in Yokohama and Tokyo.  The sail-away was just as memorable...Taiko drummers, dancers and singers...once again waving goodbye to all of us as we slowly sail away.......breathtaking.

Someone once told me in Japan that if you look out the window when the plane is taxiing to take off the ground crew wave you goodbye🤗. How long ago was you first sailing to Yokohama?

You buy a trinket souvenir from a kid in the market thinking you are supporting her family and the local economy when you could actually be contributing to her being pulled out of school because like you other tourists can’t resist that cute little face. In Tanzania they had campaign urging tourists to not be overly generous in tips to safari guides as it has tempted teenagers to drop out of school in hope they can be that lucky.

Doing good while travelling isn’t always straight forward. If you really want to make a better impact as a tourist the best thing is to do is some research first. Before any trip I always look up what are the community concerns in terms of impact of tourism to the place I am visiting so I can see if I can make more informed choices that hopefully make me a better tourist. Like in Sicily they’d prefer it if you shopped at addiopizzo businesses, in Venice they would prefer it if you bought one authentic mask rather than ten cheap knock offs and in French Polynesia they’d prefer it if tourists choose local pensions over resorts. Sure it isn’t going to fix all the problems and there are always going to be things we can’t control as tourists but I think it is still worth looking at how we impact a destination and if there are better ways to do things🤗.

1 hour ago, Treatsea said:

Glad you asked, here’s a few articles that explain the issue:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm

http://web.archive.org/web/20160218001420/http://almost.thedoctorschannel.com/14323-2

https://www.savethechildren.org.au/Our-Stories/The-truth-about-voluntourism

https://www.worldtravelguide.net/features/feature/does-voluntourism-do-more-harm-than-good/

To be fair to voluntourism there are good ones that that are focused on progressing communities not just keeping them dependant on charity. The thing is like everything you have to your research so you are making the best choices.

I don't know how accurate this information is but I was once told that if you are tested for BAC they will use it as an excuse to void a claim. So even if you are not showing signs of inebriation if your limit is above whatever limit the insurance company has in their protocols they will say you broke the conditions of contract.

There is no real consensus on whether entry will be refused if you do not hand over phone access. There have been plenty of reports of people refusing to hand over passwords and yet still being allowed in the US😒. It seems there is no flat out rule as to whether it should or should not impede entry. I guess it is one of those depends on whether the border agent is having a good day or not😄.

What a country knows about you and what border security know are two different things. Different government organisations don't tend to talk to each other so unless it pops up on their computer or some direct request is made border security doesn't usually know that much about you. All they can do is make assumptions (which is usually where most of the problems stem from😳) or wait for something to turn up in their standard searches. Perhaps if better information was provided security could go quicker without all the time wasted on "random" searches😋.

 If you really are concerned about handing over passwords one suggestion is before you go through security uninstall all the apps you wouldn't want a stranger looking at and then you can reinstall them once you are on the other side. In terms of files on the phone, store them in a cloud account and delete the in phone copies. You can re-download them from the cloud account after security.

oops😜

3 hours ago, screwsmcernst said:

I absolutely love St. Maarten, Aruba, and Curacao.   Part of the reason we doing the B2B in Oct.   We prefer the Dutch side of St. Maarten.   Aruba has amazing beaches. Curacao, the town and the architecture just makes me happy.

 I also really like sailing from Puerto Rico as well.  I am really hoping the unrest will be over by October.  I keep trying to visit the forts, and each time (5 times to be exact) something has happened that we never made it.  It is becoming a joke now with my DH.  😃

Five times😮! The universe isn't being very kind is it😞? I hope you get there they are very picteresque. I'm crossing my fingers for you🤞.

11 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Most likely didn't want to lose their tip either.

I might be wrong but I think tipping is not common in French culture🤔. There were hardly any Americans on this sailing and certainly none attended the Sunday Mass but all the English speakers certainly were talking about "the incident" at lunch😂. It was the one time I wished my French was more fluent I 'd love to know what the French thought of the behavior of their compatriots.

34 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I agree,

The guide should have done something earlier. If someone cannot abide by the guidelines, they should be told to leave.

I suspect the guides didn't want to disturb the mass by making a scene 😆. 

I have seen a few posts around the forums about ports people dislike returning to and it got me wondering what are the ports that people like returning to? Are there any ports you can return to again and again and never get bored? Or do all ports have a point where you lose interest in visiting them?

On Aranui we were offered a chance to experience a Sunday mass conducted in the local language. We were in the back row and in front of us was a religious French family and in the front row was a French man who couldn't stop taking pictures despite the guides advising us the locals would prefer it if we didn't take pictures during the mass. A male member of the family was annoyed by camera man and approached him twice as the man was photographing. It seemed whatever he said made no impression as the camera man kept taking photos and in the middle of what looked like a panorama shot the other man strode up to him and grabbed his camera. As they wrestled for the camera they yelled in French and the family man whacked camera man on the head😱, the guides rushed in separating the men, speaking really fast French but loud whispers trying to calm the situation down, for some reason they seemed to ask camera man to leave the church while family man got to stay🤔 (personally I think both should have been asked to leave😕). I was impressed with the priest though he didn't miss a beat and kept going like nothing had happened, true professional👍. The local women who had been sitting next to the camera man looked pretty peeved though😳. I wouldn't be surprised if that church decided they didn't want cruise passengers attending their mass again.

On 7/21/2019 at 1:20 AM, whogo said:

Does a thrift store patron want a Royal Caribbean travel mug? A Carnival Mexican Riviera tee shirt? A Holland America sweatshirt? An NCL key chain? A Princess lanyard? How much does it cost thrift shops to have the stuff that doesn't sell hauled away? Thrift shops have to sell unwanted clothes in bulk, some of it goes to developing countries. Instead of supporting their own country's economy, people wear free tee shirts that say things like "Snodgrass Family Reunion, 2015" or "Breast Cancer Awareness Run Hoboken".  Just don't take the stuff in the first place. (This is directed at you, too, dear, although you won't read it.)

I saw a fascinating documentary about waste where they showed the behind the scenes of a clothes donation organisation and the manager was saying that about 40% of donations have to be thrown away because the clothes do not pass the durability test (they showed the machines they use to test the clothes) and she said the number of reject clothes is growing because of throw away fashion and the subsequent declining quality of clothes☹️. She said it is costly to get rid of reject clothes and they would rather it wasn't donated in the first place😰. On top of that the polyester clothing that end up in garbage tip break down into micro plastics and then end up in our food system. We end up eating our clothes😂! It would be better if cruise ships just stopped making the stuff or at least make better quality stuff😜.

I think the need to travel was probably instilled by my parents, we did a lot of road trips when I was a child. I do prefer longer trips and if I had no obligations I would travel longer than 6 weeks (the longest trip I have been able to take thus far). I don't cruise a lot, mostly land trips but I would love to do more expedition cruises. I certainly got a taste for them.

Living in Australia certainly makes me favour longer trips as nearly every destination is a long flight, to Europe is 24hrs one way so I would rather stay longer than fly more often. So far I never miss home when I travel and have never felt like I was over a trip. 

I guess I am not that attached to home, nothing of materiel value interests me at all so I don't have things like art and books that make me attached to being at home. I do like cooking but that can also be done overseas in fact it can make cooking more of a fun challenge when navigating foreign shops and kitchens. Truth be told as soon as I get home I am already planning the next trip 🤣. 

On 7/19/2019 at 7:28 AM, MicCanberra said:

Exactly, it shocked me how much litter was washed up on the shores in Sri Lanka and the Maldives

I visited the inland sea in Qatar recently and I was shocked at all the garbage strewn through the sand dunes. Even though we hadn't said anything our guide said "I know what your thinking unfortunately the people here don't understand about garbage" 😔

Though I have wondered if people who volunteer to clean up those garbage patches ever find those messages in the bottles people chucked all those years ago? It would be interesting to know how many ended up at those garbage patches. 

On 5/3/2019 at 12:25 PM, Russell21 said:

I'm near enough 75 years young and had Measles as a kid, so I don't need vaccination, how would I get on for a vaccination check? I think there would be a lot of people with the same problem.

Titer test will tell you if you possess the antibodies for diseases in your blood. 

Aranui would certainly be more of an unusual itinerary and being an operating freight ship a unique experience. There are also Northwest Passage cruises though I don't know which line operate these which would also count as a more unique itinerary.

A good way to diversify your travel experience is to perhaps pick a location you want to explore and then find a cruise line that caters to that area rather than looking for the cruise line first. 

Central Australia has its benefits in the wet season. Not only do rivers come to life but with enough rain Uluru turns into a magnificent set of waterfalls and Kakadu is more abundant in wildlife during the wet season than the dry. Not too mention being the low season all the prices are cheaper. However because of the volatility of the weather I would not recommend it if you have a short time frame with an appointment to make. Wet season travel requires planning flexible just in case buffer days. 

When I first read this question I thought this sounds a little paranoid but😕 reading the answers it is actually quite interesting and enlightening👍about the behind the scenes of ship life. However in terms of terrorism I feel the more likelihood would be someone planting a bomb or hiding an arsenal to go on a shooting spree rather than hostage taking or hijacking. I would assume some sort of check is done to make sure there is no tampering of a ship. I doubt such information would ever be made public but I do wonder if anything has ever been discovered on a cruise ship🤔.