TLCOhio

Like some more, but different, food visuals? Not, this time, however, from India, the Silver Moon or Asia. For our flight on Tuesday, March 5, from Tokyo to Dallas/Ft. Worth, we depart mid-day from Japan. But arrived around 7 am on the same day of March 5. Magic? No, it was crossing the International Date Line in the middle of the Pacific. We saved a whole day!! Fortunately with our American Airlines' Frequent Flyer miles we were luck to have Business Class seats from Tokyo to DFW . . . at a reasonable miles cost. Not the 300K per seat, per flight that is often required on such flights. We flew on JAL or Japan Air Lines and expected/hoped for a little "different" experience than the same-old, same-old. How did it go? Below was our dining experience. Worked well!! Not a super-fancy, exotic dining delight, but above average, especially for airline food!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 251,905 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/ Here was our opening offer with salad, bread and beer from Japan. Loved the colorful can used by the historic beer company.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Then, the main entree, dessert, etc. Worked well and not being jammed in a narrow, tight coach seat elevates the experience up, UP!: Here was the JAL graphic as to our flight path to return us to the USA.: As we approached the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport early in the morning of March 5, we could see the sun rising in the east on the same day we departed Tokyo.:

YES!! Great savvy follow-up, as always, from DavyWavey70. Avoiding the traditional Marriotts and Hiltons, etc., is important in India. Nothing wrong with those American-based chains. BUT, local is best for multiple, excellent reasons, including what mentioned above. We stayed for three nights at the Taj in Delhi, the Oberoi in Agra and the flagship Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. All very excellent with unique architecture and interior details that made us really "feel" that we are actually "there" in India. "Boring and bland" needs to be avoided in India. We can do that back home and that is not why we go to India and other exotic locations in the world. Our heritage property used in Jaipur also fit well for what Davy has correctly prioritized. Below are some more visuals not previously posted to offer more reasons and "evidence" to go "local", unique and special in India. Keep it coming with great questions, comments, sharing, etc. All very helpful. Don't be shy as to seeking aded info and background. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 253,043 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/ Here are some additional visuals from the Taj hotel in Delhi where we super enjoyed our first three nights in India. These visuals offer more samples for the high-quality exterior grounds, interiors, etc.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) When doing breakfast at the Taj in Delhi, I enjoyed seeing this unique set-up for how the honey comb was displayed and accessed. Also, below were my Eggs Benedict at the Taj Club level of this hotel. Looking tasty and good?:

Appreciate these kind comments and follow-up. Choose wisely!! Do not just grab the first contact to reply. Ask the right, smart questions!! Of both potential tour operators and yourself. Costs must be considered, but cheapest is not always the best. As mentioned earlier, thanks to the help and suggetion of former U.S. Ambassador to India (1997-2001) and Ohio Governor (1983-1991) Richard Celeste and his skilled wife, we connected with Ganeve Rajkotia in Delhi. Her firm is Nexxtop India Tours. Website: www.nexxtopindia.com. Very experiened with great expertise, super knowledge. She knew her “stuff” and it resulted in an awesome experience. Since they are living and working in India, they are up-to-the-minute with new properties and challenges that may impact an itinerary You can reach Ganeve at ganeve@gmail.com and/or nexxtopindia@gmail.com. Tell her Terry from Ohio said “Hi!” and that you are a smart traveler. We looked at many potentials to craft our detailed itinerary. I is important to consider carefully your many, many options to fit YOUR needs, personal interests and travel style. One size does not fit all!! And, the options/potentials are so very many that you cannot do it “ALL” in India during your first visit to this amazing and diverse country/culture. As an example, some companies will provide guides that come from each of the different local cities visiting such as Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. That’s OK, maybe. But, we had the same guide with us for the whole six days in exploring the Golden Triangle. We got to know her. She knew us! We could discuss our interests and get our questions answered as we traveled between the various locations. With some tours, you probably will have the same driver for the entire trip. But that driver might only speak “some” English, but not be as fully conversational and knowlegeable as you might assume, need or desire. Also, there are many hotel variations with a wide range of pro/con factors to consider. Reasearching and fine-tuning, ahead of time, makes a major difference for deciding what things “fit” as to maximizing to achieve the best experiences and highest learning/photo opportunities. Additionally, adjusting as you go is important as the "pacing" is needed to fit your interests. You want to see and do lots and lots, but not kill yourself in the process. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 260,182 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/ In a small village between Agra and Jaipur, our super skilled guide, Parveen Paul, took us inside a family home to meet "locals" and learn about life in this part of India. Some guide are "good", repeating the standard "talking points" memorized from Wikipedia. Others, like Parveen, operate at a much higher level in being honest, highly knowledgeable and able to customize and adjust for our needs and personal interests as we traveled.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) When dining in Jaipur, our guide was conversing with our waiter and making sure we ordered what worked best for our dining needs at this location.:

Quite an interesting week for the cruise stocks. From the Wall Street Journal, below are some of their charts as of late Friday afternoon for the three major cruise lines, plus more. Of special interest was that earlier today, Royal Caribbean hit a new 52-week high at $162.50. Impressive?? Carnival is getting closer to a 52-week high. Norwegian is the slowest with its recovery. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog with many visuals, including “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/ It has been an impressive week for the cruise stock during the past five trading days. Where for the month of July?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here's Viking for the past five trading days per WSJ.: For the past month, Royal Caribbean has had a "rocky" ride, but a nice upward swing during late June.: For comparison, here is how the overall S&P 500 stocks moved during the most recent five trading days on Wall Street.:

From the Wall Street Journal yesterday morning, they had this headline: “Carnival’s Ship Is Coming In" with this sub-headline: "Cruisers are booking further in advance and paying more as berths fill up.” Here are some of their reporting highlights: “Carnival’s stock was the top performer in the S&P 500 on Tuesday. William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia was among those raising forecasts. She noted that 'demand trends bode well for considerable pricing power in 2025.' 'We are hitting records on top of previous records' a positively gleeful Carnival chief Josh Weinstein said on an investor call.” From this story, here are the flashing yellow lights: "Look below the waterline, though, and Carnival is a different company than it was before the day that 'Covid-19' entered our vocabulary. That is why its shares remain more than 60% below their January 2020 level. Long-term debt is almost triple, and shares outstanding nearly double their levels in those happier times. The important thing now is how quickly Carnival rights its balance sheet." Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/carnivals-ship-is-coming-in-90ecc2b8 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island). Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City. Visual/Info Summaries: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

YES, have more "Tasty Treats" and other visuals from the Silver Moon. See added photos below. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Enjoy the Caribbean? Here are two popular posts/links with thousands of views with much info for . . . . Grenada https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2179927-grenada-pixs-fun-experiences-jan2015/page/2/#comment-66823149 Or, Aruba: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2178325-aruba-pixs-fun-experiences-feb2015/page/3/#comment-66677721 One morning while having breakfast on the open terrace of La Terrazza, I captured this interesting angle with me and my camera shown in the glass reflection. Also featured is the water and mountains in the background. We loved having breakfast in the part of the ship where we could enjoy the sea air, water, etc.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) While docked in Malaysia, next to us was this colorful ship owned by an Asian cruise line. Glad we were on the smaller and more personal Silver Moon, not such a large, mass sailing ship.: On the crew recognition program, here was a sampling of the wonderful and hard-working staff that make the Silver Moon fun and enjoyable.: From a later visit to La Terrazza, here are some "food porn" examples for certain dishes enjoyed at this dining venue. Yes, tasty! Any of these look familiar from your dining there?:

Here's an aggressive headline and more details from Greece as they consider the impacts of cruising and those visitors. From the London/UK Telegraph two days ago, they had this headline: “How Greece is going to war on cruise ships" with this sub-headline: "The country’s PM has vowed to put a cap on cruise ships – though some believe they’ve become a scapegoat for wider overtourism problems.” Here are some of their reporting highlights by writer Heidi Fuller-Love: “Lured by glorious beaches, world-class archaeological sites and comforting cuisine, some 33 million people visited Greece in 2023, around five million more than in 2022. According to the Greek National TourisM Organisation (GNTO), 2023 was also a landmark year for cruising in Greece, with seven million passengers visiting the country aboard 5,230 cruise ships, compared to 4.38 million passengers and 4,614 cruise ships in 2022. With approximately 1.5m passengers in 2023, Piraeus, the port for Athens, tops the list of popular cruise destinations in Greece, followed by Santorini with 1.3m and Mykonos with almost 1.2m.” Cruise ship "economics" are a part of the question and rub based on this and other comments in the story: "Business owners on the island are angry at the lack of revenue that cruise tourism brings. 'They have everything on board – even souvenir shops – so they come here and just walk around and then go back to their boat without buying anything,' says Maria Dimitirou, who owns a gift shop in Oia." Another aspect of the backlash is too much of cruise ship tourism is focused on a just a few islands. Also a travel experts was quoted saying: "Unfortunately, many of the ports of call in Greece have become tourist enclaves with nothing left for the locals." Good and interesting questions? Fair or unfair? Reactions and comments? Full story at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/greece/greece-cruise-tourism-cap/ THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog with many visuals, including “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/

Not sure I understand and/or can explain these financial tricks/tools known as "covered calls". Feel free to explain more as to how you can "ride the wave" with this potential for these stock approaches. From this below-connected financial news website this morning, they had this headline: “Create Instant 18% Yield On Royal Caribbean, If You're Willing To Hold Long Term” with these highlights: “The stock does not pay a dividend, but savvy investors can still create a yield from Royal Caribbean using covered calls. A covered call involves buying 100 shares of the underlying stock and simultaneously selling a call option against those shares. Selling calls limits the upside but increases the yield from the investment in the form of option premium. The investor keeps the premium generated from selling calls no matter what happens with the stock.” This is way above my "pay grade" and expertise level!! Also shared in the report: "According to the IBD Stock Checkup, Royal Caribbean stock is ranked No. 1 in its group. It has a Composite Rating of 98, an EPS Rating of 81 and a Relative Strength Rating of 94." Full story at: https://www.investors.com/research/options/royal-caribbean-stock-option-trading/?src=A00619&refcode=aflMarketWatch&_gl=1*j4dk9t*_gcl_au*MTc3NTQ5MDQwOC4xNzEzNTU5NzQ5*_ga*NzI5MzY4NzcyLjE3MTU4MDA4MzM.*_ga_K2H7B9JRSS*MTcxOTQxNjYxMC4yMzEuMS4xNzE5NDE2ODY3LjExLjAuMA.. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Early 2020, many visuals and details from New Zealand/South Pacific in going from Auckland to French Polynesia. This includes Bora Bora, Fiji, NZ experiences, etc: Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2735732-live-terryohio-“new”-regatta-south-pacificnz-pix’s/

Yes!! Great comments and helpful follow-up. Have at times recently posted some WSJ charts for Viking and have more shown below. But as noted earlier, if a large portion of the Viking stock is tightly control by their founder and a couple of pension funds, then the "market" is not quite as wide and meaningful for reflecting this stock's true up and down values. But, we will see what happens over time with this stock. From the Wall Street Journal late this afternoon, below are their charts for the three major cruises showing the different reactions to the quarterly updates from Carnival. Big, BIG jumps today. Best I can remember in recent history. Right? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc. Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas! Now at 22,078 views. Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/ Here are the Wall Street Journal charts showing, especially for today, the massive jump UP, UP for Carnival and the other two major cruise companies. What for tomorrow and the rest of this month?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) For Viking, below are the WSJ charts as to this new stock. First, during the most recent five trading days. Second, shows the longer trends since when they were first listed about a month and a half ago.:

Very much appreciate these kind comments, follow-up and encouragement from our Virginia neighbor to keep sharing these cruise line financial details. From the Wall Street Journal below are two of their added chartings that offer graphic details for what has happened with Royal Caribbean during the most recent three- and five-year periods. FIRST, RCL during the past three years: SECOND, charting during the past five years with a previous Royal Caribbean peak on December 1, 2019 at $133.51. Quite a jump up, UP, UP to this week's top level? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 22,824 views. Connect at: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

From this Wall Street Journal-connected financial news website this morning, they had this headline: “Carnival Stock Breaks Out As 2025 Bookings Already Top Full Year 2024” with these highlights: “Carnival stock surged early Tuesday after the cruise giant cleared earnings forecasts and posted record sales for the second quarter. Rival cruise stocks also caught some uplift following the report. Carnival said that it continues to see strong booking momentum, with record volumes for 2025 sailings. The cruise line reported that its advanced booked position for the full 2025 year is already higher than 2024 in both price and occupancy. CCL stock jumped more than 7% early Tuesday, blasting past a 17.07 buy point in a three-month cup-with-handle base. The move erased much of Carnival's 11.6% decline for this year, through Monday's close.” Is it too late to buy these cruise stocks and ride the wave? Or, what is coming in the next eight months into early 2025? Full story at: https://www.investors.com/news/carnival-cruise-q2-earnings/?src=A00619&refcode=aflMarketWatch&_gl=1*euu0u*_gcl_au*MTc3NTQ5MDQwOC4xNzEzNTU5NzQ5*_ga*NzI5MzY4NzcyLjE3MTU4MDA4MzM.*_ga_K2H7B9JRSS*MTcxOTMyNDE1NC4yMjQuMS4xNzE5MzI3Mjk2LjYwLjAuMA.. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal. Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 33,425 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

From this financial news website this morning, they had this headline: “Carnival Corp. tops earnings, revenue expectations on strong bookings momentum” with these additional details and highlights: “Carnival Corp. announced an improvement in its second-quarter financial results, with net income increasing by nearly $500 million compared to the same period in 2023. The company reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.11, surpassing the analyst consensus of -$0.02, and a record revenue of $5.78 billion for the quarter, exceeding expectations by $100 million and marking a substantial YoY increase. The company also reported a nearly fivefold increase in second-quarter operating income to $560 million and record revenues that significantly outpaced the previous year's levels. The company's record second quarter was driven by higher ticket prices, increased onboard spending, and the timing of expenses between quarters.” Also of interest from this reporting: "Carnival said customer deposits hit an all-time high of $8.3 billion, surpassing the previous record by $1.1 billion. The company's cumulative booked position for the remainder of 2024 and full year 2025 'continues to be the best on record in both price and occupancy.' " Full story at: https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/carnival-corp-tops-earnings-revenue-expectations-on-strong-bookings-momentum-432SI-3495599 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit. Now at 35,748 views. Many pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

YES!!! Appreciate this kind interest and follow-up from our California friend. See link below. Lots of visuals from India, these other exotic locations, on the Silver Moon, etc. Those "advantages" helped make the photographs shared even so much, much better with ALL of that local "color", wonderful people and exciting locations. Below are just four quick samples as to what we saw and did. In the fourth visual, it is Silversea "star" Jeffrey whose charm and skill are part of what makes this cruise line very special. Like the clear, sunny skies we enjoyed at the Taj Mahal? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog with many visuals, including “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/ Or, as an alternative use this five-term Google search Live Terry/Ohio India Silver Moon to find it with the full title of “Live, Terry/Ohio, India to Signapore, Silver Moon Rising, Pix’s!”

From the Wall Street Journal this morning, they show a big, BIG jump up, UP for Royal Caribbean to record 52-week stock high. Why? From Barron's this am, they had this headline: “Carnival Stock Sails Higher on Surprise Profit, Upbeat Forecasts” with these highlights: “Carnival reported an unexpected quarterly profit and said it expects a blockbuster year for cruises in 2025, sending the stock higher.” At a little after 10 am today, Carnival was UP more than 7%. Major move and positive shift? Full story at: https://www.barrons.com/articles/carnival-stock-earnings-53784352?_gl=1*i7xqc2*_gcl_au*MTc3NTQ5MDQwOC4xNzEzNTU5NzQ5*_ga*NzI5MzY4NzcyLjE3MTU4MDA4MzM.*_ga_K2H7B9JRSS*MTcxOTMyNDE1NC4yMjQuMS4xNzE5MzI0MTU1LjU5LjAuMA.. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Dubrovnik! Visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this super scenic and historic location. Over 54,426 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

Very much appreciate the great comments/analysis from Catlover54. Agree with highplanesdrifters that this is an excellent summary for the changing state of "luxury" cruising affecting us. Based on our 15-day February Mumbai to Singapore Silver Moon sailing, we were very satisfied in many categories of service and quality. BUT, there were a few "goofs" and gaps reflecting bad decisions by the "bean-counters" (accounting MBA-types) that I blame in Miami and Monaco. Overall, we are not that demanding and are happy with a great Butler (as we had), plus many other extras and benefits. For us, it's about interesting itineraries and reasonable value in pricing. Those "boxes" were mostly checked nicely on this most recent cruise. However, we have no future cruise bookings made as we await to see where the market trends and offerings move. Looking long-term, the competition is ramping up, UP within this more upscale, smaller-ship cruising market. Crystal is back, plus added luxury offerings from Ritz-Carlton, etc., etc. And, Viking has some interesting options, maybe? PLUS . . . what is a tangible sign that Silversea is sensing the future competition? Just this morning in a one-hour period, I saw on two different cable TV news channels, three different commercials for Silversea. YES, their ships are kind of full now, but they are looking ahead and know they need to attract in more and more future SS customers. Just doing mailings, emails and signing up past Silversea customers is not enough to fill ALL of their newer and older ship at these current higher prices. It will be interesting in the coming months to see how the economy evolves and competition forces Silversea to adjust accordingly. Especially as many past customers are having certain doubts and/or quality concerns. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Kotor/Montenegro: Various visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this scenic, historic location. Over 56,396 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

Appreciate these great business background details about Viking and these follow-ups. Very interesting path with their growth and future plans. For Silversea, the competition is growing!! Not sure if we would do Viking or not. Don't like their advance payment requirements, but as they keep adding more ships and offering unique, diverse itineraries, it could be a future, real option for us to consider. We stay flexible depending on the ports and value factors by Silversea, etc. Just saw this am on the morning cable TV news the second commercial for Silversea. That says to me that SS is feeling some future bookings softness and that they need to widen their "pitch" beyond just mailings and past customers doing new bookings; THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Super appreciate the kind comments and follow-up from Lois. YES, we super liked our first sailing on the Silver Moon. Lots of options and comfortable areas on this classy ship. Good luck with your upcoming November sailing on the Silver Moon. During our February Mumbai to Singapore sailing, we only dined once in S.A.L.T. That one time was a little "mixed". Maybe we hit an off-night and/or did not pick our choices with the right luck/skill. It was OK and good. Not great and spectacular. Also, it can be challenging for the staff with such a varied, fast-changing menu, etc. Below are some of my visual from being there in S.A.L.T. Looking good? Here are some notes about this dining venue: The logistics of this daily smorgasbord approach, of coordinating and procuring the necessary ingredients enroute in these trying times, is daunting. Former Saveur magazine editor-in-chief Adam Sachs built a program devoted to seeking out new tastes from around the world and educating guests in a manner that fits their individual level of culinary interest. S.A.L.T. Kitchen: menu changes most nights. "This is the Anthony Bourdain generation," explained the Silversea President Barbara Muckermann as to why the program was conceived. SS views that sophisticated cruisers today want to dive deep into the cuisine of visited ports, so Silversea came up with an on-brand way to give travelers what they want. What have been your favorites from S.A.L.T.?? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai? Many different UAE tips, options, ideas, visuals, etc., with more than 21,600 views at: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2521493-abu-dhabi-vs-dubai-procon-factors/page/5/#comment-66634467 Here is one angle/view for the S.A.L.T. interior design and decoration.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) We were in the Thailand/Malaysia region when we dined at S.A.L.T. on the Silver Moon. This is a sampling for some of our dining items that evening.: As I recall, here were a couple of the dessert offerings that evening in S.A.L.T.: Here is another angle/view for the S.A.L.T. interior design and decoration.:

From that key Barron's article, I found through MSN News today that full text with this headline: “Royal Caribbean Stock Is in for Smooth Sailing. Cruise Demand Runs Deep.” with these added details and highlights: “Few industries have undergone as significant a sea change as the cruising industry: Long gone are the dark days of the pandemic. That should mean smooth sailing ahead for the shipowners’ stocks. Most consumer-related companies have noted recently that Americans are being discerning in what they buy, hunting for value as persistent inflation keeps living costs high. Yet they aren’t willing to give up on things they enjoy. That puts cruise operators, particularly Royal Caribbean, in a sweet spot.” Here are more insights and comments: " 'Royal Caribbean is our top pick across the leisure and travel sector as the company has the best assets, the best management team, and the best balance sheet to capitalize on the moment that the cruise industry is having,' writes Citi’s James Hardiman in a note Thursday. As Barron’s has noted previously, cruises are definitely having a moment. Far from being the choice of just newlyweds or retirees, they’re appealing to a swath of travelers. Part of the reason for the heightened popularity is that as travel expenses have skyrocketed, cruise passengers get more bang for their buck, Hardiman explains." Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/royal-caribbean-stock-is-in-for-smooth-sailing-cruise-demand-runs-deep/ar-BB1ocKmA?ocid=BingNewsVerp THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 56,972 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta. www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Great reporting and details!! Somewhat matches our February 2024 Mumbai to Singapore Silver Moon experiences. As always great, helpful, savvy, on-ship staff, but there are "issues" a little with some of the decisions driven by the "bean counter" money types in Miami and Monaco. Better than being at home, doing your dishes, needed to make your bed, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Is Portugal getting even more popular? From the Wall Street Journal late last week, they had this headline: “Europe Has a New Economic Engine: American Tourists" by Tom Fairless with images by Gonçalo Fonseca with this sub-headline: "Free-spending visitors are fueling a powerful boom in southern Europe, flipping economic power in the EU. Some economists think it could end badly.” Here are some of their reporting highlights from a story with a dateline of Lisbon: "The Americans are here, and this sun-bleached coastal city is booming. At bars, hotels and restaurants that line winding cobblestone streets, business is so good that Mayor Carlos Moedas recently slashed local income tax for residents. With economic growth of 8.2% last year and a 20% rise in tax revenue from prepandemic times, he’s also made public transportation free for young people and the elderly. Centuries-old facades are being polished up after years of neglect. Planning is under way for a new airport, twice the size of the existing one, and for a three-hour high-speed rail link to Madrid in neighboring Spain. The Tribeca Film Festival will come to town this fall.” BUT, questions are raised as to: "Can Europe’s emerging 'museum economy' support sustained wealth creation? And what happens if the dollar falls and the tourists leave? In Portugal, a country of 10 million that juts out into the North Atlantic from Spain, Americans recently surpassed Spaniards as the biggest group of foreign tourists. Tourism now generates one-fifth of economic output in Lisbon and supports one in four jobs. That boom has reverberated far beyond the capital." Interesting background and fascinating details about wonderful Portugal. Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/europe-tourism-economy-american-tourists-f6112f78?page=1 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai? Many different UAE tips, options, ideas, visuals, etc., with more than 21,600 views at: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2521493-abu-dhabi-vs-dubai-procon-factors/page/5/#comment-66634467

This morning, the Royal Caribbean stock jumped up, UP around 2% in the first hour of trading today. Why? Maybe this story helped: From the Wall Street Journal's sister publication of Barron's late last week, they had this headline: “Royal Caribbean Has Left the Pandemic in Its Wake. The Stock Has Doubled Under Its CEO’s Watch.” with these highlights: “People take cruises to kick back and relax. Royal Caribbean Group shareholders can do the same this year.” Barron's has a tight pay-wall, so I cannot share more details, but you get the idea for how positively certain people in the financial community view Royal Caribbean and their management. The RCL stock is moving closer today to their 52-week high. Full story at: https://www.barrons.com/articles/royal-caribbean-jason-liberty-top-ceo-stock-price-c589613d?_gl=1*18n7j01*_gcl_au*MTc3NTQ5MDQwOC4xNzEzNTU5NzQ5*_ga*NzI5MzY4NzcyLjE3MTU4MDA4MzM.*_ga_K2H7B9JRSS*MTcxOTIzODcyMi4yMTUuMS4xNzE5MjM4OTc0LjcuMC4w THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Athens & Greece: Visuals, details from two visits in a city and nearby with great history, culture and architecture. Now at 66,321 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

From earlier this year, I missed, till today, this interesting Wall Street Journal article as to the pricing differences with Royal Caribbean and others for their older ships versus those newer, larger and more flashy. They had this headline: “These Travelers Have a Secret: They Love Cheap Cruises on Old Ships" with this sub-headline: "Passengers find better deals and blissfully smaller crowds far from the world’s largest cruise ships.” Here are some of their reporting highlights: "Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, a cruise ship over five times as large as the Titanic, is preparing for its inaugural voyage in late January. A subset of die-hard passengers are saying they would much prefer the opposite of that mammoth boat. Picking an older, smaller cruise might make for less fancy travel, but it comes with obvious advantages. Lower demand for the aged vessels in cruise lines’ fleets can prompt some big-deal savings. Some of these ships sail more exotic itineraries, and passengers enjoy greater attention from crew members without feeling so crowded. A cruise ship can start to show its age at around 15 years.” Older versus newer ships? Those are some of the factors to consider with and affecting Silversea. Right? Pro/con reactions and experiences? Pricing/value differences? Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/royal-caribbean-icon-of-the-seas-cruise-ship-0999d6f4?mod=series_travelbetter THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados on the Silver Cloud for 26 days. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.). Now at 75,913 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/

Need more "Eye Candy" from the Silver Moon? See below. As a follow-up to earlier photography postings, here is more. On my main camera, I have a Nikon D7200 with an 18-140mm VR lens. It is a very good camera, but not at the top-pro, highest-cost levels. But, just like with an artist or cook, it is not always the quality of the paint brushes . . . or . . . pots and pans that make THE quality difference. It's also the skill, attention to detail and interest of the camera user. Right? Also on this trip, I used my iPhone that does well for food and closer-range pictures, including night and low-light shots. Lenses are also important. Mostly I shoot with that 18-140mm mid-range zoom lens that came with my original Nikon D7100 camera. Also, I have a Nikon 55-300mm VR lens for longer shots and a 10-20mm Sigma wide angle that is great for churches and building interiors, etc. This Nikon cameras also has 1080HD video capability that works well. In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing, subject and creative options. These cameras can be “complicated”, but I try to avoid those challenges and distractions. If purchasing a new camera these days, I would probably go the "mirrorless" route as these next-generation SLR (single lens reflex) cameras are lighter and more compact. In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing and creative subject options. These cameras can be “complicated”, but I try to avoid too many of those challenges and distractions. Happy to respond to any and all photo-related questions, needs for added background information, etc. Here are a few basic, key photography secrets: 1. Shooting lots of pictures! That is easier with digital to do, learning/improving as you are taking pictures. When done and sharing, only show people the "good ones!" and do not bother them with the duplicate and/or average/poor visuals. The more you shoot, that improves your "odds" to get more better pictures, varied framings, magic moments, etc. 2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different, more interesting angles. 3. Involve people and light. Make it interesting. Get that human element/connection when possible. Do NOT be boring!! Get something better than just the normal "post-card" picture that everyone has previously seen or can find easily on the Internet. 4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to give more “stability” and lessen the blurs in lower-light and indoor situations. Night pictures can have a real drama. While newer iPhone do it automatically, setting the ISO setting (like film speed from the old days) allows caputuring amazing low-light images. 5. Editing. Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the cropping, etc. Narrow down to only your “best of the best” pictures before sharing. Like with beef dining, focus on the “filet mignon”, not bothering viewers with ground chuck. I have done editing on my MacBook Pro computer using their Photos software tool. Fairly quick and easy!! There are fancier photo editing options, but having a simplier program practiced over time makes the process easier and quicker. That thoughtful editing really can make a major difference to increase quality and interest. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Lisbon vs. Porto? Many different Portugal tips, options, ideas, visuals, etc. with more than 31,100 views at: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2558841-lisbon-vs-porto-which-best/page/7/#comment-66782296 Desserts? Yes, we had some variety of tasty treats! Below are two samples/examples. First from The Grill/pool deck and second from La Dame.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here is another flower arrangement on board the Silver Moon.: Among the many helpful and friendly staff on the Silver Moon, here is Rakesh from northern India. Loved our time visiting and exploring his country.:

YES!! Super appreciate this follow-up from our New Hampshire friend to refresh my foggy memory from our dining at Silver Note. Very much enjoyed the music, food, drinks, service, etc., there. Fun environment!! Below are more food-related visuals. Lots of dining options and potentials on the Silver Moon. More to come! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Love the Caribbean? Here are popular posts/links with Dominica having nearly 30,000 views. Much information for . . . . Barbados: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2179164-barbados-50th-birthday-our-pixs-experiences-feb2015/page/3/#comment-65530134Or, Dominica: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2169714-dominica-love-our-experience-pictures-etc/page/3/#comment-66637276 At The Grill on the pool deck, you can cook your own on the "Hot Rocks". But sailing from Sri Lanka to Thailand, it was rather warm out and to grab an old phrase . . . why bother? The staff would prepare and serve it for us. Below is my filet mignon, large shrimp and loaded baked potato. Wonderful and very tasty!! Looking good??: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) After dinner, we thanked the helpful and talented kitchen staff.: At La Terrazza during our sailing on another evening, there were menu rotations with different options in this Italian dining area. Here's a sample for a few of the tasty options during another night there.: From one of the S.A.L.T. staffers, he gave a presentation as to the history of Thai food.: As I recall in one of the ship's sales shop, here was a cute and classic floral look.:

In checking through some additional photos taken during our Silver Moon sailing, below is additional "proof" that we were not starving and/or bored with the "same old" offerings every day on the ship. Sorry, I do not remember all of the specifics for each item, the dining locations, etc. Use your imagination!! More to come, if you don't mind. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island). Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City. Visual/Info Summaries: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums From LaTerrazza at lunch one day, they had some special, interesting, skilled, fruit carvings, plus a variety of seafood items.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Special serving dishes used for these items, but I cannot remember exactly where and when on the Silver Moon. Anyone who can filled in with any added specifics?: