TLCOhio

Glad, Lois, you are are home. Finally!!! Just curious. Did the airline pay for your added hotel costs in NYC at JFK?? What a long, long saga in getting home!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For our Feb. 2024 Silver Moon cruise from Mumbai to Singapore, after the they knocked out (for understandable reasons) the three days in Burma/Myanmar, they added two new ports in Sri Lanka. For the included excursions there, they shifted some of the expected tours to the extra pay category. You can see the trends shifting and moving to what the Royal Caribbean executives call "Revenue Enhancement". At our expense. The cruise lines have billions of dollars in debt to pay off at the same time interest rates are going up, UP. It's Economics 101, whether we like it or not. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio PS: As you sail on the Silver Moon, let us know how the Internet is performing, any update as to when and what as to how the entertainment will be "fine-tuned" for the future, etc.

More wonderful visuals and details from Spins. Great sharing. Assume the Captain is being very careful about those icebergs. Just so they do not adopt the philosophy of the Titanic Captain to try to lessen the potential of damage by "speeding up" to get through the danger zone more quickly. Good luck navigating!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From a post on another CC board, above is a list of suggested potentials for Singapore from Keith in the UK. Appreciate his sharing and am posting here on the Asian ports CC section. Lots to consider and do in Singapore!! Don't be shy with any other ideas, tips and insights. Love learning and hearing added ideas and suggestions. Keep it coming!! 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, Just posted a few seconds earlier. Below are more details. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For Lois, GOOD NEWS!! Your Jags rallied to win. On the road. Big, positive start for their season. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Good luck for flying out tomorrow. Your Jaguars are in a very tight NFL game now in nearby Indianapolis. Best for your Jags. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

YES, agree as to the solid concerns and follow-ups about rising oil prices impacting the cruise lines. And, being negative as to the overall, world-wide economy. Consumers feel these "hits" and higher costs. From the Wall Street Journal a few days ago, they had this headline: “Oil Jumps After Saudi Arabia and Russia Extend Production Cuts” with these highlights: “Crude oil prices popped Tuesday morning after Saudi Arabia and Russia said they're extending voluntary oil production cuts through the end of the year. Futures of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the U.S. oil benchmark, were up about 1% at $86.70, after earlier jumping more than 2% to $87.50 a barrel, their highest level of the year. Saudi Arabia's one million barrel a day cut, which amounts to roughly 10% of the kingdom's usual production, began in July. It accounts for more than a third of the total cuts made by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies since last fall as part of an effort to boost petroleum prices.” Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-jones-09-05-2023/card/saudi-arabia-extends-production-cuts-oil-jumps-SKkm2HMi4pYNhRnhOo6K?page=1 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 248,737 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/ From the Wall Street Journal, below is their latest chart covering the most recent three months as to how oil prices have been moving up, UP!!: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see this visual larger/better!)

Where all can Silversea and other cruise lines sail and explore for the future? From the Wall Street Journal this weekend, they had this headline: “Overrun by Tourists, Venice Plans Entry Fee for Day Trippers" with this sub-headline: "The Italian city and other popular destinations are taking measures to cope with a crush of visitors.” Here are some of their reporting highlights by Jennifer Calfas: “Venice, the Italian city built on more than 100 islands, draws millions of visitors each year with its picture-perfect canals, impressive architecture and priceless artworks. Soon, some of those travelers will have to pay an entry fee as the city looks to combat something else it is known for: overtourism. City officials are pushing forward a plan to charge day trippers 5 euros, or about $5.40, on designated days in 2024.” Here's more: "The Venice day-tripper fee will start on busier days in the spring and summer, according to the city. The fee will only apply to people over the age of 14 visiting Venice on day trips. It won’t apply to tourists staying overnight and residents of the city and region, among other exceptions. The city council is expected to vote on the policy’s final approval next week and set a calendar for designated days over the next few weeks." And in other locations? This story detailed: "Officials in Athens this week started enforcing new visitor caps at the Acropolis, a policy Greece’s minister of culture says will also spread out the number of sightseers during the day and prevent bottlenecks at the entry to the ancient archaeological site. Amsterdam launched a campaign telling tourists who want to party in the Dutch capital to “stay away.” The French government unveiled a new strategy to combat overtourism and is encouraging visitors to travel to less popular parts of the country. And cities in Alaska and Maine are limiting the number of cruise-ship passengers allowed each day." Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/overrun-by-tourists-venice-plans-entry-fee-for-day-trippers-3997e63a?mod=travel_news_article_pos1 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 32,324 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

From the Wall Street Journal this weekend, they had this headline: “Overrun by Tourists, Venice Plans Entry Fee for Day Trippers" with this sub-headline: "The Italian city and other popular destinations are taking measures to cope with a crush of visitors.” Here are some of their reporting highlights by Jennifer Calfas: “Venice, the Italian city built on more than 100 islands, draws millions of visitors each year with its picture-perfect canals, impressive architecture and priceless artworks. Soon, some of those travelers will have to pay an entry fee as the city looks to combat something else it is known for: overtourism. City officials are pushing forward a plan to charge day trippers 5 euros, or about $5.40, on designated days in 2024.” Here's more: "The Venice day-tripper fee will start on busier days in the spring and summer, according to the city. The fee will only apply to people over the age of 14 visiting Venice on day trips. It won’t apply to tourists staying overnight and residents of the city and region, among other exceptions. The city council is expected to vote on the policy’s final approval next week and set a calendar for designated days over the next few weeks." Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/overrun-by-tourists-venice-plans-entry-fee-for-day-trippers-3997e63a?mod=travel_news_article_pos1 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 245,333 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

YES!! Wonderful visuals and details. Great to hear things are going so super well. Yesterday in Miami, you missed the big, BIG win by the Canes over SEC-power Texas A&M. The "U" might be back to the glory days?? Hopefully. Plus, yesterday, Alabama got beat by Texas. College football is fun. Coach Prime is doing wonderful things for Colorado, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

WOW!! What a tangled mess. Assume this is all because of the major storms that came up yesterday through the Carolinas, Virginia, etc., yesterday. A number of college football games in these areas got delayed on Saturday. Good luck making it home. Soon, we hope. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate the follow-ups from R&T and highplanesdrifters. My "Financial Crystal Ball" is still cloudy and confused. And for the three major cruise stocks during the most recent four trading days, there is only a one-word summary. It's: ROCKY!!! From the Wall Street Journal late this afternoon, below are their charts for these three companies. Up and down, somewhat violently seems a reasonable summary!! Right or wrong? What for this coming week? What is driving these dramatic shifts? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio From the Wall Street Journal, below are their charts for the past week on the three major cruise companies, plus the S&P 500 chart for comparison purposes as to the overall market. As shown, the general stock market was down during the past five trading days.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

Great updating, pictures and details. Hope the weather cooperates well and that everything is smooth and very enjoyable for you and DH. Keep up the excellent postings. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From the New York Times yesterday, they had this headline: “Don’t Get Your Next Covid Booster Quite Yet" with this sub-headline: "A new formulation is coming, and there are two main reasons to wait for it.” Here are some of their story highlights: “An uptick in Covid-19 cases and the new school year have many people wondering when they should get their next booster. The short answer, according to experts: not quite yet — you’ll be a lot better off if you wait another few weeks. In June, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration recommended that the next Covid vaccine formulation target the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant. 'For most people right now, it seems to me waiting makes more sense,' said Dr. Paul Sax, the clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. There are two main reasons to hold out for the updated vaccine. First, it will be a better match for the variants that are currently circulating. The second reason to wait for the new vaccine is that it will increase the odds that your defenses against the virus will be strongest when cases are expected to peak, historically between December and February. ” Full story at: https://www.nytimes.com/article/covid-booster-fall.html?searchResultPosition=2 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 33,774 views. Many pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

Just when we thought (and hoped) that Covid was gone, forgotten and in the "rear-view mirror", things seem to be shifting. Right or wrong?? From CNBC and MSN News yesterday, they had this headline: “Covid hospitalizations spike with new variant as school returns, U.S. readies vaccines” with these highlights: “New hospitalizations have jumped about 16% in the U.S. over the past week continuing an upward trend that began in late July, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is rolling out updated booster shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax later this month for a fall vaccination campaign. Dr. Deborah Birx said the vaccines should have been released weeks ago to combat the predictable summer wave. The U.S. should already be developing new shots for January to target the emerging BA.2.86 variant, Birx said.” Is this new vaccine to be approved next week been fully, properly tested on humans? Has it been properly designed to fight off the latest versions of Covid? Do masks need to come back and be mandated? On cruise ships? How much do the past vaccines, booster and/or having been infected earlier give us solid protection during the coming months against new variations? Have we let our guard down and ignored the summer wave of infections? Are these the right, best questions? What else do we, cruise lines leaders, etc., need to be asking and knowing now? Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/covid-hospitalizations-spike-with-new-variant-as-school-returns-us-readies-vaccines/ar-AA1gltPO#image=1 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Dubrovnik! Visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this super scenic and historic location. Over 51,092 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

From the Wall Street Journal charts below as of mid-morning today, they show major drops early in opening trading for each of the three days of Tuesday, Wednesday and today. Why? Part of it is the overall market as shown below with the overall S&P 500. Is this the start of the "September Slide"? How far down will things go this month? As mentioned earlier, historically, September has always been the most negative month in an overall 12-month trading cycle. 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 245,156 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/ For opening trading on Tuesday, Wednesday and today, you can see highly negative drops for these stocks. Especially for Norwegian, the openings were really "violent" with the negative slides. Why and what is happening?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Overall this week, the market has been sliding down and maybe that is what is depressing the cruise stocks. Right or wrong?:

From the Wall Street Journal three days ago, they had this headline: “Cities to Cruise Ships: You’re Bringing Too Many Tourists Here" with this sub-headline: "Ports in the U.S. and Europe are starting to set limits on visitors and ships to reduce crowding,” While some cruise companies do not have the big, BIG cruise ships, these issues and questions are serious ones for all cruise lines. Will cruise passengers be as excited to sail, again and as much, when, like in Venice, where you must dock so far away from the "action"? Here are some of the reporting highlights by WSJ staff writer Allison Pohle: “Cruise passengers can be an area’s top economic driver, and it's top source of aggravation. They descend in the morning and leave in the evening, filling shops, downtown city streets and local tax coffers. Some places complain all cruise visitors do is take pictures and reserve their biggest spending for onboard the ship. In U.S. port cities including Juneau, Alaska, and Bar Harbor, Maine, local governments are focusing on how to manage these travelers and the enormous ships they travel on. Residents in such cities as Amsterdam and Barcelona are protesting the effects of cruise pollution and proposing bans on big ships. The debate is also happening in places including Hawaii and Venice, where residents complain about an overreliance on tourism.” This highly-detailed story features much about Alaska, Maine and Europe situations from the local viewpoints and future questions. Here is more from this report: "Cruise itineraries are set years in advance through coordination with local governments and ports. That means travelers aren’t likely to see drastic changes to trips they have already booked this fall and next year." The industry is trying to focus on with destination cities about "sustainable tourism" for whatever that that term might exactly mean and be viewed. That's a whole different topic and debate!! Right or wrong? Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/cruise-tourism-limits-port-cities-556b133d?mod=lifestyle_lead_pos4 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 248,537 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

From the Wall Street Journal three days ago, they had this headline: “Cities to Cruise Ships: You’re Bringing Too Many Tourists Here" with this sub-headline: "Ports in the U.S. and Europe are starting to set limits on visitors and ships to reduce crowding,” While Silversea does not have the big, BIG cruise ships, these issues and questions are serious ones for all cruise lines. Will cruise passengers be as excited to sail, again and as much, when, like in Venice, where you must dock so far away from the "action"? Here are some of the reporting highlights by staff writer Allison Pohle: “Cruise passengers can be an area’s top economic driver, and it's top source of aggravation. They descend in the morning and leave in the evening, filling shops, downtown city streets and local tax coffers. Some places complain all cruise visitors do is take pictures and reserve their biggest spending for onboard the ship. In U.S. port cities including Juneau, Alaska, and Bar Harbor, Maine, local governments are focusing on how to manage these travelers and the enormous ships they travel on. Residents in such cities as Amsterdam and Barcelona are protesting the effects of cruise pollution and proposing bans on big ships. The debate is also happening in places including Hawaii and Venice, where residents complain about an overreliance on tourism.” This highly-detailed story features much about Alaska, Maine and Europe situations from the local viewpoints and future questions. Here is more from this report: "Cruise itineraries are set years in advance through coordination with local governments and ports. That means travelers aren’t likely to see drastic changes to trips they have already booked this fall and next year." The industry is trying to focus on with destination cities about "sustainable tourism" for whatever that that term might exactly mean and be viewed. That's a whole different topic and debate!! Right or wrong? Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/cruise-tourism-limits-port-cities-556b133d?mod=lifestyle_lead_pos4 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Kotor/Montenegro: Various visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this scenic, historic location. Over 52,318 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

Great!! Look forward to seeing the visuals. Hope the weather continues to be cooperating well. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did you find the Loch Ness Monster during your visit there? Love to see your pictures of that creature!! Good luck with your replacement stop for tomorrow. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these great points, comments and follow-ups from Texas Tillie and gaspari. Agree that different folks can have a variety of varied opinions, experiences, likes, dislikes, etc. Excellent mention by gaspari about pricing. VALUE is always something to consider. Unless you are a Rockefeller heir and/or just won a Mega-Millions Lottery?? All of the cruise lines are trying to guess as to demand and price things to gain a better, higher financial return. Just have to "shop", hope you get lucky and find what is the best "FIT" in a number of different, desired categories. From our earlier Crystal experience, yes, the entertainment and enrichment was better than what we have mostly had with Silversea. It's all "broad generalizations" as to how things can vary from cruise to cruise. In 2015 on the same Silver Cloud with the same crew, our longer, first 17-day Barbados RT segment going up the Amazon River and back was much "better" for various reasons than the following nine days when we did the Dutch ABC's, etc. Different audiences and port mixes can affect the quality of the "experience". The Hotel Director shared how it would ben "different" when the passenger mix changed. Even with the same good crew and nice ship. It just happens!!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.). Now at 72,562 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/

Congratulations to India with this space accomplishment. Impressive!! From MSN and Sky News today, they had this headline: “India's moon lander shows off with another touchdown" in a story by Tom Acres with this sub-headline: "Not content with making history by reaching the lunar surface's south pole, India's moon lander has shown off by hopping to a second soft landing.” Here are some of their reporting highlights: “While the rover, named Pragyan, continued to roam the surface, India's space agency revealed on Monday morning Vikram had successfully performed a second soft landing via a 'hop experiment'. It only reached an altitude of 40cm, and moved between 30cm and 40cm, but the test was said to be a good sign for future missions that could take humans to the moon and back. The mission, named Chandrayaan-3, came after a previous failed attempt by India in 2019 and one by Moscow's Roscosmos space agency just last month. India has since also launched its first mission to study the sun.” Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/hop-to-it-indias-moon-lander-shows-off-with-another-touchdown/ar-AA1gdw10 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 245,156 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

Some of the Crystal "cheerleaders", such as active CC board poster Keith, were very happy with the initial sailings on this "NEW" cruise line. Supposedly many of the past crew members returned. From our one experience with Crystal in the Baltics to Russia, etc., in 2008, my biggest observation/comparison is that you are comparing apples versus oranges. Crystal now has only two ships, both somewhat larger and older compared to most ships with Silversea. Fewer ships, less options for where to go and explore with Crystal. Silversea has, generally, smaller and newer ships. PLUS, many more of them with a much wider variety of ports and itineraries. Are you seeking to just "Float on a Boat" or desiring to experience a certain part of the world? Many factors and details to consider. Food quality and other aspects are harder to judge and know. Clearly, ALL cruise companies are facing financial pressures and the need to catch up, pay off major debts, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Great Jimmy Buffett quote and thought shared by QueSeraSera. From yesterday, MSN News had this headline: “Jimmy Buffett Remembered by Elton John, David Letterman” with these highlights: “Jimmy Buffett was remembered today by his famous friends as the quintessential songwriter, an artist whose work ran deeper than the popular images of lazy days on the beach. David Letterman’s official Facebook account posted a clip of Buffett’s appearance on 'Late Night with David Letterman.' The clip showed Buffett playing Distantly In Love and Come Monday. Buffett told Letterman he was living in a Howard Johnson’s when he wrote the song, which became his first Top 40 single when it released in 1974. 'It hit and I paid the rent and got my dog out of the pound … and the rest is history,' Buffett said.” Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/jimmy-buffett-remembered-by-elton-john-david-letterman-kenny-chesney/ar-AA1g9dye THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio