TLCOhio

Earlier, I think I posted about us in early March added a new family member. It is an Aussie Labradoodle. She's puppy, but the progress is happening somewhat, mostly OK. But, you know how puppies can be, their training challenges, etc. She's Lizzie and needs trimmed. But, finding a groomer is not always easy to get scheduled. Does her mouth look big? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

WOW! The Southeast, including parts of Florida, has been hit hard by the weather. Our Spring in Ohio has been fairly good. As an example of the progress, below is a picture of the Red Bud trees coming out and looking so welcoming for this part of the season. Love these colors and to see the trees getting their leafs, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate the above wise comments and smart follow-up from our Arizona friend. You spotlight some key "hot buttons" of financial concern affecting the cruise industry. YES, the airfare costs, especially for business class, has really ramped up, UP!! In the Norwegian financial conference call this morning, there was little mention on inflation. In fact, most cruise executives, including the new Norwegian CEO have said, wishfully, that their consumers are more upscale and can afford to pay more, ignore inflation factors, etc. But, IMO, it will soon all catch-up and add-up in a way to affect consumer confidence. When it "hits" is the major unknown. Right or wrong? Predictions on timing and how deep of recession will hit us? From the Wall Street Journal this morning, they had this headline: “The Air Has Come Out of the Dollar" with this sub-headline: "Decade long rally leaves U.S. currency as much as 15% overvalued, Goldman Sachs says.” Here are some of their reporting highlights: “The U.S. economy no longer looks so exceptional. That is bad news for the dollar. The greenback has fallen about 8.6% from a peak in September, as tracked by the WSJ Dollar Index, and is experiencing its worst start to the year since 2018. Investors are betting the U.S. currency has further to fall as the Federal Reserve nears the end of its most aggressive program of interest-rate increases since the 1980s. Also weighing on the dollar: concerns over the banking system, a potential U.S. debt default and expectations, shared by many economists, that the U.S. will slip into recession in the coming months.” Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-air-has-come-out-of-the-dollar-36c4c03f?mod=hp_lead_pos2 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Venice: Loving It & Why??!! Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 102,437 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

Appreciate your kind comments and follow-up details. YES, life is an interesting "journey". Glad things have worked well with your DW as you plan for the future. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From the New York Times this morning, they had this headline: “First Republic Bank Is Seized by Regulators and Sold to JPMorgan Chase” with these highlights: “Regulators seized control of First Republic Bank and sold it to JPMorgan Chase on Monday, a dramatic move aimed at curbing a two-month banking crisis that has rattled the financial system. First Republic is the second largest U.S. bank by assets to collapse after Washington Mutual, which failed during the financial crisis of 2008 and was also acquired by JPMorgan. Founded in 1985 and the 14th largest U.S. bank as of earlier this year, First Republic’s assets were battered by the rise in interest rates, and the company had struggled to stay alive after two other lenders collapsed in March, spooking depositors and investors.” At the Norwegian quarterly review this morning, a comment came up about the rattled financial concerns over major banks needing bail-outs. Right now consumers are still booking cruises and planning to catch up from previously missed travel and adventure trips. BUT, how will these financial worries play out for continued consumer confidence during the coming months? Any guesses and speculation? Full story at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/first-republic-bank-jpmorgan.html 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 242,771 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/ From the NY Times, here is their chart showing the details for bank bail-outs, especially as compared to the 2008 when things went highly negative.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see this visual larger/better!)

Super appreciate these great suggestions, fun visuals and follow-ups regarding options for Tokyo and Japan from benntbear. Yes, everything I have heard and read says Kyoto would be excellent to see and do. From Singapore, I did check and there were no flight options going into the Kansei airport. The best I could find from American Airlines and their partners, including Japan Airline, using Frequent Flyer miles, was going into the ITM or Osaka, Japan, airport. But, I would have to fly first into NRT near Tokyo, changing planes, etc., before getting to Osaka. Kyoto sounds wonderful and excitingly historic. But, not sure those "logistics" with our limited time would be worth going that direction. It has been suggested that Kamakura might be worth considering. It was the de facto capital of Japan from 1185 to 1333 as the seat of the Kamakura shogunate, and has an estimated population of only 172,929 (2020). It is a popular domestic tourist destination as a coastal city with a high number of ancient Buddhist and Shinto shrines and temples. Am considering that as any option. Anyone been to Kamakura or any other closer day-trip locations worth considering?? Keep it coming with these suggestions and tips. 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/

Glad to hear your DIY in Africa worked well. For my wife as we age, she feels much more comfortable and worries less when we have more "seamless" tours scheduled through more established sources. Happy wife is a happy life?? Much depends on your budget, timing, etc. Each method can work. Sorry your Zambezi River sailing did not work out as well outs did. Great sharing. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Videos and sound has worked fine/perfect for me on my MacBook Pro laptop. Loving the pictures and all of the details. Super great for the "Another band for my big party." What is better than "Party Time" music and fun on the beach? Appreciate this great sharing and follow-ups from highplanesdrifters. Wonderful!! Keep it coming!! Brings back nice memories from early 2020 when we sailed the South Pacific and visited some of these scenic and interesting locations. 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/

From this morning's Norwegian quarterly financial session with Wall Street analysts, here are some of my highlights from listening to this hour-long review: Retiring CEO Frank del Rio was completing eight years as Norwegian CEO. This is his 34th quarterly report. Much was done in this program involving their new, incoming CEO, Harry Sommer. This new NCLH leader comes out of a long cruising background starting in 1992 with Renaissance Cruises. He has worked in various financial, marketing, IT areas, etc. This year is also the 20th anniversary of corporation's founding. Overall, Norwegian now is at thirty ships and 60,000 berths. They will have three new ships in this one year. Their three brands include not just the more mass-market Norwegian, but more luxury Oceania and the higher-end Regent Seven Seas. Much discussion was about and references to "healthy demand". Many mentions were made of bookings being strong despite recent banking and financial issues. Mention was made about their continued updating of Internet quality on sailing ships as being a key customer demand/interest. This year they will have a 20% capacity growth. There were various mentions about load capacity factors moving up. Key Q&A Notes from issues raised by the financial analysts: There were many mentions about future growth as they cited new-builds, plus margin enhancements. Much was stressed about robust consumer demand. The phrase “very confident” was used many times in responses. Fuel and FX costs were cited as head-wind. Various times these phrases were used: "Consumer is still strong.” “Trending healthy.” Seeking late this year to be booked 65% for the next year. On costs, discussion was held for flight prices as a head-wind factor that they believe they can manage well for customers. This cruise lines buys air tickets for over a million guest flights a year. In Alaska and Europe, they are sailing for longer periods this year. There was much on bookings and pricing as factors that they and Wall Street watches, asks about. Their cruises brands are doing more longer, premium cruises/itineraries. Most of the new-builds are being financed through 2028 at only 2-2.5% interest rates through government export agencies. We have done two different, longer cruises with Oceania. These were both 18-day sailings. One from Athens to Dubai in the Middle East and the other from Auckland to French Polynesia in the South Pacific. Oceania is not Silversea, but both worked well in offering good, creative itineraries and reasonable value. Need more? Check out this link to access more Norwegian financial data and details at: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=hNsF0Amm 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 246,693 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/ From Norwegian's quarterly report, below are a couple of their various charts from the data and financial details shared.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

This morning at 10 am, Norwegian cruise executives will face stock analysts for questions about their quarterly report. I plan to tune in, listen and will try to report back later today. From MSN News and Barrons, the financial news website, this morning, they had this headline: “Norwegian Cruise Line Sails Past Estimates. The Stock Is Up.” with these highlights: “Norwegian Cruise Line stock was on the rise early Monday after the cruise operator reported a narrower-than-expected loss for its first quarter and beat on revenue. Norwegian Cruise posted first-quarter total revenue of $1.8 billion, soaring past the $522 million recorded in the year-ago quarter 'due to the phased ramp up of cruise voyages.' Analysts had expected revenue of $1.7 billion. The company’s adjusted loss of 30 cents a share was better than the anticipated 42 cents a share, according to FactSet. The company said revenue per passenger cruise day—an industry metric—rose about 17.5% on a reported basis compared to the same period in 2019.” Good news? More revenue, but still losing money? How much longer to be dealing with red ink and needing to pay off major mega billions of dollars in loans? Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/norwegian-cruise-line-sails-past-estimates-the-stock-is-up/ar-AA1aAznp 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 256,295 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/

Appreciate these follow-ups. Yes, for subaru94, hotels in Tokyo are many and not cheap. Supposedly, Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world. Based on my preliminary research that has been true. Just need to check researching and checking. Have been told by those sperienced that location is very important, plus being near good public transit options, depending on what you want to see and do. For bennybear, this will be our first trip to Japan. As previously mentioned, in February 2024, we are planning for a Mumbai to Singapore, 18-day cruise, plus pre-cruise time in and around Delhi, Agra, etc. In going back home from Singapore, our best flight options with American Airlines Frequent Flyer miles would involve going through Tokyo's HND airport. That's when I came up with a plan for two and a half days for Tokyo and nearby. YES, it would be nice to do a full week or two in Japan, but the budget and timing limitations do no allow that for much exploring there. Maybe next time? That's why I am doing lots of research and planning for the highest priorities and optimum logistics in Japan. Any and all tips and suggestions are much appreciated. Clearly must focus on the "Best of the Best"!! 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 246,693 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

WOW!! Times ten. Amazing history, background and details from both Fletcher and MuseCruiser. Keep it coming and we appreciate these great details, visuals and follow-ups. Seeing both the lights of Yemen and Eritrea is quite a feat. Did not realize all of those countries have military bases there at this strategic location. Forgot about the French colony connections there. Looking forward to all of the details with your Saudi stops. Just saw an in-depth Peter Greenberg TV special for traveling all around that nation that is seeking to raise its tourism profile. Did not realize there is so much interesting there. Much changing and evolving in this region. Great to travel along with you folks. 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 21,764 views. Connect at: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

From the London/UK Express yesterday, they had this headline: “Cruise holidaymaker says they'll never cruise to Venice again after port 'chaos' ” with these highlights: “A cruise guest has said they won't visit Venice again, after a "shambolic" journey to the historic canal city. Since Venice banned cruise ships from the lagoon, cruise guests often have to travel to the city from another port. Venice is one of Italy’s must-see destinations, but after the city banned cruise ships, it’s become a little more difficult to reach.” With this changes, it is important to know where, how and if your ship will dock near Venice. Here is more from their reporting: "Since Venice banned cruise ships from disembarking passengers in the city, many cruise companies drop guests in nearby Ravenna before transporting people via coach or train to Venice. Cruise companies are likely to charge passengers for the transfer to Venice, which may be more than passengers expect to pay. One cruise guest ‘peppymac’ said: 'We did this in October. Drive to Ravenna was two hours, through industrial, maritime areas. Honestly, nothing to see. Ravenna cruise port was a shambolic hut of chaos. We were embarking 1,000 people between two ships simultaneously.' " Buyer beware!! Check it out in detail, in advance. Prepare accordingly. Venice is too good to mess up. Right? Full story at: https://www.express.co.uk/travel/cruise/1763844/holiday-ravenna-venice-port-nightmare?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button 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/

Appreciate these various comments, questions and follow-ups. Great sharing!! Yes, when you are traveling as far, far when going to South Africa, you need to consider, carefully, some of the many various, world-class options such as Victoria Falls. For this amazing natural wonder, the first question is to where to go and be based. Zambia? Or, Zimbabwe? Similar names, but somewhat different counties. During our time period, Zambia was rated as more "stable" and better for doing such visits. You can see Victoria Falls from both countries. Second to consider is when you go. At certain times of the year, the water flow levels are fairly low and the "look" for the water flow is more marginal. Next is one of my view captured during our 2016 visit. Near the falls, we stayed at what was then called the Zambezi Sun. It is not as upscale and costly as its luxury Royal Livingston. Our hotel, now operated under the name of Avani Victoria Falls Resort, worked very well for us and was very close for walking to experience Victoria Falls. One night, we had drinks and dinner at the lavish Royal Livingston. Here is a visual of my wife with on the friendly and helpful staff members there. Victoria Falls is rated as one of the seven natural wonders of the world next to others like the Great Barrier Reef. The 1.2 mile-wide Zambezi River drops more than 328 feet into a steeply-walled gorge. With its scale, drama, power, width and beauty it is easy to see why it is considered one of the world's greatest areas of natural magnificence. Around and nearby are a wide range of activities such as river rafting, bunjee jumping, fishing, swimming, game drives, walks with lions, etc. Planning ahead is essential, if you want to get the most out of your visit. Doing a Zambezi River sailing can be exciting and amazing. Below are a couple of samples to verify the wildlife seen, plus the view with the dramatic sunset there. For travel in parts of Africa, be careful in trying to do "it" on your own. DIY can work well in many or some parts of the world. But, here you want things to be "seamless". Not everything in this part of the world, however, always connects easily and without some logistical challenges/issues. We arranged our trip through Swain Destinations and all worked well. Need more? Added questions? 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 246,693 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

From our six different Silversea cruises, we have never had any kid "issues" or problem. The few kids we have seen have been nice, cute and well-behaved. Even the adults have been good and providing few, if any, problems. Planes, at times, might offer some challenges as such flights are usually full with ALL of kinds of people and a few "issues". We have two grandsons, ages ten and twelve, like kids, finding them mostly fun and interesting. 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 246,693 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

WOW!! Friday was an amazing upswing for cruise stocks in general and especially for Royal Caribbean. From the Wall Street Journal late Friday, below are the charts for the three major cruise lines. Will be looking for any reporting to explain this major, positive upswing for the three major cruises, especially with Royal Caribbean. Any guesses and speculation as to why and how? The overall market was up on Friday, but not to that major of a degree. 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/ From the Wall Street Journal, below are the stock charts for the three major cruise lines during the most recent week's trading. Big movements up, UP on Friday. Why?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

No! NO!! We want more!! Don't take the day off from posting. Your posting was absolutely wonderful. Great insights, thoughts and observations. Loved it all. Especially enjoyed you comparisons to Bora Bora and the amazing mantas, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Had not been familiar with Vix. It is up, UP near $19 today. If that hot?? But when I researched to learn more, I found this: "VIX ETFs are highly risky, but when traded carefully, they can prove to be lucrative." True or not? Not sure my wife is comfortable with that type of "investing". Should I tell her otherwise? From the Wall Street Journal this afternoon, they had the below chart for Royal Caribbean. The past two days for RCL and many other stocks, things have not been good and positive. Early Monday am, Royal Caribbean was at $63.20. Now down to $60.39. That's a drop of nearly $3 a share in just two trading days. The other two major cruise lines were down also. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these great details, background, visuals and follow-up. Sorry on the Internet/technical challenges. Keep it coming!! Very interesting and informative. Great historic perspectives about the changes in these areas. Loved you comparison of Dubai versus Abu Dhabi, etc. As to what is upcoming in the Saudi areas you will be visiting, a key travel website (The Points Guy) today had these details about what is coming for that rich and aspiring nation: "Saudi Arabia plans to spend $1 trillion on tourism infrastructure within the next decade – including major new airports, cruise hubs and resort developments along its coasts – with the goal of attracting more than 100 million travelers in the same period. It’s even opening its coastline to cruising for the first time with a new terminal at the Jeddah Islamic Port. The kingdom is also planning to add 500,000 hotel rooms, open an archeological attraction and launch a new airline, Riyadh Air, with the purchase of 39 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with the option for 33 more." More on future travel trends at: https://thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net/cdn/tpg-travel-trends-2023.pdf THANKS for your patience and skill! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these great details and follow-up from Lois. Glad that you loved Istanbul. It is an amazing city with so much to see and do there. BUT, as you encountered, things can be crowded and congested there. There, sadly, is a cost when a location is so super popular and of strong interest. Keep up the great sharing. You've got good reasons to go back to Istanbul and see more later. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate this excellent follow-up from Lois. Great to hear that you "loved Istanbul". Glad you have shared more at the Cooler, etc. Keep it coming!! From the respected and insightful The Points Guy travel website this morning, they had this headline: “2023 TPG Travel Trends Report” with these highlights that might of interest for those focused on the luxury cruising area: “We’ve all heard that 'travel is back' and people are taking trips differently than before. But what does that mean? Vacations are longer, and the line between business and leisure has blurred. Fears over a recession are looming but don’t seem to be hindering trips ... yet.” Here is more that is focused on cruising: "The commitment to luxury remains strong. Luxury cruises remain the one area where small and intimate is still the goal. Luxury cruising is booming. Six new luxury cruise lines have just debuted or are on the way, including four tied to high-end hotel chains." Many other trends and details are shared related to airlines, hotels, destinations, etc. Interesting overview and key points to consider. Things are not staying the same. Times are changing!! Right or wrong? Full story and report at: https://thepointsguy.com/news/2023-tpg-travel-trends-report/ and https://thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net/cdn/tpg-travel-trends-2023.pdf THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 53,918 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 updating. Keep it coming!! Any good or interesting speakers and/or entertainment? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate Lois' great follow-up and background information. Very helpful. It can always change, depending on the ship, where sailing, etc. Did postal the Coolers asking for more details about your Silver Spirit sailing. I am sure you'll respond with more background later. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Love to hear added details from Lois about the food, staff, ports, speakers, etc. Tell us more! How full was the ship, the passenger mood, staff spirit, etc.? Inquiring minds want to know much more. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From the London/UK Telegraph yesterday, they had this headline: “How to spend a vibrant weekend in Istanbul" with this sub-headline: "Where to eat, shop and stay in the city of two continents, where history oozes at every turn.” Here are some of their reporting highlights by Terry Richardson: “No other city in the world straddles two continents; nowhere else has been the capital of two empires. This vibrant metropolis of 15 million people, sprawling across the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus Strait, is unique. Founded by the Greeks, later capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire, Istanbul blossomed anew at the heart of the Moslem Ottoman Empire following its capture by the Turks in 1453. Both empires bequeathed Istanbul a wealth of superb buildings, most concentrated in the old city centred on Sultanahmet.” WOW!! That is a great and true above summary for Istanbul and its amazing history. Here is one of the top highlights cited: "the greatest single building in a city full of wonders, the Hagia Sophia. Initially a church, it was converted into a mosque in 1453, made a museum in 1934 and converted once again to a mosque in 2020; standing beneath its 55m-high dome is a humbling experience." Many options to consider are outlined, including for places to stay, what to see, etc. Full story at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/turkey/istanbul/articles/istanbul-travel-guide/ 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 71,259 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/