lynncarol

My husband and I only bring carry-on luggage whenever we travel and we don't use the ship laundry unless it is free. Tricky to do...especially as I always bring my personal small pillow along. More challenging on a long cruise (17 days) but we are good at handwashing clothes at night and our perks on one line gives us a bag of free laundry..

Getting separated used to be a problem, but now that my husband's vision is more impaired, he sticks to me like glue during excursions. If one of us has to peel off for some reason (like using the bathroom or taking more photos) then we both stop. Fortunately, I have a good sense of directions and can always get us back on track.

Just returned 3 days ago from a Duoro River cruise. Weather was mostly sunny and coolish (high sixties). Since I am always cold, all my photos show me in a light sweater. Only one afternoon did we have rain. Visiting the vineyards along the way they all said the same thing: July and August can be almost unbearable with temps over 100 degrees at times. Last summer apparently was so hot and dry that the vines bore much less fruit. Our river tour included 3 days in Spain, which was having a heat wave...temps in high eighties/low nineties.

My husband and I just returned from our Vantage Duoro River cruise (April 14 - 28th). Despite some issues with making sure our flights were actually booked (which I posted in another forum) our flights booked by Vantage ended up having no issues whatsoever and we had great seats on each leg of the journey. The good: The Duoro region is gorgeous. I had no idea Portugal was so hilly. Our hotels were very nice and the staff everywhere so helpful and friendly. Our concierge and cruise director were great. Lots of excursions planned throughout the trip plus time to explore on your own if desired. The not so good: Cabins on the ship are small. It was difficult to move around the king-size bed on one side (mine, of course) to get to the bathroom at night and I am not a large person. They serve lots of food at each meal, one side of the buffet table had the main entrees and salads, and the other side the desserts. This resulted in long lines at buffet meals as everyone had to get in single lines for their food in a counter-clockwise direction going around one way only Fortunately, most dinners were not buffet and for some reason, the buffet breakfast and lunch services were not so bogged down. The cruise director and concierge were both retiring after our cruise for family reasons. We were there when the Vantage site was hacked and although I am sure our staff was going crazy, the passengers were not impacted at all.

For an trip throughout Italy in September of 2021, my husband and I used Italiarail because the Trentalia site, to me, was confusing (despite inputing the Italian names), Meanwhile, our daughter and husband purchased through Trentalia and I think maybe their cost was 5 dollars less. Both tickets worked perfectly.

Yes, when I finally got through to Vantage Air, they initially tried to blame the airline but since I just had spoken to an airline supervisor (because I couldn't believe it when the first agent said our tickets were no longer valid) I had the full story. When confronted with this information, the Vantage flight person put me on hold for another 10 minutes, then came back to say she 'had fixed it' which I took to mean they had finally coughed up the money, I then pulled up the airline website, and sure enough, we were ticketed. We leave in two days...if I find myself stranded without a valid ticket, I will report back.

Our whole family has global entry. However, I'm pretty sure it only works for getting into the USA. I don't think it will help at all in Canada.

Never volunteered to participate in any audience participation during theater events... even when I know we could win. I refuse to respond when the magician tries to ascertain who in the audience is most susceptible? (I know it would be me as I use self-hypnosis to fall asleep each night). My only claim to cruise-fame was mortifying. When I was in my late sixties I was sitting in the theater between my two parents, both in their nineties. My dad raised his hand when the cruise director tried to determine who had been married the longest? When Dad replied 72 years, the director left the stage and came to us in the audience. As the spotlight shone, he asked my father the secret to a long marriage and then turned to me, stuck the microphone in my face and asked, "Do you agree with what your husband just said?

Are you by any chance on the Duoro River cruise? We leave in 2 1/2 weeks also.

I would think that flights coming up in the next 2 1/2 weeks would be paid for already. The airline specifically told me (and I talked to the supervisor because I didn't believe the first agent) that Vantage had passed the date to reconfirm our tickets. Also, I usually do book our own flights when we travel but as Vantage was offering free airfare on this particular voyage, I went along with them.

One more thing: American airline's site did have our flights listed, but when you checked at the top of their page, it did NOT say ticketed. So be sure to look if the flights on the airline's website actually say 'ticketed'.

After reading these posts, I got nervous that our flight reservations through Vantage might have a problem, despite MY PORTFOLIO saying all was in place, including giving us the flight schedules and seat assignments. When I called American airlines, they had NO record of any of the flights. Further investigation by the airline informed us that although the initial reservations were made, Vantage was supposed to call back and reaffirm which they never did. It took hours on the phone with Vantage flights to get this corrected. So warning: Check with the airline to make sure that the flights have been reaffirmed. Otherwise, we would have shown up at the airport only to learn no tickets were in our name.

Just a heads-up to all Vantage River cruise folks who used Vantage to book their air. Even though My Portfolio showed that air flights were in place, with confirmation numbers seat #s etc, when we called the airline, they had NO RECORD of our reservations and said that the third party booker (Vantage) had not reaffirmed the booking in time so all was cancelled. Finally resolved after hours on the phone with Vantage flights but you need to check airline bookings to make sure it actually says "ticketed"

Spent 3 nights in Vernazza in Sept 2021 as part of our 3 week independent tour of Italy. Even then, with Covid impacting the number of visitors, the place was mobbed with tourists. We even had to stand in line to get into the village's tiny grocery store. I can only imagine the number of folks there now. That said, it is a pretty place, especially at night when the day trippers depart. There is a small beach and lots of folks were in the water. Maybe it was because of the crowds, but Cinque Terra was our least favorite stop in Italy.

Thanks for the affirmation. I feared I would get a lot of push-back from dressage riders for my post, but felt I needed to give a j'heads up" to others who may feel as I do.

Where is the cruise shuttle to Anchorage dropping you off? Downtown? the Airport? If downtown, my husband and I stayed at the Anchorage Comfort Inn at Ship Creek which provided a free airport shuttle. I can't imagine they would do that for 10 people however, if you rented one room. The Anchorage Museum was an easy walk from the Comfort Inn and we found that fascinating. I think that would be something a big group would enjoy Maybe you could call the Inn, explain your situation, pay for one room and just use the room for luggage. The group could hang out in their lounge, explore Anchorage by foot and then get your own transportation to the airport..

Having been on many cruises (probably 2X per year) over the past thirty years. The one time I got sick was a year ago on a 10 day Caribbean cruise when I came down with Covid....despite being vaccinated and boosted. Plus, at that time, everyone onboard had to be vaccinated too. Started feeling like a cold was coming on the last night onboard. Stayed in my cabin, disembarked and masked until I got home and tested just to make sure. Shocked to get a positive result since, thanks to the vaccines, I never got really sick. However, now that my usual cruise lines have dropped all Covid requirements, I think I will sit this next year out. So, judging by my experience, yes... you are now more likely to get sick onboard a cruise ship.

Agree that most independent excursions will be already full. However, in Juneau you can easily purchase bus tickets near the pier to visit Mendenhall Glacier and Visitor Center and walk to Nugget Falls. If you have a National Park pass, use it to access the special viewing rooms in the visitor center. In Skagway, take public bus and hop off at the train depot where you can walk to Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls. The Klondike Gold Rush NHP in town also gives a nice walking tour, but you need to sign up in advance. We hopped off the ship in the morning, signed up for an afternoon walking tour before heading to the Cemetery and falls.

My husband and I are in our mid-seventies and can assure you that getting around by train in Italy is easy and we don't speak any Italian The only tricky part is when your train is arriving from some other station, the main schedule board won't post which track platform until, at best, 15 minutes ahead of the train's departure time. You will see lots of folks in the station staring up at the main board when it gets within 20 minutes of their departure

My husband and I have traveled on our own to Vienna twice (6 days in total) and visited the Spanish Riding School when they were having a practice session. I am assuming folks know that this is dressage riding the horses are doing. The arena is lovely, complete with chandeliers. But as a former rider myself with a grandaughter who has taken lessons for years, I still have to admit that dressage is boring to watch. I know dressage takes a lot of practice and control, but after half an hour watching these very slow precise movements of horses and riders, while trying to peer over the crowds of visitors, we were ready to leave. Just saying...you of course may have a different opinion.

Depends on what time your flight is. If staying in old town, I would allow 4 hours before flight leaves to get to airport and check in. (I usually try to arrive 3 hrs early for international flights). If this is not feasible, stay near the airport.

Our 4th cruise with Vantage is coming up. No casinos and the only difference I can tell between Vantage and Viking is that the latter serves free alcohol at both lunch and dinner while Vantage does only at dinner. I have been loyal to Vantage since 2014 on our Black Sea cruise as it was the ONLY cruise line that didn't cancel that itinerary after Russia annexed the Crimea.

Three years might work if I were so impaired that the alternative would be a nursing home. Once we saw a very elderly and frail woman, who resided on the ship. She got room service for her meals and enjoyed sitting on her balcony when the weather was nice. Not a bad way to go if you have the money for it.

Interesting comments. I like our loyalty perks on several lines but primarily book for ports. I must admit I always check to see how many other ships will be there on the same dates. Incidentally, I also check for number of ships in a port when we travel independently on land. I once planned our whole week-long trip to Croatia around the one day when no cruise ships were in Dubrovnik.

My first cruise was a 20th anniversary surprise gift from my husband thirty seven years ago. On this round-trip sailing from NYC to Bermuda the seas were rough and I got so sea-sick it took 10 years for him to get me back on a ship. So glad he did as I now love cruising (even though I still require dramamine at times). I've lost count of how any cruises we have taken, not only on our own, but with kids, parents, grandkids and friends, all of which have significantly enhanced our lives.