biker1972

If you book with one of the industry-standard lines, you can save money by getting insurance from them (since the amount you have at risk of default is very low until shortly before sailing).

Not sure it the people on the Tom Harper trips would agree with this.

What risk were you assuming they were talking about? Did they mention something about you not getting satisfaction and they would give you your money back? In general terms "risk free" sounds like advertising fluff. Something like "we will see that you are not harmed" or "you can trust us not to leave you stranded in the middle of Russia" could be implied. Normally you cannot base claims on statements in advertising when there is a contract that you have agreed to in place. Those pictures that you see in the video are not always the way it really will be. I recently got a advertisement from Vantage about their river cruises in France. The whole thing talked about France with many wonderful pictures plus one unidentified picture of Igauzu Falls. Yes, they do land trips that include Argentina and Brazil but they did not mention that in their flyer for France. If I were naive I might have thought that France had a massive water falls. The point is: be skeptical of advertising.

I will not tout a particular cruise line, but offer some opinions about what to consider. The more days that you can devote to any cruise, the more you will enjoy it. Seven nights go by so quickly and for a first cruise of any sort, you will just be getting your sea (river) legs when it is over. Lead in prices are for the smallest cabins. These cabins work well enough, and do save you money, but are less enjoyable than larger cabins that offer a side chair or sofa. Bigger windows or a full veranda make even riverboat cabins seem larger. Generally ocean liners have larger cabins at the lead in price than the riverboats. Take less stuff, not more, because in all likelihood you will not use everything in that big suitcase. Very few lines have truly formal nights and river cruises seem to not have them at all. Country club casual pretty much works every night.

Notamermaid nails it: our expectations are often based on advertizing which paints a best case scenario and has little to do with the reality that comes with a purchase.

Perhaps asking for full payment a year prior to a cruise is not the standard, but it should be noted that airfare is paid when booked, up to 330 days prior to a flight. Vantage is now offering a 10% discount if they receive payment in full shortly after booking. The river cruise lines also offer incentives to use an e-check which has none of the protections that a credit card offers. Do any of these business models help or hurt the consumer? They certainly are in place because the cruise line found them valuable. It is wise to plan travel with both eyes wide open and be aware of possible problems, some of which can be insured against.

Buying directly from the airline, even a restrictive economy fare, does have one advantage over tickets purchased through Expedia, Cheapo Air, etc. You are the airline's customer while tickets purchased through the discounters means that you are the discounter's customer. If an airline is going to care about anyone, it will be their customer and if you are not their customer there is less incentive to take care of you. :(

The cruise lines that arrange for air have all negotiated contractual rates that mean that the tickets are highly restrictive. How restrictive is the real question and next to impossible to know or find out. Everything is governed by the fare rules and no one is forthcoming with those rules. There are many threads about this on the Cruise Air forum here at CC. As long as things don't go sideways, these tickets will work just fine. It is on that occasion when things do go sideways that one finds out about the fare rules. The 2 biggies are not being able to reroute or not being able endorse the ticket to another airline.

Check out the White Castle web site. According to it they started in 1921 for 5 cents each. The original sliders were holeless. I would guess that in 2021 they will have some kind of a celebration. Hope to be there. Their headquarters is in Columbus, Ohio and I live in a nearby city. :D

Ah, the White Castle that looks exactly like the White Tower! And the coffee at 2:00 AM is just as good today as it was 40 years ago when I had my first sackfull. Fortunately I go by several White Castle locations once or twice a month. While I was still working it was every day, and many days I did not go by! :D

Advice that continues to be given here on Cruise Critic: if your cruise vacation absolutely must have a particular port of call, schedule a land based vacation. Oceania has just changed two calls in Egypt to other countries. High water has stopped the American Queen on the northern reaches of the Mississippi as well as the Tennessee. European river cruises have been impacted by high and low water. Canadian ports have replaced island trips during hurricane season. And every cruise contract gives the various lines the ability to make changes without compensation. In a perfect world these things would not happen; so remember that we do not live in a perfect world.

The flight you are worried about takes off in October. Much can happen in 5 months including sales. The airline is not a charter so the worry about the flight not actually leaving is small. The flight being changed, either time or metal, is much greater than not going. Mechanical problems have grounded flights, but no one knows about that until shortly before takeoff. Just be glad you have the seat(s) booked with FFM's and quit stressing over seating charts that are not accurate as to seats sold.

Tampa airport and cruise port far easier to deal with, but the things to do and see far greater in the Miami/South Beach area. Be aware that fog, while an unusual event in Tampa, can disrupt sailing schedules because it can shut down the channel entering the harbor.

No FTF. It is there in the fine print.

Pricing is always related to supply and demand. If demand for a river cruise in July or August is low, prices are adjusted. Airfare likewise is adjusted almost daily from the time bookings open for a flight and when the metal leaves the ground. Cruise line price adjustments have not reached that point yet, but often people on board paid far different prices from other people just down the hallway in the same kind of cabin.

I find that any pre/post stays can always be booked DIY at a much lower rate. Even Alaskan cruise tours can be booked DIY for much less than the add on cost that the cruise line charges. Generally shore excursions booked on your own also save money. Trip insurance can almost always be purchased for about 6% of the trip cost. The extra 4% to 5% that the cruise lines factor into the formula is their profit. The cruise lines use the convenience factor which works for many customers who do not enjoy the search for private vendors. What works for some does not work for all.

It is also important to remember that insurance purchased through the cruise line most likely does not cover insolvency of the cruise line. Very important in this time of economic upheaval (see Tom Harper Tours/Club ABC Tours).

Every review that I have found, is colored by the reviewers background. There will be people who swear that Viking has the best customer service and others who say Vantage let them down. What their expectations are vs. what they actually get is the big issue. Finding a neutral reviewer, much like Consumer Reports, here at Cruise Critic is very difficult. We all want to think that our decisions that were correct for us should be followed by all others while reality is that we are all individuals with different needs and desires. Thus the many choices that we face as to which product to finally purchase. I try to keep an open mind and not worry about who is "better" because my need is to enjoy life at this moment because it could be my last moment.

Expanding on theater and Globaliser's remarks: http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/daniel-pipes/security-theater-now-playing-at-your-airport-by-daniel-pipes/

You will also find that the river cruise lines are asking for final payment far earlier than ocean lines. There is an ongoing discussion here about getting extensions to this time line, but be ready to make full payment shortly after booking especially to get best deals. And plan on booking early since the best dates go quickly. 2015 is pretty much gone right now.

HK, that sounds about right in case of bankruptcy. The thing that comes to mind, if any line goes bankrupt will they cancel or simply lock the doors and turn off the phone. I think that is what happened at Tom Harper. No money, no reason to do anything more. :( And they don't have much in the way of assets to sell.

Will also be nice to find out how credit card companies handle repayments ( if they don't hide behind the 60 day limit on issuing refunds) since most of us make final payment at 90 days or to get best pricing when we pay in full at the time of booking.

Oppps: :o http://www.americanbar.org/publications/gp_solo/2013/may_june/travel_agents_their_role_and_liability.html This is the page with info about TA's and their place in the business world from a legal standpoint. Who do they represent the big question.

The problem with tipping from the standpoint of most people is that we don't know if or how an employee is compensated. These things I know: in the US wait staff are generally paid half of the minimum wage; my beautician is an independent operator who pays rent for her chair; and the bellman pauses a long time after showing off the hotel room. But on a cruise who gets paid what and what are their daily expenses? How do you compensate a hard worker doing the assigned job for no pay as opposed to the hard worker with a salary that pays very well? What does the bus driver get from a company where tips are included and what salary does that same driver get when driving for a company that does not have include tips? So how is the Viking program director (CD) compensated? :confused:

Here is a good reference guide regarding providers: http://petergreenberg.com/2012/10/24/4-ways-to-protect-yourself-if-your-travel-provider-goes-unde/ This next article gives information that is of interest if you are using a TA (it is legal terminology but easy to understand): http://petergreenberg.com/2012/10/24/4-ways-to-protect-yourself-if-your-travel-provider-goes-unde/

Susan: you are right about coverage being for the provider and not the TA. This is why it is wise when working with a TA to make sure that credit card payments go to the service providers and not the TA. The hidden danger that lurks out there is if the provider is providing the insurance for the trip. You add the insurance to your trip cost by choosing (for example) Viking Protection and pay them directly. We all love one stop shopping. :) For whatever reason they then fail to pay X insurance company the group policy fee and the consumer never knows. This can happen when a company is near financial ruin and they need operating dollars to stay afloat. And suddenly the consumer finds out that their trip insurance was never paid for and they are left with no way to recover their loss.