Great Article on Overtourism - Shouldn't Cruise Lines Mix Up Their Itineraries More?

[Tom47]

36 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

You should now this by now, if you ask me, I have been to a lot of places. If I would ask you, no since I didn't spend months at the same place 🙄

 

I really dis-like the winter, the cold and the darkness. I would almost say that I hate it. Taking time off to go to a cold place means that I waste time that I could have spent somewhere warm and sunny.

Most Antartica cruises are in December to March, summer there. Temps were 40-50F for us and warmer than back home.

[Extra Kim]

9 minutes ago, Tom47 said:

Most Antartica cruises are in December to March, summer there. Temps were 40-50F for us and warmer than back home.

4-10°C will never count as warm if you ask me. Snow and winter are beautiful and fantastic to look at, on a picture.. 😂

[ed01106]

“Overtourism” is a polite way of saying that the wealthy preferred it travel was exclusively for the ultra rich and out of reach of middle class.

 

 

[ducklite]

2 hours ago, ed01106 said:

“Overtourism” is a polite way of saying that the wealthy preferred it travel was exclusively for the ultra rich and out of reach of middle class.

 

 

Many of the researchers who are championing the use of smaller ships in more fragile parts of the world are far from wealthy aristocrats.  They are making statements to try to protect the world from damage done to sensitive areas.  It doesn't exclude the middle class, it simply means that they will have to make different decisions on how to spend their disposable income.   

[lenquixote66]

On 8/3/2019 at 6:40 AM, ontheweb said:

We won't be there that day (Ringo Starr headlining), but will be at Bethel Woods on Saturday (Santana back on the 50th anniversary of their breakout performance at Woodstock with the Doobie Brothers opening.)

 

Our son is the head of parking and transportation there. He told me that the reason that they have bands those afternoons is that they hope it prevents everyone from trying to come at the same time. Saturday, Santana is sold out. The other two days will also be large concerts. (Sunday has John Fogarty with the Tedeschi Trucks Band also on the program.)

I know somebody who is a Clergyman in your town. By any chance are you familiar with a guy with the last name Blank ? He is basically weekends only.

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Like Italy. 

 

5 hours ago, Extra Kim said:

I would rather go to Cozumel.

 

Discuss.

[Extra Kim]

32 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

 

Discuss.

No need. I don't like Italy. cruisemom42 and Clo can't accept that and feel the nedd to tell me that I must like Italy... 😂

[cruisemom42]

20 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

No need. I don't like Italy. cruisemom42 and Clo can't accept that and feel the nedd to tell me that I must like Italy... 😂

 

I was just joking above based on our previous exchanges. 

 

Still, since it seems you are trying hard not to understand my meaning,  I am a fan of folks keeping an open mind rather than a closed one. I would never say I don't like the Caribbean because I haven't liked several port stops. I am not trying to tell you must like Italy. I am just asking that you clarify you have decided that you don't like the entire country based on limited experiences in a few places.

 

Viva la difference.

 

[Extra Kim]

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Viva la difference.

You are missing the point. I have been to several cities in Italy, I got the same "vibe" in all of them. From Genoa in the north to Messina in the south. 

Does that mean that I wouldn't be able to find a place in Italy that I like? Probably not. But why should I go searching for something, that I might not find, when there's places that I know for a fact that will give me the experience I'm looking for?

 

I don't know how old you are, but if you were 42 when you joined back in 2005, then you are 18 years older than me. 

My guess is that we have different perspectives based on both age and where we live. 

[MicCanberra]

8 hours ago, Extra Kim said:

You should now this by now, if you ask me, I have been to a lot of places. If I would ask you, no since I didn't spend months at the same place 🙄

 

I really dis-like the winter, the cold and the darkness. I would almost say that I hate it. Taking time off to go to a cold place means that I waste time that I could have spent somewhere warm and sunny.

Fair enough

[cruisemom42]

58 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

 

I don't know how old you are, but if you were 42 when you joined back in 2005, then you are 18 years older than me. 

My guess is that we have different perspectives based on both age and where we live. 

 

That wasn't my age -- selected '42' from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: it is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. 

 

I still work, still have limited vacation time. Having interest in some places more than others I can understand. But just can't wrap my mind around writing off places so cavalierly.  Guess I just love to travel, full stop.  (And that will be my last comment on the topic....)

[oskarNZ]

On 8/5/2019 at 7:04 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

My real concern is the smaller ports in the South Pacific which are often totally undeveloped - which is much of their charm. As bigger and bigger ships visit those the beaches and reefs will incur damage from ignorant people. 

I agree.  Currently it seems these ports are mostly limited to one ship at time.  I can only imagine the strain if it ever became multiple ships at once like in the Caribbean.

 

I’ve scanned through this thread and both the discussion and original article are interesting.

 

I live in a New Zealand resort town and the pressure caused by tourist numbers is very real. I’m not coastal, so cruises aren’t the problem, but the issue is much the same.  It really is a fine balancing act between tourism benefiting your town and completely ruining it.

 

I could go on for pages about what irks me the most (cough, irresponsible freedom campers, cough, dangerous drivers, cough).  But at the end of the day, until a clear solution is found (if ever), I think it’s just appreciated by locals if tourists are considerate of their impact on the environment, its people and their customs. There is a lot to be said about being aware of your surroundings and even small acts such as moving to the side, rather than stopping in the middle of busy pathways, can go a long way.  

I know the world of responsible tourism still has some way to go, but I also feel like it should go without saying that the only thing you should leave behind is a bit of money in the local economy (as opposed to rubbish in the lake).  😏

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by oskarNZ

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I know somebody who is a Clergyman in your town. By any chance are you familiar with a guy with the last name Blank ? He is basically weekends only.

No, I do not know that person.

[lenquixote66]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

No, I do not know that person.

Thanks for responding.

[MicCanberra]

Seems his name drew a Blank.😋

[Tom47]

12 hours ago, Extra Kim said:

4-10°C will never count as warm if you ask me. Snow and winter are beautiful and fantastic to look at, on a picture.. 😂

I do like to take cruises in warm places during the winter, although I'm not a beach person.  DW calls these cruises  "get the hell out of winter."

[Extra Kim]

3 hours ago, Tom47 said:

I do like to take cruises in warm places during the winter, although I'm not a beach person.  DW calls these cruises  "get the hell out of winter."

On Freedom Of The Seas my wife asked me if I wanted to see the ice show, my respons was: "I'm not traveling all the way to the Caribbean to sit in a damn fridge!" 😂 

[MicCanberra]

I don't mind Ice, I like it with Scotch, Bourbon, Baileys, Vodka and quite a few other spirits, I like it in cocktails, I like it in a bucket to keep the beer cold. Has many uses.

[Mike981]

7 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I don't mind Ice, I like it with Scotch, Bourbon, Baileys, Vodka and quite a few other spirits, I like it in cocktails, I like it in a bucket to keep the beer cold. Has many uses.

 

I think we both have a mutual love for ice.

[ed01106]

On 8/6/2019 at 8:46 AM, Extra Kim said:

 

I really dis-like the winter, the cold and the darkness. 

 

You would love HALF of the Antarctic cruise.  It is a bit on the chilly side, but you have very very long days.   

[SRF]

On 7/3/2019 at 3:01 PM, iancal said:

We are spending six weeks touring the Greek Islands in Sept/Oct. 

 

We are not even considering spending time in Santorini or Mykonos.   We were there years ago and again quite recently on a cruise.  Turned us off completely.  Lots of other islands to visit and spend time that are less crowded and more enjoyable.

 

Just go at a different time.

 

We spent a week on Mykonos in April a couple of years ago.  The exact opposite of crowded.

 

The day we went to Fokos beach, we had the whole beach to ourselves.

[Tom47]

DW and I have been able to visit less popular ports with Azamara.  One cruise was to the Sea of Cortez and the other to the Caribbean.  We have two more Azamara cruises coming up in the Med.  We recommend Azamara.  We also do river cruises.

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Just go at a different time.

 

We spent a week on Mykonos in April a couple of years ago.  The exact opposite of crowded.

 

The day we went to Fokos beach, we had the whole beach to ourselves.

We were at a beach yesterday - less than 2 hours from Times Square -no crowds, water about 70 F.

[MicCanberra]

I have been many places that are extremely popular with tourists but if your timing is right, you can miss the crowds.

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I have been many places that are extremely popular with tourists but if your timing is right, you can miss the crowds.

Or you can get lost and find some place way off the beaten path.

 

Once in Santorini in August, a crowded time, we ended up in a museum in a cave. After the tour given in both Greek and English since there was one other couple there, we showed the guide the HAL map we had and asked where we were. He laughed and said we were off the map.