Getting There and Back??

[cruzbums]

Because my wife has a medical problem that makes it very difficult to fly we are limited to where we can cruise from.

 

We live 60 miles south of Seattle so we try to take two cruises to Alaska each year.

 

We have always concidered the ship as our destination so this is really no problem for us. Besides Alaska has really beautiful senery and I don't get tired of it.

 

Our second favorite cruise use to be the Western Crib.

 

I know you like the Canadian cruises and I have always kicked myself that we did not take that cruise when we could. Oh well I am just happy that we have had the opportunity to do the cruising we have done and still do.

 

Happy cruising!

[sail7seas]

Cruzbums...... Who knows that I might not kick myself someday that we did not cruise Alaska 'when we could'. I guess we all make choices and hope for the best.

 

I agree.......I am grateful for the cruises we have taken and those we hope to take in the future. Also, like you, the ship is our primary, our real destination. If it happens to stop someplace we like, all the better. :)

 

 

 

[dougnewmanatsea]

we only have Business class and economy but our Business Class is very superior and a thousand times better than the first class we flew in the U.S.

Like I said... It is a very poor business class.

 

Here in Australia, Domestic Business Class does have access to the Lounges and it is free with lots of food and drink and very comfortable and with internet connections.

That's the way it is pretty much everywhere! Well, except the US of course. Here, you have to pay a large sum of money each year to be a "member" of the lounge so that you can then proceed to pay for food, drink and Internet access!

 

However, American frequent-fliers are appalled in other countries to find out that elite status doesn't get you an instant upgrade, for free! But it does get you into the lounge, through priority check-in lines, etc. which I'd take before our fourth-rate "first class" any day...

 

We were on an International flight to Rio and we were booked into Business Class which were the best seats on that flight - there wasn't First Class.

Yes... Most American airlines have eliminated first-class on international flights. Only American and United still have it, and on American it is only on about 1/2 of the international fleet (777s).

 

And now American offers one-class (!) transatlantic service, too! I think the routes are BOS-MAN and maybe a couple of others... I'm not sure. It is a regular domestic 757 with standard domestic "first class" and economy cabins, sold as an all-economy service. The "first class" seats (which are still pathetically bad, for a long flight) are used to seat full-fare passengers and elite frequent flyers but they still only get economy service.

 

I believe the excuse for this is that it is a "leisure-oriented" route or something like that. (Really? How many people go to Manchester for "leisure" purposes???)

 

But this is what the race to the bottom in the US airline industry has gotten us. It's beginning to happen in other places, too - especially in Europe. Now on some European airlines, economy-class on a short-haul flight gets no service. I mean nothing - you even have to pay for coffee, tea or bottled water! (I guess the only other choices are dehydration or drinking airplane tap water - yuck!) Even in the US they would never get away with this - I know of no US airline that does not at least offer coffee, tea and soft drinks.

 

Well, that is aside from some "regional" flights which are really short. The oddest in-flight service I have ever seen was eight years ago on a flight on Horizon Air (regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines) from Seattle to Vancouver. We were offered a choice of apple juice or beer. No water, no coffee, no tea... Just apple juice or beer!

 

Who knows that I might not kick myself someday that we did not cruise Alaska 'when we could'.

If you never have been, I would try it at least once!

[Copper10-8]

There's something about flying a 757 trans-atlantic or, worse yet, a 737-700 by Aloha Airlines trans-pacific that makes me uneasy

[WNYCRUISER]

We would love to do the Southern Caribbean, but it appears that most RT thru San Juan!!! To be honest, I'm gunshy about San Juan again.

 

I think HAL needs to homeport in Toronto and cruise to the Caribbean !!!! :D :D :D

 

 

 

We have been thru San Juan (was suppose to be on both ends of the cruise, but due to flight delays, missed the ship in San Juan.) and have vowed to avoid it at all costs. (And the cost is quite high)

HAL DOES do S. Caribbean out of New York! 11 Day RT, gets you as far south as Barbados. Toronto to NY shouldn't be a bad flight either.

[lka1012]

Living nowhere near any port, getting ther and back is an issue, That is one of the main reasons I cruise the Caribbean. IT is easier to get to a Fla port.

 

Living in a "hub" city for NWA is a two edged sword. While I can get a direct flight most anywhere, I pay more for the "priviledge." And airlinses such as Southwest do not fly from Memphis.

 

One reason I was looking forwward to HAL sailing from New Orleans was that it would be esay to hop the train to the ship. Plus a whole lot cheaper.

 

I work for a major hotel company and am able to get an employee rate that is very good. So flying in a day early and stayng in a hotel is not a problem.

[Bramcruiser]

YES!

 

Being in central Canada, (Ontario to be exact) any port destination other than those in the northeast are considerations for flying and thus the cost, time and effort of getting to a cruise is something to take into account.

 

Strangely, its much easier for me to fly to the west coast than it is to go to Florida. Sure the Florida flight is about two hours shorter but the costs are about the same and I have tons of friends and family out in BC that make a visit before or after a west coast trip a bit more appealing.

 

It would be a day's drive or 1-1/2 to 2 hour flight to either Boston or New York but the funny thing I have yet to cruise out of the north east. Still, for the right cruise I'd do it without much hesitation.

 

My previous lack of funds to pay for airfare overseas prevented me from European and transatlantic cruises although that is changing. For the first time, I'll be doing a European cruise in 2007. However, I don't see this being something I would do often as its a lot of effort and more costly.

 

The further you go...................the more you'll pay.

 

And yes, air travel is a lot less friendly and more cost-cutting than it ever used to be and its just not as enjoyable to fly off to an exotic destination than in the past.

[dougnewmanatsea]

There's something about flying a 757 trans-atlantic or, worse yet, a 737-700 by Aloha Airlines trans-pacific that makes me uneasy

I wouldn't say it makes me uneasy, but it sure would make me uncomfortable ;) !

 

I would not mind flying trans-Atlantic in one of the BBJ1s (737-700s), BBJ2s (737-800s) or A319CJs operated by PrivatAir for Lufthansa, Swiss and KLM...