Hlitner

We get it :). Since we spend little waking time in our cabin/suite, the large cabins are nice but also a waste of our money. We prefer to be out and about and socializing with other passengers. When we have a large suite, we almost feel obligated to spend more time in the suite. No right or wrong it simply personal preference. Hank

Although we have been to Santorini more than a dozen time (and will again be there tomorrow) we cannot answer the OPs question. Why? The cable car can only move around 600 (in each direction) per hour. The alternative is to walk down (around 600 steps). Those are the facts and most else is speculation. Hank.

As one who does a lot of European travel (am there at the moment) we suggest a combination of major credit cards (MC or Visa) local cash, and an ATM card, That covers all the bases. Also notify both your credit card companies and ATM issuing bank of your trip. Some CC companies no longer ask for notification, but it is best to hear that from them. Hank

We can offer no help to the Op other than to try and get Elliot.org in the case. Unfortunately, the OP made some classics mistakes. 1. Only pay for a cruise reservation with a major credit card. And 2. Carefully vett any agency. Legit agencies will want a major credit card, which is actually processed by the Cruise Line. When you use a legit agency, the reservation number should show on the cruise line site within minutes. You should also receive a detailed invoice from the agency. Using PayPal or other such third party payment sites is a big no-no as you will likely lose the protection afforded by Federal Law and also not have the ability to use the credit card charge-back option. We hope it works out for the OP, but “hope” is not as good as law. Hank

We did not try to get in the Agora, but it did appear to be closed. The leather shops are alive and well and waiting for the generous tourists. ☺️

We are currently on the Vista where some things do rise to luxury status, and other things fall short (hence the Premium category does apply). An example is trying to make or cancel a restaurant reservation. On O, this means either waiting in a queue for the single person that handles restaurant reservations or trying to get through on a phone line that is seldom answered. On Seabourn (our luxury line of choice) you could just ask at any restaurant (including the lido) and it would be handled. On Explora Journeys (another luxury line with amazing cuisine) you could deal with a reservations desk (generally staffed with more then one person) or just ask at the restaurant. Another difference is in the cabins. Most luxury lines are "all suites." Luxury lines also have more space and staff per passenger. I will also mention that DW and I cruise on mass market, premium, and luxury lines. We enjoy all three categories, but approach each with different expectations. We do not expect O food when we are on Princess, and we do not expect Seabourn service when we are on O. Each type of line has their pros and cons. Hank

Most tourist-oriented (and other) businesses will be open. The problem, during Golden Week, is that many Japanese are on the move to various places to vacation or visit friends/family. The main impact on cruisers/travelers is that many of the trains and hotels may be full. If planning a train trip to the more popular places (such as Kyoto) it would be wise to make train reservations in advance. The other downside is that the more popular shines/temples will generally be packed with hordes of Japanese tourists. As Godfreyb suggests, plan ahead, make reservations, and enjoy yourself 🙂 Hank

And Good Greetings from Souda, Souda is a bay and port on the island of Crete, where we are docked today. Souda is about 3-4 miles from the much larger Chania, which is how most cruise lines list this port. Yesterday we had some drama when the Captain increased our ship to top speed and announced that he was going to dock at Souda, several hours early (this turned out to be about 11pm last night) in order to disembark a medical emergency patient. This morning, we awoke to a warm day (highs in the 80s F) and very gusty winds (probably in the 30-35 MPH range. The winds are trying to push the Vista away from its pier and this has caused issues. We are tied-up with double lines and O is using two large tugboats (one forward and the other aft) to hold the ship against the pier. We are also running our thrusters to help keep the ship docked. The danger is that without the tugs the lines might snap and lead to all kinds of difficulties. Around lunch time, it was announced that due to the high winds, passengers would no longer be allowed to go ashore....as using the gangway was dangerous. I will speculate that if we had arrived this morning, as scheduled, we would not have been able to dock (because of high gusty winds) and ended up with a sea day. Locals told us that this kind of wind is not normal. Fortunately, most passengers were able to get off the ship this morning for their excursions and DIY. DW and I debarked about 10:30, but the free shuttle bus (to town) was full and there was still a queue of over 40 souls. Since it was going to be at least 30 minutes until the free shuttle returned, the local authorities were able to bring in a city bus (for which we had to pay 1.60 Euros) for those of us who did not want to wait. Ten minutes later we were in downtown Chania, which does have a large old town shopping district, a cute old harbor (with shops and restaurants, Maritime Museum, etc.). DW and I spent about 1 1/2 hours walking in the nice part of town and then returned to the Vista for a late lunch in Waves. I assume that many first-time visitors took excursions to the ruins at Knossos, which is something we recommend to those who have never visited this site. Talking to other passengers reinforced my thinking that O desperately needs a decent App. Want to cancel or make a dinner reservation? You must either queue up on deck 5 to get to the single reservations person or try to reach that person via phone (they seldom answer). Most lines easily handle this kind of thing via App. We finally managed to get through, on the phone, and cancel our Red Ginger reservation (mentioned in a previous post). We decided to keep our Ember reservation (for tonight) since the GDR menu is not one of our favorites. Perhaps the third time, in Ember, will be the charm. Hank

Good Day from the Med, Today is a sea day (DW and I love sea days) and we are heading east, across the Med, on our way to Chania, Crete. At the moment we are making just over 19 knots, which is close to top speed on the Vista. With a stiff (over 30 knot) Northeasterly wind, this means that the wind over the decks is in excess of 50 knots! Hence, the Captain has ordered the closure of all outside deck areas above Deck 12. DW mentioned that she does think the Vista "rides well" in these kind of seas (3-4 meter swells into a stiff wind). The ship is certainly moving enough that there are likely to be more than a few souls not feeling their best. Last evening, we had a lively crowd or about 100, in Horizons, for the 10:30 - 11:15 music/dance set. At one point, the dance floor was really packed. And then, at 11:15 sharp, the music stops. We have mentioned this in a previous post, but "O" really should consider a later live music set, especially on nights before sea days. Last night we also moved the clocks forward, another hour, which now puts us a full 7 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. That gets our ship onto Greek time which is where we will be spending the next few days. Dinner, last evening, was in the GDR where we were again seated with our favorite waiter. DW and I are both constantly stuffed, from the good food here on Vista, so we both had a lighter dinner with a pasta/clams dish served in a white wine/olive oil sauce. This dish is Vista's take on Pasta Vongole, a very popular item in Italy. I finished dinner with the daily cheese plate (camembert, gouda, and gorgonzola). All the cheeses were of top quality and served at the proper room temperature. The gorgonzola was very creamy. and satisfied my craving for a decent blue cheese. That dinner paired very nicely with the Macon Village wine offering that is on the normal "by the glass" list. Lunch (a few hours ago) was in Waves where I was reunited with the surf/turf burger (Wagyu beef burger topped with chunks of lobster and an herbal mayonnaise. I have never mentioned the ship's library, and it is deserving of some attention. It consists of two rooms located on the opposite side of the ship from Barista's with a connecting route between the two venues. This space would certainly qualify for a prize as one of the more attractive "libraries at sea." Hank

We seldom disagree with Euro-Cruiser, but the train option might be a bit difficult for 8 seniors (I am also a senior) and you will still need local taxis to get from the train station to the port. I assume that NCL will provide some transfer options and we would suggest asking them about what is available. Hank

A beach “day” with 1:30 arrival? Our norm would be to go into town, walk over to the bus stop near the windmills, and grab a bus to Paradise or Platis Gialos. But the late arrival makes this not practical. IMHO you would be smart to book the ship’s beach transfer or other similar excursion. Hank

As a cruise fan,I think we can all overthink policy. To this frequent cruiser I could care less about mergers or senior management. What matters is what we experience onboard. If there is no prime rib in Polo, that is a fact. Speculating about who made the decision does not matter. It still sucks. That being said, many of us can plead guilty to trying to understand bad decisions. Hank

Getting back to the original question, we prefer ships with fewer than 1000 with 600 (or less) being ideal. The downside is that these ships are usually expensive. Been cruising since the 70s on all sizes from 20 - 4000+. Hank

Best or best value? Trains offer the best value along with the Flixbus. Another option is a one way rental car which will generally need to be dropped a taxi ride from the port. A private car/driver or taxi will be very expensive. Hank

We agree regarding Polo. Keep in mind that our cruise is longer and what is good the first time can fade as one has more chances to test the menus.