Hlitner

On one of our visits to Katakolon, we rented a car (easy to do in town within walking distance of the pier) and decided to explore the coast towards the north (where you find most of the beaches). The closest beach was about 4 miles distant and there were some nicer beaches even further north (i.e. Paralia Skafida, Paralia Agios Llias) where they did have a few beach umbrellas/loungers for rent (we just had lunch at a nearby restaurant). We did not notice any public transportation (i.e. buses) in the region so folks would either need to rent a car or hire a taxi. Hank

The best starter, I have ever had on any cruise, was on our first Azamara cruise (its first year of operation) in Aqualina. I ordered a cold seafood starter and the waiter brought me a big platter, filled with shaved ice. In the ice there were large shrimp, half a lobster tail, clams, and oysters, Very simple, but absolutely perfect in prep and presentation. Hank

The SB of today does have formal nights (usually 1 or 2 a week. On the formal nights, there is a pretty rigid dress code in the Restaurant, but those not wanting to comply can dine in the other dining venues. There are always some interesting discussions on SB about SB vs SS and you can hear fans of both lines. We would be happy on either line, but prefer SB because of its more fun atmosphere (block parties, caviar in the surf, deck parties, etc). Even luxury lines can be fun as long as the cruisers are not too full of themselves. I am enjoying this thread and the friendly back and forth. For us, the entire "loyalty" thing is ridiculous and not even a consideration when we book cruises (16 lines to date). Even though we are in the top tier on muliple lines, the loyalty perks have never driven any of our cruise decisions. Nearly 50 years of extensive cruising has taught us that there are things to like and not like about any line, be it a budget, mass market or luxury product. When we think back over our post-COVID cruises they have been with MSC (Yacht Club), Seabourn, HAL, and Princess. Our next 3 are with Explora Journeys, O and Princess. All the variety makes it so much fun, the entertainment really varies, and the food options also vary between cruise lines. Itineraries also matter, and limiting ones self to one or two cruise lines really limits itinerary options. Hank

Our favorite cruise agent does not like to get involved in air (we posted this earlier). Why? These days, she would probably need to have me on the phone for 15-30 minutes to ask specific questions such as "when do you want to go," what airport do you want to use, do you have an airline preference, do you have frequent flyer numbers, do you have a known traveler number (KTN), do you have any outstanding airline vouchers/credits, do you need transfers, etc. etc. And after doing all that, she and her agency will get no commission. The Internet has changed "everything" when it comes to travel, airlines, hotels, etc. I need to book a pre-cruise hotel in Miami (or Miami Beach) and there are hundreds of possibilities How on earth can I expect an agent to know what is on my mind? Should we stay in an inexpensive hotel near MIA? Should we book a moderately expensive hotel in Brikell? How about the Intercontinental with its location near Bayside? Should we spend a night in South Beach or perhaps fly-in a few days early to stay in South Beach? I ask myself dozens of questions when booking a hotel (and than discuss the options with DW)? Our cruise agent can book hotels (they do get a commission) but she would have no clue as to what we want? And we also choose hotels because of their location vis-a-vis favorite restaurants. I made this a lengthy post to show the absurdity of having a third party handle most travel arrangements. Some folks will be OK with whatever a third party might do (those are the kind of folks that book cruise line pre-post cruise hotel packages), but most travelers have their own preferences. In the time it would take my cruise agent to learn about our preferences for air and hotels she could have booked 5 or 6 cruises for other clients. Hank

We always opt for a balcony cabin or small suite. But I do not think we ever opened our balcony door during that Transpacific phase of our cruise. We do some cruisers that would suggest just doing an inside cabin on a crossing :). Hank

Argh! We used to post lots of warnings about pickpockets in Pireaus/Athens (which we think is almost as bad as in Barcelona). The Green Line metro is quite well known for the pickpockets and folks really need to be aware and take precautions. We learned a few ideas from a retired US Secret Service Agent we once met on a river cruise. He was our dinner companion and told us many interesting tales including how the secret service agents on the Presidential details used to get pickpocketed because their attention was always elsewhere than on themselves. So his two simple ideas have served us well. For ladies, they should secure their purse zippers with a large diaper pin and always wear their purse cross-shoulder (never put it down when in a cafe/restaiurant. For men, keep your valuables in a front pocket and secure that pocket with a large diaper or safety pin. He also suggested that men who carry wallets put a couple of thick rubber bands around the wallet (makes it very difficult to slip it out of a pocket). I guess you could add to this simple list the suggestion to wear backpacks on your chest! In the past few years we have seen more younger folks doing this while traveling around Europe. I guess the best solution is to simply go to Japan where personal crime is very rare. Hank

There are taxis at the port, although supply/demand could cause some times where you would need to wait. Some French taxis do take major credit cards, but others will want cash (Euros). IMHO, when you travel in Western Europe it is always a good idea to carry a reasonable amount of Euros. You need to be prepared for times when a taxi or restaurant will say "our credit card machine is not working" which seems to happen from time to time. It is easy to get cash from ATMs throughout Europe. Hank

Great picture (above). When we were in Ajaccio, on a hot day, we simply walked from the tender pier through town (bought a nice lunch of moules et frites) and over to the town's beach. We understand there are some nicer beaches a few miles from town (for this you would need to use local transport or an excursion). I do not recall sunbed rentals (in town) so bring some towels from the ship. Hank

Your Pacific crossing is similar to ours in that you will be cruising through the Northern Pacific. If you followed some of the threads (this year) you would have noticed that we skipped Kushiro and just went directly from Yokohama to Kodiac This change in itinerary was done because the weather forecast for the waters off Kushiro were so bad that our Captain decided it would not be safe. As it was, we had nearly a week of awful weather (most of the crossing) with 20-25 foot seas the daily norm. For folks who are not good sailors, it was a miserable week and for those of us who enjoy the rocking n rolling, it was OK. I actually spoke to our Captain, one evening at the Ocean Bar, and he said that rough seas are not unusual is those waters. As to the Internet, HAL is like most cruise lines in that their Internet service is slow, but it does work. We were always able to access the Internet during the cruise, although did a lot better using land-based cells whenever we were close (or docked) in Japan. We have T-Mobile, which simply works in over 200 countries (for no additional fees) and it did work throughout Japan. For others who do not have included Internet in Japan, they might want to consider renting a "pocket wifi" device for the weeks that they are in Japan (you can Google "Japan pocket wifi" and read about rentals. Hank

My issue with the Princess insurance (and most other policies sold by cruise lines) is the wholly inadequate medical component. IMHO, $100,000 is the minimum folks should want for medical. Cruisers worry themselves sick about cancelation protection, but do not normally pay attention to medical. In the real world, cancelation is painful, but the loss is about the same as if you had taken the cruise (so you can afford the loss). But a big medical issue (say $75,000) would leave many folks facing personal bankruptcy. In the USA, unexpected medical expenses are the number 2 reason for personal bankruptcy (losing a job is #1). Nobody goes bankrupt because of trip cancelation. Think about it! Hank

Lesson learned, Next time, use a decent cruise agency/agent. When you need something you just send a quick e-mail to the agent and let them deal with the waiting time Hank

All strange. HAL 5* also gets 200 but Princess, is not even listed. Strange. I also notice they do not say where to send the request for the match. Another question I have is are these points worth anything?

I know that sometimes I can sound like a broken record, but my suggestion is rent a car. Driving around Rhodes is not difficult (once outside of Rhodes Town) and the only problem we have ever had is trying to park at Lindos. Avoid Lindos, and it is easy peasy. There are some local rental car companies that have cars right at the port (very convenient). It is a large island so you should have some kind of game plan for the day. The last time we were on Rhodes (Aug 2021) we did rent a car and just explored parts of the island we had never seen on previous trips. We eventually found ourselves at a beach (located somewhere along the coast between Rhodes Town and Lindos) where we rented sunbeds for a few hours (it was a hot and gorgeous day). We will echo Cruisemom's post about the long (and sometimes steep) walk up to Lindos. Lindos has really become a victim of overtourism, has been overly commercialized, and is a darn shame. It would not surprise me to return to Lindos and find camel rides, bungee jumps, etc. If they add a ferris wheel they could even compete with Lands End (England) for the tackiest tourist trap in Europe. Hank

This is a problem with the Internet. There are many companies (both transportation and tour) that have nice web sites and encourage pre-booking. But, in nearly all cases, these are simply third party consolidators who take your money and than arrange for your transport through a company that is actually in your port location. So, you are not really dealing with a taxi company that is all over Europe, but what is basically a booking agency. When things go wrong it is nearly impossible to get your money back since the local taxi company will tell you to go back to the booking company and the booking company will either ignore you or tell you to talk to the real taxi company. We have long recommended that when folks want to book a tour or taxi/transport they deal directly with a local company (the real provider). This sometimes takes a little more work/time, but is usually time well spent. Hank

There is another option, for some, which I almost hesitate to mention. Have you considered just renting a car (upon your arrival in Italy) and dropping it at Civitavecchia? Of course that assumes you are willing (and able) to drive in Italy Driving around the Amalfi Coast is always a hassle (because of traffic) but doable but we would suggest using a ferry or bus to go to Positano because of the parking issues at that town. Hank

Ouch. Good luck. If everyone on your ship needs to use the cable car, it will take about 4 hours just to move all those folks up to Fira. Cruise mapper shows 4 ships today, with all of them arriving around the same time. Sounds like a nightmare...if nobody can use Athinios. Hank

Missed the insurance thing. Rental cars in France (and just about everywhere in Europe) come with some insurance (I believe it is the law) but, just like here in the USA, the devil is in the details. The "excess" or deductibles can be high, so many folks may want to pay for extra insurance to lower the deductible. For those who want to take some chances, many US major credit cards include some rental car insurance although the procedures (if you need to use it) can be a hassle. I agree that the insurance thing is "tricky" and folks should read the fine print and look at their options. Hank

My goodness, all the dress code stuff still gets cruisers into a bad place. My message to the OP is, dress the way you please. A majority of folks on your cruise will not pay any attention to silly things like "white and gold," "orange night on HAL," etc. These days, it has become more of an "everyone does their own thing." On Princess, a majority of folks do dress a little nicer on the dressy nights, but theme dress is not a big deal. I will admit that having spent far more than 1200 days on cruise ships (as a passenger), DW and I have NEVER paid any attention to theme nights/dress. And somehow we have survived :). Hank

I am assuming, from the OP's post, that they are working with a very tight budget. Yes, cruising has become more expensive (as has just about everything) but there are still some bargains that might interest a first time cruiser. The OP should take a look at MSC, who has some cruises out of Miami and Port Canaveral. MSC does an excellent job offering cruises at various price points. One can cruise quite cheaply if they book an inside cabin at a lesser "experience." If you are willing to give-up some of the perks that go with higher price points, you can cruise....pretty cheap. All cruisers had to start somewhere and many of us did start with lower cost 3-4 day itineraries in low cost cabins. For us, it was back in the 70s on NCLs Sunward II. Our first cruise was 4 days (to the Bahamas) and now, more than 50 years later, that first cruise still makes me smile. Hank

I know this might sound a bit strange, but do as you please :). Most folks go on cruises with the thought of maximizing their time in ports (especially true in Europe/Asia) But there are always some folks who enjoy spending part of all of a port day on the ship (we sometimes fall into this group). That being said, most folks you find aboard a ship in port either have some mobility issues or have been to that port many times. What is a ship like when in port? There are generally few or no scheduled activities and the ship operates in an almost quiet state. There will be the onboard services, such as some bars and perhaps the Lido, but things are usually quiet. There will usually be fewer crew (some do get time off to go ashore), and some services (such as the shops, some bars, etc) will be closed. Hank

I will answer your question with a question. What will you do if your flight is 3 hours late? Assuming your flight is from Canada, it is not that unusual for flight to be delayed, sometimes for many hours. Another issue is your luggage? If your luggage misses your flight and shows up on the next flight....hmm. To put this in perspective, even if your flight is exactly on time you may not get your luggage until about 11:30. You will than need to get to the port and that takes up to an hour. So, if things go almost perfectly, you should arrive at your ship around 12:30. There is a reason why most seasoned cruisers fly-in at least one day early (when going to Europe we generally go several days early. You are leaving yourself almost no margin for error. Another reason we like to fly-in days early is for the peace of mind (and lack of any anxiety). And flying into Rome a few days early is not a bad thing as Rome is worthy of at least a few pre-cruise days. So my advice is that you should have a "Plan B" in your mind just in case you do miss your cruise. Plan B will be how (and when you will catch up to your ship at one of the following ports. Hank

As others have posted, 12:50 is completely fine (some might say near perfect). You can easily use the cruise ship transfer options or book a private transfer. We prefer private transfers and use Stefano's Rome Cabs. No reason to rush as leaving the port around 8:30 will give you more than enough time to dislike the wait at FCO :). Hank

Perhaps Flatbush Flyer can have a word with FDR about the cookies. I have been spoiled by some of the cookies on Seabourn (usually in the case at Seabourn Square) which taste like really good cookies bought from a decent bakery. How do you make tasteless cookies? I am told it is usually just skimping on the butter. A "Premium Line" with budget cookies does not make a lot of sense

I did notice your other thread and the mention of the NCL itinerary. Before we retired we spent many summers in the Med (often Italy and Greece) and heat (and lots of tourists) are always an issue. It can get very hot in Rome, but think late June vs mid July would be like rolling the dice. Both times can be potentially hot (or not) and both times are in prime tourist season. Also beware of cruises that involve Venice, since none of these ships actually port in Venice. Folks are often upset to find out their ship is going to Trieste or Ravenna. But if a cruise ends in Trieste, there will be some kind of transfer offered to VCE (not our favorite airport). It looks like ITA ) has several non-stop flights between VCE and FCO (Rome). It is possible to connect at FCO and fly direct to Naples. One could also take the train from Rome to Naples.

No, trains are not an option. You are talking about approximately 900 miles in terms of trains or driving. The Internet shows us that trains are about 28 hours (when they run) As to the price of flights, when you get into the low cost/no frills European airlines..who knows? You can pay $400 or you might find some kind of bargain fare for $80 and than get charged $300 for your luggage and another $100 to use the bathroom (only kidding). When pricing out airlines like Ryanair you must carefully look at all the extras such as for checked luggage, carry-on, etc. The problem (for you) is geography. Just look at a map and you can see that there is no short land (or even sea) route between Rome and Athens. Also keep in mind that flying also comes with some issues. You must get yourself to FCO, which is about an hour from the port at Civitavecchia. You also need to figure on being at FCO at least 2 hours before your flight (it is considered a domestic flight). And once at ATH you are looking at a 45 min drive (longer if traffic is heavy) to the port at Pireaus. What you want to do is possible (we do crazy things like this) but does take planning and a real spirit of adventure. When I do things like this I always want to have a "Plan B" backup. In this case, there really would be no good alternative other than flying. If you are rushing to Pireaus to catch another cruise, than the question is how difficult would it be to catch-up to your ship? (Plan B). Many years ago we did something almost as crazy when we had a cruise that debarked us at Dover in the morning. That same day we were taking the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to NYC so we hired a car/driver. There was no "Plan B" because the Queen was off on a transatlantic so no way to catch-up. Our plans worked well and we never missed a cruise ship meal. Hank