Hlitner

Like you, my ability to tell the good from the bad is simply based on personal taste. Over the years I have had some very high rated wines, and my reaction was, really? Am with you on Shiraz, Malbec and Rioja (we enjoy them all). DW and I, with our untrained palettes, have often talked about "French style" vs what we think of as California style (to include both Washington and Oregon). Put simply, many (not all) US wines are designed to be "fruit forward" which appeals to many folks. DW and I drink our share of US wines, but our preference is towards the less fruity French (and other European) wines. That being said, we have met frequent California wine drinkers who, when tasting a very dry French wine, will roll their eyes and say, "yuck." That is all part of the fun of being an amateur oenophile :). Hank

Given a choice between Trieste (just at that airport on May 1) and Venice (VCE) we would choose Trieste...every time. Marco Polo has long been one of our least favorite airports in Europe and the world. Folks beginning or ending a cruise at Trieste might also consider that Trieste's small airport is much closer to the port then the long transfer to Marco Polo. The main advantage of Marco Polo is that there are some direct flights to North America. But, if one must change somewhere in the EU than you might want to look for a Trieste option. As to cruise-air (NCL and other lines) we do always do comparison shopping. But no way would we simply book cruise-air where the cruise line chooses the flights. This can get you some awful (if not impossible) connections and less than ideal flights. Hank

Can't resist jumping in on this topic :). To put it into two words, "not impressed." While we are fans of the French style Burgandy's (pinot noir) and Rhone wines, we have long thought that Pinotage does not do a good job of wedding the two. Perhaps, over time, Pinotage will evolve into something special, but for now, no thanks. An acquaintance, who is a real wine grower/expert, once told me that Pinotage was simply a compromise by vintners who do not want to deal with the difficulties of dealing with the very delicate pinot noir grape. Am sure others will disagree...especially the South African wine growers. Hank

Love Tuscany. Of course that means moving away from PN to Sangiovese and some of the amazing super tuscans. Bravo for not having "NoNo" Tuscan or any other food. When I think of Tuscan food, truffles (both black and white) quickly come to mind. Not something we find on most cruise lines :). Hank

We were generally pleased with the food on the Vista (our first O cruise). If food were our only criteria, for choosing a cruise, both Explora Journeys and O would be at the top of our list. But one reason we have cruised on 18 different lines (#19 coming up) is because we look at many factors (including variety). Hank

There are also taxis, at the port, and any of them are happy to do airport transfers. No reservations (or deposits) necessary. Just walk up to any taxi, ask them their price, and away you go. Hank

Now you are talking our language (beach lovers). In Cannes (have been there on multiple cruises and also spent several nights staying in town) there are several beaches...some of which are free and others that involve significant cost (to use the facilities). Our favorite beach happens to be one of the completely free places located a very short walk from the tender pier. Instead of walking towards town (Congress Palace) you leave the tender area and go the opposite way (keeping the sea on your left). Within a few hundred yards you sill come to a sandy beach (yes, they do have some real sand beaches) called the Plage du Midi. We have spent a few days on that beach where it is clean, the water nice, and plenty of eating venues within a few minutes walk. The more famous Croisette Beaches are not nearly as nice, but folks flock to them because they are across the street from some famous hotels (like the Carlton). Those beaches are often privately owned, have ugly wooden platforms on top of the pebbly sand, and can be quite expensive (to rent a lounger). They are either owned or have arrangements with some of the nearby hotels, and those customers get priority. Hank

Am delighted that you responded to my "help" post, since my respect for your advice knows no bounds. If the walk is within a mile (or a little longer) that makes the situation easy :). On our one previous visit to Brindisi, we had flown-in from Rome to catch an overnight ferry to Corfu. We spent a few hours walking around the ferry port area of Brindisi and was not impressed. While doing some research on our upcoming ports, Lecce (where we have never been) quickly came to mind. Looking at the cruise line's own excursions, our thinking was reinforced by the many tours they have to Lecce and nothing special in Brindisi. Hank

Too much depends on you! We have done much more ambitious trips (including long cruises plus river cruises plus independent land trips) and enjoy the longer (measured in weeks or months) varied trips. And by the way, one very interesting trip involved a TA to Europe, a driving trip to a 14 day River Cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest) and finally a repositioning cruise back to the USA :). DW and I have really enjoyed our trips where we can cruise both ways across the Atlantic. In fact, one idea (on our bucket list) is transpacific cruise (we have done a few), independent land time in NZ and/or Australia, and another Transpacific home. Last year, while cruising in Asia on a longer HAL cruise, we met small crowd of similarly minded cruisers/travelers. Most evenings we would gather at a bar to talk about our experiences and future ideas. Two of those couples had actually sold their home and spent their lives just traveling (cruise and land) all over the world. I mention this, because there is almost no limit to what can be planned once you open your mind (and your wallets). Hank

Just yesterday, DW and I were doing some homework for a future cruise sometime in late summer/early fall of 2025. I soon found myself doing research on Virgin Cruises, since they have an itinerary (23 days) that got my interest. When I looked at some comments and sample menus on that line, my reaction was WOW! Completely different, in a more modern cuisine way, than what I have experienced on other lines (with the possible exception of Explora Journeys). Of course, I do not know if the food is "dumbed down" like many dishes on O (thank you, No no's). But no question that Virgin has taken their cuisine to a much more contemporary world (they even have an upscale vegetarian restaurant). The question still remains as to whether Virgin will be our 20th cruise line! Hank

On May 1, we disembarked the Vista, in Trieste, after a good 35 day cruise. We did a Live blog here on CC, and most of our reviews/observations were quite positive. However, we did not purchase any future cruise credits, because we were not pleased with the O future cruise program and also had some negative thoughts about the SM program. Today we received an unsolicted phone call from an O rep, seeking our business and offering his services. Since our O cruise was booked through a cruise agency (it is unlikely we would ever book directly with any cruise line since we get better deals through agencies) we found the marketing call, from O, a bit annoying. On the other hand, you cannot "blame a guy for trying" and O is simply trying to get our future business. Today, DW and I spent a few hours looking at some cruise options for the 2nd half of 2025 (which is about the first opportunity for us to book another cruise). We already have multiple cruises for the next year (with Seabourn and Silversea). When looking at 2025 we quickly saw an interesting cruise on the Allura, but all categories are waitlisted (and we will not pay the O waitlist game). On the other hand, we spotted an interesting cruise on a new Virgin ship and its hard to resist cruising on what would be our 20th cruise line :). One attraction of Virgin is they do not have any of that SM baloney, no forced drink packages. etc. The entire SM situation with shore excursion credits is, to me, a complete turn off! Unlike many here, we are not wedded to any one cruise line. Yes, we did enjoy O, but not sure we enjoyed them enough to again play the Shore Excursion Credit game. The reality is that O must feel it necessary to force/nudge folks into booking their overpriced excursions. I have no issue with them marketing but forcing me to pay for excursions we do not want, and would never even consider, is a way to push me to other cruise lines. In August we have a Seabourn cruise and today we did book two excursions because they were good deals and do things we cannot reasonably do on our own. The pricing on those SB excursions did seem to be significantly lower than the prices charged by O on similar excursions. What a shock :). Seabourn does not play excursion games and offers no excursion credits. They are just listed (with the prices) and folks can make their own decison without having to find a way to use a shore excursion credit. I noticed that the kind of simple walking tours, for which O might charge $100, are only about $60 on Seabourn. Giving folks a shore excursion credit, and then marking-up excursions is somewhat of a con since it simply reduces the true value of the credit. . Offering a 25% discount if you book lots of excursions is also another marketing con. Each to their own....I guess. Hank

We are on a future cruise with a long port day (8-6) in Brindisi and are planning to go to Lecce. Our thinking is to grab a regional Trenitalia train but we need advice on getting from the port (we have no clue where Seabourn docks) to the train station. Suggestions from those with experience are appreciated :). My hunch, having been to Brindisi only once, is that the train station is not within walking distance. Should we be looking at local buses or try to grab a taxi? Hank

I couldn't resist reposting part of your response. When we last cruised on China Airlines (I think it was a 777 hardware on a flight from JFK to Taipei) we took off shortly after midnight. After enjoying their late night dinner, I happened to stroll back to their Business Class snack bar area and noticed an unopened bottle of JW Blue. I asked the flight attendant for a pour and she remarked that the whole bottle was at my beck and call (apparently there were no other scotch drinkers). Although I did not drink the entire bottle, it did help justify the cost of the ticket :). For those other readers, or this post, I would emphasize that China Airlines is a Taipei-based company and should not be confused with Air China, the main carrier of the Peoples Republic of China. Hank Hank

We recently finished a 35 day Vista cruise and were told (by Guest Services/purser) the same. Unused SM Shore Excursion credits cannot be used for any other purpose. If your excursions get cancelled the burden is on the passenger to find another excursion. If not possible you are out of luck. Although we enjoyed just about everything on our Vista voyage, the SM situation still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. If O makes it impossible to use one's SM shore excursion credit (such as when cancelling a booked excursion at the last port) one can make the case that it is legalized (in O's opinion) theft. O is simply taking the passenger's money, without permission. O does need a policy change. When SM excursions are cancelled, the related payments should be put into the "refundable onboard account" and reimbursed if not used. Although we do like O and would consider future cruises (on the Vista or Alura), we have not even looked at future booking...mostly because of the SM program. One also might want to consider why O feels they must force cruisers into booking excursions. They are generally overpriced and a major profit-center for the cruise line. Many cruisers (including moi) would seldom to never book an excursion since we find DIY and private tours a much better option. O (and some other cruise lines) simply keep increasing the cost of excursions and then forcing passengers to pay for unwanted excursions (yes, you do pay for those SM benefits). For us, Seabourn is our current favorite line, one reason being that there are no games played with excursions. You want to book one, fine. You don't want to book, fine, Hank

It is not an oversight, when cruise lines fail to tell their customers of decent options that can be used in lieu of the cruise line's overpriced/overcrowded shore excursions. Cruise lines are in the business of making money, and shore excursions (and even paid shuttle buses) are a profit center. There are quite a few ports in Europe (and elsewhere) that are closed to pedestrians (usually for safety reasons). In nearly all closed ports, there will be a free internal port shuttle bus to get folks to a place (often near the port entrance) where they can go off on their own. Some closed ports do have a taxi area adjacent to the ship, and others will require that you take their free shuttle to the "port terminal" or other area where there is usually local taxis and access to local transportation. As long time (over 50 years) DIY travelers (who consider "tour" a 4 letter word), we have learned to do much of our pre-cruise "homework" here on CC. There are usually more than a few folks that can give detailed info on just about any port. In over 50 years of extensive world cruising, I can only recall two ports where we were forced to use a paid cruise line transfer to get out of the port area, and that was in Murmansk, Russia and Constanta, Romania. I should add that in those ports, we did take cruise line excursions, and later thought, (we should have saved our money and stayed on the ship). Hank

I am old as dirt (senior plus), so my days of using a quad or motorcycle (owned one back in the 60s) are over! No way would DW ever hop on any kind of bike or quad (she would worry about pulling a muscle or worse). For many years, I thought a quad on Santorini (where we have often rented a car) is a terrific idea. On Corfu, I guess it depends on how you feel about sharing narrow country roads (once you get away from Corfu Town) with some crazed drivers. No doubt, the quads are fun (unless it is raining) and price is right. If I were forty years younger, we would likely be using a quad in many locations :). Hank

Can't say we have been to Yokohama "many times" and have only been their twice, in recent times. We have enjoyed our stays at the Yokohama Park Royal, which is well located for those of us who are mobile, since it is within walking distance of Chinatown, the nearby park, and is also attached (underground) to a large indoor shopping mall (with quite a few eating venues). This latter really worked out, one day, when it was raining cats-dogs and we could simply walk over to one of the mall restaurants for dinner. I do not see the advantage of staying close to the port/pier (assuming you even know which port) since most folks are going to use a taxi to get to the port (assuming they are also dragging lots of luggage). It matters little to us if we need to take a taxi 1/4 mile or 2 miles. Those with severe mobility issues, that really limits walking, will likely need to use taxis to get them close to wherever they choose to go. Consider that our favored hotel (Park Royal) involves a pretty long walk to simply get from the elevator to the hotel exit. I would also caution anyone booking a pre-cruise hotel, to make sure their reservation is able to be cancelled without penalty. Docking locations/ports have been known to change, sometimes within the few weeks prior to a voyage. In fact, we just noted yesterday, that Oceania changed a March 2025 voyages embarkation port from Tokyo to Yokohama. And knowing Oceania, they are liable to change it again and again. In most cases, the change of embarkation ports is more a decision forced by the ports rather than something cruise lines do on their own. Hank

Much depends on where you will be docked. But the main port at Leixoes, is within walking distance of the train/metro that will whisk you right into Porto. That being said, with a 2pm departure (which makes zero sense) would discourage me from even leaving the ship. In fact, that kind of early departure would keep me from booking that particular itinerary. Hank

Doable, yes. Wise? It depends. Corfu is a relatively large island (about 40 miles long at some places). If you are planning on staying within a few miles of the port and Corfu Town, then a Quad Bike is an OK option (assuming that you do not get run over by a crazy truck/car driver). Not sure I would want a quad bike to go any long distance. We would always suggest trying to reserve something, online, as you can never be sure what will be available on the day you visit (especially during the busy summer season). Not sure where you are from, but keep in mind that if you are from outside the EU, you should have a valid International Drivers Permit (nobody will ever ask to see it..but it is required). It goes without saying that you want to look for a rental location within walking distance of the port. Hank

I am not aware of any decent hotels near the port, and that would not be a neighborhood we would choose even if there was an option. Consider that no matter where you stay, it will be a relatively short taxi ride to the port. Given that situation, we would opt for one of the decent hotels located within a short walking distance of the old port (Vieux Port). For what it's worth, we would not even stay in Marseille but would likely spend the night in Aix and make our way to the port on embarkation day. I sometimes get flamed here for saying that we are not fans of Marseille. Hank

Canne is one of those "gateway" ports where you can opt to stay in town (best explored on foot and/or using the Petit Train) or using various options (trains, buses, rental cars, tours) to explore lots of places between Cannes and Monte Carlo (including places like Antibes, St Paul de Vence, Nice, Eze, etc.). The Cannes restaurants I could recommend are not open for lunch! The city does have plenty of eating venues (quite a few within easy walking distance of the tender pier) so nobody should charge. Just a word about transportation. There is a regional train (almost like a commuter rail line) that runs from Cannes, all the way to Menton with all the usual stops (Antibes, Nice, Monte Carlo). If you find Cannes boring, simply walk over to the train station , buy a ticket, and be off to Antibes or Nice. For those wedded to cruise line excursions (we avoid them like the plague) we think that going to St Paul de Vence is a great alternative to visiting the larger cities. Just keep in mind that St Paul de Vence is a walled town which involves quite a lot of walking. We do not recommend this for folks with mobility issues. Hank

On one of our first few SB cruises, I covertly slipped a nice cash tip to our favorite bar tender. He subtlety rejected the cash and quietly told me, "thank you, but you should donate that to the Crew Welfare fund via SB Square." That moment made me a big fan the SB family, but now know that most of the crew would quickly pocket the tip :). I will also add that one reason (of many) while we enjoy the luxury lines is that they do not generally pay this tip or tip guilt game. Perhaps times are changing. Hank

We would normally opt for the non-stop. Narita is a fine airport, with good transportation options, but does suffer the disadvantage of being a long distance from Tokyo (and longer distance from Yokohama). Hank

Difficult to know the level of government support, but I suspect it is more rather than less :). I have little loyalty to any airline (or cruise line) and simply look for the best value/quality/service. At the moment, Turkish AIr has much to offer and their business class pricing is usually well below many other airlines. Along with China Air (the Taiwan airline), we often find it offers the best overall value. DW and I also look for opportunities to return to Istanbul, since it is a city/country that we always enjoy. Kind of interesting that we plan on flying thousands of miles, out of the way, to visit Istanbul, but why not? Tis part of the fun of independent travel. Hank

Last year we did not take a taxi from Haneda to Yokohama, since we taxied directly to our Tokyo Hotel. About 10 days later, we returned to Yokohoma (on the train from Kyoto) and spent a pre-cruise night. Next year, assuming our cruise embarks from Yokohama, we will probably spend 2 pre-cruise nights in Yokohama, since DW does not want to schlep back to Tokyo. I would guess that a taxi from Haneda to Yokohama would be around $80-$90. If flying into Narita, we would suggest finding an alternative to a taxi since that would be quite expensive (at least $200). Since we do our own air, we make sure to book flights into Haneda, when taking a cruise. Nothing wrong with Narita, but it is a much longer way to Tokyo and Yokohama. Hank