donaldsc

I also recommend that anyone who visits Vence read several of Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunneti series of books. It will help your visit to Venice much better. This is a quote from NY Times Book Review about her. "Donna Leon is the ideal author for people who vaguely long for a good mystery. That Leon is also a brilliant writer should only add to the consistently comforting appeal of her Venetian procedurals featuring Commissario Guido Brunneti. Leon allows her warmhearted detective to take what solace he can from the beauty of his city and the homely domestic rituals that give him the strength to go on." DON

They are inexpensive because they are totally manual focus and of course they are not name brand. If I use them for aurora then manual focus is not a problem and they have gotten decent reviews. In response to penui1n's (by the way love your handle) I have checked on rental places. The problem is that if I rent the cost for the few places that have the type of lens that I need will be almost $120 and if these used low cost manual lens will work for me it is a better deal. And I maybe might even decide toi keep it at that price. Thanks for the thought however. DON

I need to buy a wide angle fast lens for an aurora photography cruise that I am taking. I figure that I need a lens that is no more than 20 or 25 mm and at least f/2 or faster. I am buying it just for this trip and I doubt that I will have much use for it after the trip so I do not want to spend the large amount of money for a good one. Also even though this trip is expensive my wife with balk at me spending several hundred dollars for a lens that I will not use much. I may end up buying one of the more expensive lenses hopefully used with the idea of selling it after the trip or else I may buy one of the inexpensive ones with the thought that I may end up liking the lens and keeping it. 1) If I buy one one of the expensive ones can anyone make a guess as to how much of a hit when I sell it to either B&H or KEH. I would probably buy a lens for $400 or $500. 2) If I buy cheap I am looking at the TTArtisan 25mm f/2 Manual APS-C or Meike 25mm f/1.8 Manual Lens for Sony E-Mount. I can get either one used form KEH for between $50 and $70. Has anyone ever used one of these or a similar lens for aurora photography? The resolution and stuff like that should be good enough for aurora phots but if I use them for other stuff are they decent. Any thoughts or suggestions. DON

No problem w that. Venice is a stop that is best experienced by yourself wandering around trying to find a place that you know is somewhere close and then getting lost and seeing something interesting that you didn't know was there. The usual tourist spots in Venice are usually overrun with tourists and are just a pain to visit. DON

CC does that in the Reviews section - sometimes. DON

Find a GOOD TA and present your problem to them. Your problem will be to find one who will be willing to do a bit of work for what they will assume is a one shot booking. DON

If this response says what I think it says my comment would be - don't confuse me with the facts my mind is made up. If not - I apologize. DON

Google maps will tell you how far it is. Can't help you w what or who you might encounter along the way. DON

There are companies that do Antarctica cruises that are less expensive. We are not allowed to discuss specific TAs but there are TAs that specialize in Antarctic cruises. Go onto the WEB and find them and maybe they will be able to help you. I did a Falklands and South Georgia cruise at a reasonable price that I found with the aid of one of these specialist TAs. DON

I did not see if you are getting to Fairbanks. There are several really good museums there including the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and the University of Alaska Museum of the North · DON

Need a whole lot more info on your plans - where, when, what kind of excursions, cruise line or private tours, how flexible you are, how important specific excursions are and a whole lot more. Lacking this information your question is not answerable. DON

One of mine does and I have booked it. Three of them do not. Also we might be able to see them from the ship and even when the ship is moving but especially when we are in port it will be useful. DON

I read the article. It is a combination of total stupidity with a total lack of any usefulness. It has not redeeming value at all.It was a waste of 5 minutes of my life that I will never get back. DON

I have an interesting question. We all are doing evening tours on our aurora cruise. Many of them start at 6 PM or 7 PM. I just checked on the Viking chat line and they said that BOTH the buffet and the dining room open at 7 PM. Is this correct? Do they have earlier start time for the aurora cruises. Would room service possibly work? Are we going to go hungry? Any thoughts? DON

I am doing an aurora cruise and I will need a tripod. Any suggestions for one that is light and easy to pack. I would like to keep my costs down as I would not use one much for most of my photography. Also and ideas for a light ball head. DON

Only if you go around asking people which side is starboard and which side is port. Just kidding and don't worry. Enjoy yourself. DON

It is a lot easier to drive to Victoria and BC as a separate trip than to drive to Sitka. Also the port times in Victoria are awful. DON

If you read your cruise contract the cruise line has no responsibility for Acts of God. Since Viking did not cause the bad weather I don't why Viking owes you anything. In fact I would suggest that you should thank Viking for protecting you from possible problems caused by the bad weather by missing the port instead of looking for compensation. DON

Inquiring or maybe just curious minds have to ask - why?? DON

My attitude would be if the only place they have keno machines is in the bar that is the place where I will play keno. If you are taking a bar seat to play your favorite game that is their problem and not yours. DON

You could also make the same case for traveling in the Bahamas from June 1 to Nov 30 because it is hurricane season. DON

I do not quite see what this has to do w the topic of the post. DON

Let me tell you why I use a TA. We are flying to Greece from Las Vegas with a change of flight in Atlanta. We have plenty of time to make our Atlanta flight or so we thought except that we are stuck on the ground for an extended period because of bad weather and it looks we might not make it. I call my TA while we are sitting on the plane waiting to take off and tell her the problem and she says she will check on alternative options out of Atlanta. When we land in Atlanta she has left us a text message and she also calls us while we are sitting on the runway waiting to taxi to our gate telling us that it looks like we are OK but she has found an alternative flight with space available just in case. It turned out that we were OK but barely but if we hadn't made our flight we had an alternative thanks to our TA. Now tell me - would your Princess CVP provide that level of service. I doubt it. DON

The biggest advantage of using a TA is you have someone on your side when something bad happens either after you book and before you leave or when you are trying to get to the cruise or when you are on the cruise. This has happened to us more than a few times and our TA has fought for us. DON

How are you going to handle the documentation and clearance from local officials if they do not have any officers in place. If you try to walk off the ship early with luggage there are also ship security people at the ship departure spot who might have something to say if they figure out what you are trying to do. Might not be as your "try to stop me" plan. DON