Q&A

DO WE NEED TO GO 5-STAR IN THE CARIBBEAN?

Q – Our frrinds in Aiken keep wanting us to join them on a Caribbean cruise. They tend to go with Princess or Holland America. We’ve done our last two cruises on Sea Dream Yachts and Seabourn, so we’re reluctant to get on any boat that doesn’t have “Sea” in its name. But then again,…

WHAT IS THE SMARTEST WAY FOR A FAMILY OF FIVE TO SAIL MICKEY?

Q – We want to take our family of five on the Disney Magic. What would you recommend as the best cabin strategy? A – Do a deck 8 Veranda. They have a queen or twin beds and three singles that pull out from the wall. There is a divider between the sitting area and…

HELP IN COZUMEL

Q – I don’t know if you all give advice but I guess it’s worth a shot given my situation. I’m young (mid twenties) petite female who just booked a solo trip to Cozumel for five days in May. Given that I’ve been there before, albeit with a companion, I thought that I chose a…

NEWS FROM THE STATE OF PARANOIA

Q – If you really want to be “truthful” you may want to tell your readers that the Chinese are already waging cyberwarfare against the United States and our entire air traffic control system can be brought down while thousands of planes are in the air causing who knows what level of chaos. I know you…

WHY AREN’T CRUISE LINES FLYING THE US FLAG?

Q – Reading about these cruise lines that register out of the United States and pay no taxes? Are they really non-American companies and why are we supporting them with our business. What is really going on here? A –  If you look at the five largest cruise lines operating in the United States, you…

I HATE O’HARE – OPTIONS?

Q – Spent several hours on this site last night and had to drop you a line. Great stuff. Here’s my specific question. I am a  consultant in the chemical industry and I fly, out of my home in Denver all over Europe. I work alone, with a part-time secretary and we do all of…

FLYING IN APRIL – HOW EARLY DO I NEED TO GET TO THE AIRPORT?

Q – My husband and I are going overseas for the first time this April on a tour arranged through our church in Boise. It is a group tour and we have to get to New York on our own to get on a Delta Airlines flight. My question is how much time do you…

SHOULD WE REALLY CONSIDER A CRUISE AFTER THIS?

Q – After watching CNN and other interviews with the poor folks getting off the Carnival Triumph, I really wonder if we ever will take that first cruise. So let’s see why travel “truth” is still, as far as I can see, recommending cruising. Given the honesty of your answers to other questions, I wonder how you…

DOES TEN DAYS ON THE AMALFI COAST MAKE SENSE?

Q – We work full time and have just nine or ten nights to spend in Italy. We love hiking, exploring, and really good food. Could the Amalfi Coast work in that time frame and how would we set it up in terms of hotels and air. We are in our fifties and we like…

WOULD YOU PUT YOUR FAMILY ON THE DREAMLINER WHEN THEY CLEAR IT?

Q – We have been following the story, now on the New York Times second and third page, of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I am writing this on February 8th and I wonder what the status is. We are supposed to fly the plane in April on United. You all seem to be honest journalists…

DOES ANYONE STILL OFFER AROUND THE WORLD CRUISES?

Q – In this day and age of less ostentatious travel, I wonder if  cruise lines are still offering Around the World type cruises? A – This year, we count nine lines offering ATW Cruises, six of which will literally circumnavigate the globe. Three of these lines, Holland America, Seabourn, and Silverseas, compete with identical length, 115…

WHERE IS ICE CREAM STREET?

Q – We’ve been searching for a really strange destination and thought your staff might be able to help. We will soon be opening an ice cream parlor in Sonoma, California. I’ve taken early retirement and before getting back to the hard work ahead in launching a labor intensive business, my wife and I want to…

CRUISING THE AMAZON WITHOUT BINGO

Q –  We find your site rather confusing. On the one hand, it purports to be a cruise site, but we notice lots of information that seems way off topic. If you wish to have people use the site, you might want to think about sticking to one thing and doing it well. Our question…

I WANT MORE THAN I PAID FOR

Q – These hotels really get me angry. They always pretend they are full when I ask for an upgrade. Meanwhile, I know from online availability, that they have suites available. I am just constantly being turned down for upgrades and I know others are getting them. I dress quite well, I’m a decent looking…

TOUGHING IT OUT ON THE AMALFI COAST

Q –  My boss just informed me that I’ve won a two week trip to Italy that will include three nights in Sorrento, along the Amalfi Coast. My wife wants us to rent a car and do some driving. Do you think that’s a safe idea? Any tips on the towns nearby that are “must-see’s”….

OK, ANDY GRIFFITH HAS PASSED, SO WAS MAYBERRY REAL?

Q – With great sadness, my husband and I read of the passing of Andy Griffith, a wonderful role model and, I think, a true southern gentleman. My husband suggested we just “drive to Mayberry”. Is there such a place and how would we get there? Hope this request is not sounding silly. A –…

BORDEAUX’S BEST WINES

Q – I am a country club wine drinker but I do keep the Wine Bible next tot he remote and I am slowly getting into French red, particularly Bordeaux’s. We’re headed to France to do some tasting with another couple who thinks that the Trader Joe’s label is really prestigious. But I do want…

NEGOTIATING WITH A HOTEL AT THE FRONT DESK

Q – I am a software gun for hire and I travel about 80% of the time. I know that there are often great deals online at the hotels I’m staying at but I just don’t have the time to check it all out on a daily basis. Is there any way to get the…

ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO COPENHAGEN’S BLUE PLANET?

Q – Very cool site but we wish you would have more on food and restaurants. It would be great if we could get all kinds of restaurant information mixed in with your highly valuable travel insights. My husband and I will be in Copenhagen at the end of June, having just ended a cruise. My…

HOW DO WE GET AROUND BUS TOURS IN ISTANBUL?

Q – We have a little but of a dilemma. We are doing a land tour that begins in Istanbul and includes two nights in the city with sightseeing. But to use frequent flyer miles with US Air, we had to add on three additional nights to make our upgrades work. So we now have…

DO YOU RECOMMEND THE PAUL GAUGUIN?

Q – We are thinking about taking a cruise on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti. We are looking at an 11-Day sailing out of Papeete to the Society Islands. We are casual people, we don’t like dress up nights but we’re ready to try some quality after our last disappointing cruise on one of the…

DIRTY RESTAURANT STORIES

Q – My wife and I were curious if  your restaurant writers saw the 20-20 on ABC TV about food and restaurant contamination (November 16th)? What did you think about it? A – Yes, we saw it. It struck us as a combo platter of light investigative reporting that really didn’t take on the corporate…

IS THERE REALLY ANY SUCH THING?

Q – My golfing partner thinks he read somewhere that you can do a safari in the Arctic. Any truth to this and how would we go about getting additional information? Is there really such any such thing? A – Well it’s a bit of a marketing ploy but you can actually see wildlife like…

SANTORINI RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATION

Q – The family, six of us, are headed for two nights on Santorini as part of a Greek islands itinerary planned with Isram Travel in New York. Is there a particular restaurant on Santorini that you think we should go out of our way to try? Will the cruise ship hordes ruin our time…

IS THIS ITINERARY WORTH $20,000 FOR TWO?

Q – Don’t know if you folks are allowed to do this but I would love your opinion on a 33-Day Voyage on the Oceania Marina in April of 2014 from Tahiti to New York via Easter island, Peru, Ecuador, the Panama Canal, some of the Caribbean and even a day in Charleston before heading…

SHOCKED BY TREATMENT BY RIVER BOAT OPERATORS

Q – My husband and I were planning our first cruise on a Danube River Boat Cruise. We’ve read so many wonderful things about these cruises on this site and others. We didn’t use a travel agent and tried booking the cruise ourselves with Tauck, Viking River, and Grand Circle. I am rather shocked to…

CRUISE CREW SALARIES EXPOSED

Q – We’ve just returned from a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas and some friends we had dinner with told us that they had gotten friendly with their cabin attendant who told them that crew is paid next to nothing and really survives on tips. In this day and age and with minimum…

SUNDAY: IS IT THE BEST DAY TO BOOK FLIGHTS?

Q – Having just retired from Duke Power after twenty years, my wife and I are ready to do some traveling. We’ll do some overseas cruises but we really want to travel within the US at least four or five times annually. I’ve heard that I should go online on Sunday evening to get the…

POSITANO SECONDS

Q – We have a problem that is, admittedly, in light of real world problems, insignificant. So we thought we would turn to your editors. We have a full day in Positano while visiting Sorrento off a Holland America ship. We’ve been there before and walked the streets of Positano which we loved. We wish…