SILVERSEA; ARE ALL SHORE EXCURSIONS INCLUDED?

Q – We are newcomers to cruising and we are thinking about Silverseas which was highly recommended by friends. We’re trying to figure out which shore excursions are included. The one that most interests us is the chance to go truffle-hunting in Slovenia. We understand that as one of the top lines nearly everything is…

IS SEABOURN GOING DOWNHILL?

Q – We are currently booked on a Greek Islands cruise on Seabourn this summer. We’ve read about the changes at the line several years ago, and we’re concerned. Should we change our plans given that the ship is now run by Carnival Cruises? We booked directly with Seabourn so they are not going to…

IS SEABOURN RIGHT FOR OUR TEENS?

Q – What a neat site. It’s like talking with a friend, perhaps a friend in the business. We’ve done some nice cruising but we’ve left our 17 year-old daughter and 14 year-old son back home with relatives. We are looking at a Seabourn European cruise to Greece next summer and wondering if we should…

SHOULD WE CANCEL OUR PLANNED CRUISE?

Q – We are still, almost two years later, so upset about the tragedy in Italy and the way the Captain of a luxury cruise ship would just walk away. My husband and I are taking our two daughters on a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean on Norwegian Cruise Line and we…

INTRODUCING MY WIFE – AND HER CRUISE JEWELRY

Q – Don’ know if you can answer this – wondering if I can win anything for stumping you. The wifey and I are off to Monte Carlo for a nine-night First Class cruise on, Silversea, one of the best lines out there. She is looking forward to dressing up and showing off her jewelry….

MY CRUISE WAS LIKE A BAD WEDDING RECEPTION

Q – Dear Traveltruth – Greetings from Australia. I know that Aussies have a reputation for telling the truth in a direct manner. Hence these comments and question. I found your site by accident on the internet. But I sense I will get a truthful response. My dear husband who is now in a wheelchair…

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SHOULD WE DO A DECEMBER CROSSING ON THE QUEEN?

Q –Need your advice and help on a possible trip for this December. Since we had to cancel our July Silverseas Baltic trip (which has been rescheduled for next year) I need to use or lose my airline credit by the end of the year. For many reasons, December would be the best month for…

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TRAVELING ON SEABOURN AND NEED HELP WITH SMARTPHONE STRATEGY

Q – I am taking our family on a really nice cruise. Fortunately for me, our children are gainfully employed and will need to be in touch with their offices, as will I. I went tot he Seabourn web site and got links to a satellite provider for the ship. Utterly useless. So what do…

VIKING AGAIN/ I DON’T THINK SO!

Q –  We are riverboatratings followers down under. We booked Viking River through their Australia office with low cost flights . I told the Viking agent I would use flyer points to upgrade. He did not comment. My wife developed a back problem. This needed a flight with flat bed on medical advice. We asked…

A LETTER FROM THE GALAPAGOS AND SILVERSEA

Report from the Silverseas Explorer in the Galapagos: We really enjoyed this journey. Two primary areas need improvement: 1. The quality of the wine; and 2. The fitness center. There are literally hundreds of wonderful South American wines that retail in the US for under $20 a bottle. Silversea can and should do better. There…

MEET MY LOVING BUT ANNOYING TRAVEL COMPANION

    Q – This has been bothering me for years and I thought you might be able to help. Our best friends are absolute wine snobs. I am getting tired of my friends habit of insisting on doing all the wine tasting on our frequent forays abroad. He makes a big deal of swirling…

LOOKING FOR A HIP, QUALITY, BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN LONDON

Q – Any recommendation for a nice, unique, small hotel, in London that attracts a hip crowd?  A – Try the new Chiltern Firehouse. This small, 26-room property was a firehouse in the 1890’s. It has a lively bar and a recommended restaurant. Can’t promise “hip” but it has been attracting an artsy, younger crowd….

CALM, CONVENIENT, CARIBBEAN LUX RESORT

Q – We want to find a Caribbean resort that will provide sun, spa, serenity and an opportunity for my husband and I to have, well, never mind. But we’re stymied because we live in Chicago and it has to be an easy non-stop flight.  Is there an answer to our dilemma? A – There…

AN IDYLLIC GETAWAY LESS THAN TEN HOURS AWAY

    Q – If your writers could take a month off and go  somewhere lovely next summer where they could enjoy village life, the sea, authentic, fresh local foods, and hours spent sitting at an outdoor cafe working on a novel, where might it be? It would need to be less than a ten…

CAN WE REALLY ENJOY OUR WINES ON A RIVER BOAT?

Q – I am wondering if you can recommend a wine/food program on a riverboat or barge. We really want excellent food and your ratings seem to play down the overall quality of the cuisine on the river boats. We’re from Sacramento and we visit Napa often. We expect to have two or three other…

WHY WERE OUR FRIENDS UPGRADED WHEN WE WEREN’T?

Q – We’ve been enjoying traveltruth for a long time. We sail the better cruise lines and have used the same Denver agent for years. But our friends,  just got back from an NCL cruise got upgraded by their travel agent the first time they used her.  Should our travel agent be upgrading us? If…

HOW CAN WE AVOID HAVING OUR RIVER BOAT JOURNEY TURN INTO A BUS TOUR?

Q – How often, after all of the hype, are river boat sailings in Eastern Europe cancelled due to water levels? Are there certain months when this is more of an issue. Some of the forums seem to have contradictory information. A –  Forums do not generally present “information”. Instead, they give you the personal…

JUST HOW BAD IS THE FOOD ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN?

      Q – We’ve been asked to join friends on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas. They’re wonderful friends, great company, but we’re folks who enjoy fine dining on vacation. So how bad is this going to be? A – There are specialty restaurants that you will likely find tolerable and perhaps…

SAVING ON BUSINESS CLASS TO SYDNEY

     Q – I am bringing my family to Australia for a well-deserved holiday. It will be a costly trip and we are looking at flying coach. We are wondering if there are still any ways to dramatically save on Business Class tickets to Sydney from the States. A – This is one of…

DO I WANT/NEED AN AMA DOUBLE BALCONY CABIN?

Q – We have been told that AMA Waterways has double balcony cabins on its boats. Is this really true and how do we get one? A – AMA first  designed double veranda cabins in 2010 with the  debut of the AmaBella. It is a rather unique cabin design and one that we think gives AMA…

DOES SIZE MATTER WHEN IT COMES TO RIVERBOATS?

  Q – We seem to have a choice of different size river boats, with the largest belonging to Viking River. In terms of density, are there real advantages in terms of one size over another? The fact that everything is shown in meters adds to my confusion. Really useful site but you should have…

JUST HOW DRESSED UP DO THESE RIVER BOATS GET?

Q – We have signed up for our first cruise on Tauck and we are getting concerned about the dress code and just how formal it will be. Can you tell us what we should bring on this cruise and just how dressy it gets. We went on one of the big “forum” sites and…

IS THERE ANY WAY TO AVOID ‘BANQUET STYLE’ FOOD ON RIVERBOATS?

Q –  We will be celebrating our 40th anniversary and we would like to go on a river cruise. We are looking at one of the two-week itineraries between Budapest and Amsterdam..Outstanding food is one of our prerequisites. We’d hate to be in Europe for two weeks dining on banquet-style or luke-warm buffet meals.How do…

PULLING THE TRIGGER TO JOIN FRIENDS

Q – We were on a Uniworld river boat tour last year – first one ever – newer ship – ss Catherine – as foodies (and realizing this is a cruise ship and not a Michelin star restaurant) – we found the food to be extremely good – also, they include all drinks and cocktails…