I am in the restaurant business and your site…

Q – I am in the restaurant business and your site has pretty much convinced my wife and I to try a river cruise. My only question is whether or not I can use my laptop onboard for business two or three hours a day. I have to be in contact with our various franchisees…

Like about half of the residents of our condo building,…

Q –  Like about half of the residents of our condo building, I am likely to be needing hip surgery. In the meantime my better half wants us to take a river cruise this summer. Is one line better at offering easier walking tours than the others? Enjoying the site quite a bit. A – …

Which of the river boat companies…

Q – Which of the river boat companies would have the most sophisticated clientele? We are well traveled and we would like to be with people with a broad range of intellectual interests who are on a river cruise because of their cultural curiosity. We notice that there is a Sophistication Rating for cruise ships…

We have read that Grand Circle has…

Q –  We have read that Grand Circle has a really high repeat factor. This is important to us and, if it is true, would be a reason for booking. We have been on more than a dozen Tauck Tours and on almost every one 75% or more of the guests were repeaters. A – …

Friends have just returned from a European river cruise…

Q –  Friends have just returned from a European river cruise with Viking. They thought it was a terrific deal compared to big cruise ships but they felt that there was literally not enough food. No one offered them seconds and the staff seemed shocked when they asked for more food, calling in the maitre’d….

We have found a sixteen-day tour…

Q – We have found a sixteen-day tour to South Africa run by AMA Waterways. I’ve never heard of them or the river cruise boat they are using, a boat called the MS Zambezi Queen. South Africa has been a dream of ours for a very long time. On this trip you visit Cape Town,…

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 –…

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THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE LUNCH

The most expensive lunch ever recorded will be consumed by an anonymous bidder who paid $3.46 million to break bread with legendary investor Warren Buffett. The money will be donated to Glide Community Church and its outreach center in San Francisco. Do not scoff at the cost of this meal. Last year, Ted Weschler paid…

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…

THE BEST AT THE AIRPORT “AM I EVER GONNA TAKE OFF APP”

If you want to know more about pending airport delays then the airline’s reservations people are telling you – well, now there’s an app for that. FAAwait, which can be downloaded for Android and iPhones, gives you access to the current FAA status reports on airports throughout the country including current delay times.  This App…

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…

THE WORLD’S WORST HOTEL WON’T TAKE RESERVATIONS ANYTIME SOON

Lots of hotel properties unknowingly compete for the “World’s Worst Hotel” title among travel mavens, but there seems to be real consensus that North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel is the clear winner. This is somewhat amazing given that the 105 story property was never completed despite being started in 1987. It is not as if funding…

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…

The Three Biggest Cruise Myths and Legends

WHY IT “AIN’T NECESSARILY SO” Now that almost 10% of the adult population has taken a cruise, more and more “experts” seem to be popping up in online in chat rooms,  in your local community, and on the telephone as part-time practitioners of the travel craft attempt to show off their knowledge of cruising. Some…

A LETTER FROM BHUTAN

We thought you might enjoy this summary of an experience one of our guests forwarded recently. It captures a visit to this fascinating land in very few words.     EXAMINING CHANGE IN BHUTAN  When my children were little I used to tease them and say, “Don’t grow. Please don’t grow- I want you to…

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT AMERICAN AIRLINES?

American Airlines passengers can tell you that the airline is flying through some unusually strong turbulence. On September 4th, a federal judge ruled that American’s management could, under the rules of Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, tear up the contract the airline had signed with its pilots. They were also allowed to make some serious benefits…

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…

COSTA CONCORDIA WINS AWARD

The oldest continuously publishing Maritime Journal, Lloyd’s List, has given its annual “Seafarer of the Year” Award to the crew of the Costa Concordia which partially sank off the coast of the small island of Giglio on January 13th this year. In an unusual move, the award was given to the Concordia’s entire crew in…

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…