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…

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…

THE BEST FAST FOOD HAMBURGER WINNER

The Battle of the Burger giants has just ended and the overall winner, based on nationwide polling by the Market Force Information Group, is Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Fuddruckerse came in second, followed  by, surprisingly A&W, and Smashburger. The results were based on food quality, service, taste, value, and cleanliness. Five Guys swept every…

HOW DO WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF REGENT CRUISE LINES FREE BUSINESS AIR OFFER?

Q – Read about your site in one of the travel magazines and would like to know a bit about the “Free Business Airfare Offer” they have at Regent Cruises. We are looking at a cruise in South America on the Seven Seas Mariner next December 8th that starts in Rio  de Janeiro and ends…

CHINA NEXT YEAR: WHEN SHOULD WE GO?

Q – We are thinking about doing China next year, using one of the better tour companies like Trafalgar, Abercrombie and Kent, or the Tauck Tours. We are wondering which of these you would recommend for the best overall experience? We would also like to know exactly when we should do this trip for optimum…

GOING TO THE MIDDLE EAST IN MARCH, WHAT TO DO?

Q – Love this site. Like sitting down with our doctor or attorney – but for free. This March we’re headed on a voyage that will include several ports in the Middle East including Egypt. We booked through the cruise line for the savings but we’re not getting any updates on the itinerary changes that might occur…

DO WE REALLY NEED TO DO THE WORK OF OUR TRAVEL AGENT?

Q – We’ve been going on three major trips a year for the past five years, using a travel agent with whom we feel we have a good relationship. But she is always telling us that we should reconfirm our reservations at hotels even though she has made the bookings. We’re rather tech savvy so…